2013 MEETING PROGRAM SOUTH CAROLINA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE EIGHTY-SIXTH ANNUAL MEETING SOUTH CAROLINA JUNIOR ACADEMY OF SCIENCE Table of Contents Page Welcome from SCAS President-Elect Pearl Fernandes 2 Schedule of Events (Meeting Schedule) 4 Plenary and Keynote Speaker Biosketches 5 Governors Awards 7 Dwight Camper Undergraduate Award 11 SCAS Topical Sessions (Senior Academy Oral Presentations) 13 Poster Presentations 19 SCAS Abstracts 22-45 SC Junior Academy of Science (SCJAS) 46 – 124 SCJAS Meeting Schedule 46 SCJAS Awards Ceremony Schedule 47 SCJAS Judges 48 SCJAS Oral Presentation Sessions 49 - 64 Regional Science Fair Winners Poster Session 65 SCJAS Abstracts (Alphabetical by first author) 67 - 124 South Carolina Academy of Science 2014 Meeting Inside back cover Sponsors Please see the Program Cover and Back cover Welcome to the South Carolina Academy of Science 2013 Annual Meeting Dear, Students, Teachers, Fellow Scientists and Colleagues, Good morning everyone. Let me please introduce myself. I am Dr. Pearl Fernandes, President- Elect of the South Carolina Academy of Science (SCAS). I am a Professor in the Biology Department at USC Sumter. On behalf of the South Carolina Academy of Science it is my pleasure to welcome you to the 2013 Annual Meeting here at beautiful Benedict College. For those who are new, SCAS is a state-wide, interdisciplinary science organization established in 1924. Members include college students, grade school and college faculty, educational administrators, and related professionals in business and government including SRS. The Academy sponsors the South Carolina Junior Academy of Science (SCJAS) that introduces high school students to the scientific community by providing them opportunities to present original research. The SCAS meetings provide a critical forum for networking among its members. SCJAS has a current membership of over 2500 student members and 100 affiliate science clubs. The theme of this conference, "Health Challenges: Raising the Bar" emphasizes the significant strides made in this field, and the need for improved research and collaborations to further advance health outcomes in South Carolina. Healthcare was, and continues to be the underlying foundation discipline behind much of the current biotechnology revolution. The State of South Carolina has made great strides in this area thanks to the efforts of both academia and industrial collaboration. The SCAS is excited about the future and would like to foster the growth of this industry along with development of a skilled workforce in health care, engineering and innovative technologies. We are excited that over 500 students, faculty, teachers, and scientists in biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, engineering, mathematics, health science and more, working in academia and industry are participating in this year’s event and sharing their exciting discoveries through presentations, workshops, and poster sessions. We are honored to have two distinguished plenary speakers, Dr. Saundra Glover, Director of the Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities (IPEHD), who will share her research on “Health Equity in the 21st Century: Saving the Next Generation through Research, Education, and Community Engagement” and Dr. 2 Melissa Moss, Undergraduate Director of the University of South Carolina’s Biomedical Engineering Program, who will present on “Insights into Alzheimer's Disease" and discuss the role of engineers in medical research. Today, I invite you to create a memorable, highly- educational experience of the 2013 Annual South Carolina Academy of Science Meeting and establish networks and collaborations for future professional and personal growth. These events do not happen by themselves, so I want to first thank all our sponsors and donors for their generous support of this Meeting. We sincerely thank Benedict College and its faculty, especially Dr. Samir Raychoudhury and Professor Vivian Counts, for their great hospitality and support for the meeting. Many thanks to the dedication and efforts of volunteers and most importantly our current Academy President, Dr. Robin Brigmon, and Councilors, especially Dr. Bill Pirkle, Dr. David Ferris, Dr. Tom Reeves, Dr. Justin Wyatt, Dr. Lucia Pirisi-Creek, Dr. Edna Steele and Professor Tammy Taylor, along with several others who have strived to make this meeting a success. A very special thanks to all of you students, mentors, teachers, parents, scientists and volunteers who have worked so hard to make our Academy the caring, engaging and exciting organization it is today. We truly value your active participation as we are here for you. Have a great day, Pearl Fernandes, Ph.D. President-Elect, South Carolina Academy of Science 3 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Saturday, April 13th 7:30 AM - 1:00 PM SCAS & SCJAS Registration Antisdel Chapel & Vestibule 8:30-9:00 AM Welcome Antisdel Chapel Dr. David H. Swinton, President, Benedict College Dr. Prakash Nagarkatti Vice-President for Research, USC Dr. Samir Raychoudhury, Dean, STEM, Benedict College Introduction of Plenary Speaker Dr. Pearl Fernandes USC Sumter, President-Elect SCAS 9:00–9:30 am Plenary Speaker Dr. Saundra Glover Director for Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities, USC 9:45 AM - 12:30 PM SCAS Oral Presentation Morning Sessions Chemistry and Biochemistry Benjamin E. Mays Human Resources Ctr. Rm.131 Biology & Environmental Sciences Benjamin E. Mays Human Resources Ctr. Rm 132 Molecular Biology Benjamin E. Mays Human Resources Ctr. Rm 133 Medicine, Pharmacy & Public Health Benjamin E. Mays Human Resources Ctr. Rm 134 Physics and Astronomy BC Cares Building Rm POA Mathematics & Computer Science BC Cares Building Rm POB 9:45 am-1:30 pm Poster Presentations (SCAS and SCJAS) in BC Cares Arena (basement floor) of Benjamin Payton LRC building 11:45 am-1:30 pm Lunch Henry Ponder Fine Arts/ Humanities Ctr. Lobby 1:30-2:00 pm Introduction of Plenary Speaker Antisdel Chapel Ms Vivian Counts, Benedict College Plenary Speaker Dr. Melissa Moss, Department of Chemical Engineering, USC 2:00-2:30 pm Awards Presentation Antisdel Chapel Governor’s Awards Presentation Dwight Camper Award Presentation 2:30-3:00 Afternoon Break Henry Ponder Fine Arts/ Sponsored by NASA Space Grants Humanities Ctr. Lobby Consortium 3:00-3:30 pm Undergraduate Awards Antisdel Chapel Presentation 4 Plenary Speakers Saundra Glover Ph.D., Professor Associate Dean for Health Disparities and Social Justice, Arnold School of Public Health; Associate Director, SC Rural Health Research Center and Director, Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities, University of South Carolina Dr. Glover received her B.A. in the Department of Accounting, SC State College, and her Ph.D. in Management and Organizational Behavior at the University of South Carolina. She began her academic career as an Assistant Professor at the University of South Carolina in 1991. In 2005-06, she served as Vice President for Research and Economic Development at SC State University. She returned to USC in July, 2006, and soon thereafter was promoted to Full Professor. Dr. Glover established the Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities at the University of South Carolina in 2006. The mission of the Institute is to eliminate health disparities through community, academic and other strategic partnerships in South Carolina and beyond. With support from funding sources such as the Kellogg Foundation and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, the Institute has provided and continues to provide tremendous opportunities for training and research in Health Disparities, in South Carolina and across the State. Dr. Glover leads the Coordinating Center of Excellence in the Social Promotion of Health Equity through Research, Education, and Community Engagement (CCE-SPHERE), a collaborative venture with Claflin University funded by the NIH, focusing on HPV-mediated cancer and HIV with research projects, training and community outreach programs. Dr. Melissa Moss Department of Chemical Engineering, USC Dr. Moss received her doctoral degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kentucky and completed postdoctoral training in Biochemistry and Neuroscience at the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine in Jacksonville, FL. She joined the Chemical Engineering faculty at the University of South Carolina in August of 2004, and she now also serves as a core faculty member and Undergraduate Director for the Biomedical Engineering Program. Dr. Moss’ research interests are in the area of protein aggregation in Alzheimer’s disease. She has published more than 20 papers in high impact journals including Biochemistry, Molecular Pharmacology, and the Journal of Neurochemistry. As a graduate student and postdoctoral scholar, Dr. Moss was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and an American Heart Association Postdoctoral Research Fellow. As a faculty member, Dr. Moss has been the recipient of a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award, a New Investigator Research Grant Award by the Alzheimer’s Association, and a Beginning Grant-In-Aid from the American Heart Association. Most recently, she is funded as part of a National Institutes of Health Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) Award. Dr, Moss received an Excellence in Teaching Award from the University’s Mortar Board Society in 2007 and was recognized by the University as a Distinguished Undergraduate Research Mentor Award in 2011. In addition,