New York University College of Arts and Science

A Journal of Undergraduate Research Volume 22, 2018 INQUIRY

Humanities

Social Student Research Abstracts Sciences

Natural Sciences INQUIRY: A Journal of Undergraduate Research

Volume XXII, 2018 College of Arts and Science, New York University ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The College of Arts and Science wishes to thank the contributors to the Dean’s Undergraduate Research Fund for their generosity in establishing the following scholarships to support undergraduate research projects:

Ronald Abramson Research Scholarship Joseph Gilbride Research Scholarship Drs. Mayank and Amita Patel Research Harold Akselrad Research Scholarship Dr. Milton Goldstein, D.D.S Research Scholarship Angelica Foundation Research Scholarship Scholarship Wilfred L. and Ruth S. F. Peltz Research Samuel E. Q. Ashley Research Scholarship Jeffrey Gould Research Scholarship in Scholarship Giuseppe Astorina Research Scholarship American Politics Sidney Probst Research Scholarship Count Lorenzo Attolico di Adelfia Research Marion Cohen Griffel Research Scholarship Pudding Hill Research Scholarship Scholarship Susan and Robert Grossman Research Marie and Anthony Rao Research Scholarship William B. Baer Research Scholarship Scholarship Lydia R. Reeve Research Scholarship Bailey Family Research Scholarship Eileen Guggenheim Research Scholarship Joseph A. Rice Research Scholarship Dr. Charles Barbiere Research Scholarship Russell and Diana Hawkins Research Richard Robins Entrepreneurial Research Mary Rudie Barneby Research Scholarship Scholarship Scholarship Joel and Shari Beckman Research Hirschfeld Family Research Scholarship Daniel A. and Amy L. Rock Research Scholarship Heights Alumni Association Research Scholarship Frances and Benjamin Benenson Research Scholarship Peggy and Bernard Sakin Research Scholarship Holten Family Research Scholarship Scholarship Peter Bergmann Research Scholarship Joseph Jerome Research Scholarship Salant Family Research Initiative in Pre- Herman Berkman Undergraduate Research Thomas Kane Research Scholarship in Health Studies Scholarship English Ravi and Nalni Saligram Research Steffi Berne Research Scholarship June Schlesinger Katz International Research Scholarship Max Bronner Research Scholarship Scholarship Mary L. Santirocco Research Scholarship Roger and Beth Carlton Research Scholarship Dr. Evan and Brooke Kaye Research Schachter Family Research Scholarship Max and Cecil (Steuer) Chesin Research Scholarship Julie C. Schiefflin Research Scholarship Scholarship Jurate Kazikas Research Scholarship Robert Selander Research Scholarship Nathan and Sarah Chesin & Bernard and James Koch Research Scholarship James A. Shea Research Scholarship Mollie Steuer Research Scholarship Myron Kove Research Scholarship Sigal Family Research Scholarship Sorrell and Lorraine Chesin Research Kringstein Family Research Scholarship Seena and George Silbert Research Scholarship Joan Kupersmith Larkin Research Scholarship The Collaborate Dean’s Undergraduate Scholarship Larry and Klara Silverstein Research Research Scholarship Howard Levene (WSC ’41) Research Scholarship College of Arts and Science Parents Research Scholarship J. S. Sinclair Research Scholarship Scholarship Barnet and Phyllis Liberman Research Jack Sitt Research Scholarship Tory Dent Research Scholarship in Creative Scholarship Dr. Dorothy A. Starr Research Scholarship Writing Liebman Family Research Scholarship Drs. Aaron A. and Francine M. Stein Family Nathan Ende Research Scholarship John and Julia Lindsey Research Scholarship Research Scholarship Benjamin P. B. and Fannie L. G. Feldman Linn-Cohen Family Research Scholarship Joan C. Suttles Research Scholarship Research Scholarship Walter and Phyllis Loeb Research Swartz Family Research Scholarship Norman M. and Ann C. Feldman Research Scholarship Daniel A. Swick Research Scholarship Scholarship Philip Alfred Lotz Research Scholarship Varet Family Research Scholarship Sidney Feldshuh and Lillian Kaplan Feldshuh George Maker Research Scholarship Shirley Schmones Wallach Research Research Scholarship Rose and Barry McInerney Research Scholarship Nicholas and Andrea Ferrara Research Scholarship Washington Square College Class of ’42 Scholarship William J. McKeon Research Scholarship Research Scholarship in Humanities John G. Fleming Research Scholarship Dr. Aston McLaughlin Research Scholarship Herman J. Wechsler Research Scholarship in Robert A. Fowkes Research Scholarship Nicole and Joseph Meyer Research Fine Arts Sylvia Engel Friedman Research Scholarship Scholarship Howard M. Weisberg Family Research Samuel and Lilyan Frome Research Miller Family Research Scholarship Scholarship Scholarship Kurt M. Mislow Research Encouragement William F. Weld Research Scholarship in Arthur Frommer Research Scholarship for Scholarship Ancient Studies Travel and Global Studies Mortimer J. Natkins Memorial Research Horace Wendorf Research Scholarship Hugh and Geraldine Fryer Research Scholarship Ellie and David Werber Research Scholarship Scholarship in Classics The New York Community Trust Murray in Social Science Dr. Molly S. Geller Research Scholarship Hidary Research Scholarship Arthur L. Wolf Research Scholarship Daniel Getman and Leonard Marker Arthur Noulas Research Scholarship Memorial Research Scholarship S. Okamura Research Scholarship Ariel and Alaleh Ostad Research Scholarship

Anonymous Donors Sidney and Judith Kranes Charitable Trust Beta Chapter of New York, Phi Beta Kappa CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION Gene Andrew Jarrett, Research as Educational Paradigm...... 15

FACULTY PERSPECTIVE Professor Jini Kim Watson, On Research: Rhythm and Labyrinth...... 16

HUMANITIES Vishnu Bachani, Latent Possibilities of the Tonal System: The Structure and Historical Usage of Tonality...... 19 Sophia Bavaro, Lex Sempronia Agraria’s Political Origins in the Leges Tabellariae ...... 19 Daria Berman, The Poetics of the Spanish Inquisition*...... 19 Noah Bierbrier, Kinship Without Cause: A Study of Queer Relations in Copi’s Corpus*...... 20 Alice Centamore, Simone Forti In and Out of the 1960s: From Real-Time Constructions to News Animations*...... 20 Cin Yee Selina Cheah, Waterfront Revival: A Case Study in South Boston’s Fan Pier*...... 20 Mida Chu, 180 Degree Rule in the Semantic Perspective*...... 21 Claire Chun, Lost in Transnationalism: Korean War Films, Diasporic Identity, and the Negotiation of Trauma* ...... 21 Ellen Cooper, Qu’est-ce que c’est une littérature-monde en français?: Theory and Practice of a World Literature in French*...... 21 Vanessa Danek, Archiving the Ghosts in the Closet: The Comics Project of Alison Bechdel*...... 21 Audrey Deng, Où sont les toilettes? Bathrooms in Postwar French Literature*...... 22 Anna Filonenko, Synthesis of Arts and Souls: Elena Guro and Mikhail Matiushin. On the Way from Impressionism to Abstraction*...... 22 Savannah Fitzgerald-Brown, Public Private Partnerships and the Future of Transportation Planning*...... 22 Edie Freedman, The Commemoration of 9/11 and Its Impact on the Development of US National Memory*...... 22 Firdaus Gupte, Expanding the Moral Domain of Kant’s Categorical Imperative* ...... 23 Katerina Jennings, Consequentialism and the Best Method for Its Implementation* ...... 23 Catie Kartje, Sharing an Authorial Presence: The Spectrality of Meaning-Making in The Turn of the Screw†*...... 23 Rose Yasmin Khan, A Woman’s Place Is in the Revolution: An Analysis of Female Leaders in the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee and the Black Panther Party*...... 23 Abbe Klein, Bruno Taut’s Waldsiedlung: Realizing a Social Utopia in Weimar Berlin* ...... 24 Anna Kreienberg, Gwendolyn Brooks as Poet, Teacher, and Reader*...... 24 Richa Lagu, Zines as Activist Literature: Community Building through the Printed Word*...... 24 Dante LaRiccia, “Hyphenated Americans”: A Discursive Analysis of the American Rhetoric Surrounding German Immigration and Diaspora, 1850 –1918*...... 25 Olivia Le Menestrel, Dynamics of Citizenship in the French Foreign Legion: The German Experience (1908–1962)*...... 25 Su Young Lee, The Female Construction of a National Subject(lessness) in Dicteé by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha and The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston*...... 25 Sonja Leite, The Cross-Examination of Humbert Humbert: An Analysis of Law, Narrative, and Ethics in Nabokov’s Lolita*...... 25 Felicia Leung, “Use the Past to Serve the Present, the Foreign to Serve China”: Framing Chinese Nationalism through the Image of Blackness*...... 26 Hoiyan Leung, The Chinese and Early Nation Building in Cuba (1868–1917)*...... 26

* supported by Dean’s Undergraduate Research Fund † winner of Phi Beta Kappa Albert Borgman Prize for Best Honors Thesis

3 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE

Zach Lewis, History that Hurts: Narrative Break-Down and the Limits of Representation in Roberto Bolaño’s 2666*...... 27 Connor Loeven, Non-Citizens in the US Armed Forces: Germans and Austrians Serving during World War I and Mexicans Serving during the 1990s*...... 27 Ana Lopes, Decolonizing Junctures: A Comparative Analysis of Institutional Change at the Museum of Modern Art and El Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires*...... 27 Lara Manbeck, Reclaiming Time and Space: The Utility of Memory in 20th Century Vietnam*...... 27 Milad Mohammadi, The Liberal Tradition: Native American Liberalism and the Late British Enlightenment...... 28 Benjamin Mok, Pebbles in a Lagoon: China’s Maritime Foreign Policy and Its Ideological Development*...... 28 Jack Burling Nebe, What Is Owed: A Closer Look at Herero/Nama Reparation Claims in Namibia*...... 28 Sim Wee Ong, “Can It Be Sin to Know?”: Satanic Questions in Paradise Lost...... 28 Javier Porras Madero, Women in Zapatismo, 1994 to Present*...... 29 Maritza Rico, Feminismos en la Frontera*...... 29 Samantha Riina, Native Americans, Slavery, and Freedom: Labor on Eastern Long Island from 1650-1850 ...... 29 Victoria Aylin Rodriguez, Mariology in Mexico: Popular Perceptions of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Monterrey*...... 29 Atul Satija, Ethical Disagreement*...... 30 Rushabh Shah, Reading in Three Dimensions: Narrative Kinetics through Hamlet* ...... 30 Clara Si, A How-To Guide for Roman Gentlemen: Investigating A. Cornelius Celsus and De Medicina in a Medical Context and Beyond...... 30 Ellie Simmons, The Post-Colonial Ecology of Elizabeth Bowen’s The Last September and A World of Love*...... 31 Mark Sologuren, Love and Unknowing in St. John of the Cross*...... 31 Morgan Sperry, Reading Remuneration: The American Literary Reaction to Industrialization*...... 31 Katharine Tell, To Create and Destroy in A Brave New World: The Entrepreneur in Huxley’s Dystopia*...... 31 Amara Thomas, Diasporic Narrative in Trans-Pacific Visual Culture: Reimagining the Korean-Argentine Experience*..... 32 Mathilde van Tulder, From Conflict Zones to Contact Zones: 21st Century Built Heritage in Mostar and Berlin*...... 32 Chaorong Wang, Extravagant Residences Aimed for Networking and Self-Endorsement: Gardens in Qing Dynasty Yangzhou*...... 32 Kavinda Wijayaratne, Tabla in New York City: Uncovering the Secret Sound and Language of Tabla Mastery*...... 33 Mengyue Wu, The Inconspicuous Propaganda: Pan Tianshou’s Paintings in 1950s China...... 33 Melody Xu, Biological Machines: The Role of the Human-Machine Analogy in Early AI Research...... 33 Marcelo Yanez, Peter Hujar and Affect: The Photograph-as-Photograph*...... 34 Hongxuan Yang, They Used to Be Our Brothers: Beijing’s Decision-Making Process Leading up to the Sino-Vietnamese War of 1979*...... 34 Porter Yelton, “Always Falling”: How Memory Evades both Collectivity and Intimacy in Post-9/11 Literature*...... 35 Yanshu Zhang, Warring with the Nation’s Past: The Construction of National Identity in Republican China†*...... 35

SOCIAL SCIENCE Isabela “Isay” Acenas, First-Generation Filipino-Americans Associating Themselves with Non-Asian Ethnic Groups...... 37 Marissa Adler, Voter Behavior Survey Experiment: Economic Anxiety vs. Xenophobia*...... 37 Aryn Aiken, Measuring Zero Waste Success...... 37 Ines Ajimi, Term Limits, Political Business Cycles, and Office Tenure: United States, 2004–2015*...... 38 Elisabeth Andreeff, The Effect of Social Group Identification on Understanding Case Facts in a Legal Context*...... 38

4 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018

Josh Arshonsky, Untangling Ignorance in the Sugary Beverage Tax Movement*...... 38 Aleksandra Artyfikiewicz, Composting: A Cost or a Benefit?...... 38 Anna Balchunas, The Effects of Moral Construal on Volunteer Commitment*...... 39 John Paul Baratta, Employment, Health Care, and the 2016 Election*...... 39 Deshana Barua, The Association of Categorical Facial Cues with Categorical Overgeneralized Judgments*...... 39 Michael Bearman and Songzhi Wu, Persistence of Racial Hierarchies in Urban Neighborhoods...... 40 Dia Beggs, Compromising Cookstoves: Stories of Stove Development in Guatemala*...... 40 Gaelin Bernstein, Gender Differences in Self-Perceived Leadership...... 40 Christina Beros, Social Determinants as Predictors of Health Outcomes*...... 40 Catherine Bianco and Melody Xu, Development of Flexibility in Tool Use...... 40 Joseph Cordell Blakely, Reimagining Queer Interactions with Nature*...... 41 Avery Bonner, Getting Bi in the 21st Century: (Mis)Representation, Identity Formation, and Self Concept of Bisexual People on Screen and IRL* ...... 41 Afia Bonsu, Karina Estevez, and Joseph Kim, Metamotivational Knowledge and Successful Goal Pursuit...... 41 Hannah Borenstein, Frequent Falls Do Not Deter Infants from Walking*...... 42 Hannah Borenstein, A Toy’s Story: Exploration, Discovery, Implementation*...... 42 Rachel Brocklehurst, Corporate Political Activity and Regulatory Outcomes: The Effect of Political Expenditures on EPA Enforcement Actions*...... 42 Natasha Brunstein, California ZEV Regulation and Air Quality Outcomes...... 43 Breanna Byrd, Aftermath Revisited: The Slum Phenomenon, Postcolonial Urban Initiatives, and Assistance Refusal in Accra...... 43 Carla Campero, Gender Diversity and Corporate Environmental Responsibility*...... 43 Chloe Chan, Physiological Linkage in Dyadic Cross-Cultural Communications*...... 43 Chloe Chan and Denise Lau, Development of a Self-Report Measure for Older Children and Adolescents with Selective Mutism...... 44 Melody Chan, Averting Natural Disaster in New York’s Island Community*...... 44 Cece Charendoff, She Fights* ...... 44 Anty Chen and Brianna Kaplan, The 6-Brick Challenge: Perception Is Easy, but Action Is Hard...... 45 Kyu Choi, The Effects of Roommate Relationships on Health Motivation, Diet and Physical Activity*...... 45 Fahina Chowdhury, A BIT of an Obstacle in Governance? Examining the Relationship between Bilateral Investment Treaties and Regulatory Chill in Tobacco Control* ...... 45 Amanda Choy, Young Lions*...... 45 John Andrew Chwe, Top-Down Influences of Trait Perception: Dissimilarity Analysis of Perceived and Objective Trait Associations*...... 46 Sydney Cohen, First-Generation University Students and Engagement with Tutors*...... 46 Anne Cruz, Welcome to the Hellhole: Stories of Mental Illness and Poverty*...... 46 Madeleine Cussac, Voter Rationality and Economic Shocks*...... 46 Megan Davis, Limitations in the Production of Marine Bivalve Aquaculture...... 47 Divya Dayal, Geometry in Children’s Drawings*...... 47 Ashley DeLaVega and Kelly Pedraza, Predicting Organizational Skills Training Treatment ...... 47

* supported by Dean’s Undergraduate Research Fund † winner of Phi Beta Kappa Albert Borgman Prize for Best Honors Thesis

5 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE

Ruchi Desai, Assessing the Effect of Scientific Evidence in Changing Children’s Attitudes towards Sugar-Sweetened Beverages*...... 48 Ruchi Desai and Jessica Osterman, Effects of Social Media-Based Food and Beverage Advertising on Adolescent Perceptions and Preferences*...... 48 Amira Desir, Do Children’s Gender Attitudes Differ as a Function of Their Demographics?*...... 48 Vincent DiDonato, Agency Slack: Evaluating the Effect of Money in Elections on EPA Regulatory Enforcement*...... 49 Ana DiGiovanni, The Influence of Perceived and Received Social Support on Dietary Behavior: A Longitudinal Look* ...... 49 Jenny DiMascio, The Effects of Sleep Restriction on First Impressions in Dyadic Interactions*...... 49 Arya Diwase, The Human-Animal Conflict in India*...... 49 Casey Doldissen, Aida Sidi, and Aastha Vasa, At Home with Objects ...... 50 Kelly Dooling, The Psychology of Cephalopod Wellbeing...... 50 Oana Dumitru, Goal Conflict in Student-Tutor Interactions*...... 50 Omar El Fadel and Paige Selber, Making Movement Costly: Does Infant Exploration Pay the Price? ...... 50 Gregory Fauerbach, Opportunity Cost, State Capacity, and the Economic Drivers of Civil Conflict*...... 51 Shirley Foo, The Provision of Security in Democracies and Non-Democracies*...... 51 Solange Fortenbach, Public R&D Expenditure and Farmer Livelihoods...... 51 Mengzhou Fu, The Power of Being Watched: A Cross-National Study on the Effect of Government Controlled Transparency on Curbing Corruption*...... 51 Rita Yuru Fu, Awkward Silence in Intimate Interracial and Cross-Class Interactions: Understanding the Absence of Communication between Patrons and Workers in NYC’s Chinese-Owned Nail Salons*...... 52 Nicolas Garcia, New York City’s Citibike: Effects of the Bike-Sharing System on Pollution...... 52 Alan Gigi, Immigration: Its Effect on the Migratory Decisions of Natives*...... 52 Gretchen Go, Using Perceptual Training to Change the Production of Non-Native Speech Sounds...... 52 Susie Elisabeth Goch, The Effects of Inhibitory Response Training on Implicit Food Evaluations: Decreasing Snack Food Preferences*...... 53 Jake Golvin, New York City Affordable Housing: Degrading Public Housing and Perpetuating Social Inequality...... 53 Anais Gomez, Voting Behavior and Patterns Post-Shelby County v. Holder* ...... 53 Hannah Grassie, The Developmental Trajectory of Risk Taking: The Role of Asymmetric Learning Rates ...... 54 Iglika Grebenarova, European Enlargement and Its Effects on the Efficiency of the European Union*...... 54 Yara Hamway, Taqsim: Shifting Perceptions of Belly Dancing in Egyptian Culture and Society*...... 54 Jillian Harper, The Development of a Transitive “Have”: Shughni Possessive Constructions*...... 54 Mona Hassanein, The Influence of Construal Level on the Experience of Control in Situations of Choice*...... 55 Alaina Haworth, Registration and Participation: The Impact of Opt-Out Automatic Voter Registration in Oregon*...... 55 Erica Hobby, The Intersection of Labor Force Participation and Medicaid Eligibility: A Difference-in-Difference Approach*...... 55 Cynthia Horikawa, The Efficacy of Dual-Language Programs for Spanish-Speaking Children with Diagnosed Communication Impairments*...... 55 Meng Hsuan (Rex) Hsieh, Children’s Human Capital and Intergenerational Mobility*...... 56 Yi Hu, Propaganda in China’s One-Party Political System*...... 56 Zeenat Hussain, Health Related Quality of Life Indicators in College-Going Women with PCOS— A Cross-Sectional Study* ...... 57

6 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018

Johnpatrick Imperiale, Employer Learning of Non-Cognitive Skills*...... 57 Jeno Jaramillo, Regional Trade Agreements Contribution to Economic Diversification and Growth in Latin America...... 57 Hai Ri (Sophia) Jeon, Performing Cuteness: A Study of Gender Dynamics in the Korean Language*...... 57 Zetong Jack Jia, From Cantonese to Mandarin. Language Shift in Chinatown Manhattan: Its Causes, Potential Impacts, and Associated Uncertainties*...... 58 Jasmin Jimenez, Habitat Analysis for Reintroduction of Amphibians into Van Cortlandt Park*...... 58 Yujia Jin, The Effect of Economic Recession on Implicit Bias...... 58 Bhavini Sai Kakani, Globalization and the Alt-Right: Tracking the Rise in Support for the Alternative for Germany due to International Trade*...... 59 Jeffrey Kang, Decisions, Decisions: Investigating Risky Decision-Making Characteristics*...... 59 Jung Kang, Economic Conditions and Gender Equality on Suicide Rates*...... 59 Tara Karki, School Choice and Truth Telling*...... 59 Karolina Katsnelson, Application of the Complex Systems: Causal Network Method to the Complex Etiology of Substance Abuse...... 60 Manpreet Kaur, Do Female Political Leaders Encourage Other Women to Run for Office? Evidence from US State Legislatures*...... 60 Dori Kenessey, He’s Driven, She’s Lost: The Effects of Gender Stereotypes on the Perceptions of People Asking Questions*...... 60 Sophie Kennedy, The Impact of Diver User Fees and Management on Marine Protected Area Conservation...... 60 Nino Khvedeliani, Children’s Conception of Ability*...... 61 Ginha Kim, Climate Change and the Collective Curiosity*...... 61 Jo Eun Kim, and Its Applications to ...... 61 Filip Klein, Effects of Time of Use and Critical Peak Electricity Pricing on Household Appliance Usage...... 62 Narayan Kovil, A New Approach to Reduce Increasing Chromium Pollution by Tanneries...... 62 Ellen Krotow, The Influence of Explicit and Implicit Racial Attitudes on Visual Attention toward Out-Group Members*...... 62 Ryan Lamrani and Semran Thamer, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Participation and Metabolic Health*...... 63 Katie Lanphere, How Does the Changing School Landscape Affect Crime in New York City?*...... 63 Aaron Lebens, How Traits Affect People’s Judgments of Faces’ Genders...... 63 Wesley Leong, Sociolinguistic Factors Influencing Tense Variation in Singapore English*...... 63 Jordan Lian, Reexamining the Effect of Income Inequality on Adult Obesity Prevalence in OECD Countries*...... 64 Marina Lisboa Bacha, The Impact of Tax Deductions and Expectations on Donors’ Decisions...... 64 Heather Little, Refinancing in Periods of Declining Interest Rates: Looking at Informational Constraints Faced by FHA and Conventional Mortgage Borrowers*...... 64 Michael Loedel, A Shift toward Pragmatism: Raul Castro and the Reshaping of Cuba’s Rationing System*...... 64 Isabelle Lorion, Examining Factors Influencing Foreign Direct Investment in China*...... 65 Rihab Mahmood, Using Implicit Measures to Study Children’s Stereotypes about Social Status*...... 65 Juliette Maigné, Paris Nous Aime: A Documentary on French Rap as a Language of Resistance and National Consciousness*...... 65 Yasmine Makkiyah, Water Security Challenges in Jordan and the Implications on the Health of Syrian Refugees...... 66

* supported by Dean’s Undergraduate Research Fund † winner of Phi Beta Kappa Albert Borgman Prize for Best Honors Thesis

7 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE

Madhumitha Manivannan, Strengthening Intentions to Exercise through Message Framing*...... 66 Alexis Martinez, The Termination of NAFTA: Snowballing America’s Next Catastrophe...... 66 Renata Matarazzo, Being in Brazil...... 66 Mina Mathur, Performance of Racially Diverse Women in Negotiations ...... 67 Margaret McAlister, Behavioral Effects of Delayed Auditory Feedback on Neurosurgical Epilepsy Patients ...... 67 Madison McCartin, Experimental Analysis of Fox Teeth Ornaments in the Upper Paleolithic*...... 67 Harshil Mehta, Neighborhood Effects on 911 Call Priority in Baltimore, MD*...... 67 Juan Migone, The Political Economy of Lima, Peru’s Urban Development: Independence to Present Day*...... 68 Udit Modi, Analysis of the Advertising Content and Followers of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Twitter Accounts*...... 68 Mandi Morales, Speaking the Unspeakable: Advocating for the Undocumented in Trump’s America*...... 68 Morgan Murphy, Organic Undermined...... 69 Max Needle, Culture & Communication: Empathic Accuracy and Collectivist Culture in Interpersonal Interactions*...... 69 Allison Neeson, The Attenuation of Conditioned Threat Responses through Appetitive Control* ...... 69 Joanna Nishimoto, Identity Crisis: America’s Third Culture*...... 69 Xan Northcott, Why Elections Fail: Exploring the Limitations of Election Monitoring and Democracy Promotion...... 70 John Daryl Ocampo, Diversity-Based Reasoning in Children’s Induction about Familiar Animal Kinds...... 70 Jumoke Opeyemi, A Qualitative Study Analyzing Risk Factors for Maternal Mortality in Rural Areas of Lagos*...... 70 Daniel Pai, Combating a Culture of Shame and Stigma: A Church-Centered Analysis of Chinese American Perceptions of Mental Health and Illness*...... 70 Natasha G. Pandit, Effects of Race-Based Facial Prototypicality on Voters’ Decisions*...... 71 Janelle Micaela Segarra Panganiban, Cultural Transmission and Navigation of Racial Boundaries among Filipino-American Families*...... 71 Julia Paranyuk, Effect of Police Stops on Graduation Rates in NYC: A Differences in Differences Analysis* ...... 71 Parth Patel, Navigators of Mental Healthcare: Remaking of Peer Specialists in Harlem’s Community Clinics†*...... 72 Andrew J. Penner, A Geographic Analysis of Socioeconomic Factors Influencing Obesity in the US*...... 72 Joshua Pesantes, How Do Feelings of Loneliness/Social Isolation and a Perceived Lack of Social Support Influence Undergraduate Students’ Physical and Psychological Well-Being?*...... 72 Zoe PiSierra, Fake News in the Media: Does Facebook’s Flagging System Have the Ability to Alter One’s Political Opinions?*...... 73 Edoardo Pisoni, The Bitcoin Bubble: Is There One and How Can We Tell...... 73 Paul Prentice, Formulaic Funding: Is the Community Development Block Grant Influenced by Mayoral-Presidential Alignment?*...... 73 Joshua Quach, Health Care Experiences of Men Who Have Sex with Men: Understanding Patient-Provider Relationships and the Lasting Effects of the AIDS Crisis*...... 73 Andres Rabellino, Elections in a Connected Brazil*...... 74 Tazmin Rahman, Preferences for Primate Faces in Infancy*...... 74 Saranya Ramadurai and Semran Thamer, FoodScapes and Metabolic Health*...... 74 Anna Ruiz, The Effect of Targeted Regulations on Abortion Providers (TRAP) Laws on Public Opinion of Abortion*...... 74 James Sabia, How Police Stops Affect Voter Turnout Rates in the 2012 and 2016 Presidential Elections: An Instrumental Variable Approach*...... 75 Kaajal Sagar, The Development of Race-Based Economic Decision Making*...... 75

8 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018

Sabrina Santos, Linking Urban Green Infrastructure and Gentrification:A New York City Case Study...... 75 Raghav Saraogi, Borrower Characteristics and Credit Supply Expansion in the US Residential Mortgage Market: Evidence from 2010 to 2015...... 76 Natalina Schappach, Crime and Immigrant Education: An Exploration in UK Police Force Areas...... 76 Daphne Schermer, The Role of Cashless Payment Systems in Shrinking the Underground Economy*...... 76 Yousaf Shakil, Examining the Effects of Explicit Affirmative Action Programs on Students of Color at Elite Universities*...... 76 Dakshayani Shankar Sthipam, Climate Change in Western Australia: How Dairy and Meat Farmers Tackle the Balancing Act between Animal Welfare and Profits* ...... 77 Mira Sharma, Storytelling and Evaluations*...... 77 Kathleen Shea, Political Representation and Crimes against Women: A Case Study of India’s Vidhan Sabhas*...... 77 Hannah Shulman, On the Limitations of Resistance in a Capitalist Society: Squatting in New York City and Berlin*...... 77 Justin Smith, Original Song*...... 78 Janve Sobers, How High-Income Communities Receive More Effective and Efficient Service from Municipally Managed Public Services: Evidence from New York City 311 Call Data*...... 78 Graham Streich, The Effect of Economic Uncertainty on the Extremeness of Candidates’ Platforms...... 78 Eugenia Tang, “We’re All Aging Alone”: Finding Structure, Belonging and a Second Family in Senior Centers*...... 78 Yu Tang, The Role of Social Class on Abstract Thinking and Performance*...... 79 Emily Termotto, What Determines Microfinance Success?*...... 79 Benjamin Tice, Voter Registration, Convenience Costs, and Social Networks for College*...... 79 Maria C. Tierney, A Syntactic Analysis of Negation in Latin: Negated Quantifier Phrases Linguistics*...... 79 Amanda Tiew, Understanding the Experiences of Accessing Safe Abortion in Malaysia*...... 80 Catherine Trad, Measuring Theory of Mind on the Autism Spectrum*...... 80 Simone Van Taylor, Group Identification and the Role of Neural Synchrony in Collective Performance*...... 80 Natasha Mardach Verdon, No Reservations: Gender Performance in Celebrity Chefs*...... 81 Betty Wang, Tracing Prevalence and Policy: A Study on Human Trafficking*...... 81 Melody Xu, The Developmental of Action Anticipation of Tool Use: EEG and Eye-Tracking...... 81 SuMin (Christina) Yu, Inferential Reasoning Ability in Patients with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy...... 82 Samuel J. Zawacki, Fuori dal Binario: Linguistic Gender in the Italian Context*...... 82 Sheryl Zhang, Investigating Order Effects of Construal Level on Priming*...... 82 Tianyun (Sky) Zhang, How Mental Simulation Affects Goal-Pursuit Flexibility*...... 82 Virginia Zhang, To Stay or Migrate? Preferences and Occupational Choice in China’s Rural Ethnic Tourism Industry...... 83 Yi Zhang, Social Identity Shapes Perception of In-Group and Out-Group Bias between Racial and Political Contexts*..... 83 Yian Zhang, The Effects of Identity- and Action-Focused Language across Domains*...... 83

STEM Aparna Alankar, Redistribution of Natural Killer Cell Subsets in Pediatric HIV Infection* ...... 85 Grant Allington, CpG ODN Immunomodulation through TLR9 Presents an Effective Treatment Option in a Repressible Transgenic Mouse Model of Tau Pathology in Alzheimer’s Disease*...... 85 Eben Anane, Early Life Maltreatment (Scarcity-Adversity Model) Induced Behavioral Deficits are Repaired by Environmental Enrichment...... 86

* supported by Dean’s Undergraduate Research Fund † winner of Phi Beta Kappa Albert Borgman Prize for Best Honors Thesis

9 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE

John Andrews, A Screen to Identify Ribosomal Proteins with Specialized Roles in the Translation of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 mRNAs*...... 86 Samantha Ayala, Does Auditory Acuity Predict Response to Visual-Acoustic Biofeedback?...... 86 Betty Bei, The Development Process and Effects of Placing Social Games in Virtual Reality*...... 87 Ilyasse Benezha and Shaiku Jollah, Bioactivity of the Medicinal Plant Lippia multiflora against Oxidative Stress and Inflammation...... 87 Jillian Burns, Decoding Stimulus Orientation Using MEG*...... 87 Yaelin Caba, Light Driven Fluid Micro-Swimmers*...... 88 Sanchit Chaturvedi, Is Killing Cyclotron Motion Murder?*...... 88 Valentyna Chebanova, Structural Characterization of YcjW- A Putative Escherichia coli LacI/GalR Transcription Repressor* ...... 88 Irene Cho, Evolution of Neural Types in Drosophila Optic Lobes Using in Situ Hybridization Techniques*...... 88 Mahdi Choudhury, Identifying Low Dimensional Representation of Prehension with Neural Correlate in Premotor Cortex*...... 89 Susan Chow, Developmental Hearing Loss Impairs Perceptual Sensitivity*...... 89 Jonathan Y Chung, Lectin Mediated Protein Trafficking to Exosomes*...... 89 Joseph Corrado and Donald Pierce, An Efficiency Analysis of Combined Missing Transverse Momentum Algorithms at the Large Hadron Collider*...... 89 Ian Cossentino, Bidirectional Regulation of Sleep and the Unfolded Protein Response in Drosophila melanogaster* ...... 90 Olivia Cullen, One-Pot Multistep Reactions Facilitated by Shell Cross-Linked Micelles*...... 90 Bryant Curto, Ghosting ASLR: A Spectre Extension*...... 90 Deepika Dhawan, Functional Mapping of the O-polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyl Transferases (GALNT) via High-Throughput Analyses of miRNA-mRNA Interactions*...... 91 Maria-Andreea Dimitriu, Probing the Transport Mechanism of the Escherichia coli Drug Efflux Pump EmrE*...... 91 Akshunna Dogra and William Redman, High Fields and Its Effect on Tokomak Design Strategies*...... 91 Kyle Droppa, Association between Change in Brain Gray Matter Volume, Cognition, and Depression Severity: Pre- and Post- Antidepressant Pharmacotherapy for Late-Life Depression...... 91 Lucia Duenas-Bianchi, Somatosensory Innervation of the Oral Mucosa and Pharynx of Adult and Aging Mice...... 92 Salah Eldein Elkattawy, Molecular Mechanism of Feedback Regulation by RNase E*...... 92 Victoria Ende, Enhancing the College Experience: The Effects of Different Levels of Exercise on Memory, Stress Management, and Mood*...... 92 Axel Yannick Epié, The Study of Helicase Kinetics in Correlation to Lesion Structure and Efficiency of the Nucleotide Excision Repair Pathway*...... 93 Zoë Fresquez, Novel LTR Retrotransposable Element in Phoenix dactylifera VIRESCENS Gene Transposable Element Investigation...... 93 Katherine Furman, Auditory Preference for Pup Ultrasonic Vocalizations in Female Mice...... 93 Jenny Gao, FLP/FRT Genetic Recombination as a Germline Lineage Tracing Tool...... 94 Maeliss Gelas, Hijacking the Host’s Immune Response to Combat Pancreatic Cancer*...... 94 Matthew Generoso, sCD163, T Cell Activation and HIV Progression in Perinatally-Infected HIV+ Children* ...... 94 Arvi Gjoka, Towards Stacked Sparse Coding Networks*...... 94 Paulomi Gohel, Reelin Signaling Is Disrupted in Autism* ...... 95 Abhishek Hinduja, The Role of Hippocampal Sharp Wave Ripples in Immune/Endocrine Regulation during Sleep*...... 95

10 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018

Hana Husic, The Spatial Heterogeneity of Influenza Evolution in the Respiratory Tract*...... 95 Alisha Jadhav, Localization of E-Cadherin and N-Cadherin in Zebrafish Lateral Line Primordium...... 96 Libuše Janská, The Raw Material of Evolution*...... 96 Samantha Jensen, Augmenting and Streamlining Cavity Size for DNA Crystalline Lattices* ...... 96 Jenish Karmacharya, Self-Assembly of a Four Turn-Asymmetric Tensegrity Triangle Containing a Three-Arm Junction...... 96 Radhika Kenkre, Exploring the Effect of Early Behavioral Training on the NVHL Model of Schizophrenia...... 97 Aleksandar Kiprovski, Convolutional Neural Networks for Classifying Glioblastoma Subtypes from Magnetic Resonance Imagery*...... 97 David Klein, Computational Tools for Automated Growth Rate Calculation in Continuous Culture* ...... 97 Yu (Tina) Kong, Super-Resolution Imaging of Breast Cancer 1-Deficient Tumor Sections Biochemistry*...... 97 Sonia Kruszelnicki, Increasing Gentamicin Sensitivity in E. coli with rRNA Methyltransferase Conferred Resistance*...... 98 Kevin Kuonqui, Designing Hybridization Probes to Identify Compositional Species Differences between the Microbiomes of Distinct Human Hosts*...... 98 Brenda Lagares, Validation of an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Microbiology Laboratory Practices...... 98 Amy Lei, Identification of New Sequence and Structural Elements in Post-Transcriptional Regulation During Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress...... 99 Wesley Leong, Characterizing the Role of the Cerebellum in Time Perception*...... 99 Rimma Levina, Characterizing the Role of Otd Protein in Early Drosophila melanogaster Development*...... 100 Zhengxu Li, Numerical Methods of the Black-Scholes Model*...... 100 Kayla Ying Yan Lim, Early Life Abuse Alters GABAergic Synaptic Contacts in the Basolateral Amygdala of Juvenile Rats in a Sexually Dimorphic Manner*...... 100 Eric Lin and Cole Smith, Robotic Room Traversal Using Optical Laser Range Finding*...... 100 Raven Lin, Characterization of Prefrontal Morphological and Connectivity Abnormalities in a Schizophrenic Methylazoxymethanol Acetate Insult Model...... 101 Alexandra Macbeth, Synthesis of Colloidal Rings*...... 101 Emma Macdonald, Characterization of Nucleus Accumbens Interneurons*...... 101 Ellen Mats, Crystalizing Adenosine Targeting Aptamer within Self-Assembling Crystal Lattice*...... 102 Sacha McElligott, Secernin-1 Is a Novel Protein Involved in Alzheimer’s Disease*...... 102 Danielle Mendonca, Changes in the Expression of NR2B-NMDA Receptors in Hippocampus of Adolescent Female Mice Relate to Individual Differences in Adaptability to Food Restriction Stress...... 102 Masoumeh Mohammadkhani, Investigating Rodent Reward Prediction Using a Modular Open Source Operant System...... 103 Fadimatou Mossi, Study of Location Error in Satellite Precipitation Estimates Using a Radar-Gauge Product...... 103 Nina Naghshineh, The Inhibitory Effects of the Microbial Community of Plethodon cinereus against Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis...... 103 Zaeem Nazir, Mechanism of Inflation for Colloidal Microcapsules*...... 103 Dali Nemecio, Searching for Zelda Gene Enhancers for Nervous System Expression Using P-element Insertions* ...... 104 Soo Jung (Sandy) Oh, Chemical Optimization of Hydrogen Bond Surrogate β-hairpins*...... 104 Ji Jung Park, The Relationship between Set-Shifting and Weight in Adolescents...... 104

* supported by Dean’s Undergraduate Research Fund † winner of Phi Beta Kappa Albert Borgman Prize for Best Honors Thesis

11 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE

Xinjie (Cindy) Qiu, Synthesis of Functionalized Coil and Helix-Shaped Polymers for Analysis of Their Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions*...... 104 Jod Queen Prado, Low-Grade Astrocytoma Model Shows a Fundamental Gliomagenesis Mechanism* ...... 105 Ananditha Raghunath, Exploring Dental Care Affordability on Twitter via Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning*...... 105 Bhavana Ragipani, Rex-40/rex-29 Interactions in C. elegans May Aid in the Understanding of DCC Spreading Mechanism*...... 105 Margish Ramani, Stimulation of Innate Immunity via TLR9 to Ameliorate Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy in Aged Non-Human Primates*...... 105 Rishabh Ranawat, CollectiveTeach: A System for Generating and Sequencing Lesson Plans...... 106 William T. Redman, Place Cells as an Emergent Property of a Plastic, Multi-Layer Neural Network* ...... 106 Casey Reed, Inertial Water Response Dominates Protein Solvation Dynamics* ...... 106 Rhea-Donna Reyes, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Studies of a Multiferroic Dimethylammonium Manganese Formate Phase Transition...... 107 Justine Rosalez, The Effect on the Rate Constant of the RecQ Helicase Enzyme when Encountering Oxidized Guanine Species*...... 107 Tejas A. Sawant, Analysis of White Matter Integrity in the Shank3 Deficient Rat Model of Autism Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)*...... 107 John Scheuring, Potential Dorsal-Independent Activation of Sna Expression through Zelda Protein*...... 108 Chappel Sharrock, Depolarized Light Scattering from a PS-PEO Diblock Copolymer Using Elliptically Polarized Light*...... 108 Ahmed Sherif, Transport and Trapping of Submerged Bodies Due to Water Wave Refraction*...... 108 Michelle Shi, A Genetic Screen Identifies Novel Mutations in the Meiotic Recombination Pathway*...... 109 Jaewoo Shin, Investigation of Proteasome Mobilization in Response to Amino Acid Starvation Using Super-Resolution Microscopy*...... 109 Clara Si, Investigating the Antiviral Potential of Serpins Using Multicycle Replication Assays*...... 109 Je Yeong Sone, Single Molecule Array Immunoassay of Tau Protein Phosphorylated at Threonine-231 in Blood Plasma*...... 110 Sara Stark, Individual Differences in the Responses to Threats in Rats* ...... 110 Sahaana Sundar, Function of Lateral Entorhinal Cortex in Shaping Task-Selective Spatial Representations in Dorsal CA1 of Hippocampus*...... 110 Janki Tailor, CD8 T Cell Immune Checkpoints in HIV Infected Children*...... 111 Cyrus Tam, Image Reconstruction with B-recs in Localization Microscopy...... 111 Tiffany Tang, Fabrication and Guided Motion of Microscale Swimmers*...... 111 Semran Thamer, Efficacy of Photochemical Corneal Collagen Cross-Linking Combined with Refractive Surgery in Treating Keratoconus*...... 112 Emma Theisen, Infant Rat Cortical Oscillations during Maltreatment from the Mother*...... 112 Mats Thijssen, Analysis of Large Scale Structure of Magnetic Field in State-of-the-Art Galaxy Simulation...... 112 Grace Ji Yan Tsang, Effect of Musical Training on Perception of Shadowed-Speech...... 112 Robert Tseng, Face-Specific Targeting of Tensegrity Triangle DNA Crystals*...... 113 Andrew Wang, The Role of Cyclins in the DNA Damage Response Complex Neural Science*...... 113 Justin G. Wang, Communicating the Nutritional Value of Sugar in Drosophila...... 113

12 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018

Shihui Wang, Functional Study of Cancer Patient-Associated BcL-xL Mutants: A Step towards Personalized Medicine*...... 114 Diandra Williams, The Role of H4K20 Methylation on the X Chromosome during Dosage Compensation in C. elegans*...... 114 Shirley Wu, High Throughput Profiling of Phage P1 Resistance inE. coli Saturated Transposon Mutant Library*...... 114 Yu Tzu (Lea) Wu, Reinforcement Sensitivity and Analytical Style Underlie Individual Differences in Risk Attitudes across the Gain and Loss Domains of Decision-making* ...... 115 Alex Yu, Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) Plays a Regulatory Role in the Expression of the Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype (SASP)*...... 115 Yun Bin Zhang, Predicting Dynamic Protein and mRNA Expression Profiles with a Simple Rate Equation*...... 116 Hongfei Zhao, Effects of Adaptive Stimuli on Visual Texture Discrimination*...... 116 Matthew Zhao, Self-Assembling 3D DNA Lattices for the Organization of Guest Molecules Chemistry*...... 116 Vincent Zheng, The Relationship between the Rate Constant of the RecQ Helicase and Nucleotide Excision Repair Efficiency*...... 116 Michael Zhu, An EEG Correlate of Visual Ambiguous Perception*...... 117 Olga Zhurakivska, Perceptual Decision-Making in Individuals with Amblyopia...... 117

* supported by Dean’s Undergraduate Research Fund † winner of Phi Beta Kappa Albert Borgman Prize for Best Honors Thesis

13

INTRODUCTION: Research as Educational Paradigm

The true measure of an excellent university lies in the scholarly quality of the students, not only of the faculty who teach them. Of course, the media headlines about the research activity and output of faculty—including the honors, fellowships, grants, and specialized resources they compete for and win on behalf of their universities— encapsulate important stories about how far higher education has come in transforming the world. Yet the degree that such research-active faculty can impart groundbreaking knowledge to their own students reveals the power of higher education to effectuate future intellectual discoveries. The students involved in research alternately imbibe the information in classrooms; develop and test hypotheses in laboratories; delve into the bookshelves, digital databases, or archives of research libraries; and engage in studies of human subjects. Research, as a disciplined mode of inquiry during these activities, represents a systematic occasion to investigate ideas and evidence, to conduct tests and evaluations, and to advance knowledge that could be generalized for broader society. Given that the College of Arts and Science lies at the heart of New York University as its largest and oldest school, any claim of NYU to being an elite research university must be readily legible in the success of CAS students in the realm of academic research. Student research is nothing less than the paradigmatic outcome of excellent education at the University. In this context, I am honored to present you Inquiry, a journal which compiles the brilliant and dedicated scholarship of CAS students who were mentored by NYU faculty during the academic year 2017–2018. A celebration of the achievements of our most curious, driven students, Inquiry is made possible by the Dean’s Undergraduate Research Fund (DURF). Generous alumni, parents, and friends have donated funds to DURF so that we could provide the material support necessary for students to implement their research. (A list of the research scholarships that have been endowed in the Fund appears on page 2 of this journal.) Without the donors who believe in what we do, the research you will encounter in subsequent pages would have been improbable. Over the course of the following pages, you will learn that research takes many shapes. Various students featured here have spent time working in a lab with a team of scientists to understand brain development. They have measured the dimensions of ancient human remains to understand cultural practices surrounding beauty. They have picked through boxes in an archive, finding textual evidence to support a literary analysis. Or they have interviewed living eyewitnesses to a major historical event in a foreign country. Working closely with a mentor, the students ultimately sharpened their problem-solving skills and learned about the “big ideas” of their chosen field. The students explored possible future careers; they learned how to work independently and hone marketable skills such as effective written and oral communication. In personal terms, however, there is no greater occasion than witnessing students meet the challenges of a long-term project—that is, of following a passion toward a wonderful conclusion and presenting completed work to show for it. A thrill and satisfaction like nothing else, the projects demonstrate an internal standard of excellence to which our students had aspired, a salient outcome of undergraduate research and personal enlightenment that likely will reap intellectual rewards for years to come, regardless of the professional journey after graduation. Inquiry represents merely a fraction of the research that CAS students had undertaken as individuals and in groups under the close mentorship of NYU faculty. The expansive portfolio of abstracts was also presented at the annual Undergraduate Research Conference, which was established over forty years ago and encompasses the sciences, humanities, social sciences, and creative arts. At the start of this issue is the “Faculty Perspective,” where we publish the remarks delivered by an NYU faculty member at the closing award ceremony of the previous Undergraduate Research Conference. The content of this issue underscores the crucial importance of independent inquiry as a paradigm for a liberal arts education for the twenty-first century. We are very grateful to the students, their faculty mentors, and the generous funders who have made this sort of educational experience, and this journal, possible.

Gene Andrew Jarrett Seryl Kushner Dean of the College of Arts and Science Professor of English

15 FACULTY PERSPECTIVE On Research: Rhythm and Labyrinth Professor Jini Kim Watson

“Research is formalized curiosity. It is unpractical honors thesis on a postmodern Australian poet no one in this room has heard of. poking and prying with a purpose.” I then spent a year teaching English in South Ko- – Zora Neale Hurston rea, where I grew more and more curious about the place my mother’s family was from but had heard little about. The first thing I might say is that it’s always been a Living in the southwestern provincial capital of Gwangju, I bit hard to define the term “research” in my field, literary was struck by how radically different its urban forms were studies. We all have our own discipline-specific answers from suburban Australia. Just as interesting, Gwangju is an as to what research actually looks like—whether it’s in a incredibly politicized city: an uprising there played a major lab, doing ethnography, reading novels—but I would wa- role in the anti-military dictatorship movement of the 1980s. ger that the one thing we might agree on is that research By the time I was in a graduate program in compar- is the activity of producing new knowledge that changes ative literature in the US, I realized there were some inter- something; and that something is typically in relation to a esting gaps in the conversations around culture, aesthetics, collective conversation within a discipline. Put otherwise, and urbanism. First, and remember this was the early 2000s, we might say that research often comes from the impulse: a number of scholars were developing new theories about “why aren’t we looking about X in terms of Y? What are global cultures, and cities seemed to be at the heart of these we not thinking of here? And, what difference would it conversations. However, as with many of our categories make to our way of tackling this problem, or question, if of knowledge, most of the paradigms we have for urban we did?” development, city typologies, and architectural movements I’m going to touch on just two moments in my career draw from Western history. This means non-Western cities when I realized that I—even without a lab coat—could ask are typically deemed imitative or derivative. I realized I that question of “X in terms of Y” and undertake research. had a question to bring to the conversation: how could we These can be very powerful moments, and I urge you all, think through certain Asian cities on their own terms, that when the craziness of the semester subsides, to take a mo- is, both for their specific urban histories—shaped by colo- ment to think through your own research epiphanies. nialism, the Cold War, and industrial development—and For the moment, a little backstory is needed: my via cultural texts that spoke to the lived experience of such first undergraduate degree was actually in architecture, transformations? The result was a dissertation, that became which I studied at the University of Melbourne. As you my first book, The New Asian City, a study of the postwar can probably relate to, I enjoyed my newfound freedom urban transformation of Seoul, Taipei, and Singapore as as a student; I grew accustomed to the regular pizza and seen through the lens of novels, short stories, poetry, and caffeine-fuelled all-nighters; and I joined the architecture film. theatre revue where I wrote and performed sketch comedy. Let me add I wholeheartedly recommend tackling However, it wasn’t until I escaped the confines of topics you may know little about: in graduate school, I architecture school and took a dive into some classes in the spent summers in sweltering Seoul or Taipei doing language English Department that I discovered the intellectual wa- training and “research”—even though I wasn’t sure what ters that really nourished me. After some painful self-ex- exactly I was researching. Eventually, however, a rhythm amination, I decided I would transfer out of architecture developed. The opportunity to explore and experience, as school to pursue a B.A. in that practical and lucrative field well as read literature from, these urban spaces allowed me of…literature. Three years at the University of Queensland to develop an initial curiosity about them; my questions then in Brisbane followed in a joyful daze; I became an English took me to more formalized investigations: What planning major, I took philosophy, linguistic and language classes, laws allowed for the breakneck speed of urban renewal in and worked part-time as an architect’s assistant. In the these cities? How did these cities go from postwar ruin to architecture office I gained practical skills attending cli- gleaming global metropolis, in about three decades? And, ent meetings, measuring and documenting buildings, and most importantly for me, what stories did the literature of getting my boss lunch. At university, I wrote an utterly this era tell of these massive, often traumatic, upheavals in

16 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 urban space and everyday life? Was this a more complicated erished Pacific nations as prisons for this unwanted refugee story than the one we are told through the notion of “Asian population. More specifically, why were people silent about miracle economies”? My larger point is that this rhythmic the fact that Australia had in fact been colonial powers in the back and forth—of curiosity and investigation, and then new Pacific up until the 1970s, and indeed, colonial administra- a curiosity, and so on—is what forms, to my mind, the actual tors of these particular two territories? practice of research. My curiosity led me to explore Australia-Pacific My second example is more recent, and briefer. In relationships. For a few months, the experience was some- 2015, I was on sabbatical in Australia. If you know anything thing like being in a labyrinth, where I tried to untangle the about the current treatment of refugees by the Australian threads of colonial histories, nationalist disavowals, con- government, you’ll know it’s amongst the harshest and most temporary Pacific literature, and international debt relations. abusive in the world, and involves In the article that emerged from this indefinite detention of would-be asy- “I wholeheartedly research, I connected the colonial lum seekers on two remote islands, history that has all but been repressed Nauru and Manus Island, in Papua recommend tackling from the Australian national memory New Guinea (PNG). I won’t go into to the present-day aid dependence on the details but simply say while I was topics you may Australia by PNG and Nauru. This trying to research my new book on the relationship, it turned out, had been literature of authoritarian regimes in know little about: well represented and critiqued in Asia, I was appalled to find it was my postcolonial Pacific island literature, own home government that seemed in graduate school” which is partly what my article dis- most authoritarian. There was, and cusses. The new refugee detention is, a strong grassroots movement supporting the refugees, regime, I concluded, was not something new and anomalous which I joined, but again I noticed a gap—another “why on the part of an otherwise tolerant and multicultural Aus- aren’t we looking at X in terms of Y?” moment. tralian government. It was actually a new way to continue The pro-refugee movement rests primarily on the an old relationship of exploitation of small nations who, paradigm of human rights and the appeal to Australia’s tra- although technically independent, have no other choice than dition of social democracy, immigration history, and cultural to provide “detention services” to their powerful neighbor notion of “a fair go”. But, I was curious why no one was in return for developmental aid. The unlucky refugees who talking about the fact that Australia was using these impov- land there become part of the currency through which this transaction happens. So, now you know two things about Australia: koalas and offshore refugee detention. To conclude, and if I may mix metaphors, my own sense is that research is something like finding your rhythm, formalizing your curiosity within a larger conversation, all while staying a little bit lost in the labyrinth. It is, by defi- nition, about not knowing where you’ll end up; sometimes we hit our stride immediately; other times we get stuck in the maze and need help finding the thread. Either way, the research endeavor is a privilege and often its own reward, and I am excited for each of you as you emerge from your time at NYU with a new set of curiosities, questions, skills, and maybe even a lab coat.

Jini Kim Watson is Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature at NYU. She grew up in Australia where she received an undergraduate degree in Architecture from the University of Melbourne, and a B.A. in English from the University of Queensland. She received her PhD from Duke University’s Literature Program. She has previously served as Director of Honors for the English Department, and is currently serving as Director of Undergraduate Studies. Her teaching and research deal with questions of urbanism, decolonization, national and global imaginaries, uneven development and political modernity in Asia. Her first book, The New Asian City, examined the growth of postcolonial metropolises in Asia through literary and cinematic texts, and her current book project, tentatively Professor Jini Kim Watson’s address during the 2018 Undergraduate Research titled Ruling Like a Foreigner, examines literary responses to Cold War authoritarian Conference at NYU College of Arts and Science. regimes in South Korea, the Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia.

17

HUMANITIES

Latent Possibilities of the Tonal System: Lex Sempronia Agraria’s Political Origins in the Leges The Structure and Historical Usage of Tonality Tabellariae Vishnu Bachani, Mathematics, Music Sophia Bavaro, Classical Civilization, History Sponsor: Professor Michael Beckerman, Music; Professor Sponsor: Professor Michael Peachin, Classics Louis Karchin, Music Tiberius Gracchus is considered by many historians The most ubiquitous system of sonic/harmonic as a leading catalyst towards the fall of the Roman Repub- organization in Western music is commonly referred to lic, and consequently, the emergence of the Empire. His as “tonality”. It has a long history, roughly spanning the infamous legislation, the Lex Sempronia Agraria, was a period from Corelli to Mahler (1650–1910) in classical divisive and revolutionary landmark in its policy and its music, and spreading to a large body of popular, rock, jazz, unprecedented means of passage. A few years before he and other musical styles in the 20th century. This paper stood for election, several Leges Tabellariae were passed presents a study of the basic axioms of the tonal system as apparent attempts to preserve the integrity of a vote. This and the resultant expressive possibilities that these axioms study finds a connection between these secret ballot laws afford, using examples from diverse musical repertoires to and the lex Sempronia Agraria through the relationships demonstrate the usage of these possibilities across history between Roman political players as part of a larger move- and genre. Musical works from artists as different as Ra- ment to shift the nature of Roman politics under the guise diohead and Massive Attack to Richard Wagner and Anton of populism. New evidence supporting this connection is Bruckner are analyzed under the same lens, examining the identified and explained to be crucial in understanding how ways in which the tonal system is exploited. Despite abun- classical historians can examine this pivotal snapshot in dant pre-existing literature in the field of tonal music anal- Roman history. The study concludes with a sociopolitical ysis, this study distinguishes itself by its synoptic purview application to this evidence in how it may help understand and focus on eclectic genres, taking solely the harmonic populism movements even today. language as the common factor among all the examples. Furthermore, the theoretical basis established by the pro- The Poetics of the Spanish Inquisition posed axioms provides a method of musical analysis less Daria Berman, English and American Literature, History reliant on subjective hearing and more based on rigorous Sponsor: Professor Sarah Pearce, Spanish and concepts independent of perception. The end result shows Portuguese remarkable commonalities between diverse musical genres The Spanish Inquisition was imposed in 1478 by while providing a framework for understanding some of King Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain to ensure the ortho- the reasons behind the pervasive and enduring power of doxy of Catholicism and to make sure Jewish and Muslim the tonal system. converts to Christianity were not engaged in heresy. While historical records provide evidence of how trials were

19 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE conducted and the actions taken to expose heretics, poetry veying a lesser acknowledged narrative of the decade, it offers a deeper level of understanding. By studying poetry explores the role of language, the use of the body, and the written during the Inquisition, historians can characterize articulation of works in real time and space through two the social turmoil of this time by analyzing the emotion major pieces: the Dance Constructions (1961) and the News expressed. The selected poem offers an individual’s view Animations (1980s–today). Forti intervened at the crux of of the Inquisition, an understanding of events that would the post-Cagean avant-garde scene, Fluxus, the phenome- be lost in the confession records or instructions for trial nological condition of Minimalism, the linguistic elements proceedings. This is a unique research study because it of Conceptual Art, and the development of performance art prioritizes a style of writing that is often overlooked for as a genre. She recoded the definition of the art object and historical records. By reframing historiography, and by presented a new model of interdisciplinary practice which studying historical records like poems, this study can gar- defies categorization. Premiering her work in downtown ner attention for primary sources that previously held little Manhattan venues, together with artists as various as Claes to no “historical value”. In all, the combination of poetry Oldenburg, La Monte Young, Robert Whitman, and Robert and the historical records can be studied to understand the Morris—and, for some time, the only works by a woman psychological impact of the Spanish Inquisition, allowing in a male-dominated art context—Forti employed words, a better understanding of the Inquisition itself on deeper drawings, scores, constructions, and the voice to articulate levels of human cognition. processes of translation between movement and text-based expressions, and between participants and audience. De- Kinship Without Cause: A Study of Queer Relations in parting from the Dance Constructions and examining the Copi’s Corpus News Animations, this project presents Forti’s use of in- Noah Bierbrier, Romance Languages in connection with notions of improvisations Sponsor: Professor Gabriel Giorgi, Spanish and and her ever-changing approach to language as an auxilia- Portuguese ry to dance. By exploring the panorama that characterized This study explores two ways queerness presents the 1960s through the individual developments of Forti’s itself in the kinship relations Copi creates. The author practice, this project situates her as a revolutionary figure hopes to show how specificities of his alterations aid in a of this decade. depiction of an alternative form of kinship to that of heter- onormativity. As such, the study will look first to the ways Waterfront Revival: A Case Study in South Boston’s individual bodies within the kinship unit are by design Fan Pier queer, moving outside normative idea of kinship. Then, Cin Yee Selina Cheah, Urban Design and Architecture it will move forward, looking now to one presumed end Studies of a kinship relation, death. In heteronormative kinship, Sponsor: Professor Jonathan Ritter, Urban Design and death is one of the main impetuses for having offspring Architecture Studies as it creates a link to the world of the living as one passes Scholars and designers identify the port-city inter- beyond. Copi’s queer kinship disrupts this root desire as face as a site of transition. Throughout the 20th century, the temporal distance, general stability, and even possibil- ports have been shaped by technological change, evolving ity of parent-child relationships are questioned. Moreover, patterns of trade, new standards of environmental regula- sexual propulsion will be a building block for the study. tion, and, most recently, an overall shift in the relationship This speed does, however, come with a temporal violence, between port and city as the economic basis of cities has which jumps past laws and the reactions of others. Think- shifted away from the industry. Technology made, then ing through this queer kinship proposed by Copi with broke, the traditional urban waterfront. Several questions Deleuze and Guatarri, the study will move beyond the tree- need to be addressed as cities reclaim their waterfronts in based heteronormative kinship toward the rhizome, and it the 21st century: Can places be economically and socially will interrogate the heteronormative tree with Judith Butler sustainable while serving all residents? How can cities keep and Froma Zeitlin and their respective works, the former vital waterfronts central to urban life? How do they reflect troubling presumed kinship in Antigone and the latter ex- the character of that life today? The literature surrounding amine the incest between Oedipus and his mother Jocasta. waterfront regeneration generally emphasizes the theme of opportunity in city-building. Boston has capitalized on Simone Forti in and out of the 1960s: From Real-Time this opportunity in the past, and the downtown waterfront Constructions to News Animations revival has played a tremendous role in bringing the city Alice Centamore, Art History to the forefront of American cities. But as the city looks to Sponsor: Professor Julia Robinson, Art History rebuild its Seaport District, can it bring the same success This project investigates the oeuvre of Simone Forti and opportunities as it did with the downtown waterfront (b. 1935) and her crucial contribution to the 1960s. Sur- revival? And, what can other cities learn from Boston?

20 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 This thesis looks to understand the forces behind Boston’s of acknowledging the ruptures in personal archives of waterfront resurgence, from a historical standpoint, and memory, the act of memory making for diasporic Koreans its current plan to revive the Seaport District. It also asks becomes a means of negotiating the trauma of the Korean what works and what doesn’t work on urban waterfronts War as a way of filling in the holes of both a collective and today, with attention to questions such as the importance of personal history. This study claims this process allows the community outreach and the role of community and local diasporic Korean subject to recover unresolved intergener- heritage when redeveloping waterfronts like the Seaport. ational grief which possess the potential to become points of entry into investigating US involvement in producing 180 Degree Rule in the Semantic Perspective these grievous histories, thereby situating the recollection Mida Chu, Philosophy and production of memory as subversive political practic- Sponsor: Professor Stephen Schiffer, Philosophy es. A film usually comprises many scenes, and each scene is a sequence of moving images that comprises dif- Qu’est-ce que c’est une littérature-monde en français?: ferent shots captured from spatially discontinuous camera Theory and Practice of a World Literature in French positions. As a result, for a viewer to understand the con- Ellen Cooper, Comparative Literature, Romance tent of a filmic sequence, knowing the content of each dis- Languages crete shot is not enough. A viewer needs to understand how Sponsor: Professor J. Michael Dash, French the adjacent shots are related to each other in order to un- In 2007, a year after a number of writers born derstand the coherent content of the sequence. Cumming, outside of France won France’s most prestigious literary Greenberg, and Kelly (CGK) in their paper “Conventions prizes, Michel Le Bris and various other French-language of Viewpoint Coherence in Film” (2017) argue there exists authors signed the manifesto “Pour une littérature-monde a semantic rule called the X-Constraint that plays a system- en français”. The manifesto was an attempt to eliminate atic role in viewers’ comprehension of the content of the Francophonie, a label with a discriminatory history for sequence. This paper argues against the existence of this French authors from outside of France. These authors semantic rule with two objections. The first objection is a believe their writing can no longer be marginalized by counterexample, which shows that the X-Constraint fails this label because Paris is becoming less important as the to explain what it purports to explain. The second objection heart of literary production. The “periphery”, they claim, is two cases that cast doubt on CGK’s implicit assumption is becoming the center. Yet the manifesto begs the ques- that knowing the relation of viewpoints is necessary for tion, what exactly would a world literature in French be? understanding the content of a sequence. How can authors use writing in order to explore what Le Bris calls “the unknown in the world and the unknown in Lost in Transnationalism: Korean War Films, ourselves”? This project examines the concept of world Diasporic Identity, and the Negotiation of Trauma literature through two works, Maryse Condé’s memoir Claire Chun, Politics, Social and Cultural Analysis Le Cœur à rire et à pleurer (1999) and Dany Laferrière’s Sponsor: Professor S. Heijin Lee, Social and Cultural novel Pays sans chapeau (1996). Condé’s book, a tale of Analysis origin, is a reflection on Condé’s pivotal childhood experi- Based on in-depth interviews with eight diasporic ences that built the foundation for her understanding of the Koreans of diverse backgrounds, ranging from mixed-race world outside her home nation. Laferrière’s novel, a tale of Korean to Korean American adoptee to second generation return, is an exploration of how much an emigrant can truly Korean American, this study argues diasporic consump- represent a nation that has changed drastically since he has tion of Korean media texts, specifically Korean War films, left. Both works demonstrate the capabilities and limits of points toward a unique engagement with the symbolic personal narrative in understanding place, nationality, and imagery and narratives in which diasporic Koreans are race. The multinational dynamics these works encapsulate performing a practice of creative remembering—recalling question whether literature can truly be defined by abstract unlived experiences while responding to the experiences regional labels like Francophonie. that call out to them. The Korean War’s designation as “The Forgotten War” renders the Korean War as a gap in Archiving the Ghosts in the Closet: the Comics Project collective memory. Thus, such films ultimately function of Alison Bechdel as a technology of memory that communicates collective Vanessa Danek, English and American Literature loss and cultural grief to the Korean diasporic subject. By Sponsor: Professor Teresa Feroli, English and American witnessing silenced and traumatic histories in cinematic Literature narrative form, Korean diasporic subjects are extracting Theorist Ann Cvetkovich argues that, “Trauma puts culturally specific values and beliefs as part of a larger pressure on conventional forms of documentation....it thus negotiation with collective memory. Through the process demands an unusual archive”. Cartoonist Alison Bechdel

21 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE knows about the unusual. While growing up in a small and the poets Velimir Khlebnikov and Aleksei Kruchenykh Pennsylvania town, her father restored a mansion that the on the revolutionary Futurist opera Victory over the Sun. family lived in and simultaneously ran a funeral home. Autumn Dream is thus effectively a key transitional work Shortly after she came out to her parents as a , her between Russian Symbolism and Russian Futurism. It has closeted father committed suicide. After his death, Bechdel never before been translated into English and has received began unearthing her family’s secrets and the accompany- less attention than it deserves in the literature on Russian ing trauma. Her most famous works, Dykes To Watch Out modernism. The thesis includes translations of key parts For, Fun Home, and Are You My Mother? grapple with of the text, a summary of the whole, and a discussion of archiving this tension. This study explores Bechdel’s use Matiushin’s illustrations and their place in the evolution of of “archival” materials (personal journal entries, newspa- Russian art. The thesis further connects Autumn Dream to per headlines, family photographs) in these texts as the contemporary trends in literature, music, performing arts, creation of an alternative archive that seeks to give public science and philosophy. It also explores the reputations legitimacy to queer trauma. In telling the story of her and within the Russian avant-garde of Autumn Dream’s two her father’s complex and distinct relationships to homo- creators. As a Gesamtkunst, their joint creation is both a sexuality in these works, Bechdel identifies and creates counterpart to the gestural, synthetic art of Wassily Kan- a queer family archive. This examination of her family dinsky and a precursor to the pure, geometric abstraction archive enables Bechdel to collaborate and connect with of Kazimir Malevich. her father in a way that was impossible when he was alive. Public Private Partnerships and the Future of Où sont les toilettes? Bathrooms in Postwar French Transportation Planning Literature Savannah Fitzgerald-Brown, Computer Science, Audrey Deng, Comparative Literature Philosophy Sponsors: Professor Zakir Paul, Comparative Literature; Sponsor: Professor Jonathan Ritter, Urban Design and Professor Paul Wimmer, French Architectural Studies This thesis considers the bathroom as a permutation This project investigates what role public private for a larger literary study about shame and authorial in- partnerships (P3s) will play in the future of transportation tent. The bathroom is part of a vast network: literally, it planning. Given the introduction of vehicle-to-everything connects societies via the sewage system; socially, it con- connectivity (V2X), the rise of transportation network nects the people using the bathrooms via public restrooms companies (e.g. Lyft), the advent of autonomous vehicles and habits of cleanliness, shared divisions. Bathrooms and other rapid technological developments in the trans- can be sanctuaries as well as sites of danger. Its space is portation sector, this project speculates about how these amorphous, constantly being repurposed. The bathroom’s new technologies can be integrated into existing transpor- ability to contain and reflect its users makes the literary tation systems. The close case study analysis of several bathroom an expression of personal and artistic ideologies. recent P3s identifies the strengths and challenges of the P3 An investigation of bathrooms in literature reveals insights model in implementing new transportation technologies into how literature treats reality and how bathrooms are and identifies how these lessons can be applied to future used in literature. The thesis begins with Jean-Philippe projects. This research combines lessons from case study Toussaint’s 1985 novel La Salle de bain, a story about a analysis and literature review to identify emerging trans- researcher who one day moves into his bathroom before portation infrastructure needs and to argue that P3s will be moving on to La honte, Annie Ernaux’s 1997 memoir the best way of addressing them. While P3s are sometimes about childhood trauma, to illustrate how bathrooms and a flawed financing model, they will be an important tool shame are intertwined, and what the stylistic implications in the next 20 to 30 years to implement and integrate new are of writing about bathrooms. transportation technologies into our cities and improve transportation for all. Synthesis of Arts and Souls: Elena Guro and Mikhail Matiushin. On the Way from Impressionism to The Commemoration of 9/11 and Its impact on the Abstraction. Development of US National Memory Anna Filonenko, Art History Edie Freedman, Social and Cultural Analysis Sponsor: Professor Pepe Karmel, Art History Sponsor: Professor Kimberly Johnson, Social and This project focuses on an artist’s book, Autumn Cultural Analysis Dream, published in 1912 by the Russian poet Elena In Watching the World Change: The Stories Behind Guro together with her husband, the painter and musician the Images of 9/11 (2006), David Friend claims over two Mikhail Matiushin. After Guro’s untimely death, Matiush- billion people watched the events of September 11, 2001 in went on to collaborate with the artist Kazimir Malevich occur in real time or were witness to images of the attacks

22 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 on that very same day. Aside from these numbers being possible state of affairs is achieved, and therefore such that staggeringly high, they reflect the magnitude of 9/11 in the ultimate utilitarian goal is actualised? Consequential- American history. This project explores the dominant ism is the moral viewpoint that morality is solely about strategies that have developed to commemorate these his- producing the best overall consequences of an action. This toric attacks within the US in order to better understand the study explores the practicality of applying a consequen- different perspectives offered by the development of com- tialist form of morality, and, if we assume it is indeed the memoration, particularly through the conflicts around the most applicable moral system, the best way to implement memorialization of 9/11 at Ground Zero. This project high- it. The two main goals of this project are to argue: (i) that lights that the ways in which we choose to commemorate consequentialism is the most effective form of morality, tragic and epic events, tell a particular story about the event whereby “most effective” means the most conducive to and can subsequently shape the formation of the national producing the best state of affairs, and (ii) that the most memory around the event. Through comparative analysis effective way to implement it would be esoterically, as between how commemoration is discussed within the US defined by philosopher Henry Sidgwick in his ethical work to how acts of commemoration have been reported in in- “Methods of Ethics”. Therefore, this study argues for a ternational media coverage, this project begins to reveal consequentialist system of morality that works best when the stories of 9/11 that have been excluded or even erased kept secret amongst a select few. from the national commemorative dialogue and how these choices of exclusion have shaped the national memory of Sharing an Authorial Presence: The Spectrality of 9/11 as well the new relationship that the US has formed Meaning-Making in The Turn of the Screw with its citizens and the rest of the world since 2001. Catie Kartje, English and American Literature Sponsor: Professor Patricia Crain, English and American Expanding the Moral Domain of Kant’s Categorical Literature Imperative Readers have a complicated thing with Henry James Firdaus Gupte, Philosophy and especially with his interpretatively elusive novella The Sponsor: Professor David Velleman, Philosophy Turn of the Screw (1898), which includes an unstable nar- We have strong moral intuitions about “greater mor- rator, haunted mansion, and unexplained death of a child. al obligations”, like the obligations not to end someone’s This frustration is a product of James’ horror-writing tech- life without their consent or to steal from another person. nique: “make [the reader] think the evil, make him think it On the other hand, we do not feel as strongly about other for himself, and you are released from weak specifications” “lesser moral obligations”, like the obligation (if there is (“Preface” to Turn). This thesis examines the way this pres- one) to return someone’s lost ID, to hold the elevator doors ence manifests within and outside of Turn’s narrative. The open for someone, or to give directions to a stranger. Not study focuses on one formidable abstraction—the word fulfilling the latter examples is not considered as atrocious “thing”—and, to use Felman’s phrase, follows its “flight as not fulfilling the former, and many people do not even of meaning” through James’ The Spoils of Poynton (1897) believe the latter examples are even obligations. But how and “The Figure in the Carpet” (1895), his notebooks and exactly is the moral obligation to return a lost ID (if there letters, and critical New York Edition “Prefaces”. The is one at all) different from the moral obligation not to kill focus on the word “thing” is enabled by Brown’s “Thing another human being or steal someone else’s property? Theory”, which calls attention to the dual nature of things This study discusses Kantian Ethics, the ethical theory at- and invites readers to explore the internal presences ren- tributed to the 18th century German philosopher Immanuel dered detectable by a “particular subject-object relation”. Kant outlined in The Groundwork of the Metaphysics of The detection of the spectral presence within that very Morals. The main goal here is to use Kant’s ethical theory lively object, the text, is a process that reflects a reader’s to provide a moral justification for “lesser moral obliga- subjective meaning-making experience. Authorship is, tions”, similar to the moral justification that already exists then, a function of readership. The child’s death at the end within Kantian Ethics for “greater moral obligations”. of the novella is inscrutable until the reader understands her personal role in it. Consequentialism and the Best Method for Its Implementation A Woman’s Place Is in the Revolution: An Analysis Katerina Jennings, Philosophy of Female Leaders in the Student Non-Violent Sponsor: Professor Samuel Scheffler, Philosophy Coordinating Committee and the Black Panther Party This project works towards an answer to the ques- Rose Yasmin Khan, History tion, If a Sidgwickian form of consequentialism is found Sponsor: Professor Irene Linda Gordon, History to be the most effective system of morality, what is the This project explores the reasons why women were best method of implementing this system such that the best able to rise to positions of leadership within the Civil

23 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE Rights Movement by studying the roles of women within Gwendolyn Brooks as Poet, Teacher, and Reader the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee and the Anna Kreienberg, English and American Literature, Black Panther Party, two Black-based organizations with Psychology a noticeable female presence that have had significant Sponsor: Professor Sonya Posmentier, English women leaders. Both organizations also had significant so- Gwendolyn Brooks is heralded as one of the most cial capital during the 1960s. There is an analysis of three influential American poets of the 20th century. She is prominent female leaders from the Student Non-Violent famous for her technical and stylistic prowess and range Coordinating Committee—Ella Baker, Ruby Doris Smith as well as her investment in portraying Black American Robinson, and Judy Richardson—and three prominent and African life. Brooks is also known for her dedication female leaders from the Black Panther Party—Elaine to teaching and mentoring young poets. To explore how Brown, Kathleen Neal Cleaver, and Ericka Huggins. Each her reading practice (what books she read and how she chapter analyzes what activities women in their respective read them) informed her work as a poet and teacher, the organization engaged in as well as their interpersonal re- author traveled to the University of Illinois Rare Book and lationships in order to understand why they were able to Manuscript Library to view Brooks’ personal library and rise to leadership positions. The structure of each organi- teaching materials. Brooks’ library contained many schol- zation as well as its geographical purview impacted female arly books, often gifted to her, with chapters that dealt with leadership, which is discussed in this research. This project her poetry and career that she personally annotated. Brooks is important to the study of social movements in the US was invested, in her notes, in “setting the record straight” because it illuminates the important role of women during and often corrects or challenges the author or critic. These the Civil Rights Movement, which is typically ignored in marginalia form their own textual body where Brooks, as this field due to the field’s focus on male leaders, such as the reader, becomes a kind of secondary author. She also Dr. King, Huey Newton, and Bobby Seale. read and annotated contemporary fiction, African poet- ry, health and wellness-centered texts, and myriad other Bruno Taut’s Waldsiedlung: Realizing a Social Utopia books. Brooks’ valued reading highly and encouraged her in Weimar Berlin students to read diverse texts across different genres and to Abbe Klein, Art History write in these books because she saw this as evidence of an Sponsor: Professor Carol Krinsky, Art History active textual engagement. This archival project further re- A celebrated architect of the 20th century, Bruno veals the importance of reading and annotating to Brooks’ Taut is recognized today for his contributions to modernist roles as poet and teacher. housing projects of the Weimar years (1918–1933). Lo- cated in Zehlendorf, a southwestern suburb of Berlin, the Zines as Activist Literature: Community Building Waldsiedlung (Forest Development) is one of Taut’s large- through the Printed Word scale housing projects, developed between 1926–1933. Richa Lagu, Metropolitan Studies The project’s 1,271 apartment units and 800 single family Sponsor: Professor Renee Blake, Social and Cultural row houses evokes not only the progressive spirit of the Analysis Weimar Republic but also Taut’s earlier treatises and de- A zine is a self-published magazine made by signs on the importance of nature, color, and planning in non-professionals, not for profit but for passion. Zines a residential environment. Before he was commissioned come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and subjects but all share to design partly subsidized, cooperative, and private res- a desire for community. Because of their history, cultural idences, Taut investigated the constituent properties of a characteristics, and physical attributes, zines are ideally utopian space; these environments were fantastic expres- primed to exhibit countercultural ideals and behave as bod- sions of colorful glass palaces and temples intended to ies of activist literature. This thesis examines how activist improve the physical and mental well-being of the user. literature bridges the gap between affective labor, or gen- While these extravagant designs could never be built, they erating emotions and ideas, and effective labor, or gener- permitted Taut to develop concepts for improving the built ating action and material change. Activist zines exemplify environment. This project demonstrates how and why Taut the two types of labor by the creation of counterpublics, maintained the ideas about what constituted a tangible uto- merging the authenticity of DIY culture, the rebellion of pia from these fantastic spaces and introduced them into punk culture, and a strong tradition of sharing resources. the practical housing development. Data has been collected from several archival materials, heavily focusing on Stephen Duncombe’s Notes from Un-

24 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 derground, Evolution of a Race Riot by Mimi Thi Nugyen, German legionnaires’ experience was changed by their and The International Queer Art/Activism Zine Project by status as German citizen. Finally, this research highlights Miyuki Baker. some of the complexities of the FFL, highlighting some of the issues it has struggled with in its history and “Hyphenated Americans”: A Discursive Analysis which contributed to many of the restructurings that led to of the American Rhetoric Surrounding German its current organization. Immigration and Diaspora, 1850–1918 Dante LaRiccia, History, Politics The Female Construction of a National Sponsor: Professor Sasha Disko, NYU Berlin Subject(lessness) in Dicteé by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha During World War I, the US witnessed an expansive and The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston proliferation of representations of an exogenous “Other” of Su Young Lee, English and American Literature the German invader, which often visually depicted German Sponsor: Professor Crystal Parikh, English soldiers as bestial, subhuman, or as the historical figure of Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior and the Hun. These perceptual constructions of Germans and Theresa Hak Kyung Cha’s Dictée reconsider the American their culture were subsequently directed inward resulting autobiographical genre, which historically served as a po- in language policy seeking to eliminate German instruction litical tool by negotiating the relationship of the individual in schools, a significant drop in citizens claiming German to the nation or wider community. Despite their unorthodox heritage on the census following the war, and more overt form, the texts still claim this genre as a force of resistance acts of violence directed against German-Americans. or revolution as well as a method of identity formation— While literature has often located these phenomena within it’s only that they re-conceptualize what identity really the temporally narrow period of the war, this project exam- means by deviating from liberal models of individualism ines how questions of German difference were constructed to show the power of collective histories and storytelling in within a longer history of immigration and diaspora. This understanding the self. Following the traditional function paper argues that an overtly nativist rhetoric surrounding of the autobiography, the authors grapple with the idea of immigration in the mid-nineteenth century was supplanted nationhood but suggest that the nation as a construct can by (i) a more covert rhetoric cloaked in language pertaining be rewritten through the retelling of stories passed onto both to a mystical immigrant “spirit” that either facilitated them by their mothers. Undermining liberal feminist ideals or precluded the individual immigrant’s assimilation into that champion the individual, the authors spend less time American culture as well as (ii) a pseudo-science of race on the details of their own lives and instead show strength and ethnicity that sought to situate certain groups within a in a sense of collectivity often criticized as antithetical to hierarchy of peoples. This paper finds that deviation from individual liberation. Kandice Chuh’s idea of subjectless- the demands of assimilation were often met with a refocus- ness is applied as a way of using the lack of coherence ing of this rhetoric on the transgressing group, and instanc- or essentialized subject to acknowledge the heterogeneity es in which German-Americans became such a target, such within a categorization of identity. Ultimately, this refor- as the Bennett Act, are explored and presented as evidence. mulated form of autobiography examines the collective and transnational effort that helps construct identities, and Dynamics of Citizenship in the French Foreign celebrates their multiplicity. Legion: The German Experience (1908–1962) Olivia Le Menestrel, History The Cross-Examination of Humbert Humbert: Sponsor: Brandon Schechter, History An Analysis of Law, Narrative, and Ethics in The French Foreign Legion, from its creation in Nabokov’s Lolita 1831 to this day, has been a source of inspiration to many, Sonja Leite, English and American Literature yet issues of citizenship and sovereignty have seldom been Sponsor: Professor Josephine Hendin, English explored. How can an armed force made up of non-citi- In Lolita, Nabokov’s protagonist, Humbert Hum- zens function so efficiently in a national army? This work bert, has an impressive gift of storytelling. Despite his de- analyzes the dynamics of citizenship in the French Foreign scriptions of his enacted pedophilia, child molestation, and Legion through the 20th century German experience of murder, Nabokov’s criminal narrator leaves his audience the institution. Through archival research at the Service and jury hung: some readers convict him as a violator of Historique de la Défense, access to memoirs, and review American moral standards, while others sympathetically of secondary works on the FFL, it was found that large view his tale as a love story. This thesis uses critical tech- numbers of Germans in the Legion had an impact on Le- niques from the study of law and literature to explore how gion culture, traces of which are still visible today. It is Humbert’s tactical narrative shifts between romance and also argued that the FFL heightened anxieties regarding legality assist his manipulation of societal norms to sway sovereignty in Germany. Furthermore, it was found that readers. Whether Humbert presents the opening statement

25 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE

of an attorney or inhabits his own personal testimony, it of blackness into 21st century Chinese visual media. By is argued that the persuasive, fancy prose of the infamous analyzing the Chinese state’s and the Chinese public’s murderer finds its roots first and foremost in -an overar response towards the deracialized black “other” and the ching legal narrative that parallels a knight’s move in migrant black “other” whose blackness as a point of visual . This thesis establishes a narrative theory called “the and ideological difference are highlighted, it is clear both knight’s legal move”—a pattern of shifts in form and con- that the black “other” is demonized and the deracialized tent inspired by Nabokov’s novel, The Gift. This theory is black “other” is valorized to construct the Chinese self and used to perform a literary cross-examination of Humbert’s Chinese nationhood. deceptive lines of argumentation and opens the door for a further examination as to how these blurs of sharp turns The Chinese and Early Nation Building in Cuba compel readers to question traditional notions of morals, (1868–1917) ethics, and the law; how the form of literature bleeds into Hoiyan Leung, History the content of society; and how our criminal advocate Sponsor: Professor Ada Ferrer, History leaves his jury hung in a tangle of ethical thorns. Study of the Chinese Diaspora in the West has mainly focused on Chinese migration to North America “Use the Past to Serve the Present, the Foreign to while overlooking Chinese migration to Latin America. Serve China”: Framing Chinese Nationalism through This study assesses the broader cultural implications of the the Image of Blackness Chinese Diaspora in Latin America, focusing specifically Felicia Leung, Philosophy, Social and Cultural Analysis on the case of Cuba. The island was home to the largest Sponsor: Professor Tao Leigh Goffe, Social and Cultural number of Chinese indentured laborers Latin America in Analysis the period of 1847–1880, and until the 1950s, Cuba re- Due to its recently increasing investments in Africa, tained the largest Chinese community in the region. In light China has been referred to in western media as a neoco- of this, it is important to assess Chinese-Cuban history not lonial power in Africa. Yet, the economic exploitation of only for understanding the larger context of the Chinese Di- African resources is not the only way in which China as- aspora but also for understanding the formation of Cuban serts its superiority over African nations. State media often nationhood and identity. The scope of this study spans the becomes a mouthpiece for the Chinese state to explicate years of the Cuban Wars for Independence (1868–1898) and reinforce their colonial ideologies of Chinese superior- and the early Cuban Republic (1902–1917). This project ity. This project examines how the Chinese state, through reintegrates the Chinese into the historical context of colo- its media and US popular culture, has used images of the nialism and nation building in the late nineteenth and early black body and black culture to reframe Chinese-ness and twentieth century to understand how the Chinese altered reinforce ideologies of Chinese superiority. This project and ultimately changed Cuban social and cultural life. The begins with an investigation of portrayals of the black Chinese, in this period, fought for Cuban independence diaspora in Chinese state propaganda posters from the as soldiers, served as an indispensable source of cheap 1950s–1970s as a method of reconfiguring Chinese nation- labor for a booming sugar industry, and intermarried with hood and identity against the US. Then, it traces images Cubans of both African and European descent. This study

26 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 challenges the traditional view of Cuban culture as one common enemy to America, the illegal alien from Mexico. predominantly shaped by Spanish and African heritage to The quest for belonging and citizenship by Mexicans is make space for the Chinese as key players in Cuba’s early explored in the last chapter, and interviews give a personal years of nationhood. perspective to the challenges faced and sentiments felt by non-citizen veterans of the era. History that Hurts: Narrative Break-Down and the Limits of Representation in Roberto Bolaño’s 2666 Decolonizing Junctures: A Comparative Analysis of Zach Lewis, Comparative Literature Institutional Change at the Museum of Modern Art and Sponsor: Professor Jay Garcia, Comparative Literature El Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires In the introduction to his book Postmodernism: Or Ana Lopes, Global Liberal Studies, Spanish The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, Fredric Jameson Sponsor: Professor Jordana Mendelson, Spanish writes, “It is safest to grasp the concept of the postmodern and Portuguese as an attempt to think the present historically in an age that How do museum exhibitions serve as critical junc- has forgotten how to think historically in the first place.” tures for reproducible institutional change? Identifying that It is in light of such a diagnosis that this study examines change and how it occurred is at the center of this study, Roberto Bolaño’s novel 2666. 2666 can be read as a work which draws on theories of institutional path-dependence that grapples with the very problem that Jameson high- to understand the pre-conditions, impact, and reproducibil- lights, i.e., trying to provide a means for locating ourselves ity of change. The entry point for this research is modern socially and historically in the increasingly confusing, and contemporary Latin American art since it has often ex- fragmented, and globalized world of late capitalism. This isted along the peripheries of art-historical narratives. This thesis undertakes a structural analysis of 2666, trying to de- study interprets the repositioning of a peripheral history in lineate the literary devices and stylistic techniques utilized relation to an established, and largely Western European in order to convey something of this new social reality. It and North American, canon as a gesture of curatorial de- is an attempt to glimpse new possibilities of literary rep- colonization. Case studies considered are “Latin American resentation, and more specifically, possibilities for literary and Caribbean Art: MoMA at El Museo” at the Museum of realism in an age that has largely abandoned the task of Modern Art (MoMA), New York City, and “Verboaméri- representing social totality. Thus, on a more fundamental ca” at Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires level, the goal of this thesis is to address the limits and (MALBA). Each institution has very different origins and possibilities for literary and artistic representation in post- serves a very different role in the larger institutional envi- modernity using Bolaño’s 2666 as an exemplary instance ronment: MoMA as the main producer and disseminator of of what the novel can accomplish in this epoch. art historical hegemony, and MALBA as an anchor for the centering of Latin American art within the periphery. Last- Non-Citizens in the US Armed Forces: Germans and ly, the Museu de Arte Moderna-São Paulo is explored as a Austrians Serving during World War I and Mexicans counterexample of institutional change that is rooted in lo- Serving during the 1990s cal cultural infrastructure. This paper shows how select ex- Connor Loeven, History hibitions at MoMA and MALBA shifted the institutions to Sponsor: Professor Michele Mitchell, History where they are now, and how those exhibitions disrupted, This thesis explores the role and experience of or not, preexisting cultural and art historical hegemonies. non-Americans who joined the US military at two very dif- ferent periods in the 20th century. However, both groups, Reclaiming Time and Space: The Utility of Memory in Germans and Austrians during WWI and Mexicans during 20th Century Vietnam the 1990s, were perceived as distrusted immigrant groups Lara Manbeck, History at the time. The two periods are compared to demonstrate Sponsors: Professor Stefanos Geroulanos, History; the change over time of military policy and recruitment Professor Monica Kim, History of non-citizens into the US military over the course of a This project is about the making of modern and century as well as to bring attention to the treatment these contemporary Vietnam and the role of memory and im- groups received from the military. Austrians and Germans perial and domestic control within this process. It uses were labeled as “enemy aliens” and were seen as a direct three interrelated studies on Vietnamese public commem- enemy, and the US government at the time of WWI ex- oration, American foreign intervention, and postcolonial ercised tremendous discrimination via official channels, history-writing as lenses for understanding the symbiotic as seen in official memos and policies from the era. The relationship between inherited traditions from Vietnam’s change of laws, military policies, and national attitudes extensive past and the social forces that acted upon the toward immigration are examined from the postwar period country in the twentieth century. In joining the history of to the 1980s, when the end of the Cold War ushers in a new the human sciences, along with imperial and postcolonial

27 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE history, with the question of memory, this project argues the repetition and transformation of the PRC’s ideology that Vietnamese collective memory exerted its influence during the late 1970s and 1980s and contrasting this with both from the bottom up (as understandings of the past the development of the PRC’s maritime foreign policy affected the worldview and activity of state actors) as well during the 1973–1982 Third United Nations Conference as from the top down (as public figures inscribed particu- on the Law of the Sea, this paper finds that the PRC’s lar histories into Vietnam’s national consciousness while claim to non-ideological pragmatism is itself ideological, silencing others) and shows how various actors in Vietnam based on a normative worldview of teleological “peaceful” played with myriad tools for governance and in doing so development that is supposedly both non-ideological and elucidated their perceptions of the Vietnamese subject/ anti-hegemonic. In doing so, this ideological sleight of citizen. hand conceals real power disparities between the PRC and countries within its perceived “neighborhood”. The Liberal Tradition: Native American Liberalism and the Late British Enlightenment What Is Owed: A Closer Look at Herero/Nama Milad Mohammadi, History, Politics Reparation Claims in Namibia Sponsor: Professor Elizabeth Ellis, History Jack Burling Nebe, Philosophy, Politics This paper discusses the influence of political liber- Sponsor: Professor Peter Rajsingh, Politics alism on Native American society long before the arrival On January 5, 2017, more than a century after the of European colonists. The paper focuses on the political, Herero/Nama Genocide of 1904, descendants of the Here- economic, and social rights of Native American societies ro and Nama filed suit in the US seeking reparations from and how they exhibited many important features such as the German government. This project investigates some of the separation of powers, property rights, freedom of re- the thorny questions raised by this court case. It interro- ligion and speech, among others. Also discussed are com- gates contemporary debates in the philosophy of repara- parisons with British liberalism, the enlightenment period, tions, aiming to answer whether a certain set of reparation and various conceptions of political and economic rights. claims can be defended. It argues that reparation claims Included are also the implications such discoveries may satisfying three conditions ought urgently be addressed: have on current US policy towards Native American tribes. i) consequences of state-sponsored, political violence, ii) This work blends history, law, and philosophy. Primary where the claimants are groups, and iii) the originally per- texts include Native American tribal law, court cases, and petrated harm continues to exist in the present day. the writings of British philosophers. Secondary sources consist of historical analysis and interpretation by various “Can It Be Sin to Know?”: Satanic Questions historians. in Paradise Lost Sim Wee Ong, English and American Literature Pebbles in a Lagoon: China’s Maritime Foreign Policy Sponsor: Professor John Guillory, English and Its Ideological Development If the express objective of Paradise Lost is to “justify Benjamin Mok, History the ways of God to men”, then John Milton certainly did Sponsor: Professor Monica Kim, History not make the task easy for himself. His re-imagination of This paper explores the ideological development the biblical Genesis is punctuated by troubling questions of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) foreign policy that leave the reader in doubt about the rationality of divine throughout the 1970s and 1980s, charting the historical intentions. Milton’s interpretation of the temptation of Eve, continuations and breaks within narratives of this ideo- for instance, is a pivotal moment in the epic poem that un- logical development. Current historiography primarily dermines the reader’s faith in doctrinal truths. Cognizant presents the PRC’s foreign policy as having tended over of the inscrutability of God’s will, Satan tempts Eve to time towards ideologically minimalist and economically consume the forbidden fruit by posing difficult, potentially pragmatic neoliberalism. However, these narratives are unanswerable questions: “Why then was this [fruit] forbid insufficient in answering the problematics underlying this Why, but to awe;/ Why, but to keep ye low and ignorant,/ his supposed ideological shift towards neoliberalism, as they worshippers?” (9.703–5) Unable to supply a ready answer to are unable to explain (i) the PRC’s drastic transformation these questions, Eve defies heavenly decree and engenders of its global revolutionary agenda, (ii) the disjuncture the Fall. between the PRC’s apparent principle of “peaceful” de- Left unanswered, these questions linger in the read- velopment, or (iii) its ideological worldview necessitating er’s mind threatening to unsettle theological convictions that it establish itself as a regional hegemon. This paper she once assumed were unquestionable. While Milton rejects both narratives of this ideological shift, arguing does attempt to offer some answers to assuage the reader’s instead that the post-Mao PRC is not in fact ideologically doubt, the question regarding the extent to which he suc- minimalist but is merely portrayed as such. In examining ceeded is, perhaps, not as interesting as the inquiry into the

28 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 operations and implications of such “satanic questions”, de-necropoliticizing border narratives, proposes a literature termed within the text and beyond the page. Having de- toolkit armed with tools such as “coyotismo cultural”, and fined and problematized satanic questions in the context drafts a blog for the creation and dissemination of border of the poem, as well as that of Milton’s fervently religious women’s knowledges. This research was created to aid the society, this paper seeks to defend the epistemological and work of thousands of Latina women who are working to- theological necessity of such questions despite the dangers wards more dignified lives as they occupy marginal spaces that accompany them. in the US and Mexican imaginaries. The final product is a never-before-seen collection of work honoring the voices Women in Zapatismo, 1994 to Present of these women, and calling for the world to make space Javier Porras Madero, Economics, Latin American for them in their national imaginaries and to encourage the Studies consumption of their narratives. Sponsor: Professor Alejandro Velasco, NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study Native Americans, Slavery, and Freedom: Labor on This project approaches the Zapatista movement Eastern Long Island from 1650–1850 from a historiographical perspective in order to gauge the Samantha Riina, History fluctuations of women’s mobilization and empowerment Sponsor: Professor Rebecca Goetz, History within the movement since its entrance to the public sphere In the 1650s, English and Dutch colonists con- in 1994 until the present. Furthermore, historical sources trolled what is present-day eastern Long Island and south- are used to examine the ways in which the 2018 presiden- ern Connecticut. They interacted with and exploited the tial campaign from María de Jesús Patricio Martínez— Algonquian-speaking peoples who had occupied Long Is- commonly known as Marichuy—can be considered a cul- land for centuries before European exploration. Colonists mination of Zapatista women’s road to empowerment and found that Long Island was economically advantageous emancipation at the local and national level. By analyzing because the land was suitable for seasonal farming and is territorial boundaries and the weight they have on Zapa- surrounded by water for facilitating trade and fishing. It tista discourse and action, this study traces how the inter- is not commonly known that European colonists forced secting identities of Zapatista women have been influential Native people into slavery or indentured servitude and not only in consolidating local women’s empowerment but that this happened in northern colonies as well as south- also women’s empowerment across Mexico. Moreover, it ern colonies. This thesis studies the unfree labor of Native is concluded that the relationship between the public and people in domestic, agricultural, and whaling roles on private spheres presents parallels with the individual and eastern Long Island and whether or not these roles can be collective aspect of the indigenous movement and how in- considered a form of enslavement. To piece together the digenous women continuously subvert and challenge these agricultural and domestic labor Native people performed, categories in order to create more equitable communities. evidence was collected from the preserved family docu- ments, photographs, and archaeological research from Syl- Feminismos en la Frontera vester Manor, one of the largest slave-holding plantations Maritza Rico, Latin American Studies in New York. Sylvester Manor is located on Shelter Island Sponsor: Professor T. Urayoán Noel, English, Spanish on eastern Long Island and NYU Fales Library and Special and Portuguese Collection houses the manor’s archive. Whaling logs and This study considers modern solidarity theories by the town records of the eastern Long Island colonies were Chicana feminists for the building of a coalition between also examined to understand Native labor in the profitable US-situated Mexican women or women of Mexican descent whaling industry. and Mexican-situated women who inhabit the US-Mexico extended borderlands. The research looks at literature and Mariology in Mexico: Popular Perceptions of Our critical theory to craft an emotional archive to populate Lady of Guadalupe in Monterrey a collective imaginary for border women as the basis for Victoria Aylin Rodriguez, Mathematics, Economics coalition-building and solidarity structures that amplify Sponsor: Professor Zeb Tortorici, Spanish and communication channels between the groups and guaran- Portuguese tee the dissemination of tools and information necessary Marian devotion is the pious worship of the Virgin for their survival. Part one studies bridging feminisms of Mary that stems from her unique role as the mother of Sonia Saldívar-Hull; the literary work of Cristina Rascón Jesus Christ and her embodiment of a more humanized Castro and Margarita Sayak Valencia; translenguaje soli- and accessible figure of devotion than God Himself. While darity theories of Maylei Blackwell; and Chicana theories Marian piety has gained extensive localized followings of Norma Alarcón. Part two suggests tools for creating a worldwide, her presence in Mexican culture is all-encom- more accessible emotional archive by de-fetishizing and passing in both the private and public spheres. Since her

29 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE apparition more than four centuries ago in 1531, La Virgen mensionality. In parsing scenes from the royal wedding de Guadalupe, or Our Lady of Guadalupe, has established celebration and from Hamlet’s interaction with the Ghost a culture rooted in Catholicism and has served as an uncon- in conjunction, it becomes clear that even far removed ditional source of love and support for the Mexican people poetic moments embedded into a linear sequence speak (Villalpando, 2004). This study analyzes how women and to one another obliquely. Hamlet’s conscious moments female-identifying individuals in the northern Mexican of deliberation in turn elucidate the existence of a field of city of Monterrey perceive Our Lady of Guadalupe and possibilities that poetically enriches an otherwise simple how much influence this figure has on their daily lives and linear trajectory through the fashioning of poetic alterna- relationships. Through informal interviews on the lives and tives. However, it is a kinetic analysis of the “mousetrap beliefs of 13 different women, all representing different age sequence” that serves as the crux of this investigation. Not groups, socioeconomic statuses, and familial structures, it only does this poetic moment expand the field of possibili- is possible to begin to dissect how their personal experi- ties, but it also does work to propound Hamlet’s subjective ences of womanhood, motherhood, and race are associated maturation. From his soliloquy in the nunnery scene to his with their exposure to and participation in Marian devo- conclusive acceptance of his fate, Hamlet is shown to be- tion. What is uncovered is a genuine love and admiration come self-conscious of the kinetic nature of his reality and for Our Lady who is seen as not just an intercessor, but a self-deterministically reconciles himself to its dialectical reference for strength, acceptance, and compassion. tensions. Conclusively, this analysis takes up issues of tex- tual interaction, encouraging critical flexibility and active Ethical Disagreement interpretive angularity on part of the reader. Atul Satija, Philosophy Sponsor: Professor Kwame Anthony Appiah, Philosophy A How-To Guide for Roman Gentlemen: Investigating Ethical disagreement arises when one encounters A. Cornelius Celsus and De Medicina in a Medical someone with a set of values that is inconsistent with one’s Context and Beyond own. A special case of ethical disagreement is when this Clara Si, Biochemistry, Classical Civilization set of values is derived from a culture or a way of life. This Sponsor: Professor Claire Bubb, Classics is cultural disagreement. One way to cope with cultural In the 1st century CE, Aulus Cornelius Celsus com- disagreement is through tolerance. Tolerance is identified posed De Medicina, a Roman medical treatise founded on as an attitude of restraint, where the thing one is restrain- Greek scientific traditions and the first complete account of ing is one’s own impulse to change, regulate, or otherwise medicine in Latin. Despite being cited with considerable intervene in the lives of others. This study develops an ac- praise by his contemporaries and demonstrating great med- count of tolerance that picks out (i) the situations in which ical proficiency, Celsus’ reputation and enigmatic identity one ought to tolerate, (ii) what tolerance involves, and (iii) have been plagued by doubts: he is varyingly deemed a what the value of tolerance is based on. The central task is highly skilled physician, a plagiarist of a lost Greek text, to provide a moral account of tolerance. What this means and an amateur interested in medicine. The question of is that tolerance will be considered an attitude an individ- his medical background is further complicated by a lack ual has towards a group or a culture. This is opposed to a of criteria for defining “doctor” in antiquity along with a political account of tolerance, where tolerance is a practice common misconception of De Medicina, the only surviv- of the state towards its citizenry. ing section of an encyclopedia presumably called Artes, as a freestanding text. This thesis examines textual and cul- Reading in Three Dimensions: Narrative Kinetics tural factors surrounding De Medicina—centered on the through Hamlet presentation of a medical art that is inextricably dependent Rushabh Shah, English and American Literature on Greek sources yet unquestionably Roman—to paint a Sponsor: Professor John Archer, English clear picture of Celsus as a well-read layperson who did While Shakespeare’s plays and characters have not practice medicine professionally. Such a characteri- been subject to a myriad of interpretive lenses, literary zation makes Celsus’ purpose in composing De Medicina criticism has yet to address the phenomenological expe- even more perplexing as he offers a filtered version of riences of narrative space and time. Using Hamlet as a Greek medicine for fellow Roman laypeople. A closer point of departure, the present study addresses this criti- consideration of Celsus’ literary style, including his avoid- cal blind spot by examining the interactions between the ance of technical language and lexical agreements with play’s spatio-temporal configurations. Such configurations high poetry, suggests his audience may have comprised are defined as cross-sectional planes of space-time which elite citizens. It is proposed that Celsus wrote De Medicina inform each poetic moment along the play’s linear chro- and the Artes as part of a broader movement to establish notope. The interactions between the configurations of the Roman self, especially as it pertained to the cultured poetic moments in turn enrich the play’s otherwise one-di- gentleman’s liberal arts education.

30 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 The Post-Colonial Ecology of Elizabeth Bowen’s The that it can, this study follows a certain philosophico-reli- Last September and A World of Love gious genealogy of the concepts of love and knowledge Ellie Simmons, English that ultimately culminates in the 16th century Carmelite Sponsor: Professor Kelly Sullivan, Irish Studies friar, St. John of the Cross, whose sublime devotion to the Elizabeth Bowen was a prolific Irish writer who love of God is emboldened by the fact that he is, according composed numerous novels, essays, and speeches on to McGinn (2002), “one of the pinnacles of the apophatic myriad subjects. Yet, for decades she was primarily de- tradition in Christianity”. fined by her Anglo-Irish “Big House” novels. This thesis Reading Remuneration: The American Literary evaluates the treatment of the big house and its environs Reaction to Industrialization in the two of her novels set exclusively in Ireland, The Morgan Sperry, Comparative Literature, Economics Last September and A World of Love. Incorporating early Sponsor: Professor Jay Garcia, Comparative Literature and recent criticism of her work, as well as Bowen’s own thoughts on ecology from her critical essays like “Ireland Situated at the crossroads of literature and economic Makes Irish” and “The Big House,” this study examines history, this thesis analyzes the American literary reaction how Bowen’s representation of the big house transcends to the changing economic landscape of the nineteenth cen- capturing features of her setting or psychogeography. In- tury. It explores how rapid industrialization and a changing stead, she encapsulates the greater ecology of her uniquely labor structure induced an existential value crisis amongst postcolonial environment through gothic tropes, surreal writers and philosophers, forcing them to confront the con- imagery, and a modernist preoccupation with psychologi- straints of a modern industrial economy. The project fo- cal processes. She also conveys the influences that contin- cuses upon texts—including published literature, personal ue to shape one’s experience in that landscape, including correspondence, and journal entries—by Herman Melville, atmospheric conditions, the presence of certain people and Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, and Louisa the absence of others. She chronicles the way an individual May Alcott. It invokes the contemporaneous policy debate projects personal or collective memory back onto certain around the gold standard to elucidate how the notion of environments, forever coloring their experience and even “public faith” animated both the monetary policy and the sensations. This study of Bowen’s techniques to capture a literature of the industrial era. Ultimately, the thesis is a particular ecology argues for a wider scope in future eco- response to Henry David Thoreau’s claim that there is a critical scholarship, one that acknowledges not just how dearth of literature “written on the subject of getting a liv- a writer shapes their fictional environments but how they ing: how to make getting a living not merely honest and depict the inner-relationships of that environment and its honourable, but altogether inviting and glorious” (Tho- current, past, and future inhabitants. reau, 1863). By highlighting a set of texts, journals, and letters that focus on exactly that, it traces how one might Love and Unknowing in St. John of the Cross manipulate the constraints of modern capitalism in order to Mark Sologuren, Comparative Literature pursue work that is at once honest and honourable, inviting Sponsor: Professor Hent de Vries, Religious Studies and glorious. Christian mysticism has a long and dense history To Create and Destroy in A Brave New World: The built around the matter of attempting to know God only Entrepreneur in Huxley’s Dystopia after first having come to love Him. One means of ap- Katharine Tell, Comparative Literature proaching knowledge of God historically manifests itself Sponsor: Professor Andrea Gadberry, NYU Gallatin in the form of apophatic theology, a theology premised on School of Individualized Study the idea that the transcendent Godhead is best approached by discursive negation, that is, by recognizing what God is When Aldous Huxley published Brave New World, not. The development of this mode of discourse/reasoning he was acting as a kind of entrepreneur, one who subverted is significant insofar as its transmission from the Classical the dystopian genre with his bold story of an immoral yet world of Greek philosophy to early Christianity resulted stable society and the revolution that failed to disrupt it. in what has been termed “mystical theology”. Love fig- Years later, economist Joseph Schumpeter would describe ures into this in that, along with the assimilation of Neo- his belief in the power of the entrepreneur to drive society platonic apophaticism into proto-Christian thought, came forward through creative destruction, wherein the econom- the incursion of the decidedly Greek love of eros, defined ic structure is revolutionized from within by a new idea or by its covetous ascending nature, into the realm of agape, product, creating a new force in the economy and simulta- presented in the New Testament as Christian self-giving neously rendering useless, or destroying, whatever came love. Their history, intertwined as it is, runs in tandem with before. However, while his ideas have placed Schumpeter a broader historical speculation on the place of love and on the side of capitalism, he also cautioned that this eco- knowledge in the mystical approach to God. To the extent nomic system cannot last indefinitely, due to the impact

31 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE of creative destruction on not just profits and firms, but violent, urban warfare, this issue is both contemporary and on politics and emotions. Brave New World thoroughly urgent. In the aftermath of conflict and physical destruc- examines this idea through its two entrepreneurial charac- tion, city planners, architects, and governments have no ters: Mustapha Mond, the Resident Controller of Huxley’s choice but to address wounds and gaps in the urban fab- World State, and John, an artist destined for opposition ric. Rebuilding a post-war city offers a laboratory for the and failure. Mond and the society he represents spend the reshaping of the physical, social, and political geography novel ruthlessly defending themselves against any possible of the city. To explore these ideas, this study looks at the creation, something that John inherently embodies when reconstruction project of the Old Bridge of Mostar (Stari he waltzes into their world as a new commodity. However, Most), in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The investiga- John represents the old, forgotten world, a retrograde en- tion focuses on the political and social atmosphere which trepreneur facing off against Mond’s advancement. Here led to the bridge’s initial construction, its targeted destruc- is the political unrest of which Schumpeter warned his tion during the Bosnian Civil War in 1993, and its later readers: when the new destroys the old, eventually, the old reconstruction, completed in 2004, as an identical replica will fight back. Thus, creative destruction acts as both a to its original (pre-war) form. The bridge’s reconstruction literary motivation for enterprising insurgency as well as aimed to serve as a symbol for not only the resurrection of an economic phenomenon that is an intrinsic characteristic built heritage but also for the reunification of the war-torn of capitalism and the economy of ideas. city of Mostar and its subsequently divided population. While the monument was perfectly restored in its physical Diasporic Narrative in Trans-Pacific Visual Culture: aspect, its intangible aspects remain deformed. The study Reimagining the Korean-Argentine Experience additionally contrasts the “conservative” approach of Amara Thomas, Spanish cultural heritage reconstruction seen in Mostar with more Sponsor: Professor Laura Torres-Rodriguez, Spanish radical and contemporary approaches taking place in cities and Portuguese such as Berlin, Germany, with the current and controver- In the discourse of trans-pacific diaspora, the Kore- sial reconstruction project of the Humboldt Palace. an-Latino diasporic experience is often overlooked in com- parison to that of other Asian migrators. This study brings Extravagant Residences Aimed for Networking to light, first, the author’s own experience learning about and Self-Endorsement: Gardens in Qing Dynasty the Korean-Argentine community within Buenos Aires, Yangzhou and secondly, considerations of how this community pro- Chaorong Wang, Art History vides tools to reimagine the Korean-Argentine experience. Sponsor: Professor Michele Matteini, Art History In particular, the study explores themes such as intergen- Classical Chinese gardens in Yangzhou built during erational and female relations, concepts of “Othering,” and Qing Dynasty have enjoyed international acclaim for their the anchoring of space and location in select works from unprecedented scale and fashionable designs. Through an artist Kim Yun Shin as well as Director Cecilia Kang’s analysis of the political, social, and ideological develop- documentary, Mi Último Fracaso (My Last Failure). The ments in 18th and 19th century and a close examination affect created, it is argued, differs dramatically from the on selected architectural features in representative exam- discourse perpetuated by Argentine popular knowledge ples of Yangzhou luxury dwellings built during the time, and even through studies of Korean-Latino migration in this paper demonstrates various social and political mo- general. The project ultimately provides diversifying dis- tivations for which the gardens were designed and built, cussion on a minor narrative and thus not only highlights among which a central underlying theme was to stage for the community’s existence but examines the unique ways an elite audience a spectacle that, on one hand, could ex- in which they perpetuate their own story. pand and strengthen the court-merchant network, and, on the other, further facilitated their art collecting endeavor From Conflict Zones to Contact Zones: 21st Century assigned by the court. In addition, as merchants obtained Built Heritage in Mostar and Berlin acknowledgement and appreciation from scholar-elites for Mathilde van Tulder, Global Liberal Studies, Urban their managerial abilities and other practical skills, com- Design and Architecture Studies missioning and consuming extravagant houses and goods Sponsors: Professor Matt Longabucco, Global Liberal became a channel for them to climb up the social ladder Studies; Professor Jonathan Ritter, Urban Design and through establishing a self-imagery as an art connoisseur. Architecture Studies Thus, lavish gardens were constructed not only to satiate This thesis analyzes the consequences of cultural merchants’ appetite for refined material goods, but also for heritage reconstruction in post-war cities. Due to exponen- a higher position in social hierarchy. tially increasing urbanization and the simultaneous rise in

32 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018

Tabla in New York City: Uncovering the Secret Sound these four paintings—Enthusiastically paying the agri- and Language of Tabla Mastery cultural taxes (1950), Art workers visiting impoverished Kavinda Wijayaratne, Language and Mind, Philosophy peasants (1950), Planting melons to overcome spring Sponsor: Dr. Aruna Magier, South Asia Studies Librarian shortages (1950), and the Harvest (1952)—are outliers in Given the rich history of Indian Hindustani music, Pan’s career. However, around 1956, Pan returned to xieyi this study pinpoints the essence and mastery of the main style, and created what later would become one of his most percussive instrument used in this style: the tabla. As a first studied and celebrated painting, A Nook at Linyan Gully generation Sri Lankan-American youth with exposure to (1956). Under what circumstances did Pan create these Classical Sri Lankan music (similar to Classical Indian peasant paintings, and why did he abandon that style entire- music) from a young age, the author has had an interest ly in mid-1950? This thesis situates Pan’s peasant paintings in tabla for many years. As a member of the South Asian and A nook within the historical context of art and politics diaspora in the US, the sounds of tabla have always cor- under Mao’s cultural policy as well as China-Soviet Union related with instinctive heritage and identity. Through the relationship. How does art reflect social, cultural, and po- experience of learning the table, a whole world of rhythmic litical environments? By acknowledging the propaganda dynamics and historical succession was made available in nature in the peasant paintings and the political undertone a way that unavoidably weaved into the author’s West- behind A nook, an analysis of their aesthetic components ernized perspective of music. The more that was learned is provided and connections between visual elements and through my teacher, Imran Khan of the Kalavant Center historical events are found. for Music and Dance, the more it was possible to under- Biological Machines: The Role of the Human-Machine stand aspects of the art such as guru-shishya parampara, Analogy in Early AI Research gharana, jugalbandi, and taala. As an oral tradition, play- Melody Xu, Individualized Study ing the tabla prescribed a secret language of its own that Sponsor: Professor Jonathan Bain, Technology, Culture, players communicate through their drums. Tabla not only and Society, Tandon School of Engineering expressed thought and language in the form of music but also provided aesthetic spirituality through its play. A prevalent theme in science and technology stud- ies is the human-machine analogy. Dating back to Hep- The Inconspicuous Propaganda: Pan Tianshou’s haestus’s metal automata in Ancient Greek mythology, Paintings in 1950s China different iterations of the mechanized human appear time Mengyue Wu, Art History and time again as a description of the human body and Sponsor: Professor Michele Matteini, Art History an explanation for human behavior. While the Cartesian Pan Tianshou (1897–1971) was famous for his ink clock model and Victorian steam engine model dominated paintings in the expressive and freehand xieyi style, but Western thought for several centuries, a significant para- from 1950–1952 he created four peasant-themed paintings digm shift occurred in the early 20th century as a result of that are almost contradictory to the audacity and expres- the digital computer. This study examines the reciprocal siveness found in his other works. Small in scale, far from relationship between the dominance of the human-com- expressive, and explicit in the titles and subject matters, puter analogy and the rise of early artificial intelligence research in the 1950s. In particular, the impact the anal-

33 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE ogy had on the information-processing approach to AI jar’s Gracie Mansion sequence and primary materials from proposed by Allen Newell and Herbert Simon is analyzed. the Fales Library to get at Hujar’s particular vision of the This approach, which holds that intelligent behavior in photographic medium as one of intense emotional affect humans and machines is the result of the same process of and totemic energy. representing, interpreting, and manipulating symbolic rep- resentations of knowledge, has subsequently reinforced the They Used to Be Our Brothers: Beijing’s Decision- view of humans as complex “biological computers”. This Making Process Leading Up to the Sino-Vietnamese study provides an important historical analysis of tradi- War of 1979 tional attempts to define the relationship between humans Hongxuan Yang, Economics, History and machines, which has blurred significantly as a result Sponsor: Professor James Peck, East Asian Studies of current research in fields such as cognitive science, psy- This thesis exams what considerations made the chology, and computer science. Furthermore, it indicates Chinese central leadership led by Deng Xiaoping in 1979 how research programs such as the information-processing feel an across-border military offensive was so imperative approach to AI can only be fully understood by situating that even the potential military, political, and economic them within a cultural historical context. backlashes often associated with such offensive operations were inadequate to deter it. By raising this question, this Peter Hujar and Affect: The Photograph-as- study seeks to understand the perspective of the Chinese Photograph leadership so as to examine the major domestic and in- Marcelo Yanez, Art History ternational challenges they were faced with between Sponsor: Professor Shelley Rice, Art History 1975–1979, and how out of strategic calculations of such On January 2, 1986 Peter Hujar covered the walls factors they decided to strike Vietnam. This project in- of the Gracie Mansion Gallery on 167 Avenue A with a volves two historiographical interventions. First, it makes two-image high grid of seventy square medium-format extensive use of the People’s Daily, the official propaganda black and white silver-gelatin prints. His first solo show apparatus of the Chinese Communist Party as a looking since 1981, the exhibition totaled thirty-five print pairings glass by which one can glance into the strategic calcula- stretching from left to right, encompassing landscapes, tions Beijing was making at the time. Second, it puts great portraits, ruins, animals, trash, and water. It was to be the emphasis on the geopolitical importance of the Democratic last exhibition of his photographs before his death in 1987 Kampuchea in Beijing’s consideration of national security. from AIDS-related pneumonia. The sequencing Hujar The study challenges the prevailing Cold-War narrative of employed in the Gracie Mansion exhibition was the culmi- bi-polar confrontation and provides an insight into China’s nation of a career-long effort and interest in how to juxta- conception of national security, which, it is argued, is a pose images towards a particular reading of simultaneous prerequisite for understanding Beijing’s rationale behind individuality and the seemingly disparate, but holistic and its behavior in its geographical vicinity today. unifying function of a grid. This presentation will use Hu-

34 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 “Always Falling”: How Memory Evades both Warring with the Nation’s Past: The Construction of Collectivity and Intimacy in Post-9/11 Literature National Identity in Republican China Porter Yelton, English and American Literature Yanshu Zhang, Economics, History Sponsor: Professor Thomas Augst, English Sponsor: Professor Du Yue, History This research focuses on the conflation of photog- The concept of Zhonghua minzu, usually translated raphy and memories in Post-9/11 literature and how that as “Chinese nation” or “Chinese races”, is the core of mod- conflation prevents any collective memory of a tragedy ern China’s national identity. It refers to the big family of to the scale of 9/11. The study will explore how Richard Chinese people composed of ethnic Han people and anoth- Drew’s iconic photograph, “The Falling Man”, and others er fifty-five non-Han ethnic minorities. The concept was like it, push themselves always to the forefront of novelistic coined in 1901 by an influential reformist, Liang Qichao narratives that center around 9/11. What this photography (1873–1929) when he had failed to find a satisfactory represents, it is argued, is an ultimate suspension between name to refer to all Han and non-Han Chinese living with- life and death—something both powerful and damning. in the Qing Empire. In the following decades, Republican The man lives on through the photograph, frozen in its intellectuals and politicians constructed various narratives frame, yet explorations of him in literature seem to indi- of Chinese national identity centered on this concept. By cate that he is constantly moving, that the frame does not examining the history textbooks, journals, newspaper, and capture him in one moment—still—in his fall, but dooms books published in the Republican era (1911–1949), this him to keep falling forever. Characters in the novels an- thesis traces the evolution of this concept and those histori- alyzed here find themselves enraptured by the memories cal narratives built upon it. The thesis focuses on and com- of these falling people—and, in the case of Don DeLillo’s pares two narratives in particular: The Nationalist Party of novel Falling Man, a performance artist who mimics their China’s (GMD’s) homologous account of the Zhonghua jumps—and yet somehow their memories almost never minzu that stresses the common bloodline shared between seem fully correct, fully intact. Other forces intrude: things the Han and non-Han Chinese, and the Chinese Commu- they have heard, bits on the television news, the memories nist Party’s (CCP’s) polyphyletic account of the Zhonghua of their friends and colleagues. These experiences push the minzu that suggests cultural communication as a link characters towards a potential for collective memory, but it between the Han and non-Han Chinese. The Republican is argued that through their disparate reactions and oppos- era was a time when the very survival of China was under ing surenesses, collective memory, especially surrounding threat. It was also a time when history was selectively read such a cataclysmic tragedy, is impossible. And yet, due to to serve a modern political purpose: to save the nation. the propagation of photography and videography of the events, neither can these characters access their own inti- macy with their memories.

35

INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018

SOCIAL SCIENCE

First-Generation Filipino-Americans Associating Voter Behavior Survey Experiment: Economic Themselves with Non-Asian Ethnic Groups. Anxiety vs. Xenophobia Isabela “Isay” Acenas, Anthropology, Environmental Marissa Adler, Politics Studies Sponsors: Professor Christopher Dawes, Politics; Sponsor: Professor Dean Saranillio, Social and Cultural Professor Anna Harvey, Politics Analysis Fears within the US electorate of declining living Geographically, the Philippines is associated with standards, possible job loss, as well as wage stagnation and Asia, but in the Bay Area, many Filipinos associate them- threats to homeland security tied to illegal immigration selves with those of Pacific Islander and Mexican heri- have been named as factors in the creation of a solid base tage. The San Francisco Bay Area is home to thousands for the candidacy of Donald Trump in 2016. Using a fac- of first-generation Filipino-Americans whose experience torial vignette survey, this study seeks to gain insight into is very similar to ethnic groups other than ones rooted in the relative weight given by voters to these two sources of Asia. Although there are many Asian-Americans in the anxiety in their decision calculus for their support of the Bay Area, Filipino-Americans specifically are dispropor- current administration. The survey experiment utilizes four tionately represented in Silicon Valley industries that are vignette scenarios in the form of fictitious online news arti- generally dominated by South and East Asian-American cles. The first vignette describes economic anxiety, the sec- populations. Disproportionate representation in careers ond describes anxiety about increasing immigration rates, influences the communities that directly surround such the third combines economic anxiety and anxiety around institutions, leading many Filipino-Americans to live in increasing immigration, and the fourth, the control condi- communities dominated by underrepresented minorities. tion, discusses pollution. The survey was taken by 1,264 Issues in unemployment, housing, and immigration tie Amazon Mechanical Turk responders. Though the analysis together many Hispanic, African-American, Pacific Island- found no significant effect of any of the vignettes on re- er, and Southeast Asian populations living in these same spondents’ support for the current administration relative neighborhoods. This study explores which ethnic groups, to the control scenario, this result may provide interesting outside of Asia, Filipino-American youth identify with the starting points for future research on voter motivations in most and what social justice issues lead them to do so. The this political era. results help shed light on community relationships and how certain issues faced across populations bring together Measuring Zero Waste Success those of all ethnicities. Aryn Aiken, Environmental Studies Sponsor: Professor Jessica Green, Environmental Studies How do cities move toward zero waste? This re- search investigates this question, concluding that success depends on measurement. Many cities are creating new,

37 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE ambitious waste management plans that include a transition system. This project tested whether social group identifi- to systems which produce minimal or “zero waste”. These cation would lead to an inaccurate understanding of legal plans primarily focus on end-of-life solutions for the waste case facts, bias in outgroup members’ guilt and punish- crisis, such as expanded recycling programs or organics ment decisions, and bias in identification of the suspect in collection. Success is measured by the percentage of trash a lineup. Participants reported their social identifications, diverted from landfills, known as the diversion rate. How- watched a video depicting a physical altercation, answered ever, this reporting metric excludes critical information questions regarding case facts, took on the roles of jurors about the effectiveness of the waste management system. by making legal punishment decisions, and completed a Notably, it fails to assess progress towards “zero waste”, target identification task. It was found that when there was which necessarily includes measuring the total amount of an outgroup defendant and an ingroup plaintiff, partici- waste generated. Total waste produced is an indicator of pants false alarmed at high rates, which led to an inaccurate the remaining burden of human waste because recycling understanding of the case facts, which in turn, led to more and compost are still types of refuse, which require policies severe punishment decisions. Furthermore, participants to divert them from landfills. This paper uses San Francis- who viewed both the defendant and the plaintiff as being co and New York City as case studies of cities with “zero part of an outgroup were the least likely to believe that waste” goals, comparing their reported diversion rates to the lightened image was the defendant. Future research reported total waste produced over the past decade. Their incorporating selective visual attention that may generate progress is assessed against each city’s definition of “zero interventions to reduce bias in the legal system is also dis- waste”, as well as developments in waste management cussed. policy and “zero waste” plans. It was found that that zero waste plans have not led to significant reductions in overall Untangling Ignorance in the Sugary Beverage Tax waste production in either city. This indicates a need to Movement shift waste management reporting’s focus from diversion Josh Arshonsky, Global Public Health/Anthropology rates to decreasing total waste produced as an indicator of Sponsors: Professor Rayna Rapp, Anthropology; zero waste success. Professor Marie Bragg, Global Public Health This project examines how low-income commu- Term Limits, Political Business Cycles, and Office nities understand the role of sugary beverage taxation in Tenure: United States, 2004–2015 addressing overweight and obesity. Drawing upon survey Ines Ajimi, Economics, Politics data collected from residents of Cook County, IL, the Sponsor: Professor B. Peter Rosendorff, Politics study argues residents may have more knowledge of the This paper examines the effect of term limits on links between sugary drinks and obesity than public health US governors by comparing differences in fiscal expen- experts recognize. Nancy Tuana’s work on the politics of diture across term-limit regime and term number. Using ignorance provides a guide to demonstrate how dominant state-level data ranging from 2004–2015, it was found that pro-tax messaging positions “at risk” communities as ineligible, second-term term-limited governors use Polit- lacking knowledge and thereby furthers policy opposition. ical Budget Cycles (PBCs). Given the aim of PBCs is to Findings add to the literature on how the politics of igno- increase incumbents’ chances of re-election, this finding rance produce power relations and reveal areas to improve leads to the consideration that term-limits may help voters in the sugary beverage taxation movement. select governors with preferences close to theirs. To con- firm this hypothesis, the first-term performance of re-elect- Composting: A Cost or a Benefit? ed versus non-re-elected governors is compared across Aleksandra Artyfikiewicz, Economics, Borough of term-limit regimes. Term-limited re-elected governors are Manhattan Community College, CUNY found to spend significantly more than non-re-elected gov- Sponsor: Professor Christine Farias, Economics, ernors, while no difference is found in non-term-limited Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY states. This paper therefore finds evidence supporting the According to the Natural Resources Defense Coun- theory that term limits create a positive selection effect. cil, up to 40% of food in the US is wasted, and growing, processing, transporting, and disposing of that uneaten The Effect of Social Group Identification on food costs an estimated $218 billion annually (Gunders, Understanding Case Facts in a Legal Context Dana, 2017). At the same time, about 41 million people Elisabeth Andreeff, Psychology cannot provide enough food for their households. In New Sponsor: Professor Emily Balcetis, Psychology York City, 20% of the waste stream is food waste, so People of color (and Black men in particular) are diverting this compostable material from the landfill rep- incarcerated at disproportionately high rates, so it is im- resents a huge opportunity to preserve the environment and portant to understand the role of bias in the American legal cut waste management costs (Brown, 2017). Is food waste

38 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 composting an opportunity for the Borough of Manhattan sibilities to explain the Republican victory. This project Community College (BMCC)? To answer this question, explores the impact of both employment levels and the Af- this project attempts to analyze the current BMCC waste fordable Care Act (ACA) on the shift in voting behaviors management system and compare it to one that implements that led to the election of Donald Trump. While existing composting. This research also analyzes its potential im- literature supports the notion that economic factors play pact on the BMCC community, measures awareness of a strong role in influencing electoral politics, this project food waste and composting through a survey, and recom- also dives into the novel political implications of increases mends a circular economy model. in government-mandated health care costs on American election results. Examining data on the increases of ACA The Effects of Moral Construal on Volunteer premiums and economic indicators such as employment Commitment and average annual wages at the county level, changes in Anna Balchunas, Psychology these variables are analyzed against increases in support Sponsor: Professor Jay Van Bavel, Psychology for the Republican candidate from the prior election in each Volunteers are the backbone of many social and specific county. The results indicate that both increases in public service organizations. Different motivations to vol- costs of ACA premiums as well as lagging employment unteer coupled with whether the organization can fulfill the numbers played a significant role in moving voters towards volunteer’s agenda often explain whether a volunteer will the Republican Party. remain committed and continue volunteering. Volunteer commitment and retention are key issues facing many or- The Association of Categorical Facial Cues with ganizations, and it is possible that volunteers can flexibly Categorical Overgeneralized Judgments construe their volunteering as a moral imperative (e.g., the Deshana Barua, Psychology right thing to do) or a non-moral activity (e.g., personally Sponsor: Professor Jon Freeman, Psychology beneficial). Thinking about volunteering in moral terms Encountering a novel, angry individual would be may build implicit, normative pressure or add a level of a threatening experience, and it would be reasonable to personal accountability, thereby increasing commitment. consider said individual untrustworthy. Such an automatic This study explored how moral construal impacts vol- response may be appropriate in this context, but in other unteer commitment by using an experimental design in scenarios, it may cause people to jump to conclusions. For which over 100 actual volunteers were randomly assigned example, when an emotionally neutral face has a certain to either construe their volunteering as moral, non-moral, arrangement of features that resembles an angry face, it or neither. While it was predicted that volunteers who is frequently perceived as untrustworthy. This tendency construed their motivations as moral would be more likely to overextend judgment based on facial resemblance to to be more committed to their organization, no significant a particular state is known as overgeneralization. Some difference was found between moral and non-moral con- types of overgeneralized judgments occur along a contin- ditions regarding organizational commitment, and these uous gradient. As an expression gradually changes from results did not differ over a 3-month window. However, it angry to happy, the correlated judgment gradually moves was found that the number of hours one had volunteered from untrustworthy to trustworthy. However, some facial in the past month significantly correlated positively with cues are often perceived categorically, not continuously. organizational commitment. It seems possible that moral People find it difficult to see “neutral” emotion, gender, or construal may backfire when volunteers are already highly race. Small shifts around the midpoints of the cue scales motivated by moral reasons as the moral construal focus can cause the entire categorical perception of the face to might de-emphasize other non-moral motives, reducing change, and presumably cause related judgments to change overall commitment or retention. Future research is nec- too. Thus, the goal of this research was to investigate essary to gain a better understanding of how to increase whether overgeneralized categorical facial cues are asso- commitment, which in turn may increase retention and ciated with categorical judgments or with judgments on a reduce turnover. continuum. Faces were digitally morphed on a continuum of angry-resembling to happy-resembling, and these stim- Employment, Health Care, and the 2016 Election uli were used for discrimination and identification tasks John Paul Baratta, Politics that would determine whether judgment of the trustworthi- Sponsor: Professor Anna Harvey, Politics ness of a face is categorical or continuous. The hypothesis In the wake of the upset victory of Donald Trump in would be supported if the faces of varying anger resem- the 2016 Presidential Election, Americans have spent the blance on the continuum were perceived with continuous last year searching for and pointing to a variety of pos- changes in trustworthiness.

39 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE Persistence of Racial Hierarchies in Urban themes such as the increasing focus on the local, as well Neighborhoods as the potential mismatch between the efficiency-focused Michael Bearman, Sociology; Songzhi Wu, Sociology technology developed by the stove community and the Sponsor: Professor Jacob Boersema, Sociology social function of cookstoves in the lives of Guatemalan This paper analyzes how America’s racial order— families. the institutions, beliefs, and practices that organize racial Gender Differences in Self-Perceived Leadership relationships—is reproduced in restaurants reviews on Gaelin Bernstein, Individualized Major Yelp. As ethnic neighborhoods transform into places of Sponsor: Professor Tessa West, Psychology leisure and consumption, communities around China- town and Little Italy are bound by the racial order. Ethnic Prior research into gendered perceptions of leader- communities draw from very different cultural and so- ship found that the expectations for men and women in the cial-economic resources to commodify their culture—in- workplace are rarely the same and rarely benefit female cluding their ethnic restaurants. Moreover, the customers professionals. Here, people participated in a group negoti- of these ethnic restaurants perceive, value, and judge these ation task with four other group members and self-reported establishments based on the racial order, using different their own dominance, likability, and leadership afterwards. criteria and measuring sticks. This paper compares how It was found that for women, dominance was an important Yelp reviewers evaluate ethnic restaurants in Little Italy component of self-perceived leadership ability, substan- and Chinatown in New York City with a focus on three tially more so than their male counterparts. Whereas the themes: i) hygiene, ii) atmosphere, and iii) taste. The study opposite was true of self-perceived likability, with male shows how the different evaluative tropes are rooted in the participants finding likability to be more of a contributor to historical racist discourses about Chinatown and Chinese self-perceived leadership ability than female participants. immigrants as well as Little Italy and Italian immigrants, These results were surprising given prior research into sim- even though Little Italy in the past was very similar to ilar topics, but, in the context of the young sample (Mage Chinatown. Yelp reviewers thereby reproduce the existing = 20.00 years), these findings may indicate an evolution in racial order through the consumption of food and places. evaluations of leadership ability by gender.

Compromising Cookstoves: Stories of Stove Social Determinants as Predictors of Health Outcomes Development in Guatemala Christina Beros, Global Public Health/History Dia Beggs, Global Public Health/Anthropology Sponsor: Dr. Rajiv Bhatia, The Civic Engine & UCSF Sponsor: Professor Jerome Whitington, Anthropology Many public health specialists hypothesize that At the intersection of climate change, women’s social factors contribute to health outcomes. This project empowerment, global health, deforestation, rural poverty, tests that hypothesis by observing different quality of life and many other issues central to the world of develop- measurements and comparing them against health out- ment, there lies a cookstove project. The burning of solid comes. The target population included individuals who fuels inside the home for cooking purposes contributes to were formerly incarcerated or experiencing homelessness, a myriad of respiratory issues and other health dangers, two groups that often struggle with securing employment, which disproportionately affect women (Pope et al., 2015). housing, and access to nutritious foods. This study aims to In Guatemala, roughly seventy percent of the population collect data on the quality of life of individuals in the pop- cooks over an open fire. Over the past 40 years, many ulation of interest and draw connections between social de- development organizations have implemented clean cook- terminants and health outcomes. It is hoped that this study stove initiatives in the country, with hopes of introducing a will contribute to the growing body of evidence supporting simple technological solution to a very complicated cook- the idea that social factors influence health outcomes and stove problem. To the disappointment of the stove devel- aid in making the argument for a greater financial commit- opment community, these projects have been historically ment to improve these social determinants of health. ineffective with rather low stove adoption rates (Rehfuess Development of Flexibility in Tool Use et al., 2014). To understand the adoption patterns of past Catherine Bianco, Psychology; Melody Xu, Individualized cookstove projects, several studies have examined how lo- Study cal culture affects stove implementation (Ruiz-Mercado et Sponsor: Professor Karen Adolph, Psychology al., 2011; Olivet and López 2015). This project aims to flip the lens onto cookstove development culture itself. By ex- In a continually changing environment, effective amining how social factors and global power relations are tool use requires flexible motor planning. Adults, for ex- incorporated into cooking technology, this project offers ample, flexibly plan their grip on the handle of a tool (e.g., insight as to how stove developers compromise between a hammer) depending on its orientation. When the handle local and global interests for stove technology. It explores points toward their non-dominant hand, adults use an initial

40 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 underhand grip to allow for a smooth transition to effective natural world and how they navigate these spaces. It is par- use of the hammer. Young children fail to show flexibility ticularly focused on how outdoor intentional communities in motor planning. They use a habitual, overhand, initial attempt to create alternative ways of living in secluded nat- grip regardless of the handle’s orientation. To understand ural space. A queer relationship with the outdoors is com- the reasons for this, this study employed a unique com- plicated by American capitalism and urbanism. A deeply bination of eye-tracking, EEG, and motion-tracking in interdisciplinary approach is used, drawing from biology, a hammering task. 30 four-year-olds and 26 adults were literature, film studies, queer theory, critical race theory, tested. Some children, similar to adults, flexibly used and anthropology. This project aims to imagine a way of underhand grips when the handle was oriented toward caring for the land which is intersectional, non-transaction- their non-dominant hand. However, some continued us- al, and ultimately, queer. ing the habitual overhand grip regardless of the handle’s orientation. Flexible and non-flexible children differed in Getting Bi in the 21st Century: (Mis)Representation, all stages of the planning process: gaze location, neural Identity Formation, and Self Concept of Bisexual processing, and movement trajectory. Flexible children People on Screen and IRL directed their gaze to the hammer before movement and Avery Bonner, Applied Psychology, Gender and Sexuality showed adult-like differentiation in neural responses and Studies reaching trajectories between the different hammer ori- Sponsor: Professor Gayatri Gopinath, Gender and entations. Non-flexible children scanned the entire scene, Sexuality Studies and showed similar neural responses and reach trajectories Although the mainstream prominence of lesbian for both hammer orientations. These findings indicate that and (LG) media representation has increased recently, flexible motor planning requires correct allocation of visu- representations of remain rare (Elia, 2014; Pal- al attention and subsequent neural processing to facilitate lotta-Chiarolli, 2014; Scherrer, 2013). Even when bisexual efficient tool use. portrayals are included, they often pander to harmful stereo- types (Johnson, 2016). This stigmatization of bisexuality Reimagining Queer Interactions with Nature contributes to poorer mental, emotional, social, and sexual Joseph Cordell Blakely, Anthropology health amongst bisexual people than both their straight and Sponsor: Professor Bruce Grant, Anthropology LG counterparts (Johnson, 2016; San Francisco Human With the rise of scientific knowledge, hetero-sexu- Rights Commission LGBT Advisory Committee, 2011). ality has been deemed “natural”, with the queer in opposi- This study allows over 150 bisexual people to discuss the tion. Past scholarship has discovered the vibrant queerness ways popular representations of bisexuality (or the lack of nonhuman nature with genders and sexual behaviors far thereof) have influenced the formation of and comfort with more variant than previously imagined. This new under- their sexual orientation. Research shows positive media standing, along with other liberatory practices, provides a representation is beneficial for LGB youths’ understanding framework for queer people to seek sanctuary in nature. and acceptance of their sexual orientations, an important This paper examines how queer individuals relate to the factor in decreasing the feelings of diminished self-con- cept, confusion, and isolation as they reckon with their sex- ual minority status (Flanders et al., 2017; Gomillion and Giuliano, 2011). These studies, however, rarely include proportionate bisexual representation, conflating the -par ticularities of bisexual and LG experiences. As such, this project elevates the voices of a largely silenced community as they explain the way biphobia on screen affects their lived experience, the curative power of social media, and what bisexuality means to them in the 21st century.

Metamotivational Knowledge and Successful Goal Pursuit Afia Bonsu, Psychology; Karina Estevez, Psychology; Joseph Kim, Psychology Sponsor: Professor Emily Balcetis, Psychology According to a 2016 Inc. article examining goal-set- ting in relation to failed New Year’s resolutions, 92 percent of people fail to achieve their goals. This study investigates metamotivational knowledge—people’s beliefs about

41 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE what strategies are most effective for motivating oneself A Toy’s Story: Exploration, Discovery, and others to accomplish challenging tasks. In an online, Implementation national survey participants were asked whether they are Hannah Borenstein, Art History, Psychology aware of the strategies that research finds effective for Sponsors: Professor Karen Adolph, Psychology; Dr. goal setting. Strategies were found that distinguish people Jennifer Rachwani, Psychology; Brianna Kaplan, who meet their goals from those who do not. In particular, Psychology awareness and use of effective techniques that researchers Fine motor play with toys is an important context have demonstrated as effective for self-regulation distin- for learning. Previous research focused on generalized guish successful from unsuccessful attempts to meet goals. exploration in infants (e.g., mouthing or banging a block) Knowing a priori whether people’s knowledge and use and or construction play in older children (e.g., building a mod- effective self-regulatory techniques is accurate or not may eled LEGO structure). However, the array of fine motor help clinicians, teachers, parents, spouses, or oneself find behaviors between these endpoints is largely ignored. This more appropriate design intervention techniques to curb study observed the developmental progression of fine mo- regulatory failures. tor behavior in 12- to 60-month-old children’s play with a novel toy—Squigz. The toy is designed for building con- Frequent Falls Do Not Deter Infants from Walking structions by sticking the suction cup of one piece to the Hannah Borenstein, Art History, Psychology tabletop or suction cup of another piece. A real-time and Sponsor: Professor Karen Adolph, Psychology; Danyang developmental progression from generalized exploration, Han, Psychology; Shohan Hasan, Psychology to discovery of the designed sticking action, to consistent Previous work shows that infants fall often, on implementation and construction was hypothesized. Pre- average, 17 times/hour whether at home, in a laboratory liminary results show that exploration decreased with age. playroom, or outside while holding caregivers’ hands Moreover, younger children displayed generalized explo- (Adolph et al., 2012). However, previous work reports ration (mouthing, banging, or other actions that could be only the frequency of infant falls. This study asks wheth- performed with any toy) whereas older children displayed er falling incurs penalties beyond loss of balance, and if exploration specific to Squigz (touching/bending suction not, why. 146 walking infants (78 girls, age = 12.7–20.0 cups). On average, children discovered the designed stick- months, walking experience = 0.1–10.3 months) were ob- ing action by 32 months of age, typically by sticking a served during approximately 20 minutes of free play with suction cup to the table. Time implementing the sticking their caregivers in a laboratory playroom. In total, infants action increased with age. In real-time, exploration pre- fell 526 times. The number of falls/hour was negatively ceded discovery, with an average time lag of 28s which correlated with walking experience. However, falls were decreased with age. Older children also built constructions rarely serious. After falling, infants rarely cried (2.4% of that required higher precision and perceptual-manual coor- falls), caregivers rarely showed concern (4.8% of falls), dination than just sticking suction cups together (balancing and infants recovered from falling and returned to play one piece on top of the other). These findings illuminate within M = 2.6 seconds. Why were infants’ floor falls so the fine motor behaviors that contribute to real-time explo- trivial? Most falls (78.2%) involved multiple body seg- ration, discovery, and implementation in toy play. ments in a sequence of impacts that distribute potentially injurious forces (e.g., falling first onto hands, then onto Corporate Political Activity and Regulatory legs). Falls involving only a single body impact were all Outcomes: The Effect of Political Expenditures on onto padded body parts such as hands (15.9%), buttocks EPA Enforcement Actions (2.5%), and legs (2.4%). Head (3.9%) and trunk (9.2%) Rachel Brocklehurst, Politics impacts were rare, and always occurred after first falling Sponsors: Professor Anna Harvey, Politics; Professor onto a more padded body part. It was concluded that falling Kathleen Doherty, Politics, Public Policy on the ground is frequent, but not particularly salient for To what extent do politics influence bureaucratic infants or caregivers. It is proposed that a low penalty of decision making? Drawing from the literature on corporate error may be a feature of skills requiring immense amounts political connections and political control of bureaucracies, of experience, such as walking and talking, so as not to this study contends that corporations can use lobbying and deter infants from practicing to the point of mastery. Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions to form connections with elected officials and avoid potentially burdensome regulatory enforcement actions. In under- standing political spending as an investment, this research

42 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 explores the extent to which these investments produce ob- ernment sees value and seeks to challenge the effective- servable returns by using Environmental Protection Agen- ness of international building projects that do not consider cy (EPA) data from 2007–2010 to examine whether certain the Ghanaian woman. Lastly, it hopes to complicate the corporations faced a lower number of enforcement actions question of the feminization of poverty by situating the fol- against their facilities due to long-term political spending lowing questions at the center of the conversation: Which activities. Expenditure data from companies in the chem- women are considered governable? How do urban initia- ical manufacturing industry suggests an increase in PAC tives reveal which women are “worth saving”? How do contributions leads to a reduction in the average number women organize themselves in the absence of recognition of enforcement actions a corporation faces, while lobbying by the state? expenditures do not have this same effect. Further, it was found that PAC contributions to Democratic candidates Gender Diversity and Corporate Environmental over these years are more effective at creating these favor- Responsibility able outcomes than contributions to Republicans. Carla Campero, Economics Sponsor: Professor Raquel Fernández, Economics California ZEV Regulation and Air Quality Outcomes In 2016, more than $8.72 trillion was invested into Natasha Brunstein, Economics socially responsible companies. Increasingly, investors Sponsor: Professor Alessandro Lizzeri, Economics and regulatory entities are changing the way they assess a This project uses county level data to examine how company’s performance and making investment decisions zero-emissions vehicles (ZEV) sales affect the movement based on criteria include ethical considerations such as en- of emissions from high traffic areas to power generation vironmental responsibility, well-being of employees, and sources. The project can be broken down into three parts. charitable contributions. Central to how a company oper- Part 1 discusses the history and significance of the Cali- ates is its Board of Directors, which guides a company’s fornia ZEV Regulation from a policy perspective. Part 2 financial and ethical performance. This thesis explores the outlines what theoretical and empirical research predicts as impact Board of Directors, specifically female directors, the effects of instituting the ZEV regulation. Finally, Part have on the degree of environmental responsibility a com- 3 uses ArcGIS and other tools to examine how air quality pany exhibits. By taking a micro-level look at US S&P changes as a result of ZEV uptake. 500 company boards, this paper seeks to explore wheth- er companies with more gender diverse boards are more Aftermath Revisited: The Slum Phenomenon, environmentally responsible. For the purposes of this re- Postcolonial Urban Initiatives, and Assistance Refusal search corporate environmental responsibility is measured in Accra in three ways. First, by the presence of a board environ- Breanna Byrd, Anthropology, Social and Cultural mental committee, something not legally required in US Analysis public companies. Second, whether companies demand a Sponsor: Professor Awam Amkpa, Social and Cultural third-party audit of their environmental disclosures. Third, Analysis a company’s Newsweek Green Score Ranking which eval- This work explores centering women in the discus- uates companies on several environmental performance sion of global poverty and urban development. In 2000, measures. Prior research finds female directors tend to be an international seminar was organized by the Ghana more long-term oriented and altruistic. This study investi- Institute of Architects and the Goethe Institute in Accra gates to what degree, if any, this can potentially influence which focused on plans—architectural and otherwise—for the degree of responsibility a company exhibits. the city as it moved into the 21st century. With claims like “A city that is safe for women is safe for everyone”, this Physiological Linkage in Dyadic Cross-Cultural conference also points to the importance of incorporating Communications women within urban planning initiatives. In understanding Chloe Chan, Psychology the way homes and neighborhoods are organized to always Sponsor: Professor Tessa West, Psychology maintain the potential to mimic and recreate structural The main tenet of cross-cultural psychology is that powers and violence within the domestic sphere, this essay culture poses the ability to shape people’s psychological asserts that urban planning and architecture initiatives thus and behavioral tendencies. However, research regarding far have made use of women’s bodies and their economic, cultural influence on cross-cultural exchanges and commu- social, and cultural labor, while simultaneously absolving nication has been less explored. The present study delves them of voice. This essay also examines the relationship into this by directly examining dyadic interactions among amongst slums, urban initiatives, women, and how these a globally diverse sample of students at New York Uni- factors operate together to demonstrate complex notions of versity, Abu Dhabi, during which physiological measures governability. Furthermore, it investigates where the gov- of heart rate and arousal were used. Physiological linkage,

43 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE the extent to which one person’s physiology at a time point Averting Natural Disaster in New York’s Island will predict another person’s physiology at another time Community point, was used to measure the process of attunement to Melody Chan, Journalism, Politics one’s interaction partner. Using Geert Hofstede’s un- Sponsor: Professor Brooke Kroeger, Journalism certainty avoidance dimension to compare participants’ Since Superstorm Sandy devastated New York City, cultural backgrounds, culturally similar individuals on causing an unimaginable $19 billion in damage, city offi- uncertainty avoidance were hypothesized to be more phys- cials and locals alike have been working to improve pre- iologically linked to each other than culturally dissimilar paredness for the next disaster. The intense devastation and individuals during dyadic interactions. Using an explorato- the time it has taken to rebuild in Sandy’s aftermath has ry approach, four models were analyzed. Results show a drawn attention to the vulnerability of certain low-lying significant effect demonstrating how one’s own country’s areas of New York and the wrenching stay-or-go questions uncertainty avoidance score moderates the level of phys- residents have been forced to confront. Broad Channel, an iological linkage. Participants from weaker uncertainty island community in Jamaica Bay, is both a microcosm avoidance countries are more likely to physiologically link and a model for many of the challenges New Yorkers and to their partner, and participants from stronger uncertainty the world at large can expect to encounter as they try to avoidance countries are less likely to physiologically link strengthen their cities against impending natural threats. to their partner. These findings suggests culture plays an As a community, Broad Channel—lower-income, mostly integral role in moderating levels of physiological linkage, Republican, and predominantly Irish in ancestry—has possibly leading to a more open and friendly exchange historically kept to itself. It now stands at the forefront between individuals in a dyadic cross-cultural interaction. of New York’s fight for resiliency. The island’s houses lie on a narrow strip of filled-in land between Rockaway Development of a Self-Report Measure for Older Peninsula and mainland Queens, so close to sea-level that Children and Adolescents with Selective Mutism the high tide from Jamaica Bay spills onto neighbourhood Chloe Chan, Psychology; Denise Lau, Applied streets and driveways whenever the moon is full. Even six Psychology years after Sandy, recovery from the storm is incomplete, Sponsors: Professor Lauren Knickerbocker, Child and residents express extreme frustration with the broken and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine; promise of an expeditious return to pre-storm norms. The Professor Richard Gallagher, Child and Adolescent disappointment compounds the difficulty of the future as Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine Broad Channel residents continue to deal with erosion of Selective mutism (SM) is a condition, typically nearby marshland protection, preparations for the next diagnosed between ages 4 and 8, in which children who storm, and the overbearing uncertainties that climate speak freely at home or some settings are anxious about change portends. speaking in other various settings. The present study re- ports on the initial development of a self-report measure She Fights for older children and adolescents with persistent selective Cece Charendoff, Journalism, Sociology mutism. Data gathered on clinical samples will be use to Sponsor: Professor Jason Samuels, Journalism conduct investigations of the measure’s clinical utility and Boxing has long been considered a masculine pur- validity. This measure would help gain a clinical under- suit. Some see it as a brute sport, focused on how hard standing of the speaking behaviors, thoughts, and physi- one can hit and how many hits one can take—mental and ological responses of older children and adolescents with physical toughness is a prerequisite. Over the years, box- SM. The 55-item self-report measure was administered to ing gyms have become seen as masculine spaces, a notion older children and adolescents from ages 8–18 with SM. that stops many women from learning to box. However, as The measure of descriptives, item analysis, and develop- more women become involved in traditionally masculine ment of norms will aid in the understanding of how this spaces, boxing is no exception. She Fights explores the sto- measure will be beneficial in a clinical setting. The results ry of a nonprofit aimed at empowering low-income teenage of this study will guide further development of a self-re- girls through boxing. The program is aimed at teenage girls port measure that will become a clinical tool for ongoing ages 14–19 and seeks to give them a safe space to work on assessment and progress monitoring for older children their physical and mental toughness as well as their self-es- with SM. It will supplement the existing selective mutism teem. Themes explored include the challenges of running a questionnaire (SMQ), which is a parent-report measure non-profit, existing as young females in a masculine space, and not normed. This study would enhance the research women empowering other women, and learning to define of persistent SM which has a severe impact on the social success for oneself inside and outside the boxing ring. functioning of older children with the condition.

44 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 The 6-Brick Challenge: Perception Is Easy, but Action both greater health (diet and exercise) motivation as well Is Hard as better rates of physical activity. Anty Chen, Finance, Psychology, Brianna Kaplan, Psychology A BIT of an Obstacle in Governance? Examining the Sponsor: Professor Karen Adolph, Psychology Relationship between Bilateral Investment Treaties and Regulatory Chill in Tobacco Control Mathematician Soren Eilers calculated that 6 Lego Fahina Chowdhury, International Relations bricks can be interlocked in 915,103,765 ways…if you’re Sponsor: Professor B. Peter Rosendorff, Politics a computer! Albeit theoretically correct, this number is un- realistic for mere humans. This project created a child-ap- The increasing prevalence of investment liberal- propriate version of the 6-brick challenge to test what chil- ization has raised concerns that countries’ participation in dren and adults can do with 6 Duplo bricks in 2 minutes. Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) may produce unin- Researchers observed 91 12- to 60-month-old children and tended consequences on governments’ abilities to regulate a comparison sample of 19 adults. 12- to 18-month-olds policies. This paper contributes to the current literature by engaged in exploratory actions: banging, sliding, rotating, empirically investigating the relationship between the de- mouthing, and fingering the bricks. Eighteen to 21-month- gree of BIT involvement of non-OECD countries and the olds attempted to interlock bricks, but were mostly unsuc- hypothesis of “regulatory chill”, which has predominantly cessful. Interlocking is difficult because it requires preci- been studied through case and legal study analysis. The sion: children must perfectly align studs with holes and investor-state dispute settlement provision in these treaties press them together. After 24 months of age, most children make countries susceptible to the threat of arbitration, but interlocked successfully. However, 24- to 42-month-olds while richer, industrialized countries have the resources limited their constructions to a single linear tower, despite to endure such risks, poorer countries may have to forego the complex constructions advertised on the box. After 42 some of their sovereignty in international law. To examine months of age, children built multiple structures, interlock- the association of BITs and regulatory chill, the paper uses ing bricks in asymmetric, perpendicular, and “dangling” an area that has been widely contested: tobacco regulation. arrangements. Adult creations resembled those of the old- Although the expectation was to find evidence of regula- est children. Older children and adults made several com- tory chill in total tobacco taxes, the results were inconclu- plex 3D constructions, but clearly fell short of the original sive; this could be attributed to data and methodological computer prediction. Although computers can generate limitations. Potential alternative explanations are provided, millions of ways to interlock bricks, the skills required to including that the chilling effect may be a combination of implement precise actions such as interlocking Duplos are BITs, other international investment agreements, and in- outside the bounds of current artificial intelligence. ternational trade agreements. Lastly, a revised theory that regulatory chill in poor countries may occur specifically in The Effects of Roommate Relationships on Health import duty taxes is offered. Motivation, Diet, and Physical Activity Kyu Choi, Psychology Young Lions Sponsor: Professor Emily Balcetis, Psychology Amanda Choy, Journalism, Media, Culture, and Communications Studies show that being overweight or obese may, Sponsor: Professor Jason Samuels, Journalism in some ways, be socially “contagious”; people’s social systems, friend networks, and close relationships are high- Two young Asian-Americans in a New York City ly predictive of, and potentially exert influence on, one’s lion dance troupe are faced with parental, societal, and finan- weight and overall health (Christakis and Fowler, 2007; cial pressures as they push their own limitations to preserve Trogdon et al., 2008). Among college students, roommates a dying art. and roommate relationships can be among the most im- Ricky Chen and Emily Zheng are a part of the tight- pactful of these social influences. As such, studying this knit lion dance troupe, New York United Lion and Dragon relationship may shed light on how these specific social Dance Troupe. Chen and Zheng are two standout leaders ties and factors interact and contribute to positive and/or in the group, both sharing a true commitment to the sport. negative health-relevant behaviors. Using data collected The two lion dancers have had vastly different journeys from 230 undergraduate students at New York University, that brought them to the art form, however Chen and Zheng This project explored how roommates influence one an- find common ground in their shared love for the sport. The other, particularly in relation to dietary and exercise behav- film follows the team through a high-stakes competition in iors and examined how roommate relationships may (de) Boston, where they compete for redemption and also looks motivate individuals making them ultimately more or less into their struggle to maintain and preserve their lion dance able to pursue and attain health-relevant goals. Findings team. At the intersection of culture, passion, pressure, and suggest that having highly supportive roommates predicts honor, Chen and Zheng are faced with difficult decisions

45 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE to make about their involvement in lion dance. Addition- Welcome to the Hellhole: Stories of Mental Illness and ally, the project looks into the history of lion dance and its Poverty changing cultural significance to Chinese-Americans. Anne Cruz, Journalism, Politics Sponsor: Professor Brooke Kroeger, Journalism Top-Down Influences of Trait Perception: Among the most commonly cited studies on pover- Dissimilarity Analysis of Perceived and Objective ty and mental health is a 2010 review linking poorer com- Trait Associations munities to higher rates of severe mental illness (Lund et. John Andrew Chwe, Psychology al). In academia, reasons for this link vary. Some attribute Sponsor, Professor Jon Freeman, Psychology mental illness in poor communities to greater instances Emerging evidence suggests a dynamic, multidi- of violence and trauma; others point to the depression or mensional trait space exists, parameterized by various suicidal behavior that financial insecurity can cause. Those bottom-up and top-down factors. In order to demonstrate who suffer from severe mental illness are often vulnerable a top-down influence of trait space, personality test results to discrimination and face significant financial barriers to were collected and compared with facial trait evaluations. mental health care, thus further exacerbating their difficul- Using representational similarity analysis, the author in- ties. Emergency response lines and short-term counseling vestigated to what extent perceived trait correlations differ are available for those in crisis, regardless of financial from objective trait correlations. A high level of similarity means, but choices for effective, long-term care are few for between perceived and objective trait correlations was those with inadequate or no insurance. As a result, those found, providing evidence of top-down influences on trait without money or insurance go untreated, which creates a perception. This work contributes to an ongoing effort to host of problems when trying to trying to escape poverty; create a data-driven computational model of a dynamic the psychological and economic issues beget one another. trait space. This project aims to fill a gap in the narrative of mental health and poverty. It seeks to view sufferers through a First-Generation University Students and Engagement human lens. The reality of life at the intersection of mental with Tutors illness and financial insecurity is best described by those Sydney Cohen, Psychology who live it and by the direct responders, those engaged in Sponsor: Professor Tessa West, Psychology providing help to those in need, despite their limitations This project will be an extension of a completed in resources. Interviews with individuals in need of help, research project examining how stress was communicated school psychologists, and other professionals have been between students and tutors in terms of academic learning interspersed with research on the systemic economic and and studying sessions. This proposed research will exam- policy issues that continuously disadvantage the poor men- ine how students who are in the first generation of their tally ill. families to go to college engage with their tutors. The re- search will explore if first-generation students experience Voter Rationality and Economic Shocks more discomfort and stress during tutoring sessions, and Madeleine Cussac, Politics therefore, ask questions of their tutors less frequently. Be- Sponsor: Professor Kathleen Doherty, Politics, Public cause their parents most likely have not been to college, Policy these first-generation students tend to receive less helpful Elections serve as a democratic mechanism to hold support in terms of receiving an undergraduate degree. leaders accountable for their actions. Voters are expected to The goals of this research include furthering the amount reward or punish incumbent politicians for policies imple- of information regarding the gap between first-generation mented during their previous term. Rational voter theory students and other undergraduates. It is predicted that argues voters do not hold politicians accountable for events first-generation students will be less likely to engage with beyond their control. Yet, recent research suggests voters tutoring and other academic services that many universities are not rational in their decision making and punish or re- offer because their parents have not attended college, and ward incumbents for exogenous shocks. Achen and Bartels therefore the students are unaware of how to effectively (2016) conclude that elections amount to little more than a utilize these services. It is possible that this research can coin toss. This study examines the effect of exogenous eco- eventually help to improve the grades of first-generation nomic shocks on incumbency advantage in congressional students by making people more aware of their tendency elections. Specifically, it uses the production of fracking in to steer away from offered academic services. congressional districts as an exogenous driver of increases in government and private revenue to assess how voters

46 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 respond to exogenous shocks. Results show no significant ing small-scale objects. Previous research has nevertheless effect of fracking on incumbent vote shares overall, sug- shown children rely on such geometric systems for nav- gesting voters are more rational than has been suggested in igation and object recognition when they interpret draw- recent literature. Yet, Republican incumbents’ vote share ings of scenes and objects. Might they use these systems increases and Democrat incumbents’ vote share decreases to produce the geometry in drawings? The present study in fracking districts. This suggests that voters reward Re- investigated how four-year-old children represent in draw- publican incumbents, who are perceived as more favorable ings different geometric information specific to scenes and to fracking, and punish Democrat incumbents. Ideology objects. While drawing objects may be relatively intuitive therefore appears as a strong factor in voters’ political for children, drawing scenes may be more challenging choices. Finally, this study presents the need for further re- due to a greater difficulty in translating large-scale, nav- search to better understand the context and circumstances igable layout information onto a small-scale, static page. that shape voter rationality. By asking four-year-old children to draw what they see in a highly controlled drawing context, the study evaluated Limitations in the Production of Marine Bivalve whether depicting scene information is less frequent in Aquaculture young children’s drawings. Results suggest four-year-old Megan Davis, Environmental Studies, Studio Art children draw objects more frequently than they depict the Sponsor: Professor Mary Killilea, Environmental Studies, layout of a scene. From these findings, it is argued that not Biology all geometric information can be depicted with equal ease. The world’s fisheries are largely considered to be Instead, depicting object and scene elements may each overexploited, despite that fact the human population con- pose distinct challenges for young children, reflecting the tinues to consume ever greater quantities of fish. To meet limitations of evolutionarily ancient cognitive systems of this demand, a growing percentage of the world’s seafood geometry. is supplied by aquaculture, i.e., through the “farming” of fish in the world’s oceans and lakes. This paper shows Predicting Organizational Skills Training Treatment that marine bivalve aquaculture—the offshore farming Outcome of bivalves—is the most sustainable form of aquaculture. Ashley DeLaVega, Psychology; Kelly Pedraza, Biology The most prevalent form of aquaculture, raising finfish, re- Sponsor: Professor Richard Gallagher, Child and quires fish as aninput : finfish are fed other fish. Moreover, Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine the percentage of finfish aquaculture has been increasing Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) since the 1980s (Jacquet, Sebo et al., 2017). This study is a neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in childhood examines the feasibility of a more sustainable option: the and often persists throughout an individual’s lifespan. It is farming of bivalves, organisms that do not require addi- characterized by abnormal displays of either hyperactiv- tional inputs. Specifically, it analyzes the gap between cur- ity/impulsivity, inattention, or a combination of the two rent and potential marine bivalve aquaculture production (DSM-5, 2013). Current treatments largely ignore one of on a country-by-country basis. Three case studies—China, the most noticeable symptoms for children with ADHD— Brazil, the US—identify the factors that hinder growth in deficient organizational, time management, and planning bivalve aquaculture. The study identifies four main factors (OTMP) skills. These deficits can profoundly impact chil- limiting the growth of marine bivalve aquaculture: (i) the dren’s academic, social, and home environment as they global demand for finfish, (ii) coastal land-use competition, are associated with misplacing necessary schoolwork, (iii) fear of bioaccumulation of heavy metals or biological constantly arriving late, forgetting required materials, or contaminants in bivalves, and (iv) fear of adverse ecosys- procrastinating on daily tasks. A recent behavioral skills tem effects due to the introduction of bivalves into coastal training program, Organizational Skills Training (OST), ecosystems. has been developed to enhance ADHD treatment by ad- dressing OTMP deficits. This program was found to have Geometry in Children’s Drawings very significant positive effects at school and at home Divya Dayal, Psychology (Abikoff et al., 2013). However, not all children reached Sponsor: Professor Moira Dillon, Psychology normal levels of OTMP skills after treatment. By using lo- Since Piaget, developmental psychologists have gistic regression analyses, this study seeks to identify key investigated children’s drawings for insight into their gen- variables that differentiate between the 60% of children eral developmental stages. Little of that research focused who normalized after OST and the 40% of children who on the geometric information children depicted, and none did not. The results of this study will be useful in identify- connected that depicted geometry to the early emerging ing child characteristics associated with normalization of geometric sensitivities humans share with other animals, in OTMP skills after treatment while fostering future research particular, for navigating large-scale scenes and recogniz-

47 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE to modify the current OST program to bring the other 40% is $1.8 billion, and studies show kids exposed to food ad- of children closer to normalization. vertisements are more likely to convey preferences for the product, request the advertised food, and eat more food Assessing the Effect of Scientific Evidence in Changing (McGinnis and Kraak, 2006). Adolescent-targeted ads on Children’s Attitudes towards Sugar-Sweetened social media sites are a newly emerging and relatively un- Beverages explored marketing technique with unique differences from Ruchi Desai, Global Public Health/Chemistry traditional ads, including the use of photo filters, hashtags, Sponsor: Professor Marie Bragg, Population Health, GIFs, user-generated content, and one-on-one dialogue NYU School of Medicine features that mimic the way people engage with each other. Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption has This study assesses the effect of social media-based food been identified as one contributor to the prevalence of obe- and beverage advertising on adolescents’ attitudes toward sity in the US (Block, 2004). Moreover, SSB consumption the ad in terms of its likability, trendiness, and artistry has been linked to obesity-related diseases, including type when compared to traditional advertisements for the same 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Malik, Popkin et brands. The study also tests the ability of adolescents to al., 2010; Marshall, 2013). Myriad educational campaigns distinguish between social media advertisements and tradi- have been formulated to raise awareness about SSBs and tional advertisements. By elucidating adolescent responses reduce public consumption, but no campaigns have in- to social media-based food and beverage advertisements corporated scientific evidence demonstrating the dangers in comparison to traditional advertisements, further regula- of SSB. The current study administered an intervention tion on youth-targeted marketing of unhealthy products can to 12-year olds, which consisted of two videos: the first be mandated on the fast-growing social media platforms. showing the decay of eggs in Coca-Cola, Sprite, Gatorade, and Apple Juice over time, the second showing the evapo- Do Children’s Gender Attitudes Differ as a Function ration of the liquid portion of these beverages to reveal the of Their Demographics? sugar content in each. Surveys were administered pre-in- Amira Desir, Psychology tervention to assess attitudes toward SSBs and current SSB Sponsor: Professor Andrei Cimpian, Psychology consumption, as well as post-intervention to again assess This study looks at how demographics impact the attitudes toward SSBs and plans for future SSB consump- development of hostile and benevolent sexist beliefs in tion. The same survey measures were administered to a children. The participants were children recruited from control group, who instead viewed a pseudo-intervention children’s museums located in New York and the NYU featuring videos of eggs maintaining their structure in wa- Baby Database. Participants were introduced to a character ter overtime and water being boiled into water vapor. The named Feppy and were asked to say if they thought what change in attitudes and consumption behavior was com- Feppy was saying right or wrong. They were asked 15 pared from pre- to post-intervention for the experimental questions from the Child Sexism Inventory. The responses group. Furthermore, experimental group responses were to the questions assessed children’s hostile and benevolent compared to control group responses to determine the ef- beliefs. The data were analyzed to see whether there was fectiveness of the administered intervention. The efficacy a correlation between certain demographics and the aver- of the experimental intervention could prompt the future age score of the child’s overall sexist beliefs, hostile sexist incorporation of scientific evidence in promoting positive beliefs, and benevolent sexist beliefs. There was a positive health behaviors. correlation between hostile and benevolent sexism, which suggest that hostile and benevolent sexism are two distinct Effects of Social Media-Based Food and Beverage attitudes in children. There was a significant interaction Advertising on Adolescent Perceptions and between gender and age in regard to overall sexism. At Preferences around 10 years old, girls’ overall sexist attitudes signifi- Ruchi Desai, Global Public Health/Chemistry; Jessica cantly decrease, while boys’ overall sexist attitudes remain Osterman, Global Public Health/Chemistry the same. There was a negative correlation between age Sponsor: Professor Marie Bragg, Population Health, and overall sexism, as well as age and hostile sexism. NYU School of Medicine There was a negative correlation between the education The marketing of food and beverages of low nu- level of the secondary caregiver and benevolent sexism tritional value and high caloric density has been noted as scores in children. These results show that gender attitudes a significant influence on the increasing rates of obesity are shaped by the cultures and contexts that we grow up in. and diabetes. Annual spending on food marketing to youth

48 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 Agency Slack: Evaluating the Effect of Money in and dietary behavior. Next, participants completed a week- Elections on EPA Regulatory Enforcement long daily survey on daily levels of needed and received Vincent DiDonato, Politics social support and daily dietary behavior. It was hypoth- Sponsor: Professor Kathleen Doherty, Politics, Public esized that higher levels of perceived diet-specific social Policy support would be related to less unhealthy self-reported This paper attempts to answer the following ques- dietary behavior and that this would be mediated by di- tion: does the deregulation of independent expenditures etary motivation. On a daily level, it was hypothesized that in elections reduce the likelihood of EPA enforcement receiving more dietary social support would predict more actions in states? Independent expenditures are funds not self-reported progress. Finally, it was hypothesized that coordinated with a political campaign but used to express needing more support than one receives would predict less support for or opposition to a candidate (Federal Election self-reported dietary progress. The results supported all Commission, 2017). In this way, they can potentially in- three hypotheses, indicating that in addition to perceived fluence electoral outcomes. Prior to the Supreme Court’s social support daily levels of received social support also decision in Citizens United v. FEC (2010), most states have a significant influence on daily dietary behavior. and the federal government regulated independent ex- Additionally, there is an important relationship between penditures through monetary limits and bans. The goal of how much support an individual needs and how much they regulation was to curb the influence of any one entity on receive, such that needing more support than one receives elections. However, Citizens United had the effect of in- negatively predicts daily dietary progress. validating any limits to independent expenditure spending. The Effects of Sleep Restriction on First Impressions The resulting deregulation legally allowed firms and other in Dyadic Interactions private interests to contribute unlimited amounts of money Jenny DiMascio, German, Psychology in elections through independent expenditures. Firms stand Sponsor: Professor Tessa West, Psychology to gain the support of politicians who will work to reduce the costs that government imposes on them through regu- This study examined the effects of sleep loss lation (Gordon and Hafer, 2007). Once elected with the aid on how people get along and form first impressions of of corporate independent expenditures, politicians on over- each other. Sleep loss is common and negatively affects a sight committees can then pressure regulatory agencies to range of cognitive and emotional factors (Walker, 2009). pursue less aggressive enforcement against firms. Here, The ability to read social cues and process emotional out- it is proposed that the deregulation of state independent put are thought to be hindered by sleep loss. However, no expenditure spending is responsible for decreased EPA previous research has looked at first impressions of sleep regulatory enforcement in states. Using a difference-in-dif- deprived people during an actual social interaction. This ferences model with the Citizens United decision acting study looked at 20 dyads that include 2 types of pairs: one as a quasi-natural experiment, it was found that there was where both participants have gotten sufficient sleep (8h/ no statistically significant relationship between corporate night), and one where one participant has slept normally and union independent expenditure bans in states and EPA (8h/night) and the other has been sleep deprived (4h/night). regulatory enforcement. This means that the deregulation The participants met and briefly interacted before being of independent expenditures probably has no effect on EPA separated and given questionnaires about their first impres- regulatory enforcement in states. sion of their interaction partner. Questions included, “How much did you like your partner?” and “How much would The Influence of Perceived and Received Social you want to spend time with your partner in the future?”. If Support on Dietary Behavior: A Longitudinal Look sleep-deprived individuals are negatively perceived it may Ana DiGiovanni, Psychology affect how others treat them in social interactions, not only Sponsor: Professor Emily Balcetis, Psychology when they are sleep deprived, but also in further interac- Currently, over one-third of Americans are obese, tions. while two-thirds of Americans are overweight (Finkelstein The Human-Animal Conflict in India et al., 2012). Additionally, college students are dispropor- Arya Diwase, Environmental Studies, Journalism tionately affected by this epidemic, as 70% of students gain Sponsor: Professor Jason Samuels, Journalism weight by graduation (12–37 pounds) (Gropper, Simmons et al., 2012). This study explored the influence of social This documentary focuses on the existing ani- support and dietary motivation on dietary behavior in a col- mal-human conflict in urban Indian cities. It captures the lege-aged population, specifically delineating the impact problems of a small community in the city of Pune cur- and possible difference between received and perceived rently facing issues of violent stray dog attacks and deaths social support. To study this, participants first answered due to rabies. It also incorporates the view of animal lovers a survey on levels of social support, dietary motivation, in the community who have been ostracized for feeding,

49 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE protecting, and providing healthcare to these dogs. It calls all cephalopods, not just the more prominently featured oc- into question the city’s existing animal control system and topuses, in order to provide insights into what is necessary asks whether animal lives matter more than human lives. to ensure the welfare of this cognitively complex group of The research project highlights different aspects of public animals. health, psychology, and animal rights. Goal Conflict in Student-Tutor Interactions At Home with Objects Oana Dumitru, Psychology Casey Doldissen, Psychology; Aida Sidi, Social Work; Sponsor: Professor Tessa West, Psychology Aastha Vasa, Psychology The present study investigated the relationship Sponsor: Professor Karen Adolph, Psychology between conflicting goals and physiological linkage in Interactions with objects present tremendous op- student-tutor interactions. Previous research documented portunities for learning and doing. However, the balance the detrimental effects of goal conflict on multiple as- of learning and doing changes over development. Many pects of everyday life, such as psychological well-being household objects are novel to babies, so learning is both (Gray, Ozer et al., 2017) and decision making (Kleiman required and afforded. Most everyday objects, however, and Hassin, 2011), and has further assessed the impact of are highly familiar to adults, so little learning is required or conflicting social and academic goals on college students. afforded. Thus, this study hypothesized a developmental Dweck and Leggett’s (1988) model of achievement ori- progression from primarily exploring objects in infancy entations documented the consequences of learning and (e.g., banging a ladle, fingering buttons on remote control) performance goal orientation on academic achievement to primarily using objects to accomplish everyday goals in but did not investigate the possibility that learning and per- adulthood (e.g., using the ladle to cook, pressing buttons formance goals might be simultaneously present. In a dy- on remote to change channels). 13 18-month-old infants adic interaction between a student and a tutor, the impact of and their mothers were video recorded during 1 hour of conflicting performance and learning goals on physiolog- natural activity in their homes. To test this learning-to-do- ical linkage between students and tutors was dynamically ing hypothesis, infant and mother accumulated time inter- examined. Although goal conflict did not moderate linkage acting with objects and the frequency of infant and mother between students and tutors, it was a significant predictor object interactions will be compared. Of special interest, is of physiological reactivity, such that higher degrees of goal whether most of infants’ object engagements occur during conflict led to more reactivity. These results suggest goal unstructured free play and whether most of mothers’ object conflict has at least some impact on physiological reactiv- engagements occur during goal-directed tasks (e.g., cook- ity, though it appears not to affect linkage overall. Further- ing, chores, feeding, media use). How much time mothers more, a significant interaction was observed between the and infants spend interacting with objects in goal-directed dyad member’s role (student or tutor) and linkage, such tasks and in play will also be examined. that students’ physiology was more influenced by the tutors’ physiology than vice-versa. This finding suggests The Psychology of Cephalopod Wellbeing an interesting connection between linkage and status that Kelly Dooling, Environmental Studies might be worth investigating further. Sponsors: Dr. Becca Franks, Environmental Studies; Professor Jennifer Jacquet, Environmental Studies Making Movement Costly: Does Infant Exploration Cephalopods—octopuses, cuttlefish, squid, and Pay the Price? nautiluses—are a group of invertebrate mollusks that Omar El Fadel, Psychology; Paige Selber, Psychology diverged from vertebrates about 600 million years ago Sponsor: Professor Karen Adolph, Psychology (Godfrey-Smith, 2016). Research with cephalopods has Previous work showed 12-month-old, crawling revealed their ability to learn quickly and retain informa- infants engage in more goal-directed locomotion than age- tion for extended periods of time. They have also been matched walking infants during free play. Although walk- observed to use tools to modify their homes, desire enrich- ers move more than crawlers, most bouts of walking do not ment and play, possess distinct personalities, and have one end at distant people, places, or things. However, crawlers of the most complex visual display systems in the world. and walkers differed in two important respects: (i) Crawlers Despite all of this work and the fact that they are recog- had more locomotor experience than walkers, so compared nized as sentient and likely able to experience pain, less to novices, experienced infants may be more likely to use attention has been paid to their psychological wellbeing. locomotion as a means to go somewhere, (ii) Crawling is a The issue of cephalopod welfare is pressing because they more costly posture than walking, so compared to walkers, are increasingly used as aquarium attractions as well as for crawlers may be reluctant to move unless they want to go human consumption and farming. This paper synthesizes somewhere. Study 1 tested the effects of crawling expe- what is known regarding the psychology and behavior of rience and found that 13-month-old experienced crawlers

50 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 displayed a higher proportion of goal-directed bouts than atively affects dollar spent per soldier across all levels of 10-month-old novice crawlers. Moreover, experienced democracy. crawlers engaged in more goal-directed locomotion than previously reported for both novice and experienced Public R&D Expenditure and Farmer Livelihoods walkers. Study 2 tested the effects of locomotor cost by Solange Fortenbach, Environmental Studies, Politics experimentally increasing walking infants’ bulk and mass. Sponsor: Professor Andrew Bell, Environmental Studies 15-month-olds played for 10 minutes while wearing a In response to population levels’ continued rise and snowsuit weighted with 15% of their bodyweight and for food shortages, countries have expanded biotechnology 10 minutes wearing an un-weighted snowsuit. Preliminary adoption by 110-fold from 1996 levels (ISAAA, 2017). As results suggest the added bulk and mass was costly and reliance on GMOs grows, profit margins for GMO farm- impaired walking proficiency. Infants were slower, took ers are declining, especially in nations where the private shorter, wider steps, and fewer steps overall. Ongoing sector dominates agricultural biotechnology research and analyses will determine whether this added cost affects the development (Hubbard 2009; Downey 2016). This paper relative proportion of goal-directed bouts. considers how agricultural industries affect the livelihoods of millions of farmers worldwide. The specific focus is Opportunity Cost, State Capacity, and the Economic on mainland China where most agricultural biotechnolo- Drivers of Civil Conflict gy research and development (R&D) is controlled by the Gregory Fauerbach, Economics, Politics public sector. By analyzing Chinese expenditure in science Sponsor: Professor B. Peter Rosendorff, Politics and technology (S&T) and farmers’ net incomes, it was Although the literature is near-unanimous in finding found that there is a strong positive correlation between net that per capita income and civil conflict are negatively as- incomes and public R&D expenditures in biotechnology. sociated, unambiguous interpretations of how exactly the While this finding is not generalizable across nations, when two are connected remain elusive. Two theories claim to various interpretations are taken into account, the Chinese explain this association: the first proposes citizens in poor case provides compelling evidence for the preliminary countries face a lower opportunity cost of fighting, and the claim that publicly led R&D expenditure in agriculture second argues poor governments lack the resources to sup- biotechnology leads to better farmer livelihoods. press rebellion. Much of the literature treats these causal mechanisms as mutually exclusive. This paper draws on The Power of Being Watched: A Cross-National Study existing literature to construct a model that treats these two on the Effect of Government Controlled Transparency mechanisms as parallel processes and explains how they on Curbing Corruption interact. Then, this argument is tested by using instrumen- Mengzhou Fu, Politics tal variables to identify exogenous variation in the incomes Sponsors: Professor Kathleen Doherty, Politics, Public of citizens and governments. Mixed evidence was found in Policy; Professor B. Peter Rosendorff, Politics support of the argument. While shocks to citizens’ incomes This paper investigates the impact of government and government income are both associated with a higher controlled transparency on corruption across 121 coun- likelihood of civil conflict, there is no evidence that the two tries and whether such relationship holds true over time. are mutually reinforcing in this regard. Given that it would be more difficult and costly for poli- ticians to engage in corruption when government releases The Provision of Security in Democracies and Non- its data to the public on a regular basis, it is possible that Democracies government controlled transparency has a curbing effect Shirley Foo, International Relations on corruption. Incorporating a cross-sectional time series Sponsor: Professor Alastair Smith, Politics model with country and year fixed effects, this paper uses In fiscal year 2015, military expenditure accounted HRV Transparency Index to capture the willingness of for nearly 15% of the US government’s expenditure, total- the government to remain transparent to the public and ing almost $600 billion. Similar proportions of spending expands the timespan to include data from 1995–2010. are mirrored globally in developed and developing nations Results indicate government controlled transparency has alike. This study explores political and economic factors a negative and significant effect on corruption levels. In that impact the size of a nation’s military expenditure and addition, the effect of this type of transparency is enhanced the amount a nation spends per soldier, with a particular when rule of law is stronger within the country. The results emphasis on how democracies and non-democracies re- prove to policy makers that governments are able to reduce spond to such factors. The results suggest that democracies corruption by systematically and regularly disseminating are not sensitive to various political factors, while non-de- data to both citizens and the international community, and mocracies are; that autocracies do not invest increased strengthening rule of law can make this anti-corruption wealth into their militaries; and that unemployment neg- method more effective.

51 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE Awkward Silence in Intimate Interracial and Cross- Long Island City, carbon emissions avoided through the Class Interactions: Understanding the Absence of use of Citibike were analyzed by measuring how many taxi Communication between Patrons and Workers in rides were displaced by this service, if any. Results were NYC’s Chinese-Owned Nail Salons then extrapolated to the city level. The study then proposes Rita Yuru Fu, Sociology future steps to encourage this transportation system as an Sponsor: Professor Ruth Horowitz, Sociology eco-friendly alternative to citizens. From 15 in-depth interviews with 11 customers Immigration: Its Effect on the Migratory Decisions of and 4 manicurists as well as multiple field trips, this study Natives acquired a better understanding of the awkward silence be- Alan Gigi, Economics and Mathematics tween customers and workers during nail service process Sponsor: Professor Gerald McIntyre, Economics in Chinese-owned nail salons. As nail work is perceived by most customers as a type of highly standardized service, Over the last four decades, American cities have patrons and workers lost the incentives to engage in con- experienced a transformation in their identity evidenced by versations to discuss details regarding preferences. Given the rising rates of immigration. Migratory decisions have that many nail salons in NYC offer highly homogeneous played a crucial role in shaping the population and char- services, employers would require manicurists to speed acteristics of many American Cities. Immigrants and their up when performing nail services to accommodate more offspring will account for over two thirds of population customers. As a result, manicurists would rather keep quiet growth in the US from 1995–2050. This research exam- while doing nails to reach a higher speed. Consequently, ined the impact of immigration on the housing market and manicurists are alienated from the service they are pro- migratory decisions made by natives. What is the effect of viding and are estranged from the customers sitting across immigrant and native inflows to housing prices in Ameri- the manicure table. Interestingly, this level of in-person can Cities? Are immigrant inflows a significant factor for alienation does not prevent participants in nail service native mobility? Are immigrants creating an agglomeration interaction to humanize each other. Manicurists reported or separation amongst natives? This research attempted to they could remember the face of customers who previ- answer these questions by taking an analytical approach ously tipped them higher. It was also possible to see how that includes fixed effects panel data analysis of native and racial disparities and class boundaries emerge from such immigrant migration factors. The null hypothesis of this interactions. Almost all 4 manicurists express some level research is that the impact of immigrant inflow is statis- of favor of Caucasians over black customers. According tically significant on both rent prices and native mobili- to the manicurists, white customers are more likely to tip ty. The results indicate immigrant and native inflows are higher. On the other hand, class differences become more statistically significant on rent prices in American cities. visible to participants in patron-worker interactions when On native mobility, immigrant inflows are not significant, both parties are Chinese because the language barrier is however once natives are separated by race, immigrant removed. inflows are significant and a source of agglomeration for African American and White natives. New York City’s Citibike: Effects of the Bike-Sharing System on Pollution Using Perceptual Training to Change the Production Nicolas Garcia, Environmental Studies, Public Policy of Non-Native Speech Sounds Sponsor: Professor Jessica Green, Environmental Studies Gretchen Go, Communicative Sciences and Disorders Sponsor: Professor Susannah Levi, Communicative Bike-sharing systems have become a vital part of Sciences and Disorders, Steinhardt School of Culture, urban centers worldwide. While vaunted for their environ- Education, and Human Development mental benefits, little is known about how these programs impact the wellbeing of urban residents. Specifically, few Past studies have found an advantage in perceptu- studies have shown a direct correlation between bike-shar- al learning when stimuli are presented in a bimodal dis- ing systems and the health impact of users of these services. tribution in comparison to unimodal condition and that Citibike, the NYC bike-share program, conducts monthly perceptual learning can transfer to production. This study reports on ridership levels as well as carbon-offset levels examined production accuracy for the French vowel con- using the same calculation the MTA uses to estimate car- trast /o/-/œ/ in non-French speakers who were exposed to bon offset per ridership. The result is an estimate of carbon the contrast in either a bimodal or a unimodal distribution. offsets caused by their service, however, this study exam- It was predicted that participants will produce the contrast ined Citibike’s impact on taxi and subway ridership levels in a more native-like manner after training in the bimodal to have a more direct correlation between these transpor- condition than the unimodal condition. 34 native-English tation systems. Focusing on recently installed stations in adults heard stimuli from an /o/-/œ/ continuum. Half of

52 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 the participants heard stimuli drawn from a bimodal dis- New York City Affordable Housing: Degrading Public tribution, half from a unimodal distribution. Accuracy Housing and Perpetuating Social Inequality feedback and lexical support in the form of picture cues Jake Golvin, Metropolitan Studies were incorporated. Production ability was calculated from Sponsor: Professor Ricardo Cardoso, Social and Cultural the Euclidean distances between /o/ and /œ/ at baseline and Analysis post-training in terms of formant values, where a larger The establishment of the New York City Housing distance corresponds to a greater distinction being made Authority (NYCHA) in 1934 forwarded a legacy that re- between /o/ and /œ/. Analyses show the distances between mains integral to affordable public housing within modern /o/ and /œ/ increased for both conditions, indicating both day New York City. Today, over 400,000 urbanites rely on groups transferred perceptual learning to production. the preservation and revitalization of these 334 commu- Though both conditions saw some degree of improve- nities and 2,602 buildings citywide. However, as the city ment in production, the magnitude of improvement was has incurred an enormous influx in wealth over the past larger in the unimodal group than the bimodal group. The several decades these vital communities remain bound on finding that learning transferred for both conditions was a downward trajectory towards economic and physical unexpected but supports recent research suggesting active collapse. Faced with dwindling public funds, both the cur- engagement with target stimuli using lexical support and rent, de Blasio, and previous, Bloomberg, administrations accuracy feedback mitigates disadvantages for the uni- sought ameliorative alternatives to reconcile the depleted modal condition. condition of this important public housing organ. Experi- mented by Bloomberg and magnified by de Blasio are two The Effects of Inhibitory Response Training on key municipal initiatives that lie at the core of both execu- Implicit Food Evaluations: Decreasing Snack Food tive platforms, NextGeneration NYCHA and Inclusionary Preferences Housing. The first initiative explored by Bloomberg but Susie Elisabeth Goch, Psychology implemented in May 2015 by the de Blasio administration Sponsors: Professor Gabriele Oettingen, Psychology; Dr. seeks to lease land to developers on publicly owned NY- Sandra Wittleder, Psychology, NYU School of Medicine CHA developments. The second, approved in 2016 by the Selective attention, attentional inhibition, and re- New York City Council allows for the rezoning of specific sponse inhibition have all been shown to influence emo- city districts where real estate developers must designate tional evaluations. In what is referred to as the distractor a certain portion of new units as “affordable”, and leased devaluation effect, distracting stimuli that must be ignored for below-market rents. However, this study argues these or to which responses must be suppressed to complete a two policies are merely neoliberal alternatives that not task are subsequently evaluated as less positive or more only skew the objective definition of affordability but may negative than novel or previously attended to stimuli. Re- also precipitate the collapse of NYCHA in an expeditious cent research has employed the go/no-go task paradigm, manner. adapted with food stimuli, to induce this distractor de- valuation effect for food items. As this is a recent field of Voting Behavior and Patterns Post-Shelby County v. inquiry, there are a limited number of studies on this topic Holder and most studies measure the distractor devaluation effects Anais Gomez, Politics for food items explicitly. Therefore, the present study Sponsor: Professor Kathleen Doherty, Politics, Public sought to measure the distractor devaluation effect implic- Policy itly. Participants were randomly assigned to either a no-go Scholarship on the impact of the Voting Rights chip or no-go grape condition and completed a go/no-go Act of 1964 (VRA) has focused on the positive impact of task adapted with snack food stimuli. Then, participants increased federal oversight of state electoral legislation completed a task switch task designed to measure implic- across the country. However, the potential impact of the it evaluations of the target stimuli of chips and grapes. It withdrawal of vital protective provisions of the VRA’s was predicted that participants in the no-go chip condition preclearance requirement on voter turnout has not yet been would implicitly devalue chips compared to participants measured. This research examines the impact of the ruling in the no-go grape condition. It was also predicted that in Shelby County v. Holder (Shelby), particularly its elim- participants in the no-go grape condition would implicit- ination of the preclearance requirement, on voter turnout ly devalue grapes compared to participants in the no-go in the Democrat Party in the US. Using county-level data chip condition. Various surveys were also administered to and presidential election turnout data dating from 2000 explore possible moderators of the proposed hypotheses. within a difference-in-difference design, it was found that after Shelby, the voter turnout trend amongst Democrats decreases.

53 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE The Developmental Trajectory of Risk Taking: The of other areas. This project suggests possible explanations Role of Asymmetric Learning Rates for the decline in legislative output in past decade could be Hannah Grassie, Psychology found in the way the EU uses its three distinct types of reg- Sponsor: Professor Catherine Hartley, Psychology ulation and in the possible transition of the EU into a more Actuarial data suggests adolescence is a period of mature phase, where its legislative framework has mostly increased risk taking. However, empirical studies have been established and its output corresponds to a lesser need neither consistently yielded results in support of this devel- of legislation overall. opmental trend nor elucidated the underlying mechanisms. Taqsim: Shifting Perceptions of Belly Dancing in The present study examines the developmental trajectory Egyptian Culture and Society of risk taking through the lens of reinforcement-learning Yara Hamway, Journalism, Middle Eastern and processes. It was hypothesized that risk taking is driven by Islamic Studies weighting past positive outcomes more heavily than neg- Sponsor: Professor Jason Samuels, Journalism ative outcomes in one’s evaluation of risky options (i.e., learning-rate asymmetry). Further, it was hypothesized that This documentary chronologically tracks recent adolescents would take more risks compared to children changes in Egyptian society through the lens of belly and adults and as such would exhibit greater learning-rate dancing. Once celebrated in the country, this art form asymmetry. To test this, a sample spanning age 8 to 27 now faces intense scrutiny and disdain due to increasing completed a risk-learning task in which they experiential- conservatism. The film will mostly focus on the experi- ly learned the definite or probabilistic payoffs of five slot ences and struggles of two Egyptian belly dancers, Sahar machines. To derive a metric of learning-rate asymmetry, a and Zizi, united by profession, but divided by generation. reinforcement-learning model was fit to each participant’s Sahar is a successful young belly dancer, who makes her choice behavior. Analyses indicate a significant non-linear living performing at restaurants and hotels. Zizi is a retired effect of age on both risk taking and learning-rate asymme- belly dancer who appeared in many films. She started her try. However, contrary to predictions, both risk taking and career in the 1960s, and once performed for Jackie and learning-rate asymmetry were lowest in late adolescents. Aristotle Onassis. An additional voice, a film critic, will This indicates that when making risky decisions in the provide further background information on the historical task, adolescents may have placed more weight on expe- importance of belly dancing in Egyptian culture and the rienced negative outcomes than positive outcomes. These changes it faced. These narratives will be punctuated by a results provide a more mechanistic understanding of how conservative voice that will demonstrate the more hardline people integrate past positive and negative outcomes when views of belly dancing now common in Egypt. making risky decisions and suggest reinforcement-learning The Development of a Transitive “Have”: Shughni may be a fruitful way for future investigators to understand Possessive Constructions the mechanisms of risk taking across development. Jillian Harper, Linguistics European Enlargement and Its Effects on the Sponsor: Professor Chris Collins, Linguistics Efficiency of the European Union This research seeks chiefly to add to the literature on Iglika Grebenarova, International Relations predicative possession with data from an understudied lan- Sponsor: Professor Alastair Smith, Politics guage, Shughni, a Southeastern Iranian Pamiri language. This project seeks to identify how the growing Shughni has three typologically different possessive forms number of member states in the European Union (EU), making it a triple-option language, and these forms are from 6 in 1957 to 28 currently in 2017, has affected the unique in the degree to which they reflect the possessive decision-making capabilities of the EU, measured by the structures of languages in close contact with Shughni number and type of binding legislation passed each year. (namely, Russian and Farsi). All Shughni data was collect- After looking at the annual distribution of regulations; ed during elicitation sessions with a native-speaker consul- directives and decisions; the institution that passed them; tant. The first and most versatile of these possessive forms and their substantive content, it was concluded that there is the “exist” form, which utilizes an existential predicate is a decrease in the EU’s legislative output from 2001 on, with a NOMINATIVE possessee and a GENITIVE pos- which corresponds with the two waves of the Eastern en- sessor. Shughni’s second form is the “with” form, which largement. However, this decline could not be sufficiently is the morphosyntactic mirror of the “exist” form: it also explained by the effects of enlargement alone. Furthermore, utilizes an existential predicate, but the possessee is GENI- the increase in the number of member states has resulted in TIVE and the possessor is NOMINATIVE. The final form an increase in the delegation from the Council to the Com- is the “have” form derived from Farsi. Extensive syntactic mission, which has resulted in a policy shift in some areas, restrictions not present in the other two forms indicate namely Environment and Health, but not in the majority that Shughni’s “have” is newly-developed, and its deri-

54 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 vation from Farsi presumes that linguistic contact played specifically on the youth population. Through this design, an important role in its development. This study suggests this study seeks to determine whether or not the implemen- the Farsi-derived form appeared as the result of a locative tation of automatic voter registration increases the voter adposition incorporating into a zero-encoded locative/exis- turnout of the affected area compared to states without tential predicate, like the unpronounced [jɛst] of the “with” automatic voter registration policies in effect during the form, which was then replaced by a semantically similar, most recent election cycle. Though this study concludes it but transitive, verb from Farsi. This indicates language is too early to determine a significant correlation between contact may have a greater impact on syntactic develop- the implementation of automatic voter registration and vot- ment than previously thought. er turnout, the raw data included in this study and others measuring Oregon voter turnout in 2016 is promising. The Influence of Construal Level on the Experience of Control in Situations of Choice The Intersection of Labor Force Participation and Mona Hassanein, Biology Medicaid Eligibility: A Difference-in-Difference Sponsor: Professor Yaacov Trope, Psychology Approach Past studies concluded one’s sense of control is a Erica Hobby, Economics, Public Policy key motivator for action production, dependent on how an Sponsor: Professor Neal Beck, Politics event is mentally represented or construed and indepen- This project investigates the extent to which the dent from the actual value of the outcome (Higgins, 2012). Medicaid expansion provision under the Affordable Care According to Construal Level Theory (CLT) people who Act impact labor force participation for those affected construe an object on a high, abstract level focus on its by the law. There are conflicting views on the impact of central and superordinate aspects such as its overall shape, government funded insurance programs on low income while people who construe an object on a low, concrete households, and specifically their labor behavior. Often, level focus more on its peripheral, subordinate aspects the rhetoric indicates that providing government insurance such as its color. One way of experiencing personal control to this group decreases their labor force participation and is through making choices. Applying CLT to choice liter- thus negatively impacts the economy. This paper seeks to ature, it was hypothesized that in a given choice situation, evaluate the validity of these claims based on the actual the extent to which choice leads to an increase in sense of labor response of this group following the expansion of control varies as a function of how the event is mentally Medicaid and utilizes a difference-in-difference analysis, construed. This experiment manipulated participants’ con- comparing the labor force participation in Minnesota to strual level as well as their choice regarding subordinate that of Wisconsin from 2012–2016, since Minnesota ex- and superordinate features of a figure. Then, the author panded its Medicaid program in 2014 but Wisconsin did measured whether choice and construal level interact to not. This natural experiment created by the Medicaid ex- impact sense of control such that when the construal level pansion allows a comparison of labor behavior across both of the event matches the type of choice, sense of control is space and time. Data for this project comes from the Amer- greatest. It is proposed that a better understanding of how ican Community Survey for the years 2012–2016 and only sense of control can be established and maintained is need- includes individuals that live along the border of each state ed in order to combat political and social inactivity. in Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs), to allow for the most direct comparison of individuals. Results indicate a Registration and Participation: The Impact of Opt- small but significant increase in labor force participation Out Automatic Voter Registration in Oregon from individuals both between 100–225% of the federal Alaina Haworth, Public Policy poverty level in the years following the Medicaid expan- Sponsor: Professor Neal Beck, Politics sion and those under 225% of the federal poverty level This study investigates whether automatic voter more generally. registration policies impact voter turnout. On January 1, 2016 Oregon’s automatic voter registration law, Oregon The Efficacy of Dual-Language Programs for Spanish- Motor Voter, took effect. Subsequent news coverage has Speaking Children with Diagnosed Communication indicated an increase in voter turnout, declaring the law Impairments a success. However, it is possible that the effects of Ore- Cynthia Horikawa, Communicative Sciences and gon’s automatic voter registration policy are endogenous Disorders, Spanish Language to trends that may also affect voter turnout rates, such as Sponsor: Professor Lourdes Dávila, Spanish and cyclical increases in presidential elections. Therefore, this Portuguese study’s research design uses the Oregon Motor Voter Act This project evaluates the unique position of Span- as the treatment in two difference-in-difference tests mea- ish-speaking English Language Learners (ELLs) enrolled suring its overall impact on voter turnout and its impact in Dual-Language (DL) programs in New York City

55 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE schools and who are diagnosed with speech or language the parents’ time allocation decisions throughout child’s impairments. In NYC, 61.53% of the more than 150,000 development period given different levels of patience, or ELLs enrolled in the public school system hail from Span- forward-looking-ness. Upon simulation and estimation, ish-speaking homes. DL programs are a service delivery using data from Panel Study of Income Dynamics, it is model that addresses the language acquisition needs of found that parents are more likely to supply labor as the ELLs through a curriculum intrinsically dedicated to child ages and the more patient the parents are the more student achievement of bilingualism and biliteracy. DL likely they will invest in their child’s development period. programs allow ELLs to apply their knowledge of both Furthermore, it was found that human capital development languages in a non-restrictive environment while also over lifecycle persists, and correlates with, household in- combatting first language attrition. While the benefits of come, affirming the argument in Chetty et al. (2017). these programs are clearly articulated for ELLs with typ- ically developing language, this perspective of advocacy Propaganda in China’s One-Party Political System becomes less pronounced when applied to ELLs with Yi Hu, Politics, Sociology diagnosed communication impairments. This project Sponsors: Professor Steven Lukes, Sociology; Professor explores the challenges ELLs with speech and language Siwei Cheng, Sociology impairments face at the referral, assessment and treatment As the only legitimate party and the hegemonic stages of speech-language therapy as well as the ways a DL power in post-Socialist China, Chinese Communist Party program can mitigate these risk factors. The availability (CCP) consistently disseminates and implements massive of DL programs and speech-language therapy services in amounts of propaganda into citizens’ every-day lives. Districts 3 and 6 in Manhattan are used to investigate the However, the attitudes of the citizens, who are deprived of difficulties of obtaining information regarding this specific any say on such matters in the first place but acquiesce to population. being exposed to and co-exist with the propaganda, remain ambivalent and veiled. Under such circumstances, this Children’s Human Capital and Intergenerational study deciphers the unique characteristics of the propagan- Mobility da deemed by China’s unique One-Party rule authoritarian Meng Hsuan (Rex) Hsieh, Economics, Mathematics regime and analyzes how they have further influenced and Sponsor: Professor Michael Gilraine, Economics shaped the power dynamics in China’s political landscape. A key question in labor economics is the correlation Secondly, drawing on the data from Weibo, China’s big- between early childhood development and adult outcomes. gest online social media, it also demonstrates how CCP In particular, this study is interested in how early childhood utilizes social media as an additional platform to propagate human capital investment impacts labor market outcome. and control public opinions. The findings reveal that the It is well documented that investing in early childhood effectiveness of Chinese propaganda is preserved more development improves cognitive and non-cognitive skills through literal form rather than ideological sense, which as well as future labor market outcome (Cunha and Heck- keeps the regime intact despite its shifting and fragment- man, 2007; Heckman and Mosso, 2014). This study pres- ed ideology. Moreover, the data also show propaganda is ents a model of early childhood development, analyzing more frequently produced and circulated online in times

56 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 of significant national events, serving as a to both these behaviors may be signaling different non-cognitive construct rightful political discourse online, and to super- abilities at different levels. vise and smash alternative voices. Regional Trade Agreements Contribution to Economic Health Related Quality of Life Indicators in College- Diversification and Growth in Latin America Going Women with PCOS: A Cross-Sectional Study Jeno Jaramillo, Economics, Borough of Manhattan Zeenat Hussain, Anthropology Community College, CUNY Sponsor: Professor Rayna Rapp, Anthropology Sponsor: Professor Christine Farias, Economics, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a condi- Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY tion that first manifests in females around puberty. Symp- According to the World Bank, Latin America, toms include menstrual abnormalities, hirsutism, excessive though abundant in natural resources, has struggled as a weight gain, acne and infertility, all of which can have an region to stabilize economic growth. As stated at the 2017 impact on quality of life in college-going women with or World Economic Forum, many countries are still lagging without an established diagnosis of PCOS. Cultural, reli- from the overdependence on the commodity super-cycle: gious, and ethnic factors may have an impact not only on meaning countries in Latin America are attached to the rise the incidence of PCOS but also influence how one copes in single commodity prices and do not leverage their wealth with the symptomatology during the college experience. from their economic growth with social and economic in- Although specific questionnaires have been validated for vestment. When commodity prices rise, Latin America ex- study of quality of life in women with PCOS, very few periences growth; when prices fall, countries in the region studies have focused on the study of college-going women. fall into recession and financial crises. As a reaction to this Here, the hypothesis was that the effect of PCOS symp- overdependence, Latin America, in an effort to diversify, tomatology on quality of life in college-going women dif- has negotiated regional trade agreements modeled after the fers by ethnic, religious, and community backgrounds. A European Union. Two regional trade agreements are active cross-sectional study was conducted among NYU women and thriving today but support contrasting views. The first aged 18–35. Potential participants were contacted through is MERCOSUR, which includes Brazil, Argentina, Uru- NYU listservs and invited to participate in an anonymous guay, Bolivia, and Ecuador and champions’ protectionist self-administered questionnaire study based on self-iden- trade policies. The other is the Pacific Alliance made up of tification of having PCOS. This survey will help identify Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Mexico and favors free trade the prevalence of PCOS in college-going women and help as the answer to economic diversification and growth. Are understand if their symptomatology is different than what free trade policies or protectionist policies resulting in is traditionally reported in clinical studies with a predomi- greater diversification of economies and growth in Latin nantly older sample. America? To answer this question, this paper, through literature and quantitative review, analyzes how these two Employer Learning of Non-Cognitive Skills alliances navigate economic issues in order to escape the Johnpatrick Imperiale, Economics commodity super-cycle and advance or inhibit growth in Sponsor: Professor Kevin Thom, Economics their respective economies and participate in global trade. This paper seeks to bridge together two existing lit- eratures in labor economics: Employer Learning literature, Performing Cuteness: A Study of Gender Dynamics in which proposes employers learn of employees’ skills over the Korean Language the course of their career, and the Non-cognitive Skills lit- Hai Ri (Sophia) Jeon, Anthropology, Art History erature, which advances the importance of non-cognitive Sponsor: Professor Sonia Das, Anthropology skills for labor market outcomes. Using National Longitu- This began by exploring the role of language in the dinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) Data from 1979–2014, this reproduction and transformation of normative gender roles paper seeks to determine if employers learn of the non-cog- and relations in South Korea. During preliminary field- nitive skills of their employees over time. The measure work in South Korea, the Korean cuteness phenomenon of non-cognitive skills used comes from the Illegal and known as aegyo was found to reflect the roles of language Delinquent Behavior Survey administered to all NLSY79 in transforming the established gender norms. Aegyo is a participants in 1980. This paper fails to discover a statical- “register” (Agha, 2005) and a type of performance asso- ly significant interaction between measures of non-cogni- ciated with femininity. However, it was here hypothesized tive skills and experience, indicating a lack of employer that through the globalization of South Korean media learning for these abilities. This paper does, however, find such as K-pop and broadcast dramas, aegyo has become a evidence of differences in labor market outcomes for re- cultural identity marker and a culturally salient pragmatic spective strata of illegal and delinquent behavior, implying device, spoken and performed by both Korean men and women. By recording interactions with women and men

57 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE ages 18–24 in Seoul, South Korea, the author investigated experienced a decline in native populations of amphibians. how single-gender and dual-gender social groups enact With this in mind, this study asks whether a reintroduction aegyo. These women and men were also interviewed re- of two native species Lithobates sylvatica (wood frog) and garding their ideas, or language ideologies, about aegyo. Pseudacris crucifer (spring peeper) in Van Cortlandt Park From these, aegyo was found to be not simply “cute,” (VCP) would be successful given an analysis of the suitable (Strong, 2012) or an exclusively “feminine trait” used by habitat available. This study looks at 5 vernal pools within women for men (Puzaar, 2011). Rather, aegyo is a social VCP located in the northwest, northeast, and southwest skill used to lighten the mood in a social setting, to ask areas of VCP. The chemical components of these vernal for forgiveness from close friends, or to make requests to pools were examined through measurements of pH, con- superiors at work. Furthermore, it was found that in the last ductivity, and dissolved oxygen concentration taken over 10–15 years, national media has been heavily influential in the course of a few weeks in late winter and early spring. making aegyo a part of the recognizable “Korean” identity In addition, a spatial radius of 5 m around each pool was and, in this process, separating aegyo from femininity. inspected for terrestrial habitat suitability. Vernal pools lo- cated in the northeast area of the park seem to be the most From Cantonese to Mandarin. Language Shift in suitable for the wood frog and spring peeper due to having Chinatown, Manhattan: Its Causes, Potential Impacts, conductivity levels below lethal concentrations. Because and Associated Uncertainties every vernal pool in the park is not a suitable habitat for the Zetong (Jack) Jia, Politics, Sociology wood frog and spring peeper, it is not possible to predict a Sponsor: Professor Ruth Horowitz, Sociology successful reintroduction of these species. Since the 1840s, Cantonese was the most prevalent language spoken in Chinatown, Manhattan. It was not until The Effect of Economic Recession on Implicit Bias the implementation of the 1965 Immigration Act that Man- Yujia Jin, Economics, Psychology darin began to be widely spoken. Gradually, Mandarin is Sponsor: Professor David Amodio, Psychology replacing Cantonese as the dominate language spoken in Under economic recession, Black people suffer Chinatown. Yet, little is known about how this language more than other racial group members (Applied Research shift reshapes Chinatown’s social, cultural, and political Center, 2009). Classic research investigating the underly- landscape. Drawing on original ethnographical and inter- ing reason behind this suggests that in economic recession, view data, this study examines the causes, impacts, and non-Black people may view Black people as more ex- uncertainties of the language shift from Cantonese to Man- pendable (Dollard, John et al., 1939). Here, the broad hy- darin. Interview data shows the language shift derives from pothesis was that, as a result of this, non-Black people are three domains: occupational pressure, influx of Fujianese also more likely to see Black people as less human, which immigrants, and “dual omission” of Cantonese language in turn may provide a foundation for stronger anti-Black education. Additionally, the shifting identity of Chinatown implicit bias. The current study tested this hypothesis from an ethnic enclave to a cultural community contributes using a computer-based shooter task. This task requires to the normalization of Mandarin’s presence. The clash be- participants to make simple shoot/not shoot decisions in tween Cantonese and Mandarin represents a clash between response to images of White or Black people holding guns socioeconomic status. This calls to attention how language or other objects (Correll, Park et al., 2002). It was predict- could become an agent of gentrification. This study also ed that a scarcity group (in which participants feel more shed light on the future of Chinatown with the increasing economically scarce) would exhibit a stronger anti-Black development of other Chinese cultural hubs in NYC. Such bias in shooting behavior, measured as a greater propen- pressure is perpetuating the disneyfication of Chinatown. sity to shoot unarmed Black targets and not shoot armed White targets, compared to a control group. In the end, a Habitat Analysis for Reintroduction of Amphibians significant impact of economic scarcity on participants’ an- into Van Cortlandt Park ti-Black bias was not found. Nevertheless, previous work Jasmin Jimenez, Environmental Studies suggests scarcity may also selectively activate stereotypes Sponsor: Alex Byrne, Environmental Educator, Friends of related to socioeconomic status (Krosch and Amodio, Van Cortlandt Park 2014), apart from dehumanization (which the shooter task Amphibians are often used as indicator species of is more equipped to measure). On the basis of the current various ecosystems because of their dependence on both finding, future research on economic recession’s effect on suitable terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Recently, studies implicit bias should focus on utilizing tasks that specifical- have found population decline of amphibians in New York ly reflect the socioeconomic aspect of implicit bias. state to be associated with urban development over the last 30 years, indicating a level of environmental degradation (Gibbs et al., 2005). New York City (NYC) parks have also

58 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 Globalization and the Alt-Right: Tracking the Rise to individual differences in numeracy skill, nonverbal in Support for the Alternative for Germany due to IQ, and trait impulsivity. Preliminary findings show that International Trade subjects overwhelmingly adopted expectation-based strat- Bhavini Sai Kakani, International Relations egies. However, certain heuristic-based strategies, most Sponsor: Professor B. Peter Rosendorff, Politics notably the priority heuristic, were also observed. While The world is becoming increasingly interconnected, evidence was not found to suggest decision strategy use as more countries develop the capacity for greater interna- correlated with numeracy skill, as past literature suggested, tional trade and begin to participate in the world economy. a relationship to nonverbal IQ was found. Future research In Germany, like in other countries, globalization has had should consider other individual difference factors as both positive and negative consequences, depending on well as examine if decision strategy use depends on the where one looks. De-regulation of the labor markets and complexity of the decision problem or risk domain, and if increasing international trade has created backlash from certain incentives can push an individual toward a different the extreme right, which seeks support from low-skilled strategy. manufacturing workers who are often marginalized by Economic Conditions and Gender Equality on Suicide globalization. The recent rise of the Alternative for Ger- Rates many (AfD), which received an unprecedented 12% of Jung Kang, International Relations the popular vote and 94 seats in the Bundestag during the Sponsor: Professor Alastair Smith, Politics 2017 German federal election, is perhaps representative of the impact of globalization on electoral support for Suicide continues to be a matter of concern with right-wing parties. Although the literature on the factors rates increasing yearly. Suicide prevention centers and for right-wing support is limited and often contradictory, global health organizations not only to try to discover the this paper seeks to determine whether globalization, mea- reasons for the rapidly rising rates but also the reasons why sured through trade with China and Eastern Europe, has male suicide rates are about four times greater than that increased support for the AfD between the 2013 and 2017 of female. Because the reasons for suicide vary for each elections. With the increase in populism across the West, individual, this research particularly focuses on answering explanations for this phenomenon are vital for political the economic and gender equality effects on suicide. This leaders to guide policy decisions and connect with voters. paper explains that, among several economic conditions, Thus, an analysis of the effect of trade on electoral success inflation is more influential on suicide than others, and that will potentially help politicians and policymakers as they gender equality measured by Female Labor Force Partic- consider the future of Germany’s trade policy and the role ipation Rate may be contributing to the differences that of populism in the national consciousness. exist in male and female suicide rates.

Decisions, Decisions: Investigating Risky Decision- School Choice and Truth Telling Making Characteristics Tara Karki, Economics Jeffrey Kang, Economics, Psychology Sponsor: Professor Guillaume Frechette, Economics Sponsor: Professor Kenway Louie, Neural Science School Choice is currently a hot topic in education Previous literature has suggested decision-mak- policy. It gives families the opportunity to decide which ing involving financial risk can be described as driven school their child will attend and uses a mechanism to by at least two types of decision strategies: one is more match students to schools. A popular matching mecha- expectation-based, and the other more heuristic-based. Ex- nism is the Gale Shapley method. Theoretically, students pectation-based strategies involve an expected value cal- are better off if they put down their true preferences for culation, considering both amount and probability, while schools. However, in practice this is not the case, and heuristic-based strategies follow general rules-of-thumbs students often misrepresent their true preferences to gain that prioritize speed over value maximization. Although advantage in the matching process. This misrepresentation these strategies have both found empirical support in the leads to a non-ideal match. This thesis uses an experimen- literature, the decision-making process, specifically why tal study to analyze whether students will tell the truth if one strategy might be preferred over another, is not well they have a better understanding of the matching process. understood. Past research has suggested that individual The matching process used is the Gale Shapley method. characteristics related to cognitive ability and certain per- To improve students’ understanding of the method, simula- sonality traits could affect the adoption of heuristic-based tions are used, which show students how the final choice of strategies. This study investigated the frequency with school is affected by their preferences. Students play with which a socio-demographically diverse sample adopted these simulations before indicating their preferences. It is expectation-based or heuristic-based strategies on a risky found that the efficiency of the Gale Shapley mechanism is decision-making task and tested whether this was related

59 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE robust and that the simulation has an unclear effect on the the number of female candidates in the proximate election, amount of truth telling. while the other observes the effect of successfully electing a male state legislator on the number of male candidates Application of the Complex Systems: Causal Network in the proximate election. Since both formulas account for Method to the Complex Etiology of Substance Abuse the incumbency effect, the magnitude of the two coeffi- Karolina Katsnelson, Psychology cients was compared to observe if female state legislators Sponsor: Professor Glenn Saxe, Child and Adolescent empower more women to run in the proximate election. Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine Although the female coefficient is larger than the male Increasingly, substance abuse and dependence are coefficient in every regression and results are statistically among the most prevalent causes of adolescent mortality significant, a t-test proves the effect is small enough to be in the US. Smoking, drinking, and illicit drug use often considered negligible. Thus, female state legislators from begin in adolescence and continue thereafter. Consequent- the seventies to the nineties did not empower other women ly, unemployment, poor health, accidents, suicide, mental to run for office. illness, and decreased life expectancy all have drug misuse as a common contributing factor (Das et al., 2016). Using He’s Driven, She’s Lost: The Effects of Gender a novel computational approach in the promising field of Stereotypes on the Perceptions of People Asking network science—the Complex Systems-Causal Network Questions (CS-CN) method—which incorporates causal discovery Dori Kenessey, Anthropology, Psychology within a complex systems framework for psychiatric re- Sponsors: Professor Madeline Heilman, Psychology; search, this project performs an analysis of the dataset of Francesca Manzi, Psychology 157 selected variables from The National Longitudinal Though asking questions is a daily part of our Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). Previ- interactions, little is known about how individuals are ous research suggests the visualization of a causal network perceived by others when they ask questions. This study can provide information about directed causal pathways draws on gender stereotypes to determine whether men to a psychiatric outcome of interest (e.g. substance abuse and women are viewed differently when they ask ques- and dependence). The creation of a causal model leading is tions. Specifically, this study will examine whether infer- significant if it enables causal inferences without a clinical ences made about a male or female target’s competence, trial about a scope of domains surrounding a psychiatric motivation, and comprehension vary when they ask disorder. Ultimately, a causal network model of 157 nodes questions in a male gender-typed domain. To address this, and 1316 bivariate relations (edges) was discovered, with a 2x2 between-subjects design will be used, with target a local causal neighborhood for the variable representing gender (male or female) and gender-type of the setting substance abuse revealing a proximal causal network of 27 (male or female) as the independent variables, and student nodes and 98 edges. The manipulation of a sample of 5,115 motivation, competence, and confusion as the dependent participants from the Add Health dataset can facilitate the variables. Participants will be asked to read about a profes- identification of groups at high risk for substance abuse sor-student interaction, which concludes with the student and dependence, specifically for adolescents aged 12–17, asking a question. Participants will be asked to rate the with potential implications for the treatment of substance student on measures that assess the perceived motivation, abuse and dependence. competence, and confusion of the student on a Likert-type scale. The measures of student gender and gender-type of Do Female Political Leaders Encourage Other setting will be compared using a 2x2 ANOVA. Women to Run for Office? Evidence from US State Legislatures The Impact of Diver User Fees and Management on Manpreet Kaur, Politics Marine Protected Area Conservation Sponsors: Professor Anna Harvey, Politics; Professor Sophie Kennedy, Environmental Studies Christopher Dawes, Politics Sponsor: Professor Jeff Sebo, Environmental Studies This project investigates whether the successful Tourism contributes approximately $105 billion election of female state legislators during the 1970s to annually to the Caribbean economy. Much of this income the 1990s empowered more female citizens to run in the is marine-based: tourists swim, snorkel, and scuba dive in proximate election. Regression discontinuity was used to Caribbean waters. (Terk and Knowlton, 2010; CEP, 2010). look at competitive electoral races (i.e., margin of victory Almost two-thirds of the Caribbean’s coral reefs are direct- < 5%) between a female and male candidate. Then, the ly threatened by human activities. Direct anthropogenic magnitude of two coefficients from two separate regres- degradation to Caribbean coral reef ecosystem services sion formulas was compared. One regression observes the could result in annual losses between $350–870 million effect of successfully electing a female state legislator on (Burke, Maidens et al., 2004). No take Marine Protected

60 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 Areas (MPAs), which prohibit fishing and extraction, are with behavioral evidence regarding risk aversion, invest- implemented to promote marine conservation, thus pre- ment, and cooperation and is designed to better replicate serving the value of the services these ecosystems provide. real world conditions by explicitly considering heteroge- However, insufficient funding hampers effective manage- neity among agents as well as inherent uncertainty. More- ment of coral reef MPAs (Depondt and Green, 2006; Terk over, the project explores the potential of adaptation as an and Knowlton, 2010). This paper examines how increasing alternative to mitigation: adaptive policies are customiz- user fees for scuba diving, combined with different types able, offer privatized benefits, and involve lower cost and of MPA management, can improve prospects for effective commitment. In a fictional economy, subjects start with conservation. Specifically, it examines how coral coverage different amounts of capital corresponding to randomly is affected by the MPA manager whether the government, assigned wealth groups. Climate change is modeled as an an NGO, or a combination of the two. impending disaster that reduces capital, for which effect is uncertain and different across subjects. Individuals “in- Children’s Conception of Ability vest” capital in goods that would lower expected loss from Nino Khvedeliani, Philosophy, Psychology disaster, and multiple rounds of this threshold public goods Sponsor: Professor Andrei Cimpian, Psychology game are conducted. Adaptation is introduced as a private It has been widely assumed that young children good whose effect and cost are individualized, whereas perceive effort as the sole causal variable in achievement mitigation is introduced as a public good whose effect outcomes (Nicholls, 1978), i.e., for young children, ability may be larger but depends on sufficient investment from is the same thing as effort. However, the cited study had others. By controlling for conditions like risk awareness, two potential methodological flaws. First of all, the order evidence from replications will offer insights regarding of questions participants were asked wasn’t randomized. optimal resource allocation between mitigation and adap- Secondly, the conditions depicted in their short film could tation and highlight the importance of reducing uncertainty have been interpreted in various ways by the participants. to encourage further action. As understanding young children’s conceptions of ability has important practical consequences, the current study Backward Induction and Its Applications to Game addressed the aforementioned flaws in the influential Nich- Theory olls work to empirically test younger and older children’s Jo Eun Kim, Mathematics, Borough of Manhattan ability concepts. All participants were randomly assigned Community College, CUNY to 1 cell of a 2 x 2 between-subjects design that resulted Sponsor: Professor Jaewoo Lee, Mathematics, Borough from crossing two variables: Intermittent Work (one of the of Manhattan Community College, CUNY characters works intermittently) vs. Fast Work (one of the This project describes how backward induction can characters works fast), and Effort-Question First (children be applied especially to game theory and discusses three are asked about each character’s amount of effort) vs. Per- different applications of backward induction. In a pop quiz ceived-Difficulty-Question First (children are asked about paradox, students can predict the possibility of having a the character’s perceived difficulty of the test). As predict- pop quiz through backward induction. For a matchstick ed, children provided evidence of understanding ability as game, a player can figure out a winning strategy under a trait in the conditions that addressed the flaws in Nichol- some given conditions. A method is discovered through ls’ (1978) design: the Fast Work and the Perceived-Diffi- backward induction to make the player win the game. With culty-Question First conditions. The effects were larger for a simple division, the player can determine how many turns the younger children, whose conceptual sophistication was it takes for the player to win and how many matchsticks the most severely underestimated in prior work. player should take at each turn in order to win the game. In the last application, the pirate game, each pirate makes Climate Change and the Collective Curiosity a proposal in sequence to distribute gold pieces without Ginha Kim, Economics and Mathematics being executed. At each turn, the fiercest pirate makes a Sponsor: Professor Andrew Schotter, Economics proposal to satisfy other pirates while the fiercest one gets Despite concerning scientific projections, effective- the maximum number of gold pieces. Depending on the ness of global policies in response to and preparation for number of pirates and the number of gold pieces, one can climate change impact has been minimal. Disinterest and predict not only which pirate would agree or disagree with caution stemming from uncertainty in impact as well as the proposal but also which pirate would survive or not. politicization of the concept itself emerge as obstacles. The cycle is aggravated when response measures incur high cost and demand heavy commitment from entities with varying capacities and interests. This project examines fundamental elements underlying such decision problems

61 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE Effects of Time of Use and Critical Peak Electricity of an inverse correlation between leather production and Pricing on Household Appliance Usage environmental performance did not hold true. Most leather Filip Klein, Economics and Mathematics producing countries showed an improvement in the EPI Sponsor: Professor Hunt Allcott, Economics heavy metal score. However, the difference varied between This study uses circuit-level electricity consumption developed and developing countries: developed countries, (which often corresponds to major household appliances) which decline in leather production, had a larger increase from a time-of-use (TOU) and critical peak electricity pric- in EPI score than developing countries, which increase in ing (CPP) trial in Austin, Texas to determine how pricing leather production. To understand these findings, two large schemes affected usage of household appliances. Current- leather producers, Italy and India, were examined. Italy, a ly, most residential consumers in the USA pay a time in- developed nation, has a much better environmental per- variant rate for electricity, so they do not face the real-time formance than India, a developing nation. This paper will electricity prices that match the costs the utility company analyze the methods developing and developed countries faces on the wholesale market, resulting in non-optimal have implemented to improve their EPI heavy metal score. timing of consumption and potential welfare losses. TOU It is argued that Italy can serve as a model for developing electricity pricing, under which consumers pay a different nations with tanneries to further improve their EPI heavy rate during on- and off-peak hours, has been proposed as metal score with best practices for the reduction of chro- the most feasible and closest option to real-time electricity mium pollution. pricing, thus reducing inefficiencies. In addition, under The Influence of Explicit and Implicit Racial Attitudes CPP consumers are charged a much higher rate than usu- on Visual Attention toward Out-Group Members al during a few days in a year with the most constrained Ellen Krotow, Psychology electricity grid (usually on the hottest days in the summer) Sponsor: Professor Eric Knowles, Psychology to decrease their consumption. Effects of TOU pricing and CPP on household electricity consumption have been Racial prejudice is known to have direct effects on extensively studied and the pricing schemes have been high-level cognition such as causal attribution and catego- deployed in various settings. Developments in smart grid rization: e.g., the stereotype of black males as dangerous and smart appliance technology now allow greater control and malevolent. Such stereotypes can lead to problematic of consumption schedules. It is important to know both the behavior such as profiling and police brutality. However, it magnitude of changes in consumption due to TOU pricing remains unknown if racial prejudice affects low-level be- or CPP and also how the consumers achieved the chang- havioral tendencies less extreme but more prevalent than es. This study uses circuit-level electricity consumption behaviors such as police brutality. The current study in- (which often corresponds to major household appliances) vestigated the effect of racial prejudice on visual attention from a TOU and CPP trial in Austin, Texas to determine to out-group members. The study eye-tracked participants how the pricing schemes affected usage of household ap- while viewing 50 photographs of New York city street pliances. scenes. Subsequently, participants completed implicit and explicit measures of racial prejudice toward Black A New Approach to Reduce Increasing Chromium Americans. Results demonstrate that when participants Pollution by Tanneries scored high on explicit prejudice measures, their implicit Narayan Kovil, Environmental Studies prejudice significantly predicted a difference in time spent Sponsor: Professor Jessica Green, Environmental Studies looking at Black versus non-Black targets in the stimuli. Tanneries are one of the top five polluting industries Specifically, participants who were high in explicit and in the world. 85% of leather tanneries globally use heavy implicit prejudice looked less at Black targets, whereas metal chromium in the conversion process. Evidence shows participants who were high in explicit but low in implicit increased leather production within a country is correlated prejudice looked more at Black targets. Participants low in with higher chromium pollution. This study investigates explicit prejudice showed no difference in time spent look- how countries’ commitments to environmental policy ing at Black or non-Black targets. These results suggest goals affect the worldwide distribute of leather produc- that egalitarian beliefs may act as a regulator for looking tion. Using data from Yale’s Environmental Performance behaviors among people with varying levels of internal- Index (EPI) and the Food and Agricultural Organization, ized (implicit) prejudice. Taken together, these findings are the paper compares countries’ changes in EPI heavy metal consistent with our hypothesis that racial prejudice affects score with countries’ changes in leather production. The subtle yet pervasive behavior. paper has several key findings. The original hypothesis

62 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) How Traits Affect People’s Judgments of Faces’ Participation and Metabolic Health Genders Ryan Lamrani, Global Public Health/Chemistry; Semran Aaron Lebens, Psychology Thamer, Global Public Health/Chemistry Sponsor: Professor James Uleman, Psychology Sponsor: Professor Anthea Chan, Global Public Health Individuals make unconscious judgements about This research investigates whether Supplemental others based on behavior and appearance, and behavior Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation is as- leads people to make inferences about others’ individual sociated with poor metabolic health and associated meta- differences and traits, which in many cases are associated bolic risk factors in a representative sample of low-income with gender. Previous studies have displayed a relationship adults in the US. A cross-sectional analysis was performed between the gender of traits people infer and the gender using data from the 2011–2016 National Health and Nu- of the individual whom they concern: traits are typically trition Examination Surveys. The study population was viewed as dependent on the person’s gender. This study restricted to a sample of non-elderly adults whose house- investigated the reverse relationship and tested whether hold incomes were at or below 130% of the federal pover- inferred traits affect the way people judge an individual’s ty level. Regression models were fit to study associations gender. Using a pool of participants from Mechanical Turk between SNAP participation and metabolic risk factors in a within-subjects design which utilizes mouse tracking including BMI, elevated fasting triglyceride levels, blood information as a measure of gender judgment, the degree pressure, HDL cholesterol, and fasting blood glucose. No to which participants judge the gender of faces that have significant differences were found among SNAP partici- had gendered traits attributed to them was tested. Results pants and sociodemographically matched non-participants indicate greater congruency with displayed gender when in terms of BMI, elevated fasting triglyceride levels, blood categorizing genders of faces that have gender-congruent pressure, HDL cholesterol, and fasting glucose. The SNAP traits attributed them and lower congruency with faces that program provides low-income adults and families with the have gender-incongruent traits attributed to them. These nutritional supplementation they may need to be healthy findings indicate inferred traits may influence people’s without increasing risk for poorer metabolic health. judgments of genders and add complexity to our under- standing of the construct of gender. How Does the Changing School Landscape Affect Crime in New York City? Sociolinguistic Factors Influencing Tense Variation in Katie Lanphere, Politics Singapore English Sponsors: Professor Anna Harvey, Politics; Professor Wesley Leong, Neural Science Christopher Dawes, Politics Sponsor: Professor Laurel MacKenzie, Linguistics This study investigates whether the presence of Despite being a nation which prides itself in using schools affect crime in their neighborhoods by examining English as a first language, a large portion of Singapore’s whether the change in the number of schools in an area citizens often show deviations from the Standard when of New York City (schools opening or closing) affects speaking or writing in English. Previous research has noted the number of crimes committed in that area. The rapidly many such deviations occur as non-standard tense morphol- changing number of schools in New York City due mostly ogy inflected on the verb (Gupta, 1989) without providing to the rise of charter schools over the past decade provides a detailed analysis. In some countries, similar variations the empirical landscape upon which to examine whether may be attributed to geographical sources. However, there the presence of a new school (or disappearance of an old are reasons to believe regional variation is not the cause one) may directly impact the level of crime in those areas. of variation in Singapore: (i) Singapore is a tiny country In this paper, the author geocoded NYC reported crime with geographical mobility and (ii) the Singaporean edu- data and NYC school location data to analyze the effect cation system provides standardized English instruction in the change in the number of schools had on crime counts an overwhelming majority of schools. In light of this, it between 2006 and 2016. The study estimated the change is reasonable to assume variation in dialect is drawn by in crime counts in areas where a new school appeared or social or linguistic rather than geographical boundaries. disappeared compared to those areas before and after the Understanding why some speakers do not show these tense change occurred. It was found that the presence of a new variations, whereas others do, will aid in formulating pol- school in an area causes crime to decrease. This finding icies for language and social education. This study used a runs contrary to popular literature that suggests schools hybrid of verbal and written data to analyze possible social cause crime in neighborhoods and therefore may indicate or linguistic influences affecting an individual’s tense vari- a need for further research into the neighborhood effects ation. Specifically, age, education level, race and whether of charter schools and their relationship to crime rates in English was spoken at home were considered as factors. those neighborhoods they open in. Preliminary results show none of these factors significant-

63 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE ly predicted level of conformation to the Standard. These decisions regarding donation. Additionally, the study an- results suggest a need to revise our understanding of the alyzed whether and how individuals’ expectations of what sociolinguistic influences of tense variation and explore other members of a community will donate affect their other possible reasons for this phenomenon. own rates of donation. This study’s main goal is to active- ly contribute to the debate on the impact of tax policy of Reexamining the Effect of Income Inequality on Adult charitable donations and to ultimately improve society’s Obesity Prevalence in OECD Countries welfare. Jordan Lian, International Relations, Russian Studies Sponsor: Professor B. Peter Rosendorff, Politics Refinancing in Periods of Declining Interest Rates: In 1975, the WHO recognized “obesity and other Looking at Informational Constraints Faced by FHA hyperalimentation” as a disease, which has been retained in and Conventional Mortgage Borrowers its charter ever since. A number of studies suggest income Heather Little, Economics, Sociology inequalities result in detrimental consequences for pop- Sponsor: Professor Kevin Thom, Economics ulation health. However, effects of income inequality on Borrowers who use mortgages backed by the Feder- obesity remain undetermined. This study assesses whether al Housing Administration (FHA) have historically experi- OECD associated countries with larger differences in enced higher rates of default and delinquency. Though FHA income distribution have higher rates of adult obesity. A borrowers are typically of low- and moderate-income lev- series of bivariate and multivariate linear regressions show els and therefore face different income-related constraints that between 1985–2016 OECD affiliated countries with when making decisions about mortgage repayment, they higher Gini coefficients and poorer redistribution efforts might also face constraints due to informational inadequa- display higher levels of average adult obesity, particularly cies. To explore the informational constraint, this study in females. The regressions reveal a negative quadratic used data from the 2016 Survey of Consumer Finances and relationship between income inequality and obesity prev- looked at refinancing behavior in periods of declining in- alence when all countries are included. However, when terest rates. Refinancing to a lower rate mortgage presents Latin American and African countries are omitted the data a net-gain opportunity, in which the costs of refinancing demonstrates a positive, linear relationship, indicating a are more than covered by the savings one experiences due possibility of a factor unique to these nations while also to lower interest rate payments, so long as the interest rate highlighting the sensitivity of the data to outliers. differential between the old and new mortgage is large enough. Specifically, the study focused on FHA and con- The Impact of Tax Deductions and Expectations on ventional borrowers who stood to benefit from refinancing Donors’ Decisions to explore the informational constraint. The goal was to see Marina Lisboa Bacha, Economics whether FHA and conventional borrowers had distinctly Sponsor: Professor Andrew Schotter, Economics different behavior in a decision that offered a monetary net- The amount of public goods and the efficiency gain and therefore should be largely free from income-re- with which they are provided are of great importance for lated constraints. Even when controlling for other factors, a society and consequentially for behavioral economics significant variables indicated FHA borrowers were 10% and public policy. Pure public goods are those which less likely to refinance than conventional borrowers. This are non-excludable and non-rival. Because of its non-ri- finding suggests borrowers face different informational valrous character, the enjoyment of the public good by constraints and that FHA borrowers’ informational con- one individual does not diminish others’ enjoyment. In straints make them less likely to take advantage of net-gain addition, non-excludability means once a public good is opportunities. This informational constraint may also play provided, no member of the community can be excluded a role in the higher rates of delinquency and default among from its benefits. Non-excludability, however, creates a FHA borrowers and suggests policy makers need to better major problem for public goods: free-riding. This creates account for informational constraints. a need for government intervention in effort to guarantee the supply of such goods. A common type of public goods A Shift toward Pragmatism: Raul Castro and the is charitable goods. To incentivize the provision of such Reshaping of Cuba’s Rationing System goods, the US government gives charitable institutions Michael Loedel, Politics, Latin American Studies tax-exemptions. Furthermore, individuals who donate to Sponsor: Professor Ada Ferrer, History charities also receive tax deductions. This research exam- Cuba’s rationing system has been an enduring ines the impact of these tax deductions on the behavior of aspect of life on the island since 1962. The program donors to charities. To do this, a laboratory experiment was provides each family with a ration book, or “libreta de conducted that focused on donors’ behavior and studied the abastecimiento”, which allots a set amount of food and influence of different tax deduction rates on individuals’ supplies to every household. The libreta has proven du-

64 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 rable, surviving the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba’s researchers to reexamine whether investment theory has largest economic benefactor, and the ensuing economic supporting evidence in other nations. crisis known as the Special Period. Over the last decade, however, the rationing system received significant scrutiny Using Implicit Measures to Study Children’s from Raul Castro’s government. Upon his ascendance to Stereotypes about Social Status the presidency in 2008, Raul embraced a brand of politics Rihab Mahmood, Psychology decidedly more pragmatic than his brother Fidel’s, and he Sponsor: Professor Marjorie Rhodes, Psychology promised to institute economic reforms that would, in his Studies show many adults believe race is predictive words, “save the revolution”. Costly social welfare pro- of social status, but data examining if and when children grams, including the libreta, underwent significant chang- start to hold these beliefs has been much less clear. A re- es. By analyzing legislation and government publications cent study (Mandalaywala, Tai, and Rhodes, forthcoming) related to rationing, this project shows how, exactly, Cu- explored whether 3.5–6.9-year-old children hold this belief ba’s rationing policies have changed in the decade since by asking them to rate White and Black stimuli on a board Raul Castro took power. Other points of interest in this equated with social status. Data showed that although project include the framing strategies utilized by the gov- younger children (3.5–4 year olds) used race as a marker of ernment to inform the public of the new rationing policies, social status, 5 and 6-year-olds did not, a surprising finding the effect of these policy changes on ordinary citizens, and given that it is unlikely that only younger children correlate the rationing system’s future under Cuba’s new president, race and social status. This study reanalyzed participant Miguel Díaz-Canel. This paper details an ongoing process data, focusing on reaction times—an implicit measure of of policy reform that has been substantial yet gradual, a beliefs—to examine whether older children correlated race reflection of the government’s complex balancing act be- and social status but do not express it explicitly, perhaps tween economic reform and the preservation of a social due to egalitarian concerns. Participant reaction time data program that remains essential for most citizens. revealed that younger children did not differ in how long they took to assign social status. However, older children Examining Factors Influencing Foreign Direct who gave a stereotype-inconsistent response (rating both Investment in China as equal or rating Black as higher) took significantly lon- Isabelle Lorion, International Relations ger to make decisions than did those who gave a stereo- Sponsor: Professor Alastair Smith, Politics type-consistent response (rating White as higher in status). There are mountains of research on foreign direct This suggests that, in children as young as 5 or 6-years old, investment (FDI), which countries it goes to, and what the expression of the belief of social status is associated firms are looking for. However, all this research is done with race is affected by egalitarian concerns, such as fair- on a macro-level and rarely considers what differentiates ness or appearing in a socially desirable light. cities within a country. Does this research done on an in- ternational level also pertain to small cities, particularly Paris Nous Aime: A Documentary on French Rap as a within emerging nations like China? By considering these Language of Resistance and National Consciousness factors in 287 Chinese cities, large and small, over twenty Juliette Maigné, Journalism, Social and Cultural Analysis years, one can examine whether the factors that, accord- Sponsors: Professor Sophie Gonick, Social and Cultural ing to the literature, attract investment are just as strong Analysis; Professor Adrian Mihai, Journalism in small cities. This study finds that, overall, traditional France is the world’s second largest market for rap investment theory does not explain investment flows as music, behind the US. Over the past three decades, French much in small cities as it does in large cities. Furthermore, rap has developed its own distinct genres, drawing on a government spending is the most important of these fac- range of Maghrebi, Caribbean, and West African sounds, tors, though its influence on FDI decreases with city size. languages, rhythms, and musical influences. Paris nous The evidence from property prices and number of universi- aime is an immersive documentary short that profiles four ty students also support existing theory but do not support Paris-based French rappers—Jok’Air, Médine, Kalash the hypothesis of decreasing relevance with decreasing Criminel, and Bakar—and collects their unique perspec- city size. Evidence from average wages and population tives on the production of a complex, multi-layered nation- size undermined existing investment theory, which should al consciousness through rap music. The film’s characters, prompt reexamination by other researchers. Finally, un- most of them children of immigrant parents, parse the employment and science spending were found to have no ways in which identitary tensions between local, transna- effect on investment in any size city, which is also contrary tional, multi-cultural, and global loyalties postulate rap as to existing theory. These findings should serve as both a a powerful counter-discourse against assimilationist im- roadmap for leaders in developing nations to invest in their migration policies. Contextualized by a hip-hop magazine cities and their students and as a starting point for other editor and a mayor south of Paris, the conversations with

65 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE the artists shed light on the role of rap in exposing contem- attitudes and intentions. The study tested the moderating porary social issues like racism, racialized police violence, effects of gain and loss framing on abstract and concrete white supremacist discourse, rampant Islamophobia, construals, and, separately, temporal distance. The analysis socio-economic and racial segregation of public housing found that when messages are framed as gains, abstract estates cordoned off from city centers, thus policing ac- construals are more effective at strengthening intentions cess to Frenchness itself. These intimate portraits suggest than are concrete construals. However, when messages are the sounds, lyrics, and visuals of French rap inherently framed as losses, concrete rather than abstract construals combat the trope of the unintellectual subculture from the are more effective. A second analysis found no interaction crime-ridden, lawless banlieue, as French rap dominates of gain or loss framing and temporal distance on intentions. the charts and mainstream popular culture, transforming what it means to be French today. “Rap introduced me to The Termination of NAFTA: Snowballing America’s culture”, Médine tells me in the film. “It saved me. Rap Next Catastrophe saves lives”. Alexis Martinez, Economics, Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY Water Security Challenges in Jordan and the Sponsor: Professor Christine Farias, Economics, Implications on the Health of Syrian Refugees Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY Yasmine Makkiyah, Global Public Health/Anthropology The North American Free Trade Agreement Sponsor: Professor Rayna Rapp, Anthropology (NAFTA) was created 20 years ago as one of the largest Since the 1970s, Middle East nations have pub- free trade zones to help boost the Mexican, Canadian, and licly recognized that region has limited water resources American economies. The US benefits from NAFTA by to meet its strategic needs. Jordan has been experiencing seeing an increase in trade, wages, productivity, and lower many freshwater challenges including long-term drought consumer prices. In America, NAFTA has created approx- and transboundary water competition. With the influx of imately 200,000 new export-related jobs and increased Syrian refugees, water scarcity is further exacerbated. This average wages by about 15–20% annually. Approximately research examines whether Syrian refugees are getting 14 million jobs rely on trade between Canada and Mexico. enough water to be healthy, focusing on one of the biggest In 1993, before NAFTA, trade between the 3 countries camps in Jordan, Al Zaatari. It considers Jordan’s ability to was around $290 billion whereas in 2016 trade increased balance the demands on water by evaluating what the gov- to more than $1.1 trillion. While American consumers and ernment is doing in response, recognizing the health crisis businesses were able to enjoy the benefits of NAFTA, a new associated with water scarcity. After conducting interviews challenge that will ripple not only America but the world with government and UN officials; members of NGOs; has emerged: Will the termination of NAFTA be the snow- and independent water project managers within Al Zaatari ball that will bring America into its next catastrophe? This camp, it was clear that Jordan has been providing refugees study attempts to examine the pros and cons of NAFTA, with the universal standards of water. Most importantly, discusses the possible outcomes if NAFTA is terminated, the interviews revealed that while Jordan has been ful- and provides an economic analysis of the unintended con- filling its humanitarian responsibility, the country is also sequences the termination would have for America. ensuring access to safe drinking water as a precautionary measure to maintain national security in the face of global Being Transgender in Brazil conflict and displacement. Renata Matarazzo, Journalism, Romance Languages Sponsor: Professor Jason Samuels, Journalism Strengthening Intentions to Exercise through Message What is it like to be transgender in Brazil? This Framing documentary explores what it is like to not conform and Madhumitha Manivannan, Psychology to challenge gender expectations in a country that is both Sponsor: Professor Emily Balcetis, Psychology deeply religious and liberal, home to Carnival and to one To combat the increasing prevalence of life-threat- of largest population of Roman Catholics in the world. ening non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular More transgender people are killed in Brazil than any other disease, diabetes, stroke, and cancers, the health profes- country in the world. The rapidly growing religious wing sional community utilizes different strategies to encourage in congress continuously fights to limit transgender rights. the public to adopt healthy behaviors, such as eating well And yet, “transsexual” is the most searched term by Brazil- and exercising regularly. Effective communication plays ians in pornography sites. The exploration of this issue will a key role in motivating individuals to adopt healthy be- be done through two characters who both embody and face haviors. The present study examines how the way a public these challenges every day: Alexya Salvador, a transgender health message is framed affects an individual’s motivation woman who is about to be ordained as a pastor in an evan- to engage in physical exercise as measured through their gelical church in Sao Paulo, and Wesley, who identifies as

66 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 a woman but presents as a man in his job for fear of losing Systems. Effects were observed in relation to speech type his job. The goals of this project are to understand better (e.g, words/sentences) and in relation to speech element how the increasingly polarized Brazilian society sees this (e.g., words-in-sentences/pauses-in-sentences). The fol- issue and to give the audience a chance to understand what lowing hypotheses were made: (i) whenever the delay is being transgender in Brazil is like. increased, the duration of speech will also increase and (ii) in sentences, both speech and pause duration will increase Performance of Racially Diverse Women in as the delay is increased. Preliminary data suggest these Negotiations hypotheses will be supported. Mina Mathur, Psychology, Politics Sponsor: Professor Tessa West Experimental Analysis of Fox Teeth Ornaments in the Although institutions have made considerable Upper Paleolithic efforts to eliminate the existence of bias and inequality, Madison McCartin, Anthropology marginalized groups still suffer from adverse disadvantag- Sponsor: Professor Randall White, Anthropology es in a professional context. Gender discrimination in the The production of fox teeth ornaments by modern workplace still negatively impacts the performance and humans is primarily confined to the Eurasian Upper Pa- achievements of women. Unlike their White counterparts, leolithic (broadly 50,000–10,000 BP). This period, charac- however, women of color possess more than one stigma- terized by an intensification in symbolic activity, exhibits tized identity and are situated in two different subordinate many forms of esthetic culture including paintings, figu- groups, one of which faces racial discrimination and the rines, musical instruments, and personal ornamentation. other of which faces gender discrimination. The extent Ornaments, like those made of fox teeth, were worn like to which women of color face prejudice is therefore even jewelry and sewn into garments; these displays likely con- more severe than White women due to racial discrimina- veyed cultural information about the individual and their tion. Women of color also earn lower wages than White group. As a result of their social and symbolic nature, an men and suffer from lower self-esteem. Given the impor- analysis of fox teeth ornaments can provide a window into tance of negotiating for higher salaries and the trend for the daily lives and symbolic belief systems of early modern women to perform worse in negotiations than do men, it is humans. In spite of this potential, fox teeth ornaments have likely that women of color perform even worse. This paper never been studied in detail. This project addresses this gap therefore explores the effect that the intersect of race and by producing a working body of middle-range knowledge gender has on the performance of women of color in a giv- as a means of addressing the ultimate significance of these en negotiation task and further hypothesizes that women ornaments. This was completed via an exploratory chaîne of color will achieve their objective less frequently than opératoire, the experimental replication of twenty-five fox white men, men of color, and white women. The results, teeth ornaments and a comparative analysis between the however, did not support the initial hypothesis, prompting experimental sample and ten Upper Paleolithic ornaments. a discussion regarding the roles of status and intergroup This project argues fox teeth ornaments occupy a unique relations in negotiations. cultural niche, one that is representative of the early so- cial and symbolic capacities of early modern humans in Behavioral Effects of Delayed Auditory Feedback on Eurasia. Neurosurgical Epilepsy Patients Margaret McAlister, Psychology Neighborhood Effects on 911 Call Priority in Sponsors: Professor Adeen Flinker, Neurology, NYU Baltimore, MD School of Medicine; Dr. Muge Ozker Sertel, Neurology, Harshil Mehta, Politics NYU School of Medicine Sponsors: Professor Christopher Dawes, Politics; Delayed Auditory Feedback (DAF) tasks introduce Professor Anna Harvey, Politics a short amount of time between the onset of an individu- This paper investigates whether the priorities as- al’s speech and the time of hearing. DAF causes dysflu- signed to 911 calls are affected by the demographics of the encies in the speech of normal speakers and increase as neighborhood from which the call is placed. It was hypoth- the delay between the speech and the hearing increases. esized that demographics do affect call priority, especially Experimenters are studying the effects of DAF in epilepsy the income of the neighborhoods. Racial characteristics are patients with intracranial electrodes. The DAF task con- expected to play a role as well. Existing studies have pro- sisted of a pre-determined set of words and sentences. This duced mixed results; many articles find that demographics report outlines the collection and analysis of the behavioral play no significant effect on police behavior and those data of three patients at NYU Langone Medical Center. that do often disagree on whether this effect is positive or The behavioral data were collected via an audio record- negative. However, while these studies often examine out- ing device and analyzed with Audacity Sound Mixing comes of police officer behavior such as response times or

67 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE arrest rates, this study looks at something that determines Analysis of the Advertising Content and Followers of police officer behavior, i.e., the priority placed on a given Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Twitter Accounts call. To address the problem of selection bias, the study Udit Modi, Global Public Health/Chemistry uses both multiple regression and matching. In both strate- Sponsor: Professor Jennifer Pomeranz, Global Public gies, various features of each Census Block Group and for Health differences between each 911 call such as day of week and Obesity is a significant public health issue and has description of the call were controlled for. After controlling been exacerbated by the excess consumption of sugar. for these factors, it was found that in Baltimore, as a whole, Much of the sugar consumed in the Western diet comes Census Block Groups with higher median household in- from sugar-sweetened beverages. The consumption of comes receive higher priority and Census Block Groups sugar-sweetened beverages has increased due to the effects with higher percentages of white residents or higher of food marketing through traditional forms of advertis- percentages of African American residents receive lower ing such as print and television and now newer forms of priorities. However, when examining how each precinct media such as social media. This project examines how determines priority, there is no clear overall pattern as the social media, specifically Twitter, has been used to mar- significance and direction of the effect of demographics ket sugar-sweetened beverages. Data are collected in the on assigned priority changes vastly between the different form of tweets from the accounts of various companies precincts. and categorized and qualitatively assessed through the utilization of a codebook. The Tweet lexicon is also an- The Political Economy of Lima, Peru’s Urban alyzed through word frequency tabulations using natural Development: Independence to Present Day language processing. The project also aims to understand Juan Migone, Urban Design and Architecture Studies which types of social media users are more likely to inter- Sponsors: Professor Ricardo Cardoso, Social and act with these populations. Lists of followers of various Cultural Analysis; Professor Jon Ritter, Urban Design sugar-sweetened beverage companies are collected along and Architecture Studies with certain demographic information. This information is Since 2000, Peru’s GDP has grown at an average correlated with established public health trends. The goal of 5.9% per year, increasing foreign investment as much is to provide public health researchers with insights to de- as 21.8% annually (The World Bank, 2018). This has put velop more efficacious obesity interventions. Peru’s primate city and capital, Lima, on the global stage as it continues to absorb the majority of the benefits of the Speaking the Unspeakable: Advocating for the nation’s economic growth (US Department of State, 2013). Undocumented in Trump’s America Lima’s recent urban transformation that has resulted from Mandi Morales, Sociology the economic growth follows the city’s already drastic Sponsor: Professor Ruth Horowitz, Sociology changes in the 20th century. Large-scale, internal migra- Under the Trump administration, the nation’s rela- tions added 9 million people to the capital in 70 years and tionship with immigration has drastically changed. Policies inspired a privatized approach to urban development. Even seek to remove many residents without papers, tear fami- though migration levels have shifted to second tier cities lies apart that have members with and without legal status, in Peru and the crisis has settled, Lima’s growth continues and displace countless families. Millions feel the fear of as Peru’s economic and cultural connection to a rapidly separation, while others are searching for ways to support globalizing world. The metropolitan region is in need of locals who do not have protected legal status. Many look urban solutions that keep up with investment levels while to local community nonprofits for guidance. The site of the also creating an efficient, livable, and sustainable city for nonprofit is where individuals of different backgrounds, le- residents. However, since Lima functions distinctly from gal statuses, and languages come together with a common Euro-American cities, creating successful urban solutions goal. However, collectives face challenges with language is only possible by understanding the complex social, barriers, gaining community trust, understanding ev- cultural, political, and economic processes unique to Peru er-changing US immigration policies, and learning appro- (Myers, 2011). This paper elucidates key moments in priate and inappropriate vocabulary. This project examines Peru’s politics and economics to understand how they’ve how local volunteers use language to navigate their own influenced Lima’s culture, identity, and urban form. Specif- statuses and limited resources in order to advocate for per- ically the project analyzes how Lima’s elitist status as Pe- sons whom the government openly targets: undocumented ru’s primate city has contributed to the city’s development persons. How do volunteers speak about what is dangerous as a privatized city. With these themes in mind, the needs to be spoken? It is argued that advocates use language as a of Lima’s rapidly changing culture and its inhabitants’ so- form of protection for themselves and for persons without cial desires are brought to mind to question where the city protected status. is going and how Lima could plan for its future.

68 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 Organic Undermined partners’ feelings of intelligence or competence. However, Morgan Murphy, Anthropology in contrast to the hypothesis, it was found that the more Sponsor: Professor Sally Merry, Anthropology collectivist a person’s origin country the less accurate they This project examines the role regulation, the cre- were at judging partners’ feelings of confidence. ation of a national standard, and corporations have played The Attenuation of Conditioned Threat Responses in shaping the definition, meaning, and cultural interpre- through Appetitive Control tations of organic foods in the US. Specific areas of focus Allison Neeson, Neural Science include an examination of regulatory weaknesses, inter- Sponsors: Dr. Alexandra Cohen, Psychology; Professor national importation of organics, and the effects of mass Catherine Hartley, Psychology production. The purpose of examining what qualifies as organic in greater detail is to allow for a more comprehen- Control over aversive experiences has been shown sive understanding of the various ways in which organic to diminish subsequent threat responses in studies across has been manipulated. This is important for all consumers species. However, real-world negative experiences may as many chemicals found in conventionally grown food are be more difficult to control than positive experiences. If linked to health issues and chronic disease. The purpose is control over positive experiences can similarly attenuate also to examine small organic producers in comparison to threat responses to subsequent challenges, this may be an large, corporate producers as well as how organic regula- important means by which individuals cultivate resilience. tion could be stronger and more inclusive. As the term and This study evaluated whether the effect of control on resil- meaning of organic has evolved in the US, the definition ience to threat generalizes across valence, that is, if having has become more ambiguous and difficult to define. Why control over appetitive experiences attenuates subsequent and how this ambiguity has arisen will also be addressed. conditioned threat responses. Participants completed a It is argued that both corporations and the national standard threat conditioning task in which they were exposed to for organic have played significant roles in changing the two faces, one of which was sometimes paired with a mild meaning of organic, and explore areas of manipulation. electrical shock. Following acquisition, one group per- formed an appetitive control task in which they explored a Culture and Communication: Empathic Accuracy and grid space where they could learn to control the delivery of Collectivist Culture in Interpersonal Interactions pleasant odors, and one group underwent a similar (yoked) Max Needle, Psychology task in which they did not have control over the delivery Sponsor: Professor Tessa West, Psychology of pleasant smells. Both groups returned 24 hours later and The modern workplace is no longer limited to local underwent retrieval, extinction, and novel acquisition. Pre- or even national resources, and organizations have become liminary results suggest appetitive control may be an effec- more global in scope (Dunning, 1997). Considering the tive approach to diminishing learned threat associations, growing diversity in the workplace, it is increasingly im- which has clinical implications for developing treatments portant to understand aspects of interpersonal interactions for anxiety-related disorders as well as implications for that could facilitate workplace communication and cooper- how people handle stress in their everyday lives. ation. Although a great deal of research has examined how Identity Crisis: America’s Third Culture culture affects several processes and interactions within Joanna Nishimoto, East Asian Studies, Journalism organizations (Hofstede, 1980), there is a lack of research Sponsor: Professor Jason Samuels, Journalism regarding the ways in which culture affects the ability to accurately identify another’s emotions, i.e., empathic ac- “Identity Crisis: America’s Third Culture” tells the curacy. This study investigates the effect that a principal story of second-generation Americans who are living in dimension of culture, collectivism/individualism, has on a “third culture”, the culture that overlaps between their people’s empathic accuracy in an organizational context. heritage cultures and the mainstream culture around them. Since past research has found empathic accuracy tends to Second-generation Americans are often “hyphenated”, covary with interdependence (Stinson and Ickes, 1992), it denoted by their foreign origins, rather than recognized was hypothesized that individuals from more collectivist as the prototype of the American identity, which is not countries would more accurately identify the emotions of based on any particular culture, ethnicity, or race. Many their interaction partners. To test this, participants engaged of these Americans struggle with feeling “foreign” in their in negotiations with participants from differing origin own country. This documentary examines the fundamental countries. Afterwards, participants rated their own and relationship between identity and culture. It also explores partners’ emotions along several dimensions, including how people assign meaning to unfamiliarity and the un- intelligence, competence, and confidence. It was found derlying causes of “othering”, or oversimplified ways of that the individualism/collectivism of one’s origin country distinguishing the majority from the minority and exerting did not significantly affect people’s accuracy in judging or maintaining power between “insiders” and “outsiders.”

69 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE This is the journey of Americans who learn to embrace like—might bias consideration of diversity. Indeed, recent their cultural identity in an increasingly diverse society and research in the Rhodes lab found young children tend to who define their identities through personal stories rather view more extreme ideal examples (e.g., the fastest chee- than stereotypes. tah) as typical and representative, whereas adults view average examples in this way. The current study inves- Why Elections Fail: Exploring the Limitations of tigates whether this bias towards ideal exemplars might Election Monitoring and Democracy Promotion also explain observed patterns of developmental change in Xan Northcott, Politics diversity-based reasoning. Sponsor: Professor Alastair Smith, Politics Since the beginning of the 20th Century, there has A Qualitative Study Analyzing Risk Factors for been a movement by the foremost democratic countries Maternal Mortality in Rural Areas of Lagos, Nigeria to help spread and foster democracy around the world, Jumoke Opeyemi, Global Public Health/Sociology particularly through the monitoring and observation of Sponsor: Professor Jane Elkington, NYU Sydney elections. This process was designed to track election fraud This project seeks to identify and analyze risk fac- and so help the international community punish or reward tors contributing to Nigeria’s high rate of maternal mortal- countries based on the quality of their elections. However, ity. This is a qualitative study using the Grounded theory election monitoring has seen much criticism, and many approach. Eighty participants were recruited from 10 dif- countries are plagued to this day by corrupted elections. ferent rural areas of Lagos using purposive sampling. The Hence, this paper examines the success of election moni- interviews were semi-structured and collected qualitative toring in improving electoral quality and explores outside data on current perspectives and experiences about tradi- factors that hinders its success such as political or foreign tional birthing centers and local health centers. Participants aid relationships. It finds evidence that the effects of elec- were mostly women who recently gave birth or were preg- tion monitoring are very limited at best. Furthermore, there nant, healthcare providers, and community health workers. is some indication that governments change their methods Although most participants patronized the local health of cheating to avoid criticism by monitors, while in certain centers, they also went to the traditional birthing centers. cases also receiving benefits in the form of aid in return for The identified reasons found were due to ignorance, illiter- allowing monitoring. acy, and belief in the use herbal methods utilized at these centers. A major problem identified by health workers in Diversity-Based Reasoning in Children’s Induction relation to the use of traditional birthing centers is the lack about Familiar Animal Kinds of training and skills by care providers at the traditional John Daryl Ocampo, Individualized Study birthing centers. Furthermore, the lack of resources and Sponsor: Professor Marjorie Rhodes, Psychology staff in the professional health centers compounds the The project focuses on diversity-based reason- problem. This project highlights the need for greater health ing about biological kinds. Previous research has shown literacy among women in poor rural areas of Nigeria to children below the age of 9 often fail to consider diverse encourage greater acceptance of modern, evidence-based samples when looking for generalizable information about health care and increased resourcing of maternal health specific categories. For example, when children were care service. This will help reduce the unacceptably high asked to make inductive inferences about a novel property rate of maternal mortality in Nigeria. from diverse and non-diverse sets of animals, 8-year-olds demonstrated limited sensitivity to diversity and 6-year- Combating a Culture of Shame and Stigma: A olds responded randomly (Lopez et al., 1992). Adults, Church-Centered Analysis of Chinese American on the other hand, tend to consider diversity in samples Perceptions of Mental Health and Illness when generalizing to categories and generalize more from Daniel Pai, Social and Cultural Analysis diverse samples (Heit and Feeney, 2005; Kim and Keil, Sponsor: Professor Dean Saranillio, Social and Cultural 2003; Lopez, 1995). A recent study by Rhodes and Lieben- Analysis son (2015), however, found that children as young as 5–6 As an important community institution, the Chinese years old were sensitive to diversity when asked to reason American Christian church is uniquely positioned to ad- about novel categories, indicating that young children dress and combat culturally derived perceptions of shame are cognitively and computationally able to incorporate and stigma surrounding issues of mental health and illness. sample-diversity into their inductive reasoning but choose Based on data collected from interviews with Chinese not to do so for familiar animal kinds. What mechanisms American pastors in New York City’s Chinatowns, this might explain these results? One possibility is that cate- study supports the argument that “religion [both] chal- gory ideals—what children think the animals should be lenge[s] and transform[s] ethnic traditions” (Chen, 2006).

70 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 These traditions include the strong stigma and silence Cultural Transmission and Navigation of Racial associated with mental disorders. Drawing from biblical Boundaries among Filipino-American Families ideas of unconditional acceptance and compassion, pastors Janelle Micaela Segarra Panganiban, Global Public stand at the forefront of creating a safe space of transparen- Health/Sociology, Public Policy cy and belonging for people with mental health disorders. Sponsor: Professor Ruth Horowitz, Sociology This thesis argues that it can be productive to look to the Immigrants have long traversed the process of inte- church to bring awareness to and minimize the stigma sur- gration and identity formation in the US. The rise of iden- rounding mental health and illness in Chinese American tity politics motivates researchers to better understand how communities. This research inquiry highlights the need to this phenomenon transpires today. Filipinos, identified by break down Chinese social and cultural barriers to mental scholar Anthony Ocampo as the “Latinos of Asia”, are one health—stigmatization and shame—and examine a case of many immigrant groups who continue to grapple with for collectivity based not on silence, but of mutual care and forging and negotiating ethnic and racial identities. This affection. study investigates the experiences of both first-generation Filipino immigrants and succeeding generations to high- Effects of Race-Based Facial Prototypicality on Voters’ light a framework of ethnic identity development located Decisions within the family, often the first point of socialization, and Natasha Pandit, Psychology analyzes its impacts on how this group understands and Sponsors: Professor Emily Balcetis, Psychology; Anni navigates racial boundaries in the US. After interviewing Sternisko, Psychology ten middle- to upper-middle class Filipino-American fam- Research has shown political candidates’ appear- ilies in the Tri-State Area, the author found first-generation ance affects voters’ decisions and these effects may vary immigrants have various mechanisms for passing down among voters based on their political affiliation (Todorov, Filipino culture primarily through maintaining Catholic Mandisodza et al., 2005; Olivola, Sussman et al., 2012). practices and promoting tight-knit family values. Given Given individual differences in cognitive processing style the cultural choices of their parents and influenced by the preferences co-occur with political ideology, this study ex- neighborhood they grew up in, second-generation Filipi- amined whether conservative voters were more likely than no-Americans employ different techniques of socializing liberal voters to prefer (i) African-American candidates with other racial and ethnic groups. In maintaining the Fil- whose facial features were more stereotypically Afrocentric ipino identity at home and being exposed to other cultures than Eurocentric and (ii) Caucasian-American candidates outside of it, Filipino-Americans negotiate and choose whose facial features were more stereotypically Eurocen- which identity to ascribe to in different contexts. However, tric than Afrocentric. FaceGen Modeller software was used they acknowledge the limitations of this ability brought to generate 3D faces that varied in the racial stereotypi- by their physical difference, an allusion to the “perpetual cality of their features based on prior research (Hagiwara, foreigner” stereotype. Ultimately, this study extends the Kashy et al., 2012). In a 2 (participants’ political party) x 2 notions of ethnic and racial constructions in the US and (stimuli race) x 2 (stimuli stereotypicality) mixed factorial its consequences for immigrant assimilation across gener- design, online survey participants identified their political ations. affiliation and voted between two stimuli portrayed as their respective party’s candidates. Analyses showed Republi- Effect of Police Stops on Graduation Rates in NYC: A cans were more likely to choose the racially stereotypical Differences in Differences Analysis face between two Caucasian-American candidates. Fur- Julia Paranyuk, Politics thermore, Republicans showed a marginally significant Sponsors: Professor Anna Harvey, Politics; Professor difference in preference for stereotypicality between two Christopher Dawes, Politics; Maria Carreri, Politics African-American candidates. In concordance with previ- This paper examines the relationship between po- ous research (Stern, West et al., 2015), conservatives who lice stops in school neighborhoods and the graduation rates are less tolerant of the uncertainty and ambiguity of count- within those schools from 2010–2016 in New York City. er-stereotypical appearances showed reduced preferences Using a differences in differences analysis, the effect of for atypical-appearing candidates. While voting is thought police stops on graduation rates of a given school are con- to be conscious and effortful in how people consider can- sidered by comparing the graduation rates of a particular didates’ policies in their decisions, this study provides evi- school across years. Previous research has suggested that dence that more peripheral influences can impact citizens’ police interactions with students have a negative effect on choices in their national leadership. students’ self-perception and performance. Prior research has claimed police stops and stop-and-frisk programs have

71 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE a harming effect on youth, in particular African American A Geographic Analysis of Socioeconomic Factors and Hispanic youth. Moreover, anecdotally, interactions Influencing Obesity in the US with police have been considered as having a negative Andrew Penner, Sociology effect on learning environments and overall attitudes of Sponsor: Professor Ruth Horowitz, Sociology youth. This project finds that, while a naive regression of Obesity is a detrimental and rapidly increasing graduation rates on police stops in school neighborhoods medical condition in the US. Statistics for 2013–2014 in- confirms the original hypothesis, a more inclusive and dicate more than one in three adults is considered obese properly structured regression does not show a statistically on the basis of their body mass index (BMI) (National significant relationship between police stops and gradua- Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, tion rates amongst all students. However, this finding is 2017). Medical research demonstrates obesity is a major nuanced with additional regression results, which suggest factor influencing the development of many health prob- there are statistically significant negative effects of increas- lems, including high blood pressure, heart disease, and ing police stops on the graduation rates of certain catego- type two diabetes (Mayo Clinic, 2015). Consequently, an ries of students in instances where these students are at- understanding of factors that influence obesity can lead tending a majority-minority school. Ultimately, this paper to preventative measures against developing other health brings the conventional wisdom regarding the relationship conditions. This study examines the social and economic between police stops and graduation rates into question factors influencing obesity in the Contiguous US in the and provides interesting questions for further research and context of its geography. States are categorized on the exploration. basis of the latitude and longitude of their capital cities. Results suggest a family’s median household income is (of Navigators of Mental Healthcare: Remaking of Peer the six variables tested) the variable which usually has the Specialists in Harlem’s Community Clinics most statistical significance in accounting for obesity in Parth Patel, Anthropology the 48 contiguous states. Interestingly, the effect of median Sponsor: Professor Helena Hansen, Anthropology household income on obesity was relatively symmetrical Peer specialists have recently gained traction in across the positive 45 degree latitude line, and the negative community mental health clinics and social services of 85 degree longitude line. Harlem, NYC due to their ability to leverage lived experi- ences to engage and support patients. This approach prom- How Do Feelings of Loneliness/Social Isolation ises to address the unmet medical and social needs of pa- and a Perceived Lack of Social Support Influence tients by providing more community-centered healthcare. Undergraduate Students’ Physical and Psychological This study assesses how the integration of peer specialists Well-Being? is shifting cultures of medicine and care delivery within Joshua Pesantes, Psychology local clinical and social service teams in Harlem. It ana- Sponsor: Professor Emily Balcetis, Psychology lyzes what constitutes the identity of peer specialists and Social support affects one’s self-efficacy and con- how this emerging identity is being reinforced and/or chal- fidence, which, in turn, relates to one’s ability tomain- lenged by local providers, clinical teams, and community tain a healthy lifestyle. As dieting and weight control are organizations. Ethnographic fieldwork and semi-structured health-related behaviors that can also be governed by interviews with peer specialists and local providers at 51 self-efficacy beliefs, different levels of social support can community-based organizations in Harlem were conduct- potentially also influence one’s efforts to pursue and main- ed. Based on a grounded theory approach, a qualitative tain these behaviors (Bernier and Avard, 1986; Chambliss analysis of the interviews revealed peer specialists adopt and Murray, 1979; Hofstetter, Sallis et al., 1990; Glynn and the complicated identity of an embodiment of recovery Ruderman, 1986; Shannon, Bagby et al., 1990; Slater, 1989; while negotiating between providers and patients. Local Weinberg, Hughes et al., 1984). As such, studying how clinical and social service teams may resist the complete perceptions of social support may influence the well-being integration of the non-traditional peer role, preventing peer of undergraduate students in particular may uncover how specialists from actualizing their identities as healthcare differing degrees can either impede or promote health-rel- workers. It is hoped these findings will inform the im- evant behaviors, especially dietary and exercise behaviors. plementation of peer specialists in contexts emphasizing Using data collected from 230 undergraduate students at community-centered healthcare. NYU, this study examined how varying amounts of social support may augment/weaken an individual’s motivation and how they would ultimately affect one’s ability to pur-

72 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 sue, attain, and maintain health-relevant goals. Findings form of money, and the rise in price is driven mainly by suggest having higher levels of social support predicts both speculation, not strong fundamentals. The hope for future greater health (i.e., diet and exercise) motivation as well as use lies in the underlying blockchain technology. better rates of physical activity. Formulaic Funding: Is the Community Development Fake News in the Media: Does Facebook’s Flagging Block Grant Influenced by Mayoral-Presidential System Have the Ability to Alter One’s Political Alignment? Opinions? Paul Prentice, Politics Zoe PiSierra, Politics Sponsor: Professor Christopher Dawes, Politics Sponsor: Professor Christopher Dawes, Politics Do partisan politics affect the distribution of the Facebook’s 2017 attempt to highlight false infor- Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to cit- mation has been deemed an overall unsuccessful approach ies in the US? The CDBG is one of the Department of to guide users away from fake news. Though ineffective Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) longest-run- in helping users differentiate fake versus real information, ning block grants. It funds projects that ensure affordable did Facebook’s flagging system have any unexpected ef- housing, provide services to vulnerable communities, and fects on users’ opinions? Across two experiments and a create jobs. This study uses a regression discontinuity de- control that test for individuals’ favorability of President sign to test if cities whose mayors share the same political Donald Trump on a scale from “Extremely Negative” to party as the president receive more CDBG funding than “Extremely Positive”, this study finds the flagging system cities whose mayors do not. Political scientists studying has, in fact, significantly affected the views of two different partisan politics throughout the world discovered that groups of respondents: first, those who identify as white, certain presidents use their executive powers to influence and second those who lacked a strong political affiliation intergovernmental transfers to incentivize citizens to vote and identified as “Leaning Right” to “Leaning Left” (on in a particular manner or to reward them for their support. a scale from “Very Conservative, Conservative, Leaning Here, findings indicate CDBG funding is not manipulated Right, Centrist, Leaning Left, Liberal, Very Liberal”). by the president to favor aligned mayors. This implies the Both groups were negatively affected by the first treat- formulas used to allocate CDBG funding to cities across ment, obtaining more negative views of President Trump the US are free from partisanship. after taking the survey. These findings suggest Facebook’s fake news flagging system altered individual judgments, Health Care Experiences of Men Who Have Sex with a consequence that highlights the risks of social media, Men: Understanding Patient-Provider Relationships especially in the time of fake news. and the Lasting Effects of the AIDS Crisis Joshua Quach, Global Public Health/Sociology The Bitcoin Bubble: Is There One and How Can Sponsor: Professor Ruth Horowitz, Sociology We Tell? Studies of patients’ health outcomes and quality of Edoardo Pisoni, Economics health care services show the patient-provider relationship Sponsor: Professor Diego Perez, Economics is crucial and, further, that a patient-centered approach This paper analyzes the meteoric rise in Bitcoin to care is essential for ensuring high quality health-care price and tests whether it can be characterized as an as- results (Theis, 2016). However, what happens when the set bubble. The study fist identified an asset price bubble patient-provider relationship is undeveloped, or even model whose parameters are most closely related to the hostile? This situation is a common experience of sexu- Bitcoin environment. By collecting data on Bitcoin’s price al minorities, who have historically experienced greater and comparing it to other cryptocurrencies and stock mar- burdens of disease and discrimination. This study explores ket indices, it is shown that the rise in Bitcoin’s price is the lived-experiences of MSM, a historically marginalized not typical and indicative of a bubble. The three months group that reports significant incidence of stigma, espe- before and after Bitcoin’s price peaked were compared to cially surrounding their sexual health and sex behaviors, the three months before and after the Dotcom bubble burst, to better understand the patient-provider relationships for and similarities in the data are explored. Then, the study queer people, given the growing social and political ac- assesses whether Bitcoin price dynamics are linked to their ceptance of queer identities. To assess how the evolving fundamentals by running a regression on the value of a social landscape has affected the experiences of MSM, 20 Bitcoin as a function of the number of venues accepting men were interviewed about their health care experiences: it as a form of a payment and the number of new crypto- 10 between the ages of 18–49, and 10 aged 50 or older. currencies in the market. A strong role of the fundamentals Through a comparative analysis, this study assesses dif- was not found to explain price dynamics. This research ferences and similarities in health care experiences as well strongly suggests Bitcoin is too unstable to be used as a as the subsequent health-related needs and preferences of

73 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE participants, particularly with regard to their proximity to human and monkey preferences. However, across all ages, the AIDS crisis of the 1980s. Overall, participants who TD infants showed a stronger preference for both primate experienced more trauma related to their identities ex- faces compared to infants later diagnosed with ASD, sug- pressed more health-related preferences. Findings support gesting that not attending to both primate faces may signal the theory that a patient-centered approach produces better atypical development. Looking behaviors did not predict quality health care, especially for sexual minority patients. later language and social-communicative abilities. Under- Findings can also be used to advocate for a more holistic, standing how infants’ face preferences change over time historically-informed approach to health care service de- may reveal how infants learn from the world around them livery. and could inform early intervention strategies for children with ASD. Elections in a Connected Brazil Andres Rabellino, International Relations, Economics FoodScapes and Metabolic Health Sponsor: Professor Alastair Smith, Politics Saranya Ramadurai, Economics; Semran Thamer, Global This paper replicates the methodology of Ferraz and Public Health/Chemistry Finan (2008) to study the effects of transparent audits and Sponsor: Professor Julie Avina Global Public Health the internet on electoral punishment. As part of an anti- The impact of food environments on dietary be- corruption program, Brazilian municipalities are randomly havior has been widely recognized among nutritionists, selected for audit of federally transferred funds. The audit policy makers, and researchers concerned with chronic results are published online and disseminated to judiciaries health conditions. In New York City, metabolic syndrome, and oversight bodies after procedures are complete. Using a condition characterized by hypertension, obesity, insu- corruption indicators constructed for Ferraz, Finan, and lin resistance, and/or high cholesterol is highly prevalent Avis (2017), this study compares the electoral performance among adults. This project utilized an area-based measure of mayoral incumbent candidates in municipalities whose of access to grocery stores to study the food environment audit reports were released before versus after the 2012 or “foodscape” and its association to the prevalence of elections. Findings show disclosures of corruption, even metabolic syndrome in New York City. Using the New given internet availability, did not conclusively improve York State Department of Agriculture Retail Food Store accountability in the 2012 elections as the literature would database and Google Maps, foodscapes were identified to predict. Instead, this study finds a substantive selection ef- study the locations and relative distances of grocery stores fect: that corruption detection may cause incumbents to not in different NYC neighborhoods. The foodscapes of East run for reelection in the first place. This study, therefore, New York, a neighborhood with the highest prevalence underlines the value of having multiple forms of account- of metabolic syndrome, and Greenwich Village, an area ability in government and evaluates the success of the with a relatively low prevalence of metabolic syndrome, Brazilian anticorruption program. were compared. Data for the prevalence of metabolic syn- drome was collected from the New York City Health and Preferences for Primate Faces in Infancy Nutrition Examination Survey. The number of accessible Tazmin Rahman, Psychology grocery stores was disproportionately lower in East New Sponsor: Professor Athena Vouloumanos, Psychology York. The study found access to healthy foods, character- Humans look at faces to gather socially-relevant ized by the number of grocery stores, may be associated information from others. Newborns look equally at human with metabolic syndrome. Additionally, it was found that and monkey faces, but, over time, infants prefer to look at geographic information systems such as Google Earth/ human faces, which may help them learn how to commu- Maps may serve as an innovative tool for mapping the nicate and interact with others. Infants later diagnosed with social context of public health issues. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), who show later deficits in language and social communication, look at human fac- The Effect of Targeted Regulations on Abortion es less than typically developing (TD) infants. It remains Providers (TRAP) Laws on Public Opinion of unclear whether infants’ preference for primate faces is sta- Abortion ble over their first two years and how it relates to later lan- Anna Ruiz, Politics guage and social-communicative development. This study Sponsor: Professor Kathleen Doherty, Politics, Public measured how long TD infants and infants later diagnosed Policy with ASD look at primate faces (either human or monkey) Within the last decade, US state legislatures enacted and a non-face at 6, 9, 12, and 18 months. Overall, both hundreds of abortion-related restrictions. Comprised of groups show similar patterns of looking at primate faces structural requirements, these restrictions were ruled by over time: at 6 months, they look longer at the human face, the Supreme Court in 2016 to place an undue burden on but at 9, 12, and 18 months show no difference in their the lives of women in these states. The stringency of these

74 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 requirements led to practical obstacles that consequently ences for fairness and equality, especially when it comes incited a near-immediate closure of abortion clinics in to sharing resources. This study explores how children affected states. Increasing costs and scarcity of abortion (4.0–5.9 years) reconcile these two conflicting preferenc- services have resulted from these pieces of legislation. This es by investigating the relation between children’s social study investigates whether the limitation of access to abor- preferences and their resource allocation decisions in the tion clinics has an impact on the policy opinion of abortion domain of race. Race provides an interesting case to ex- in states that enacted abortion-related restrictions by using amine this, as children show preferences for high status an OLS Regression that controlled for various interactive (White) individuals, but also an awareness of systemic ra- variables with state and year fixed effects. This paper sug- cial inequality that disadvantages Black individuals. Using gests that a community’s affinity towards (or lack thereof) a resource allocation task where children were asked how a public health service can in part result from the social much of a limited resource they wanted to share with Black aftershock of government regulations of said service. and White targets, and an evaluative task where children were asked how much they liked Black and White targets, How Police Stops Affect Voter Turnout Rates in the this study revealed that children sometimes chose to share 2012 and 2016 Presidential Elections: An Instrumental more with White, as compared to Black, targets. Moreover, Variable Approach although children’s allocation decisions to White targets James Sabia, Politics were unrelated to their liking of White targets, greater al- Sponsors: Professor Anna Harvey, Politics; Professor location to Black targets was related to less liking of Black Christopher Dawes, Politics targets, when race was more salient within the experimen- A common belief within the political-science com- tal paradigm. This pattern was not explainable by relative munity is that voter turnout, whether at the local or national social preferences, however. Thus, the processes that un- level, is affected by a plethora of economic, social, and po- derlie resource allocation decisions warrant further study. litical factors. Political scientists especially believe puni- tive contact with law enforcement negatively affects voter Linking Urban Green Infrastructure and turnout presumably because those who have experienced Gentrification: A New York City Case Study that contact tend to view the government more negatively. Sabrina Santos, Environmental Studies, Urban Design This project studies the relationship between police stops and Architecture Studies (traffic citations) and voter turnout using the instrumental Sponsor: Professor Jessica Green, Environmental Studies variable estimator of county revenue—more specifically, Green Infrastructure (GI) is a strategy for water property tax revenue per capita. The design pulls relevant management that combines natural and engineered ele- data for the 2012 and 2016 US general elections to more ments to protect, restore, or mimic the natural hydrological explicitly study whether a change in property taxes in the cycle (American Rivers n.p.). Increasingly, urban areas are years before an election can estimate and predict a conse- employing GI to adapt to the effects of climate change, quent rise or decline in county-level police stops in the year particularly flooding and runoff. While environmental directly before that election, thus leading to a change in improvements like GI can promote climate resilience, voter turnout. It was found that while a change in property they can also serve as an engine for environmental gen- tax revenue is a relatively helpful predictor of county-lev- trification, whereby sustainability measures implemented el police stops, there appears to be both insignificant and in a given area drive up property values and thus displace significant relationships opposite to the ones predicted: low-income residents. Drawing from these concepts, this first, as county property taxes county increase, so do police paper examines the relationship between GI and urban stops, and secondly, if police stops increase, so does voter gentrification in order to investigate environmental gentri- turnout. Interestingly, this could mean both that more po- fication. Using data from Governing magazine, this paper lice officers are employed in wealthier counties, resulting documents gentrification trends in New York City and in a greater frequency of police stops and that people may compares them to the implementation of GI, as reported feel more compelled to fight the punitive system of law by the NYC Department of Environmental Protection. enforcement through voting. This quantitative analysis explores whether a relationship between the two trends exists, and additional qualitative The Development of Race-Based Economic Decision work seeks to explain the potential role that GI specifical- Making ly has played in gentrification, compared to other factors. Kaajal Sagar, Psychology Comprehensively, this study indicates that GI is not sig- Sponsor: Professor Marjorie Rhodes, Psychology nificantly correlated with gentrification in New York City, From an early age, children often show preferenc- and rather, other social and policy structures have a greater es for individuals high in social status and with access to impact on development and gentrification. resources. However, children also exhibit strong prefer-

75 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE Borrower Characteristics and Credit Supply The Role of Cashless Payment Systems in Shrinking Expansion in the US Residential Mortgage Market: the Underground Economy Evidence from 2010–2015 Daphne Schermer, International Relations Raghav Saraogi, Finance, Statistics Sponsor: Professor Alastair Smith, Politics Sponsor: Professor Arpit Gupta, Finance, Stern School of Do cashless payment systems increase the rate of Business sales tax revenue collected? Do electronic payment systems This study estimates the relative effects of changes make it harder to avoid paying sales tax? Do countries with in borrower characteristics and subsequent credit policy higher levels of corruption have higher rates of cash-based changes on the revival in mortgage debt and loan approv- transactions and therefore collect less sales tax revenue? al rates, post the financial crisis of 2007–2009. Using These questions were analyzed in a country-year time series loan-level data from the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act dataset, specifically, the EU’s 28-member countries over (HMDA) and IRS tax-return income data, the study finds the 15-year period from 2000–2015. The cashless-payment trends in median applicant income closely match those of system indicators and EU’s sales tax data- known as the median IRS income per ZIP code between 2010–2015, a Value-Added Tax (VAT) were gathered from the European trend which indicates the mortgage market has attracted Central Bank’s data portal, Eurostat. As a measurement of applicants from across the income distribution during this corruption, Transparency International’s, 0–100 scale of time. The aggregate increase in debt has not been dispro- individual’s self-reported perception of their country was portionately higher in high-income areas and approval used. Population, GDP, and GDP growth data were added rates have increased across the distribution of income as controls from the World Bank Indicators. Both models and credit scores. In contrast with existing literature that with country fixed-effects and models without fixed-ef- suggests lower credit access along credit scores, ZIP codes fects were run with country-clustered standard error. The with lower average credit scores were found to have expe- statistically significant results were mixed. VAT rates were rienced the highest levels of income growth. A Bartik in- found in every model to positively affect the rate of reve- strument for income was used to show that this has driven nue collected, whereas cashless payment, country size, and higher approval rates and mortgage origination both along corruption indicators empirically supported hypotheses in the extensive and intensive margins of mortgage origina- models depending on the presence of fixed-effects. Thus, tion. these results suggest the incentives behind the hypotheses may cancel each other out: in corrupt countries, citizens Crime and Immigrant Education: An Exploration in are disincentivized to adopt cash-less payment systems, UK Police Force Areas whereas in more compliant countries payment of VAT is Natalina Schappach, International Relations not avoided, regardless of payment method. Sponsor: Professor Kathleen Doherty, Politics, Public Policy Examining the Effects of Explicit Affirmative Action Is it true that the level of crime in England is affect- Programs on Students of Color at Elite Universities ed by the educational mastery of immigrant youth? The Yousaf Shakil, Social and Cultural Analysis answer not only has important political implications but Sponsor: Professor Caitlin M Zaloom, Social and also adds valuable material to the scholarship regarding Cultural Analysis crime that has been somewhat lacking in its consideration While the issue of affirmative action is often de- of early youth education. This study tests the opportunity bated, not many examine the effects these programs have cost theory of crime and education while also exploring the on the students themselves, even though the practice of intermediate mechanisms through which the relationship affirmative action based admissions is prevalent at New functions, though it differs largely from past research in York University (NYU) and many other elite universities. both its specific consideration of immigrant youth and its Through interviews with students of color at NYU, this ability to analyze crime and education data at the police study examines the ways discussions surrounding affirma- force area level within England. In analyzing the crime tive action affect a student’s experience. More specifically, rates and educational mastery data of immigrant students the study separates interviews with students of color who from 38 UK police force areas across six academic school are specifically admitted through an affirmative action years, the study finds higher educational mastery of im- program, like the NYU Opportunity Programs (OP), and migrant youth is inversely related to crime throughout all students of color who were not. The interviews with the OP property crime models and most homicide models, sug- students and non-OP students makes it possible to under- gesting the explanatory power of crime opportunity cost stand how the label of “affirmative action” student affects theory. a student’s experience, understanding of the term qualifica- tion, and belonging to their university. Similarly, OP itself is examined and how students admitted through the pro-

76 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 gram feel about it. Findings speak to how discussions and because they were assigned, depending on condition. No public perception surrounding affirmative action influence significant interactions were found between gender and students’ experience with the imposter phenomenon, i.e., success condition. However, other interesting trends did the idea that they don’t actually belong or deserve to be at emerge: women who volunteered for the position were their respective institution. perceived as having more potential to succeed than women who were assigned, but the same pattern did not hold true Climate Change in Western Australia: How Dairy for men. Similarly, women who volunteered were more and Meat Farmers Tackle the Balancing Act between respected than women who were assigned, while for men Animal Welfare and Profits that made no difference. Interestingly, this suggests that Dakshayani Shankar Sthipam, French, Journalism when women were assigned to a leadership position their Sponsor: Professor Jason Samuels, Journalism success was perceived as less legitimate and less indica- Australia, currently the world’s fourth largest ex- tive of potential than when they volunteered. While these porter of milk produce (Dairy Australia, 2018) and nearly results do not lend support to the initial hypothesis, they $1.17 million worth of beef and veal (Department of Ag- provide an interesting direction for future research. riculture, 2018), has seen a sharp warming in its climate that has decreased rainfall and reshaped winter durations Political Representation and Crimes against Women: since 2013 (Australian Bureau of Meteorology, 2016). At A Case Study of India’s Vidhan Sabhas the same time, the Australian government, under the lead- Kathleen Shea, International Relations ership of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has slashed en- Sponsor: Professor B. Peter Rosendorff, Politics vironment funding by a third and axed funding entirely for In 2018, gender-based violence and crime remains its National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility a global problem. In many cases, there exists a lack of in 2017 and 2018 (Guardian, 2017–2018). However, the thorough investigation in relation to these types of crimes. biggest farmers in Australia’s largest state, Western Austra- However, representatives for women can improve police lia, are facing the effects of climate change directly in their responsiveness to these cases. As a case study, Ordinary near 1000-cow farms. They are laden with the responsibil- Least Squares (OLS) regression analysis is utilized to ex- ity of delivering the same level of milk and meat produce press the relationship between female legislators for each as previous years while sustaining their environment and of India’s lower state legislatures, otherwise called Vidhan animals. This documentary explores the lives of surviving Sabhas, and the change in statistics on dowry death and dairy farmers, Gregory Woodward and Victor Rodwell, kidnapping of women cases. The results demonstrate a sig- and meat veteran, Eddie Zambenetti, and how they have nificant positive effect of female political representation on incorporated changes to deal with decreased rainfall and dowry death cases charged, sent to trial, and convicted as rising heat. While Mr. Woodward believes in the idea of well as persons arrested and charged for the kidnapping of climate change and attempts to deal with the energy and women. Due to this improvement in the redressal of crimes vegetation situation of climate change, Mr. Zambenetti and law enforcement outcomes for crimes against women blames less progress on the government’s funding cuts. with increased female representation, dowry death cases Finally, Mr. Rodwell tries to use new technology to tone reported also increased as perceptions of law enforcement down its effects. At a time when more farms are shutting and the legal and political efficacy of female citizens im- down, this documentary asks whether climate change will proved. destroy these long-standing Australian legacies. On the Limitations of Resistance in a Capitalist Storytelling and Evaluations Society: Squatting in New York City and Berlin Mira Sharma, Neural Science, Psychology Hannah Shulman, Metropolitan Studies Sponsor: Professor Madeline Heilman, Psychology Sponsor: Professor Sophie Gonick, Social and Cultural Research on women who are successful in tradi- Analysis tionally masculine positions shows they are often disliked Political squatting, as opposed to squatting out of and derogated (Heilman and Wallen, 2004). Exploring the need, largely concerns itself with pointing out the deficien- specific conditions when this happens would allow a bet- cies in capitalist urban development. Although scholar- ter understanding of why this occurs. It was hypothesized ship exists on the intersection between capitalism, urban that a woman who is successful in a masculine field due to development, and squatting, there are fewer discussions her ambitions would face backlash but that this effect will about the codependent relationship between squatting and not occur if her success is due to external circumstances. the capitalist system. Moreover, the New York City and The study used a 2x2 factorial design. Participants were Berlin squatting movements have yet to be brought into told that a student (male or female) became a group leader conversation with each other within this context. Through in a STEM class either because they really wanted to or discussions about capitalist notions of private property and

77 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE its associated rights, gentrification, and the role of munic- significantly higher due to procedural inefficiency and im- ipalities within this realm, this thesis examines the ways plementational bias on the part of the responding agencies. in which the capitalist system paradoxically appropriates To perform this analysis, the project first examined wheth- political squatting in order to further its own economic er a higher frequency of calls in high income communities success. The study draws upon the narrative of squatters would justify any difference in responsiveness. Then, data in New York City and Berlin, beginning in the 1970s, in was divided into low- and high-income groups. In com- order to understand how they affected cities to illustrate the paring the two groups, it was found that despite a higher broader implications of capitalism on the realm of urban call volume in low-income census tracts, higher-income governance, resistance movements, and urban develop- areas experienced shorter wait times for the same public ment. services, which indicates the existence of procedural and implementational barriers to service accessibility for low Original Song income constituents. Justin Smith, Journalism, Music Sponsor: Professor Jason Samuels, Journalism The Effect of Economic Uncertainty on the People often focus on the glitz and glamour of the Extremeness of Candidates’ Platforms multi-billion dollar music industry, but this documentary Graham Streich, Economics, Politics dives into the world of the people who actually write and Sponsor: Professor Patrick Egan, Politics create our favorite songs. Using data from Adam Bonica, Nicholas Bloom, The documentary follows two young songwriters, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2000 census, and FRED Austin Zudeck and Justin Thunstrom, in their journey to at the Federal Reserve Bank St. Louis, a robust OLS write the next hit song. Along the way, they travel through model was used to analyze the effect of economic uncer- New York City, Nashville, and Los Angeles to work with tainty on the extremeness of Congressional candidates’ some of the top songwriters in the country. The film cap- positions. The relationship between economic uncertainty tures the intricacies of creating a song while showing the and candidate extremeness was significant across all seat/ many difficulties songwriters face, as a moving melody or party types. Candidates running for the Senate Democrat, compelling set of lyrics makes up just a tiny part of the House Democrat, and House Republican seats tended to battle. The documentary starts by focusing on their pro- movement towards more moderate positions as uncertainty cess and watches them piece a song together. They hope increased, while the opposite effect occurred with Senate to make a song that people will enjoy, identify with, and Republican candidates. The effect of uncertainty is about can’t stop humming, all while sounding completely origi- ten times larger in the House than in the Senate. These find- nal. The film then travels with them to Los Angeles, where ings suggest economic uncertainty affects candidate posi- they come up with a very catchy melody. They might have tion, which is explainable via changes in voting behavior. a hit on their hands, but it quickly becomes apparent that it may sound too much like other songs. They work to try “We’re All Aging Alone”: Finding Structure, and save the song, but explain that they write hundreds of Belonging and a Second Family in Senior Centers songs, and even the best ones may never see the light of Eugenia Tang, Sociology day. Through it all, they just want their voices to be heard. Sponsor: Professor Ruth Horowitz, Sociology As Baby Boomers age and life expectancy contin- How High-Income Communities Receive More ues to rise, NYC’s rapidly aging population will increas- Effective and Efficient Service from Municipally ingly turn to various systems to manage the aging-in-place Managed Public Services: Evidence from New York process. Senior centers in NYC act as a valuable functional City 311 Call Data and social resource, and this project investigated the nature Janve Sobers, Politics of the social role these centers serve and their importance Sponsor: Professor Christopher Dawes, Politics for older adults of all racial and class backgrounds. It was This study examines the impact of wealth on ser- found that when older adults retire, the major institutions vice accessibility and quality in a neighborhood. This cor- that structured their lives up till that point such as family, relation is analyzed using New York City’s comprehensive work, and civic participation fade away and the senior cen- record of calls made to the 311-public-service-hotline, ter as an institution is integral in providing structure by an- which connects callers to necessary public services. The choring their lives around something purposeful. Coming main question is whether 311 calls from socioeconomically to the center also allows older adults to be with a commu- disadvantaged communities responded to with decreased nity of people facing similar problems which offers a sense promptness (i.e. longer response times), and, if so, for what of reassurance and comfort not found elsewhere, leading reason. It was hypothesized that for census tracts of low to the development of a sense of belonging. A spectrum, median household income, average call response time is in terms of the level of structure in the social interactions,

78 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 also emerged: it can vary from unstructured hanging out microfinance success at the country-level in relation to where older adults come to the center simply to be among such macro-economic and institutional features. Doing other people, to more structured participation in organized so allows a broader understanding of where MFIs fit into activities. Many older adults regard the senior center as a the larger context of economic and political development. second family because it has come to occupy such a core Using data from 373 MFIs in 74 countries, this thesis finds part of their lives and has become a place where they can countries with high levels of wealth and democracy foster age alone together. the most MFI success while access to natural resources, quality of regulation, and corruption have no significant The Role of Social Class on Abstract Thinking and impact on success. Performance Yu Tang, Economics, Psychology Voter Registration, Convenience Costs, and Social Sponsor: Dr. Marie Crouzevialle, Psychology Networks for College Students Social class is commonly defined as the result of Benjamin Tice, Politics material wealth, educational attainment, occupational Sponsor: Professor Christopher Dawes, Politics prestige and income (Kraus, 2015) and strongly shapes This study assesses the costs and benefits of reg- people’s lives in terms of habits, comfort, and choice of istering to vote for those enrolled in college. To do this, hobbies. Social class also influences the way individuals college students were recruited through Amazon’s Me- perceive others and their environment as well as the at- chanical Turk and given a brief survey. The survey asked tention they grant them. Research shows belonging to the respondents about where they lived both before and low social class is a disadvantage in the classroom: dif- while attending college as well as general demographic ferences in social class are associated with increasingly questions. The survey concluded by randomly presenting large achievement gaps (OECD, 2014). Low social class respondents with one of four hypothetical scenarios: each students must face several psychological barriers that pre- scenario made an appeal to the respondent to register to vent upward social mobility (Jury, Smeding et al., 2017). vote and asked if they wished to receive information about This project examines the well-documented disadvantage registering. Two of the four scenarios included the respon- of low social class individuals in educational settings from dents’ answers for the town or city they lived in before col- a still unexplored perspective, namely construal level lege, the other two for the town or city they lived in during theory (Trope and Liberman, 2010). Here, it is proposed college. Furthermore, two of the four scenarios included that social class influences abstract thinking and the ability a social network prompt saying a list of registered voters to expand one’s mental horizon, which should affect goal in the place of residence included in the scenario would pursuit and goal-related behaviors. Construal level theo- be published in a local paper. The scenario including the ry posits abstraction is a key process that allows forming respondents’ reported hometown or city but that did not representations of distal objects such as goals, plans, and include the social network prompt was used as a baseline ambitions. This ability to expand one’s mental horizons for comparison. Results survey showed the scenario in- has major implications for goal pursuit. The project should cluding the respondents’ reported college town or city and improve our understanding of the psychological barriers the social network prompt depressed agreement to receive faced by low social class people and that hinders their information about registration. chances of upward social mobility. A Syntactic Analysis of Negation in Latin: Negated What Determines Microfinance Success? Quantifier Phrases Emily Termotto, International Relations Maria Tierney, Linguistics Sponsor: Professor Alastair Smith, Politics Sponsor: Professor Christopher Collins, Linguistics Microfinance institutions (MFIs) are regarded as This project examines the occurrence and distri- key tools of poverty alleviation in the developing world. bution of negated quantifier phrases (NQPs) in Classical By providing micro-loans, lines of credit, and insurance to Latin. Relevant properties such as the word order and those who lack the sufficient capital or credit history to par- syntactic constraints in Latin will serve as background for ticipate in the formal banking sector, MFIs serve as a bridge this analysis. Negation in Latin will be examined within towards financial inclusion. In an attempt to increase finan- these syntactic constraints in an attempt to determine its cial and social impact, development researchers often look structure in order to inform the analysis of NQPs. The first at these micro-loan institutions on the individual level from part of this project will serve as a foundation for the syn- within. While such assessments are helpful in understand- tactic analysis of the constituency of NQPs. For example, ing individual MFIs, they overlook broader influences from the following strings are examples of NQPs in Latin: non the governments and macro-economies within which these omnis vir (“not every man”), non omnes (“not all people/ institutions operate. This paper evaluates determinants of not everyone”), non multi (“not many people”), and non

79 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE nullus/non nemo (“not nobody”). Constituency tests must the present study compared ASD and normal-developing be used in order to establish whether these strings are individuals’ ability to infer mental states at the unconscious indeed constituents. First is an examination of negation level through implicit measures of association. Using the of the quantifier phrase omnis “every” in its various case False Recognition Paradigm, this study examined the rate forms. After looking at the distribution of non omnis in its of unintended and unconscious inferences of traits and various case forms, the study will turn to an analysis of mental states (i.e. beliefs, intentions, goals) in 98 NYU double negation of quantifiers. Examples of doubly negat- undergraduates who scored either “High” or “Low” on the ed quantifier phrases in Latin are non nemo “not nobody”, Autism Quotient Scale (Barron-Cohen et al., 1985). Re- non nullus “not not anybody”, and non numquam “not sults yielded no significant main effect of Autism Quotient never”. These examples contrast sharply with English and on spontaneous inferences. Bivariate correlations showed Modern Romance languages which do not permit this kind no relationship between trait/state false recognition rates of double negation. It will be revealing to examine how the and AQ score, “High” or “Low” AQ group belonging, or behavior of doubly negated quantifiers in Latin contrasts Social Skill sub-scores. In other words, individuals scoring with that of the other NQPs. Specifically, the difference high on the Autism Spectrum did not unconsciously infer in their distributions with pronouns provides interesting fewer mental states or traits from behavioral descriptions evidence of the constituency of doubly negated quantifier than their normal-developing counterparts. Methodolog- phrases in Latin. ical concerns and directions for future research are dis- cussed. Understanding the Experiences of Accessing Safe Abortion in Malaysia Group Identification and the Role of Neural Amanda Tiew, English and American Literature Synchrony in Collective Performance Sponsor: Professor Siwei Cheng, Sociology Simone Van Taylor, Psychology Accessing safe abortion within parts of the world Sponsor: Jay Van Bavel, Psychology like Southeast Asia has become increasingly infrequent and Despite humans being social animals, most work difficult as global restrictions such as the Trump-enforced studying the underlying neuroscience of psychology has gag rule infiltrate local sectors of Global South medical focused solely on individuals. This contradicts evidence practice. Conventions such as religious, sociopolitical, and suggests that humans’ psychology and behaviors are fun- legal restrictions continue to obstruct access to safe and damentally different when interacting with others. Recent affordable abortion services under 15 weeks of pregnancy. research has begun to explore the role of brain-to-brain This study focuses on the experiences of accessing safe (neural) synchrony in dyadic interactions (e.g., speaker-lis- abortion in Malaysia, a country of 32 million residents, tener neural coupling predicting speech comprehension). of which 10% of the population are migrant workers from However, little is still known about the role of neural syn- countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, chrony in dynamic group interactions. This study there- where migrant work laws state that any migrant worker fore examines whether group identification elicits neural found to be pregnant must be immediately sent back to synchrony and predicts collective performance. Groups of their home country. An abortion clinic on the opposi- 4 were randomly assigning to either a team or individual tion-ruled island of Penang is studied, with interviews condition. The author recorded EEG from all participants being conducted of their patients, comprising of both local as they worked on a set of problem-solving tasks. Partici- Malaysians and migrant workers. Factors such as black pants in the team condition worked together and competed market sales, migrant work laws, deportation, population, against other teams for a cash prize, whereas participants price and geographical accessibility are assessed to further in the individual condition worked independently and understand safe abortion accessibility. With more in-depth competed against each other for a cash prize. Behaviorally, understanding, hopes continue to build for increased ac- it was found that group identification predicts a post-task cess to safe and legal abortion services not only in Penang cooperation measure, with teams identifying more strongly but throughout the rest of Malaysia. as a group and cooperating more than groups of individu- als. In addition, teams generally outperformed individuals, Measuring Theory of Mind on the Autism Spectrum though pooling individual performance reduced this dif- Catherine Trad, Psychology ference. Although neural data analysis is in progress, it is Sponsor: Professor James Uleman, Psychology predicted that neural synchrony will be higher in teams and Research shows Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) will be associated with group identification and collective is associated with an impaired Theory of Mind (ToM), or performance, reflecting a process of shared attention and ability to interpret another’s beliefs, emotions, and inten- mutual coordination. tions (Barron-Cohen, Leslie et al., 1985). While most stud- ies have examined this deficiency at the conscious level,

80 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018

No Reservations: Gender Performance in study first answers what are the best predictors of human Celebrity Chefs trafficking through the model of supply and demand. Us- Natasha Mardach Verdon, Anthropology ing country-level data of a single year, the OLS regression Sponsor: Professor Thomas Abercrombie, Anthropology result not only points to poverty as an important predictor In 2013 Time magazine released an issue titled “The of the increase in trafficking supply but also provides ev- Gods of Food”, featuring seven professional chefs that idence that corruption has great association as well. The “most influence what we eat—and how we think about it”. study then tests the effect of the human trafficking treaty, Of the seven, only one female chef, Aida Batlle, was high- Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in lighted. More recently, only 20% of professional chefs and Persons, on state polices. A difference in difference model head cooks are women. From within the food industry has reflects that countries do not implement better policies af- emerged the phenomenon of celebrity chefs. Through their ter the treaty came into force. In fact, countries make less public performances, celebrity chefs teach their viewers effort, suggesting that a central framework may not be the about more than just food preparation as they also produce best approach in the combat of trafficking. gender identities through their language, gestures, and use The Development of Action Anticipation of Tool Use: of space. Celebrity chefs’ public performances provide EEG and Eye-Tracking information on how gender is understood and established Melody Xu, Individualized Study within this field. More importantly, celebrity chefs have the Sponsor: Professor Karen Adolph, Psychology opportunity to reinforce or inspire change to gender norms through their public performances. While there has been People are strikingly flexible in their use of tools. research on gender in cooking, this project is one of the Flexible tool use requires the ability to predict the out- few to look at how specific celebrity chefs construct their comes of future actions. Visual information is instrumental gender identity and the impact this has had on the culinary for planning movements in action production and for un- world. By focusing on this gastronomical microcosm, this derstanding and anticipating other people’s movements in research can help us better understand gender norms and action perception. Previous research shows adults are high- ideologies within American culture as a whole. ly flexible during action production and action perception. In both, adults seamlessly shift their gaze toward the goal Tracing Prevalence and Policy: A Study on Human or endpoint prior to completion of the action (Woodward Trafficking et al., 2001). In contrast, previous work shows that young Betty Wang, Politics, Spanish children (< 4 years of age) show dramatic deficits in action Sponsor: Professor Kathleen Doherty, Politics, Public production tasks: they fail to plan efficiently when the end Policy goal is not immediately available to perception (Comalli et Research on human trafficking has primarily fo- al., 2014). However, little is known about children’s ability cused on its predictors and preventions. Scholars have dis- to anticipate the actions of others in action perception tasks. cussed that the number of trafficked persons is associated Using an interdisciplinary approach combining eye track- with a wide range of factors and international treaties are ing, electroencephalography (EEG), and machine-learn- frameworks that help states realize the goals of prevention, ing techniques, this study examined action anticipation protection, and prosecution through domestic policies. This in 4-year-olds and adults as they observed video clips of actors pounding a peg. It was found that adults consistent-

81 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE ly fixated on the task-relevant features of the scene—the may or may not be changing to accommodate a more fluid tool (hammer) and end goal (peg)—prior to the actor’s understanding of gender. To track possible changes to Ital- movement onset, but children did not. Differences were ian, both textual and media representations of transgender also found in neural activity between children and adults. and non-binary persons, as well as regulations established Results suggest children fail to comprehend the task-rele- by the European Union and other governmental agencies vant features of the scene and therefore fail to successfully with regard to gender neutral language used for official anticipate the actions of others. purposes were examined. Such regulations are examples of verbal hygiene which is the driving force for prescriptive Inferential Reasoning Ability in Patients with language change, and it is through the process of verbal Temporal Lobe Epilepsy hygiene that linguistic accommodation can occur for those SuMin (Christina) Yu, Psychology who do not fit within the existing gender binary. Sponsor: Professor Anli Liu, Neurology, NYU School of Medicine Investigating Order Effects of Construal Level on Being able to establish relationships and draw con- Priming clusions about events not directly experienced together, Sheryl Zhang, Psychology i.e., inferential reasoning, is a crucial aspect of daily life Sponsors: Ethan Ludwin-Peery, Psychology; Professor that requires the flexible use of memory. Although this Yaacov Trope, Psychology phenomenon is experienced daily, the effect of epilepsy on A great deal of research has pointed to Construal this cognitive ability is unknown. Out of the many cog- Level Theory’s (CLT) possible role in facilitating priming nitive complications associated with this disorder, mem- effects. High-level construal prompts people to engage in ory impairment is a common comorbidity in patients with abstract thinking by highlighting the broader implications Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE). This study investigates of their goals and behavior. In contrast, low-level construal the effects of TLE in regards to inferential reasoning abil- prompts people to engage in concrete thinking that focuses ity. Participants were recruited based on their TLE status: on current context. According to Fujita and Trope (2014), right TLE, left TLE, generalized epilepsy, and healthy high-level construal promotes priming effects when controls. They will all be tested on their ability to correctly the prime is consistent with a person’s long-term goals, match objects pairs and to infer object associations using whereas low-level construal promotes priming effects after the Object Inference Task. Participants were shown a se- people determine their goal in the current context. Based ries of objects pairs (AB, BC) and were asked to match on this, some previous research has shown high-level direct pairs (AB) as well as infer indirect object associa- construal can better assimilate primed traits into people’s tions (AC). It was predicted that TLE patients will perform judgment than low-level construal (Förster, Liberman et worse than patients with generalized epilepsy and healthy al., 2008), but others have found the opposite (Henderson controls, respectively, on the Direct Object Pairing Task. It and Wakslak, 2010). Fujita and Trope (2014) suggested the was also expected to patients with right TLE patients will contradictory results might be due to methodological dif- be the most impaired in doing the Indirect Object Inference ferences in the studies, as Förster et. Al. (2008) presented Task as compared to patients with left TLE, generalized the construal level manipulation before priming stimuli, epilepsy, and healthy controls, respectively. These findings and Henderson and Wakslak (2010) did the opposite. This will provide further evidence for memory impairments in suggestion will be tested by conducting a similar study and TLE and provide a better understanding of specific cogni- manipulating the order of the priming and construal level tive implications caused by epilepsy. manipulations. Results will provide a systematic evidence of when and how priming effects occur and a framework Fuori dal Binario: Linguistic Gender in the Italian for future research to fully understand why priming effects Context occur. Samuel Zawacki, Italian, Linguistics Sponsor: Professor Rebecca Falkoff, Italian Studies How Mental Simulation Affects Goal-Pursuit This thesis explores linguistic gender both funda- Flexibility mentally and with specific regard to the Italian language. Tianyun (Sky) Zhang, Psychology Grammatical, lexical, and connotative gender exist within Sponsor: Professor Gabriele Oettingen, Psychology thousands of languages across nearly all language families Can process-oriented mental simulation lead to and work in unison with our cognitive frameworks to incul- inflexibility in the goal-pursuit process relative toout- cate a linguistic sexism a rigid gender binary. Starting with come-oriented mental simulation? 140 participants played an analysis of linguistic gender and then looking at Italian an online computer game which involved the attainment as a case study, this thesis aims to define the use of linguis- of a goal that could be achieved through three different tic gender within the Italian language and how that system methods, and they decided in advance which method to

82 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 use. A third of the participants mentally simulated the pro- defined by their political partisanship whereas in the other cess of working on the goal, a third mentally simulated the half, they were defined by their race. In addition, half of the outcome of having attained this goal, and the remaining offers were made by participants’ social in-group members mentally simulated a non-goal-related scenario. Analysis to out-group members whereas the other half were made in showed that those who simulated the process took longer the opposite direction. A Generalized Estimating Equation than those in the other two conditions to switch to an alter- analysis revealed a marginally significant three-way inter- native method of goal-pursuit when the originally chosen action effect among the intergroup context, offer direction, method was revealed to be ineffective, but this difference and social identification on prejudice detection but not did not reach statistical significant. punishment. Participants were hypervigilant for prejudice (i.e., unfairness) in offers made in the political context, but To Stay or Migrate? Preferences and Occupational only when they highly identified with their political party Choice in China’s Rural Ethnic Tourism Industry and when the offer was made to their political in-group Virginia Zhang, Economics, Sociology members. These results suggest that social identification is Sponsor: Professor Ann Morning, Sociology crucial to understanding people’s tolerance of prejudice in Though rural workers in China now have more political but not racial contexts. opportunities for rural-urban migration, they still face un- certainties in urban labor markets. For many rural Chinese The Effects of Identity- and Action-Focused Language ethnic minority workers, jobs in the growing domestic across Domains ethnic tourism industry provide comparable, even prefer- Yian Zhang, Neural Science able, alternatives to migrant labor. This study interviews Sponsor: Professor Marjorie Rhodes, Psychology Miao ethnic minority villagers in Guizhou Province to The use of categorical labels to describe social understand the factors behind their decision whether to groups can lead individuals to believe that group members work in their local ethnic tourism industry or migrate possess stable and inherent qualities (Rhodes, Leslie et al., for urban work. It then investigates the channels through 2012). This can be potentially problematic for individuals which the tourism industry’s growth affects the villagers’ who do not possess stereotypic properties of the group economic stability, lifestyles, and cultural identity. Lastly, (e.g., gender). Previous research demonstrated that iden- it advocates for a deeper understanding of rural workers’ tity-focused language about “scientists” decreases girls’ preferences across developing contexts in order to design persistence in a science task (Rhodes and Bushara, 2015). targeted solutions for rural poverty reduction and rural-ur- The present research aims to understand how identity- and ban inequality. action-focused language affects persistence across devel- opment in domains other than science. To test this ques- Social Identity Shapes Perception of In-Group and tion, 4- and 5-year-old children were told that an identical Out-Group Bias between Racial and Political Contexts task was either a “science” or “caring” game and were in- Yi Zhang, Philosophy, Psychology troduced to the game using identity- or action-focused lan- Sponsor: Anne Hill, Psychology; Professor Jon Freeman, guage. Among younger children (M age = 4.4) who heard Psychology about a science game, there was a main effect of language People openly express prejudice toward political and children persisted more after hearing action-focused out-group members but are intolerant of prejudice toward language. Among older children (M age = 5.2) who heard racial out-group members. The present study examined about a science game, there was an interaction between lan- whether social identity modulates the perception and reg- guage and gender such that only girls persisted more after ulation of prejudice in political versus racial contexts. It hearing action-focused language. For children who heard was hypothesized that people react differentially to prej- about a caring game, task persistence was not predicted by udice between political and racial contexts because they language. These findings provide evidence that the effect identify differentially with their race and political party. of language on children’s science persistence differs by Non-African American participants completed a modified gender and changes across development. Furthermore, this Third-Party Punishment (TPP) task, in which they judged pattern emerges differently across domains and suggests the fairness of point allocations (i.e., offers) made by one that language interacts with other factors (e.g., stereotypes, to another and were given the opportunity to punish the environment) to affect persistence. offerer. In half the offers, the offerer and receiver were

83

INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018

STEM

Redistribution of Natural Killer Cell Subsets in and CD16+56+ NK cells, and a parallel expansion of a Pediatric HIV Infection functionally anergic CD56- subset, which correlated with Aparna Alankar, Biology, English and American worsening HIV disease progression as shown by %CD4, Literature HIV viral load, and CD4:CD8 ratio. Sponsor: Professor Alka Khaitan, Microbiology, NYU School of Medicine CpG ODN Immunomodulation through TLR9 Presents an Effective Treatment Option in a Despite recent progress in understanding the patho- Repressible Transgenic Mouse Model of Tau genesis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, Pathology in Alzheimer’s Disease HIV remains a significant global concern. HIV-infected Grant Allington, Biochemistry children progress to acquired immunodeficiency syn- Sponsor: Professor Henrieta Scholtzova, Neurology, NYU drome (AIDS) much more rapidly than adults (Tobin and School of Medicine Aldrovandi, 2013). Reasons for this disparity in disease progression may be related to HIV-induced perturbations Among the leading causes of death in America, Alz- in a developing immune system. Natural killer (NK) cells heimer’s disease (AD) is chiefly characterized by the pres- are a critical component of innate immunity. NK cells re- ence of AD-related pathologies including amyloid plaques, lease cytokines which induce inflammation, regulate cell tau pathology, and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). As development, and shape adaptive immune responses. NK AD progresses, innate immune cells, such as resident mi- cells also employ natural cytotoxicity and lyse target cells. croglia and peripheral macrophages, can exhibit senescent NK cells are divided into subsets based on CD56 expres- profiles characterized by impaired migration and phagocy- sion, and these subsets are developmentally distinct and tosis. This project seeks to rectify this age-related deficit occupy different functional niches (Moretta, Bottino et al., in immune cell activity via the stimulation of toll-like re- 2002; Campbell and Hasegawa, 2013). Perturbations in ceptor 9 (TLR9). TLR9 is localized in the endosomal com- NK cell distribution and function have been observed in partment, where it can recognize DNA oligodeoxynucle- direct correlation to worsened HIV disease progression in otides (ODN) containing unmethylated cytosine-guanine adults (Brunetta, Hudspeth et al., 2010). Systematic char- (CpG) sequences. The lab has previously established CpG acterizations of NK cell subsets and their redistributions ODN as an effective immunomodulator drug, significantly in pediatric HIV infection have not been performed. This decreasing both amyloid and tau pathologies in several study evaluated NK cell subset phenotype and function different transgenic mouse models of AD. However, in in 77 perinatally-HIV-infected Kenyan children and in addition to the hallmark pathologies associated with AD 43 uninfected healthy controls. CD16-56++, CD16+56+, and marked change in neural immune environment, one of and CD56- NK cell subsets were analyzed. Results show the characterizing features of AD in humans is the death of a redistribution of NK cell subsets in pediatric HIV infec- significant numbers of neuron cells. Correspondingly, the tion, specifically a depletion of functional CD16-56++ loss of brain tissue can trigger an abnormal reactive glial

85 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE and astrocyte growth. Accordingly, age-matched rTg4510 A Screen to Identify Ribosomal Proteins with mice were treated with CpG ODN and vehicle (VEH, Specialized Roles in the Translation of Herpes Simplex saline) injections and subsequent immunohistochemical Virus 1 mRNAs stainings were performed using: glial fibrillary acidic pro- John Andrews, Anthropology, Biology tein (GFAP), protein tyrosine phosphatase, receptor type C Sponsor: Professor Ian Mohr, Microbiology, NYU School (CD45), paired helical filament 1 (PHF1), microtubule-tau of Medicine conformer 1 (MC1), ionized calcium binding adaptor In the last decade, studies have begun to suggest molecule 1 (Iba1), and Hexaribonucleotide Binding Pro- ribosomes—the ribonucleoprotein machines in cells tein-3 (NeuN) antibodies. Semiquantitative analyses were that translate genetic material (mRNA) into functional performed for the GFAP, CD45, PHF1, MC1, and Iba1 proteins—may have a regulatory function in eukaryotic markers. A significant, region specific reduction in tau translation beyond the traditionally acknowledged catalyt- pathology, as observed by PHF1 and MC1, was found ic role. The budding hypothesis postulates that there exist between CpG ODN-treated and VEH groups. Preliminary ribosomes with varying protein compositions that translate analysis of Iba1 has also indicated a marked decrease in specific subsets of mRNA (Briggs and Dinman, 2017). microglial activation in CpG ODN-treated animals. No Previously, evidence emerged for the role of specialized differences were observed between CpG ODN and VEH ribosomes in facilitating translation during infection by treated animals for GFAP and CD45. Iba1 semiquantitative single-stranded RNA viruses (Lee, Burdeinick-Kerr et al., and NeuN stereological analyses are ongoing. 2012). This study proposes a screen for ribosomal proteins that may play an outsized role in facilitating the translation Early Life Maltreatment (Scarcity-Adversity Model) of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 (HSV-1) mRNAs, with- Induced Behavioral Deficits Are Repaired by out additionally compromising host mRNA translation. Environmental Enrichment Preliminary data from the first ~40 ribosomal proteins Eben Anane, Neural Science screened has shown that knockdown of the large ribo- Sponsor: Professor Regina Sullivan, Child and somal protein L23 (RPL23) by use of RNA interference Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine drastically impacts HSV-1 replication in cultured normal Deficits in social interactions and antisocial behav- human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs), reducing viral particle ior are among the earliest effects in early life trauma (e.g. production by >30 fold. Despite the severity of this impact parental maltreatment) and are linked with expression of on viral replication, no significant cell death is observed in later life psychopathology. Maltreated rat pups show be- uninfected cells with RPL23 depleted, though cell growth havioral and supposedly underlying neurological deficits rates are notably slowed. In the case of RPL23, the results in adolescence (Rincon-Cortes and Sullivan, 2014). The could potentially be caused by an induction of interferon in maltreated rats showed adult depressive-like behavior the transfected cells, making RPL23 an unlikely candidate measured by the forced swim test, as well as reduced neu- in the screen for specialized ribosomal function. Nonethe- ral activation in the amygdala and other regions suggested less, nearly 40 ribosomal proteins remain to be screened, in social functioning, such as the medial prefrontal cortex and thus further investigation is required to determine if (mPFC) and nucleus accumbens (NA) (Rincon-Cortes specialized ribosomes have a role in HSV-1 replication. and Sullivan, 2014). Such findings suggest corticolimbic involvement in the emergence of maltreatment-induced Does Auditory Acuity Predict Response to Visual- social deficits linked to adult depressive-like behavior and Acoustic Biofeedback? provide potential sites for remediation of these behavioral Samantha Ayala, Communicative Sciences and Disorders deficits. Understanding how these early life social behav- Sponsor: Professor Tara McAllister, Communicative iors can be repaired is of great public health importance. Sciences and Disorders, Steinhardt School of Culture, Here, through the use of a rodent model, we tested if Education, and Human Development placement into an enriched environment following scar- Visual-acoustic biofeedback technology may en- city-adversity rearing was able to repair social behavior hance speech learning in individuals with speech sound difficulties in peri-adolescent rats. Additionally, through disorders and second language learners. However, the de- the use of this rodent model, it was possible to explore gree of benefit varies greatly between individuals, suggest- the neurobiology associated with the protective effects of ing that individual speaker characteristics may modulate enriched environment on social behavior following scar- response to biofeedback. Based on previous research sug- city-adversity rearing, as well as the specific factors of the gesting links between perceptual acuity and precision in enriched environment that provided its protective effects. production, individuals with lower auditory acuity should show lower accuracy in producing non-native vowels from auditory input alone. It was hypothesized here that visu- al-acoustic biofeedback could compensate for low audito-

86 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 ry acuity by providing real-time visualization of acoustic chronic inflammation an accumulation of free radicals signal of speech sounds. Therefore, individuals with low leads to oxidative stress. ABTS assay demonstrated Lippia auditory acuity were expected to derive more benefit from has a strong antioxidant activity. Using the Folin-Ciocalteu visual-acoustic biofeedback than high acuity individuals. method, this study observed a close correlation between Twenty female native English speakers imitated isolated anti-oxidative capacity and phenolic content in Lippia. The productions of the Mandarin vowels /u/ and /y/ before and high R² value suggested polyphenolic compounds as ma- after a period of visual-acoustic biofeedback training. Au- jor bioactives against oxidative stress. To analyze potential ditory acuity was measured with an AXB auditory discrim- cytotoxicity different concentrations of Lippia multiflora ination task using adaptive presentation of stimuli from a were applied to human monocytes (U-937 cells) and cell synthesized /u/-/y/ continuum. Production accuracy was viability was analyzed using the MTT assay. As a result, measured via Mahalanobis Distance (MD) between par- there were no apparent toxic effects up to 100ug/ml. For ticipants’ productions and target sound distribution from analysis of the anti-inflammatory potential of Lippia, this the control speakers. A multiple linear regression model study used the inflammatory stimulant 12-O-tetradeca- revealed a negative correlation between baseline vowel noylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) to induce the differentiation production accuracy and magnitude of change in accuracy to macrophages in which genes of the inflammatory cas- from pre-to-post training. More data is to be included to cade are upregulated. In this cell-based model for inflam- investigate the correlation between auditory acuity and mation the study was measuring the expression of cycloo- learning outcomes. The findings suggest that individuals xygenase-2 which play a central role in the inflammatory with lower baseline accuracy of speech sounds may benefit cascade. After normalization to the house-keeping gene to a larger degree from visual-acoustic biofeedback than GAPDH results were expressed as delta CT (ΔCt) values, those with greater baseline accuracy. This information an indicator for the level of gene expression. To analyze may be useful for optimizing learning outcomes in clinical the anti-inflammatory potential the ∆Ct values of TPA vs settings. TPA treatment with Lippia were compared and expressed as ∆∆Ct. It was demonstrated that Lippia prominently The Development Process and Effects of Placing Social down-regulated the expression of COX-2. As a result, this Games in Virtual Reality analysis demonstrated evidence of bioactivity of Lippia Betty Bei, Computer Science against oxidative stress and inflammation. In future exper- Sponsor: Professor Kenneth Perlin, Computer Science iments, other inflammatory genes such asICAM-1 , TNF-α, Virtual reality (VR) places a user in a comput- IL-1ß will be analyzed. Moreover, a chemical character- er-generated experience that simulates real life. As the field ization of Lippia multiflora by nuclear magnetic (NMR) and technology has advanced greatly in the last decade, analysis is planned to identify polypenolic bioactives. many new questions can be asked about the experience. This study aims to answer the question of what challenges Decoding Stimulus Orientation Using MEG one faces while developing for multiplayer VR, and what Jillian Burns, Mathematics, Psychology happens when social card games are put into VR. Since Sponsor: Professor David Heeger, Psychology users must wear headsets that completely cover their field Previous studies have provided evidence that of vision, the level of ease in socially interacting with magnetoencephalography (MEG), a noninvasive form people in the game decreases. However, VR provides the of neuroimaging, is capable of decoding stimulus ori- benefit of a virtual world where anything can be generated entation—information known to be encoded in cortical to enhance the gaming experience. The social game used in columns, which are the basic functional units of the cere- this study is the card game designed by Seiji Kanai called bral cortex. Because MEG’s spatial resolution is not high Love Letter. enough to decode directly from this fine scale, these results suggest that cortical columns are arranged in coarse-scale Bioactivity of the Medicinal Plant Lippia multiflora maps, from which MEG can detect patterns. However, it against Oxidative Stress and Inflammation has not yet been determined whether these maps arise in Ilyasse Benezha, Science, Borough of Manhattan direct response to the stimulus orientation or in response Community College, CUNY; Shaiku Jollah, Science, to a confound, such as an edge effect. In order to deter- Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY mine whether orientation-decoding depends solely on Sponsor: Professor Alexander Gosslau, Science, Borough detecting the stimulus properties directly, it is necessary of Manhattan Community College, CUNY to rule out possible coarse-scale activation confounds that Lippia multiflora is used as herbal tea by local cul- MEG could be detecting instead. This study tested the hy- tures in Africa, Central, and South America to treat a variety pothesis that the edge surrounding a stimulus creates an of conditions associated with chronic inflammation such as effect that affects MEG’s decoding of orientation. To do so, gastrointestinal infections, asthma, and bronchitis. During MEG readings of participants viewing sinusoidal gratings

87 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE that have each been multiplied by either a radial or angu- project is to look at the Hamiltonian dynamics of the parti- lar modulator were analyzed, as these modulators create cle by exploiting the symplectic structure that comes in due orthogonal interactions with the gratings in a way similar to the physical properties of the problem. to how the edge around it does. We test whether there is a within-modulator or cross-modulator effect. The results Structural Characterization of YcjW: A Putative demonstrate that stimulus classification is impacted by the Escherichia coli LacI/GalR Transcription Repressor presence of modulators. Valentyna Chebanova, Biochemistry Sponsor: Professor Evgeny Nudler, Biochemistry and Light Driven Fluid Micro-Swimmers Molecular Pharmacology, NYU School of Medicine Yaelin Caba, Global Public Health/Chemistry YcjW is an uncharacterized putative LacI/GalR Sponsor: Matan Yah Ben Zion, Physics family transcription repressor that has been implicated in The collective motion of active matter, such as flocks endogenous hydrogen sulfide (H2S) production in Esch- and schools of fish, presents novel ways of understanding erichia coli. Hydrogen sulfide has been shown to confer movement. Scientists have yet to fully understand how as multi-drug resistance in a number of bacterial strains, sug- autonomous active agents they self-propel by converting gesting H2S signaling is involved in the bacterial antibiotic energy into cohesive motion. Modeling this phenomenon response. Research is currently under way to characterize provides insight as to how they function. More important- ycjW and uncover its role in cellular functioning. The cur- ly, the mechanism of self-propulsion at the small-scale rent work aims to elucidate the three-dimensional structure level allows one to design swimmers that do not require of ycjW through crystallization and X-ray diffraction. a substantial amount of energy. At a very low Reynolds Although a number of computational algorithms exist to number, micron-scale particles lack inertia and persistent predict protein structure, none are capable of providing an motion requires perpetual drive. This is analogous to entirely accurate or comprehensive view of the molecule in swimming in a pool filled with honey. Many scientists question. Experimental structural characterization is thus previously thought movement at this scale required energy imperative for a comprehensive understanding of both the from a chemical reaction. For this reason, they designed protein’s role in the cell and its biological function. Suc- micro-swimmers to be dependent on fuel. Here, a design cessful purification and crystallization of ycjW has yielded of light driven Marangoni micro-swimmers that bypasses crystals producing a 2.8 Å resolution diffraction. Current the need for fuel is presented. By combining an iron oxide efforts focus on optimization of existing crystals, followed light-absorbing bead with a fluid droplet, a micro-dimer by data collection and analysis. propelled by light was synthesized. Evolution of Neural Types in Drosophila Optic Lobes Is Killing Cyclotron Motion Murder? Using in Situ Hybridization Techniques Sanchit Chaturvedi, Mathematics Irene Cho, Biology Sponsors: Professor Antoine Cerfon, Mathematics; Dr. Sponsor: Professor Claude Desplan, Biology Josh Burby, Mathematics The medulla is the biggest neuropil in the Drosoph- The usual motion of a charged particle in a magnet- ila visual processing center. It receives direct color and ic field is a combination of two types of motions: circular polarized light from R7 and R8 photoreceptors that are motion, perpendicular to the field, and free-streaming in involved in color vision. It contains over 40,000 neurons the direction of the field. If the field is homogeneous in of 70 different types (Li, et al., 2013). Neurogenesis oc- space the circular motion can be prohibited by only im- curs at the region of the medulla called the tips of the outer parting initial velocity in the direction of the magnetic proliferation center (tOPC). At the tOPC, neurons generate field. But if the field is inhomogeneous, even if the initial in a specific cascade of cell types. This cell fate variation velocity has no perpendicular component, the particle can is driven by the temporal and spatial expression patterning develop the circular motion due to higher order drifts. The of transcription factors during neuroblast development. first order drift comes in due to the curvature which can The Desplan Lab has identified the five transcription fac- be understood as an outcome of inertia and the fact that tors that were sequentially expressed: Homothorax (Hth), the magnetic field changes direction in space. This study Eyeless (Ey), Sloppy paired 1 and 2 (Slp), Dichaete (D), shows that even in this case, due to scale separation of the and Tailless (Tll) (Li, et al., 2013). The regulative interac- circular motion and the free-streaming motion, the circular tions between these transcription factors are what deter- motion can be suppressed as accurately as required via a mine neuronal cell fate. This project studies the roles of perturbative analysis. The project uses dynamical systems Drosophila transcription factors btd and sp1 (founded by theory to prove that there is an invariant set in the phase Dr. Nikos Konstantinides). These transcription factors are space, that is, if the particle has initial position and velocity homologous to the human Sp-1 transcription factor and in this set, it does not leave the set. An extension of the

88 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 are believed to regulate development of specific neuronal of how and if cortical processing dysfunction can explain subtypes in the tOPC. observed behavioral deficits.

Identifying Low Dimensional Representation of Lectin Mediated Protein Trafficking to Exosomes Prehension with Neural Correlate in Premotor Cortex Jonathan Y Chung, Biochemistry Mahdi Choudhury, Neural Science Sponsor: Professor Lara Mahal, Chemistry Sponsor: Dr. Amy Orsborn, Neural Science Exosomes are vesicles approximately 40–100 nano- BMIs are incredibly useful tools for people that meters in diameter that are released from cells and have require BMI to function on their own. To improve BMI been implicated in intercellular communication (James functionality, many studies have been done to understand 2016). Exosomes contain a variety of cargo including pro- prehension in order to decode it. Prehension, the act of teins, microRNA, and messenger RNA. They have been reaching and grasping, is a very common action, yet due implicated in healthy and pathological states including to the number of joints it is a motion with high dimension- infant B-cell differentiation and cancer metastasis (Des- ality. However, research in decoding grasp movement has rochers, Antonyak et al., 2016; Vella 2016). Thus, studying been limited to instead study only a few features of grasp how cargo is recruited to exosomes may provide insight despite not having evidence to support studying them. This into how exosomes function in living systems. Like the cell project attempted to identify a low dimensional represen- membrane, the exosomal membrane is coated with glycans, tation of prehension with a good neural correlate in the structurally and compositionally complex polysaccharides motor cortex in order to focus prehension studies. It was but is enriched in certain glycan epitopes. Interestingly, the found that using linear state space models, a low dimen- glycomes of HIV-1 viral particles and exosomes are quite sional representation of the grasp task with a high accuracy similar, implying a relationship between enveloped viruses in neural decoding can be produced. and exosomes (Batista, Eng et al., 2011). The overall goal of this research is to determine how the exosomal glycome Developmental Hearing Loss Impairs Perceptual changes in response to immune system stimulus, what Sensitivity these changes are, and how they occur. Interferon alpha Susan Chow, Neural Science (IFN-α) proteins are cytokines produced by leukocytes and Sponsor: Professor Dan Sanes, Neural Science are involved in immune response to microbial infection The goal of this project is to determine whether (Ivashkiv and Donlin, 2015). A549 epithelial lung cancer developmental hearing loss (HL) induces well-correlated cells were treated with IFN-α and observed for changes deficits in auditory perception and auditory cortex (ACx) in the cellular and exosomal glycome. In particular, the encoding. Currently, developmental HL researchers are glycosylation of galectin-3-binding protein (Gal-3BP), a interested in identifying the central nervous system defi- protein found enriched in exosomes, changed upon IFN-α cits that may explain impairments in auditory processing. stimulation. This work will inform further research into the Previous research has shown that the ACx neurons of exosomal glycome and galectin-3-binding protein. normal hearing adult animals become more sensitive to acoustic stimuli during task performance (Fritz et al. 2003, An Efficiency Analysis of Combined Missing 2005, 2007; Scott et al. 2007; Otazu et al. 2009; Lee and Transverse Momentum Algorithms at the Large Middlebrooks 2011; Niwa et al. 2012; Buran et al. 2014; Hadron Collider Von Trapp et al., 2016). However, the casual relationship Joseph Corrado, Mathematics, Physics; Donald Pierce, between HL-related deficits and corresponding chang- Mathematics, Physics es in the brain remains unclear. It is not known whether Sponsor: Professor Allen Mincer, Physics the influence of task engagement, such as attention or The ATLAS Experiment at CERN seeks to find decision-making, is disrupted by developmental HL. new particles and properties of the universe by measuring Therefore, this study measures behaviorally-driven chang- the energy deposited after colliding high energy protons. es in ACx encoding between HL and control animals to When two protons collide, they decay into a cascade of determine if both sensory and non-sensory processes are byproducts which fly off with some energy that can be impaired with developmental hearing loss. The current measured by the detector. It is assumed that energy must behavioral results suggest that HL-reared gerbils perform be conserved in these interactions. Therefore, it is possi- worse than NH controls, displaying higher thresholds and ble to measure when this energy conservation is violated. just noticeable difference. Other ongoing experiments are Missing transverse energy is defined as the lack of energy testing if HL-related perceptual deficits correlate with di- associated with momentum of the byproducts in the plane minished behaviorally-gated ACx encoding changes. The transverse to the beampipe of the detector. The data gener- results may lead to a greater mechanistic understanding ated by this process is so large that one cannot hope to store or analyze all of it. As a result, a large fraction of events

89 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE must be rejected. This project seeks to maximize the prob- cific UPR-associated genes may regulate one another in a ability of keeping events that contain interesting physics by complex, cell-type specific manner. running a set of simple checks on the hardware embedded on the detector. These algorithms are called “triggers”. One-Pot Multistep Reactions Facilitated by Shell Triggers take the missing transverse momentum of a given Cross-Linked Micelles event and, based on a given threshold, reject events that do Olivia Cullen, Chemistry not correspond to a large probability of being an interesting Sponsor: Professor Marcus Weck, Chemistry event. Multiple triggers are currently in use at ATLAS that Amphiphilic ABC triblock copolymers were compute the probabilities in different ways. This analysis self-assembled into micelles and subsequently cross- is based on the assumption that two different triggers could linked to create shell cross-linked micelles (SCMs). The potentially be uncorrelated, and when used in conjunc- poly(2-oxazoline) backbone, depending on the block, was tion, could lead to a higher efficiency than either of the functionalized with three different catalysts: the hydrophil- algorithms on its own. It was found that there were certain ic block with an ester-protected carboxylic acid, the middle algorithms that complemented each other to yield a higher block with a Rh(III)-TsDPEN catalyst through post-polym- efficiency when used together. This work has contributed erization modifications, and the hydrophobic block with to decisions made on the trigger that will be used in the three molecules of 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP), a 2018 data selection process. nucleophilc base. As these micelles form in water, basic pockets of solution are created inside of an acidic envi- Bidirectional Regulation of Sleep and the Unfolded ronment using these polymers as a barrier. Without these Protein Response in Drosophila melanogaster polymer protected pockets, known as microenvironments, Ian Cossentino, Neural Science the basic and acidic components of the solution would Sponsor: Professor Nicholas Stavropoulos, Neuroscience neutralize each other. Essentially, due to the integrity in and Physiology, NYU School of Medicine structure of shell cross-linked micelles, one can run other- Sleep is a behavior conserved across the animal wise incompatible reactions in a single reaction vessel by kingdom, but its fundamental purpose remains unclear. creating these microenvironments. These micelles, acting One prominent theory is that a function of sleep is to as nanoreactors, will allow the one-pot tandem catalysis of combat cellular stress, an accumulation of waste products the following reactions: an acid-catalyzed ketal hydrolysis resulting from prolonged metabolic activity or environ- to a prochiral ketone followed by an asymmetric transfer mental conditions. Of these products, buildup of misfolded hydrogenation (ATH) of the ketone to a chiral alcohol and proteins is especially harmful and is associated with neu- finally a base-catalyzed acylation with DMAP as the 3rd rological disorders including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s step. Catalytic tests have shown the effectiveness of the diseases. One method by which the cell clears misfolded acidic and basic blocks. Specifically, investigations are proteins is a tripartite signaling pathway termed the Un- underway to test the potency of three molecules of DMAP folded Protein Response (UPR). Whether UPR activity attached to the innermost block as compared to just one. changes with sleep or sleep deprivation, however, remains Other major investigations include those into what types of unclear and has not yet been studied in Drosophila. Here, molecule (specifically what types of ketal) can effectively it was hypothesized that sleep deprivation may result in undergo these tandem reactions. misfolded-protein buildup and would consequently re- sult in UPR upregulation. A method was established to Ghosting ASLR: A Spectre Extension quantify changes in activity of a UPR-associated protein, Bryant Curto, Computer Science, Mathematics XBP-1, in a cell-type specific manner upon sleep depriva- Sponsor: Professor Christopher Mitchell, Computer tion in Drosophila. It was also hypothesized that UPR-as- Science sociated gene expression may regulate sleep. RNAi and Modern computer processors implement optimiza- dominant negative (DN) alleles were expressed, targeting tions known as branch prediction and speculative execution. five critical UPR-associated genes, in neurons and glia, If a processor is waiting to retrieve a value from memory to and recorded resulting sleep patterns. In this preliminary determine which branch of code to execute, these features screen, it was found that RNAi/DN expression against BiP, enable the processor to predict the code path and begin ex- a heat-shock protein whose expression is upregulated via ecuting. The hope is that the path is the correct one, thereby UPR activity, significantly increased sleep in glia, but de- reducing the overhead of reading from memory and improv- creased sleep in neurons. Nearly all RNAi/DN constructs ing overall performance. If the path is incorrect, the results against target genes, whether expressed in neurons or glia, of the execution are discarded, and execution resumes down decreased locomotor activity, and a smaller subset resulted the correct path. Further, to help prevent against malicious in increased sleep. These results suggest that sleep and spe- actors from gaining control over an executing program, op- erating systems implement Address Space Layout Random-

90 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 ization (ASLR), resulting in the address space positions of transport. The structural and functional study of EmrE is important data areas of a process being randomized. Recent- aimed at describing the molecular mechanisms by which ly, a new attack, named Spectre, was discovered that exploits it transports substrate, with relevance for understanding a flaw in many processor designs that enables the reading of antibiotic resistance, membrane protein evolution, and arbitrary memory locations by measuring the change in state ion-coupled transport. This work focuses on characterizing of the cache after a specific region of code has been specula- the importance of a conserved tryptophan residue predict- tively executed. This project builds off of these findings and ed to be in the binding pocket of the protein and believed to shows that this flaw can be used by a malicious actor to get be involved in allosteric conformational changes involved the layout of a program’s address space, thereby defeating in the transport mechanism of EmrE. Specifically, mutants ASLR. In doing so, one of many well-known attacks (e.g., of EmrE lacking this residue were studied using in vivo Return Oriented Programming), which ASLR is meant to drug resistance assays to determine the phenotype toward defend against, can be performed. drug substrates, and fluorescence experiments were con- The author hopes to further highlight the danger of ducted to describe the mutant’s ability to bind substrate. this processor design flaw in that it can be used in new The results suggest that the two copies of the tryptophan and unforeseen ways, in conjunction with other methods, do not have the same importance within the antiparallel to launch a successful attack. dimer, which has important consequences for the transport mechanism of EmrE. Functional Mapping of the O-polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyl Transferases (GALNT) High Fields and Its Effect on Tokomak Design via High-Throughput Analyses of miRNA-mRNA Strategies Interactions Akshunna Dogra, Mathematics, Physics; William Deepika Dhawan, Biochemistry Redman, Mathematics, Physics Sponsor: Professor Lara Mahal, Chemistry Sponsor: Professor Antoine Cerfon, Mathematics Almost all surface proteins, which are crucial in un- While nuclear fusion continues to be arguably the derstanding cell-to-cell interactions, are glycosylated. Gly- most promising hope for large scale clean energy, enor- cans are complex biopolymers of carbohydrates made by mous cost and lengthy building time continue to make it different enzymes through glycosylation, a highly regulat- difficult to acquire funding from the government for the ed and the most abundant post-translational modification. construction of reactors. Here it is asked whether high These glycans are synthesized by glycosyltransferases, field, high temperature superconductors can reduce the which are enzymes coded for by the genes being studied. cost of a reactor by reducing the radius of the reactor (as These O-polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyl transferases reactor costs scales by roughly the radius squared). This (GALNTs) are responsible for the first step in the biosyn- question was examined in two separate operating regimes: thesis of O-glycans. All of the GALNT family of genes pulsed and steady state. It was found that while high fields leads to the same glycosylation, attaching the same glycan, are able to reduce the radius of the tokomak by a factor of N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc), to a serine or threonine two for pulsed operation, they were able to reduce the radi- on a protein. This experiment hypothesizes that although us of tokomaks operating in the steady state regime only in these genes are redundant at the functional level, they are certain transport regimes. This raises important questions not redundant at the regulatory level. Thus, the biological as to what types of reactor technologies should be further function can be assigned to the individual GALNT genes pursued in the future to develop cheaper, and more easily by looking at the miRNA regulators of the gene. This proj- built tokomaks. ect focuses on mapping the biological function of these genes using this miRNA-proxy approach, by identifying Association between Change in Brain Gray Matter the miRNA that regulate them. Volume, Cognition, and Depression Severity: Pre- and Post-Antidepressant Pharmacotherapy for Late-Life Probing the Transport Mechanism of the E. coli Drug Depression Efflux Pump EmrE Kyle Droppa, Psychology Maria-Andreea Dimitriu, Biochemistry Sponsor: Dr. Meryl Butters, Psychology, University of Sponsor: Professor Nathaniel Traaseth, Chemistry Pittsburgh Medical Center EmrE is an Escherichia coli (E. coli) drug efflux Late-life depression (LLD) is associated with cogni- pump in the bacterial inner membrane that uses the energy tive impairments and reduced gray matter volume (GMV); provided by proton import to power the export of toxic however, the mechanisms underlying this association are compounds out of the cellular cytoplasm, thus enabling not well understood. The goal of this study was to charac- bacteria to survive under otherwise toxic conditions. EmrE terize changes in depression severity, cognitive function, assembles into an antiparallel homodimer to carry out and brain structure associated with pharmacologic anti-

91 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE depressant treatment for LLD. A detailed neurocognitive (E. coli) has evolved a homeostatic mechanism for tightly battery and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) regulating its synthesis by modulating the degradation rate were administered on 26 individuals with LLD before and of rne (RNase E) mRNA in response to changes in cellu- after a 12-week treatment trial with venlafaxine. After lar RNase E activity. Feedback regulation by RNase E is calculating changes in cognitive performance, GMV, and mediated by two stem-loop structures, hp2 and hp3, within depression severity, the author calculated Pearson’s cor- the 361-nucleotide rne 5′ untranslated region (UTR). This relations, performed permutation testing, and false discov- project dissected the structurally more complex of these ery rate correction. It was found that loss of GMV over 12 two stem-loop structures (hp3) and identified the regions weeks in the superior orbital frontal gyrus was associated of this branched stem-loop that are important for feedback with less improvement in depression severity and that in- regulation by RNase E in E. coli. Furthermore, evidence creased GMV in the same was associated with greater im- was obtained that feedback regulation by RNase E is ac- provement in depression severity. No associations between complished not only by its catalytic endonuclease activity changes in cognitive performance and improvements were but also by repressing translation of rne mRNA. This sug- detected in either depressive symptoms or changes in gests a possible regulatory mechanism in which RNase E GMV. binding to specific regions in the rne 5’ UTR facilitates the degradation of rne mRNA while also repressing its Somatosensory Innervation of the Oral Mucosa and translation. Pharynx of Adult and Aging Mice Lucia Duenas-Bianchi, Global Public Health/Chemistry Enhancing the College Experience: The Effects Sponsor: Professor Ellen Lumpkin, Physiology and of Different Levels of Exercise on Memory, Stress Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Management, and Mood Several oral functions like speech, food intake, and Victoria Ende, Neural Science breastfeeding require properly functioning somatosensory Sponsor: Professor Wendy Suzuki, Neural Science function; however, the associated neuroatomical structures Fitness level has been shown to correlate positively for the oral cavity and pharynx are not fully understood. with cognitive ability. There is a positive correlation be- Tactile perception requires somatosensory receptors that tween fitness level and hippocampal volume, memory, and include neurons and other cells in order to detect stress attention. This has been seen in studies with elderly popu- from the external environment. Using transgenic reporters, lations, low-fit individuals, and young children. Less work molecular markers, and histomorphometry, the distribution has been done involving other age populations, specifically of the tactile afferents and innervation in the hard palate less is known about college students who are confronted and pharynx were mapped. It was determined there were at with a need to academically preform while under stress. least four classes of sensors that densely populate the pal- Previous studies have looked at cohorts in this age range ate: Merkel cell-neurite complexes, Meissner’s corpuscles, with respect to the effects of exercise on stress perception glomerular corpuscles, and afferent nerve fibers. Addition- and found negative correlations between perceived stress ally, it was found that receptors in the hard palate decrease and fitness. However, these studies did not look at how fit- both in number and complexity as mice age, a phenom- ness correlated with cognition and how stress management enon potentially correlated with impaired oral abilities could be a factor in the difference. This study therefore like dysphagia, or difficulties swallowing that arise with examined memory, mood, and stress response in 23 low age. Current treatments for dysphagia include behavioral, fit and 17 high fit students (age 18–26), hypothesizing dietary, and environmental treatments. However, with this higher fit individuals would have superior memory, mood, new line of research, the field opens up to having further and stress management. Students filled out questionnaires, examinations of the innervation in these structures that cognitive tasks, and underwent a treadmill VO2max test can eventually lead to the discovery of new therapies and to quantify their fitness. A multivariate multiple regression treatments for swallowing based on sensory stimulation of analyzed Depression/Dejection, Low Self-Esteem, Gener- trigger areas could be developed. al Positive Affect, Self-assurance, Beck Anxiety Invento- ry (BAI) total, and perceived stress (before and after an Molecular Mechanism of Feedback Regulation by acute stressor) against Fitness. Fitness was significantly RNase E negatively correlated with Anxiety, Low Self-Esteem, BAI Salah Eldein Elkattawy, Biochemistry total, and pre/post stress but positively correlated with Sponsor: Professor Joel G. Belasco, Microbiology, NYU General Positive Affect. A multiple regression was used for School of Medicine learning-slope from the Logical Memory task with BMI, The endonuclease RNase E plays a critical role in and average %HRR showing significant negative correla- controlling the lifetime of mRNA in bacterial cells. To tion. This experiment adds evidence to existing literature maintain a steady supply of this protein, Escherichia coli showing fitness affects key aspects of stress, mood, and

92 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 memory, motivating students to incorporate exercise into and re-insert themselves throughout the genome. These their lifestyle. elements can be benign and simply extend the length of the genome, but if they are inserted into coding regions of Study of Helicase Kinetics in Correlation to Lesion a gene, they can cause mutations (Bennetzen and Wang, Structure and Efficiency of the Nucleotide Excision 2014). The premature stop codon truncates the transcrip- Repair Pathway tion factor protein and causes loss of function. Without this Axel Yannick Epié, Biochemistry transcription factor, the red-pigmented protein anthocyanin Sponsor: Professor Nicholas Geacintov, Chemistry is not transcribed or translated, resulting in a yellow fruit Damage to DNA is responsible for a variety of ge- phenotype. When anthocyanin is present, the fruit is red. netic diseases and cancers. Organisms have evolved mech- The author has fully sequenced and characterized this anisms of repair, notably the energy-dependent Nucleotide transposable element, a novel, copia-like long terminal Excision Repair (NER) pathway, to combat lesions that repeat retrotransposon (LTR TE) 11,643 nucleotides long. stem from environmental factors such as exposure to A general time frame for the insertion of the element in the ultraviolet light, carcinogens, free radicals or errors in gene was also determined, which led to the discovery that biochemical processes like replication. This thesis focuses its insertion far predates the domestication of date palm. on the unwinding of DNA duplexes by RecQ helicase, an enzyme first found in Escherischia Coli. The unwinding Auditory Preference for Pup Ultrasonic Vocalizations step, which sets the stage for subsequent excision of the in Female Mice lesion, is crucial in the NER pathway. Using fluorescence Katherine Furman, Neural Science spectroscopy, the kinetics of unwinding are examined in Sponsor: Professor Robert Froemke, Neuroscience and correlation to the structure of various benzo/dibenzopyrene Physiology, NYU School of Medicine adenine and guanine lesions as well as to NER efficiency. Newborn mouse pups are helpless after birth, and Benzo and dibenzopyrenes are carcinogenic, bulky aro- emit ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) to express their matic compounds known to disrupt local DNA structure. needs. A mother mouse (dam) must reliably learn the Results show greater unwinding efficiency for adenine meaning of pup USVs. She will quickly identify the USV lesions as well as a negative correlation between unwind- emitted by a pup when removed from the nest (isolation ing and NER efficiencies. Such knowledge could further USV), and will immediately retrieve the pup and return it contribute to the fields of DNA repair and toxicology by to the nest. A virgin female mouse lacks this behavioral re- offering novel strategies of cancer and genetic disease sponse, simply ignoring pup USVs. However, after several prevention via the design of therapeutic drugs for specific days of cohousing with a dam and pups, a virgin gradually targets. learns what the USVs mean and eventually retrieves pups with high accuracy (Marlin et al, 2015). The present study Novel LTR Retrotransposable Element in Phoenix aims to characterize the preference of dams, experienced dactylifera VIRESCENS Gene Transposable Element virgin females, and inexperienced virgin females for the Investigation auditory isolation USV stimulus played from a speaker in Zoë Fresquez, Biochemistry a two behavioral paradigms: Conditioned Place Preference Sponsor: Professor Michael Purugganan, Biology (CPP) and Spatial Orientation (SO). Data from the CPP Phoenix dactylifera (date palm) is an important paradigm show that the USV stimulus is aversive for all perennial crop in the Middle East and the north of Africa groups, measured by decreased amount of time spent in a where it is a dietary staple as an abundant source of sugar USV-paired chamber. Data from the SO paradigm show and nutrition. Date fruits range in color from deep red to that, while the USV stimulus is aversive, it is highly behav- orange to pale yellow due to varying concentrations of the iorally relevant to both dams and inexperienced virgins, red-purple pigment, anthocyanin. The VIRESCENS gene who spent more time orienting towards the stimulus while is an R2R3-MYB transcription factor responsible for the it was played back. To experienced virgins, however, the downstream production of anthocyanin in date palm (Zaid stimulus had less behavioral relevance. Future experiments and Purugganan et al., 2015). This research describes an will test the dependence of these behavioral processes on allelically occurring long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotrans- endogenous oxytocin systems through both optogenetic poson in the third exon of VIRESCENS that introduces an stimulation of oxytocin neurons in the auditory cortex and early stop codon at T169*, truncating the transcription factor genetic knockout of the oxytocin receptor in the auditory and reducing the plant’s production of anthocyanin. cortex. Transposable elements (TE) are sequences of DNA capable of using the cell’s intrinsic machinery to copy

93 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE FLP/FRT Genetic Recombination as a Germline sCD163, T Cell Activation and HIV Progression in Lineage Tracing Tool Perinatally-Infected HIV+ Children Jenny Gao, Biology Matthew Generoso, Global Public Health/ Biology Sponsor: Professor E. Jane Hubbard, Biomolecular Sponsor: Professor Alka Khaitan, Microbiology, NYU Medicine, NYU School of Medicine School of Medicine In the C. elegans germ line, the germline stem cells Since the advent of antiretroviral therapy (ART), (GSCs) are consistently renewed during the worm’s life non-AIDS complications linked to inflammation and im- time, providing a model analogous to mammalian systems. mune activation have been the major cause of morbidity However, the exact cellular mechanism of stem cell renew- in HIV infection (Wilson, Singh et al., 2014; Frieberg, al and lineage of the GSCs is unknown. To resolve this Chang et al., 2013). Soluble CD163 (sCD163) is a mono- issue, the flippase (FLP) recombinase that acts on a target cyte and macrophage activation marker, cleaved from its genetic sequence containing flippase recombinase target surface-bound form upon cell stimulation. In HIV+ adults, (FRT) sequences was used. Because GFP would only be increased sCD163 is linked to non-AIDS morbidity and expressed upon FLP activity, temporal control of genetic predicts mortality (Knudsen, Ertner et al., 2016). Pediatric recombination can be attained. Preliminary results have data are limited. In a cohort of perinatally-infected HIV+ shown that the FLP/FRT system is a robust system in the Kenyan children, sCD163 plasma levels were investigated germline, allowing high recombination rates. The FLP/ as well as correlations with intestinal damage, immune FRT system did not detrimentally reduce animal viability, activation and disease progression. sCD163 and intestinal thereby making it suitable for germline lineage tracing. fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP) in plasma by ELISA were measured. T cell activation and proliferation mark- Hijacking the Host’s Immune Response to Combat ers were evaluated by flow cytometry on peripheral blood Pancreatic Cancer mononuclear cells. It was found that untreated HIV+ chil- Maeliss Gelas, Biology dren have higher levels of plasma sCD163 than HIV- and Sponsor: Professor George Miller, Surgery, NYU School ART+ children. Within one year of ART, plasma sCD163 of Medicine levels normalize to levels seen in HIV-children. sCD163 Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDA) is the 3rd lead- correlated with HIV disease progression, marked by in- ing cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. creasing viral load and T cell activation and decreasing Immunotherapy, which involves modulating the innate and %CD4 and CD4:CD8 ratios. Compromised gut barriers adaptive system to fight cancer, is emerging as a promising and microbial translocation may activate monocytes therapeutic modality. In recent decades, manipulations in- and release sCD163, as sCD163 directly associates with volving various role players of the immune response have I-FABP. sCD163’s correlations with proliferation markers led to new discoveries in targeting cancer. One of these key suggest sCD163 may potentiate activated CD4 T cell pro- role players is ICOSL, a transmembrane glycoprotein in liferation and inhibit homeostatic CD4 T cell proliferation. the B7 family of immune regulatory cells. It is expressed in High plasma sCD163 levels in HIV+ children are associ- antigen presenting cells such as B cells, macrophages, and ated with HIV disease progression, T cell activation, and dendritic cells. It binds to ICOS, its receptor on activated gut mucosal disruption, and may serve as a biomarker of T-cells, leading to regulation of the immune response. This advancing HIV status. project investigates this molecule, noting that it is upreg- ulated on innate immune cells in the pancreatic tumor Towards Stacked Sparse Coding Networks microenvironment. The data shows that targeting ICOSL Arvi Gjoka, Computer Science, Physics on macrophages promotes anti-tumor immunity in PDA, Sponsor: Professor Davi Geiger, Computer Science without additional stimulation of ICOS. Not only is this re- Sparse coding has found a variety of uses in data search unique in that the ICOS/ICOSL mechanism has not analysis. However, it is not a front runner in modern day been studied in the context of pancreatic cancer but also computer vision techniques such as various convolution- because it concerns the independent activity of ICOSL. al neural network architectures for various tasks. Since The conclusions of this research could enable a critical a typical technique used in these networks is stacking of leap in clinical treatment of PDA. If ICOSL stimulation convolutional layers to achieve what appears to be better can induce a targeted immune response, a novel monoclo- abstraction, the author attempted to create a stacked sparse nal antibody can easily be manufactured and incorporated coding network. In sparse coding, the task is the creation in the host’s immune response in order to polarize mac- of an overcomplete dictionary along with codings that re- rophages towards an anti-tumor phenotype and destroy construct the original signal. While the dictionary may be oncogenic cells. overcomplete, the codings are forced to be sparse by min-

94 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 imizing the l-0 norm as well as the reconstruction error. In called slow-wave sleep (SWS). Evidence of anatomical this project, a GPU based fast sparse coding network using projections from the hippocampus to the hypothalamus the SL0 algorithm was implemented. The considerations points to hippocampal activity-dependent regulation. It of stacking these were also explored along with implica- was hypothesized that sharp wave ripples, fast hippocam- tions and mathematical problems for forward propagation pal-specific oscillations that occur mostly during SWS, are and backward propagation. that activity, modulating hypothalamic neuron activity and thus influencing the endocrine and peripheral immune sys- Reelin Signaling Is Disrupted in Autism tem. Using rats as a model, the author inhibited sharp wave Paulomi Gohel, Neural Science ripples and drew blood at specific time points. It was found Sponsor: Professor Efrain Azmitia, Biology that inhibition of sharp waves caused significant changes Autism classifies as a developmental disorder that in the concentrations of these select hormones and signal- impairs the cognitive abilities of learning, memory, and ing molecules, changing their temporal dynamics in sleep attention in individuals at a young age. To this day, there is regulation. Thus, sharp waves propagate from the hippo- no known cause of Autism, and little is known regarding campus to hypothalamic nuclei, and serve as a feedback the developmental changes correlated with its onset. While control signal for endocrine/immune regulation. symptomatic treatment options like SSRI’s are available, studies have shown they exacerbate symptoms later in The Spatial Heterogeneity of Influenza Evolution in life causing worsening of the disease with age (Azmitia the Respiratory Tract et. al, 2011). In this study, Reelin, one of the key proteins Hana Husic, Biochemistry involved in neuronal migration during prenatal develop- Sponsor: Professor Elodie Ghedin, Biology ment was examined. Knockout studies of Reelin in mice Influenza A virus remains a significant global pub- demonstrate the elimination of Reelin induces behavioral lic health issue responsible for 250,000 to 500,000 deaths changes that mimic those exhibited by patients diagnosed every year worldwide (World Health Organization). Influ- with Autism (Vomund et. al, 2017). Furthermore, in situ enza’s high mutation rate contributes to its pathogenicity: hybridization of Reelin mRNA reveals a decrease in the viral genome accumulates roughly one mutation per mRNA expression of the protein in patients diagnosed replication (Drake and Holland, 1999). Therefore, several with Autism (Fatemi, et. al, 2003). It was hypothesized distinct variant strains can be formed within a single host, that there must be a dysregulation in Reelin signaling in producing a genetically diverse population that drives evo- patients with Autism compared to the control. To test this, lutionary selection. Previous research has shown mutations Reelin protein localization was examined in postmortem which improve virus transmission are selected for in the human cerebellum, cortex, and hippocampus through the soft palate of ferrets—the animal model used in influen- use of immunohistochemistry, a novel experiment in this za research—and not in the rest of the respiratory system line of study. Findings suggest that in patients with Autism, (Lakdawala, Jayaraman et al., 2015). This suggests influ- Reelin is decreased in all regions. Furthermore, it was pos- enza evolutionary dynamics are tissue-specific, leading to sible to witness co-localization of Reelin with blood ves- population heterogeneity based on localization within the sels solely in patients with Autism, which suggests there host. Here, tissue-specific selection was studied through could be other functions of Reelin in Autism that have not deep sequencing of virus samples taken from different yet been analyzed. Opportunity for drug therapy may exist locations in the respiratory tract of ferrets throughout the with future investigation into Reelin. course of infection. De novo mutations were categorized by comparing sample sequence data with the consensus The Role of Hippocampal Sharp Wave Ripples in sequence of the strain used to infect the host. Analysis of Immune/Endocrine Regulation during Sleep these mutations reveals variants that are differentially se- Abhishek Hinduja, Neural Science lected for across tissue types. Incorporating host symptoms Sponsor: David Tingley, Neuroscience, NYU School of into the analysis allows for the identification of mutations Medicine that may affect infection severity. These findings provide The hippocampus is known to be important for a more robust understanding of within-host influenza evo- memory encoding and consolidation but may also play lutionary dynamics across the respiratory tract, which can a role in regulation of the immune and endocrine sys- then be extrapolated to the level of global evolution pat- tems. Previous research revealed the presence of ectopic terns. A better understanding of these evolutionary trends receptors for select hormones and signaling molecules can lead to better prediction of emerging epidemic strains expressed in the hippocampus. Most of these hormones and more informed development of seasonal influenza and molecules fluctuate during stage 3 of non-REM sleep, vaccines.

95 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE Localization of E-Cadherin and N-Cadherin in the likely cause. Nevertheless, preliminary comparison of Zebrafish Lateral Line Primordium the GFP-ancestral and SSR strain suggested an increase Alisha Jadhav, Biology in variance of growth rates caused by SSRs in line with a Sponsor: Tugba Colak-Champollion, Biomolecular model prediction. Further experiments support this conclu- Medicine, NYU School of Medicine sion and the notion that SSRs are a hotspot for generating This project aims to study the cellular localization adaptation. of two cell-cell adhesion receptors, E-cadherin (Cadher- Augmenting and Streamlining Cavity Size for DNA in-1, cdh1) and N-cadherin (Cadherin-2, Cdh2) in a group Crystalline Lattices of migrating cells (the lateral line primordium) in zebrafish Samantha Jensen, Chemistry embryos. First, transgenic zebrafish lines were generated Sponsor: Professor Nadrian Seeman, Chemistry using Bacterial Artificial Chromosome (BAC) recom- bineering to tag the cdh1 gene with different fluorescent Three-dimensional macromolecular structures in proteins (sfGFP, YFP, TagRFP, Dendra2 and Eos2). Sec- the form of crystalline lattices fashioned from DNA are ond, fish that carry these transgenes were identified using a possible using a tensegrity triangle motif as a basis for fluorescent microscope. These fish were injected with the formation (Zheng, 2009). This paper reviews the increase BAC constructs, and these fish were crossed in order to in cavity size in DNA crystalline lattices to improve in- collect their embryos. While screening, it was possible to corporation of foreign species for structure determination. find fish that had integrated the BACs into their genome Currently, the largest cavity created with DNA crystalline by identifying fish that either had the blue eye marker (for lattices via tensegrity triangles is 1000 nm (Zheng, 2009). cdh1) or the red eye marker (for cdh2). These fish are being While decreasing interior angles of the tensegrity triangles raised and the author produced images of the sf-GFP cdh1 may increase cavity size, this could also result in a de- line, which showed the localization of cdh1 in the lateral crease in space for the foreign species to fit, rendering the line primordium. The screening process is still ongoing in change ineffective. Multiple alterations of tensegrity trian- order to propagate more transgenic lines and create images gle structures are tested to determine the possible extent of of the localization of cdh2. manipulation. Once the structures have been crystallized, gel-electrophoresis will be used to determine and compare The Raw Material of Evolution structure formation under different conditions. Further, Libuše Janská, Biology x-ray diffraction will be used to assess cavity size. Cav- Sponsor: Professor Mark Siegal, Biology ities can be used to crystallize non-nucleic-acid species, This study was interested in what occurs before increasing the applications of DNA nanotechnology. natural selection takes place, i.e., the raw material of evo- Self-Assembly of a Four Turn-Asymmetric Tensegrity lution, and focused on short sequence repeats (SSRs) of Triangle Containing a Three-Arm Junction DNA to see whether they are a hotspot for generating vari- Jenish Karmacharya, Biochemistry ation. Their repetitive nature causes mutations that change Sponsor: Professor Nadrian Seeman, Chemistry the number of repeats, which is different from mutations in the rest of the genome and happens at a much faster rate. The growth of crystals, designed and constructed To generate mutations without selection taking place, S. from self-assembling DNA motifs, is one of the long-stated cerevisiae strains were grown over many generations with goals of the growing field of structural DNA nanotechnol- abundant media to minimize competition for nutrients. Out ogy. The purpose of developing such systems is to provide of these a diploid strain was selected that was statistically a macromolecular scaffold, capable of binding, orienting, likely to have hundreds of SSR mutations with sequencing and juxtaposing a variety of molecules from cellular mac- data showing the rest of the genome unchanged. Through romolecules to organic conductors and optical memory sporulation, spores with random combinations of these components. These macromolecular scaffolds rest fun- SSR variations were obtained. Then, in-house software damentally on the sequence-dependent methodology and was used to measure their growth rates, a phenotype af- inter-molecular sticky end cohesions, thus creating a crys- fected by most cell processes. Comparison to the ances- talline lattice. Previously designed motifs have been sym- tral strain spores’ growth rate variance would then show metric system of n-multiple edges (i.e. 1-4 DNA turns), whether the SSR variations affect phenotype variation. To made of varying inter-junction base pairs (7, 17, 18, or control experimental conditions, it was necessary to grow 28bp). To further such studies, this study has reported 3D the two strains together, and the ancestral strain was trans- crystals for four turn tensegrity triangle of 28-interjunction formed with GFP to distinguish them. The transformation base pair flanked by 3-arm junction. The motif has also was not expected to have an effect on the growth rate, but been redesigned into an a-symmetric system. The results preliminary results suggested a 3% increase. Genotyping supported the rigidity of the motif and demonstrated that and fluorescence level analysis left cultivation errors as it is viable to assemble the designed motif in 3D lattices.

96 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 Optimization of crystal growth conditions is underway to IDH classification AUC peaks in the high 70% range for improve the resolution of the crystals. both wildtype and mutant IDH status.

Exploring the Effect of Early Behavioral Training on Computational Tools for Automated Growth Rate the NVHL Model of Schizophrenia Calculation in Continuous Culture Radhika Kenkre, Neural Science David Klein, Biology Sponsor: Dr. Hsin-Yi Kao, Neural Science Sponsor: Professor Mark Siegal, Biology; Dr. Eugene Schizophrenia is a widespread problem that affects Plavskin, Biology ~1% of the population. However, it is difficult to treat be- Turbidostats are powerful devices for evolutionary cause the causes are not known and because positive and biology research as they allow microorganisms, in this negative schizophrenic symptoms do not appear until early case yeast, to grow exponentially by giving researchers adulthood, when the disease is already at a late stage. Us- control over stresses microorganisms must adapt to such as ing a neurodevelopment rat model of schizophrenia, the high cell density, waste saturation, and limited resources. neonatal ventral hippocampus lesion (NVHL) model, it When the microorganisms reach a specific density, the tur- has been shown that early cognitive training on this mod- bidostat dilutes the liquid culture by removing solution and el of schizophrenia can prevent adult cognitive deficits then adds nutrients. Growth rate can be indicative of fitness and restore interhippocampal synchrony to resemble that and adaptation, but previously the Siegal Lab turbidostat of control rats. Using this model, this study aims to see would not calculate this data, which would then have to be what impact early intervention can have on the synaptic obtained from other experiments. This project developed properties of NVHL rats. It is hypothesized that early cog- Python programs to dynamically and automatically cal- nitive training will restore the NVHL synaptic properties culate growth rates from the continuous culture, calculate to resemble those of control rats. This, if true, will be good summary statistics, and produce graphs. This gives re- evidence for the existence of a critical time window in ad- searchers a real-time estimate of the fitness of their micro- olescence in which to initiate treatment for at-risk patients. organisms and how they adapt over time. Furthermore, this project created new ways to run turbidostat experiments to Convolutional Neural Networks for Classifying increase the accuracy of growth rate estimations. Previous- Glioblastoma Subtypes from Magnetic Resonance ly, the turbidostat would dilute too little and too frequently Imagery for enough optical density measurements from periods of Aleksandar Kiprovski, Computer Science undisturbed growth to be recorded. New ways were creat- Sponsor: Professor Narges Razavian, Radiology, NYU ed to run turbidostat experiments to dilute large amounts at School of Medicine infrequently intervals, producing more data from periods Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is known to be of undisturbed growth and increasing the accuracy of our one of the most aggressive and common brain tumors in growth rate estimations. Any lab can now adopt this open adults. There are a few well-known and discussed subtypes source turbidostat and easily study adaptation in their own of GBM, each of which displays varying genomic differ- experiments. ences and pathology. In order to provide effective, targeted treatment, genomic data about the tumor is required. Ma- Super-Resolution Imaging of Breast Cancer chine learning provides an avenue for potential non-inva- 1-Deficient Tumor Sections sive examination of MRI to determine genomic footprints Yu (Tina) Kong, Biochemistry of GBM in order to help physicians craft targeted treat- Sponsor: Professor Eli Rothenberg, Biochemistry and ments for patients. This study focused on using Convolu- Molecular Pharmacology, NYU School of Medicine tional Neural Networks (CNN) to find visual biomarkers Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) plays an in MRI that can determine whether or not a specific tumor important role in the DNA damage response by acting as a in MRI shows a specific gene expression. The goal is to recruiter of repair proteins after detection of single-strand- identify patients with a mutation in isocitrate dehydro- ed breaks (SSB). Otherwise, SSBs degenerate into more genase (IDH). Data gathered from other studies provide toxic double-stranded breaks (DSB), which require more useful information for the relative successes of CNN ar- complex repair mechanisms. The most common repair chitectures. The author designed a central architecture of pathway for DSBs is through homologous recombination, a CNN and varied its hyperparameters such as kernel size for which tumor-suppressant proteins Breast Cancer 1 and and batch size. Consistent with related work, it was found 2 (BRCA1 and BRCA2) are key players. Because breast that pre-processing the data has a large influence on the and ovarian cancer cells are often BRCA1/2-deficient, success and accuracy of IDH classification. Ultimately, for PARP1 becomes crucial for the cell’s survival. Using su- most tests the loss function shows steady decrease and the per-resolution microscopy to bypass the obstacle of light diffraction-limited resolution seen in traditional imaging

97 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE techniques such as confocal or epifluorescence, PARP1 Designing Hybridization Probes to Identify can be visualized in cultured cancer cells and used as a Compositional Species Differences between the DNA damage site marker. However, cultured cell lines Microbiomes of Distinct Human Hosts grown in petri dishes look radically different than actual Kevin Kuonqui, Biochemistry patient tumor sections grown in immunodeficient mice. Sponsor: Professor Nadrian Seeman, Chemistry This project attempts to optimize a protocol for super-reso- The composition of the human microbiome plays lution imaging of PARP1 and nascent DNA in BRCA1-de- an important, yet often neglected role, in influencing hu- ficient tumor sections obtained from real patients for use as man host health. It has been demonstrated that humans a future diagnostic tool. Results showed that while staining suffering from specific diseases tend to exhibit distinct of nascent DNA needs to be further optimized, staining and patterns of microbial abundance or deficiency compared single-molecule localization of DNA damage proteins— to their healthy counterparts. To better understand these including PARP1—show promising potential as markers links, it is necessary to quantify the differences in species for cancer phenotypes. composition between healthy and sick individuals to pin- point microbes involved in disease. Current methods rely Increasing Gentamicin Sensitivity in E. coli with on base-pair sequencing of the 16S rRNA genetic compo- rRNA Methyltransferase Conferred Resistance nent of prokaryotes to identify species via comparison to Sonia Kruszelnicki, Biochemistry existing genomic reference databanks. This project seeks Sponsor: Dr. Aviram Rasouly, Biochemistry and to develop an oligonucleotide hybridization probe synthe- Molecular Pharmacology, NYU School of Medicine sis protocol specific enough to quickly and qualitatively With the pressing issue of increased prevalence of identify species matches between a reference host pool and antibiotic-resistant clinical isolates, the goal of this proj- another test host pool without requiring knowledge of the ect is to increase the sensitivity of constructed strains of 16S rRNA sequence or species name. Findings suggest resistant E. coli to the clinically relevant antibiotic genta- PCR amplification of prokaryotic 16S variable regions can micin. Gentamicin is an aminoglycoside which targets the be used to produce probes reliably capable of generating ribosome in bacteria and prevents translation effectively binary “match” and “non-match” results relative to the killing the cell. Here, the initial method of identifying key host microbiome which allow for the tabulation of differ- factors of resistance was transposon sequencing, or Tn- ences between healthy host 1 and unhealthy host 2 using a seq. Transposons are genes that, when introduced to a host cell-type separation technique. bacterial cell, will randomly insert themselves into the host DNA. Sequencing technology makes it possible to map Validation of an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent and quantify each transposon mutant in an extremely di- Assay for Microbiology Laboratory Practices verse mutant pool. For this project, the antibiotic resistance Brenda Lagares, Nursing, Borough of Manhattan platform from the paper “A Common Platform for Anti- Community College, CUNY biotic Dereplication and Adjuvant Discovery” (Cox et al., Sponsor: Professor Jose A. Fernandez Romero, Science, 2017) was adopted. The approach uses Tn-seq on already Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY gentamicin-resistant strains of E. coli, each with a different Enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) are mutation to disable the aminoglycoside. The current re- versatile, simple, and sensitive immunoassays that exploit sistance mechanism under investigation is rRNA methyl- the specificity of antibody/antigen reaction. ELISA are transferase B (rmtB). It is hypothesized that if disruptions widely used in all fields of pure and applied biology and in genes that contribute to the activity of rmtB could be are an extremely important tool in diagnostics. This is a found, this would prevent otherwise resistant strains from technique that every student interested in biological sci- growing in the presence of gentamicin. The results of the ences should know. This project developed a cost-effective Tn-seq were inconclusive as no significant reduction of rapid ELISA that could be performed in a 3 hours labora- growth was observed. This prompted an investigation into tory practice. For this purpose, a direct sandwich ELISA other possible factors vital to rmtB resistance such as de- was selected as the preferred ELISA format in a 96-well pendence on S-adenosyl-methionine (SAM). microplate solid phase. The assay consisted of 5 steps: i) coating the plate with a capture antibody, ii) blocking, iii) adding standards/samples, iv) adding detection antibody conjugated to horseradish peroxidase, and v) finally adding substrate followed by the stop solution. The absorbance values were determined in a Spectramax iD3 (Molecular Devices, LLC) microplate reader at 450nm with a subtrac-

98 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018

tion wavelength of 570nm. Softmax Pro 7 was used for dation. Since previous studies have linked ER stress to data analysis. The preliminary results show an acceptable cancer, understanding how such sequence and structural standard curve performance (system suitability) with coef- elements may regulate gene expression can provide novel ficients of variation below 20%. A lower limit of quantifi- insight into the development of targeted therapies (Yadav, cation of 7.8 ng/mL was also obtained. The precision and Chae et al., 2014). accuracy are within the established limits, and key reagents (antibodies) are stable at -70°C (with or without glycerol) Characterizing the Role of the Cerebellum in Time for at least 4 months. The ELISA is cost-effective (less than Perception $16.00 per plate; 1 plate per bench should be used in the Wesley Leong, Neural Science laboratory practice). The assay will be introduced as a new Sponsor: Professor Eric Lang, Neuroscience and laboratory practice in BIO230 (Fundamentals of Microbi- Physiology, NYU School of Medicine ology) at BMCC. One of the aims of cognitive neuroscience is to understand the neurobiological mechanisms of timing in Identification of New Sequence and Structural the brain. Models of timing have been produced based Elements in Post-Transcriptional Regulation during on results from psychometric experiments, each of them Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress positing distinct components. Separately, several regions Amy Lei, Biology of the brain have also been identified to be involved in tim- Sponsor: Professor Christine Vogel, Biology ing. However, the connections between these brain regions The flow of genetic information in a biological and the hypothetical components proposed in theoretical system is described by transcription and translation. A models are poorly understood. The cerebellum has shown DNA sequence encoding a gene is transcribed into a evidence of involvement in timing networks, but its role messenger RNA molecule (mRNA) and organelles called has, to our knowledge, not been well characterized. This ribosomes translate mRNA to protein. Regulation of gene experiment examined predictions made by Scalar Expec- expression is attributed to the regulation of transcription tancy Theory (SET)—the dominant theory of time per- and translation. Findings from the Vogel Lab reveal there ception—and its accompanying model. The model posits is also substantial post-transcriptional regulation of gene a number of key components in timing circuits, among expression in stress-induced mammalian cells. This study which is a pacemaker. Specifically, the hypothesis was test- expands these findings by conducting an exploratory anal- ed that the cerebellum is a sub-second pacemaker of timing ysis of gene expression regulation in endoplasmic reticu- systems in the brain, and probed the nature of its timing lum (ER) stress-induced cells. A short sequence in the 5’ code. To this end, the output cells of deep cerebellar nuclei untranslated region (UTR) of the gene ATF4 and a RNA (DCN) in rats were optogenetically manipulated during a secondary structure in the 3’ UTR of the genes HSP90B1 timing task and changes in their behavior under different and HERPUD1 have been identified as candidate regula- stimulation paradigms were observed. Results indicate the tory elements. All three genes are involved in the unfolded cerebellum may be functioning as a pacemaker with switch protein response that returns the cell to homeostasis with capabilities in sub-second timing. functions including nuclear transport and protein degra-

99 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE Characterizing the Role of Otd Protein in Early Early Life Abuse Alters GABAergic Synaptic Contacts Drosophila melanogaster Development in the Basolateral Amygdala of Juvenile Rats in a Rimma Levina, Biology Sexually Dimorphic Manner Sponsor: Professor Stephen Small, Biology Kayla Ying Yan Lim, Neural Science, Psychology The Otd protein regulates anterior gene expression Sponsors: Professor Chiye Aoki, Neural Science; in Drosophila melanogaster (Dm) during early develop- Professor Regina Sullivan, Child and Adolescent ment. It is understood that Otd also localizes in the ante- Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine; Adrienne Santiago, rior of the embryo. Throughout evolution, Otd has been Neural Science highly conserved and is a critical determinant in head Early life trauma from a caregiver is a major risk formation in several organisms; however, in Dm it is the factor for the development of psychiatric disorders involv- Bicoid (Bcd) protein that determines head formation. Little ing abnormal threat responses. When young children are is known about Otd’s mechanistic role in head structure exposed to severe adversity, heightened threat responses are development, but it is clear that its role is crucial because adaptive to the abuse they are facing but can also become when mutated, the result is lethality in the organism. This maladaptive if prolonged. Post-weaning rats with a history project seeks to understand Otd binding activities in the of maternal abuse show an elevated innate threat response context of Bcd through in vivo genome-wide ChIP-seq and and hyperactivity of the basolateral amygdala (BLA), a re- in situ hybridization experiments. By analyzing the effects gion known for its critical role in threat response (Perry et of a mutation in Otd on particular enhancer expression it is al., 2017). However, the neural substrates and circuitry me- hoped that a framework of Otd’s binding characteristics, diating this BLA hyperactivity remain to be explored. One as well as link Otd to several of its target genes, can be recently disovered change is the reduction of perineuronal created. Additionally, through this analysis it was found nets needed to optimize parvalbumin-containing (PV) in- that Otd is involved in a sequential binding relay with Bcd terneurons’ inhibition of BLA’s excitatory outflow. Here, that works to maintain enhancer expression. it was hypothesized that BLA hyperactivity following early life abuse could be mediated additionally by synap- Numerical Methods of the Black-Scholes Model tic-level changes in GABAergic inhibition. To test this new Zhengxu Li, Computer Science and Mathematics hypothesis, electron microscopy was used to characterise Sponsor: Professor Hesam Oveys, Mathematics axo-somatic inputs to PV, nonPV, and pyramidal cells in The Black-Scholes formula has a simple analytical BLA at weaning age. It was found that BLA hyperactivity solution. But, in the real world, there exist a variety of ex- following early life trauma may be mediated by reduced otic options other than the European options. They have PV-to-Pyr inhibition, reduced PV-to-PV connectivity, and different trading rules, and the evaluation of their values dampening of PV’s inhibitory activity. Sex differences in can be more difficult and might not be easily solved by a synaptic circuitry of the BLA among weaning-age animals formula. For example, a European option only gives the in response to early life maternal maltreatment were also right to buy an asset on a specific date T. But most other found suggesting that female PV cells are more impacted kinds of options (such as the American options) entitle the by SAM treatment. These findings could inform us about holder the right to buy the asset on any day before T (called treatments for individuals exhibiting fear regulation prob- early exercise facility). This means the payoff depends not lems following a history of early life trauma that are opti- only on the final time asset price but also on the asset’s mized for each of the sexes. behavior during the time interval [0; T). In these cases, nu- merical methods based on the Black-Scholes model will be Robotic Room Traversal Using Optical Laser Range needed to evaluate the option value. This project carefully Finding studies the numerical methods based on the Black-Scholes Eric Lin, Computer Science; Cole Smith, Computer model including its hypotheses and limitations; explores Science, Economics possible improvements of these methods including how to Sponsor: Professor Dennis Shasha, Computer Science design faster algorithms and how to incorporate more re- Consider the goal of visiting every part of a room alist situations (such as the early exercise facility) into the that is not blocked by obstacles. Doing so efficiently re- numerical methods; and discusses more methods available quires both sensors and planning. The findings of this study to value option values and ways to improve them. suggest a method of inexpensive optical range finding for robotic room traversal using a room traversal algorithm that relies on the approximate distance from the robot to the nearest obstacle in 360 degrees. Then, the path with the

100 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 furthest approximate distance is selected. Since millime- Synthesis of Colloidal Rings ter-precision is not required for this problem, the authors Alexandra Macbeth, Chemistry opted to develop their own laser range finding solution, in Sponsor: Professor Stefano Sacanna, Chemistry lieu of using more common, but also expensive solutions This project aims to synthesize a new, unusual like light detection and ranging (LIDAR). Rather, the solu- anisotropic shape: colloidal rings. Using the solid, positive tion here uses a laser that casts a visible dot on the target polystyrene, and the liquid, 3-methacryloxypropyl trime- and a common camera (an iPhone, for example). Based thoxysilane oil (TPM), colloidal rings will be synthesized upon where in the camera frame the laser dot is detected, it by colloidal fusion. Two positively charged polystyrene is possible to calculate an angle between the target and the spheres will be collected around one smaller negative TPM camera eye. Using this angle and the known distance be- oil droplet. The resulting cluster will then be softened by tween the camera eye and the laser aperture, it is possible adding a plasticizer and allowed to deform. During this de- to solve all sides of a trigonometric model which provides formation, it is expected that the two polystyrene spheres the distance between the robot and the target. will “melt” and fuse in the center creating a puncture in the oil droplet. The rings will be isolated by the polymeriza- Characterization of Prefrontal Morphological and tion of TPM followed by the dissolution of the polystyrene Connectivity Abnormalities in a Schizophrenic matrix. In addition, the rings parameters such as symmetry, Methylazoxymethanol Acetate Insult Model diameter, depth, and width will be adjusted to demonstrate Raven Lin, Neural Science, Psychology controllability and tunability. The conditions that influence Sponsor: Professor André Fenton, Neural Science the above parameters are size ratio of the initial particles, Cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia such as the wetting of the TPM on the polystyrene, and the age impairments in cognitive control and working memory of the TPM. If the radius of the TPM particle is too large, systems hinder daily cortical executive functionality and this will affect the ring’s symmetry. The wetting of TPM manifest in the abnormal behavioral profile of the disorder. on the polystyrene affects the width of the rings. Finally, The prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays an inhibitory feedback as TPM ages it becomes more cross-linked resulting in a role in the integrative nucleus accumbens (NAc) to regu- tougher oil droplet which affects the depth of the ring. It late and control different information streams. In schizo- is a top priority to understand the balance of these three phrenia, the abnormal hypoactivity in the PFC induces the conditions in order to synthesize monodisperse rings that disinhibition of the inhibitory signals to the NAc and the are highly symmetric and thick enough to not break under subsequent impairments in sensorimotor gating paradigms centrifugation. like pre-pulse inhibition that heavily requires cognitive control (Cadenhead, Geyer et al. 1993). Essentially, the Characterization of Nucleus Accumbens Interneurons prefrontal hypofunctionality contributes to the imbalance Emma Macdonald, Neural Science between cortical and limbic pathways to alter cognitive Sponsors: Professor Adam Carter, Neural Science; Dr. control performance in schizophrenia (Belujon, Patton et Samantha Scudder, Neural Science al., 2012). Although prefrontal hypoactivity can manifest The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is an area of the in numerous manners, recent data highlight abnormalities brain critical for reward learning and motivated behaviors. in the prefrontal neuronal morphology. In particular, the Inhibitory interneurons modulate the excitation/inhibition reduction of cortical volume in the absence of net neuron balance of projection neurons locally and thus control the loss suggests reductions in dendritic arborization complex- output of this region. However, little is known about their ity, which can potentially induce synaptic transmission distribution, inputs, morphology, and role in controlling dysfunction (Moore et al., 2006). Thus, this study seeks behavior. This project studies parvalbumin-expressing to use a prenatal methylazoxymethanol acetate insult ro- (PV+) and somatostatin-expressing (SOM+) GABAergic dent model, which successfully replicates schizophrenia interneurons, which form local inhibitory circuits. To de- neurobiological symptomology to characterize the schizo- termine the distribution and morphology of NAc cell types, phrenic vSub-mPFC-NAc circuit of cognitive control and they were visualized using stereotaxic surgical equipment implicate reduced dendritic density in the PFC as a poten- to inject the NAc with a Cre-dependent virus containing ge- tial neuropathology underlying the altered control circuit netic material for a fluorescent protein. The inputs to these activity. The investigations revealed that reduced complex- interneurons were discovered through injection of cell-spe- ity in prefrontal arbor does not sufficiently elucidate hypof- cific retrograde tracers, which labels cells throughout the rontality, and dysfunctions in the cognitive control circuit brain that synapse onto specified cells in the NAc. Both PV theory were observed in the schizophrenia animal model. and SOM interneurons receive input from brain areas such

101 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE as the ventral hippocampus, which also give input onto the samples of brains in various stages in AD to show the co- output cells of the NAc, suggesting as feed-forward inhibi- localization of SCRN1 with phosphorylated Tau (pTau) as a tion model for these circuits. Understanding the properties function of region and pathology. of NAc interneurons will contribute to future work on be- The lab’s past efforts have further characterized havior roles for different cell types in the NAc in the lab, patterning between SCRN1 and different pTau antibodies, using in vivo optogenetics and real-time place preference each of which has selective affinity for various residues of or operant protocols, and could shed light on the circuitry pTau. A component of these results showed that SCRN1 affected by drugs of abuse. consistently colocalized with PHF1, a monoclonal antibody that targets specific pTau serine residues, and less consis- Crystalizing Adenosine Targeting Aptamer within tently with others. The most recent research has extended Self-Assembling Crystal Lattice this paradigm to different regions and AD stages. Overall, Ellen Mats, Chemistry the data generated from this study imply a potential rela- Sponsor: Professor Nadrian Seeman, Chemistry tionship between SCRN1, pTau and cognitive impairment, DNA is a genetic material that is most commonly and begin the formal description of this relationship in the known in the form of the double helix formed by Watson context of AD staging and of brain regions. and Crick base pairing. It can also be used as material for nanotechnology. The manipulation of DNA is enabled by Changes in the Expression of NR2B-NMDA Receptors the ability to control the design of the base sequences that in Hippocampus of Adolescent Female Mice Relate lead to spontaneous molecular assembly into stable, com- to Individual Differences in Adaptability to Food plex target structures. The main investigation of this proj- Restriction Stress ect is to manipulate a DNA tensegrity triangle structure, Danielle Mendonca, Neural Science a platform for self-assembling rhombohedral lattices, by Sponsor: Professor Chiye Aoki, Neural Science attaching an aptamer, a small single-stranded nucleic acid The eating disorder Anorexia Nervosa has an ex- that has a high affinity and specificity for a target molecule, tremely high mortality rate of 5.9% (Arcelus et al., 2011) to one of the arms. This aptamer targets adenosine. The and a poorly understood neurobiology. Research indicates crystals that have been constructed so far have a resolu- the animal model Activity Based Anorexia (ABA) may tion of 8Å, which is too poor for data analysis. After the provide insight to the neural correlates of its behavior- eventual proper construction of these crystals, the aptamer al and physical markers, hyperactivity and weight loss. will then be labeled with a fluorescent dye and quencher Previously, female ABA rodents were shown to have that can signal the detection of adenosine upon interaction. increased levels of the NR2B subunit of NMDA receptor This would lead to a more efficient sensor that would be (NMDAR), an excitatory glutamate receptor, in stratum able to detect its target on a nanoscale level, therefore sav- radiatum of dorsal hippocampal CA1. Increased NR2B- ing materials and time. NMDAR levels may increase excitability in hippocampus, an anxiety-regulating brain region, possibly increasing Secernin-1 Is a Novel Protein Involved in Alzheimer’s anxiety-like behavior (Chen et al., 2017) and hyperactivity Disease (Wable et al., 2015). This study tested whether adolescent Sacha McElligott, Neural Science female mice exposed to a second food restriction (ABA2) Sponsor: Professor Eleanor Drummond, Neurology, NYU also demonstrate the behavioral and physical markers of School of Medicine ABA. NR2B-NMDARs in ABA2 and control mice were Amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) immunolabeled for electron microscopy and quantified are the two pathological hallmarks that define Alzheimer’s at excitatory synapses of CA1 at various pre-, post-, and disease (AD). Last year, the Drummond Lab completed the peri-synaptic regions. It was found that ABA2 animals had most comprehensive analysis of the plaque proteome and more NR2B-labeling in presynaptic terminals and postsyn- revealed a variety of novel proteins never before implicated aptic cytoplasm than controls. Increased NR2B-labeling in the disease. Among these, Secernin-1 (SCRN1), primar- at postsynaptic density correlated with increased running ily identified as a cytosolic protein that regulates mast cells, activity during food access and weight loss, which suggest exhibited consistently high expression in amyloid plaques. NR2B-NMDARs at postsynaptic density may mediate Previous studies also suggested that misregulation of vulnerability to ABA2. Increased levels of NR2B-labeling SCRN1 may have a contributing role in a variety of cancers at extra-synaptic membrane of dendritic spines correlated and disorders. However, very few studies have associated with less running during ABA2 and suggest NR2B at ex- SCRN1 with AD, and a definitive role of SCRN1 in AD tra-synaptic membrane may mediate ABA resilience. The pathology remains elusive. This study used fluorescent im- results indicate localized NR2B expression correlates with munohistochemistry on sections of the hippocampus, pons, adaptability to second exposure to food restriction and sug- and frontal cortex from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded gest a neurobiological basis for ABA.

102 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 Investigating Rodent Reward Prediction Using a ratio, and probability of detection are used as measures of Modular Open Source Operant System verification. Masoumeh Mohammadkhani, Psychology Sponsor: Dr. Lucas Sjulson, Neural Science The Inhibitory Effects of the Microbial Community of Plethodon cinereus against Batrachochytrium One key aspect of drug addiction is the tendency to dendrobatidis make decisions the brain perceives as rewarding, despite Nina Naghshineh, Environmental Studies negative consequences. This project aims to investigate the Sponsors: Professor Katie Schneider-Paolantonio, circuitry of the brain regions involved in decision making Biology; Elle Barnes, Community Ecology, Fordham in a mouse operant choice behavioral paradigm with the University goal of disrupting the ability of the mouse to discriminate between rewarding and unrewarding decisions. The pre- Chytridiomycosis, a disease caused by the fungal frontal cortex (PFC) and the nucleus accumbens (NAc) pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), is leading brain areas are involved in addiction-related behaviors to significant global population declines in many amphibian and reward-based decision making in rodents and humans. species. Secondary metabolites produced by the cutaneous However, it is unclear how the neuronal activity in these bacteria found on eastern red-backed salamanders, Pletho- regions contributes to representing the value of decisions don cinereus, have been shown to inhibit the growth of Bd or how it influences future behaviors to seek more rewards. (Becker and Harris, 2010). Ecological community-oriented This project focuses on successfully training food-restrict- research can simulate the natural conditions under which ed mice to make cue-associated choices in order to find red-backed salamander cutaneous bacteria interact with a food reward. The hope is to understand the role of the each other and with Bd in vitro. Existing research focuses timing of activity in the NAc during the different phases of on one axis of community structure at a time, e.g. the in- decision-making in the mouse. A future avenue of research hibitory qualities of bacterial species in pure culture. This would manipulate the activity in the NAc at different study explores how the introduction order of bacteria into timepoints during decisions to disrupt the reward circuitry. a community impacts metabolite production and thus Bd Because these brain regions are also implicated in mouse inhibition through interspecific competition. To test this, models of addiction, another long-term goal of this work pairings of two red-backed salamander bacterial isolates is to apply this approach to attenuate addiction-related be- alone and together were cultured while varying their intro- haviors while a mouse is self-administering cocaine. duction order to obtain their cell free supernatant (CFS). Bd was then challenged with each CFS. Results indicate Study of Location Error in Satellite Precipitation that bacterial metabolites produced by all species isolates Estimates Using a Radar-Gauge Product and pairings inhibited Bd. Even so, variation in inhibition Fadimatou Mossi, Engineering Science, Borough of based on introduction order and the inhibitory qualities Manhattan Community College, CUNY of each species was not statistically significant. Lack of Sponsor: Professor Kibrewossen Tesfagiorgis, Science, significant variation is likely explained by features of the Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY experimental design, such as the low-nutrient growth me- The goal of this project is to investigate location dia used for culturing the bacteria. Although the hypothesis error in satellite precipitation estimates. Improved hydro- was not supported, this research elucidates critical features logic prediction requires accurate precipitation estimates at of community assembly that should be studied in the future fine scales (hourly time scale and kilometers spatial scale.) in order to develop targeted bioaugmentation strategies for Even though infrared (IR) based satellite precipitation esti- amphibians susceptible to Bd. mates (SPEs) are prone to uncertainties such as location er- Mechanism of Inflation for Colloidal Microcapsules ror (example: shift in latitude and longitude, and rotation) Zaeem Nazir, Biochemistry compared to ground-based measurements, IR-based SPEs Sponsor: Professor Stefano Sacanna, Chemistry provide estimates at such scale. This research compares two SPEs, namely Hydro-estimator (HE) and Self-Calibrating Recently, the Sacanna Lab has achieved the syn- Multivariate Precipitation Retrieval (SCaMPR), against thesis of colloidal microcapsules via the self-inflation of Stage-IV ground-based radar-gauge precipitation estimate 3-(trimethoxysilylpropyl) methacrylate (TPM) emulsion to determine location error parameters. The study uses the droplets. This synthetic procedure has been applied to a location of the radar as the center of region of interest to variety of colloidal systems, specifically those designed for calculate the relative displacement of the precipitation in microencapsulation or the selective trapping of particles. SPEs. The geographic location for this study is Oklahoma. Understanding the properties and mechanism behind the Tornado cases in the months of March, April, May, August, inflation of TPM emulsion droplets is an important goal and October 2017 were given special emphasis. Statistical for the lab’s research. By using a mix of TPM with a TPM parameters such as bias, correlation coefficient, false alarm variant with a charge on its tail end, 3 trimethoxysilyl

103 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE propyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium chloride (TPA), and The Relationship between Set-Shifting and Weight in investigating for various signs of inflation, it is possible Adolescents to determine if the microcapsule inflation is primarily Ji Jung Park, Psychology driven by a concentration of charge or by osmotic pres- Sponsors: Professor Antonio Convit, Psychiatry, sure. Results show that the generation of charge in a TPM Medicine, Radiology, NYU School of Medicine; Professor emulsion is the primary driving force of inflation, while the Kathy Yates, Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine generation of osmotic pressure acts as a secondary, smaller The prevalence of overweight and obesity is rising contributing force. at an alarming rate worldwide, presenting a serious health epidemic. Extant literature has demonstrated that cognition Searching for Zelda Gene Enhancers for Nervous is negatively impacted by obesity, and thus excess body System Expression Using P-element Insertions weight is a risk factor for not only physical health prob- Dali Nemecio, Biochemistry lems, but also cognitive impairment. Although previous Sponsor: Professor Christine Rushlow, Biology studies have assessed the relationship between obesity and Zelda is needed for Central Nervous System devel- cognition, none have explored one particular, unique aspect opment in Drosophila. However, the full extent of its role of executive function: set-shifting. Set-shifting is a key is still unknown. Determining the location for the CNS component of executive functions defined as the cognitive enhancer which regulates Zelda can provide insight about flexibility to adapt behaviors in response to changes in the its potential roles and targeted genes. By comparison of environment. This study aims to investigate the relation- known spatial and temporal expression of Zelda, methods ship between set-shifting and weight among adolescents using P-elements and Zelda iRNA provide an initial obser- between 16 and 22 years of age through neuropsychologi- vation of its purpose. cal assessments. It is hypothesized that set-shifting abilities are better in adolescents at healthy weights and decline as Chemical Optimization of Hydrogen Bond Surrogate their weight increases. The findings of this study will con- β-hairpins tribute to the understanding of the biological mechanisms Soo Jung (Sandy) Oh, Chemistry of obesity and ultimately help direct attention to more Sponsor: Professor Paramjit Arora, Chemistry fundamental cognitive control functions in preventing and β-sheets are one of the most common secondary treating obesity. structures in proteins and play a significant role in many protein-protein interactions. The Arora group has recently Synthesis of Functionalized Coil and Helix-Shaped shown that the hydrogen bond surrogate (HBS) approach, Polymers for Analysis of Their Hydrophobic and formerly used to stabilize α-helices by replacement of a Hydrophilic Interactions main-chain hydrogen bond, can also be used to replace a Xinjie (Cindy) Qiu, Chemistry main-chain hydrogen bond to stabilize short β-sheet struc- Sponsor: Professor Marcus Weck, Chemistry tures called β-hairpins. Preliminary evidence suggests the Polymer synthesis is a key method to mimic protein chemical composition of the HBS has a significant impact structure for biomaterial functionality: it allows for analy- on β-hairpin formation, likely because of the different sis of physical and chemical properties such as the extent bond lengths and angles involved in mimicking a main- to which the combination of hydrophilic and hydrophobic chain hydrogen bond. To better understand these results polymers can be successful. By synthesizing a hydrophobic and optimize the structure of HBS-stabilized β-hairpins, helix-shaped polymer, a Palladium-containing initiator in- this study will evaluate a wider variety of HBS chemistries duces helix polymerization, and a hydrophilic coil-shaped both in the context of β-hairpins as well as in the context of polymer with a polylactic acid (PLA) functional group, the other β-sheet structures. In this experiment, unconstrained interactions between the helix-coil polymer complex and β-sheets synthesized and constrained β-sheets were at- various solvents (e.g. chloroform, dichloromethane) can tempted to be synthesized in order to test whether the be evaluated. Furthermore, the structural integrity can be Cis-amide linker can stabilize β-hairpin formation. HBS determined based on the solubility or biodegradability of chemical optimization will facilitate future development the polymers in different solvents and temperatures. This of β-hairpin and β-sheet structures for biophysical studies provides key insight into the use of these polymers as bio- and protein-protein interaction inhibitors. materials.

104 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 Low-Grade Astrocytoma Model Shows a Fundamental icaid. The developed algorithm can help pinpoint users Gliomagenesis Mechanism who lack access to care and, upon further development, Jod Queen Prado, Neural Science can supplement them with locations of nearby low cost Sponsor: Aram Modrek, Neurosurgery, NYU School of resources so as to improve health outcomes. Medicine Rex-40/rex-29 Interactions in C. elegans May Aid in Low-grade astrocytomas (LGAs) can be modeled the Understanding of DCC Spreading Mechanism through the introduction of R132H isocitrate dehydro- Bhavana Ragipani, Neural Science genase (IDH), p53 shRNA, and ATRX shRNA to human Sponsor: Professor Sevinc Ercan, Biology neural stem cells (NSC). LGAs are diffuse low-grade gliomas (LGGs), and among IDH-mutated LGGs, they SMC complexes are highly conserved protein concurrently carry P53 and chromatin remodeler ATRX complexes that bind to chromosomes and are involved in loss-of-function mutations. Introduction of all three mu- the regulation of chromatin structure, proper segregation tations blocked NSC differentiation and evoked brain during cell division, and regulation of gene expression. invasiveness in vivo. The LGA model also led to a DNA Condensins are protein complexes essential for devel- methylation and transcriptional profile resembling IDH1 opment involved in functional organization of chromo- mutant human LGAs. The NSC differentiation block was somes. There are three types of condensins: Condensin I, caused by transcriptional silencing of the transcription fac- Condensin II, and Condensin DC. Condensin DC and its tor SOX2 due to loss of interaction between its promoter non-condensin subunits make up the dosage compensation to its putative enhancer. The loss of interaction is caused complex (DCC) in C. elegans that functions as an X spe- by disrupted chromatin looping due to a hypermethylated cific downregulation of each X chromosome expression by CTCF site, leading to a dissociation of the chromatin orga- half in hermaphrodites. Previous work has shown the DCC nizer CTCF to its DNA motifs. The human model of IDH binds to short genomic regions of ~200bps called recruit- mutant LGA formation implicates impaired NSC differen- ment elements on the X (rex sites) from which they spread tiation is caused by repression of SOX2, which we propose to various spreading sites near promoters and enhancers. is an early driver of gliomagenesis. Although the recruitment process of DCC has been ex- tensively studied, the DCC spreading is still unknown. Exploring Dental Care Affordability on Twitter via Here, it was hypothesized that the spreading of DCC may Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning be related to rex-site locus from X:A fusion data which Ananditha Raghunath, Computer Science, Mathematics has shown that spreading is rex-site sequence dependent. Sponsors: Isabel Metzger, Biomedical Sciences, NYU 4C-seq was conducted, and a previously unidentified inter- School of Medicine; Professor Lorel Burns, Endodontics, action between rex-29 and rex-40 was found via Hi-C. To NYU School of Dentistry understand if the interaction between the rex sites is loca- According to the Center for Disease Control, dental tion or sequence specific, a copy of rex-40 will be inserted care has a higher prohibitive cost than any other health ser- into the X.3 locus in rex-40 deletion worms. An interaction vice in the US. Twitter is used for public health surveillance in the insertion animals would indicate that the interaction and to measure health related quality of life. This study ex- is rex-site sequence dependent. Future studies involving plores dental care affordability via machine learning meth- conditional auxin-inducible degradation (AID) of the DCC ods on tweets. Relevant tweets from 2009 onwards were and comparative 4C-seq will help further understand the scraped, coded for validity, geolocated, and categorized by DCC spreading mechanism. US state. States were split into 4 groups based on Medic- Stimulation of Innate Immunity via TLR9 to aid mandated dental insurance coverage. Natural language Ameliorate Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy in Aged processing (including text mining, sentiment, and n-gram Non-Human Primates analysis) was used to study pain, coping mechanisms, and Margish Ramani, Neural Science economic descriptors of the sample population. Many Sponsor: Professor Henrieta Scholtzova, Neurology, NYU tweeters report being in pain and using coping mechanisms School of Medicine such as “pliers”, “self-medication”, “alcohol”, and “going to Mexico”. Bigram analysis showed that tweeters from Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the most common low coverage areas were more likely to discuss the use cause of dementia and is characterized by the presence of painkillers and visits to the emergency room. A super- of parenchymal amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques, cerebral am- vised learning algorithm was built to predict a user’s level yloid angiopathy (CAA), and neurofibrillary tangles. of dental coverage using features from tweeters’ mined Genome-wide association studies demonstrated the impor- tweet content and Twitter profile. Findings suggest people tance of macrophage and microglia—the primary innate throughout the US are unable to afford dental care despite immune cells of the brain—in AD pathogenesis (Karch et the level of safety net dental insurance provided by Med- al., 2014). Prior work showed stimulation of innate immu-

105 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE nity with CpG ODN (cytosine-phosphate-guanine oligode- of 100,000 educational documents retrieved from the Web. oxynucleotides)can reduce plaque pathologies without Results show CollectiveTeach achieves high precision in causing toxicity in mouse models based on cytokines, the retrieving relevant content and the sequencing algorithm molecules inciting an immune response (Scholtzova et al., outperforms several natural alternatives. Finally, based on 2009). Here, long-term safety of well-characterized TLR9 a user study with 10 participants, it was found that users agonists, CpG ODN, of both Class B and Class C is as- are generally satisfied with the appropriateness, coverage, sessed in aged squirrel monkeys (SQMs) using peripheral and reliability of the generated lesson plans. cytokine concentrations. SQMs are small, New World pri- mates with cerebrovascular and immune systems similar Place Cells as an Emergent Property of a Plastic, humans’. An important feature is cerebral amyloid depo- Multi-Layer Neural Network sition in SQMs has a predilection for abundant CAA and William Redman, Mathematics, Physics low levels of parenchymal Aβ deposition, supporting SQM Sponsor: Professor André Fenton, Neural Science as a translational model for AD. Administration of CpG Neurons in the hippocampus that respond selective- ODN in elderly SQMs was effective in inducing an immu- ly to specific spatial locations (called place cells) have been nostimulatory response in the absence of toxicity. Hence, the focus of many computational modeling projects and these exciting non-human primate data indicate long-term much is understood about how networks of place cells can treatment with TLR9 agonist CpG ODN results in amelio- be used to decode physical position. However, less work ration of CAA and cognitive improvements in aged SQMs has been done on how place cells are developed (e.g., how without inducing adverse events. Overall, these extensive new environments are “learned”) and even less on how this preclinical findings suggest this innovative immunomodu- can be achieved using neurally plausible networks. This lation is effective at reducing all cardinal, AD-related pa- study presents a neurally plausible, plastic, multi-layer thologies without toxicity. This study supports the viability network whose elements develop place cell properties of CpG ODN as a cure for AD and would have a significant in an unsupervised and stable manner from an originally chance of achieving clinical efficacy. random state. This emergent property (which interestingly, seems to be continuous—i.e., there is no phase transition) CollectiveTeach: A System for Generating and is the product of the different types of neurons interacting Sequencing Lesson Plans with spike timing dependent plasticity (STDP). It is shown Rishabh Ranawat, Computer Science, Mathematics that an essential part of the stability and place cell develop- Sponsors: Ashwin Venkataraman, Computer Science; ment of this network is due to the excitatory to inhibitory Professor Lakshminarayanan Subramanian, Computer STDP (EI-STDP), a feature absent in many current mod- Science els. This study also presents the decoding capabilities of There has been significant development in the the network, showing that this network can very naturally open-source nature of the education community across decode spatial position from the activity of the network. the globe. In particular, there is a massive wealth of ed- ucational content available online. However, a gap exists Inertial Water Response Dominates Protein Solvation between teachers and efficient access to this vast resource. Dynamics A fundamental component of teaching is the preparation of Casey Reed, Chemistry a lesson plan—an organized sequence of educational con- Sponsor: Professor Daniel Turner, Chemistry tent— and for the most part, the task of generating lesson In order to establish the mechanism of protein fold- plans today is manual and laborious. Therefore, this project ing and other physiological processes in light-harvesting asks the following question: Given access to the wealth of proteins, there must first be a basis of a detailed compre- online educational resources, how the task of generating hension of protein-solvent interaction. The fastest protein lesson plans can be automated? To answer this question, solvation dynamics, however, have not been thoroughly the author presents the design and implementation of Col- investigated due to the use of unideal model systems and lectiveTeach, a system for generating web-annotated les- challenges with controlling few-cycle laser pulses. In this son plans. CollectiveTeach leverages information retrieval contribution, 6 femtosecond laser pulses are used, and the and data mining techniques to determine relevant content method of coherent wavepacket evolution analysis is used from a large corpus of educational resources based on the to quantify the sub-picosecond solvation dynamics of an en- teacher’s query and employs a novel document sequencing gineered pigment-protein complex. A mutant phytochrome approach to output a coherent lesson plan, not just a list of system was chosen as an ideal probe to study solvation documents. CollectiveTeach was evaluated for 3 popular dynamics because its chromophore fluoresces brightly, undergraduate Computer Science subjects—Algorithms, it has a large Stokes shift, and it does not photoisomeri- Operating Systems, and Machine Learning—on a corpus ze. To create the system, a mutated Cph1∆ plasmid and

106 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 a pPL-PCB plasmid were transformed into NEB Express ments. This signal disappears above 0.3T, consistent with Iq competent E. coli cell line to be used for expression. the known spin-flop transition at 0.31T (Clune, Hughey The time-resolved spectroscopy data show that the protein et al., 2017). Dramatic changes in 1H spectra correlate to solvation dynamics are well described by a single lifetime magnetic ordering with a critical exponent of β = 1/4, con- of 34 femtoseconds, which indicates that the mechanism of trary to the Mean Field prediction of 1/2. The spin-lattice

protein solvation in this system is dominated by the inertial relaxation T 1 recovery exhibits double exponential behav- water component, and not protein sidechain movements or ior, with the long and short components differing by three

protein rotation. orders of magnitude. The long T 1 component dips near 150K and 8.5K, while the short component exhibits a huge Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Studies of enhancement approaching T N followed by an exponential a Multiferroic Dimethylammonium Manganese decay. This behavior suggests the opening of a spin gap, Formate Phase Transition Δ ~ 4.45K, about half of T N. These results have given us Rhea-Donna Reyes, Chemistry, Chemical and a microscopic view of DMMnF over T N, providing head- Biomolecular Engineering way to understanding the origin of multiferroicity in this Sponsors: Professor Naresh Dalal, Chemistry and compound. Biochemistry, Florida State University and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory; Dr. Arneil Reyes, The Effect on the Rate Constant of the RecQ Helicase Condensed Matter Science, National High Magnetic Enzyme when Encountering Oxidized Guanine Field Laboratory Species Multiferroic compounds are materials that uniquely Justine Rosalez, Biochemistry exhibit both magnetic and dielectric ordering transitions. Sponsor: Professor Nicholas Geacintov, Chemistry These transitions are like phase transitions—like water The Nucleotide Excision Repair (NER) pathway freezing into ice—however, the change in organization is utilized by cells to repair DNA damage that results in is instead related to electronic interactions, which lead to the formation of bulky adducts whose presence causes a overarching properties like magnetism. These transitions local distortion in the alpha-helix. The helicase enzymes are studied for their potential technological applications. participating in this pathway play a role in recognition and In this research, dimethylammonium manganese formate confirmation of DNA lesions, which leads to initiation and (DMMnF) is of interest as a multiferroic metal-organic downstream recruitment of critical protein complexes. framework. For the first time, 1H and 55Mn NMR are used Mutation of these enzymes in humans has been shown to

to study the known dielectric transition (T FE ~ 184K) and lead to several specific pathologies including genetic dis-

antiferromagnetic transition (T N ~ 8.5K) (Sanchez-Andu- eases and cancers. RecQ helicase, derived from E. coli was jar, Presedo et al., 2010; Wang, Yan et al., 2013). A broad used to measure helicase efficiency when encountering and strong zero-field 55Mn NMR signal was found below different oxidized species of guanine using a Fluorescence

T N with a calculated 8T internal field from ordered Mn mo- Resonance Energy Transfer design so as to infer the ef- ficiency of NER. A significant decrease in the unwinding rate of helicase corresponds to a high efficiency in repair. The rate constants of the helicase enzyme were measured in the presence of 8-oxoguanine, spiroiminohydantoin, and 5-guanidinohydantoin mutations separately. It was found that presence of each of these mutations led to a decrease in the rate constant of the enzymatic reaction suggesting that these mutations efficiently recruit downstream proteins to initiate the nucleotide excision repair pathway.

Analysis of White Matter Integrity in the Shank3 Deficient Rat Model of Autism Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Tejas A. Sawant, Neural Science Sponsor: Carla Golden, Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine Autism is a fairly common neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social skills, repetitive behaviors, and poorly developed verbal and non-verbal communication. While the definitive neural basis and

107 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE mechanism of autism remains unclear, it has been sug- Depolarized Light Scattering from a PS-PEO Diblock gested that impaired connectivity across different brain Copolymer Using Elliptically Polarized Light regions might play a role in it. This study provides a com- Chappel Sharrock, Chemical and Biomolecular prehensive analysis of the intactness or integrity of white Engineering, Chemistry matter connections in different brain regions of a novel rat Sponsor: Professor Bruce Garetz, Chemical and model of autism, the Shank3 deficient rat. Diffusion Tensor Biomolecular Engineering, Tandon School of Engineering (DTI) weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) The applications of block copolymers are vast with- technique was used to obtain a non-invasive in vivo as- in industry and research. Of particular interest to this study sessment of both macrostructure and microstructure of is polystyrene-poly(ethylene oxide) (PS-PEO) mixed with white matter tracts. Based on DTI volumetric analysis, a salt as an electrolyte within lithium batteries. The ellipsoi- significant reduction in the gross volumes of thalamus and dal grain model for block copolymer grain structure yields hypothalamus in Shank3 deficient rat brains as compared a theoretical expression relating the intensity of a poly- to wild type was observed. Furthermore, the DTI weighted mer’s depolarized light scattering pattern to a phase factor data is expected to reflect poor white matter integrity in that describes the elliptical polarization employed (Bal- the neocortex, thalamus, hypothalamus and cerebellum of sara, Garetz et al., 1992). The overall decay function of the Shank3 deficient rats. These findings help provide more scattered intensity, f0(q), and the depth of 4-fold angular definitive structural information about the Shank3-associ- modulation, f4(q), are predicted to be dependent upon four ated cause of autism as well as raise questions about the parameters, q, l, w and Φ, where q is the magnitude of the implications of these particular regions in the wider neural scattering vector, l is the length of the major axis of the bases of autism. ellipsoid, w is the length of the minor axis and Φ is a phase factor. Experimental studies using linearly polarized light Potential Dorsal-Independent Activation of Sna demonstrated the dependence of f0 and f4 on the first three Expression through Zelda Protein parameters; however, there has yet to be research on the va- John Scheuring, Biology lidity of the phase factor dependence. This project sought Sponsor: Professor Christine Rushlow, Biology to analyze depolarized light scattering patterns using ellip- Dorsal (Dl) is an important transcription factor tically polarized light to test the validity of the phase factor that establishes the dorsal-ventral axis in Drosophila em- dependence by capturing and analyzing scattering patterns bryos by being differentially activated along a gradient from a PS-PEO diblock copolymer using multiple types with high activation on the ventral side and inactivation of elliptically polarized light that correspond to multiple on the dorsal side. Genes such as sog, brk ,and sna con- values of the phase factor. f0 and f4 were extracted from tain Dl binding sites with different affinities towards the each scattering pattern by evaluating the cosine moment transcription factor, inducing expression of the genes at a that corresponds to each function. The results from this specific location along the Dl activation gradient. Howev- analysis were used to calculate a ratio between elliptically er, it has been found that these genes also possess Zelda polarized functions and linearly polarized functions in or- (Zld) binding sites (Rushlow, 2008), suggesting that Zld der to verify that the predicted relationship between phase also directly binds and regulates these genes. The Rush- factor and intensity holds true experimentally. low Lab has also found a common occurrence of cycle 9 embryos exhibiting a single dense dot of expression when Transport and Trapping of Submerged Bodies Due to studying the expression patterns of the sna gene utilizing Water Wave Refraction the in-situ hybridization technique. This dot of expression Ahmed Sherif, Physics manifests prior to zygotic expression of Dl and suggests Sponsor: Professor Leif Ristroph, Mathematics another agent of transcriptional regulation is responsible This study demonstrates the directed motion and for early sna expression. It is very possible that Zld is this stable trapping of bodies suspended below an air-water unknown agent of transcriptional regulation since the sna interface and interacting with imposed surface waves. gene contains Zld binding sites. To test this hypothesis, in Objects with asymmetries in planform shape or inclination situ hybridization was performed on early embryos (cycles to the surface are shown to move perpendicularly to on- 9-10) in the snk- line of Drosophila. The snk- mutation coming plane waves, a manifestation of a transverse force knocks out a downstream protein required for the activa- or “wave-lift”. Visualization of the distorted wave field tion of Dl, therefore, Dl is present but not active in this line. suggests a mechanism based on refraction in the shallow Should Zld predominantly bind the sna gene, expression layer over the body, and this effect was used to trap a sym- patterns will be exhibited early in the development of the metric object with focused waves. These systems are hy- snk- embryos although Dl is absent. drodynamic analogues and macro-scale demonstrations of optical transport and tweezing, and they suggest strategies

108 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 for harnessing water wave energy to perform work and for of elevating proteasomal activity is unclear. This study the controlled positioning of subsurface objects. proposes that proteasomal activity increases through the sequestosome-1 (p62) mediated nuclear export of prote- A Genetic Screen Identifies Novel Mutations in the asome. After 8 hours of amino acid starvation, live-cell Meiotic Recombination Pathway confocal imaging showed a massive cytoplasmic recruit- Michelle Shi, Biology ment of 20S and a corresponding decrease in nuclear Sponsor: Professor Andreas Hochwagen, Biology concentration of 20S, suggesting nucleocytoplasmic trans- Meiosis occurs in all sexually reproducing organ- location occurred. Super-resolution microscopy showed isms, enabling genetic diversity and maintaining ploidy increased proteasome-p62 complex formation in the nucle- throughout generations. In the process of meiotic recom- us prior to export, indicating p62 is a mediator for export. bination, hundreds of double-stranded breaks (DSBs) are Moreover, elevated levels of 20S and 19S in the cytoplasm introduced for the exchange of genetic information and after export corresponded with increased cytoplasmic to establish tension for faithful chromosome segregation. 20S-19S complex formation; these trends were reversed Problems during this process can lead to cancer susceptibil- through inhibition of nuclear export. Thus, export provides ity, fetal loss or birth defects, where the most common mei- a direct mechanism to achieve increased proteasomal ac- otic disorder in humans is Trisomy 21, or Down syndrome. tivity through increased cytoplasmic 20S-19S complex Although many proteins involved in meiotic recombina- formation. The potential for proteasome to be exported tion are known, most of their analysis was conducted using adds to the wide repertoire of proteasome regulation within complete deletions. This mutagenesis screen isolates novel the cell. Because of the UPS involvement in many cellu- point mutations to identify underlying protein interactions lar pathways, it is anticipated that proteasome export can that regulate meiotic recombination, thereby improving our increase cellular resistance to other cell stressors as well. understanding of why meiotic missegregation occurs. Over Furthermore, proteasome export may be a potential target 200 mutations were isolated in this screen. Two novel mu- to decrease survival and growth in tumors that require tations, Hop1-R394K and Red1-G109D, were analyzed for maintenance of cytoplasmic glutamine amino acid levels defects in meiotic recombination. Both Hop1 and Red1 are to maintain growth. known to localize to meiotic chromosomes and promote DSBs as well as interhomolog repair. The mutations appear Investigating the Antiviral Potential of Serpins Using to affect the stability of the respective proteins in whole cell Multicycle Replication Assays extracts. DSBs and markers of interhomolog repair appear Clara Si, Biochemistry, Classical Civilization reduced, and chromosome structural changes to form the Sponsor: Professor Meike Dittmann, Microbiology, NYU synaptonemal complex in both mutants are also disrupted. School of Medicine Consequently, meiotic progression is delayed and both the As obligate intracellular parasites, viruses rely on Hop1-R394K and Red1-G109D mutant proteins severely the machinery of their host cells to produce progeny virus compromise viability of the meiotic products. Because particles. Many require proteases to cleave their surface of highly conserved domains in model organisms like the proteins and complete their life cycles. Previous studies CT46/HORMAD1 gene in humans encoding a HORMA have shown the innate immune response exploits this pro- domain that is an orthologue of Hop1, this project easily tease-dependence to inhibit viruses: the human gene SER- translates into the modern field of medicine. PINE1 encodes for a serine protease inhibitor (serpin) that blocks the very proteases used in glycoprotein cleavage by Investigation of Proteasome Mobilization in Response influenza A virus, thereby rendering it non-infectious and to Amino Acid Starvation Using Super-Resolution preventing the infection from spreading (Dittmann, Hoff- Microscopy mann et al., 2015). With thirty other human serpins having Jaewoo Shin, Biochemistry never been investigated in the context of antiviral defense, Sponsors: Professor Eli Rothenberg, Biochemistry and this project aims to characterize the role of serpins during Molecular Pharmacology, NYU School of Medicine; protease-dependent virus life cycles. A complete human Dr. Donna Rose Whelan, Biochemistry and Molecular SERPIN expression library has been generated and used to Pharmacology, NYU School of Medicine assemble lentiviral particles. The antiviral potential of these The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is one way serpins is then assessed via a multi-cycle screen: transduc- a cell achieves highly regulated protein degradation. The ed primary normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) proteasome is comprised of a multi-subunit regulatory cap cells expressing individual SERPINs and red fluorescent (19S) and catalytic base (20S). UPS activity is up-regu- protein (RFP) are infected with a panel of respiratory vi- lated in human cells during times of nutrient deprivation ruses. The cells are fixed at two time points and stained for to inhibit anabolic processes, increase amino acid supply, virus antigen (GFP). By means of high-content microsco- and maintain cell survival. However, the mechanism py, the antiviral potential of each serpin may be evaluated

109 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE by a quantification of virus spread over time. Uncovering have particularly implicated the Lateral (LA) and Central antiviral functions for other human serpins could elucidate (CeA) subnuclei of this area, demonstrating that the LA is innate protection mechanisms and ultimately be applied to responsible for encoding the association between the CS the development of novel antiviral therapies. and the US and the CeA is responsible for the behavioral outputs that control the conditioned responses to the CS. Single Molecule Array Immunoassay of Tau Protein Most studies that explore PTC report their measurements Phosphorylated at Threonine-231 in Blood Plasma as population averages. This type of measurement dis- Je Yeong Sone, Biochemistry counts the fact that populations are typically not homoge- Sponsor: Professor Silvia Fossati, Neurology, Psychiatry, nous and therefore exclude subpopulations of rats that do NYU School of Medicine not demonstrate the central tendency behavioral response. Tau is a microtubule-associated protein involved in This project aims to classify a population of animals into the assembly and stabilization of microtubules in neuro- subpopulations as a function of their phenotypic responses nal axons of the central nervous system. Phosphorylated to threatening stimuli (low, average, and high responders) tau is a hallmark protein of Alzheimer’s disease and more by using mathematically advanced data mining techniques recently of traumatic brain injury. Assays for measuring as well as identify potential relationship between behavior phosphorylated tau in the cerebrospinal fluid are widely and neuronal activity of the LA and/or CeA. used, but such assays for blood plasma have not yet been validated and replicated. This study aimed to develop a sin- Function of Lateral Entorhinal Cortex in Shaping gle molecule array technique that can detect and quantify Task-Selective Spatial Representations in Dorsal CA1 tau phosphorylated at threonine-231 in the plasma of old- of Hippocampus er, cognitively healthy and Alzheimer’s disease subjects. Sahaana Sundar, Neural Science Two primary antibodies RZ3 and HJ1 were tested for their Sponsor: Professor Jayeeta Basu, Neuroscience, NYU affinities to the phosphorylated threonine-231 epitope via School of Medicine ligand depletion. Kinetics of three secondary antibodies Memory formation in the hippocampus includes TAU5, 39E10, and 77E9 were measured to determine input from various sensory cortices, but what kind of re- their sensitivities and specificities to a phosphorylated lationship exists between memory and sensory perception, threonine-231 peptide of residues 189-239. Buffer condi- and how do they interact? Hippocampus (HC) area CA1 is tions were tested with blocking agents 2-[2-[3,4-bis(2-hy- necessary for episodic memory, but to accurately code these droxyethoxy)oxolan-2-yl]-2-(2-hydroxyethoxy)ethoxy] memories, inputs from entorhinal cortex (EC) are required. ethyl dodecanoate with Tris-buffered saline, bovine serum These inputs provide both spatial and sensory information albumin, and casein and non-denaturing detergent octyl- from medial (MEC) and lateral (LEC) areas of entorhinal phenoxy poly(ethyleneoxy)ethanol in cerebrospinal fluid cortex, respectively. Conventional understanding of the and plasma. RZ3 and HJ1 both had higher affinity than the HC-LEC circuitry is described by the perforant pathway control antibody. Among the detector antibodies, 77E9 had (LEC>DG>CA3>CA1) and direct pathway (LEC>CA1), the highest sensitivity, but 39E10 had the highest speci- but recent findings indicate a further complexity of this ficity and second-highest sensitivity. Among the blocking circuitry by showing the presence of direct inhibitory in- agents, bovine serum albumin yielded higher sensitivity puts from LEC to CA1, perhaps directly modulating the in the cerebrospinal fluid, but casein yielded higher sensi- excitatory inputs from the trisynaptic pathway. This study tivity in plasma. Octylphenoxy poly(ethyleneoxy)ethanol examines the convergence of excitatory and inhibitory decreased the sensitivity for bovine serum albumin in LEC inputs onto CA1 neurons. Since GABAergic neurons plasma. The results in progress suggest a potentially via- are most likely responsible for the modulation of input into ble assay for measuring phosphorylated threonine-231 in CA1, the relative density of GABAergic projection neurons plasma. from LEC through viral injections, immunohistochemistry and confocal imaging were identified and compared. To Individual Differences in the Responses to Threats in assess the behavioral implications of these long-range in- Rats hibitory projections on spatial memory, in vivo two-photon Sara Stark, Neural Science, Psychology calcium imaging with pharmacogenetic silencing of direct Sponsor: Professor Lorenzo Diaz-Mataix, Neural Science LEC inhibition in dorsal CA1 in a random foraging test In Pavlovian Threat Conditioning (PTC), an ini- were performed. Further, an odor-cued goal oriented learn- tially neutral conditioned stimulus (CS) is associated with ing (OC-GOL) behavioral paradigm was developed to test an unconditioned stimulus (US) leading to subsequent CS if direct GABAergic LEC-CA1 inputs facilitate associa- presentations resulting in induced conditioned responses, tion of sensory cues with spatial maps. Ongoing studies like freezing. The amygdala is a crucial region of the brain aim to understand the contribution of LEC during distinct that underlies the neurobiology of PTC. Many studies

110 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 phases of goal-oriented behavior to task performance and the Bethe approximation, the NP inference problem could place cell assemblies in CA1. be solved rigorously without sacrificing efficiency. This project performed LM image reconstruction with B-recs, CD8 T Cell Immune Checkpoints in HIV Infected for (i) images with low and high fluorophore densities and Children (ii) images acquired with optical systems associated with Janki Tailor, Biology various point spread functions (PSFs). However, in order Sponsor: Professor Alka Khaitan, Microbiology, NYU for B-recs to attain maximum efficacy, the input PSF, raw School of Medicine images, and algorithmic parameters must be optimized. To While Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) has signifi- reconstruct images with increased resolution, the PSF was cantly reduced the mortality of patients due to Human enlarged by oversampling images of fluorophore beads. Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and has facilitated control For images with low fluorophore density, the computation- of viral load, a cure still remains elusive. A substantial al cost was lowered through image coarsening. To increase factor that precludes a cure to HIV is immune exhaustion the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the raw images, consec- (Blackburn, Shin et al., 2008). Immune exhaustion is the utive frames were superimposed; the combined localiza- hierarchical and progressive loss of function, during which tions obtained through reconstruction were then reassigned antigen-specific CD8+ memory T cells lose properties to the original images by rerunning B-recs on individual such as proliferative capacity, ability to secrete cytokines, images with a much higher confidence on the fluorophore and potential for cytotoxicity (Blackburn, Shin et al., 2008; positions. Following the optimization of B-recs parame- Angelosanto, Blackburn et al., 2012). Two hallmarks of T ters, image reconstruction by B-recs results in localization cell exhaustion are sustained increased expression of im- accuracy and resolution better than or on-par with other mune checkpoints and coexpression of multiple different image reconstruction algorithms, and B-recs performs immune checkpoints during chronic infection (Bengsch, especially well in images with high fluorophore density. Seigel et al. 2010). Studies show the higher the diversity The ability to perform high quality image reconstruction and number of immune checkpoints coexpressed on a T on images with high fluorophore density is essential for cell surface the more severe the state of exhaustion (Day, reducing the time of LM image acquisition. Haufmann et al., 2006). As a result, until there is not a syn- ergistic blockade of all coexpressed immune checkpoints, Fabrication and Guided Motion of Microscale T cell exhaustion cannot be completely reversed (Bengsch, Swimmers Seigel et al. 2010). In addition, at present, sub-Saharan Tiffany Tang, Chemistry African children account for the majority of pediatric cases Sponsor: Professor Michael Ward, Chemistry in the HIV epidemic, yet few studies have focused on this Microscale metallic rods with two dissimilar metal population (Ubesie, 2012). This project aims to determine segments at opposite ends can exhibit bacteria-like move- the immune checkpoint profiles in Kenyan children who ment as a consequence of electrophoretic effects when are HIV-, HIV+ART-, and HIV+ART+. This study is immersed in a chemical fuel such as hydrogen peroxide. significant for its potential to increase available data and Previous work demonstrated that platinum/gold micros- literature regarding a highly affected yet minimally studied wimmers catalyze the oxidation and reduction of hydrogen population. peroxide at the platinum end and gold end respectively, generating a electroosmotic flow of protons that results in Image Reconstruction with B-recs in Localization self propulsion with the platinum end leading. The move- Microscopy ment of these artificial swimmers can be guided with tear- Cyrus Tam, Biology drop shaped posts, fabricated by lithography, which allows Sponsor: Professor Timothee Lionnet, Cell Biology, NYU the microrods to be concentrated or sorted by their speed. School of Medicine This provides information that could be applied to meth- Fluorescence Microscopy is a powerful tool that al- ods of organizing bacteria or other biological swimmers. lows the visualization of various cellular processes. Recent Speed is influenced by varying the identity of the metals developments in Localization Microscopy (LM) have al- (gold/platinum or gold/rhodium) and their segment length. lowed the three-dimensional localization of fluorophores at Gold/rhodium nanorods tend to have greater speed which a higher resolution than that characterized by the diffraction can increase the effectiveness of the teardrop shaped posts limit. To obtain high resolution images under LM, the posi- guiding their motion. This project informs on the dynamics tions of the fluorophores must be computationally inferred of artificial swimmers, the influence of their environment from their diffracted spots through image reconstruction. of their motion, and the implications for their use in na- B-recs is a LM image reconstruction algorithm noscale drug delivery and understanding the behavior of that formulates the process of image reconstruction as a natural organisms. Bayesian network inference problem. Through applying

111 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE Efficacy of Photochemical Corneal Collagen Cross- a measure of summed synaptic activity. Given the signifi- Linking Combined with Refractive Surgery in cance of maternal regulation on the infant brain, this study Treating Keratoconus aimed to determine if maltreating mothers regulate their Semran Thamer, Global Public Health/Chemistry pups’ LFP oscillations. Neural oscillations program and Sponsor: Dr. Emil Chynn, Park Avenue SafeSight sculpt the immature brain, and disrupting these oscillations Photochemical corneal collagen cross-linking in- is thought to be a contributing factor in neurodevelopmen- duced by UV-A irradiation and photosensitizer riboflavin tal disorders (Penn and Schatz, 1999). Therefore, under- is currently the only promising method of treating kera- standing how maternal care during infancy impacts oscil- toconus. Corneal cross-linking addresses the underlying lations is important for understanding how the pathway to pathophysiology of keratoconus by increasing the number pathology is initiated to better inform treatment. of corneal collagen cross-links which in turn improves Analysis of Large Scale Structure of Magnetic Field in corneal biomechanical stability while providing little to no State-of-the-Art Galaxy Simulation improvement in functional vision. Combination collagen Mats Thijssen, Physics cross-linking and refractive surgery may serve as an ef- Sponsor: Professor Glennys Farrar, Physics fective target for the stabilization and reshaping of corneal tissue among keratoconic eyes for increased biomechani- State-of-the-art galaxy-formation simulations are cal stability and significant visual function improvement. becoming increasingly complex. However, it is not a given A retrospective study of 21 eyes that underwent collagen that the resultant galaxies behave like expected. The Milky cross-linking combined with LASEK and 20 matched Way is observed to have a large scale magnetic field and is controls that solely underwent collagen cross-linking was modeled by the JF12 model (Jansson and Farrar, 2012). A conducted and postoperative BCVA, spherical equivalent, Milky Way-like simulation from the Illustris project, using corneal topography and keratometry measures assessed at a modern approach to Magneto Hydro Dynamics, is ana- 12-months of follow-up were compared. It was found that lyzed in respect to the evidence of a large scale magnetic the combined cross-linking and LASEK procedure was field and its possible structure and strength in an effort to associated with significantly improved BCVA and spher- determine whether or not it is similar to that of our own ical equivalent compared to the cross-linking only group. galaxy. Using computer software to calculate the observ- It was observed that the combination procedure effectively ables for the simulated galaxy, a fit with the JF12 model halted keratoconic progression while markedly improving for the Milky Way magnetic field can be attempted to see functional vision. if there is evidence of the large scale structure in the simu- lated galaxy similar to that which is observed in the Milky Infant Rat Cortical Oscillations during Maltreatment Way. However, the observables depend on the number from the Mother density of Cosmic Ray Electrons (CRE), which is not de- Emma Theisen, Neural Science termined in the simulation. To solve this problem various Sponsor: Professor Regina Sullivan, Child and models for the number density in the Milky Way are tested, Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine and the energy density of CREs is equated to that of the Decades of research show infants rely on their magnetic field—a concept called equipartition—to find the caregiver to provide the sensory stimulation needed for best model to use. immediate adaptive behavior and for later-life brain devel- Effect of Musical Training on Perception of opment. However, when the mother is abusive to offspring, Shadowed-Speech she can produce changes in pups’ immediate behavioral re- Grace Ji Yan Tsang, Communicative Sciences and sponses within the mother-infant dyad as well as program Disorders the brain for maladaptive later-life function. Here, a novel Sponsor: Professor Susannah Levi, Communicative approach is taken to assess infant rat pups’ immediate Sciences and Disorders, Steinhardt School of Culture, neurobehavioral responses to nurturing and maltreating Education and Human Development mothers. Animal research from this lab has shown that ma- ternal presence during typical behavior can modulate rat Phonetic convergence, or “shadowing”, is the phe- pups’ cortical activity through her simple presence in the nomenon in which people unintentionally and temporarily nest, which is further modulated through specific maternal change phonetic details of their speech to sound more behaviors such as grooming, nipple attachment, and the like another talker. While previous shadowing literature release of milk (Sarro, et al., 2014). This study explored, has mostly been about what makes people shadow, the for the first time, how maltreatment affects maternal ability present study focuses on what influences the perception to modulate pups’ behavior and local field potential (LFP), of shadowed speech. Specifically, the study asked how

112 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 musical training (instrumental or vocal) influences lis- The Role of Cyclins in the DNA Damage Response teners’ ability to match “shadowed” speech to their target Complex productions. Two target speakers (representing a Brooklyn Andrew Wang, Neural Science and a General American dialect) produced a list of words Sponsor: Professor Gergely Rona, Biochemistry and that were shadowed by six female speakers. Participants Molecular Pharmacology, NYU School of Medicine listened to the shadowed stimuli in the form of an AXB Human DNA will accumulate damage over time task with the target productions occurring as stimulus from various types of mutagens. Consequently, two dif- X and the shadowed productions as stimulus A and B. ferent cellular repair mechanisms, homologous recombi- Two hundred and sixty listeners were asked to determine nation (HR) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), whether the A or B stimulus was a better imitation of X. A are utilized to counteract double strand breaks, the most logistic mixed-effects model revealed a significant positive toxic forms of DNA damage. HR involves using replicate association between years of instrumental musical training copies of DNA to re-synthesize damaged regions. NHEJ and performance on the AXB task. However, no percep- involves a direct ligation of the broken DNA strands. In tual advantage was observed in connection with years of recent studies, cyclins, known cell cycle regulators, have vocal experience. This study supports previous literature been implicated in the DNA damage response. Cyclins that there are cross-domain benefits of musical training on were observed recruiting alongside BRCA2-Rad51 to speech perception. Such studies open the possibility for repair DNA through HR. However, this study found that music to be incorporated into auditory training for popula- specific cyclins co-localizes to sites of DNA damage much tions with perceptual difficulties. more quickly than BRCA2-Rad51. Furthermore, some cyclins are degraded during the S-phase of the cell cycle Face-Specific Targeting of Tensegrity Triangle DNA suggesting it may not facilitate HR, as HR requires repli- Crystals cated DNA in order to repair damage. Here, it was found Robert Tseng, Biochemistry that specific cyclins are rapidly and transiently recruited Sponsor: Professor Nadrian Seeman, Chemistry to sites of laser-induced double strand breaks in cells syn- In the field of DNA nanotechnology, DNA’s abili- chronized in G1 phase of the cell cycle. Likewise, these ty to self-assemble into double stranded helices based on cyclins were not recruited to sites of DNA damage in S Watson-Crick base pairing allows it to be programmed to phase. Cyclins co-localized to sites of DNA damage with form immobile branched junctions and geometric struc- members of the CIP/KIP family. This study proposes these tures. One such structure is the tensegrity triangle motif, newly described protein complexes help DNA repair in G1 which can self-assemble into a 3D crystal via sticky end and G2 cells by facilitating NHEJ. interactions. The main purpose of developing such sys- tems is to provide a macromolecular scaffold capable of Communicating the Nutritional Value of Sugar in binding, orienting, and juxtaposing a variety of molecules Drosophila from cellular macromolecules to organic conductors and Justin G. Wang, Biology optical memory components. Beyond this role, however, Sponsor: Professor Greg Suh, Biomolecular Medicine, by possessing unique sticky ends corresponding to each NYU School of Medicine hexahedral face, crystals grown from asymmetric motifs Drosophila mutant flies deficient in sweet-taste also have the potential for face-specific targeting, with each receptors are unable to readily identify sugars. In the surface capable of anchoring unique motifs. To demon- presence of wild-type (WT) flies, however, mutant flies strate and develop this capability, The Seeman group has demonstrated a marked increase in their preference for adopted the 2-turn asymmetric tensegrity triangle motif as nutritive sugars. Real-time recordings of starved WT flies a basis for lattice formation. Blunted versions of the tri- revealed they discharge a drop from their gut end upon the angle, consisting of DNA tagged with Cy3 dye and sticky consumption of nutritive sugars, rather than non-nutritive ends corresponding only to its face-specific compliment, sugars. Here, it was postulated that the observed drop may visually indicate the extent to which the layering adheres contain a molecule(s) (named calorie-induced secreted to the surface. Results demonstrate it is currently possible factor, or CIF) that serves as a signal to indicate food’s to layer an individual face of 2-turn asymmetric crystals, nutritional value to other flies. Consistent with this idea, a and in the future, the goal is to incorporate additional dyes robust preference of flies for nutritive sugar marked with (Cy5, fluorescein, etc.), target multiple faces, and layer CIF over nutritive sugar without CIF was observed. Impor- nano-mechanical devices powered by isothermal toehold tantly, feeding appears to be a prerequisite for CIF release, exchange (Hao et al., 2016). which was not observed in fed WT flies. Subsequent cor- relation analyses and pharmacological approaches suggest

113 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE the nutritional value, rather than the taste, of the consumed the level of H4K20 methylation on the X chromosomes. sugar correlates strongly with the amount (or intensity) of Recent research found SET-4 methyltransferase catalyzes the released CIF. The degree of aggregation toward a food H4K20me2 across the genome. On the X, DPY-21 sub- substrate was proportional to the amount of CIF release unit of the DCC acts as a demethylase by removing one around a food source. Next, it was observed that the release methyl group from H4K20me2 to increase the level of of this aggregation signal was specific to consumption of H4K20me1 on the X. It was hypothesized that H4K20me1 nutritive sugars and L-enantiomer essential amino acids increases DCC affinity to the X chromatin. In adpy-21 mu- (L-eAAs). Finally, it was found that CIF (i) is not perceived tant, DCC binding to the X reduces (Kramer et al. 2015). via the olfactory system, (ii) is sex-independent, and (iii) is It was reasoned that if in the dpy-21 mutant, H4K20me1 not limited to one species of Drosophila. was increased by set-4 RNAi, this should rescue dpy-21 phenotypes of embryonic lethality and dumpiness. How- Functional Study of Cancer Patient-Associated BcL- ever, this rescue was not seen in the results. It is possible xL Mutants: A Step towards Personalized Medicine that dpy-21 has an additional role in dosage compensation Shihui Wang, Economics or H4K20me1 by itself cannot increase DCC binding to Sponsor: Professor Yi-Chieh Du, Pathology and the X. H4K20me1 is enriched in the mitotic chromosomes Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine of all animals (including humans), thus determining how Cancer metastasis has been the primary cause of H4K20me1 affects condensin binding is important to un- cancer mortality. Overexpression of the BcL-xL gene is derstand its role in chromosome condensation. found in a variety of metastatic cancers. The Du lab has shown when overexpressed in cancer cells, BcL-xL travels High Throughput Profiling of Phage P1 Resistance in to the nucleus to promote cancer cell metastasis indepen- E. coli Saturated Transposon Mutant Library dent of its anti-apoptotic function on the mitochondria. This Shirley Wu, Biology finding explains the limited effect of the small molecule Sponsor: Professor Evgeny Nudler, Biochemistry and inhibitor ABT-737 targeting the anti-apoptosis role of BcL- Molecular Pharmacology, NYU School of Medicine xL. Besides overexpression, 32 unique patient-associated Bacteriophage P1 is a lysogenic phage that has mutations of BcL-xL have been identified in The Cancer played a major role in the development of fundamental Genome Atlas database. In this study, 4 candidate muta- research techniques in molecular biology. P1 has been tions—R165W, N136K, A201T, R132W—were selected widely studied and implemented for its efficiency with to investigate their anti-apoptotic and metastatic functions. generalized transduction and the construction of new bac- Further studies are expected to contribute to designing terial strains with its recombination systems. This paper more personalized treatment for patients who bear BcL-xL presents an application of transposon-sequencing (Tn-seq) mutations, thereby improving survival rate and decreasing as a high throughput method in tandem with generalized medical cost. transduction for accurately identifying genes resistant or sensitive to P1 phage infection on a genome-wide scale in The Role of H4K20 Methylation on the X E. coli. Tn-seq is dependent on the assembly of a saturated Chromosome during Dosage Compensation in C. transposon mutant library with specific insertion sites for elegans an even distribution across the genome. To distinguish be- Diandra Williams, Psychology tween mutants with P1 resistance or sensitivity, the reads Sponsor: Professor Sevinc Ercan, Biology were mapped per kilobase per million (RPKM) which In many animals, the X chromosome dosage imbal- quantifies how frequently each gene is represented in the ance between females (XX) and males (XY) is corrected sample of sequences and measures the prevalence of each by dosage compensation mechanisms. This is how species transposon mutant in the library pool. A higher RPKM in balance the expression of genes from X chromosomes be- the control transposon pool versus a pool after P1 infection tween the sexes, because they typically require the same indicates phage resistance, while the opposite indicates dosage of X-linked genes in both sexes. In C. elegans, phage sensitivity. The effectiveness of the Tn-seq proce- the condensin-like dosage compensation complex (DCC) dure for identifying resistant or sensitive genes was deter- down regulates transcription from both X chromosomes mined by screening for mutations of known genes sensitive by a factor of two, equalizing X-expression between XX or resistant against P1 phages. The combination of Tn-seq hermaphrodites and XO males. The DCC is one of three and generalized transduction provides the first instance of condensin complexes found in C. elegans. Condensins a powerful tool in mapping the resistome of phages. This are essential for chromosome condensation and segrega- method can be applied to other transducing and clinically tion during cell division and regulate gene expression and relevant phages to continue research on phage resistance chromatin structure during interphase. The DCC regulates and phage potency necessary for efficient phage therapy.

114 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 Reinforcement Sensitivity and Analytical Style Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) Plays a Regulatory Role in the Underlie Individual Differences in Risk Attitudes Expression of the Senescence-Associated Secretory across the Gain and Loss Domains of Decision-Making Phenotype (SASP) Yu Tzu (Lea) Wu, Neural Science Alex Yu, Biochemistry Sponsors: Professor Paul Glimcher, Neural Science; Hui- Sponsor: Professor Gregory David, Biochemistry and Kuan Chung, Psychology Molecular Pharmacology, NYU School of Medicine Individual differences exist across a spectrum Proliferating cells divide through a process called of cognitive processes including decision-making. The the cell cycle, comprised of four phases: G1, protein syn- present study examines decisions under risks, and how in- thesis and organelle division; S, DNA replication; G2, dividual differences in reinforcement sensitivity—as mea- protein synthesis and spindle formation; and M, mitosis sured by the reinforcement learning rate from a dynamic and cytokinesis. A checkpoint in G1 regulates the transi- foraging task (Rutledge, Lazzaro et al., 2009) and scores tion into S phase or into a quiescent G0 phase, where the on the behavioral inhibition system and behavioral activa- cell ceases proliferation but can be chemically induced to tion system (BIS/BAS) scale—and in analytical styles, as divide again. Cellular senescence is a tumor-suppressing measured by the cognitive reflection test (CRT), contribute mechanism that drives cells into a permanent non-prolifer- to risk attitudes in decision tasks. While previous studies ative state. Unlike quiescent cells, cells in this state cannot have demonstrated personality-related individual differ- be chemically stimulated in vitro or in vivo to re-enter the ences mediate risky decision-making, these experimental cell cycle. Senescent cells are more prevalent in the aging paradigms employed secondary rewards—monetary in- population and express a complex assortment of secretory centives—and investigated solely the gain domain. The factors called the senescence-associated secretory pheno- strength of the current approach lies in the multi-dimen- type (SASP). The cytokines in the SASP is a contributor sional analysis of personality-related differences, which to many age-related diseases including atherosclerosis and, allows for comparative insights. It was found that decision to an extent, cancer, which directly conflicts with the tu- tasks involving the primary reward—food bundles— mor suppressive mechanism of senescence. Interleukin-1α demonstrate the trend of risk-taking behavior consistent (IL-1α) is accepted to be the putative upstream regulator with the reflection effect of prospect theory (Kahneman of the SASP. There are reports, however, that suggest the and Tversky, 1977) and that the reinforcement learning NLRP3 inflammasome has a role in maintaining the SASP rates as well as the CRT scores correlate with individual through the cleavage of pro-IL-1β into active IL-1β. This choices in the gain and loss domains of risky decisions study demonstrates through short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) differentially. knockdown assays that the level of SASP components is

115 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY • COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE also affected by IL-1β. These results suggest a more com- Self-Assembling 3D DNA Lattices for the plex regulatory hierarchy of the SASP that has yet to be Organization of Guest Molecules elucidated. A more fully mapped out regulatory pathway Matthew Zhao, Chemistry will increase the understanding of the inflammatory and Sponsor: Professor Nadrian Seeman, Chemistry tumor-suppressive nature of the SASP and senescence. The self-assembly of three-dimensional crystal- line structures is one of the main goals of structural DNA Predicting Dynamic Protein and mRNA Expression nanotechnology (Seeman, 1982). The first successfully Profiles with a Simple Rate Equation designed self-assembled 3D DNA crystal was the two- Yun Bin Zhang, Computer Science and Mathematics turn tensegrity triangle (Zheng, Birktoft, et al., 2009; Liu, Sponsor: Professor Christine Vogel, Biology Wang, et al., 2004). The tensegrity triangle is a robust The human body is a highly sophisticated biological motif consisting of three double-helices organized in an machine that changes over time as the result of continuous over-and-under three-fold pattern; it self-assembles into and complex regulation. Under environmental stress, many three-dimensional rhombohedral crystals via designed of these regulatory processes affect the expression level of sticky ended cohesion. This work aims to expand control genes by adjusting mRNA and protein synthesis and deg- of the system and self-assemble multi-component tenseg- radation rates. This research investigates to what extent rity triangle constructs as stand-alone molecules via the time-dependent gene expression changes can be modeled fusion of multiple unique tensegrity triangles. The fused with rate equations without the presence of additional rhombohedron was designed by first fusing the 24 helical regulators. Tchourine et al. (2014) showed that this might strands of eight tensegrity triangles to produce 12 unique be possible for some data in yeast. This was further tested helices corresponding to the twelve edges of the rhombo- for a variety of human datasets here. Using regression and hedron. Fusing the 24 crossover strands of eight triangles clustering analyses, it was found that most well-predicted resulted in 6 unique single-crossover strands, 3 unique mRNAs and proteins fall into three categories in which ei- doubled crossover strands, and 3 unique quadrupled ther (i) only synthesis or (ii) only degradation, or (iii) both crossover strands. The crossover strands were fused where are regulated. Further, it was found that different genes the 5’ end and 3’ end of adjacent crossover strands were distribute differently across datasets with respect to these oriented adjacent to one another. Attempting to create an categories. asymmetric rhombohedron out of eight different tensegrity triangles would require in 56 unique strands, however the Effects of Adaptive Stimuli on Visual Texture fused rhombohedron requires only 32 unique strands. Sim- Discrimination pler derivatives of the fused rhombohedron are the fused Hongfei Zhao, Neural Science four-triangle “face” and the fused two-triangle “edge”. Sponsors: Professor Tony Movshon, Neural Science; These fused constructs offer improved control over mo- Luke Hallum, Neural Science; Manu Raghavan, Neural lecular systems, and it appears they can be utilized as scaf- Science folds for housing auxiliary molecular additions within the Textures typically found in nature, or “naturalistic crystalline lattice. textures”, are defined by their higher order spatial statis- tics. Thus, an observer’s ability to discriminate between The Relationship between the Rate Constant of two textures relies on the computation of differences the RecQ Helicase and Nucleotide Excision Repair in higher order statistics. While evidence exists that this Efficiency computation involves neural mechanisms that may hinge Vincent Zheng, Chemistry on activity in the secondary visual cortex, the specifics of Sponsor: Professor Nicholas Geacintov, Chemistry these neural mechanisms are currently unknown. Here, it Different DNA adducts have different nucleotide is hypothesized that texture discrimination is a two-stage excision repair (NER) efficiencies based on a poor under- process. The first stage of processing responds to variations standing of the difference in adduct structures. Finding the of luminance, and the second stage of processing computes efficiency of the rate of unwinding of DNA lesions derived higher-order statistics. If the first stage of processing is from benzo(a)pyrene (B[a]P) and dibenzo(a,l)pyrene tuned in orientation and spatial frequency, then an adapter (DB[a,l]P) and correlating it to the efficiency of NER can stimulus at a particular orientation will attenuate the output provide a better understanding of the process. Fluores- of the first stage of processing, which in turn will attenu- cence spectroscopy is used to measure the kinetics of the ate the output of the second stage and will elevate texture unwinding reaction of the RecQ helicase, an analogue of thresholds. The goal of this project is to collect psycho- XPB helicase used in NER. This project shows that gua- physical data and determine whether the data supports this nine derived B[a]P and DB[a,l]P adducts with a high NER model for the mechanism of texture discrimination. efficiency has a slow rate of unwinding by helicase while

116 INQUIRY • VOLUME 22, 2018 adenine derived B[a]P and DB[a,l]P adducts show a low Perceptual Decision-Making in Individuals with NER efficiency has a high rate of unwinding. This explains Amblyopia the high genotoxic activity of adenine B[a]P and DB[a,l]P Olga Zhurakivska, Neural Science DNA lesions that is related to the formation of nucleotide Sponsor: Professor Lynne Kiorpes, Neural Science excision repair resistant adenine adducts in cellular DNA. Amblyopia, commonly known as lazy eye, is de- fined as the loss of visual acuity in one eye with no under- An EEG Correlate of Visual Ambiguous Perception lying pathological cause. It has long been known that am- Michael Zhu, Neural Science blyopia is associated with a range of perceptual disorders, Sponsors: Dr. Richard Hardstone, Neurology, NYU including reduced visual acuity, impaired contrast and mo- School of Medicine; Professor Biyu J. He, Neurology, tion perception, and a decreased ability to detect contours. NYU School of Medicine However, few inquiries have been made into the potential Conditions such as low contrast, clutter, and unfa- effects of amblyopia on higher-order processes, such as vi- miliarity can cause objects and scenes in people’s everyday sual decision-making abilities. Visual decision-making re- lives to appear ambiguous. To better understand how the lies on the processing of visual information to accumulate brain responds to such ambiguity, many researchers study sufficient evidence about a visual stimulus. Thus, it cannot a phenomenon known as bistable perception. Bistable per- be discounted that the nature of the amblyopic disorder ception occurs when the same stimulus can be perceived may make it difficult to discriminate the target, conse- as two distinct interpretations that switch between each quently increasing the difficulty of a decision-making task other. Recent studies have consistently found that activity for such individuals. The processing dynamics underlying in right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) correlates with time perceptual decisions are therefore a useful and more accu- periods of these perceptual switches. However, there is still rate metric reflecting the efficiency of such decisions. This debate over the necessity and causal role of activity in rIFG project investigates visual decision-making in individuals and other frontal regions. Therefore, this study used dou- with amblyopia with a specific focus on their processing ble-blinded anodal transcranial direct current stimulation dynamics. A popular tool used to differentiate between the (tDCS) to perturb activity in rIFG. Also, to measure brain processing component of decision-making and the ability activity, electroencephalography (EEG) was used while to discriminate the target item in a visual stimulus is the subjects viewed ambiguous images and reported times speed-accuracy trade-off (SAT) procedure. The goal of the of perceptual switches. Using the EEG data, a significant project is to use the SAT procedure to separately evalu- positive correlation was found between power in the alpha ate the respective contributions of discriminability and band (8-13 Hz) and the duration of the perception follow- processing dynamics to the decision-making process of ing a perceptual switch. This correlation was only found amblyopic individuals as compared to that of the control in the alpha band, thus suggesting that neural mechanisms group. Addressing this question has the potential to uncov- that generate alpha waves are an important component er yet another amblyopia-related deficit and expand our in maintaining perception of an ambiguous stimulus. current understanding of the disorder. Future analyses will test if tDCS is able to modulate this correlation. More broadly, future studies will also analyze the de-blinded data to test for behavioral effects of tDCS, such as changes in switch rate. It is hoped that future work can build on this study by identifying possible anatomical and functional interactions between rIFG and other brain regions important in bistable perception.

117