Abstracts 1-68 Relate to the Sunday Program Biology 1. 100 Years of Genetics William Sofer, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ Almost exactly 100 years ago, Thomas Hunt Morgan and his coworkers at Columbia University began studying a small fly, Drosophila melanogaster, in an effort to learn something about the laws of heredity. After a while, they found a single white-eyed male among many thousands of normal red-eyed males and females. The analysis of the offspring that resulted from crossing this mutant male with red-eyed females led the way to the discovery of what determines whether an individual becomes a male or a female, and the relationship of chromosomes and genes. 2. Streptomycin - Antibiotics from the Ground Up Douglas Eveleigh, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ Antibiotics are part of everyday living. We benefit from their use through prevention of infection of cuts and scratches, control of diseases such as typhoid, cholera and potentially of bioterrorist's pathogens, besides allowing the marvels of complex surgeries. Antibiotics are a wondrous medical weapon. But where do they come from? The unlikely answer is soil. Soil is home to a teeming population of insects and roots, plus billions of microbes - billions. But life is not harmonious in soil. Some microbes have evolved strategies to dominate their territory; one strategem is the production of antibiotics. In the 1940s, Selman Waksman, with his research team at Rutgers University, began the first ever search for such antibiotic producing micro-organisms amidst the thousands of soil microbes. The first antibiotics they discovered killed microbes but were toxic to humans. Then in 1943, came pay dirt! Albert Schatz, Elizabeth Bugie and Selman Waksman found streptomycin. It attacked the agents of tuberculosis, cholera, the Black Death and other pathogens against which penicillin was ineffective. Streptomycin spurred further searching, leading to the major development of the antibiotic industry. Antibiotics are the soil microbe's gift to medicine. As Selman Waksman said "Out of the Earth shall come thy Salvation." 3. Biology Teachers (BTANJ) Program Bunny Jaskot, Biology Teachers Association of New Jersey, Scotch Plains, NJ The BTANJ Executive Board members will demonstrate a sample bioinformatics lesson utilizing TIGR lessons. We will take teachers step by step through the bioinformatics process to increase the level of comfort for the participants in utilizing biotech/bioinformatics in "real time" in the classroom. Resources from NABT, Detectives in the Classroom, and Biozone will be distributed. There will even be a lesson for Middle School teachers. Chemistry III: Computers in Education Official: Bettyann Howson Chatham HS, Madison, NJ 4. Using Simulation to Teach Chemistry John Gelder, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK All participants will learn how to use Flash and Java-based programs that are accessed using a web browser. Lab Experiments at the molecular level will provide an interactive, molecular level view of an ideal gas,or of an equilibrium reaction. The chemical kinetics of the equilibrium reaction can also be investigated. Each program includes several guided-inquiry activities for students. Both Java-based labs and Flash simulations, along with their accompanying inquiry activities, have been tested in classrooms in universities and in high schools. 5. Powerful Powerpoint Workshop Patricia Duncan, HIgh Point HS, Lakeville, PA In a computer lab, we will learn how to use the Power Point program to make presentations for professional activities. Enliven your classroom teaching with this powerful computer tool. High School Student Posters & Displays 6. Effect of Weather and Ozone Concentrations on the Occurrence of Stroke Death Aakruti Bhalja, John F. Kennedy Memorial High School, Iselin, NJ Effect of Weather and Ozone Concentrations on the Occurrence of Stroke Death People all over the world are experiencing strokes and sometimes die from them. The aim of this study was to clarify whether air pollution, weather, and the incidence of stroke mortality can be correlated as some recent studies have shown. Scientists are puzzled by the occurrence of stroke daily among hundreds of people in the U.S. More research is needed to find the possible risk factors for stroke. To begin, monthly averages of meteorological factors were obtained for the years 2001 and 2002. Furthermore, unhealthy exceedances of ozone concentrations were acquired along with stroke deaths. This data regarded six counties in New Jersey: Essex, Sussex, Morris, Bergen, Camden, and Cape May. This data was then tabulated into Excel and correlated using the Pearson Correlation. Results indicate an inverse relationship between temperature and stroke deaths. However, results also determined that a relationship between ozone concentrations and stroke deaths does not exist. Therefore, the second hypothesis is corroborated, that the fluctuation of weather will result in the fluctuation of stroke death. The study reveals that weather may be risk factors for stroke. In order to gain a better understanding of grasping such a correlation, further research should be undertaken, inclusive of studying stroke subtypes, other meteorological factors, socioeconomic factors, and a larger sample size. 7. Catch Me If You Can Lina Zamamiri and Daria Bialik, Woodbridge High School, Woodbridge, NJ Different black inks have been analyzed using chromotography to determine if different black inks are the same or diferent. Preliminary results show that they are different and further testing is necessary to determine which solvent system is best for each ink type. 8. Energetic Light: a Chemiluminescence Reaction Robert Ngenzi, Monroe Township High School, Monroe Township, NJ Chemiluminescence is an energy emission in the form of light which results when a molecule is excited and releases energy upon its drop back into its ground state. Luminol (5-amino-2,3-dihydro-1,4-phthalazinedione) and hydrogen peroxide (H202) were reacted under various conditions in order to test the effect of these conditions on the reaction's green chemiluminescence. These conditions included different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide, varied solution temperatures, and the addition of emulsifiers. Alterations to these factors were determined to affect the intensity of the light emitted, and the duration of the light emission. 9. Formation and Combustion of Acetylene Scott M. Kaufman, Monroe Township High School, Monroe Township, NJ The purpose of the research was to study the formation and combustion of acetylene. The percent yield of the reaction of calcium carbide and a proton donor, water, to form acetylene and calcium oxide was first determined by measuring the volume of evolved acetylene in a eudiometer. On average, the calcium carbide produced a 67% yield of acetylene. The theoretical volume of acetylene to fill a 9 in. diameter balloon was then calculated, and the required amount of calcium carbide was found to be 23 g. A technique was developed to capture the generated acetylene gas. When a lit splint was put to the acetylene-filled balloon, under controlled conditions, it quickly combusted and produced a bright flame. 10. The Chemistry of the Oscillating Clock Reaction Simranjeet S. Sran, Monroe Twp. High School, Monroe Twp., NJ This is an oscillating clock reaction of bromide, bromate, malonic acid, sulfuric acid, and ferroin. In this research, these components and their relationships were studied in the oscillating clock. Parameters were defined for induction time, cycles, and length of reaction. Data was collected in these areas as well as initial cycle length with the original reaction concentrations, followed by reactions with a single concentration change. An increase in bromide slowed induction time, initial cycle length, length of reaction, and number of cycles while a greater bromate concentration led to a speedier reaction with more cycles. An increase in the concentration of malonic acid resulted in a longer reaction. Ferroin, when increased, masked the oscillations. It was also found that an oscillation could be induced in the reaction vessel. The results and their relative graphs showed a distinct correlation to the equations for this specific oscillating clock. 11. The Spirit of Chemistry - The Catalytic Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide Yushen Qian, Monroe Township High School, Monroe Township, NJ Hydrogen peroxide undergoes an exothermic disproportionation to form oxygen gas and water in situ. Although this decomposition is spontaneous according to the Gibbs Free Energy equation, the rate of the reaction varies according to the identity and amount of catalyst present, as well as the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide itself. We have tested a variety of catalysts, including redox metal oxides such as MnO2 and KMnO4, to ionic salts such as KI and NaI, as well as elemental iodine. Furthermore, we have also varied the concentration of H2O2 from 3% to 30%. The goal of the project was to determine the optimal parameters with which a solution of hydrogen peroxide can catalytically decompose to release enough heat to vaporize the water of the solution, and thus produce a “genie effect” of gaseous water rushing out of the neck of a 2 liter or 20 oz. soda bottle. The most effective reaction was produced when 0.75 to 1.22 g of manganese (IV) oxide, MnO2, was used to catalyze the decomposition of 3.48 M or 12% H2O2. Furthermore, catalyst effectiveness was augmented by using finely ground particles; it was