Medgar Evers College Mohsin Patwary

2019 Symposium

Wednesday, July 24 John Jay College 524 W. 59th Street New York, NY

Dear CRSP Students, Mentors, and Directors,

Welcome to the fifth annual CUNY Research Scholars Program symposium!

The CUNY Research Scholars Program funds research scholarships for associate degree students at all of CUNY’s community colleges and three comprehensive schools. More than 1000 students have participated in the Research Scholars Program over the past five years. Many have graduated and transferred to other CUNY schools and beyond, including Columbia University, Cornell, and MIT.

The New York City Mayor’s office funds the program and we are especially grateful to Mayor Bill de Blasio for his generous support.

So why engage in research? We have been asking that very question! This past year we published the results of a mixed-methods assessment of the CUNY Research Scholars Program in the journal CBE Life Sciences Education. Our results showed that CRSP students graduate in higher numbers than students in a closely matched comparison group. As a CRSP student you are more likely to stay in STEM disciplines and to graduate with a STEM degree. Also, you are more likely to transfer to a research-intensive school either within the CUNY system or outside the CUNY system. Our findings also reveal that CRSP students are more likely to feel they belong in college and have more self- confidence. None of this could happen without the dedication of our faculty mentors and the support given by each participating institution. Our faculty mentors have told us that the program enhanced the research culture at their schools.

You can download the paper here: http://bit.ly/2LKNXGh

The success of the program relies on our college-based directors (listed on page iii). The directors facilitate every aspect of the program. They recruit faculty and students and they organize high quality programming including workshops on abstract writing, public speaking and poster presenting.

There has been a change in the leadership of CRSP this year. Avrom Caplan, who directed the program for the past five years with Ron Nerio, is leaving CUNY to take a position at Pace University. Please join me in wishing Avrom good luck in his new position!

Finally, we love hearing from you. We will distribute surveys during the day. They are voluntary and anonymous, so tell us what you really think! Your completed surveys will help us continue to improve the program.

Ron Nerio PhD Director CUNY Research Scholars Program July 2019

Program

All events are in Room L-63, except where noted:

9:00 – 9:30 A.M. Registration, Breakfast

9:30 – 9:45 A.M. José Luis Cruz, Ph.D. Opening Remarks Executive Vice Chancellor and University Provost

9:45 – 10:30 A.M. Peter Groffman, Ph.D. Keynote address: Advanced Science Research Center Denitrification in Terrestrial Ecosystems: A Tale of Misery and Woe

10:30 -11:30 A.M. Oral Presentations Session 1 BMCC, CSI, Medgar Evers, NYCCT, QCC

11:30 - 12:30 P.M. Poster Presentations (Hound’s Square) Session A BCC, Guttman, Hostos, KBCC, LAGCC, BMCC Part One

12:30 - 1:15 P.M. Lunch (Student Dining Commons)

1:15 – 2:45 P.M. Poster Presentations (Hound’s Square) Session B BMCC Part Two, CSI, Medgar Evers, NYCCT, QCC

2:45 – 3:45 P.M. Oral Presentations BCC, Guttman, Hostos, KBCC, LAGCC Session 2

3:45 – 5:05 P.M. Career Development Workshop Sharon Kaplan

CUNY Innovation Challenge Ariella Trotsenko

5:00 – 5:15 P.M. Presentation of Awards

LIST OF COLLEGE-BASED CRSP DIRECTORS

Borough of Manhattan Community James Berg College (BMCC)

Bronx Community College (BCC) Katherine Acevedo-Coppa

College of Staten Island (CSI) Alfred Levine and Maria Ivanova

Guttman Community College Chulsung Kim

Hostos Community College Felix Cardona

Kingsborough Community College Homar Barcena (KBCC)

LaGuardia Community College Allyson Sheffield (LAGCC)

Medgar Evers College Mohsin Patwary

New York City College of Hamid Norouzi Technology (NYCCT)

Queensborough Community College Shiang-Kwei Wang (QCC)

iii Student Oral Presentations

College Title Student Mentor Session 1

BMCC The Biological Activity of Guava Claudia Melo Adolfina Koroch, Christine Priano, and Jose Romero

CSI Modulation of Handedness in CD-1 Mice by Adnan Zaghloul Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Elcharfa Ahmed Medgar Challenges and Impact of Implementing Zoe Abney William Carr Evers Waymaker Open Educational Resources (OER) in General Biology I at two CUNY Colleges, MEC and KBCC

NYCCT Active Solar-Responsive Facade System for Cheriyah Phillip Environmental Retrofits of Urban Buildings Wilmot Anzalone QCC An Analysis of Student Reactions to the Ashley Torres Anissa Implementation of Problem-Based Learning: Moody A Quantitative and Qualitative and Review

Session 2

BCC Using Mitochondrial DNA Polymorphisms to Cipirian Cucu Rujian Tian Uncover Maternal Ancestry and Jennifer Kusi-Appau

Guttman Preparation of Carbon Nanomaterials from Kizzy Nelson Ji Kim Dairy Waste

Hostos Understanding Heat Dissipation in Elephants Elayne Moise Koffi Using Thermal Imaging Techniques Blancas

KBCC Is it Organic? Principal Component Analysis Emmerline Homar of Chicken Eggs by 1H NMR Ragoonath- Barcena De Mattos

LAGCC Environmental Chambers on a Budget Carlie Guevara Allie Brashears and Daniel Gertner

Poster Abstracts

Session A

Bronx Community College 1

Guttman Community College 4

Hostos Community College 8

Kingsborough Community College 16

LaGuardia Community College 26

Borough of Manhattan Community College (Part One) 34

Session B

Borough of Manhattan Community College (Part Two) 38

College of Staten Island 45

Medgar Evers College 52

New York City College of Technology 58

Queensborough Community College 69

STUDENT PRESENTERS

Name (First) Name (Last) College Poster Page Fahim Abhay Medgar Evers College B30 52 Zoe Abney Medgar Evers College B31 52 Adewale Adegbemigun New York City College of Technology B42 58 Nana Boatemaa Adjei-Twum Bronx Community College A2 1 Harry Aguilar LaGuardia Community College A57 26 Edris Ahmady Kingsborough Community College A55 25 Fahim Ahmed Medgar Evers College B32 53 Muhabbat Ahmedova Queensborough Community College B63 69 Sung Ahn Queensborough Community College B64 69 Rafaela Alba New York City College of Technology B43 59 Zonaira Ali Medgar Evers College B34 54 Richard Ametepey Bronx Community College A1 1 Kypros Andrianou Queensborough Community College B65 70 Jamie Asan Queensborough Community College B72 73 Jennifer Kusi-Appau Bronx Community College A3 1 Dariel Arrechaga Estevez Hostos Community College A29 13 Abel Asfaw LaGuardia Community College A69 31 Laila Atef Borough of Manhattan Community College A77 34 Taimoor Awan Kingsborough Community College A36 16 Nikola Baci Queensborough Community College B66 70 Anny Baez Silfa New York City College of Technology B44 59 Aissatou Bah Guttman Community College A10 4 Jaweria Bakar Kingsborough Community College A37 16 Ndeye Bakhoum Hostos Community College A25 11 Fuxin Bao New York City College of Technology B45 60 Stefanie Baustista LaGuardia Community College A59 26 Escarle Beato Hostos Community College A19 8 Sultana Begum New York City College of Technology B46 60 Marie Bellerice Medgar Evers College B33 53 Izabella Beniaminova College of Staten Island B16 45 Raziel BenReuben Hostos Community College A20 9 Tahreem Bhatti Borough of Manhattan Community College A78 35 Elayne Blancas Hostos Community College A20 9 Djehamou Bly Hostos Community College A21 9 Tamara Blychanton Medgar Evers College B34 54 Nkeh Boh Bronx Community College A4 2 Alejandro Bonilla LaGuardia Community College A57 26 Michael Briones LaGuardia Community College A60 27 Aned Buczynski-Kos Borough of Manhattan Community College B4 39 Ommiya Butt College of Staten Island B17 46 Joanne Callaghan Borough of Manhattan Community College A79 35

vi Name (First) Name (Last) College Poster Page Erick Campos Hostos Community College A32 14 Deneisha Campbell College of Staten Island B18 46 Divita Casada Borough of Manhattan Community College A80 36 Hector Castro Guttman Community College A11 5 Bow Ming Chen Borough of Manhattan Community College A81 36 Ting Ting Chen College of Staten Island B19 47 Ailing Chen Kingsborough Community College A38 17 Biling Chen Queensborough Community College B67 70 Fu-Hsiang Chih Kingsborough Community College A39 17 Bill Chinskul New York City College of Technology B47 61 Rochae Clarke Medgar Evers College B31 52 Nadjet Cornejal Borough of Manhattan Community College A82, B4 36, 39 Javier Corro Hostos Community College A19 8 Rafael Cortes Borough of Manhattan Community College A83 37 Benjamin Cortez Borough of Manhattan Community College A84 37 William Costa Queensborough Community College B85 79 Victor Cruz Borough of Manhattan Community College B4 39 Ciprian Cucu Bronx Community College A3 1 Rohiatou Daabo Medgar Evers College B35 55 Andreina De La Cruzl LaGuardia Community College A61 27 Jassiel Del Milagros Hostos Community College A28 12 Mena Alexis Delapuente Borough of Manhattan Community College A85 37 Shaif Dhuha Bronx Community College A4 2 Thierno Diallo Borough of Manhattan Community College A86 38 Ayanna Dickinson Guttman Community College A12 5 Jessica Disla LaGuardia Community College A62 28 Ibrahima Doukoure Hostos Community College A22 9 Thea Doxerie Medgar Evers College B36 55 Andrei Dragutan LaGuardia Community College A64 29 Beckie Dugaillard Kingsborough Community College A40 18 Shaina Durand Queensborough Community College B72 73 Tobore Edema Queensborough Community College B68 71 Adnan Elcharfa College of Staten Island B20 47 Mojeed Essa Medgar Evers College B37 56 Juan Estrella New York City College of Technology B48 61 Saikou Yaya Fadiga Bronx Community College A1 1 Alexander Fajardo Hostos Community College A23 10 Dillon Farley Borough of Manhattan Community College B1 38 Alex Fiero College of Staten Island B21 48 Camilo Florez Kingsborough Community College A41 18 Camry Frederick Kingsborough Community College A42 19 Daniel Garbin Queensborough Community College B66 70 Shellane Gill Medgar Evers College B41 58 Edmond George College of Staten Island B22 48

vii Name (First) Name (Last) College Poster Page Edna Georges Kingsborough Community College A43 19 Urmi Ghosh-Dastidar New York City College of Technology B62 68 Deldrys Gomez Reynoso New York City College of Technology B49, B53 62, 64 Saroj Gopali LaGuardia Community College A73 32 Conny Gordon New York City College of Technology B50 62 Nadia Gordon New York City College of Technology B51, B54 63, 64 Nirmela Govinda LaGuardia Community College A63 28 Jonathan Granada LaGuardia Community College A64 29 Carlie Guevara LaGuardia Community College A65 29 Dickey Dolkar Gurung LaGuardia Community College A60 27 Sholom Gutleizer Kingsborough Community College A44 20 Victor Halabani Kingsborough Community College A45 20 Afnane Hanchouche Medgar Evers College B30, B32 52, 53 Keroles Hanna LaGuardia Community College A66 29 Muhammad Hannan Borough of Manhattan Community College B2 39 Abdonnie Holder College of Staten Island B23 49 Miguel Hurtado College of Staten Island B24 49 Si Man Ao Ieong LaGuardia Community College A76 34 Loveth Igbineweka Medgar Evers College B34 54 Ovokhan Igbinoba Medgar Evers College B34 54 Esther Ishak Kingsborough Community College A55 25 Mohosina Islam Hostos Community College A24 10 Arash Izadi New York City College of Technology B52 63 Joby Jacob LaGuardia Community College A57 26 Serena James Medgar Evers College B38 56 Theanys Jimenez Hostos Community College A28 12 Fatimata Kafando Hostos Community College A25 11 Aser Kalkoumdo Hostos Community College A27 12 Woo Chul Kim Queensborough Community College B69 71 Hamidou Kabore Hostos Community College A21 9 Zoureat Kobre Bronx Community College A5 2 Xavier Koudougou Hostos Community College A27 12 Sandra Kwakye Medgar Evers College B35 55 Koswatte Lakemla Hostos Community College A26 11 Elisabeth Lafontaine LaGuardia Community College B72 73 Mitchell Landero New York City College of Technology B42, B49, 58, 62, B53 64 Michael Landress LaGuardia Community College A67 30 Leji Li LaGuardia Community College A68 30 Fei Li Queensborough Community College B70 72 Radha Longo Borough of Manhattan Community College B3 39 Francisco Lopez Hostos Community College A27 12 Altagracia Lopez Queensborough Community College B71 72 Susanna Luu Guttman Community College A13 5 Jacqueline Magana Bronx Community College A8 4

viii Name (First) Name (Last) College Poster Page Amir M. Maghsoudi Queensborough Community College B72 73 Jensy Maldonado New York City College of Technology B44 59 Anabelle Mangnan Medgar Evers College B39 57 Dominika Markowska- New York City College of Technology B55 65 Desvallons Andrea Martinez LaGuardia Community College A69 31 Elibeth Martinez Tejada Hostos Community College A26 11 Amanda Martino Queensborough Community College B72 72 Jorwyn Medina Borough of Manhattan Community College B2 39 Claudia Melo Borough of Manhattan Community College A82, B4 36, 39 Tchena Mercier Medgar Evers College B40 57 Juan Mesa Queensborough Community College B73 73 Saminur Miah New York City College of Technology B56 65 Justin Miller Borough of Manhattan Community College B5 40 Ariel Monegro Hostos Community College A32 14 Begzodjon Musaev College of Staten Island B17 46 Mohamadia Nassar Borough of Manhattan Community College B6 40 Kizzy Nelson Guttman Community College A14, A15 6 Swati Neogi New York City College of Technology B62 68 Abdoul Aziz Nignan Hostos Community College A21, A29, 9, 13, A32 14 Sathis Niranchchan College of Staten Island B18 46 Konstantin Novichenko College of Staten Island B25 49 Kingsley Odae Hostos Community College A30 13 Emmanuel Ologundudu Borough of Manhattan Community College B7 41 Luiz Ortega Kingsborough Community College A46 21 Rassambnewende Ouedraogo Hostos Community College A28 12 Janeth Parreno Borough of Manhattan Community College B8 41 Francesco Pecora College of Staten Island B26 50 Bielka Pena Hostos Community College A31 13 Emilio Peña-Acevedo Hostos Community College A19 8 Marjan Perbibaj College of Staten Island B24 49 Jeydy Perez Borough of Manhattan Community College B8 41 Annetti Perez Bronx Community College A6 3 Jessica Perng Bronx Community College A7 3 Nhi Phan LaGuardia Community College A70 31 Rood Pierre Medgar Evers College B41 58 Yael Pinhas Kingsborough Community College A47 21 Megan Pirtle Queensborough Community College B74 73, 74 Patrice Prosper New York City College of Technology B57 65 Emmerline Ragoonath-De Kingsborough Community College A48 22 Mattos Galib Rahman New York City College of Technology B58 66 Itzel Ramirez Guttman Community College A14, A15 6 Randy Ramsammy Hostos Community College A32 14

ix Name (First) Name (Last) College Poster Page Steysi Reyna Guttman Community College A16 7 Tia Robinson Queensborough Community College B75 74 Yefry Rodriguez Guttman Community College A17 7 Camila Belen Rodriguez-Lopez Guttman Community College A18 7 Maria Paula Rodriguez Wilches LaGuardia Community College A71 32 Anna Romero Queensborough Community College B76 75 Gul Rukh Kingsborough Community College A43, A49 19, 22 Jamal Rymer Borough of Manhattan Community College B9 42 Nana Samaké College of Staten Island B27 50 Diana Samaroo New York City College of Technology B62 68 Mohamed Sajath Hostos Community College A26 11 Daeho Sandoval New York City College of Technology B45 60 Adama Sene Borough of Manhattan Community College B2 39 Arouje Shaikh College of Staten Island B28 51 Pranaya Sharma LaGuardia Community College A72 32 Clayton Shaw College of Staten Island B29 51 Danny Shlomo Kingsborough Community College A50 22 Elvin Shoyfer Borough of Manhattan Community College B10 42 Keiann Simon Queensborough Community College B77 75 Harpreet Singh Queensborough Community College B78 75 Christian Singleton LaGuardia Community College A73 33 Presepany Skeete Medgar Evers College B37 56 Shanelle Smith Queensborough Community College B63 69 Delilah Smith Bronx Community College A8 4 Angelika Sobolewska Kingsborough Community College A51 23 Scarlett Solis Lozano Kingsborough Community College A52 23 Victor Sorel Borough of Manhattan Community College B4 39 Eva Soriano Gomez Hostos Community College A27 12 Briana Soto College of Staten Island B28 51 Arame Sow LaGuardia Community College A58 26 Infinitae Speights-Stockton Hostos Community College A33 15 Andrei Statchevschi New York City College of Technology B59 67 Sarah Stillman Borough of Manhattan Community College B11 43 Jiayao Sun Queensborough Community College B79 76 Andro Tadros LaGuardia Community College A74 33 Agnes Tagoe Hostos Community College A34 15 Yingxian Tan Queensborough Community College B80 76 Carolina Tapia LaGuardia Community College A57, A75 26, 33 Anthony Tarafa Hostos Community College A27 12 Khant Si Thu Borough of Manhattan Community College B12 43 Ashley Torres Queensborough Community College B81 77 Edsel Torres New York City College of Technology B50 62 Patrick Tuttle Queensborough Community College B63 69 Afaf Ulay Borough of Manhattan Community College B13 44 Enmanuel Valdez Laguardia Community College A58 26

x Name (First) Name (Last) College Poster Page George Varvatsoulis LaGuardia Community College A76 34 Salvatore Ventrice Kingsborough Community College A53 24 Amando Villano Guttman Community College A17 7 Moses Vital Kingsborough Community College A54 24 Zhenyi Wang Queensborough Community College B82 77 Fox Williams New York City College of Technology B60 67 Cheriyah Wilmot New York City College of Technology B61 68 Xiaolan Wu New York City College of Technology B62 68 Zhimei Xie Borough of Manhattan Community College B14 44 QianFeng Xu College of Staten Island B22 48 Jiayi Xue Queensborough Community College B63 69 Koudeissatou Yaya-Sebou Bronx Community College A9 4 William Ye Borough of Manhattan Community College B15 45 Rachel Yepes Hostos Community College A35 16 Gabriela Zuquilanda LaGuardia Community College A59 26 Larry Zaborsky Queensborough Community College B63 69 Sameen Zahra Queensborough Community College B83 78 Amy Zhang Queensborough Community College B84 78 Zhijing (Kelly) Zhao Kingsborough Community College A55 25 Xiaona Zhou New York City College of Technology B62 68 Jonnathan Zuna Kingsborough Community College A56 25

FACULTY MENTOR PROFILES

The CUNY Research Scholars Program owes its success to the faculty members who tirelessly dedicate themselves to mentoring students. Faculty members spend about 400 hours per year on research projects with their CRSP students. They offer academic advice to their students, guide them through the reading and writing of scientific papers, prepare them for presentations at local and national conferences, and assist them in planning for future academic and carrer success. In the following pages, we profile five of the many mentors who have devoted their time to the program.

José Fernández Romero, Borough of Manhattan Community College xiv Biao Jiang, Hostos Community College xv Chiyedza Small, Medgar Evers College xvi Monica Trujillo, Queensborough Community College xvii Ingrid Veras, LaGuardia Community College xviii

xii

Dr. Biao Jiang Hostos Community College

Professor Jiang joined CRSP during the first year of the program (2014-2015) and has mentored twenty CRSP students to date. He and his students have presented their work at professional conferences every year and he has regularly published the results of his work with students in peer reviewed journals. He is particularly interested in the ways in which CRSP enables him to provide service to underrepresented minorities. “CRSP helps them become leaders,” he says. “I am amazed at how good the students can be.” His first project involving CRSP research was a study of noise pollution in the South Bronx. After working on that project, his first CRSP student transferred to Cornell with a full scholarship. During the second year, his four CRSP students carried out the noise pollution study in a larger area of the Bronx. All four of the students transferred to and graduated from City College. During subsequent years, Professor Jiang developed projects aimed at service to the community. In his third year, he and his students built small devices to measure noise pollution using cloud computing. They met with the NYC Mayor’s Office to develop a plan for distributing the devices. “Now knowing that students can help the community,” he says, in the fourth year of CRSP “my students created a system for Dr. Biao Jiang seniors to help them find their way back when they are lost. We built a localization system that costs only $5 a device. These are not like smart phones, whose batteries die. And the seniors’ medical information is stored on the device, on a secure system. We won three first-place awards in the competition—the maximum allowed—at the C-STEP conference that year.” One of Professor Biao’s fifth-year CRSP projects, which also won first place at C-STEP, was part of CCNY Robotics Lab’s authentic research project. “We wanted to address the problem of cracks in tunnels,” he says. “Generally, the practice is to identify cracks manually, but that is insufficient. Tunnels can be shut down. We developed a mechanical device for autonomous detection, which does not disrupt traffic. The censors can identify and label cracks for autonomous fixing. We are now going through the authorization process with the City and the unions.” A second project during the fifth year, also in conjunction with CCNY’s Robotics Lab, involved developing smart canes for the visually impaired. “This involves using a computer program to help them understand better,” Professor Biao explains. “We embed the system, like a Go Pro, on their wrist for real-time videos. This is part of a deep learning network that can tell them where objects are. It converts computer images to voice. We are moving eventually toward creating visual images in the brain. Everything can be explained in words to give oral instructions, like a GPS. [Visually impaired users] can start to have a full conception of their surroundings. This is a full equality issue.” Professor Jiang says he and his CRSP students receive plenty of support from CCNY. “CRSP provides students with such collaborative opportunities and it provides a stipend,” he says. “The stipend really helps. And they can show their work to the whole community.”

xiii

Dr. José Fernández Romero Borough of Manhattan Community College

Professor Romero completed his Bachelor’s degree at Havana University, which has a mentoring system. He then benefitted from excellent mentors at the Population Council in New York. “This is what made me want to be a mentor,” he explains. “It is about giving back and extending the same opportunities I had. It also means ‘hands-on.’ It is one thing to read and another to see with your own eyes. I also want to increase the profiles of minorities in science.” His student, Nadjet Cornejal, is now in her second year at BMCC. She asked many faculty at the college about the possibility of getting more experiences than the classroom provided. “I did not know that research was possible before working with Dr. Romero” she says. “Now I begin the day by putting on a lab coat, washing my hands, checking equipment, examining the cell culture in a sterile environment, working in the biosafety cabinet, and checking antiviral activity and cytotoxicity for the formulations we are studying.” Professor Romero joined CRSP three years ago and has mentored four CRSP students during that time. His first CRSP mentee worked on a project that involved optimizing and Dr. José Fernández Romero and validating an immunoassay for use in a microbiology course. Nadjet Cornejal Two of his students worked on a microbicide gel to examine potency against HIV and testing for anti-HPV (human papilloma virus) activity. His two current CRSP mentees are testing multi-purpose prevention technologies to potentially prevent different sexually transmitted infections. Because they are unable to work with pathogens at BMCC, Professor Romero’s students spend Fridays and Sundays working in labs at the Population Council. Collaboration with the Population Council is made possible through the ties Professor Romero built during the years he worked there full-time, before coming to BMCC. With a network of offices around the world, The Population Council conducts research to address critical health and development issues. “Their facilities are beautiful,” Nadjet says. “When I am there, I am surrounded by Ph.D. students and other graduate students.” Nadjet’s work with Professor Romero has inspired her to consider pursuing a Ph.D. She would like to continue her work with viruses, either in biotechnology or virology. “We start every day talking about careers, classes, and next steps,” she says of her time with Professor Romero. “I am making sure all of the time for the [mentees] to continue their education,” Professor Romero explains. “Mentoring is important to instill the idea that education is the way to improve their lives. They must go on and work to get to the top. Students come to BMCC because they have a dream of improving their lives. They start an educational path here.” One of Professor Romero’s CRSP students is now in a Master's/Doctorate program for Family Nurse Practitioner at Columbia University. One has transferred to a baccalaureate program at Brooklyn College and another has transferred to Wellesley College.

xiv Dr. Chiyedza Small Medgar Evers College

Professor Chiyedza Small has mentored four CRSP students in the program. She prefers to mentor one student per year to provide each student with a strong, hands-on experience and individualized guidance. Mentoring, she says, “is about passing on knowledge in ways students may not have thought about something. Most come in as sophomores, so they do not have a lot of experience and are not sure what they want to do. Research helps them see – it invites them into the discourse. “Mentoring is my favorite part of what I do here,” she continues. “Students are sometimes unsure of themselves – so support and self-confidence is important. I have them read scientific papers, do autonomous work, and present at science meetings.” All of Professor Small’s CRSP students have worked on an umbrella project: understanding how hemocytes or blood cells develop in drosophila. She trains her students to dissect lymph glands, which is the hematopoietic organ in the fly. “This takes a while,” she says, “Then they learn to make blood smears. They look at protein expression in blood cells, which are involved in cell cycle Dr. Chiyedza Small regulation. They are investigating inflammatory responses and tumor regulation.” Professor Small has always been curious about plants, which her family members in the Caribbean have used for generations to treat conditions ranging from inflammation to hypertension. In recent years, she has adopted an increasingly ethnobotanical perspective as she has become interested in examining the use of plants to suppress tumor growth. In the lab at Medgar Evers College, Professor Small’s students investigate the impact of dietary supplements, such as turmeric, garlic, and green tea as possible treatments for immuno-responses. They compare the effects of such supplements to ibuprofen. Professor Small has become particularly interested in the kola nut, which has been used throughout the Caribbean for headaches and various ailments. “Unpublished data from colleagues have shown that it kills cancer cells,” Professor Small reports. “So why not try to see if it can be used in the fly? We can also compare it with the effects of green tea and turmeric. We have collected data for several years and plan to do transcriptional analysis later this year.” Next year, Professor Small plans to take one of her CRSP mentees to Nigeria. “Plants are used differently in parts of Nigeria,” she explains, “and we want to get a sense of how they are used. We will be asking how plant use is part of culture. We will be asking about health contexts and even religious contexts. “At Medgar Evers,” she says, “students come from all over the world. They sometimes bring cultural products with them. I want to learn from their knowledge. There are always items that students bring with them that are surprising. This is a way to combine genetics, and molecular biology, with culture, knowledge of indigenous medicines, and non-traditional medicines.” Professor Small emphasizes the potential of research to change student’s lives and to shape their success. “What CRSP has done,” she says, “is meet a niche. Students need exposure to research. The program contributes to their self-confidence. My students have presented at the Annual Biological Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS).” Her student, Shellane Gill, presented her work at the Metropolitan Association of College and University Biologists and at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. Another of Professor Small’s students, Ambreka Benons, is now at St. George’s University Medical School in Grenada. “Mentoring becomes relational,” Professor Small notes. “Even though Shellane graduated this June, she is coming back to help another CRSP student with her poster. The students mentor those who come next.”

xv Dr. Monica Trujillo Queensborough Community College

Professor Trujillo has been with CRSP since it began in 2014. She says that good chemistry between mentors and their students comes from strong student interest and a willingness to learn. “The great reward,” she reflects, “is seeing them move forward.” She is impressed by the abilities students bring with them. Tia Robinson, one of her current mentees, for instance, “has an amazing ability to work. She works all weekend at a supermarket and has to support herself. She went to the C- STEP conference and had so many things to balance. She Skyped with me at 7:00 A.M. and then went on to give an outstanding presentation and won first place.” “It’s been more like a friendship,” Tia says of the mentoring she has received from Professor Trujillo and Professor Naydu Carmona. “I am in the lab just about every day. You are given the opportunity to do the work for yourself. Altagracia Lopez (left) and Before, ‘research’ just meant investigating. Now it means Dr. Monica Trujillo (right) learning more.” Altagracia Lopez decided to join CRSP shortly after she enrolled at Queensborough Community College and heard Professor Trujillo speak about the positive impact of research on student careers. “It has changed everything for me,” Altagracia says about working with Professor Trujillo in the lab. They are investigating a compound drawn from samples from nature, including leaves, soils, and trees, to see if the bacterial community present in the samples produces compounds with antibiotic or antitumor properties. “Monica is a great mentor,” Altagracia says. “She explains to us what we don’t understand. My QCC experience would be totally different without her. You become so much more involved. When I first came to QCC, I was in my own bubble. I didn’t interact. I just went to classes and worried about my grades. “Now I have been exposed to so many things,” she continues. “The presentations I gave helped me develop my skills and overcome my shyness. The poster helped me show my results and I met other people interested in the same things. I was thinking it was like an out-of-body experience when I presented at the QCC undergraduate research day. I thought, ‘Wow! I’m doing it!’ It really helps you out of your shell.” Juan Mesa, a student working with Professors Carmona and Trujillo, joined CRSP in 2018 and was selected for the 2019 Summer Undergraduate Internship Program (SUIP) at the University of Pennsylvania. “It’s like I got to start my career in science early,” Juan says. “I now plan to do an MD/Ph.D. But if it had not been for my mentors [Monica Trujillo, Naydu Carmona, and Paris Svaronos] at QCC, I would not be doing science. I never thought I could do science until then. They really encourage you to grow as a scientist and to try experiments. They explain every detail and help you understand it.” “It gives me great pleasure that Juan was paired with an assistant professor from Colombia at U. Penn,” Professor Trujillo reflects. “Both are originally from Colombia. I am so pleased that Juan has a role model that looks like him.” After completing his internship at the University of Pennsylvania, Juan will return to QCC to work with Professors Trujillo and Carmona for the remainder of the summer. He will at City College this fall, where he has been accepted into the Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) program. Two of the earlier CRSP students of Professors Carmona and Trujillo have started their Ph.D. studies: Wilson Nieves has joined the Ph.D. program in biophysics at the University of California-San Francisco. Joangela Nouel is a Ph.D. student at the University of Pennsylvania. “She is a great success,” Professor Trujillo states. “Recently, she sent me a text to keep me updated on her progress. That is a priceless reward.”

xvi

Dr. Ingrid Veras LaGuardia Community College

When Carolina Tapia first joined CRSP, she was nervous about making such a big commitment to research. But she says her mentor, Professor Ingrid Veras, has helped her through every step of it. “She is always there for advice,” says Carolina. “She is never critical, but has high expectations. It has been a great experience and I wouldn’t change it for the world. At first, when I heard ‘research,’ I thought we would be cleaning up a lab. But no! You are really integrated into the lab.” “I came to LaGuardia not knowing what I wanted to do,” says Harry Aguilar. “Professor Veras presented me with an opportunity. She introduced me to research and changed my thought process. She made me aware Dr. Ingrid Veras (foreground) working with her students of possibilities. I was writing a research Carolina Tapia and Harry Aguilar at one of the sea star tanks paper in my first year. Professor Veras acted like a guide. She helps you stay focused and thinking about success. She is trying to get you to succeed. She helps you pick courses – and to find courses that you will enjoy.” Elizabeth La Fontaine joined Professor Veras’s research team studying the microbiome of sea stars during the spring of 2019. “I was recruited by another student,” she explains. “It [lab work] sounded so cool. I feel like it’s the one fun class you have that you love going to!” “We are looking at seas stars because they are dying out,” says Carolina. “We want to know why. It changes the food chain. We order [the starfish] overnight from California and put them in tanks, cut their oral sites, and inspect their gut. We grind the stomachs and ship then to sequence for DNA analysis. We are examining for toxicology and working with dysferlin, which causes muscular dystrophy. We use the sea star to understand biological systems and analyze them to see which phyla, classes, and species are present.” Professor Veras says that she is so enthusiastic about mentoring undergraduate students because research so enriched her own college experience. When she first began courses at Westchester Community College, she dropped out. “I did not know that research existed,” she explains. “Then I went for a pharmacy degree at St. John’s and took a course called ‘Research’ for two semesters and fell in love. We were working with rats. Then I got a scholarship, the Initiative for Maximizing Student Development and then a Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need Scholarship. That gave me the opportunity to get a Ph.D. at St. John’s.” After a postdoc at Montefiore Medical Center she started teaching at LaGuardia and loves it. As a CRSP mentor, Professor Veras says, “I can guide students through career choices. The students always have a place to talk. My door is always open. CRSP allows them to study and stay in school and the stipend is a great help. It is great for minority studies. It exposes them to areas of science. They get to meet people at conferences. They read scientific papers. They have autonomy – because the best way to learn is by doing.” One of her past students, Alejandro Bonilla, received a NASA scholarship and a summer at Brown University. He is in a biology program at CCNY. Another, Albert Tadros, attended several science meetings at Brown and is now a biochemical engineering student at City College.

xvii

PARTICIPATING FACULTY MENTORS

Name (First) Name (Last) College Poster Page Amit Aggarwal LaGuardia Community College A66 29 Ijaz Ahmed Medgar Evers College B30, B32, 52, 53 56 B37 Ian Alberts LaGuardia Community College A60 27 Alejandra Alonso College of Staten Island B16, B23 45, 49 Jane Alexander College of Staten Island B19, B21 47, 48 Phillip Anzalone New York City College of Technology B61 68 Upali Aparajita Borough of Manhattan Community College A77 34 Mahmoud Ardebili Borough of Manhattan Community College A86 38 Grace Axler-Diperte Kingsborough Community College A47 21 Homar Barcena Kingsborough Community College A41, A48, 18, 22, 23 A52 Jeff Barnes Hostos Community College A28 12 Santina Benincasa Kingsborough Community College A51 23 Carolle Bolnet Medgar Evers College B36 55 Jacqueline Brashears LaGuardia Community College A62, A65 28, 29 Dmitry Brogun Kingsborough Community College A55 25 Henry Bulley Borough of Manhattan Community College B7, B11, 41, 43, 44 B14 Sebastien Buttet Guttman Community College A18 7 Naydu Carmona Queensborough Community College B73 73 William Carr Medgar Evers College B31 52 Moni Chauhan Queensborough Community College B83 78 Soheli Chowdhury Hostos Community College A34, A35 15, 16 Leonard Ciaccio College of Staten Island B29 51 Christina Colon Kingsborough Community College A39, A54 17, 24 Tamrah Cunningham New York City College of Technology B50 62 Chantale Damas Queensborough Community College B72 73 Shamita Das Dasgupta New York City College of Technology B51, B54 63, 64 Sunil Dehipawala Queensborough Community College B68 71 Patricia Deleon Borough of Manhattan Community College A79 35 Reginald Dorcely Hostos Community College A28 12 Yasmin Edwards Bronx Community College A5 2 Abdeslem El Idrissi College of Staten Island B17, B27 46, 50 Marlene Fierros Queensborough Community College B63 69 Christine Farias Borough of Manhattan Community College B1, B9 38, 42 Gina Florio Queensborough Community College B63 69 Karla Fuller Guttman Community College A10 4 Lucia Fuentes LaGuardia Community College A71 32 Daniel Garbin Queensborough Community College B66 70 David Gertner LaGuardia Community College A62, A65 28, 29

xviii Name (First) Name (Last) College Poster Page Rajendra Gharbaran Bronx Community College A7 3 B51, B54, Urmi Ghosh-Dastidar New York City College of Technology B62 63, 64, 68 Luis González- Borough of Manhattan Community College B3 39 Urbina Alexander Gosslau Borough of Manhattan Community College B5 40 Briant Guzman Borough of Manhattan Community College B9 42 Aleksandar Haber College of Staten Island B24, B26 49, 50 Sunej Hans Bronx Community College A9 4 Tirandai Hemraj-Benny Queensborough Community College B68, B70 71, 72 Dalvin Hill Guttman Community College A11 5 Larisa Honey Queensborough Community College B76 75 Ivan Horozov Bronx Community College A4 2 Sarwar Jahangir Kingsborough Community College A36, A37, 16, 20 A45 Biao Jiang Hostos Community College A31 14 Daeho Kang New York City College of Technology B45 60 Sasan Karimi Queensborough Community College B67 70 Praveen Khethavath LaGuardia Community College A72 32 Chulsung Kim Guttman Community College A13, A16, 5, 7 A17 Jihyun Kim Guttman Community College A14, A15 6 Moise Koffi Hostos Community College A30 13 Adolfina Koroch Borough of Manhattan Community College B4 39 Damaris-Lois Lang Hostos Community College A28 12 Michael Lawrence Queensborough Community College B64 69 Xiaohai Li New York City College of Technology B58 66 Janet Liou-Mark New York City College of Technology B51, B54 63, 64 Wenjian Liu Queensborough Community College B82 77 Nancy Liu-Sullivan College of Staten Island B18, B28 46, 51 Alan Lyons College of Staten Island B22 48 Eugene Mananga Bronx Community College A1 1 Anna Manukyan Hostos Community College A26 11 Malgorzata Marciniak LaGuardia Community College A58, A64, 26, 29, 31 A69 Kevin Mark LaGuardia Community College A70 31 Christopher McCarthy Borough of Manhattan Community College B2 39 Marie McGovern Kingsborough Community College A43 19 Benito Mendoza New York City College of Technology B48 61 David Michaelson Kingsborough Community College A43, A49 19, 22 John Mikalopas Kingsborough Community College A42, A46 19, 21 Koffi Moise Hostos Community College A20 9 Anissa Moody Queensborough Community College B81 77 Sebastian Morales Prado New York City College of Technology B42 58 Shiraz Mujtaba Medgar Evers College B34 54 Masoto Nakamura New York City College of Technology B57 65

xix Name (First) Name (Last) College Poster Page Abel Navarro Borough of Manhattan Community College A78, B6, 35, 40, 44 B13 Illya Nayshevsky College of Staten Island B22 48 Marina Nechayeva LaGuardia Community College A64 29 Andrew Nguyen Queensborough Community College B69 71 Rafael Niyazov Borough of Manhattan Community College A83 37 Alam Nur-e-Kamal Medgar Evers College B30, B32, 52, 53, 56 B37 Thomas Onorato LaGuardia Community College A57, A74, 26, 33 A75 Doyel Pal LaGuardia Community College A68 30 Marjan Persuh Borough of Manhattan Community College A80, B15 36, 45 Marcos Pinto New York City College of Technology B55 65 Holly Porter-Morgan LaGuardia Community College A63 28 Lawrence Pratt Medgar Evers College B38 56 Christine Priano Borough of Manhattan Community College B4 39 Diane Price-Banks Bronx Community College A2 1 Tanvir Prince Hostos Community College A21, A32 9, 14 Vladimir Przhebelskiy LaGuardia Community College A64 29 Preethi Radhakrishnan LaGuardia Community College A59 26 Brian Rafferty Borough of Manhattan Community College B8 41 Akm Rahman New York City College of Technology B56 65 Harsha Rajapakse Medgar Evers College B39 57 Larbi Rddad Kingsborough Community College A38, A56 17, 25 Kimberly Riegel Queensborough Community College B65, B85 70, 79 Yoel Rodriguez Hostos Community College A19, A22, 8, 9, 11, 13 A25, A29 Jose Romero Borough of Manhattan Community College A82 36 Debasish Roy Hostos Community College A24 10 Oluwaseun Salako Medgar Evers College B40 57 David Sarno Queensborough Community College B74, B78 74, 75 Kinnari Shah LaGuardia Community College A61 27 Gerarda M. Shields New York City College of Technology B47 61 Jin Young Shin Medgar Evers College B35 55 Jun Shin Queensborough Community College B77 75 Paul Sideris Queensborough Community College B64 69 Sunaina Singh LaGuardia Community College A67 30 Chiyedza Small Medgar Evers College B41 58 Edme Soho Hostos Community College A33 15 Laura Spinu Kingsborough Community College A40, A44 18, 20 Deborah Sturm College of Staten Island B25 49 Gopal Subramaniam Queensborough Community College B67 70 Regina Sullivan Queensborough Community College B68, B80 71, 76 Ali Syed Borough of Manhattan Community College A85 37 Farshad Tamari Kingsborough Community College A50, A53 22, 24 Joshua Tan LaGuardia Community College A73 33

xx Name (First) Name (Last) College Poster Page Hao Tang Borough of Manhattan Community College A81, A84 36, 37 Derek Tesser Guttman Community College A12 5 Rujin Tian Bronx Community College A3 1 Daniel Torres Rangel Borough of Manhattan Community College B12 43 Monica Trujillo Queensborough Community College B71, B73, 72, 73, 74 B75 Muhammad Ummy New York City College of Technology B59 67 Alexander Vaninsky Hostos Community College A23 10 Ingrid Veras LaGuardia Community College A57, A74, 26, 33 A75 Michele Vittadello Medgar Evers College B33 53 Brenda Vollman Borough of Manhattan Community College B7, B11, 41, 43, 44 B14 Sujun Wei Queensborough Community College B63 69 Liu Wenjian Queensborough Community College B79 76 Adam Wilson New York City College of Technology B52 63 Lauren Wolf Hostos Community College A27 12 Angran Xiao New York City College of Technology B43 59 Na Xu LaGuardia Community College A73 34 Chiaki Yanagisawa Borough of Manhattan Community College B10 42 Liang Yang Hostos Community College A31 14 Haishen Yao Queensborough Community College B84 78 Ozlem Yasar New York City College of Technology B49, B53 62, 64 Ahmed Zaghloul College of Staten Island B20 47 Syed Rashid Zaidi Bronx Community College A6 3 Zhou Zhang New York City College of Technology B60 67 Xiaoping Zhu Medgar Evers College B33 53 Farrukh Zia New York City College of Technology B44, B46 59, 60

xxi

MORNING POSTER SESSION Poster A2 Investigating the impact of learned Bronx Community College Helplessness In First-year STEM Majors

Poster A1 Nana Boatemaa Adjei-Twum

Theory and Simulation in Solid-State Mentor: Professor Diane Price-Banks Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Bronx Community College

This experimental study investigates the signs of Richard Ametepey and Saikou Fadiga learned helplessness in first year STEM students pertaining to stress during their studies. The term Mentor: Professor Eugene Mananga learned helplessness refers to a constellation of Bronx Community College behavioral changes that follow exposure to stressors that are not controlled by means of behavioral The technique of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) responses but fails to occur if the stressor is consist of applying intense external electromagnetic controllable. This study is based on the learned field (B_0) to a no-silent NMR nucleus (with spin helplessness of STEM students and also to reduce quantum number Ι≠0) and an alignment is observed the rate at which first year STEM students fail their between proton’s spin magnetic moment and the classes. In order to achieve this, saliva samples were external magnetic field, against and in favor of it. collected to access cortisol levels at designated Solid-state NMR is a powerful technique of times given. Cortisol is known as a stress hormone investigation of material solids, characterized by the involved in the response to physical and or presence of anisotropic (directionally dependent) emotional stress. The saliva drool was collected at interactions. The technique of solid-state NMR is able 4am and 8am to measure the cortisol circadian to determine the molecular structure and dynamics. In rhymes. Another set was collected before, during this project, we used the average Hamiltonian theory and after their stressful STEM course. A final to control the spin dynamics during the application of collection was taken 30 minutes before and after Hahn echo pulse sequences. The average Hamiltonian midterms and finals. Participants also provided theory explains how periodic pulse sequences can be written responses about their experience after every used to switch off or transform the symmetry of salivary collection. selected interactions in coupled, many-spin systems, allowing magnetic resonance spectroscopists to create Poster A3 effective spin Hamiltonians with a wide variety of intriguing and useful properties. This clever approach Mitochondrial DNA Analysis: The Key to was developed half a century ago by John Waugh and Unraveling Maternal Ancestry co-workers. The simulation of the spin dynamics evolution under the Hahn echo pulse sequence is in Ciprian Cucu and Jennifer Kusi-Appau progress. We are using a solid-state NMR simulation software called SIMPSON. Mentor: Professor Rujin Tian Bronx Community College

Human mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (mtDNA), among its uncommon properties, is a typical example of non-Mendelian inheritance since it does not undergo any recombination as DNA is passed

on only from the mother to the offspring. This idea is that the equation describing the dynamics provides us with a viable option of analyzing mtDNA, have to be modified. It is called modified Newtonian as a molecule, to trace maternal ancestry and dynamics (MOND). migration patterns. Here, we set forth to understand We examine spiral galaxies as a fluid. Navier-Stokes our maternal ancestry and whom we are related to by equations that describe fluid dynamics. In the case isolating our mtDNA from the epithelial cells of the of a galaxy there is viscosity (friction). It occurs buccal cavity by a normal saline (0.9% NaCl solution) when stars or/and interstellar gas collide. The mouth wash, then amplified and sequenced a specific relativistic effects are relaxed away from the center gene (a 440-base pair segment of a hypervariable of the massive black hole hole at the center of the region of the mitochondrial chromosome) using galaxy, since both the deformation of space-time is Polymerase Chain Reaction(PCR) and then performed bioinformatics sequence analysis on our samples using minimal and the velocities are very small compared the BLASTn suite provided by the National Center for to the speed of light. We examine Navier-Stokes Biotechnology Information(NCBI) to determine single equations in polar coordinates and apply Fourier base pair variations in the mtDNA sequence; a analysis to possible solutions. phenomenon known as single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP). Knowledge obtained from the Poster A5 location of where each SNP occur allowed us to determine which haplogroup each of us belonged to Using Multiplex PCR Barcoding to Detect using the James Lick Haplogroup Analysis tool which Water Contamination primarily compared our base pair sequence to the revised Cambridge Reference Sequence (rCRS). The haplogroup determination allowed us to know how Zoureat Kobre related we were and the common ancestor we shared at a point in time as these findings made us appreciate Mentor: Professor Yasmin Edwards how rarely SNPs occur. This provide us with a fair Bronx Community College idea of the molecular clock in regards to how many years back a mutation occurred, hence an indicator of Water pollution is a major concern worldwide. geographical and historical point of origin for humans. While clean water is essential to human health, according to the World Health Organization Poster A4 (WHO), contaminated drinking water is the leading cause of infectious disease in the world, resulting in Dynamics of Spiral Galaxies millions of deaths each year. Polluted water can contain a wide variety of chemical compounds, solid waste and microorganisms. As it relates to microbial Shaif Dhuha and Nkeh Boh contaminants, determining whether water is contaminated, requires special test to identify the Mentor: Professor Ivan Horozov contaminating organisms and their numbers. Bronx Community College Waterborne microorganisms can cause severe illnesses that can lead to death. To identify them in Dark matter is an idea that was invented when the both drinking and recreational water, scientists’ first observed dynamics of galaxies did not match the look for microbes called coliform bacteria also referred to as indicator organisms. These microbes theoretical prediction. The main reason is that it represent a group of relatively harmless bacteria of seems that there is substantially more matter in a the genera of Escherichia, Klebsiella, Enterobacter, galaxy that what we can observe. and Serratia that normally inhabit the There is another school of scientists that try to gastrointestinal tract of animals and humans. The explain the discrepancy between the observations presence of these organisms in a water sample and predictions of dynamics of galaxies. The main typically warns of fecal contamination. In order to

detect their presence, our testing methods include a Poster A7 culturing step that requires significant wait time (24- 48 hours). The work had been done before using STAT 6 signaling pathway inhibition and regular Polymerase Chain reaction in order to target its effects on Hodgkin’s Lymphoma cell each gene one by one. In our experiment, we chose Multiplex PCR because it allows for rapid detection line L428 (1-2 hours) of multiple organism at the same time by using several primers, each targeting a unique and Jessica Perng specific organism’s gene. The goal of this project is to test the water in Mentor: Professor Rajendra Gharbaran different site of Bronx Community College, using E. Bronx Community College coli, Bacillus Subtilis and Serratia Marcescens bacteria as our primers in order to identify possible Studies showed that Signal Transducer and Activator of water contamination. Transcription 6 (STAT6), a member of the JAK/STAT signaling pathway, play essential roles in the Poster A6 development of several diseases include inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and cancer pathogenesis. A Designing a Digital Traffic Controller pubmed search revealed several cancers that are affected Circuit using VHDL and DE2-115 FPGA by the unregulated STAT6 expression. AS1517499 (AS), Board potent inhibitor of STAT6, is used in the treatment of asthma. Given the role of STAT6 in the development and progression of cancers, we are testing that hypothesis Annetti Perez that AS treatment can stop the growth of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, in vitro. Research showed that STAT6 is Mentor: Professor Syed Rashid Zaidi overexpressed in Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Water soluble Bronx Community College tetrazolium 1 (WST-1) cell viability assay showed that AS reduced cell viability in a dose (0,1, 2.5, 5, 10 uM)- A system for designing a digital electronics circuit dependent manner, in the STAT6-positive HL cell lines, includes a computer, a field programmable gate array HDLM2 and L428. Live/dead assay of AS-treated L428 (FPGA) such as Altera DE2-115 board, Software such cells co-stained with acridine orange (AO) and ethidium as Quartus II and some sort of connection from bromide (EtBr) showed dose-dependent cell death. In computer to the board such as cable. The six step this assay, live cells stain green with AO and EtBr stains process from design entry to device programming the nuclei of only dead cells. Western blot, a technique (downloading the software to FPGA) is used to used to detect the levels of specific proteins expressed by cells or tissue, showed dose-dependent decrease of program FPGA. The field programmable gate array is phosphorylated STAT6 (pSTAT6) in AS-treated L428 semiconductor devices that are based around a matrix cells. The AS-treated L428 cells were also studied for of configurable logic blocks (CLBs) connected via caspase activities. Caspases are enzymes involve in programmable interconnects. FPGA can be program cells death. AS-treated cells showed significant reprogrammed to desired application after caspase3/7 activities when stained with CellEvent manufacturing. FPGA is a programmable chip. As a Casp3/7 green detection reagent (Thermofisher). The user, you can indicate which digital connection you controls in these experiments include DMSO want in it depending on the application. In this project (dimethylsupfate, solvent used to dissolved AS)-treated we are designing a digital traffic controller circuit and untreated cells. These results suggest AS suppressed using VHDL and DE2-115 FPGA board. viability and reduces growth of Hodgkin’s lymphoma by inducing cell death.

Poster A8 The neutrino detectors are assembled with photomultiplier tubes (PMT) which detects the Vanishing Mushroom: Identifying an signal from detector in the form of photon and unknown suspect of Caprinus species transfer the signal to the analyzer. The photon range of these PMT’s is around 450nm - 560nm, but the scintillating liquid’s emission is around 260 like Delilah Smith and Jacqueline Magana such as for linear alkyl benzene (LAB). There flour and shifter come in to shift the light from liquid to Mentor: Professors Raffaella Diotii and further around the PMT range. Diane Price Banks Therefore, suitable flour and shifter is very Bronx Community College important for each neutrino project. Furthermore, the study of flour and shifter is done by using a An unknown species of Coprinus was serendipitously spectrophotometer and the UV-VIS instruments. discovered in a peculiar location in the Bronx. Different set of flour and shifters will be used for Coprinus species is typically found in the wild, on lawns and in wooded areas. To find it in an urban the study. First test will be checking the solubility setting is quite remarkable. The species found is in different solvents and check the excitation- suspected to be Coprinus aqueous also known as The emission based on the solvents and concentration. It Vanishing Mushroom (Kemp 2008). To help identify will also include if the emission and excitation and grow this species in the Laboratory, a series of changes with the addition of the different regents to scientific analyses was conducted to include observing the mixture. the species in its natural environment, cultivating the species on various media susceptible to fungus and The determination of different excitation and isolating it’s DNA for Sequencing. emission spectra when added the fluoro shifter to an organic scintillator will allow finding an affordable, Poster A9 better organic liquid scintillator for neutrino experiment. The Development of an Organic Liquid Scintillator for Neutrino Experiments Guttman Community College

Koudeissatou Yaya-Sebou Poster A10

Mentor: Professor Sunej Hans Using ELISA to Determine Bronx Community College Phosphorylation of p27 in MB-486 Breast Cancer Cell Line Neutrinos are very small, tiny, nearly massless particles that travel at near light speeds and can rarely interact with matter. The neutrinos are Aissatou Bah originated from the sun and abundant in the universe. However, an organic liquid scintillator is Mentor: Professor Karla Fuller one of the media that can be used to detect Guttman Community College neutrinos. It is made of linear alkaline benzene, metal, fluro, and shifter. This project focuses on the Cancer, in general, is a disease in which abnormal study of different fluoro and shifters for an organic cells divide uncontrollably and destroy body tissue liquid scintillator. and grow. This can happen when p27 fails to do its function. p27 is the protein that is found within the cell cycle. p27 acts as a cell regulator to makes sure

that the cell is healthy and well enough to move on incorporate the data gathered from these wearable onto the next phase of the cell cycle. Mutations that devices, to that a patient’s Personal Health Record inactivate p27 have also been known to be the (PHR). leading cause of breast cancer. One in eight U.S. women (around 12%) will develop breast cancer Poster A12 over the course of their lifespan. In 2019, the diagnoses for new cases of invasive breast cancer Remote Sensing Investigation of Tropical within the USA has been estimated to be about Deforestation 268,000, and 62,930 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer. For our experiment, we tested the Ayanna Eva Dickinson levels of phosphorylation of p27 in MB-468 breast cancer cells using the ELISA method. We Mentors: Professor Derek Tesser hypothesize that there will be no phosphorylation of Guttman Community College p27 in breast cancer cells. If there is low phosphorylation in our breast cancer cells than there Globally, the world's most valuable ecosystems have is no regulation in the cell cycle. Although we were become targets of deforestation. Rain forests such as unable to compare levels of phosphorylated p27 the Chocó are being cut down in order to plan crops between breast cancer and non-breast cancer cells, such as African Palm, which has been detrimental to we did find phosphorylated p27 in our breast cancer the surrounding ecosystems. Although there is no samples. doubt of the destruction happening, from traditional satellite images it is hard to differentiate between the Poster A11 African Palm Plantations and intact forest. In efforts to map the deforestation, I used Sentinel Satellite data in The impact of integrating data generated the Quantum Geographic Information System (QGIS). from wearable devices into a Patient Hearth From this investigation I hope to quantify and map the Record (PHR) deforestation of the Chocó and the relationship with the abundance of African Palm plantations. Hector Castro Poster A13

Mentor: Professor Dalvin Hill Detoxification of Hexavalent Chromium A growing number of individuals have been Contaminated Water Using an sporting wearable devices. The functionalities of Environmentally Friendly Reducing these wearable devices range in functionality from Agent (Tangerine Peel) user to user. One popular usage of said devices, is to track health related activities that are typically Susanna Luu stored on the device’s memory or uploaded to an account in the Cloud; based on the current trend, the Mentor: Professor Chulsung Kim data accumulated from the wearables is stored in a Guttman Community College standalone location. In many of these cases, this health related data is not a factor when considering Hexavalent chromium has been a concerned the holistic view of a user’s health lifestyle. This pollutant easily found in the environment. There are wearable health related data can serve as empirical many technologies available to detoxify hexavalent information to a medical provider, as the standalone chromium-contaminated resources, the reduction to data can add value to the holistic health record of a trivalent chromium is one of the common patient. This paper proposes a solution to technologies adopted in the remediation process.

Since it was confirmed that tangerine peel has high Poster A15 antioxidant capacity, a study was conducted to apply tangerine peel as a reducing agent. A hexavalent Eco-Friendly Carbon Nanomaterials chromium stock solution was prepared using potassium dichromate at the target of 50 mg/L. Itzel Ramirez and Kizzy Nelson Tangerine peels were air dried and ground using a commercial grinder. The ground peel was sieved to Mentor: Professor Jihyun Kim separate the particle sizes. The prepared natural Guttman Community College reducing agent was added to the hexavalent chromium stock solution at various mass to volume Acid whey has been known for being the cause of ratios. The prepared solution was placed in a 50 mL many environmental disturbances such as air centrifuge tube which was fixed to the rotation pollution, the cause of death of fishes meanwhile shaker up to nine (9) days. The concentration of carbon dots are small carbon nanoparticles because of hexavalent chromium in the solution was determine its optical properties it is easier to identify cells, as a function of time using the diphenyl carbazide sensors of particles by its fluorescent colors under the method. The experimental results show that the uv lights. Synthesis of carbon dots from acid whey significant amount of hexavalent chromium was microwave heating 3-5 minutes and refluxing from 1- removed and certainly tangerine peel is a potential 4hr has been applied to analyze how can acid whey from greek yogurt be beneficial for the environment. electron donor to remediate the hexavalent After Centrifuging for 10-20 minutes with acetone and chromium contaminated water. Methylene Chloride (CH2Cl2) separately and monitoring each reactions in daily and under UV Poster A14 lights only the 4 minutes microwave has shown a positive results. Proving that the chances of carbon Preparation of Carbon Nanomaterials dots formation is higher in a lighter solution. UV-vis from Diary Waste spectroscopy was employed to measure its maximum absorption at 280 nm showing materials. The carbon dots was measured, but it’s agglomeration on the grid Kizzy Nelson and Itzel Ramirez didn’t show clear images, the longer a solution has been prepared the harder it was to see any traces of Mentor: Professor Jihyun Kim carbon dots. Our goal is to create eco friendly Guttman Community College preparation of strong fluorescent carbon dots by using Uv-vis, fluorescence spectroscopy and TEM. In recent years Greek yogurt demand has skyrocketed, posing its by-product, acid whey, an environmental threat. In this project, a facile method of preparation of carbon dots from Acid whey, a diary waste, was explored via simple hydrothermal treatment, as well as microwave heating. The as prepared carbon dots exhibit a blue light under the 365 nm UV irradiation, show a broad UV-vis absorption peak around 290 nm in the range of 200- 600 nm. The fluorescence of the carbon dots shows an excitation dependent emission property. The size and structure of as prepared carbon dots from Acid whey is further elucidated by the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micrographs.

Poster A16 connected with severe human diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s illness, Application of Oolong Tea for the and aging. Various fruits and vegetables provide Remediation of Hexavalent Chromium antioxidants stabilizing free radicals and preventing Contaminated Water them from the continuous harmful chain reactions. In this study, the total amount of easily soluble Steysi Reyna antioxidants was determined from the peels of apple and two common citrus fruits such as lemon and

lime which have been considered as good sources of Mentor: Professor Chulsung Kim antioxidant and used for diverse culinary Guttman Community College applications. Mainly, the study focused on the Oolong tea was investigated as potential electron particle size effects on the extraction of soluble donors to reduce hexavalent chromium. Various antioxidant from the peels. The dried peels were amount of oolong tea was applied to 50 mg/L ground and sieved to separate five different particles simulated Cr (VI)-contaminated water, and samples size categories. The total soluble antioxidant amount were taken as a function of the reaction time. The was determined with the Trolox equivalent samples were filtered and the amount of Cr (VI) in antioxidant capacity (TEAC) method at 735 nm with the solution was determined. The diphenyl carbazide the Aquamate 8000 UVVis spectrophotometer. method using an Aquamate 8000 UV-Vis Spectro - According to experimental observation, the most photometer with a 540 nm wavelength was adopted soluble antioxidant can be extracted from the peel for the determination of Cr (VI) in the solution. The powder within 20 min. The results also confirmed experiments were performed at room temperature that the amount of total soluble antioxidant was and duplicated. The results showed that oolong tea controlled by the size of particles and the highest can serve as a reductant decreasing the amount of Cr TEAC value was obtained in the mid•range particle (VI) in the solution significantly within short period size in all three samples. of reaction time. The experimental results confirmed that the oolong tea could be a potential Poster A18 environmentally friendly alternate reducing agent applicable to remediate Cr (VI)-contaminated water What is the predictive power of the yield and functions more efficiently with higher mass to curve for recessions? volume ratio. Camila Belen Rodriguez Lopez Poster A17 Mentor: Professor Sebastien Buttet Effect of fruit peel particle size on the total Guttman Community College water•soluble antioxidant capacity We used a simple logistic regression model to Amando Villano and Yefry Rodriguez analyze changes over time in the statistical relationship between economic growth and the term Mentor: Professor Chulsung Kim spread on US Treasuries, as measured by the Guttman Community College difference between nominal rates on 10-year T-note and 3-month T-bill. Before the Great Recession, we Free radicals in the human body cause oxidative show that the correlation between the term spread stress damaging cells, DNA, and proteins. Besides, and the rate of economic growth is positive and it has been considered that those free radicals are significant. That is, as the yield curve flattens or

becomes inverted, economic growth declines. For Chemistry Institute-CSIC, Madrid, Spain, have the period after the Great Recession, however, we identified six hit compounds showing promising find that the correlation becomes negative and is modulation of DREAM biological functions. In this significant. That is, the economy grew steadily for regard, IQM-PC330 and IQM-PC332 showed an the period following the Great Recession, but the inhibition of the neuronal IA2, whereas IQM-266 term spread declined or became negative. Following and NS5806 are the only described DREAM ligands a thorough review of the macroeconomic and showing a potentiation of the neuronal IA under business cycle literature, we argue that more certain conditions3,4. Hence, it would be of great theoretical and empirical work are needed to fully interest to have broader range of chemical tools that understand and explain the change over time in the might allow a better understanding of the correlation between economic growth and US term physiological role of DREAM and the modulation spread. of neuronal IA in pathological processes. Thus, we aimed at identifying hit analogues able to interact with DREAM. The two compounds that were HOSTOS COMMUNITY selected out of the six for this research were IQM- COLLEGE 266 and IQM-114. Towards the end, computational molecular design approaches including ligand-based

search and target-based molecular docking were Poster A19 applied. The database of commercially available compounds for virtual screening eMolecules (ca. 5.9 Virtual Screening Towards the million of molecules) was used to identify hit analogues that modulate the biological function of Identification of Small-Molecule DREAM. About 5,000 top-ranked small molecules Modulators of DREAM to Study from each hit search were selected using Neurological Diseases ROCS3.2.2.2 and ROCS_REPORT3.2.2.2 including combined Tanimoto shape and color scoring Escarle Beato, Emilio Peña Acevedo, and function. Out of the 5,000 hits the top 2,000 were Javier Corro selected. These top-ranked compounds were taken through subsequent molecular docking steps using Mentor: Professor Yoel Rodríguez OEDOCKING3.2.0.2. The best candidate Hostos Community College compounds (ca. 50) have been prioritized to be tested experimentally. Our development of small Downstream Regulatory Element Antagonist molecules able to interact with DREAM and Modulator (DREAM)/KChIP3/calsenilin, primarily modulate its interaction with other proteins involved expressed in brain tissues, is a neuronal calcium in neurological processes could open new venues for sensor with multiple functions, including the the treatment of these diseases. regulation of A-type outward potassium currents (IA). This effect is mediated by the interaction between DREAM and KV4 potassium channels and it has been shown that small molecules that bind to DREAM modify channel function1,2. Alterations in the function of KV4/DREAM complexes are implicated in different neuronal pathologies such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, spinocerebellar ataxia and epilepsy. Our collaborators Dr. Gutierrez- Rodríguez and Dr. Martín-Martínez at the Medicinal

Poster A20 Poster A21

Understanding Heat Dissipation in Image Morphing Elephants Using Thermal Imaging Techniques Djehamou Bly, Hamidou Kabore, and Abdoul Aziz Nignan Raziel BenReuben and Elayne Blancas Mentor: Professor Tanvir Prince Mentors: Koffi Moise Hostos Community College Hostos Community College Morphing is a special effect that changes one image Elephant conservation has become a major concern or shape into another through seamless transition. for the sustainability of our ecosystem, due to the The purpose of this research is to perform multiple significant decline of the population of these experiments in order to analyze the accuracy of endangered species in recent decades. This different morphing software. Then, to compare challenge brings conservationists to seek effective almost identical transitional pictures as the originals management procedures for the long-term survival taken with the digital camera. The experiments were of elephants in captivity. Due to their large body performed with two objects (Rope, Apple) with three size, studies show that elephants produce a software’s using two types of computers (MacBook tremendous metabolic heat of about 5Kw. However, Pro, Microsoft HP). Pictures of the apple and the rope the method used by these animals to dissipate said were taken every five minutes for a total of seven heat has been unclear for several decades. It is pictures each. The first and the last pictures of the hypothesized that the flapping of their pinnae plays rope and apple were morphed, and the results were a key role in their metabolic heat regulation. An visually compared to the original picture. We found Experimental investigation of elephant’s heat that the different softwares morphed the images in the dissipation was carried in the Fluid dynamics same way and that only the pictures of the apple were Laboratory of the City College of New York. Smoke similar to the original pictures. In addition, more particles were used to visualize the flow in the comparisons can be done using mathematics (Matric) vicinity of the flapping pinna, which was captured calculation. with a high-speed camera. An E4 FLIR infrared camera enabled to capture thermal images of the Poster A22 pinna model over several flapping cycles. Similar thermograms were recorded on live elephants at the Discovery of AF9 YEATS Domain San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Safari Park, and the Inhibitors through Structure- and South Carolina Zoo. A vorticial structure was Ligand-Based Virtual Screening observed in the vicinity of the flapping pinna enhancing the heat transfer at these locations. It was Ibrahima Doukoure also observed that the core body temperature decreased as the pinna flapping rate was increased. Additionally, behavioral observations of the Mentor: Professor Yoel Rodriguez elephants at the zoos indicate that these animals Hostos Community College utilize a combination of methods such as bathing in water and mud and staying in a shade to aid in The YEATS (Yaf9, ENL, AF9, Taf14, and Sas5) regulating their core body temperature. The findings domain is found in a variety of nuclear complexes of this research will assist in elephant conservation. with molecular functions ranging from chromatin

remodeling and histone modification to is to devise integral equalities. We consider a graph transcription, regulation and DNA repair. Among of the function shaping the surface of a solid of the YEATS family proteins AF9 has been shown to revolution as a random variable and construct its play an important role in potentiating inflammatory cumulative distribution function. We use findings of gene expression. Recently, it has been reported that publication (Vaninsky, 2010) that the Disks and the the AF9 YEATS domain recognizes preferentially Shells methods are related as the two ways of the crotonyl-lysine over acetyl-lysine at all three major calculation of the second moment of this random histone H3 lysine acylation sites (i.e., H3K9|18|27). variable. The Disks method may be considered as Dysfunction of the AF9 YEATS domain has been integration with respect to the Lebesgue measure in linked to human disease, mainly cancer. Thus, the domain of the shaping function, while the Shells small-molecule modulators capable of disrupting the method is the computation of the same moment by interaction between the AF9 YEATS domain and integration with respect to the corresponding histone lysine acylation are of great interest. To cumulative distribution function. Suggested identify these small molecules, computer-assisted approach allows us to construct integral equalities tools were used in this study. First, a ligand-based for non-monotonic functions, thus extending the search using a hit compound discovered in our results known in the literature. group (MS0129775) helped find ~2,000 compounds by screening the eMolecules lead-like database (~6 Poster A24 millions compounds). This initial step was realized using the following software: ROCS3.2.2.26 to Comparative Characterization of conduct the screening and VIDA4.4.0.46 to Polyphenolic Compounds From Parsley, visualize the top-ranked molecules. Next, a Cilantro, And Bok Choy Generated By structure- based search was conducted using Aeroponic And Regular Farming OEDOCKING3.2.0.26. The selected ~2,000 compounds from the ligand-based search were docked against the binding site of the AF9 YEATS Mohosina Islam domain. The Tanimoto scoring function and visual inspection were used to prioritize ~100 compounds Mentor: Professor Debasish Roy for purchase availability. The selected ligands could Hostos Community College be used to better understand the function of the AF9 YEATS domain in gene transcriptional regulation Aeroponics is the process of growing plants without and ultimately as a therapeutic target in cancer soil or geoponics but using air and misty treatment. environments. Since the plants are not placed within soil they receive their nutrients in another source

being in a mist form. A liquid filled with nutrient Poster A23 solution is sprayed onto the plants in a mist form

which helps the plants grow. This method has become Probabilistic View of the Disks and the popular in that it does not need as much money and Shells Methods and Integral Equalities increases air exposure. Parsley, cilantro and bok choy are three plants that are commonly used in cooking; Alexander Fajardo therefore their production is abundant and finding cheaper ways of production is highly beneficiary. Mentor: Professor Alexander Vaninsky Though the organic compound characterization of Hostos Community College aeroponically grown parsley, cilantro and bok choy, organic store brought parsley, cilantro and bok choy This project combines traditional and probabilistic might differ. Hence the purpose of this experiment is approaches to integration of functions. The objective to compare the concentration of polyphenols in

parsley, cilantro, and bok choy grown aeroponically this end, we use combined computational biophysics and organic store bought parsley, cilantro, and bok approaches and experimental biology assays. choy. These comparisons will be done by conducting Specifically, we conducted secondary structure infrared spectroscopy, thin layer chromatography, and prediction calculations to obtain the 2D and 3D total phenolic determination and analyzing the results. structures of miRNAs by using the RNAFold and The pH level and protein estimation will also be RNAstructure as well as SimRNAweb and measured and compared. The DNA extraction from iFoldRNA Ver2.0 webservers, respectively. We also the tissue samples will be collected from both applied structure-based molecular docking to predict aeroponic and organic plant samples by crashing to the binding mode of EGCG to specific miRNAs break open the cells. The gene sequence obtained from using rDock program3. SF5 scoring function was the DNA will be compared. With all these interesting used to rank EGCG binding affinity towards findings the conclusion of whether aeroponically miRNAs. The results of this study can shed light grown parsley, cilantro and bok choy is a better into the mechanism of miRNA regulation by EGCG alternative. and help understand the potential of using EGCG as a therapeutic in breast cancer. Poster A25 Poster A26 Modulation of MicroRNAs by Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate in Cancer Computational Study of Peptide Nucleic Biology Acid

Fatimata Kafando and Ndeye Bakhoum Koswatte Lekamla, Mohamed Sajath, and Elibeth Martinez Tejada Mentor: Yoel Rodriguez Hostos Community College Mentor: Professor Anna Manukyan Hostos Community College MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are singled-stranded small non-coding RNAs 22-nucleotides long. They Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) is a prominent structural intervene in post-transcriptional regulation of gene mimic of DNA. In PNA, the usual deoxyribose- expression1. miRNAs are involved in cell phosphodiester backbone has been replaced by N- proliferation and apoptosis, and have been shown to (2-aminoethyl)-glycine (aeg) units to which be deregulated in cancer cells2. Hence, modulation nucleobases are attached. Lately PNAs have of miRNA activity could make them promising received a significant amount of attention, therapeutic targets. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate particularly as agents for antisense applications, (EGCG) is a main component of green tea, and where the PNA prevents translation. In addition to evidence suggests it has anti-carcinogenic effects that, PNAs are being developed to be used in that might be mediated by miRNAs. Our diagnostic testing, sensor arrays, and anti-gene collaborator Dr. Delgado-Cruzata’s group at applications, where PNA prevents transcription of CUNY’s John Jay College has identified changes in the DNA. This unique analog binds in a sequence- levels of miR-1246, miR-494 and miR-579 after specific manner to correspond on DNA and RNA exposure to 50uM EGCG for 72hrs. We single strands. The relatively high binding affinity hypothesized that miRNA-EGCG recognition might of PNAs toward natural oligonucleotides is lead to changes in miRNA levels. Thus, here we use attributed to the lack of electrostatic repulsion computational methods to predict the dynamics of between the uncharged PNA backbone and the this interaction by 1) determining whether EGCG binds directly to miRNAs, and 2) if so, determining negatively charged sugar-phosphate backbone of which miRNA sequence EGCG prefers. Towards DNA/RNA. Many modifications to PNA have been

synthesized and tested in order to increase binding, Poster A27 and to create a preference for either parallel or antiparallel binding, and also to create a preference for Renew Urban Community through Green either DNA or RNA binding and/or increase the Roofs mismatch discrimination of PNA, all of which could potentially improve the usefulness of PNA. Our goal Xaver Koudougou, Aser Kalkoumdo, Eva is to explore and analyze the structures and dynamics of rigidified PNAs, in order to determine Soriano Gomez, Anthony Tarafa, and the source of their preferences and behavior. This Francisco Lopez choice of systems includes compounds that binds DNA/RNA better or worse than aegPNA and binds Mentor: Professor Lauren Wolf RNA better than DNA. These systems have no Hostos Community College preference between DNA and RNA; it binds DNA only in an antiparallel fashion, and differentiates Twenty first century urbanization creates growing between mismatches better than aegPNA, form a challenges within cities as less public space is helical structure as a single strand, and behave dedicated to the environment. Rooftop green spaces differently in different locations and behave the become an innovative solution to the problem. same in different locations. Our results will provide Green roofs reduce pollution and run-offs, in information crucial to the design of PNAs that binds addition to reducing maintenance. These roofs can exclusively and more strongly to RNA or DNA, grow vegetation and they help fight the heat Island which will aid in the discovery of new biological effect. Green roofs have a natural cooling and applications and PNA-based drug candidates. heating property which reduces cooling and heating cost by as much as thirty percent. We look at stochastic process to predict water runoff and heat and cooling reduction in the future. We also look at weight bearing loads for potential builders of Green Roofs.

Poster A28

Synaptic deficit in Alzheimer disease, is abnormal tau the culprit?

Jassiel Del Milagros Mena, Rassambnewende Ouedraogo, and Theanys Jimenez

Mentor: Professors Reginald Dorcely, Damaris-Lois Lang and Jeff Barnes Hostos Community College

In academia, most of the educational standards require students to learn by understanding and retaining information. Knowledge acquired from studying and learning materials of varied subjects is

tested to show students' mastery. The purpose of this Institute-CSIC, Madrid, Spain, have identified hit study was to determine how students' age could compounds PC332 and PC338 showing promising impact content understanding and retention. To modulation of DREAM biological functions. carry out this study, we asked participants to read a However, stronger binders to DREAM are still of passage, and then administering a second sheet great interest. Thus, we aimed at identifying hit containing a quiz based on the passage read analogues able to interact with DREAM. Towards followed this. Our target population was students in this end, computer-aided molecular design tools various colleges. The data collected from the including ligand-based search and structure-based surveys contained students' age, education levels, molecular docking were applied. The database of and test scores. We used Excel for the data entry and commercially available compounds for virtual compilation. Statistical Package for the Social screening eMolecules (ca. 5.9 million of molecules) Sciences (SPSS) was used for cross tabulations. In was used to identify hit analogues that modulate the addition, we used the Microsoft Power Business biological function of DREAM. About 2,000 top- Intelligence (PBI) tools to create an interactive ranked small molecules from each hit search were visualization of research results. Thus, these data selected using ROCS3.2.2.2 and visualizations enabled the student researchers tell a ROCS_REPORT3.2.2.2 including combined narrative about research findings. These findings, Tanimoto shape and color scoring function. These with a p-value less than 0.05, suggested that there top-ranked compounds were taken through was evidence to believe that older students subsequent molecular docking steps using performed better than the younger ones. OEDOCKING3.2.0.2. The best candidate compounds (ca. 50) have been prioritized to be Poster A29 tested experimentally. Our development of small molecules able to interact with DREAM and Development of Small-Molecule modulate its interaction with other proteins involved Modulators of DREAM to Investigate in neurodegenerative processes could open new Neurodegenerative Diseases venues for the treatment of these diseases.

Poster A30 Abdoul Aziz Nignan and Dariel Arrechaga Estevez Investigating the Decline of the Elephant Population in the United States Mentors: Professor Yoel Rodríguez Hostos Community College Kingsley Odae The calcium-binding protein DREAM (Downstream Regulatory Element Antagonist Modulator) binds Mentor: Professor Moise Koffi DNA and other proteins to regulate neuronal Hostos Community College function. DREAM, primarily expressed in brain tissues, has a major effect in regulating gene Elephants are the largest warm-blooded land expression and plays a key role in calcium mammals and play an important role in the balance homeostasis1,2. Neurodegenerative diseases such as of our eco-system. However, their population Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s are calcium dropped significantly by 54% between 1969 and pathologies that lead to neuronal death. DREAM has 1979 due to various reasons such as poaching and been implicated in these pathologies2,3. Our human/elephant conflicts. Studies showed that over collaborators Dr. Gutierrez-Rodríguez and Dr. the past 5 decades, 390 elephants died in AZA- Martín-Martínez at the Medicinal Chemistry accredited zoos in the United States. The purpose of

this research is to identify the major causes of Poster A32 elephant mortality in US Zoos. It is hypothesized that the decrease in their population in the US is Qualitative Analysis of the Effect of mainly related to poor animal welfare and zoo Sunlight on Image Compression maintenance. This research utilized secondary data collected from reports, zoo websites, and publications and analyzed using statistical tools and Randy Ramsammy, Ariel Monegro, Erick technics. According to preliminary results, an Campos, and Abdoul Aziz Nignan average of 72 elephants died in US zoos from 2000 to 2019, among which one third due to infant Mentor: Professor Tanvir Prince mortality and 70% at an average age of 39 with an Hostos Community College increasing rate of 30%. Our results indicate that The advancement of technology has pushed society poor animal treatment and loneliness are major into the digital era, where we can communicate and causes of the elephant population decline in the US. understand systems using images. The compression Further studies will be carried to investigate how the of an image occurs when you capture digital photo knowledge of elephants’ behavior can also or by manual means of using a compression participate in improving their well-being in US zoos. algorithm. Image compression is a type of data

compression applied to digital images, to reduce Poster A31 storage space. The most common type of image

compression is JPEG compression which stands for Sharing 3D Information of the Joint Photographic Expert Group. There are also Environment with the Visually Impaired RAW image files which are the first stage of an image before any compression. For this experiment Bielka Pena the NEF (Nikon Electronic Format) is the RAW image due to the apparatus. JPEG images are much Mentors: Professors Biao Jiang and Liang Yang smaller than NEF images and therefore consume a Hostos Community College lot less storage. The storage space of an image can be altered due to a variety of surrounding Navigation of the visually impaired in indoor conditions. Thus, the purpose of the research is to environments is urgently required. Without GPS qualitatively analyze the effects of sunlight has on mapping in highly dynamic environments, the the compression of two objects. Two objects will be visually impaired do not have a sense of their captured with a camera for 7 hours every half hour surroundings and are limited to obtaining the throughout the day. The images captured will be knowledge of distance information. We proposed a recorded two times as a JPEG and NEF files. The Deep Neural Network (DNN) based RGB-D camera compression ratio is defined to be the NEF divided system to assist the visually impaired with indoor by the JPEG in bytes. The ratio will then be navigation. The DNN is used to detect the objects computed from the NEF and the JPEG images, and the RGB-D camera helps to obtain the spatial plotted to analyze the ratio change as more sunlight relationship between the objects and the individual. enters the image. The compression ratio is a In addition, the object with spatial relation was used measurement that will determine how effective the to generate a description of the object’s 3D spatial compression is increasing or decreasing the relation and the individual, which is a tool to assist compression speed without losing data has the visually impaired. numerous applications in many sectors. The compression ratio findings can create more accurate databases for biometrics and image sensory systems

which can save time and money in creating concerns of those against GMFs and determine if databases with a faster compression ratio. they are founded by evidence.

Poster A33 Poster A34

GMO’s & GMF’s Global Conversation or Review of the Current Advancement in Controversy the Understanding of Multiple Sclerosis

Infinitae Speights- Stockton Agnes Dedei Tagoe

Mentor: Professor Edme Soho Mentor: Professor Soheli Chowdhury Hostos Community College Hostos Community College There is massive controversy around the terms Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory Genetically Modified Organisms(GMOs) and demyelinating disease of the CNS, whose Genetically Modified Foods(GMFs). The hypothesis underlying cause remains uncertain. It is the most predicts the revelation of proven scientific methods common non-traumatic neurological disorder and protocols that examine GMF consumption affecting an estimated 400,000 to 1 million people safety. A literature review was conducted on studies in the US alone. MS is believed to be initiated and guided by psychologist, a law journal article, sustained by the complex interplay of dysregulated (USDA) government agency, an anti GMO innate and/or adaptive immunity, genetic nonprofit group, an Organic Trade Advocacy group susceptibility and environmental factors. Multiple and the NEW York Times. These sources were sclerosis affects neurons, the cells of the brain and chosen as representative documents of voices from spinal cord that carry information, create thought different fields and backgrounds. Results reveal and perception, and allow the brain to control the that firstly, the tests conducted by psychologist on body. Surrounding and protecting some of these neurons is a fatty layer known as the myelin sheath, GMFs dealt with individual’s perspectives and which helps neurons carry electrical signals. MS knowledge. Secondly, that having knowledge can causes gradual destruction of myelin affect found perception. Also, that present laws in (demyelination) and transection of neuron axons in the U.S. are reviewed as loose from a global patches throughout the brain and spinal cord. perspective and considered acceptable by U.S. Oligodendrocytes (OLs) are the main glial cells of citizens, However present legislation in the U.S. is the central nervous system (CNS) involved in void of transparency and accompanied by unclear myelination of axons which are also destroyed terminology. Finally, results show that the USDA is during MS. Areas of oligodendrocyte damage in the the sole governmental agency responsible for brain are then occupied by reactive astrocytes that overseeing GMOs in the US. It is suggested that the secrete harmful substances such as reactive nitrogen United states government revisit the DARK Act. to species (NO, ONOO-), oxygen species (O2-), B-cell include transparency and labor towards empowering activating factor (BAFF) that further worsens the citizen groups to monitor the work of the USDA as disease. Thus, the purpose of this review to know citizens have a right to know. In conclusion, future the current status and role of astrocytes, research on the science of GMFs and Genetically oligodendrocytes and neurons in the MS lesions Modified seeds is necessary. Further research will which would be germane to increasing our uncover scientific research methods that produce understanding of MS as well as to provide new analytics in hopes to examine and assess the insights on how improve current therapeutic agents.

Poster A35 and the East Asian Market and in addition to that it is also highly demanded in Europe and America. Impact of Stem Cells on Disease The only way its demand it to be met is through appropriately efficient aquaculture. Although some progress has been made for some aqua culture of Rachel M. Yepes European eel (Anguilla Anguilla). As for its american counterpart the Anguilla Rostrata there has Mentor: Professor Soheli Chowdhury been no progress towards the american eel Hostos Community College aquaculture. Only two laboratories in the united states, the Dartmouth College and Kingsborough Stem cell research is a relatively new study. Community College were able to spawn the Originating from the early mouse embryos in a American eel until recently under laboratory study done in 1981 and is still a topic that garners conditions, however the inability to detect the scientific interest. The purpose of this study is to gender at an early age poses a serious drawback for review the development of variously derived stem spawning. This can be overcome by inducing cells in trying to overcome disabilities and diseases. sezxual dfferention of of non differentiated young We will discuss the current understanding of how eel. For the experiment we will be collecting 8”-9” stem cells have proved their efficiency against eel as is allowed by the law from the suppliers. After diseases like Multiple sclerosis (MS) and Diabetes. the accumulation they will be treated with 11- The importance of this research is to highlight the ketotestosterone following the dosage in the advancements that have been made in recent studies published literature for 3 months. After the and promote more in-depth analysis into the future treatment the gonadal tissue samples will be of medicine. In Diabetes there has been a lot of evaluated for spermatogenesis. progression in stem cell application, we will take a look at a few of the variously derived stem cells and Poster A37 how each one has made a significant impact. Quorum Sensing in Bacteria Kingsborough Community Jaweria Bakar College Mentor: Professor Sarwar Jahangir Poster A36 Kingsborough Community College

Inducement of gender differentiation in The purpose of this research was to study the impact American eel, Anguilla rostrata, for on gene regulation in bacteria during the times of aquaculture high cell density. Gene expression is regulated in bacterial colonies through quorum sensing. Quorum sensing is a way of communication in bacteria. Taimoor Awan Bacterial cells secrete a pheromone-like autoinducer; these chemicals are sensed by Mentor: Professor Sarwar Jahangir neighboring bacterial cells; as a result, they change Kingsborough Community College their biochemical pathway, thereby regulating their gene expression. A soil sample from KBCC lawn The american eel (Anguilla Rostrata) is an located at the east side of the Science building was endangered species as declared by the international obtained on October 17, 2018. The soil was moist, Union of of Conservation of Nature. It is one of the covered with green grass, and the air temperature most demanded seafood, especially by the Japanese ranged from 7°-16° C. The soil was deposited in a

sterile tube, and sterilized distilled water was added. contamination in the Newark Basin. Given that Four LB-agar plates were plated by taking samples private wells with the highest Boron concentrations from the tube, and then the plates were incubated at are clustered in a small area, we hypothesize that a 27° C. One of the four plates developed a few red local geological feature would be a possible source colonies among several white colonies. The red of Boron. One such feature is Diabase intrusion and colonies were isolated, and a standard procedure associated sulfide ore (e.g. chalcopyrite). To test this was followed to develop pure cultures of red cells hypothesis, we collected chalcopyrite samples from and white cells in order to differentiate them. In this a diabase quarry. The chalcopyrite samples were process, the red cells developed a very strong red examined by the Scanning Electron Microscopy color. The effect of population density on pigment (SEM) and the Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled production was studied by culturing multiple Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The samples at different dilutions. Now our interest is to SEM and LA-ICP-MS results refute our hypothesis study the resistance of the red bacteria to antibiotics because boron content is very low (<8ppm). Hence, and to identify the conditions that can inhibit chalcopyrite samples cannot be a potential source of quorum sensing and its possible effects on the boron contamination. Future studies should focus on resistance of the red bacteria to various antibiotics diabase itself as it may be a possible source of boron which might be useful to mitigate the problem of that contaminates the groundwater. antibiotic resistance. Poster A39 Poster A38 The Potential Effect of Eastern Coyotes Investigating Chalcopyrite as a Possible (Canis latrans x lyacon) on Raccoons Source of Boron Contamination in (Procyon lotor): Daily and Seasonal Newark Basin, New Jersey Activity Budgets in New York City

Ailing Chen Fu-Hsiang Chih

Mentor: Professor Larbi Rddad Mentor: Professor Christina Colon Kingsborough Community College Kingsborough Community College

The Newark basin was formed by the rifting of The Eastern coyote (Canis latrans x lyacon), is a Pangea during the Triassic Period. It was filled with predominantly nocturnal large predator, closely 6 to 8 km of lacustrine sedimentary rocks intruded related to the gray wolf which has recently invaded in by diabase. Diabase intrusions are associated with New York City. This omnivore usually preys on small sulfide ore deposits (pyrite, chalcopyrite). rodent, birds, insects and other small mammals. The Groundwater in the Newark Basin contains elevated raccoon (Procyon lotor), a resident smaller meso- levels of Boron with 5% of the wells in two New predator, is also a nocturnal omnivore, and, also preys Jersey towns containing Boron concentrations on small mammals, insects and birds. Interference exceeding the United States Environmental competition between coyotes and raccoon has been Protection Agency’s boron health advisory for observed by Gehrt and Prange (28 November, 2006). children (2,000 μg/L). Elevated levels of Boron Since they share the same diet and same hunting time, have been shown to cause testicular atrophy and in New York City Park when their habitat overlaps, developmental abnormalities in animals and can coyotes could take over the raccoon hunting locations have an adverse effect on the human reproduction and limit food resource of the raccoon, which could system. This research project aims to analyze lower the population of raccoons as coyote numbers chalcopyrite ore that surrounds a diabase intrusion increase. This could be beneficial by reduction of to determine if it would be the source of Boron diseases transmitting raccoon and their pathogens.

However, a decline in the raccoon population could their articulators have had daily practice with more also lead to an increase the population of its prey, than one set of sounds since early childhood. mainly small rats and rodents, which can also carry For this project, I am conducting an experimental infectious diseases. The main purpose of this study is study exploring articulatory skill (AS) in speakers of to attempt to better understand the possible impact of one and more languages who are currently enrolled coyotes on resident raccoons in New York City. in courses at KBCC. Each participant read Preliminary observations from camera trap data artificially constructed tongue-twisters such as kif collected through Gotham Coyote kiv kiv kif three times in quick succession, matching (www.gothamcoyote.com) indicate that the presence a 150 beats-per-second rhythm played on a of coyote in the same habitat, affects the activity metronome. After a short practice session, each timing of the raccoons seasonally. The population of participant read a list of 64 items, many of which raccoons in parks that lack coyotes will serve as a induced mispronunciations. I measured AS control, while the raccoon population in parks with behaviorally in terms of speed and success rate. The coyotes will be considered the experimental group. results show that monolinguals and late bilinguals Hence, in this study, I hypothesize that the behavior of more accurately produce the first syllables the raccoon and its active time will shift seasonally compared to early bilinguals and trilinguals, but with the arrival of resident coyotes. there are almost no differences in performance with the second syllables. While a bilingual advantage Poster A40 was not found, these results are consistent with previous work showing that fluency is enhanced in An Acoustic Investigation of Articulatory monolinguals. Skill in Speakers of Diverse Linguistic Poster A41 Backgrounds: Do Bilinguals Show

Enhanced Ability? A Metabolomics Analysis of Soybean Oil from GMO and Non-GMO Soybeans Beckie Dugaillard Camilo Florez Mentors: Professors Laura Spinu Kingsborough Community College Mentor: Professor Homar Barcena Kingsborough Community College Phonetic talent (expressed as the ability to learn a new accent) has been found to be enhanced in Farmers grow genetically modified (GMO) plants to bilingual compared to monolingual speakers. Other address problems such as insects and weeds.1 cognitive advantages of bilingualism include both Through genetic engineering, plants can repel linguistic and nonlinguistic tasks, for example certain insects and withstand herbicides, which manipulating linguistic units, multitasking, auditory makes the cultivation process easier, faster, cheaper encoding of sound, and resistance to dementia. and overall more efficient for farmers, but at what These advantages are thought to lie beyond the cost? Concerns for potential health risks have risen, explanatory power of a single process or brain and some people are willing to pay higher prices for component. Recent research has explored two of the products labeled as organic, which are pesticide-free mechanisms potentially underlying the cognitive and non-GMO. differences between mono- and bilinguals, specifically (a) attention/inhibition mechanisms, and This study aimed to find the differences between (b) auditory sensory memory. Adding to these GMO and non-GMO soybeans by analyzing potential explanations, the possibility arises that soybean oil through nuclear magnetic resonance bilinguals’ advantage in phonetic learning may also (NMR) spectroscopy. The goal was to gather be partially due to (c) superior motor control, as

spectroscopic data and use machine learning to of the column meaning the line of action of the axial discern between the two types of soybeans. load is not concentric and form an angle. The load Previous research has shown that there are constant subject to bending of the column (eccentricity) can differences between GMO and organic soybeans, in be calculated with the equation, e = (L\2) cos θ. As contents such as protein, fat, and sugars.2 the angle increases this would result in reduced load Additionally, roundup, a glyphosate-based carrying ability. I intend to develop solutions which herbicide, has been found to accumulate on GMO would aid in improving efficiency in such complex soybeans marketed as roundup-ready. We wanted to structures. Furthermore, I plan to recreate the see if these differences could show up by analyzing structures using AutoCAD Revit software and soybean oil samples via NMR. Model Smart 3D. This software allows me to create

an isometric drawing of the structure where I’m able For the experiment, four different brands of soybeans were used from which two were GMO and to place vertical and lateral loads and test the the other two labeled as non-GMO. Extractions of efficiency of the structure created. This will aid me single soybeans were performed using chloroform, to assess the competency of the building and its an organic solvent. Samples were stored in the ability to meet building codes and regulations. refrigerator as they were made until all samples had been fully prepared to later get analyzed via NMR Poster A43 on a single day. Identifying Species Of Nematode To The soybean oil samples were analyzed by NMR Predict Floral Health spectroscopy. Initial principal component analysis reveals that there was not a clear difference between GMO and non-GMO soybeans in looking at their oil content. Edna Georges and Gul Rukh

Poster A42 Mentor: Professor Marie McGovern and David Michaelson Modern Engineering: ‘The Twisted Kingsborough Community College Towers’ Nematodes are the most abundant type of animals on earth. They are present in soil all around the world and Camry Frederick belong to the phylum Nematoda. Beneficial nematode controls the grubs, fungus, fleas and over 200 other Mentor: Professor John Mikalopas soil developing pests. Nematodes are cylindrical in Kingsborough Community College shape and beneficial in the decomposition of organic material and recycling of nutrients in the soil. The part The Eleventh, better known as XI Towers in New of this project we collected different soil samples from York city is well known for its peculiar features and different areas of the KBCC garden and Brooklyn stands out from the conventional New York City Botanical Garden. We picked worms from the soil and upright towers, consequently; this research aims to made PCR ( Polymerase Chain Reaction ) understand the building efficiency and what keeps amplification to observe the DNA sequences. In this this unusual structure standing. The forces acting on field experiment Identifying the exact species of an inclined column is subjected to moments, axial Nematode from various samples of soil and compost compression and shear which can be represented in allowed us to determine the diversity of the species, as general as eccentricity. The term eccentrically well as predict the health of the plants growing in that loaded is defined as the situation where the axial soil. Our current results have been troubleshooting load on the column is not parallel to the central axis which is critical for research. Even though results are

not what we were expecting. We learned a lot from mispronunciations than both multilingual groups. This our efforts. raises the question whether other potential factors, such as academic achievement or SES may Poster A44 have influenced our results. Additionally (and potentially related to academic achievement), we Monolingual and Multilingual Reading found a significant difference between Fluency genders. It was found that females across every language group were significantly more fluent than males. To conclude, our findings partially Sholom Gutleizer confirm previous results (monolinguals are faster readers) but also suggest that monolinguals and males Mentor: Professor: Laura Spinu are more disfluent readers in some respects. Kingsborough Community College Poster A45 Research studies suggest that speaking more than one language fluently brings cognitive Growing Elodea Densa Under Laboratory benefits (Grosjean, 2011, Bialystok et al. 2012), conditions though lately this came has become controversial (Dick et al. 2019). Benefits of bilingualism were previously observed in cognitive Victor Halabani domains such as attention, inhibition, and monitoring (Bialystok, 2007). However, other studies Mentor: Professor Sarwar Jahangir have also reported disadvantages, such as reduced Kingsborough community college fluency and slower lexical access compared to monolinguals (Sandoval et al. 2010). This study Elodea is an aquatic plant commonly used for explores reading fluency in mono-, bi-, and teaching biology across the globe, starting from trilinguals to determine whether there is an additive High Schools to colleges. Many scientific effect of the number of languages spoken, experiments were conducted to learn the physiology that is, if speakers of three languages display even and genetics of the dicotyledonous plants using lower fluency compared to speakers of two Elodea for their unique clarity of cell structure. In languages. The recordings of 54 monolingual, this report we will be explaining our experiments on bilingual, and trilingual students (split into equal Elodea densa. We grew freshly cut Elodea buds, groups) were analyzed. Each subject read a short about 2 cm long, in 20 ml tank water-medium in 50 paragraph in English, following which reading ml (115 mm) long clear polypropylene centrifuge speed (i.e. the total time it took to read the paragraph), tubes at room temperature by a glass window for and the number of disfluencies (i.e. seven days, each time, with one exception during pauses, hesitations, repetitions, and holidays, for 15 days. They were grown in the mispronunciations) were measured manually. While culture medium containing 25 mg/l – 450 mg/l the average reading rate for trilinguals was slightly ammoniacal nitrogen obtained from a commercial slower than for bilinguals, a statistically fertilizer, Soil Doctor , with NPK, 29-0-5. The pH significant difference between these groups was not in the tubes ranged from 7.0 – 10.0 as measured found. Both multilingual groups, however, with colorpHast, E. Merck, Germany. Under were significantly slower than monolinguals. microscopic observation at 400X, leaf cells in Additionally, the number of repetitions and Elodea buds were found to be completely destroyed mispronunciations was significantly higher in in tubes containing >=300 mg/nitrogen/l. On the trilinguals compared to monolinguals. contrary, leaf cells in Elodea buds survived in test Unexpectedly, monolinguals produced significantly tubes containing 25-75 mg/l ammoniacal nitrogen. longer pauses and more repetitions and We feel the Elodea buds also suffered from lack of phosphate and or low gas exchanges while inside

the closed tube. Hence, we propose to repeat the these species asymptomatically as part of their experiment once with NPK, 10-10-10, and again on normal microbiome. Vancomycin is a powerful wide open clear plastic tumble wear in order to antibiotic used for treating severe bacterial blood make a conclusive report. and skin infections caused by these bacteria. Vancomycin targets the peptidoglycan-containing Poster A46 cell wall, and prevents formation of cross-links that enhance its stability. This leaves the bacteria Governors Island Crossing Aproach vulnerable to increased osmotic pressure and death. Resistance to vancomycin is of great concern to the Luiz Ortega medical community, and could pose a threat to public health. There are six different genes involved Mentor: Professor John Mikalopas in vancomycin resistance, vanA, vanB, vanC, vanD, Kingsborough community college vanE, and vanG. VanA and vanB-mediated resistance are transferable to other species, and may A structural design project that will focus on the cause drug resistance to spread. To determine if tension and compression forces acting along the such species are present we swabbed commonly cable and deck components of a cable stayed bridge. touched surfaces on the Kingsborough Community To observe three cable stay configurations to College campus three separate times, and attempted determine the best arrangement of cable stays best to isolate them. Several types of media and suited for our design; we plan to model the harp biochemical tests will be used to further characterize system, modified fan system and the radial system the bacteria. Tryptic Soy Agar (TSA), Bile Esculin on a mathematical computation program to produce the orders of magnitude of the tension and Azide agar (BEA) and Mannitol Salt Agar (MSA) compression forces acting on the structure. After will be used. TSA is a general growth medium, obtaining out results, we then compare and analyze meaning almost all bacteria will grow on this agar. the data to determine the best arrangement of cable BEA is selective and differential for Enterococci stays. We also focus on the design of three and approximately four-hundred and eighty-eight important complex structures that make up the cable isolates grew on BEA. MSA is selective for stayed bridge structure, they are the bridge deck, Staphylococci and differential for mannitol tower of the bridge, and the cable stays; we will fermenting bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus. briefly discuss their purpose and functionality Eleven isolates grew yellow on MSA, which throughout this project. indicates they could be S. aureus. However, none of these isolates grew on any agar that contained Poster A47 Vancomycin. We found twenty-eight colonies of esculin positive Enterococci at one site (1C-The Identification and Characterization of water fountain button in the U-building), and several Vancomycin Resistant Bacteria in a of these isolates were able to grow on BEA with 16 Community Setting µg/ml of vancomycin. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), the lowest amount of Yael Pinhas vancomycin that will stop the growth of the bacteria, for vancomycin was determined. Although the Mentor: Professor Grace L. Axler-DiPerte isolates were extremely slow growing they appear to Kingsborough community college be resistant to up to 250 ug/ml of vancomycin . We re-swabbed the site and the colony of vancomycin Gram positive Staphylococci and Enterococci can resistant bacteria were no longer present. We then cause severe infections in hospital settings, and may did genetic testing to determine if the vanB gene be present in the community (1). Many people carry was responsible for this phenotype using PCR. We

focused mainly on vanB-mediated resistance, as this Poster A49 is of significant concern from a clinical standpoint. They are the most concerning because vanA and Nematodes vanB are plasmid-borne and can be transferred to other species, like Staphylococci. Our results Gul Rukh revealed that vanB was not present and we are unable to determine if a genetic mechanism of Mentor: Professor David Michaelson resistance is responsible for this phenotype without Kingsborough community college further testing. Nematodes are the most abundant type of animals on Poster A48 earth. They are present in soil all around the world and belong to the phylum Nematoda. Beneficial nematode Is it Organic? controls the grubs, fungus, fleas and over 200 other Chemometric Analysis of Chicken Eggs by soil developing pests. Nematodes are cylindrical in 1H NMR shape and beneficial in the decomposition of organic material and recycling of nutrients in the soil. The part Emmerline Ragoonath-De Mattos of this project we collected different soil samples from different areas of the KBCC garden and Brooklyn

Botanical Garden. We picked worms from the soil and Mentor: Professor Homar Barcena made PCR ( Polymerase Chain Reaction ) Kingsborough community college amplification to observe the DNA sequences. In this field experiment Identifying the exact species of Metabolomic profiling is a relatively new method Nematode from various samples of soil and compost used to distinguish between subpopulations within a allowed us to determine the diversity of the species, as general sample population, by identifying specific well as predict the health of the plants growing in that biomarkers. This technique is being explored to soil. Our current results have been troubleshooting create a metabolomic profile for organic chicken which is critical for research. Even though results are eggs, in an effort to combat food fraud. Metabolites not what we were expecting. We learned a lot from our were extracted from the egg yolks of two organic efforts. egg brands and one regular brand, then analyzed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of 1H Poster A50 NMR data. A total of twenty five samples were analyzed and the data produced a statistical plot Extraction of DNA from Primula which demonstrated a difference between the two vulgaris: A Comparison of the Edwards types of eggs. Using the supervised Partial Least and the CTAB Methods Squares - Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) algorithm confirms the discrimination between organic and regular eggs. A larger sample size could Danny Shlomo increase the validity of our results. Mentor: Professor Farshad Tamari Kingsborough community college

Various DNA extraction methodologies are explored by researchers to determine the optimized methods for specific taxa. For example, Tamari and Ramprashad (2013a) showed that the Edward’s method of extraction, which does not use organic

solvents, yields better DNA samples and Poster A52 downstream results, compared to the commonly used CTAB method which uses organic compounds. Classification of GMO vs Non-GMO The purpose of this investigation is to determine Soybeans Using 1H Nuclear Magnetic whether the Edward’s method can be extended to other taxa. To do this, we extracted and quantified Resonance Spectroscopy DNA using both methods for 10 plants. For the CTAB method, the average DNA concentration for Scarlett Solis Lozano short- and long-styled plants were determined to be 0.82 and 0.61 μg/μL, respectively. The average Mentor: Professor Homar Barcena DNA concentration for short- and long-styled plants Kingsborough community college were determined to be 1.1 and 0.94 μg/μL, respectively. A T-Test comparing all samples Soybeans are known for their nutritional and health extracted using the CTAB (0.717 μg/μL ±0.370) and benefits, which had led to increased agriculture Edward’s buffer (1.057 μg/μL ±0.336) methods production. Along with this increase, soybean has show that there is a statistically significant shift into a heavily genetic modified organisms difference. (GMO) just like other foods. When alternating the genetic system of such organism, the plant contains Poster A51 a greater resistance to insects, diseases, droughts among other conditions. GMO has caused the There’s a Storm Coming: Could agriculture sector to produce in abundance [1]. The Superstorm Sandy serve as an Indicator effects in the health of modified products are still of Future Storms & Climate Trends? debatable. As a result, there has been raising concerns regarding the effects GMO plants might have on the natural environment as well as the Angelika Sobolewska beings consuming these foods. Is alternating the defense mechanism of a soybean against insect Mentor: Professor Santina Benincasa produce substances which will later be consumed in Kingsborough community college our daily food? If so, what are those chemical components found in genetically engineered While Hurricane Sandy happened in 2012, it is still soybeans? evident across the east coast, especially the tri-state The experimental approach is to determine the area. This Is due to the fact that we’ve never truly variance between GMO vs. Non-GMO soybeans experienced a storm so prevalent before. However, in and if so, what these variances consist of. Four recent years it has become more and more apparent, samples of different soybeans are processed by that the Hurricane turned Superstorm Sandy (Due to methanolic aqueous extraction [2]. The extracts are its force), will eventually become a more common used to obtain the metabolite profiles. Spectroscopic place. Places such as Florida, have been dealt the analysis by〖^1〗H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance brunt of this. There appears to be a correlation (NMR) spectroscopy is used to obtain the between our current climate trends and the increase in metabolomics profile, which in reference to natural disasters. Using Geographic Information previous research, will provide signal defining Systems (GIS) data and imagery that was collected different group quantities such as amino acids and from NOAA as well as recent climate data, this study carbohydrates [3]. Principle component analysis will prove that there is a correlation between the two (PCA) will be implemented for the organization and as well as provide predictions for what the future identification of the chemical signatures. holds.

Poster A53 Poster A54

Quantification of Proteins from Habitat loss effects on Horseshoe crab Reproductive and Non-Reproductive (Limulus polyphemus) Tissues of Primula vulgaris Moses Vital Salvatore Ventrice Mentor: Professor Christina Colon Mentor: Professor Farshad Tamari Kingsborough community college Kingsborough community college At Plumb Beach in Jamaica Bay New York, studies The molecular aspects of the reproductive biology on Horseshoe Crabs starting in 2012 through 2018 of Primula vulgaris has not been well studied. Of have shown there is not enough spawning habitat particular interest is the proteins that may have a and breeding grounds due to land degradation, man- role in distyly and self-incompatibility- a breeding made development and coastal erosion. Restoration system that characterizes this species to ensure the efforts to increase spawning activity on the west suppression of inbreeding depression. We quantified side of Plumb Beach seem be null or taking a really reproductive tissue proteins in P. vulgaris. To do long time period. Egg samples have been collected this, we used a standard Bradford assay to measure and data shows as previous years have same results, protein content in short- and long-styled plants of P. which is spawning activity being high on the eastern vulgaris for the following tissues: Pistils, ovaries, beach and minimal spawning activity on the western styles, and anthers. The highest amount of protein side. Our hypothesis as stated in preliminary data observed was for long anthers, averaging 5.38 suggested that we would expect to see fewer eggs on µg/µL (± 0.16 µg/µL). The lowest amount of protein the western side of the beach because the horseshoe observed for short sepals which averaged 1.04 crabs do not find it suitable to spawn. The Sand that µg/µL (± 0.04 µg/µL). There appears to be morph- was added to restore the shoreline and protect the specific protein concentration differences for nearby highway from land erosion by the Army reproductive tissues, with longs always containing Corps of Engineers is different from the sand on the more protein, however, the differences are not eastern side of the beach and as research suggest always statistically significant. Interestingly, this seems to be a determining factor. The eastern side relationship is reversed for non-reproductive tissues. of the beach is highly used by the horseshoe crabs In the future, we will use SDS-PAGE and their spawning activity from previous years electrophoresis to compare morph-specific protein remains a constant. In future restoration projects for profiles for each tissue. the horseshoe crab, beach geomorphology should be looked at more since this seems to be a determining factor in horseshoe crabs in their selection of specific nesting sites (Botton, et al.2107).

Poster A55 process it is noted that Pandas and Selenium dependencies (libraries crucial for the proper Annotation of the Multi-Drug Resistance function of Blast-Off) are lost in the long run if a Genes in Staphylococcus Aureus package manager is not installed; and that updating the code to modern versions of Python is, while Edris Ahmady, Esther Ishak, and Zhijing tedious, vital to the longevity of the code. Zhao Poster A56

Mentor: Professor Dmitry Brogun Kingsborough community college Pyrite and calcite associated with diabase as possible sources of boron that Staphylococcus aureus are the most common drug- contaminates the groundwater of the resistant bacteria in hospitals. Aside from being able Newark Basin, eastern USA to mutate fast enough to gain resistance to even new antibiotics, they can cause serious complications and Jonnathan Zuna even death within days of infecting a human host. [1] This species can come in various different Mentor: Professor Larbi Rddad “strains”, based on their adaptability and resistance Kingsborough community college towards certain antibiotics such as methicillin and vancomycin [2]. Health professionals have a narrow The Newark Basin was formed during the Triassic window of time to administer antibiotics to a period and subsequently filled with the Triassic- patient, but the adaptable nature of the infection Jurassic rocks. Diabase intruded these rocks and prevents them from providing sufficient treatment induced their metamorphism, leading to the unless adequate information is known about that formation of hornfels, sulfide ore (pyrite, certain strain. Direct genetic analysis of genomes chalcopyrite) and calcite. In the studied area, allows more information to be gathered about groundwater is contaminated with boron, with different types of strains. Based on results from the concentration exceeding the children health advisory Blast analysis of genes from the community- of 2,000 µg/L, set by the U.S. Environmental associated Staphylococcus strain USA300 (which is Protection Agency (USEPA). High levels of boron highly resistant to methicillin), over 50 genes across in the water pose health problems such as the risk of infertility and fetus developmental issues. Given the 161 Staphylococcus aureus genomes were manually clustering of elevated occurrences of boron in the annotated. Among the most important of those are studied area, we hypothesize that the mineralization beta-lactamase ribonuclease J1/J2 (responsible for associated with diabase intrusion and hornfels can methicillin resistance in many bacteria) and mecA be a possible source of boron that contaminates (responsible for resistance to powerful antibiotics groundwater. The identification of this source would such as penicillin). However, manual annotation of enable the government to restrict the construction of an unknown sample against hundreds of already houses near the diabase intrusions. The present known samples can be time consuming and can take project aims to identify this source by analyzing several hours or even days. To automate gene boron and other trace elements in pyrite and calcite, annotation and shorten the time needed to retrieve using the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and crucial information, the Blast-off algorithm was the Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma created based on the Python and Unix/Linux Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The SEM programming languages. When optimized, it can be examination of pyrite and calcite and the LA-ICP- used to access and annotate samples from database, MS analytical results of these minerals show an taking a few hours at most. During the optimization overall low concentration of boron (<10ppm). Hence, these minerals may have contributed, though

very minimal, to the contamination of groundwater. Poster A58 Based on the available geological and geochemical data, pyrite and calcite are not potential sources of Thermodynamics of Sports boron that contaminate the groundwater of the Newark basin area. Future studies need to focus on diabase and hornfels rocks as they may be possible Arame Sow and Enmanuel Valdez potential sources of boron. Mentor: Professor Malgorzata Marciniak LaGuardia Community College

LaGuardia Community College Our objective in this experiment was to model the temperature variations of the body during a workout.

The materials used were: the thermal camera which is Poster A57 a device that records temperature in the most accurate

way, a LabQuest and a sensor were used to compare Relative abundance of bacterial phyla and the data found with the thermal camera, and a classes of the pyloric caeca of P. miniata chronometer to keep track of the time. The logistic and the exponential models were used to analyze the Harry Aguilar, Carolina Tapia, Alejandro data. The experiment was done by students at the gym Bonilla, and Joby Jacob of LaGuardia Community College. Their temperatures wre recorded from the stage of rest, through a Mentor: Professors Ingrid Veras and Thomas warmup, to a complete cool down every 10 minutes. Onorato Using the law of cooling and heating by Newton, we LaGuardia Community College were able to translate the data to differential equations to simulate the future of this temperature on a certain

period of time. All the data collected were analyzed Microbiomes have a significant role in animal health through Maple. Hopefully, we collect more data on an and disease. While current research primarily extended period of times to analyze the limits of this focuses on understanding human microbiomes and experiment as the body can only heats up to 45 secondarily focuses on microbiomes of other degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit). terrestrial animals, there exists a dearth of information on echinoderm microbiomes. Poster A59 Characterizing sea star microbiomes is essential for understanding these animals’ normal physiology and pathophysiology associated with such diseases as Evolutionary perspectives on social Sea Star Wasting Syndrome (SSWS). Therefore, we learning and increased ethanol utilized next-generation DNA sequencing to analyze consumption in Drosophila Melanogaster the biodiversity of prokaryotic microbes in the pyloric caeca (gut) of the adult sea star, Patiria Stefanie Bautista and Gabriela Zuquilanda miniata. Samples were collected from the gut of adult sea stars during Fall 2014 and Fall 2015 and Mentor: Professor Preethi Radhakrishnan Summer of 2018. The most abundant of the bacterial LaGuardia Community College phyla was determined to be proteobacteria for all years collected. However the phyla spirochetes and bacteriodites showed a marked decreased when Our research focused on understanding the evolutionary mechanisms and energy trade-offs in comparing samples from 2014-2015 and those taken rejected Drosophila melanogaster males who 2018. The class gammaproteobacteria showed an increased in 2014 and 2015 compared to the preferentially consume alcohol. We predicted that fruit samples taken in 2018. flies who are subjected to varied social learning

experiences would preferentially consume ethanol. complex formation can lead to the development of We also predicted that this variation in preferential new anticancer therapies. The work in this CRSP alcohol consumption is based on energy dynamics and proposal will involve the design of analogue systems pre and post copulatory stratergies. To test this, three of the known inhibitor KG-548 that bind within a treatments were set up. The first treatment of specific ARNT subdomain and disrupt the interaction ‘successfully mated’ males were subjected to free with the TACC3 coactivator. So far in this project, we mating for 4 days. The second, ‘rejected-isolated’ have designed analogues with novel substituent treatment was subjected to 4-hour sessions for 4 days groups that give better binding energies with ARNT of mating with mated females who actively reject and confirm key structural features of critical receptor- virgin males. The third, control treatments of ‘non- ligand interactions that lead to high affinity and mated’ males were not given access to any females activity. and maintained in vials of four flies each for 4 days. After conducting these trials each treatment were Poster A61 assayed for energy expenditure, courtship behavior and sperm viability. Our results show that there is a Flow Over a Smooth Sphere, Sphere with significant correlation between social learning and Dimples and Sphere with Double Dimples ethanol consumption. Males from the rejected isolated treatment showed increased preferential ethanol consumption. We also find that this change in ethanol Andreina De La Cruzl consumption between treatments might be related to energy expended during mating. We also find Mentor: Professor Kinnari Shah correlations between the treatments and fecundity or LaGuardia Community College post-mating success in fruit flies. Aerodynamics plays a prominent role in defining the Poster A60 flight trajectory of spheres with dimples, such as golf balls. This subject has been progressively Design of Potent Anti-Cancer Drug Leads receiving attention, as the flow of different fluids Using a Novel Computational Workflow around such surfaces impacts many engineering disciplines including mechanical, aerospace, and automotive engineering. When the surface of Michael Briones and Dickey Dolkar Gurung dimpled spheres comes into contact with a moving fluid, forces and stresses are exerted on the Mentor: Professor Ian Alberts structure. In this work, flow analysis of three types LaGuardia Community College of spheres — a simple sphere with a smooth surface, a sphere with the dimples, and a sphere with double Computer-aided Drug Design (CADD) is now dimples — are studied. A comparative study will be acknowledged as a critical tool to improve the done to understand how the surface geometry of the effectiveness and efficiency of the drug discovery spheres affects the flow pattern and the drag force process as well as the quality of the lead candidate generated when the spheres come into contact with outputs. The aim of this project is to utilize our the fluid which in this case will be air. computational drug discovery platform to rationally Additionally, an analysis of pressure distribution design novel aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear data for the spheres will be done to identify the low translocator (ARNT) inhibitors that display high and high-pressure zones, fluid vectors, and binding affinities and are antagonistic towards the streamlines. SolidWorks and Ansys Fluent software formation of the complex comprising ARNT with its are used for creating 3D models and flow coactivator Transforming Acidic Coiled-Coil simulation, respectively. We will emphasize the Containing Protein 3 (TACC3). This is important as characteristics of the flow pattern around each high levels of these complexes are related with a sphere and how dimples change the flow of air variety of cancers and, hence, blocking of such

around the spheres and cause interesting fluid Poster A63 interaction. Spatial and Temporal Variability in Poster A62 Enterococcus at an Urban Superfund Site after Sewage Infrastructure Upgrades Sex Determines Activity Levels in Drosophila melanogaster Nirmela Govinda

Jessica Disla Mentor: Professor Holly Porter-Morgan LaGuardia Community College Mentor: Professors Jacqueline Brashears and Daniel Gertner This is a two-part research project in which Heath LaGuardia Community College Newtown Creek, NY is one of the most polluted water bodies in the United States and was designated as a Superfund site in 2010. A long Males and females often have different behavioral history of industrial pollution has left the creek’s responses to environmental variables because the sediments packed with contaminants and the selection pressures are different. Female behaviors remnants of the Greenpoint Oil Spill. In addition, have higher energetic constraints because they have Newtown Creek continues to be impacted by 20 greater investment in production of offspring. This combined sewer overflow pipes, which deliver more means that males and females must make different than 2 billion gallons of wastewater, street runoff, “choices” when faced with the same environmental and sewage annually to the waterway. To address variables. Photoperiod, or the amount of light in a this problem, The New York City Department of day, is a variable that could affect males and Environmental Protection upgraded the four sewage females differently. We raised fruit flies under three outfalls that contribute the highest proportion of different photoperiods (light:dark): 24:0, 12:12 discharges to the receiving waterbody. Completed in (control), 0:24, all at a constant temperature of 25 November 2017, the upgrades are expected to °C. For each trial, we placed each fly into a small reduce overflow to the creek by approximately 20%. tube and noted the sex. Food was provided at one The goal of our multi-year research program is to end that was closed off by a plastic cap, and a piece characterize the impact of these outfall upgrades by of cotton, to allow for respiration, sealed the other monitoring water quality at key locations across end. Each tube was placed into an activity monitor Newtown Creek. Weekly water samples are (Trikinetics), which counted the amount of times the collected from April-October annually and a variety flies moved back and forth within the tube within a of parameters measured included: Enterococcus (a fecal indicator bacteria), dissolved oxygen, salinity, period of 24 hours. We observed a difference in and temperature. A comparison of baseline data activity levels between male and female flies at 0:24 (pre-upgrades) with data from the first season post- and 24:0 photoperiods compared to control. upgrade completion will be presented. Results of Interestingly, we observed peaks in activity in the this project showed that sample sites in closest 24:0 photoperiod normally associated with proximity to the East River had lower geometric approximately sunrise and sunset. These data means for Enterococcus than did sample sites indicate that their circadian rhythm is not located further from the source of tidal currents. completely altered when raised in a 24:0 environment. However, when raised at a 0:24 photoperiod, the sunrise and sunset activity peaks are not present. These data indicate that photoperiod plays a profound role on activity levels in male and female flies.

Poster A64 Poster A65

Optimizing A Wind Turbine Blade of Designing Environmental Chambers on a Different Airfoils Using Genetic Budget Algorithm. Carlie Guevara Jonathan Granada and Andrei Dragutan Mentor: Professors Jacqueline Brashears and Mentor: Professors Malgorzata Marciniak, Vladimir Daniel Gertner Przhebelskiy and Marina Nechayeva LaGuardia Community College LaGuardia Community College Environmental chambers are scientific instruments The goal of this research is to optimize the geometric used to control temperature, humidity, and light. design of a Wind Turbine. A Genetic Algorithm (GA) These chambers must incorporate negative feedback program was developed and implemented in order to to control for fluctuations. While extremely valuable determine an efficient blade geometry of a Wind in animal research, their cost is often prohibitive. In Turbine. With any chosen airfoil the GA program will this project, we designed and then built a proof of generate the geometry of the blade which would give a concept programmable circuit to regulate maximum coefficient of power (Cp) at specified wind temperature in an environmental chamber. The speed. Genetic Algorithm (GA) is a method of solving circuit was built around an Arduino Uno optimization problems which imitate natural selection microcontroller unit that compared a programmable in evolution, using mutations and heredity along with set point to environmental temperature and activated selection criteria to «evolve» the best design over a a thermoelectric component to heat or cool in sequence of generations. The coefficient of power at a response. This completes the first stage of our given wind speed has been used as a selection project to build a programmable, and affordable, criterium in the GA program. Based on the optimum environmental chamber. geometry given by the GA program, the blade element momentum theory (BEM) was implemented in order Poster A66 to calculate the coefficient of power at different wind speeds. At this time a blade designs for NACA 4412, Miscible host-guest solvent method of SG 4063 and A18 airfoils were optimized. After preparation of self-organized organic running the GA program for 10000 generations, the nanoparticles of metallophthalocyanines blade with maximum Cp was obtained for NACA 4412 to be 0.49776 for SG6043 to be 0.49995 and for A18 to be 0.5013. Since maximum theoretical Cp of Keroles Hanna any wind turbine is 0.60, these results can be seen fairly close, indicating a potential successful blade Mentors: Professor Amit Aggarwal design. While comparing these designs at different LaGuardia Community College wind speeds, as expected, the wind turbine with A18 airfoil generates a higher Cp. A 3D print of the wind Organic nanoparticles (ONPs) are present in the turbine is necessary in order to test in a Wind Tunnel nature and also they form part of many industrial and verify the results empirically. products. Preparation of supramolecular systems of metallophthalocyanines, that serves as building blocks to prepare their advanced materials are inspired by natural photosynthetic systems which rely almost exclusively on non-covalent

interactions. Low solubility of phthalocyanine is a

key concern to prepare their supramolecular this conjugate both as an MRI contrast agent and as a systems. Here we present a miscible host-guest photosensitizer such as cell incubation studies, solvent method, a bottom up technique, to prepare dynamic light scattering (DLS), singlet oxygen studies self-organized ONPs of several and fluorescence studies. These studies will facilitate metallophthalocyanines and tested for their stability the development of technologies based on these new using a variety of surfactants. The formation of core-porphyrinoid platforms for simultaneous ONPs of metallophthalocyanine was characterized detection, imaging, and treatments of cancer. The by UV-visible absorption spectroscopy and their development of this work provides a relevant size by dynamic light scattering techniques. These background for bio-nanotechnology and nanomedicine applications as a multifunctional system with ONPs are dynamic in nature. The size and combined diagnostics and therapeutics. The organization of these ONPs into a specific shape is synthesized compound has amphiphilic character, is highly solvent as well as mode of mixing dependent. chemically stable, and can potentially be used as a The catalytic activities of these self-organized photosensitizer in photodynamic Therapy and contrast organic nanoparticles of prepared agent in MRI. The photophysical properties and metallophthalocyanines are currently under cancer cell uptake studies of this non-hydrolysable investigation. porphyrin are still under investigation.

Poster A67 Poster A68

Porphyrin-Based Theranostic Agents for AR Navigator App Photodynamic Therapy and MRI Leji Li Michael Landress Mentor: Professor Doyel Pal Mentors: Professors Sunaina Singh LaGuardia Community College LaGuardia Community College Google Maps is a useful application to plan possible Theranostics is a field of medicine that aims to routes to reach a destination with little effort. Within combine imaging and therapy to monitor the couple of seconds it offers best possible fastest route efficiency of the treatment, drug delivery and drug to destination, landmarks, location information, etc. release. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a noninvasive Even though Google Maps provide the street view treatment for a variety of cancers in which the tumor perspective, an appreciable amount of people still localized photosensitizer is activated with broadband gets lost when they use Google Maps to navigate. (white) light. This paper describes a simple and The Google Maps navigation is an advance form of efficient synthetic method to prepare porphyrin-based the traditional map. It provides direction and helps theranostic agents for dual functionality as a to plan a path. But it still is separated from the real photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy (PDT) and world. Users need to build up the connection as a contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging between the 2D or 2.5D map and the real location (MRI). Fluorous porphyrins are substituted with three thioglucose units (that target diseases such as cancer), they are in. In this research project we focus on to and one 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecanethiol unit (as developing a mobile application, AR Navigator App an MRI contrast enhancing-agent). This novel that help users to build up the connection between compound contains 33 F atoms which can play a 2D map and real location by using Augmented significant role in modulating signal intensity and Reality (AR) technology. AR technology enriches enhancing tissue contrast in F-19 MRI. Various user’s view of real world by integrating digital physicochemical methods will be used to characterize model into the real-world environment and showing

the integrated scene on the screen of user’s device. Poster A70 Unlike the Google Maps, using our AR Navigator mobile app, users can find out the correct direction Using MALDI-LTQ to Identify HIV by scanning the current location around using their Protein Phosphorylation Sites phone. AR Navigator app takes the location from the Google direction API, converts it to the AR Nhi Phan coordinate points using coordinate rotation, and pops up the 3D markers to show the correct path. Mentor: Professor Kevin Mark Users can follow those 3D markers to reach the LaGuardia Community College destination. By showing the 3D markers along the route in the real-world environment, navigation with Protein phosphorylation is a ubiquitous post- AR can be more straight-forward than 2D translational modification involved in signal navigation applications. transduction, energy metabolism, and other key biochemical pathways. Phosphorylation regulates HIV Poster A69 processes and is a promising therapeutic target. The hijacking of host cell kinases by viruses represents a Thermal analysis of a flat and a curved powerful means to reduce the complexity of viral Solar Panel genomes, eliminating the need for virus-encoded kinases and allowing individual viral polypeptides to exist in diverse functional states. This initiative is Andrea Martinez and Abel Asfaw based on the hypothesis that host cell phosphorylation of HIV is critical to viral propagation, and that an Mentor: Professor Malgorzata Marciniak abundance of such phosphorylation sites in HIV LaGuardia Community College remain uncharacterized. In response to the need for a comprehensive determination for HIV The objective of this project is to analyze how the phosphorylation by host kinase, this study will create a change in temperature affects the power output of a definitive database of host-cell kinase/HIV flat solar panel and model how it would affect a phosphorylation substrate interaction. In this work, curved solar panel. We take into account of the data were extracted and searched against customized temperature of the surrounding ambiance and of the database with p24 sequence using Proteome solar panels subject to weather conditions and use Discoverer 1.4 (Thermo Scientific) and Mascot 2.4 tools like the LabQuest and thermostat to collect this (Matrix Science). Based on bioinformatics prediction, data. We apply Newton’s Law of Heating and Cooling the various potential phosphorylation site containing to determine the rate of change of the temperature and peptides were incubated in presence of predicted how it is affecting the solar panels. All the data kinases, ATP and NEBuffer. Samples were aliquoted collected will be analyzed through excel and Logger at different time points and analyzed using Matrix Pro. Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Linear Trap Quadrupole (MALDI-LTQ). The goal of this study is to identify potential phosphorylation sites of p24 on peptide level and to compare the results with both the bioinformatics and p24 whole protein phosphorylation data.

Poster A71 phagocytic capacity of microglia under hyperglycemic settings. Phagocytic activity of Microglia is downregulated by high glucose: Another Poster A72 link between Alzheimer’s Disease and Hybrid Password Authentication Diabetes Mellitus Mechanism

Maria Paula Rodriguez Wilches Pranaya Sharma and Saroj Gopali

Mentors: Professors A. Lucia Fuentes LaGuardia Community College Mentor: Professor Praveen Khethavath LaGuardia Community College There is increasing evidence that Diabetes Mellitus constitutes a significant risk factor for the Text-based passwords are widely used for development of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). One of authentication purposes. But this kind of passwords the hallmarks of AD is neurodegeneration with an are vulnerable to different kind of security attacks. accumulation of insoluble proteins surrounded by People enjoy the convenience of online services, large amounts of microglia that, despite their normal mobile devices and many applications which often function as professional phagocytes of the brain, fail are protected using either text-based password or to clear these protein deposits. The purpose of our graphical based password or biometric password. study was to look at the effect of hyperglycemia on The risks of using these passwords are increasing the phagocytic activity of microglia and compare it day by day because of various security threats. In to the effect of Lipopolysaccharide, a known order to overcome such risks, we proposed a hybrid immunomodulator. BV2 cells were incubated ON password authentication in this research. In our in media with normal (1 g/L) and high (4.5 g/L) proposed method we combine Graphical password glucose, as well as glucose with mannitol to control with either text or biometric or both. It means user for osmolarity changes, with or without LPS. will have a choice to choose either biometric or text- Phagocytosis was quantified by counting the based password authentication along with graphical number of phagocytic cells and number of zymosan password. The newly proposed mechanism can particles phagocytized, using light microscopy. We easily resist brute force attack, dictionary attack, found that phagocytosis was significantly replay attack, shoulder surfing and keystrokes. downregulated when cells were grown in high Furthermore, this hybrid password authentication glucose media and when cells were switched from mechanism uses Homomorphic encryption to store normal glucose to high glucose media right before text-based password and image securely in the ON incubation. Phagocytosis was upregulated by database which are obtained from the user during LPS in all cells, although this effect was sign-up process. The homomorphic encryption also significantly less in cells grown in high glucose prevents the insider attacks. media. In fact, not only the phagocytic rate was affected but also the capacity of engulfed particles. This study contributes to the growing evidence supporting a causative relation between uncontrolled Diabetes and the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Further studies are needed to expand our knowledge on the effects of glucose on molecular factors, such as cell receptors that can also affect the

Poster A73 Poster A74

Ground Based Observations of Exoplanet Dysferlin protein expression in cultured Transits coelomocytes isolated from the sea star, Patiria miniata

Christian Singleton Elisabeth Lafontaine and Andro Tadros

Mentor: Professor Joshua Tan LaGuardia Community College Mentor: Professors Ingrid Veras and Thomas Onorato The purpose of this project is to take photometric LaGuardia Community College observations of exoplanet transits and attempt to join the KELT Follow Up Network (KELT-FUN) or Dysferlin is a calcium-binding transmembrane TESS Follow-Up Observing Program (TFOP), as protein. Dysferlin has been shown to regulate cell well as develop the outreach program for the new adhesion in human monocytes. Ferlin proteins also Science and Teaching Telescope at the Grand Mesa function in other developmental and reproductive Observatory. Using a telescope, we took sequential processes in several organisms. We have shown images of a target star over a predefined period of dysferlin to be essential for endocytosis during time. We used pre-processing techniques to generate oogenesis and embryogenesis in the sea star, Patiria a data reduced image. We measured the flux miniata. Knocking down dysferlin protein variation of various stars from image to image. We expression results in dysregulated cell adhesion and plotted the flux over time to determine whether we leads to an arrest at gastrulation in sea stars. detected the predicted transit. We looked for any However, there is a lack of information regarding decrease in the amount of light observed coming the expression and function of dysferlin in sea star from the star, which would indicate an object coelomocytes. Coelomocytes are the immune cells passing in front of it. If the observed decrease in the of sea stars. In addition, cultured sea star amount of light matches the expected decrease, then coelomocytes may provide a useful model for the exoplanet was successfully observed. We also used the student t-test to test the statistical explaining the function of dysferlin in the cell significance of the results. The average magnitude adhesion and endocytosis. Therefore, in this of exoplanet Qatar-1b during the transit was - experiment we found that dysferlin protein is 1.9593, and the average magnitude excluding the differentially expressed in the sea star coelomocytes. transit was -1.9392. The expected decrease was 21.2 millimags, and the observed decrease was 20.1 Poster A75 millimags. In conclusion, we successfully observed the transit of exoplanet Qatar-1b. Metagenomics Analysis of Coelomic Fluid and Gut Microbiomes of the Sea Star, Patiria minata

Carolina Tapia

Mentor: Profs. Ingrid Veras and Thomas Onorato LaGuardia Community College

Sea star wasting disease (SSWD) is killing off large numbers of animals from multiple species of sea

stars on the North American Pacific coast and heterochromatin formation. Our present research appears to be different from earlier outbreaks. While aims to single out and identify novel genes which a sea star-associated densovirus (SSaDV) has been function with H1 in vivo in mediating identified as a likely infectious agent, much remains heterochromatin formation and suppressing blood unknown regarding the roles other microbes may tumor formation caused by hyperactive JAK/STAT have in SSWD and about the composition of signaling. The method we will use to identify these microbiomes from asymptomatic of the sea stars. novel genes is by conducting a second mis- We utilized next-generation sequencing to analyze expression genetic screen, using the previously the biodiversity of the coelomic fluid and pyloric identified 41 enhancers and 20 suppressors of H1 caeca (gut) prokaryotic microbiomes of the sea star, depletion-mediated lethality phenotype. We expect Patiria minata. Herein we report that the our research will reveal a network of signaling spirochaetaceae family of bacteria is a main pathways and proteins that may function together constituent of the pyloric caeca (gut) microbiome in with the linker histone H1 in regulating multiple P. minata in winter of 2014 and 2015. However, in biological events. In addition, our research findings the summer 2018, a new sample group showed the will provide a foundation for future studies in family vibrionaceae was most abundant in the sea understanding mechanisms of the blood tumor star’s microbiome. This shifting of microbiome formation caused by hyperactive JAK/STAT components has been seen before in the presence of signaling. changing environmental variables. The shift of the microbiome in Patiria minata maybe be due to BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN temperature fluctuation and food availability. COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Poster A76 (morning session)

Identifying Genes Regulating Poster A77 Heterochromatin Organization and Plasmon induced superadiance in planet- Leukemia Formation Caused by satellite model Hyperactive JAK/STAT Signaling

Laila Atef Si Man Ao Ieong and George Varvatsoulis

Mentor: Professor Na Xu Mentor: Professor Upali Aparajita LaGuardia Community College Borough of Manhattan Community College

In our earlier research with Drosophila, we found We develop a theory of cooperative emission of light that H1 histone is essential for heterochromatin by an ensemble of emitters, such as fluorescing formation, and that H1 interacts with Su(var)3-9, molecules or semiconductor quantum dots, located HP1 and STAT facilitating tethering them to near a metal nanostructure supporting surface plasmon. The primary mechanism of cooperative chromatin. We further demonstrated that this emission in such systems is thought to be a resonant interaction between STAT and H1 suppresses blood energy transfer between emitters and plasmons rather tumor formation induced by hyperactive JAK/STAT than the Dicke radiative coupling between emitters. signaling. Although we identified 61 genes products We identify and model two types of plasmonic which interact with H1 in vivo, we did not coupling between the emitters, (i) plasmon-enhanced determine the manner in which these 61 genes affect radiative coupling and (ii) plasmon-assisted H1-mediated tumor suppression and nonradiative energy transfer, the competition between

them governing the structure of system eigen states. Cu(II) ions. Lastly, in order to evaluate the Our calculations show that, when emitters are recyclability and recovery of the dyes, desorption removed by more than several nano meters from the experiments were conducted, reporting up to 25% dye metal surface, the emission is dominated by three removal with diluted ethanol solutions. These results superadiant states with the same quantum yield as a indicate that CV and MG are strongly and efficiently single emitter, resulting in a drastic reduction of adsorbent onto spent chai tea, presumably through a ensemble radiated energy, while at smaller distances combination of polar and hydrophobic forces between cooperative behavior is destroyed by nonradiative the adsorbent and the dyes. transitions. The crossover between two regimes can be observed in distance dependence of ensemble Poster A79 quantum efficiency. Our numerical calculations incorporating direct and plasmon-assisted interactions Growth Inhibitory Effect of Reiki on between the emitters indicate that they do not destroy Human cancer Cells the plasmonic Dicke effect. There are some promising effects of the cooperative dynamics on the Lindblad Joanne Callaghan terms which suggest lowering threshold of the Dicke type phase transitions. This might crucially affect possibility of broad range light harvesting devices. As Mentor: Professor Patricia DeLeon a gain media the planet-satellite configuration may Borough of Manhattan Community College yield up to 75% quantum efficiency. Our aim is to investigate the healing affects of reiki on Poster A78 living systems. Reiki is a form of alternative and complementary medicine classified by the NIH as a Spent Chai Tea as a Low-Cost type of energy healing technique that despite of being Bioadsorbent of Cationic Dyes From widely used, has very little scientific background to support its efficacy; even more, most of the reiki Wastewaters studies are done using people as the test subjects, which led to the claim that the reported positive results Tahreem Bhatti are due to a psychological feeling of wellbeing, not to a real healing effect of reiki. In order to avoid the Mentor: Professor Abel E. Navarro afore mentioned psychological effect, we worked with Borough of Manhattan Community College MCF7 (human breast cancer), HCT (human colon cancer) and human transformed fibroblasts cells lines. The potential use of spent chai tea to remove cationic Our hypothesis is that reiki treatments can slow the dyes such as crystal violet (CV) and malachite green growth of the MCF7, the HCT 116 and the (MG) from aqueous solutions was investigated at transformed fibroblast cells. We seeded 4 plates (6 room temperature in batch systems. Chai tea samples wells/ plate) and randomized the plates (2 for were characterized by scanning electron microscopy treatment and 2 for control). 24 hours later, we before and after the adsorption of the dyes, showing a performed a cell count and gave 15 minutes of reiki to heterogeneous surface and no substantial changes on the treatment group; we repeated this procedure daily the morphology and texture upon adsorption. The for 6 days. Finally, we graphed the number of cell vs adsorption of CV an MG was strongly affected by the number of reiki treatments received, determined the pH and adsorbent dose, reaching a maximum growth trend, analyzed the results by calculating slope adsorption of 98% and 84% for CV and MG, of the growth curve for the treated cells and a respectively at pH 6. Dye removal was also tested in percentage of the slope of the growth curve for the the presence of salts and heavy metal ions, indicating control group. We performed the experiment in a strong negative effect of ionic strength and duplicate, repeated the experiment three times for each competition for the adsorption sites with Pb(II) and

cell line and calculated the p value using a t-test Computer Science courses have a low passing rate formula. in higher education. We design and implement an example-tracing tutor on the web as a resource to Poster A80 help students understand basic concepts in Computer Science. We present the problem that Measuring perception of stroboscopic students may struggle in computer science courses alternative motion due to lack of a teaching assistant. We attempt to solve this problem by the 4 phases of an example- tracing tutor. 1) Demonstration of solutions where Divita Casada correct solution steps and incorrect solution steps are recorded. 2) Generalization to accept a range of Mentor: Professor Marjan Persuh student behavior allows for flexibility. 3) Use of Borough of Manhattan Community College annotations like hints, feedback, and skills help guide the student as well as helps analysis of the The objective of our research project is to measure data generated by student use of the tutor. 4) Testing conscious visual perception without the manual report the behavior of the tutor for the author to simulate of the subjects. We are taking advantage of the visual student behavior. Example-tracing tutor has the illusion called stroboscopic alternative motion, in benefit of teaching students basic concepts that which flickering dots appear in motion. It is possible involve steps they can imitate to solve the problem. to control the perceived motion and to have perception These recorded steps are separated into correct, of up-down or left-right motion under volitional incorrect, and preferred steps -- allowing for control. We are using electroencephalography to guidance of the student to learn how to correctly measure brain activity while subjects report perception solve a problem. The range of student behavior are of volitionally controlled motion. We are hoping to then matched with the tutor steps to provide extract brain signals that will correlate with subjects’ feedback accordingly. The example-tracing tutor is a manual reports. The high correlation between brain sophisticated system and learning by example has signals and behavioral reports of the subjects, would long been known to be a powerful tool for students give rise to the possibility of designing a brain when learning new material. computer interface system that would provide a direct communication pathway between a user and an Poster A82 external device such as a visual keyboard to be controlled by way of brain activity. Such a system Human Vaginal Fluid Components Do could prove to be of great benefit to users who would Not Interfere with Griffithsin Anti-HIV otherwise be unable to communicate due to a medical impairment. Properties

Poster A81 Nadjet Cornejal and Claudia Melo

Design and Implementation of Intelligent Mentor: Professor Jose A. Fernandez Romero Tutoring System for Basic Computer Borough of Manhattan Community College Science Concepts Despite a better scientific understanding of the human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and its prevention, Bow Ming Chen almost 2 million individuals worldwide became newly infected in 2017. Griffithsin (GRFT), a lectin isolated Mentor: Professor Hao Tang from red algae, is being evaluated as a potential Borough of Manhattan Community College microbicide to prevent HIV acquisition. We received samples from healthy women that volunteered to

receive a vaginal gel formulation containing GRFT. Poster A84 Cervicovaginal lavages (CVLs) were performed before gel application and 4, 8 or 24h after gel Building a GIS Database to Aid Visually application. CVLs were used to perform GRFT Impaired for Ease of Travel via Data ELISA to quantify GRFT as well as the TZM-bl assay to test the anti-HIV activity. We detected GRFT Mining on Existing Open Source Datasets concentrations in CVLs between 0.18 and 82.1 μg/mL. GRFT concentrations strongly correlated with the Benjamin Cortez antiviral activity (r= -0.6143; p=0.0087). Our results suggest that GRFT remains active in human CVL and Mentor: Professor Hao Tang vaginal formulations should be further tested in Borough of Manhattan Community College clinical trials. Our study surveys the development, scope and facility Poster A83 of current day visually impaired technology (VIT). Through this analysis we shed a spotlight what needs The Application of Lasers in the Welding are not being met for visually impaired (VI) of Thermoplastics communities and assess where improvements can be made and the feasibility of these improvements within Rafael Cortes our current infrastructure. We evaluate VI hurdles within both indoor and outdoor navigation, as well as other quality of life necessities not being met through Mentor: Professor Rafael Niyazov the available VITs. Furthermore, we contrast ongoing Borough of Manhattan Community College trends within accessible development and how they correlate across the communities they are working to The design process requires precise joining of all parts support. Through the aggregation of this data we together made of various thermoplastics such as address the plausibility of supporting current VIT polycarbonate, polyethylene, and metals as stainless platforms versus pursuing development of new steel and cobalt. The process of laser welding plastics technologies to aid VI communities. We assimilate usually involves radiation through the “upper these concepts within the development of a spatial transparent layer” down to the “lower transparent database and collect data that pertains to the specific layer” creating a local heat zone within less that a 2.0 needs within our accessibility roadmap. mm range. With the use of laser welding, one can achieve a strong weld especially when input welding Poster A85 parameters are appropriately selected. For this project manipulation of welding parameters such as energy Effective Altruism & Money Sharing and laser beam diameter will be performed in order to optimize the bond strength between thermoplastic Applications materials. Consequently, the universal tensile machine will be utilized to confirm which combination of Alexis Delapuente welding parameters yields the best bond strength between joined materials. Results of this research can Mentor: Professor Ali Syed be used in the design of biomedical devices and Borough of Manhattan Community College automotive parts. Money sharing applications open up new venues for groundbreaking methods for living and for exploring social life through sociological inquiring. While money sharing apps often of provide access to new marketplaces for lower income families and charities,

providing this means to an end. At the same time, we AFTERNOON POSTER must consider the potential impact of digital money sharing applications on stratification and attitudes SESSION toward altruism. Furthermore, we will consider how to frame the usage of money sharing applications in Borough of Manhattan Community relation to “effective altruism,” other critical praxis, and forms of resistance through analysis of existing College (continued) literatures and data gathered quantitively. Poster B1 Poster A86 Food: The Next Global Crisis? The resistivity and conductive of rigid foam with carbon fiber Dilln Farley

Thierno Diallo Mentor: Professor Christine Farias Borough of Manhattan Community College Mentor: Professor Mahmoud K Ardebili Borough of Manhattan Community College The world's population is estimated to reach 9.8 billion by 2050 and the need for more food will put Rigid foam has been used in many engineering immense pressure on production and the planet. industries. They are used in the civil engineering Land will become an even more precious construction, mechanical engineering and different commodity than it already is today. 37% of the parts of other industries. However, there is not a lot of Earth’s landmass is used for crops and farming. The research on its electrical use. The objective of this methods used have wide reaching impacts: land research is to study the behavior of rigid foam degradation exhausts the soil which then can not enhanced with carbon micro-fiber and investigate how produce crops, nearby water is contaminated by run- the electrical conductivity can be used for load off that results in dead-zones, and deforestation sensing. The load-sensing is done by applying a limits the oxygen emitted. Is BIG agribusiness compressive force to the composite while its leading to the next global crisis? To answer this resistivity is monitored. Two main points are (i) what carbon fiber proportion is needed for the composite to question, my poster presentation will attempt to become conductive enough, and (ii) what is the analyze the current impacts of agribusiness and food sensitivity of resulting piezo-resistive composite. production on the US economy and the planet. My research analyzes data on food production and its unintended consequences and makes recommendations to reduce these impacts and heal our planet and our societies in order to have a more sustainable future.

Poster B2 pure-silica shell. The silica nanoparticles are meant to be used in the deposition of colloidal photonic Active Matter: Exponential Growth crystals. Photonic crystals are nanostructures capable to interact with the light and to suppress spontaneous emission, what would force the Muhammad Hannan, Jorwyn Medina, and emitting dye to find alternative paths to decay. Adama Sene Poster B4 Mentors: Professors Christopher McCarthy Borough of Manhattan Community College Biological Activity of Guava (Psidium guajava) Active matter research focuses on the principle of emergence, wherein order and structure emerge from the bottom up. The phenomenon is present in Claudia Melo, Victor Cruz, Victor Sorel, nature as organisms organize themselves without Nadjet Cornejal, and Aned C. Buczynski-Kos top-down commands, e.g. birds fly in flocks, fish travel in schools. Simple rules can Mentor: Professors Christine Priano, José Fernández lead to complex behavior, e.g. chemotaxis and self- Romero and Adolfina Koroch assembly. We have created agent-based simulations Borough of Manhattan Community College of active matter phenomena such as chemotaxis. Chemotaxis is when the motion In the Dominican Republic, guava (Psidium of an organism, such as a bacterium, is determined guajava) leaves have been used in folk medicine by an external chemical gradient. The simulations mainly for treating diarrhea and dengue. The allow us to test mathematical models of the benefits can be attributed to chemical components phenomena under varying conditions. We also use such as phenolics and flavonoids produced by guava the simulations to gain general insights into the for defense. We used different extraction methods mathematics of emergence and agent based models. for these chemicals and correlated their chemical composition with their biological activity. Total Poster B3 Phenolic, Total Flavonoid, ABTS/DPPH, TZM-bl, XTT and a Kirby-Bauer assay were used to test Synthesis of BAlq embedded silica phenolic content, flavonoid content, antioxidant nanoparticles properties, antiviral activity, cytotoxicity and antibacterial activity, respectively. Genetically Radha Longo modified HeLa cells susceptible to two different HIV-1 strains were used in the antiviral procedure.

The median cytotoxicity concentration (CC50) and Mentor: Professor Luis González-Urbina half-maximal effective concentration values (EC50) Borough of Manhattan Community College were obtained through a curve-fitting analysis using GraphPad Prism Software, Inc. Therapeutic index The objective of this project is to create and (TI) was calculated using the CC50/EC50 ratio. characterize silica nanoparticles with a fluorescent Antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and molecule embedded inside. We aim to control size, Bacillus subtilis was tested using the Kirby-Bauer shape and concentration of a dye in the assay. Results suggest that extraction of phenolic nanoparticles by a core-shell encapsulation compounds is optimal when one gram of plant technique. Pure silica nanoparticles will be used as extract is dissolved in 10 mL of 60% seeds for the growth of a dye-containing shell. ethanol/methanol followed by evaporation at 50°C Eventually, the colloidal stability of dye doped silica and resuspension in 1 mL of 20% DMSO. The nanoparticles could also be enhanced using another guava leaf extracts had a high phenol and flavonoid

content that did not correlate with high antioxidant Poster B6 capacity. The extracts showed an antiviral activity with TI values above 10. Preliminary results of Elimination of Sulfa Antibiotics by antibacterial tests indicated that the extracts showed Seaweed from Contaminated Solutions greater activity against B. subtilis compared to E. coli. The results support the use of guava leaf extracts in traditional medicines. Mohamadia Nassar

Poster B5 Mentor: Professor Abel Navarro Borough of Manhattan Community College Bioactivity of Resveratrol The presence of antibiotics in the aquatic media has emerged in the last decade as a new environmental Justin Miller risk because it promotes the evolution of microbial population resistant to the antibiotics used by Mentor: Professor Alexander Gosslau humans. The aim of this study is the evaluation of Borough of Manhattan Community College marine algae Lessonia nigrescens (L13) and Macrocystis integrifolia (S12) as suitable adsorbents Resveratrol (R-3), a trihydroxy trans-stilbene found for the removal antibiotics sulfamethoxazole (SMX) in grapes, exhibits both antioxidant and anti- and sulfacetamide (SAM). The adsorption of SMX inflammatory properties. It’s derivatives MR-4 and and SAM on the algae was investigated in a batch MC-4 display effects against a variety of cancer system by considering the adsorption of the cells by inducing apoptosis, the cell suicide cell antibiotics as a function of pH, adsorbent dosage, death. Chronic inflammation has been linked to initial concentration of the antibiotics, and ionic cancer among many other diseases, such as diabetes, strength. Maximum adsorption was observed at the rheumatoid arthritis, and Chron’s disease. In my initial pH value of 6.0 and 7.0 for SAM and SMX, research project, I am analyzing the effects of respectively. The maximum adsorption capacity of resveratrol compounds against chronic inflammation SMX followed the trend: L13˃S12 within the range using human U937 monocytes. First, the MTT assay 56.63-73.8 mg/g (mg of antibiotic per gram of was used to measure the toxicity of each compound. adsorbent), whereas for SAM, it ranged between To analyze the anti-inflammatory effects of each 177.94 and 163.67 mg/g with the trend: S12˃L13. compound, we used the inflammatory stimulant 12- The formation of hydrogen bonds as the main O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) to induce mechanism is proposed based on the results. A the differentiation to macrophages. After treating solution of 0.1N NaOH recovered the adsorbents the cells with the compounds, the expression levels with a high efficiency for their use in repetitive of the inflammatory gene, COX-2, were quantified cycles. This present work highlights the potential as a measure of to evaluate potential effects against use of marine algae in the elimination of sulfa inflammation. The results were normalized to the antibiotics from residual water as a low-cost and housekeeping gene GAPDH and expressed in ΔCt environmentally friendly purification technique. values. By comparing the ∆Ct values of TPA vs

TPA + R-3, MR-4, and MC-4 extract potential anti- inflammatory effects can be analyzed using ΔΔCt values. Although our experiment was inconclusive there was a positive trend toward the downregulation of COX-2.

Poster B7 Poster B8

Prevalence of Bottled Water Use, Antimicrobial Properties of Black Tea Perceptions of Water Quality and Extract on Porphyromonas Gingivalis Cryptosporidium/Giardia Risk in NYC Jeydy Perez and Janneth Parreno Emmanuel Ologundudu Mentor: Professor Brian Rafferty

Borough of Manhattan Community College Mentor: Professors Henry Bully and Brenda Vollman

Borough of Manhattan Community College It is widely known that the oral cavity is a vital feature in our existence, but have you ever stopped The use of bottled water in cities across the United to think about all the possibilities in which States, including New York City (NYC), has increased maintaining good dental and gum hygiene could steadily in the last two decades due to the concerted save your life?. Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. campaign by the bottled water companies. Part of this gingivalis) is a gram-negative oral pathogenic has been due to success in convincing consumers to bacterium that plays a critical role in inducing believe that bottled water is safer and tastes better than various diseases such as periodontal disease. tap water. Such perceptions seem to be pervasive, Research suggests that periodontal disease may despite reports of water quality issues related to extend beyond the oral cavity and cause other bottled water. However, it is not clear the factors that systemic diseases throughout the body. This influence these perceptions, especially in large research focuses on regulating and analyzing the metropolitan areas like NYC. This study is part of a interactions between P. gingivalis and a natural collaborative project to examine the factors extract known as Black Tea Extract (BTE). influencing NYC residents’ choice of drinking water Furthermore, studies have shown the antimicrobial from tap/fountains compared to bottled water sources. properties and oral health benefits of polyphenols We utilized an online questionnaire of perceptions of acquired from tea extracts. In order to study these bottled water use and water quality in NYC. We also interactions, real life scenarios are simulated during examined the effectiveness of bottled water treatment planktonic (free living) and biofilm (attached) stages methods such as Reverse Osmosis, Ozonation, during the development of the bacterial population. Distillation, Filtration through a membrane (1 micron To examine the of BTE effects on P. gingivalis absolute or smaller) and Ultraviolet Light against planktonic growth, we determined the Minimum pathogens such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia, Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum species that are known to have the ability to proliferate Bactericidal Concentrations (MBC). MIC50 (50% within sealed water bottles after packaging. inhibition of growth compared to control) was established to be 1-10µg/ml and the MIC90 was 100-200µg/ml for both 24 and 48 hour exposure periods. Studies are underway to examine the effects of BTE on P. gingivalis biofilm formation and persistence of already established biofilms. Studies testing the effects of BTE on P. gingivalis interactions with oral cells will be examined in the future to allow us to understand potential beneficial effect of BTE in the oral cavity.

Poster B9 Poster B10

Multivariate Data Analysis and Machine Digital Technology, Poverty and Learning Learning Applications to Neutrino

Oscillation Jamal Rymer

Mentor: Professors Christine Farias and Elvin Shoyfer Briant Guzman Borough of Manhattan Community College Mentors: Chiaki Yanagisawa Borough of Manhattan Community College Digital Technology (DT) such as computers, the internet, mobile devices and their software We apply multivariate data analysis and machine applications has revolutionized the way students learning techniques to the study of the quantum learn, gather and use information. This technology mechanical phenomenon of neutrino oscillation. The has the potential to bring education to people who in general-purpose computational methods of machine the past have had limited access, particularly those learning are employed to analyze data and build who live in poverty. This research will explore how clean, reliable models. digital technology has helped alleviate poverty in Machine learning, as a sub-discipline of computer the world so far and how it might be leveraged in science, relies on statistical algorithms, the future. More specifically, my research project programming techniques, and popular third-party examines how the Borough of Manhattan libraries. We leverage these computational resources Community College (BMCC) students can use to extract meaningful data (“signal”) from Digital Technology (DT) more efficiently to help randomness and interference (“noise”) in pursuit of them succeed in learning and thus rise out of high-quality information that we can use in our poverty. To answer this question our research will physical models. These results pertain to attempt to analyze how BMCC students currently experiments to be run on THEIA, a proposed multi- use technology to enhance their learning. Based on purpose, large-scale neutrino detector that is a survey of the BMCC student community and my currently in the early stages of design. analysis, recommendations and a design for digital By calibrating the data and making statistical success to help students succeed in their learning is inferences through our analytic process, we present developed. an assessment of the viability of the THEIA neutrino detector. We employ techniques across several languages and libraries, including Python, C/C++, scikit-learn, and CERN ROOT. Additionally, we apply methods from the bleeding edge of data analytics, including deep learning and neural nets, using popular present-day tools like Google's TensorFlow and Facebook's PyTorch.

Analysis of Simulated Neutrino Oscillation

Phenomena for THEIA

We apply computer-assisted theory-based analysis to simulated three-level quantum mechanical systems to determine their sensitivity to neutrino

oscillation phenomena. Our model is used to However, it is not clear the factors that influence determine the viability of THEIA, a proposed multi- these perceptions, especially in large metropolitan purpose, large-scale neutrino detector that would areas like New York City (NYC). This study is part leverage recent advances in liquid scintillators and of a collaborative project to examine the factors photosensors. influencing NYC residents’ choice of drinking water from tap compared to bottled water sources. The We analyze cleansed data that has undergone specific objective of this poster is to examine machine learning-based processing from our prior whether there are correlations between level of work. The simulated data is initially noisy to closely education, gender, ethnicity and income levels and mimic potential real-world outcomes of THEIA. attitudes towards bottled water use vs tap water in Third-party tools are used for this process, including NYC. This study utilizes online questionnaire of specialized Python libraries oriented around perceptions of bottled water use and water quality in theoretically-driven mathematical and physical NYC. It also used a statistical analysis and GIS- analysis. We present a suitable model for the based visualization are used to explore the driving quantum mechanical system accompanied by a forces for growth in bottled water use in the NYC computer-driven investigation. boroughs.

The phenomenon of neutrino oscillation is under Poster B12 active research in academic physics circles, with numerous large-scale projects such as THEIA either Impact of CO and H2 on the structure of in development or already in existence. The intent of CuCo Alloys our research is to determine, prior to development, whether these projects will produce sufficiently Khant Si Thu significant experimental results to justify their creation. Mentor: Professor Daniel Torres Rangel Borough of Manhattan Community College Poster B11 A catalyst is a substance that used in chemical Demographical, Socioeconomic, and reactions to increase the rate of the reactions by Attitudinal Effects on Water Bottle reducing the amount of energy that need in chemical Consumption reaction or activation energy. We can find a biological catalyst in our body which is enzymes, Sarah Stillman helps in digestion process. We can also find chemical catalyst as a platinum in cars or vehicles to change the carbon monoxide which is very much Mentor: Professors Brenda Vollman and poisonous into carbon dioxide. This process is based Henry Bulley on the idea of how CuCo Catalyst changes in its Borough of Manhattan Community College chemical and mechanical properties by putting

Bottled water consumption in the United States hydrogen, nitrogen and carbon monoxide gases on surpassed carbonated soft-drinks in 2016, after the different positions of the catalyst. The method decades of consistent media campaign to promote we used in this project was Density Functional bottled water as a safe alternative to tap water. This (DFT) computer-based method of Quantum growth has often been fueled by dominant positive Machine and the code was GPAW. DFT is used to perception of bottled water taste and quality, find out the structural, magnetic and electronic compared to tap water and drinking water fountains. properties of molecules, materials and elements and total energy of the system used. DFT is a function of

the electron functional density of space and time Poster B14 with three variables of –x, -y and -z and used to be fast in the calculations. Relationship Between Sociocultural Influences, Water Hygiene, Poster B13 and Attitudes Bottled Water Use in New York City Use of Magnetic Alginate Microspheres for the uptake of Artificial Dyes from Zhimei Xie Wastewater Mentor: Professors Henry Bulley and Brenda Afaf Ulay Vollman Borough of Manhattan Community College Mentor: Professor Abel Navarro Borough of Manhattan Community College Concerns about bottled water use and resulting problem of plastic waste disposal problem has This research proposes the use of a clean process for increased in major cities across the United States, the treatment of wastewaters polluted with artificial including New York City. This is due in part to the dyes methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange steady increase in bottled water use in these cities, (MO). Magnetic composites have been synthesized fueled by dominant positive perceptions of bottled in order to develop a purification process assisted by water taste and quality. What is not clear is whether a magnetic field to avoid extra separation methods. this trend is helped by residents’ complaints about tap To follow an “eco conception” approach, magnetic water color and odor, or household/sociocultural beads containing magnetite were prepared with influences or negative news coverage of the Flint sodium alginate. Alginates are natural Michigan water crisis, etc. This study was part of a polysaccharides present in marine seaweed. Batch collaborative project to examine the factors experiments were carried out as a function of initial influencing NYC residents’ choice of drinking water pH solution, mass of adsorbent, initial dye from tap/fountains compared to bottled water sources. concentration, salinity and desorption. An optimum The specific objective of this poster is to assess the adsorption was observed at pH 7 and 4 for MB and relationship between sociocultural influences of NYC MO, respectively. The maximum adsorption residents (especially minors) and their attitudes followed the Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin- towards drinking water fountains vs prevalence of bottled water use in NYC. Key information used in Radushkevich isotherms with a value of 10 g of MB this study was based on an online survey of per gram of adsorbent, whereas MO presented a perceptions and prevalence of bottled water use and value of 58 g/g. Electrostatic interactions are safety in NYC area. Statistical analyses and spatial suggested as the driving adsorption forces; based on visualizations were done to provide insights into how the equilibrium and desorption results. Salinity has a sociocultural influences of NYC residents impact the negative impact on MB due to competing ions and a growth in bottled water use in the City. The results positive effect on MO, due to shielding of equally suggest that parental influence, household cultural charged groups. Acetone was the most efficient norms, and household drinking water choices were eluent for MO and HCl for MB. This present work very important in how respondents made drinking highlights the potential use of magnetic beads in the water choices later in life. elimination of dyes from wastewater as a low-cost and environmentally friendly purification technique.

Poster B15 College of Staten Island

Using pupil size to decode perception in Poster B16 motion-induced blindness Alzheimer’s and Diabetes: is abnormal William Ye tau the link?

Mentor: Professor Marjan Persuh Izabella Beniaminova Borough of Manhattan Community College

Pupil size is traditionally considered a low level, Mentor: Professor Alejandra Alonso reflexive response to brightness level. As such, an College of Staten Island individual’s pupil will contract when exposed to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is dementia characterized light and expand in the absence of light. Recent by the presence of hyperphosphorylated tau. Tau is a evidence, however, suggests that there are higher microtubule-associated protein, which interacts with cognitive level processes that may influence pupil tubulin and promotes stabilization of microtubules size. To test this, a well-known ocular illusion consequently enabling successful neuronal known as motion-induced blindness (MIB) was transmission. In the case of AD used. The name of this illusion is characterized by hyperphosphorylated tau, pathological tau disrupts its effects, where a salient target repeatedly vanishes microtubule assembly and prevents neuronal and reappears in presence of a distractor. For this synapsis. To better understand the mechanisms of experiment, the salient target was a bright yellow pathological tau acting as a culprit of AD, our lab disk coupled with a blue rotating grid as a distractor. has generated a new inducible mouse model of This created a phenomenon where the level of neurodegeneration that expresses pathological brightness would constantly fluctuate on a monitor. human tau (PH-tau) with pseudophosphorylation at Subjects were tasked with holding a key for the Ser199, Ser262, Thr212, and Thr231. The unique duration of the disk’s disappearance and their pupil model allows us to derive to groups of mice size was measured in real-time using an eye tracker. expressing 4% of the endogenous tau (PH-tau Low) The ultimate goal of the project is to establish a and 14% (PH-tau High) respectively. novel approach to measuring perceptual awareness. Over the years of studying AD, scientist started

noticing similar pathologies being present in patients with neurodegenerative disease and diabetes. The idea that both diseases can be interlinked sparked our interest and inspired us to observe changes in the density of insulin receptors and glucose transporter (GLUT4) in the presence of hyperphosphorylated tau protein. Consequently, performing immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy should help us see any changes taking place in the pathological brain. We found that the expression of PH-tau changes the levels of insulin receptor and glucose transporter in the hippocampus neurons of our mouse model.

Poster B17 Poster B18

Neurobehavioral Effects In Mice Exposed Exploring TGF-β Signaling in To Dibutyl Phthalate Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM)

Ommiya Butt and Begzodjon Musaev Deneisha Campbell and Sathis Niranchchan

Mentor: Professor Abdeslem El Idrissi Mentor: Professor Nancy Liu-Sullivan College of Staten Island College of Staten Island

Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) is a developmental and Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most reproductive toxin that causes a broad range of birth aggressive grade of glioma in the brain and the defects resulting in neurological impairments. spinal cord. In normal cells their cell signaling guide Humans are directly exposed to DBP through a cells in proliferation, differentiation, migration, and variety of manufactured consumer products. In a apoptosis. In cancer cells, by contrast, signaling preliminary study we evaluated the effects of DBP governing cellular processes becomes impaired, during early embryonic and postnatal development resulting in uncontrolled cell growth, cell motility, in mice. In the initial experiments, we tested the and resistance to apoptosis. GBM is characterized effect of DBP injection (1ug/kg s.c) into 2 months by aggressive proliferation, metastasis, drug old male mice. We found that 15 min post injection resistance, and currently with no known cure. To of DBP, mice showed a significant alteration in the develop effective treatment methods, we need to open field and elevated maze that measure understand cancer gene signaling network and how locomotor activity and anxiety respectively. We essential gene associated with GBM function and found that mice were less ambulatory in the open how these genes are related to the context of GBM. field and their level of anxiety was elevated. In For our research project, we focus primarily on the subsequent experiments pregnant mice were injected transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) pathway. with DBP (1ug/kg s.c.) seven days after the TGF-β is a cytokine that controls cellular copulatory plug appeared. After birth and when differentiation and proliferation in most cells. Our mice were one month old, they were subjected to research aims at studying patterns of the genes three different behavior tests to characterize involved in the pathway, specifically, mRNA locomotor activity, anxiety profiles and fear expression and DNA copy number. By examining conditioning: 10 minutes in an open field, 10 the trends, we hope to see which genes are highly minutes in an elevated plus maze, and a 2 day fear expressed in GBM and which genes are under- conditioning freeze monitor test. We found that, expressed. This is important for future research similar to the adult mice injected with DBP, because drug targets can be identified with the goal offspring of pregnant mice injected with DBP of developing gene-specific drugs. Here we show showed similar behavioral profiles that appeared to gene expression patterns of different isoforms of be male-specific. These observations suggest that TGF-β. Ongoing effort will expand to additional long-term exposure to DBP in pregnant mice causes components of the TGF-β signaling pathway. gender-specific neurobehavioral abnormalities in their offspring which may be mediated by alterations in the neuronal circuits associated with these behavioral characteristics.

Poster B19 Poster B20

Does Staten Island Have a Problem With Modulation of Handedness in CD-1 Mice Microplastics? A Pilot Study of by Transcranial Direct Current Microplastics on Lemon Creek Stimulation

Ting Ting Chen Adnan Elcharfa

Mentor: Professor Ahmed Zaghloul Mentor: Professor Jane Alexander College of Staten Island College of Staten Island

Handedness is a strong preference to use either the Microplastics are small fragments of larger plastic products and are typically classified as being smaller right or the left hand when performing skilled manual actions. In recent studies, MRI-based than 5 mm. Staten Island, NY, is located in the five methodology has linked this ability to underlying boroughs of New York City, and is an ideal location functional and structural motor control. TDCS is a to look for these particulates due it being located well-known clinical neuromodulation technique near the mouth of the Hudson River. Lemon Creek is a tidal creek that was sampled in two locations – which has proved to be of growing interest for one with sand sized sediments and another with clay applications in neurorehabilitation. The aim of the current study is to examine the effect of applying sized sediments – to better understand if subthreshold transcranial direct current (TDCS) on microplastics concentrations were different based one hemisphere on handedness in mice. In the upon sediment types. Five sand samples and seven experiment, animal placed in a pyrex cylinder and clay samples were collected from different locations on the shoreline dried in a low-heat oven, and filmed when rearing to explore the environment. underwent a sieve analysis to understand how the The instances in which the mouse uses each paw to touch the cylinder will be assessed to determine concentration of microplastics changed with handedness. Following this analysis, the mouse will distance from the high tide line and variations in then be administered a transcranial direct current sediment grain size.The microplastic particles were visually identified using a binocular microscope and stimulation (TDCS) of either anodal or cathodal compared to the total weight percent of the collected current. The results will show whether the use of TDCS can elicit changes in neural connectivity that samples by size and qualitative observations on will change handedness. shape and color were made.

Poster B21 microplastic particles. We next perform a density separation of the microplastic from the natural beach Does Staten Island have a problem with a sediments using a NaCl solution and mixing with Microplastic? An environmental survey of the sand, the micro plastic will separate from the South Beach sand and be collected then measured. Once we finish the density separation we can measure the amount of microplastic, if any, from each sample Alex Fiero based on the different sizes used to separate the sediment. Mentor: Professor Jane Alexander College of Staten Island Poster B22

Microplastic comes from the breaking down of Hydrophobic-Hydrophilic Surfaces for plastic objects and collection of micro fibers that Anti-Soiling Applications come from clothes, the debris is dumped and can be found on beaches which can potentially affect the marine life. Our research is an environmental survey Edmond George and QianFeng Xu, of micro plastic on the beaches of Staten Island, and the purpose is to collect information and record how Mentor: Professors Alan Lyons and Illya much microplastic can be found in the sand. We had Nayshevsky also collected an additional sample to measure College of Staten Island sediment grain size distribution of the beach. After collecting our samples we dried them and separate Soiling of solar cover glass by dust is a serious them by grain size (greater than 5mm, between 5- challenge that causes the reduction of electricity 1mm, less than, 1mm). The sample used to measure generation from solar PV panels. Dew is known to the overall grain size distribution of the deposited condense on the surface of the glass, causing the sediment will be separated from greater than 4mm, dust to adhere, further lowering the solar panel 4-2mm, 2-1mm, 1mm-500um, 500-250um, 250- performance and increasing the cost of operation 125um, 125-63um, and less than 63um. due to cleaning. The aim is to use the dew to clean 7 samples were collected from south beach the first the panel rather than allowing the dew to reduce the one being use as a reference of the different grain solar panel performance. Even though inert sizes of the beach. Sample 1) than 4mm; 0g, 4-2mm; hydrophobic coatings can reduce the cost of 0.5g, 2-1mm; 3.41g, 1mm-500um;26.52g , 500- cleaning by preventing the dust from adhering to the 250um; 53g, 250-125um; 29.55g, 125-63um;1.01g, surface of the glass, an external source of water is and less than 63um;0g. Sample 2) greater than 5mm; still needed for cleaning. In order to use the process 0g, between 5-1mm; 3.83g, less than 1mm; 103.39g. of condensation to create a self-cleaning glass Sample 3) greater than 5mm; 0g, between 5-1mm surface, we fabricated a hydrophobic coating with 0g, less than, 1mm; 133.67g. Sample 4) greater than an array of isolated hydrophilic rectangular 5mm; 0g, between 5-1mm; 0g, less than 1mm; channels. Various test dusts will be used to measure 98.4g. Sample 5) greater than 5mm; 0.18g, between the effectiveness of anti-soiling properties and self- 5-1mm; 11.97g, less than 1mm; 81.46g. Sample 6) cleaning properties of this hybrid hydrophobic- greater than 5mm; 0.38g, between 5-1mm25.31g, hydrophilic glass. less than 1mm; 81.46g. Sample 7) greater than 5mm; 0g, between 5-1mm; .24g, less than 1mm; 128.86. After separating the samples, we observed them under a microscope and discovered suspected

Poster B23 robotic arms, drones, 2D plotters, etc. One of the main motivations for performing this research Mouse Model of Tau Induced originates from the fact that BCI systems can help Neurodegeneration persons with spinal cord injuries or other mobility- limiting neurological disorders, to use mental commands to operate wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs Abdonnie Holder or other mechanical devices. The BCI system is composed of a low-cost ElectroEncephaloGraphy Mentor: Professor Alejandra Alonso (EEG) data acquisition card, Arduino College of Staten Island microcontroller and a stepper motor. The system detects EEG signals induced by blinking and Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia translates them into the desired mechanical motion that causes a rapid decline in memory and functional of the stepper motor. We use ML and signal processes in a person’s everyday activities. This processing techniques to interpret the measurements cognitive decline is due to the aggregation of an and to compute the control actions for the stepper abnormal phosphorylated form of tau which has motor. Our experimental results show that the been shown to increase the neurotoxicity in the cell. stepper motor can be reliably controlled by blinking It is still unclear as to how abnormal tau is triggered, commands. In our future research we will use the yet it is used as a diagnostic marker and a target for developed system to control more complex therapy in preventing Alzheimer’s disease. Thus, we mechatronics devices, such as drones and robotic hypothesized that the system for synthesizing tau arms. and controlling its normal activities is not functioning correctly. As a result, a mouse model Poster B25 was generated to determine as to why the abnormal tau protein is not degraded and as to why and how Modeling Collaboration between Autistic this causes synaptic, autophagic and neurological Players using a Kinect Game disorders. We proposed to study expression of the proteins involved in the autophagy system. We found that the expression of abnormal tau induces a Konstantin Novichenko reduction of Beclin 1 and LC3A/B proteins. Mentor: Professor Deborah Sturm Poster B24 College of Staten Island

Using Machine Learning and Brain EEG Our goal is to determine if American eel (Anguilla We extended a two-player research game that is Signals to control Robots designed to study the collaborative and emotion recognition abilities of players on the autism Miguel Hurtado and Marjan Perbibaj spectrum. Players view animations before each scene and assemble a puzzle by using gestures to Mentor: Professor Aleksandar Haber select the appropriate emotion of the protagonist. College of Staten Island We expected that when an expert player models behavior, a novice player will learn game mechanics This interdisciplinary project aims at developing a and will communicate more as the game progresses. low-cost non-invasive Brain-Computer Interface Preliminary tests with typically developing players (BCI) and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms for showed that people understand gameplay better and controlling complex mechatronics systems such as communicate more with peer modeling than without it. We conducted a series of tests with players on the

autism spectrum who demonstrated that expert peer Poster B27 modeling improved their understanding of gameplay and helped them to communicate and collaborate Role of Taurine in Testicular Function in more. We learned from our pilot tests that providing the Fragile x Mouse a script for the modelers would help them model the behavior in the most effective way. Nana Samaké Poster B26 Mentor: Professor Abdeslem El Idrissi Estimation of Temperature Dynamics using College of Staten Island Machine Learning Methods Fragile X syndrome is an X-linked dominant Francesco Pecora disorder and the most common cause of inherited mental retardation. It is caused by trinucleotide

Mentor: Professor Aleksandar Haber repeat expansion in the fragile X mental retardation College: Staten Island 1 gene (FMR1) at the Xq27.3. The expansion blocks expression of the gene product, Fragile X Mental Dynamical systems are everywhere around us. Retardation Protein (FMRP). The syndrome Typical examples are swinging pendulums, includes mild to moderate mental retardation and autonomous driving vehicles, rockets, the human behavioral manifestations such as tactile heart, flow of water through a pipe, etc. In order to defensiveness, gaze avoidance, repetitive motor develop control algorithms for such systems, it is mannerisms, perseverative (repetitive) speech, crucial that we know their mathematical models. hyperarousal and it frequently includes seizures. However, we usually do not know accurately all the This behavioral phenotype overlaps significantly physical constants describing such models, or we with autism spectrum disorder. The knockout mice are not able to directly estimate them. Due to this lack normal Fmr1 protein and show macro- lack of knowledge, the design of control algorithms orchidism, learning deficits, and hyperactivity. can often be a challenging problem. In order to Consequently, this knockout mouse may serve as a overcome this difficulty, in this research project, we valuable tool in the elucidation of the physiological investigate the possibility of using machine learning role of FMR1 and the mechanisms involved in and subspace techniques to learn the models of macroorchidism, abnormal behavior, abnormalities physical systems. We focus on the problem of comparable to those of human fragile X patients. In estimating the temperature dynamics of a long this study we evaluated the effects of taurine on the aluminum bar whose temperature is influenced by 4 testicular physiology to better understand the band heaters. The spatial temperature response is cellular mechanisms underlying macro-orchidism. measured using thermocouples. We use a multilayer We found that there was a significant decrease in the perceptron and recurrent neural network number of Leydig cells in the testis of fragile X architectures to learn the model. We address the mouse. Furthermore, the expression of somatostatin overfitting and model order selection problems. Our was drastically decreased and differential expression numerical results show that the model can be pattern of CDK5 in fragile X mouse testis. In the estimated with the accuracy lower than 2%. In our control testis, CDK is expressed in primary and future work, we will use the estimated models to secondary spermatids whereas in the Fmr1 ko mice develop efficient model-based control algorithms. CDK 5 is expressed mainly in spermatogonia. Our results will also be presented at the ASME 2019 Taurine supplementation led to an increase in CDK5 Dynamic Systems and Control Conference. expression in both controls and Ko mice. CDKs (Cyclin-dependent kinases) are a group of

serine/threonine protein kinases activated by binding number data. By analyzing the data available on the to a regulatory subunit cyclin. Over 20 functionally Human Protein Alas database, it has been diverse proteins involved in cytoskeleton dynamics, determined that there are 25 key proteins expressed cell adhesion, transport, and membrane trafficking within the involvement of the PI3k pathway act as CDK5 substrates elucidating the molecular activation in a distinct group of 20 cancer types. The mechanisms of CDK5 function. CDK5 proteins that we will be concentrating on are PI3k, phosphorylates a diverse list of substrates, Akt, TP53, PTEN, CDKN1A, Casp9, and Fas. The implicating it in the regulation of a range of cellular findings shall help shed additional light on how processes. CDK5 is expressed in Leydig cells, PI3K signaling contributes to GBM with the potential of identifying effective therapeutic Sertoli cells, spermatogonia and peritubular cells strategies. indicating a role in spermatogenesis. In this study we examined the expression levels of CDK5 and Poster B29 how it is affected by taurine supplementation in the testes and found that taurine plays an important role Up-cycling Ibuprofen in testicular physiology and corrected some of the pathophysiology observed in the fragile x mouse testis. Clayton Shaw

Poster B28 Mentor: Professor Leonard Ciaccio College of Staten Island PI3K Pathway Gene Expression Patterns in Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) By method of fractionation to separate contents of the bacteria responsible for gingivitis (Porphyromonas gingivalis) and expose them to Arouje Shaikh and Briana Soto tissue samples of mice brain cells in order to see if it can provoke a change in the cells. The tissue Mentor: Professor Nancy Liu-Sullivan samples of the mice brain cells will vary in age, one College of Staten Island from mice in their youth and one from elderly mice will be used in each trial. The purpose of this Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is the most experiment is to see if a protein created from a aggressive type of glioma of the central nervous bacteria found in the mouth (which in some cases system (CNS) that can be found in the brain or the infects the brain) can somehow result in the brain spinal cord. GBM represents 14.9% of all primary cells production of an irregular Tau protein. brain tumors, and 55.4% of all gliomas. GBM has the highest number of cases of all malignant tumors, this tumor represents about 15.4% of all primary brain tumors and about 60-75% of all astrocytomas. These tumors increase in frequency with age and affect more men than women. Adults with more aggressive glioblastoma have a median survival of about 14.6 months and two-year survival of 30%. My project shall focus on a key cancer signaling pathway called PI3K. Specifically, I will select important gene components of PI3K signaling, collect gene expression data for each gene from the cancer data base called Oncomine. Gene expression patterns shall also be compared to DNA copy

Medgar Evers College compound present in red spinach extract and its potency as an anti-cancer agent.

Poster B30 Poster B31 Identification of anti-cancer activity in red spinach extract using v-Ras Challenges and Impact of Implementing transformed cancer cells Waymaker Open Educational Resources (OER) in General Biology I at two CUNY Fahim Abhay and Afnane Hanchouche Colleges, MEC and KBCC

Mentors: Professor Iiaz Ahmed and Alam Nur-E-Kamal Zoe Abney and Rochae Clarke Medgar Evers College

Mentor: Professor William Carr Hypothesis: The Ras GTPase family has been found to regulate various functions of mammalian Medgar Evers College cells. Oncogenic mutants of Ras GTPases have been demonstrated to be associated with the This study explores the use of Lumen Learning’s development of various types of cancer in human. Waymaker instructional platform and evaluates its We have demonstrated that ACK is required for impact on student learning outcomes amongst the survival of v-Ras transformed NIH 3T3 cells, General Biology I courses at Medgar Evers College but not the parental NIH 3T3 cells. In this report, (MEC) and Kingsborough Community College we studied the effect of red spinach extract on (KBCC) during the academic year 2018-2019. The growth of v-Ras-induced NIH 3T3 cells. high cost of textbooks is a barrier to student learning which causes a lower chance of passing the course. Method: We have seeded v-Ras transformed NIH The free Open Educational Resources (OER) such 3T3 cells into culture dishes and incubate as Waymaker offers an alternative approach to overnight at 37oC in standard culture condition. engage students. This study is important because the Then red spinach extract was added individually impact of Waymaker will help improve grades and or in different combination at various have a lower withdrawal rates within the course. concentrations. Cell growth was monitored by Students are able to have the information at hand MTT assay in every 24 hours for three days. We and have a higher retention rate with the access of determined IC50 for each inhibitor. We have Waymaker. We tested this hypothesis using pre and assayed markers of apoptosis in ACK inhibitor post examination surveys administered at the treated cells. beginning and end of the semester. Eleven course content questions on metabolic pathways were Results: It was found that red spinach extract included. Remake Classic OMR software was used induced Ras-transformed cell death. We also for this experiment. We analyzed the data using demonstrated that cell death was associated with paired Wilcoxon non-parametric tests at a induction of apoptosis. We will present the results significance level of 0.05. We found that students at obtained from this study. KBCC who used Lumen Learning’s Waymaker OER increased their assessment scores (p<0.05) Conclusion: Our results indicated that red spinach whereas those who used either a traditional textbook extract induces preferential death of v-Ras or no textbook did not (not significant, p>0.05). transformed cell. Our results indicates that red Similar outcomes were not observed among MEC spinach could be used as an anti-cancer drug. students. We attributed this difference in outcomes Further studies are required to purify the active to potential differences in implementation. In

conclusion, we found that Waymaker use improved Results: It was found that red spinach extract student learning outcomes however, the impacts induced Ras-transformed cell death. We also were not consistent between KBCC and MEC. demonstrated that cell death was associated with Other factors, such as differences in implementation induction of apoptosis. We will present the results of Waymaker may have contributed to differences in obtained from this study. the outcomes. MEC had recently had begun to use OER whereas KBCC had a head start to the OER Conclusion: Our results indicated that red spinach use. Most importantly, optimal outcomes occurred extract induces preferential death of v-Ras when formative assessments were used. Thus, this transformed cell. Our results indicates that red aspect of implementation is an area for future spinach could be used as an anti-cancer drug. investigation. Further studies are required to purify the active compound present in red spinach extract and its Poster B32 potency as an anti-cancer agent.

Identification of anti-cancer activity in Poster B33 red spinach extract using v-Ras transformed cancer cells How Do We Get From Thousands To One?

Fahim Ahmed and Afnane Hanchouche Marie D. Bellerice

Mentors: Professors Iiaz Ahmed and Alam Nur-E- Mentors: Xiaoping Zhu and Michele Vittadello Kamal Medgar Evers College Medgar Evers College The CUNY Graduate Center of CUNY

Hypothesis: The Ras GTPase family has been The study of proteins is important not just for found to regulate various functions of mammalian nutrition but also for pharmaceutical drugs. Human cells. Oncogenic mutants of Ras GTPases have insulin, some vaccines, cancer drugs are examples been demonstrated to be associated with the of proteins. Proteins are commonly overexpressed in development of various types of cancer in human. host bacteria, such as Escherichia coli. Especially We have demonstrated that ACK is required for when it comes to medical applications it is the survival of v-Ras transformed NIH 3T3 cells, imperative that the target protein is prepared in high but not the parental NIH 3T3 cells. In this report, purity and concentration using protein purification we studied the effect of red spinach extract on growth of v-Ras-induced NIH 3T3 cells. resins.

Method: We have seeded v-Ras transformed NIH In this study we consider the use of a new 3T3 cells into culture dishes and incubate immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) overnight at 37oC in standard culture condition. resins based on graphene oxide (GO) for the Then red spinach extract was added individually purpose of isolating Histidine-tagged proteins. The or in different combination at various resin is available from Bionanotech LCC, a startup concentrations. Cell growth was monitored by company active in the biotechnology sector deriving MTT assay in every 24 hours for three days. We from research work conducted at Medgar Evers determined IC50 for each inhibitor. We have College and Rutgers University. GO-based resins assayed markers of apoptosis in ACK inhibitor are based on two-dimensional carbon supports, treated cells. unlike most commercial resins which are based on three-dimensional polysaccharide beads. The theoretical protein capacity of the former type of

resins is in principle at least two orders of Poster B34 magnitude than the latter, just on the basis of geometrical considerations. This resin requires to be Compare the ChemoEpigenetic Potential standardized against commercial resins in the of Two Inhibitors Targeting CBP Histone purification of proteins of interest, including green Acetyltransferase Function fluorescent protein (GFP), photosystem I (PSI) and others. Tamara Blychanton, Loveth Igbineweka, Genetically modified E. coli cells were grown at 37 Ovokhan Igbinoba, and Zonaira Ali °C overnight, and protein overexpression was induced with IPTG. The harvested cells were Mentor: Professor Shiraz Mujtaba disrupted using a French press. The proteins were Medgar Evers College purified in batch format using the GO-based resin in parallel with His-Pure, a commercial resin available Genome engineering strategies, including CRISPR- with Fisher Scientific. Washing steps were cas9 and SiRNA, enable in revealing the biological conducted using a minimal concentration of the role of a gene/protein. Interestingly, eukaryotic competitive ligand imidazole (30 mM) and were proteins are comprised of multiple domains, followed by elution steps with a higher however, each domain functions independently. concentration of the same ligand (300 mM). The Until now, gene knockdown strategies have been effect of the detergent -dodecil maltoside was quite successful in knocking down an entire considered. The performance of the two resins was gene/protein, however, it is limited in unraveling the compared on the basis of protein purity and function of an individual domain. One of the capacity. Protein purity was assessed on the basis of approaches to investigate the function of a domain gel electrophoresis under native and denaturing without knocking down the expression of the whole conditions. Protein capacity was measured using the protein is by designing a domain-specific small bicinchoninic acid assay. We found that the GO- molecule. Most recently, small molecules are being based resin is superior to commercial resins in terms used as a probe to understand the specific biological of purity and falls a bit short in terms of protein role of a domain. CREB-binding protein (CBP) is a capacity. We deduce that further optimization of the ubiquitous transcriptional coactivator that modulates surface of the GO-based resin is needed in order to the gene activities of several key transcription prevent aggregation. Also the optimization of factors involved in directing cellular responses to protein purification conditions will be necessary for DNA damage (p53), inflammation (NF-κB), and the full implementation of the new IMAC prostate cancer (androgen receptor). CBP comprises technology. of three zinc-finger domains, histone acetyltransferase (HAT) module, bromodomain, and a glutamine-rich motif. CBP HAT-mediated acetylation of histones and transcription factor proteins enable regulating the function of downstream target genes, which govern the cellular decisions for a response. In this project, we are comparing the effects of two CBP HAT chemical probes, namely, NiCur, which was developed in our laboratory with a recently published, A485. For comparing, we will be using bioinformatics, cell biology and protein biochemistry -based approaches to understand the effects of these two CBP HAT

binding ligands. The significance of our work Poster B36 emerges from the major interest for investigating biological function and developing novel Specification of Antibiotic-like Compount therapeutics. Overall, chemical genetics, and design Produced by a Brooklyn Sil Bacterium of tool chemical probes have led to identification and characterization of novel cellular processes Thea Doxerie providing also as novel targets for drug development. Mentor: Carolle Bolnet Medgar Evers College Poster B35 A Brooklyn soil bacterium was isolated after screening for a pool of bacteria. We were able to Selected Heavy Metal Analysis and Quality isolate two clone bacteria: B1 and F1. The collected Assessment in the Tap Water from supernatant of these bacterial cultures were residential and commercial building in the discovered to produce antibiotic-like substances New York City against the multidrug resistant organism, Staphylococcus aureus. The goal of this lab is to isolate the antibiotic like substance which was Rohiatou Daabo and Sandra Kwakye produced by the soil bacteria. To achieve this goal, we first heated our crude extract at various Mentor: Professor Jin Young Shin temperatures ranging from 30oC to 90oC, to Medgar Evers College determine the effect temperature had on the activity of the active ingredient in the supernatant. The drinking water quality in the residential and Subsequently, a concentrated crude extract was commercial building is associated with the age of made using the rotary evaporator machine (rotovap). building pipeline, and the contamination of drinking To fractionate this extract, we used the High water with other pollutants of both anthropogenic and Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) natural origin. The objective of this study was to technique. HPLC allows for the observation of the determine the concentration of heavy metals in the tap different peaks, identify and quantify the individual water and to determine the water quality indices by components of our crude extract. An Agilent HPLC using Heavy metal Pollution Index (HPI) with machine was used with a Diode Array Detector that different age of the building and different types of authorizes obtainment of full spectrum analysis of zoning. In this study, water samples were taken from the sample. The column used in this machine to 90 different residential area and commercial buildings allow fractionation was an Agilent Eclipse XDB- and 10 heavy metals concentrations (Sb, As, Ba, Be, C18-reverse phase column. A 10 μl (microliters) Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Se, and Th) were measured. The solvent sample was injected into the system. The average concentration of heavy metals was not machine ran for 40 minutes with a flow rate of exceeded Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) set 1.0ml per minute of solvent B interjections from by EPA National Primary drinking water regulation 0%-60%. Our analytical results reveal a peak of except a few sampling sites. interest that can be further isolated using a production sized HPLC machine. Six tubes were collected from six peak regions. Peak number two appeared in a greater concentration as it was the highest height at 260nm under fluorescence detection. We will further test the various peaks for highest activity and finally be able to characterize our active ingredient. Finding a novel source of an

antibiotic compound will be very beneficial for the present in red spinach extract and its potency as an multidrug resistant bacterial issue. anti-cancer agent.

Poster B37 Poster B38

Identification of anti-cancer activity in red Brown Grease to Biodiesel: The Effect of spinach extract using Leukemic cancer Temperature, Time, Methanol and cells Sulfuric Acid on the Esterification of Brown Grease Mojeed Essa and Presepany Skeete Serena James Mentors: Iiaz Ahmed and Alam Nur-E-Kamal Medgar Evers College Mentor: Professor Lawrence Pratt Medgar Evers College Hypothesis: Red spinach is a carotene-rich and popular vegetable in Asia. There are increasing Fats, oils, and grease (FOG) are increasingly evidence supporting the presence of anti-oxidants becoming a dilemma to the Sewerage System of and anti-inflammatory components in these New York City. When flushed down sinks and vegetables. We are interested to study its beneficial toilets, whether it be from homes or businesses such effect on human health. In this report, we studied as restaurants and diners, FOG enters into the the effect of red spinach extract on growth of sewerage system where they cool, harden and then leukemic cancer cells. stick to the inner walls of the pipes — thus leading to complications in the City’s most trusted system. Method: We have seeded leukemia cancer cells into Brown grease is the generic term for rendered trap o culture dishes and incubate overnight at 37 C in waste (vegetable oil or animal fat) that is unsuitable standard culture condition. Then red spinach extract for reuse as fuel without further refinement. was added individually or in different combination Biodiesel, on the other hand, refers to a vegetable oil at various concentrations. Cell growth was or animal fat-based diesel fuel consisting of long monitored by MTT assay in every 24 hours for three chains of alkyl (methyl, ethyl, or propyl) esters, days. We determined IC50 for each inhibitor. We typically made by chemically reacting lipids with an have assayed markers of apoptosis in ACK inhibitor alcohol (methanol or ethanol) producing fatty acid treated cells. esters. The purpose of this study was to explore the possibility of completely transforming brown grease Results: It was found that red spinach extract to biodiesel by investigating the various variables induced leukemic cancer cell death. We also involved in the esterification of brown grease. This demonstrated that cell death was associated with the study found that a temperature of 65 ℃(the boiling induction of apoptosis. We will present the results point of methanol) and the addition of a catalyst for obtained from this study. a certain period is required to obtain optimal results.

Conclusion: Our results indicated that red spinach extract induces preferential death of leukemia cancer cells. Our results indicates that red spinach could be used as an anti-cancer medicine. Further studies are required to purify the active compound

Poster B39 Poster B40

Investigation of Heavy Metal Absorption Title: Zeta Potential Measurement of by Plants and Their Possible Correlations Cyclopentane Hydrate particles in in Collard Green Plants Surfactant Solutions

Anabelle Mangan Tchena Mercier

Mentor: Professor Harsha Rajapakse Mentor: Professor Oluwaseun Salako Megar Evers College Medgar Evers College

Collard green plants were grown in regular garden This research work studies the adsorption of three soil in separate pots starting from seeds. Each plant surfactants at the cyclopentane (CP) hydrate-water was given water and sun light as necessary. Soil was interface by measuring the zeta potentials of CP treated with either Pb2+, As3+ /Pb2+, As5+/Pb2+, hydrate particles in surfactant solutions of various Fe2+/As5+/Pb2+or Fe3+/As5+/Pb2+ at regular concentration. The surfactants investigated in this intervals. Collard plants grown in untreated soil was study are sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and two used as the control. No other chemicals or fertilizers Gemini surfactants (Dowfax C6L and Dowfax 2A1). were added to the soil. Six weeks after the All three surfactants have anionic head group and germination of seeds, tissue samples from each plant hydrophobic tail group. Sodium dodecyl sulfate has was collected and dried at 200 0F and grinded to a one anionic head group and a twelve-carbon chain fine powder. The samples were digested in aqua hydrophobic tail group. Dowfax 2A1 has two regia for one and half hours in microwave digestion anionic head group and twelve-carbon chain system to release the metal irons. Then the samples hydrophobic tail group. Dowfax C6L has two were analyzed using mass spectrometry to quantify anionic head group and a six-carbon chain the amount of each type of metal irons present in hydrophobic tail group. The zeta potential each plant sample. The results showed an increased measurements will be used to infer the configuration absorption of heavy metals in the presence of either of all the surfactants used in this study at CP +2 or +3 oxidation state of iron. However, hydrate-water interface. From our results, we will be absorption of arsenic showed no correlation with the able to infer whether the Gemini surfactants adsorb presence of lead. at the CP hydrate-water interface with both anionic head groups. Also, we will be able to explain the role of hydrophobic tail length of the surfactants on adsorption at the CP hydrate-water interface.

Poster B41 NEW YORK CITY COLLEGE

Suppressing the Growth of Microtumors in OF TECHNOLOGY

Drosophila by Using Natural Anti- Poster B42 inflammatory Supplements Schematic/3D Printing of Bluetooth Rood Pierre and Shellane Gill Speaker

Mentor: Professor Chiyedza Small Adewale Adegbemigun and Mitchell Medgar Evers College Landero

Inflammation is a protective immune response to Mentor: Professor Sebastian Morales Prado infection, trauma, or injury. Many pathways are New York City College of Technology implicated in immune response by targeting the sources of inflammation in human diseases. This is a continuation of the Bluetooth speaker that JAK/STAT (Janus kinase/signal transducer and was created in spring semester. Using knowledge activator of transcription) is a developmental pathway gained from computer engineering and the which is critical to the development of immune system knowledge gained from audio engineering, cells in Drosophila. Drosophila has been used for combined with 3D printing my previous design was thousand of years as the model organism for studying modified. The current state of Bluetooth speakers on hematopoietic melanotic tumors otherwise known as the market usually have a low battery life, or they microtumors. When this phenomenon occurs in flies, are a little too big to carry around. With my product it affects the JAK-STAT signaling pathway, resulting the listener will get a sound that caters to the in Hopscotch tumorous-lethal (hopTUM-L). This dynamic range of human hearing and allows them to mutation acts as an activated oncogene causing an carry it anywhere they want. The first design was over-proliferation of cells. Anti-inflammatory made with spare parts as a prototype, just to gain the supplements such as green tea, curcumin and cumin knowledge of how creating a Bluetooth speaker; this are widely used supplements in boosting immune design is custom made using Fusion 360. In order to system health among many cultures. Green tea’s construct the speaker a few parts were purchased active ingredient, EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) from amazon, which consisted of: a Bluetooth works by stopping the production of some receiver, practice pc board, amplifier for volume, inflammatory chemicals, which helps in relieving and a mono speaker. The pc board was soldered to arthritis pain. Curcumin which is the active ingredient the receiver, and then measured all of the purchased in turmeric is a polyphenol molecule which is a parts were measured before using fusion 360. powerful plant-based antioxidant and anti- Finally, with the help of fusion 360 a few inflammatory agent. Cumin is a traditional Chinese compartments were designed to conceal the internal medicine given as a general nutritive tonic to improve workings of the speaker. The case for this Bluetooth heart health, cognitive function, and nourish the eyes. speaker is shaped as two musical notes combining The aim of this study is to examine the effects of these into the shape of a heart. Unfortunately, the supplements on the development of microtumors in finalized aesthetic design of my actual project Drosophila JAK-STAT mutants. Understanding the cannot be revealed because it is copyrighted. The benefits of these dietary supplements in this mutant purpose of this project is to innovate an attractive pathway, could make clear their capabilities of Bluetooth speaker that, unlike many current targeting; whether it is affecting mitosis, target genes Bluetooth speakers, will have long battery life, or cell morphology. Results from these ongoing excellent performance and not sacrifice portability. studies will be presented. With an attractive speaker cover and a small

portable build, this product is designed to catch the used as a teaching tool for a high school or eyes and ears in a way that has never before been undergraduate freshman class project as it covers seen. introductory kinematics, CAD modeling, prototyping, and mechanization. Poster B43

A Case Study of Linkage Synthesis for Poster B44 Robotic Application Roboqueen 3D Rafaela Alba Mentor: Professor Angran Xiao Anny Baez Silfa and Jensy Maldonado New York City College of Technology Mentor: Professor Farrukh Zia Roboticists often model movement in their machines after the natural movement of humans and animals. Roboqueen is a persistent research project in the The linkages used to transmit forces and motion in Computer Engineering Technology Department. It is robots are usually designed with inspiration from the being designed as a full body interactive robotic natural joints of humans and animals. The most mannequin in response to the needs of the fashion commonly used linkage is the 4-bar linkage. This technolog industry. The original protoype built in project aims to apply this linkage for the “walking 2016 was based on the original versions of Arduino motions” of a quadrupedal robot because of its and Raspberry Pi computer boards. Throughout this efficacy and simplicity. project we have been upgrading the computer hardware boards to the latest versions that are Designing a linkage from motion requirements, also computationally more powerful and faster than the called synthesizing, involves designing the sizes of original versions. An upgrade in hardware will allow all the individual links and their topological us to program the mannequin with programs derived structure. In this experiment, in order to achieve a from C++ and Python. The Roboqueen’s hardware “diagonal walking” gait, the front left and back right circuits and components will be improved and updated legs have to move together. A simple 4-bar linkage with the help of 3D printed electronic, embedded was designed with the output link to act as the circuits and sensors. These custom 3D printed devices “thigh”. The linkage was then modeled using a CAD and circuits will be used to add functionality and program, Fusion360. The input of the linkage that features to the Roboqueen project. Thus, a challenge is would generate the motion in this linkage comes proposed to use MATLAB, to study forward and from a servo motor attached to the body of the inverse kinematic equations and their solutions in 3D, quadrupedal robot. The input link was then adapted to control the body movements. as a spur gear so that the linkages for the front and back legs would be joined by a gear train. This would ensure that there will only be a need for two motors in total.

A motion analysis done in Fusion360, shows that there shouldn’t be any collisions during motion, confirming that the design should work adequately. Results show that the application of this linkage was successful. A prototype of the full linkage along with the leg was printed to ensure that there wouldn’t be any problems with movement since the “knee” wouldn’t be motorized. This project could be

Poster B46 Poster B45

Measurement of Heat Transfer Rate with 3D Printed Computer Circuits Outdoor Weather Station Sultana Begum Fuxin Bao and Raymond Sandoval Mentor: Professor Farrukh Zia Mentor: Professor Daeho Kang New York City College of Technology New York City College of Technology 3D printing technology has rapidly become a mature The protection of the earth's resources and technology due to the availability of low-cost 3D developing renewable energy technology has printers based on open source designs and become a global task. In recent years, more and components. A wide variety of 3D print materials more architectural designs have begun to focus on are now available with many different physical and green buildings. The most significant reduction in electrical properties. This research project has energy loss is one of the goals of green buildings. explored novel and innovative ways to use 3D Among them, infiltration-unwanted heat loss by air printing technology to create electronic computer exchange can cause a large percentage of energy circuits, sub-systems and devices by using a impact. Therefore, a design that can reduce the combination of conducting and non-conducting amount of infiltration would be very beneficial in materials and components such as the 3D printed this project. butterfly and Musical Arm Band, among other things. In this project the 3D object was designed in The entrance of each building is a very important a computer application (TinkerCad) and then 3D design object, especially in commercial buildings printed. This resulted in the creation of the circuits because it has very high daily usage. This means the entrance has a significant effect in energy loss. to put in the Musical Arm Band which was then set While many methods have been developed, there is with an array of codes for it to work. The 3D printed still a significant gap in the calculations using computer circuits will have a range of applications standard weather data and local weather data. The in creating systems such as IoT (Internet of Things) current method of creating a green building involves devices, bio-sensors such as the motion sensors, using standard, rather than local, weather data. wearable tech garments such as Light Emitting However, there is a significant gap in the Diodes (LED) and jewelry such as wrist bands, rings calculations between standard and local weather embedded with LEDs. data, which is why it is necessary to utilize local weather data when restructuring or improving building and equipment design.

In this study, we used a variety of instruments to collect accurate data on building energy loss through entrances from two campus buildings. We compare the energy loss calculated by using our local data with the buildings using standard weather data. We expect to see a considerable difference between weather data and the buildings. Using more accurate data will result in more energy-efficient buildings, which in turn helps the environment.

Poster B47 Poster B48

Impact of sea waves on the coast of New AI Bots for Voice Controlled Augmented York Reality

Bill Chinskul Juan Estrella

Mentor: Professor Gerarda M. Shields Mentor: Benito Mendoza New York City College of Technology New York City College of Technology

Over 1500 miles of the New York City region We are preparing an empirical study that compares shoreline is vulnerable to accelerated sea waves and currently available alternatives for creating AI Bots rising sea level due to the anticipated climate to implement voice-controlled mixed reality change. In this phase of research is a study about the systems. We are exploring Azure’s Speech impact and characteristics of sea waves on the coast Cognitive Service, Google’s Speech Service, of New York. As the impacts of climate change Mozilla’s DeepSpeech, Wit.ai and IBM Watson. We accelerate over time, more damage, more flooding, will compare these alternatives in terms of and more erosion is likely in New York, with sea openness, usability, and cost. Augmented Reality levels continuing to rise and more of the most (AR) refers to the technologies that enhance the intense storms expected. The aim of this research is version of the physical environment with computer- to counteract the future increase in sea levels and generated sensory input such as sound and graphics ocean waves. overlaid on top of the user’s view of the real world. On the other hand, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a The final stage concerns methods to safeguard New field that studies how to make computer programs York from waves and sea-level hazards. In reaction and machines "smart." AI aims to make computers to these problems, the city thinks that its defenses learn and reason without being coded with must increase and enhance the shoreline with commands. Instead, they are given examples or protective measures. This will not eliminate all data. Sub-fields of AI such as Machine Learning, flooding from all conceivable storms as an Deep Learning, Computer Vision, and Speech impossible objective, but mitigate the impacts of Recognition are already playing essential roles in rising sea level where the danger is highest and advancing the areas of medicine, security, considerably reduce the impacts of storm waves and manufacturing, entertainment, marketing, and many storm flooding. others. The integration of AR and AI are without question a powerful technological formula for improving human-computer interaction. This

combination can help to develop intelligent adaptive interfaces that can help users with different needs and disabilities — providing a range of features going from accessibility to technology and information, training, design, and entertainment to enhancing the external world. Our research focuses on integrating AI with AR, specifically on using Speech Recognition for controlling objects on mixed reality environments. AR and AI are two technologies that companies are trying to exploit to

bring people into an era of enhanced mixed environments. The technologies explored here can

be used on a wide range application such as scaffolds must have sufficient mechanical strength monitoring systems, entertainment or data in order to hold the pressure of the surrounding collection. environments after the implantation process.

Poster B49 Poster B50

MECHANICAL CHARACTERIZATION Entertainment Connection OF POLY(ETHYLENE GLYCOL) DIACRYLATE (PEGDA) Conny Gordon and Edsel Torres

Deldrys Gomez Reynoso and Mitchell Mentor: Professor Tamrah Cunningham Landero New York City College of Technology

Mentor: Professor Ozlem Yasar We have developed Entertainment Connection as a New York City College of Technology website to gather and consolidate information related to the entertainment industry. Entertainment In recent years, Tissue Engineering is utilized as an Connection consists of the development of a alternative approach for the organ transplantation. contributory web application to display and gather The success rate of tissue regeneration is influenced information on the Entertainment Industry, as well by the biomaterials, cell sources, growth factors and as to vet users for students. The goal of the website scaffold fabrication. The goal of this research is to is to create the foundation for a web-based directory have the PEGDA samples undergo pressure tests of existing jobs within the field. We have designed showing that its mechanical properties are strong Entertainment Connection because existing options enough to endure the scaffold. lack necessary infrastructure. The directory is meant to advise students and career seekers on jobs that In order to complete this study, design and precise are available and the steps required to achieve those fabrication of scaffolds are required to support cells jobs. This is important because there are countless to expand and migrate to a 3D environment. The opportunities awaiting those who are in search for second step was to prepare the samples with a new their next journey. A directory of what exists, what's UV light station that had to be built in order to have to come, and how to accomplish what’s needed will the samples properly curated. At the SET Research help to digitally keep a record of all of those who Laboratory at City Tech, photolithography and take the time to create. Also as part of its purpose, micro-molding techniques are used to fabricate the the website seeks to engage the general public, scaffolds. In this project, cylindrical shaped PDMS including interested professionals and scholars, by and PEGDA testers are fabricated at the Research incorporating a roster. The “Stay Connected” page Laboratory SET in the Department of Mechanical will consist of verified workers in case users who Engineering Technology. Then tensile tests are come across our website need to be further assisted performed to investigate the mechanical properties with questions pertaining to a certain job. As a of the PEGDA. secondary purpose, the web application was developed to be replicable by others who might The results of this project showed that 100% choose to take and adapt to Entertainment Connection for their own career-related purposes. PEGDA samples had a lower yield strength, whereas the 20% samples had the highest yield strength. The significance of this study is that the

Poster B51 statistically significant differences exist between reported incidences among immigrant women and non-immigrant women. A chi-square analysis (χ2 = A Comparative Study of Incidence of 14.53; p-value = 0.0023 < 0.01) reveals that the Domestic Violence between Immigrant variation of intimate partner violence incidences and Non-immigrant Women in the United among immigrant and native populations is too large States of America to have occurred by chance alone. Comparisons based on gender, marital status, and residency Nadia Gordon statuses are also studied.

Poster B52 Mentors: Professors Urmi Ghosh-Dastidar, Janet Liou-Mark, and Shamita Das Dasgupta New York City College of Technology Pitch Labeling of a Corpus of Guitar Sounds for Training a Neural Net Pitch Immigrant women in the USA come from different Classifier socio-economic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. Some of these women suffer from Arash Izadi intimate partner violence; however, due to their strict cultural or social structure they often remain Mentor: Professor Adam J. Wilson silent and rarely report these incidents to the proper authorities. Additionally, since these immigrant Our research involves developing a labeled corpus women face more challenges than their non- of monophonic guitar music suitable for use in (1) immigrant peers, they are more reluctant and training a neural network designed for classification unlikely to leave their abusive partners. An analysis of audio segments as pitched or un-pitched, and (2) was performed using published data as an attempt to training a neural network designed to perform establish if any statistically significant differences fundamental frequency estimation of audio exist between reported incidences among immigrant segments. In the course of producing this training women and non-immigrant women. A chi-square set, we will develop a methodology for combining analysis (χ2 = 14.53; p-value = 0.0023 < 0.01) automated and manual labeling techniques. We will reveals that the variation of intimate partner investigate a variety of computational approaches, in violence incidences among immigrant and native both frequency and time domains, for labeling note populations is too large to have occurred by chance onsets and fundamental frequencies. We will also alone. Comparisons based on gender, marital status, employ manual approaches, marking audio features and residency statuses are also studied.mmigrant by listening to and visually examining waveform women in the USA come from different socio- segments. economic, cultural, and religious backgrounds.

Some of these women suffer from intimate partner violence; however, due to their strict cultural or social structure they often remain silent and rarely report these incidents to the proper authorities. Additionally, since these immigrant women face more challenges than their non-immigrant peers, they are more reluctant and unlikely to leave their abusive partners. An analysis was performed using published data as an attempt to establish if any

Poster B53 Poster B54

Mechanical Charactrization of A Comparative Study of Incidence of Poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (pedga) Domestic Violence between Immigrant

and Non-immigrant Women in the United Deldys Gomez Reynoso and Mitchell States of America Landero Nadia Gordon Mentor: Professor Ozlem Yasar New York City College of Technology Mentors: Professors Urmi Ghosh-Dastidar, Janet Liou-Mark, and Shamita Das Dasgupta In recent years, Tissue Engineering is utilized as an New York City College of Technology alternative approach for the organ transplantation. The success rate of tissue regeneration is influenced Immigrant women in the USA come from different by the biomaterials, cell sources, growth factors and socio-economic, cultural, and religious scaffold fabrication. The goal of this research is to backgrounds. Some of these women suffer from have the PEGDA samples undergo pressure tests intimate partner violence; however, due to their showing that its mechanical properties are strong strict cultural or social structure they often remain enough to endure the scaffold. silent and rarely report these incidents to the proper authorities. Additionally, since these immigrant In order to complete this study, design and precise women face more challenges than their non- fabrication of scaffolds are required to support cells immigrant peers, they are more reluctant and to expand and migrate to a 3D environment. The unlikely to leave their abusive partners. An analysis second step was to prepare the samples with a new was performed using published data as an attempt to UV light station that had to be built in order to have establish if any statistically significant differences the samples properly curated. At the SET Research exist between reported incidences among immigrant Laboratory at City Tech, hotolithography and micro- women and non-immigrant women. A chi-square molding techniques are used to fabricate the analysis (χ2 = 14.53; p-value = 0.0023 < 0.01) scaffolds. In this project, cylindrical shaped PDMS reveals that the variation of intimate partner and PEGDA testers are fabricated at the Research violence incidences among immigrant and native Laboratory SET in the Department of Mechanical populations is too large to have occurred by chance Engineering Technology. Then tensile tests are alone. Comparisons based on gender, marital status, performed to investigate the mechanical properties and residency statuses are also studied.mmigrant of the PEGDA. The results of this project showed women in the USA come from different socio- that 100% PEGDA samples had a lower yield economic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. strength, whereas the 20% samples had the highest Some of these women suffer from intimate partner yield strength. The significance of this study is that violence; however, due to their strict cultural or the scaffolds must have sufficient mechanical social structure they often remain silent and rarely strength in order to hold the pressure of the report these incidents to the proper authorities. surrounding environments after the implantation Additionally, since these immigrant women face process. more challenges than their non-immigrant peers, they are more reluctant and unlikely to leave their abusive partners. An analysis was performed using published data as an attempt to establish if any

statistically significant differences exist between market in the future. The significance of the study reported incidences among immigrant women and will help investors make well informed investments non-immigrant women. A chi-square analysis (χ2 = by using this application. 14.53; p-value = 0.0023 < 0.01) reveals that the variation of intimate partner violence incidences Poster B56 among immigrant and native populations is too large to have occurred by chance alone. Comparisons Mechanical and thermal properties of based on gender, marital status, and residency PDMS with PLA & Silicon carbide statuses are also studied. nanofibers Poster B55 Saminur Miah Stock Market Prediction with Neural Network Mentor: Professor Akm Rahman New York City College of Technology

Dominika Markowska-Desvallons The goal of this project is to improve and evaluate the mechanical and thermal performance of PLA Professor: Professor Marcos Pinto (Poly Lactic Acid) using polyimide in form of a New York City College of Technology composite blend. In addition to the mechanical strength, thermal and micro-structural properties Predicting the stock market is a complex mission to will also be evaluated. Due to low temperature understand, especially for folks without any financial processing and high thermal stability, geopolymer is background whatsoever. But being able to predict the a potential alternative to ordinary Portland cement in future economy can be a huge benefit to anyone’s construction engineering. It is also a viable financial situation. The goal of this project is to create alternative to ceramic matrix composites. In this a tool, which would be able to foresee the stock price project we will focus on fire retardant geopolymer for the future by analyzing past trends. matrix composites with high flexural strength. This geopolymer will be prepared using Class F Fly ash, First, the dataset was collected and displayed on the Metakaolin, Potassium Silicate and potassium graph to identify stock market trends. Using python, Hydroxide. Several filler materials including Rice a high-level programming language helped create a Husk ash, Fumed Silica, Zirconium oxide and model of an artificial intelligence (AI) to predict Titanium oxide will be used in order to increase stock market prices. In order to conduct research, compression strength and reduce porosities. programing libraries were used to facilitate the algorithm which will help predict stock market trend. Poster B57 The dataset was divided into two sections, training and test, in order to feed it to the neural network to predict the market. This neural network is being EESL: Smart City Observatory trained to recognize existing similarities in past stock market data to be able to predict the future of stocks. Patrice Prosper Finally, building an algorithm is continuous process to that improves accuracy of this model to over 90 Mentor: Professor Masoto Nakamura percent. New York City College of Technology

The results of this project expect to show that the Global cities are evolving into smart technology cities neural network is able to predict the price of the stock better known as "Smart Cities.” While smart

technology has led to "The Internet of Things" by way Poster B58 of a network of sensors, a byproduct is the concern for energy-efficiency. The "Internet of Energy" has been newly coined as means of monitoring energy demands Smart IoT Sprinkler System and consumption, by helping international economies keep a scorecard of their energy use. Galib Rahman

The Energy and Environmental Simulation Laboratory Mentor: Professor Xiaohai Li (EESL) team seeks to bring NYC up to speed with New York City College of Technology smart technology as well as energy conscious consumption in order to turn NYC into a “Smart The average family spends more than $1000 in water City.” The ultimate goal of this project is to develop a costs per year. One-way water is commonly wasted in method of live stream energy and environmental data many households is via inefficient sprinkler systems in a manageable and easy-to-navigate graphical user for lawns. Current technology has enabled the interface for end users. development of automatic sprinkler systems, which can be preconfigured to operate at desired times of day The EESL research team is working on several and intervals. Although these systems may reduce the projects such as a self-driving dog stroller, a robotic amount of water utilized overall, they are not weather air-quality tester, a user authenticating smart gun, and forecast aware. In situations when rainfall is upcoming a waste-to-energy combustion chamber. In all cases the systems still water the lawn. In this project, we there is a sensor involved and the data collected varies plan to implement a smart sprinkler system that has in form from algorithmic in nature to visual. To make full awareness of upcoming weather and take account the data available for future use and further of environmental conditions in the past and present. development, the data must be accessible via Application Program Interface (API) as an open This system utilizes the latest cloud computing resource observatory. technology and takes account of environmental conditions to create a smart dynamic watering Data collected by Arduino and Raspberry Pi single- solution. In this study the Particle Photon was used to board computers will be transmitted via WiFi modules collect sensor data and sent to the cloud using the IBM to serialport devices. The data will be fed through Watson IoT Platform. The API Dark Sky, is used to Web Sockets (Socketio) via localhost and acquire the weather forecast data and used to simultaneously stored to local database for future determine whether or not to actuate the solenoid of cloud storage. said sprinkler.

This project is necessary for the EESL research This study expects to show that this system will be an team to determine the energy efficiency of the effective and weather aware application for water various devices. Additionally, the results of this dispersion. This smart sprinkler system will maximize project will help NYC government officials devise a the cost effectiveness and efficiency regarding water scorecard method of measuring the city’s energy utilization and flexibility. usage.

Poster B59 functionality, and easily switchable modes of operation makes it a formidable candidate in future optical applications, such as the internet and Interchangeable All Fiber-Based Passive medicine. VOA/VOC System Poster B60 Andrei Statchevschi

Mentor: Professor Muhammad A. Ummy Low-Cost SLAM RC Car New York City College of Technology Fox Williams Variable optical couplers (VOC) and variable optical attenuators (VOA) play essential roles in Mentor: Zhou Zhang optical communications. VOCs serve to couple or New York City College of Technology decouple optical beams while VOAs attenuate the optical power of signals; both devices do so with an adjustable ratio. VOCs typically have a single input Remote control (RC) cars used to do simultaneous with multiple output while VOAs have both single localization and mapping (SLAM), are becoming input and output. The goal of our research endeavor popular in rescue missions, however these products is to implement a novel design which combines both are usually expensive. To make an affordable the above functionalities into one system and prototype of a SLAM robot for research and characterizes said system. The system does not learning is a challenging topic. In order to create a require external power to function and can simply low-cost SLAM RC car, the hardware and be attached to any optical source as a stand-alone algorithms should be selected and optimized. For device. the hardware, the Arduino single-board microcontroller is chosen to do the control task The methodology of this project involved setting the (which is only $10). The sensor used to acquire data laser and components to certain settings (depending of the environment is ‘Light Detection and Ranging on the desired mode of operation), then seeing how (LiDAR) . These kinds of configurations pose the systems reacts, and then using the collected data several problems: (1) It is crucial to balance the data to characterize the system. This design requires the acquire speed and the hardware processing speed fabrication of a novel optical circulator, which since Arduino’s baud rate is limited to 115200 baud; functions as a regular three-port circulator (2) The mapping work must be kept at a specific (clockwise circulation) but with one exceptional accuracy of 0.6 cm to make the generating map difference: any input coming from the third port will sense; (3) The final results must be displayed in an be forwarded back to the second port to create an oscillation between the two ports. The Sagnac effective way. Loops Mirror (SLM) contains a polarization controller which manipulates the reflectivity and To solve the above problems, the discrete sample thus the overall coupling or attenuation ratio of the method is used. With this method, the sampling system; in simpler terms, it controls how much light frequency is under control in order to balance the exits from any single port. The system produces a data acquire speed and the hardware processing variable coupling ratio from 0.13% to 99.87% with speed. After that, maximum likelihood method is negligible effect on excess loss. By tuning the same used to optimize the acquired data and to improve mechanism, both attenuators exhibit less than 2.55 the accuracy of the mapping work. In addition, the dB insertion loss with attenuation ranges of 31 dB acquired data will be sent out to a laptop through and 43 dB. The system’s simple method of wireless communication, and the final results will be fabrication, power independence, hybrid

processed offline with MATLAB and shown in the within the physical model. Results show a GUI created with MATLAB. correlation between the physical prototype and simulated model. Findings of this research may have By implementing discrete sample method and implications for future designs of shading systems maximum likelihood, the low-cost SLAM RC car is that can simultaneously maintain occupant comfort expected to measure and perceive the surrounding and provide an exterior view. environment through remote sensing, then by providing 2D maps onto a laptop. The success of Poster B62 this project will enable the safe landing of robotic and manned vehicles with a high degree of precision with relative low investment. Kinetic Study of Amine Cured Epoxy Resins Poster B61 Xiaona Zhou, Xiaolan Wu, Swati Neogi,

and Diana Samaroo Solar Responsive Facade in an Urban

Environment Urmi Ghosh-Dastidar New York City College of Technology and Cheriyah Wilmot Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur

Mentor: Phillip Anzalone The epoxy resin is a class of polymer containing New York City College of Technology more than one epoxy group (or cyclic ether) and

featuring a broad range of applications in the field of In major urban cities, more than 50% of Carbon paints and coatings, adhesives, electronics. With 2 Dioxide (CO ) emissions produced come from utilization of different curing agents including buildings. Besides the energy we use in the interior, amines and anhydrides, epoxy resins can be the building façade is another key consumer. hardened via curing reactions1,2. Owing to their Shading is an ecological aspect of a building skin excellent mechanical and electrical properties, along that affects the need for HVAC and artificial with their chemical stability and extensively lighting systems in the interior. By adding industrial applications, many chemists have been responsive shading to a static building, vital interested in studying the curing kinetics of epoxy functions can still be carried out while reducing the resins. However, one of the major challenges carbon footprint. towards the kinetic studies of epoxy resins curing is the high cost of laboratory simulation of epoxy The objective of this project is to design shading resins formations. The construction of computer- that responds to the position of the sun with a view simulating kinetic models is not only significant to to the exterior environment. It is composed of overcome this challenge but also to optimize a better individual segments that have two functions: to chemical environment and experimental parameters, block or admit solar radiation and sunlight. which ultimately contributes to the successful formation of desired epoxy resin products. Our Effectiveness, in terms of energy use and research focuses on establishing a suitable kinetic illuminance, was analyzed using Revit in model to better study the curing reaction of epoxy comparison to a standard office space. A physical resins. Presently, we are working on investigating prototype was created to compare data to the potential proposed kinetic models based on simulation. Arduino software programmed mathematical analysis on experimental data. Future servomotors for movement of the shading panels work will focus on using the functionality and

accuracy of our proposed kinetics model to predict three carbazole oligomers and characterize them via and further establish better reaction conditions for H-NMR, C-NMR and Ultra-Violet Spectroscopy. epoxy curing, which in turn can be utilized in a wide Our initial conductance measurements by STM-BJ range of fields. are very promising.

Poster B64 QUEENSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE Development of Laser induced Graphene Microsupercapacitors Poster B63 Sung Hwan Ahn Impact of Molecular Length on Mentors: Professors Michael Lawrence and Oligocarbazole Single Molecular Wires Paul J. Sideris Queensborough Community College Muhabbat Ahmedova, Shanelle Smith, Larry Zaborsky, Jiayi Xue, Marlene Fierros, and In general, supercapacitors have a few comparative Patrick Tuttle advantages over many battery technologies. These include: faster charge/discharge rates, higher power

density, longer cycle life, and a wider operating Mentors: Professors Gina Florio, Sujun Wei, and temperature. Laser-induced Graphene Micro- Marlene Fierros supercapacitors (LGMSCs) have a planar Queensborough Community College architecture featuring electronically isolated St. John’s University interdigitated graphene electrodes separated by short distances and immersed in electrolyte. The Scanning Tunneling Microscopy based Breaking breakdown voltage of the electrolyte determines the Junction method (STM-BJ) developed in 2003 maximum cell potential of the supercapacitor and provides reliable, reproducible generation and consequently the maximum theoretical energy measurement of electronic properties of molecular density. The ionic conductivity of the electrolyte circuits. Encouraged by the great performance of will affect the discharge/charge rates, which polycarbazole material in electronic devices, we contributes to the power density of the supercapacitor. Interdigitated graphene electrodes designed three carbazole oligomers---monomer, were prepared on commercially available polyimide dimer and trimer. Each molecule is terminated with sheets using a computer-controlled laser cutter. two methyl sulfides as the gold atom linkers, with Imidazolium-based ionic liquids and poly(vinyl an eight carbon chain on nitrogen atoms. We will alcohol) (PVA) aqueous gel electrolytes were first investigate the impact of molecular length on synthesized and incorporated into the LGMSCs. electron transport through their backbones via STM- Microwave-assisted heating was used to synthesize BJ technology. An exponential decay of 1-(6-hydroxyhexyl)-3-methyl imidazolium chloride conductance from monomer to trimer as the from stoichiometric amounts of 1-methyl imidazole molecular length extends is expected. 5 grams of and 6-chlorohexan-1-ol. PVA gel electrolytes were key intermediate 2,7-dibromo-9-octyl-9H-carbazole prepared by first mixing 1.0 g PVA (Mw = 50, 000 has been synthesized from commercially available g/mol) in 10 mL of water and heating overnight at 2,7-dibromo-9H-carbazole by a SN2 reaction in high 80 °C under constant stirring. To prepare yield. With standard Lithium-Halogen Exchange PVA/H2SO4 gel electrolytes, approximately 1.0 mL and Suzuki Coupling protocols, we have synthesized of 98% H2SO4 solution was added to the PVA

solution and stirred thoroughly. PVA/LiCl gel electrolytes were prepared by adding 2.0 g LiCl·H2O to the PVA solution while stirring under Poster B66 mild heating to dissolve the salt. Kapton tape was used to isolate the interdigitated electrodes from the Variations on the Cantor Set shared electrodes. The electrolyte was carefully added to the interdigitated electrodes and covered with another layer of Kapton tape. A thin layer of Nikola Baci colloidal silver paint was applied to the shared electrodes before being covered by copper tape to Mentor: Professor Daniel Garbin facilitate electrochemical testing. Queensborough Community College

Poster B65 The Cantor set is a fascinating example of a set of real numbers obtained by removing the open middle third part of a compact interval and then repeating Measuring Absorption this process ad infinitum on all the remaining compact parts. As a set of real numbers, the Cantor Coefficient of Material in Situ set is a perfect, has measure zero, yet it is uncountable. Furthermore, all its numbers have a Kypros Andrianou power series representation in base 3. We construct several generalizations of the Cantor set, including Mentor: Professor Kimberly Riegel higher dimension Cantor variants. While all of the Queensborough Community College variants have measure zero, are uncountable and perfect sets, not all of them seem to possess a natural representation via power series. In many cases, buildings that require acoustic mediation are old. Materials degrade over time and Poster B67 may have very different acoustical properties than when they were first installed.. This can affect acoustic engineers when estimating the acoustical CIS-TRANS ISOMERIZATION OF properties of an existing room. This also effects the NITRODIENES ability to simulate the acoustic properties of a room for any given project. The standard process to Biling Chen measure absorption coefficients requires specialized acoustic chambers and the remove the material from Mentors: Pofessors Sasan Karimi and the room. The aim of this study is to validate the Gopal Subramaniam method to measure the absorption coefficient of materials in situ in a variety different size rooms. Queensborough Community College Queens College

Nitrodienes are prepared in our laboratory for making substituted pyrroles in one step using

triphenylphosphine and Mo catalyst. When nitrodienes containing one aryl substituent were made, we observed only a single isomer. With two aryl substituents, a mixture of isomers were obtained. We were puzzled by the constantly changing ratios of the two isomers when the same synthetic process was

repeated. The two isomers were separated visualization by confocal microscopy. Our goal is to chromatographically and the structures were correlate the structural differences in the actin confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Subjecting each cytoskeleton after SWCNT treatment. These of these isomers separately to heat, acid, and UV findings may lead to further understanding of the treatment, we were able to confirm that the cis-trans migration process in breast cancer cells. isomerization was caused only by light. Ambient light was also able to interconvert 1 and 2 and reach a ratio of 2.6 to 1 in favor of 2. Exposure to UV light sped up the process of isomerization by three times.

Poster B69 Deciphering the Involvement of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 in Estrogen Mediated Poster B68 Osteoclast Apoptosis

Effect of SWCNT on the Actin Cytoskeleton Woo Chul Kim of Breast Cancer Cells Mentor: Professor Andrew Nguyen Tobore Edema Queensborough Community College

Mentors: Professor Sunil Dehipawala, Tirandai Osteoporosis can be frequently seen in menopausal Hemraj-Benny, and Regina Sullivan women. One hypothesis on the cause of Queensborough Community College osteoporosis in menopausal women is that the decrease in estrogen disrupts the bone homeostasis Triple Negative Breast Cancer is a particularly by increasing osteoclast survival. Treatment options aggressive form of breast cancer. We have been for osteoporosis usually involve slowing down bone using the triple negative breast cancer cell line as a resorption through usage of bisphosphonates that are model system to study the effects of single-walled known to induce osteoclast apoptosis. Preliminary carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) on the migration of data from our collaborator showed that Signal these cells. Results from our lab show that SWCNT Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (stat3) inhibit the rate of breast cancer cell migration. Cell deletion resulted in decreased osteoclast levels in migration involves complex inside-out and inside-in female mice, but not male mice. This suggested that signaling pathways, as well as reorganization of the stat3 is involved in the signaling pathway between actin cytoskeleton. We will test the hypothesis that estrogen and osteoclast apoptosis. This study aims functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes to explore the mechanism by which stat3 regulates incorporate into the actin cytoskeleton and thereby bisphosphonate and estrogen induced osteoclast decrease the ability of the cell to perform which apoptosis. Our preliminary data suggested 20uL facilitates cell migration. In this study, we will use treatment of alendronate, a bisphosphonate, at carbon nanotubes functionalized with potassium 10mM concentration for 48 hours stimulated hydroxide (KOH) to improve solubility. The breast osteoclastic RAW264.7 cell apoptosis. Cell death cancer cells will be treated with SWCNT and was evaluated utilizing flow cytometry through stained with Rhodamine Phalloidin. The Phalloidin detection of FITC labeled antibody binding to will bind to the actin and the Rhodamine allows for annexin-V on apoptotic cells. We are in the process

of determining the significance of stat3 in this process by using CRISPR-Cas9 to knock out the Poster B71 stat3 gene and determine the effect of alendronate on triggering RAW264.7 cell apoptosis. How do bacteria talk to each other?

Poster B70 Altagracia Lopez The Degradation of Congo Red Dye in the presence of Magnetic Iron Oxide Mentor: Professor Monica Trujillo Queensborough Community College Catalyst Most bacteria in Nature live and grow in Fei Li communities called microbiomes. It is important to understand the mechanism by which metabolic Mentor: Dr. Tirandai Hemraj-Benny activities are regulated in microbial communities. Queensborough Community College/CUNY This is how bacteria communicate and “talk” with

each other. Our goal is to identify, in the lab, the Brightly colored azo dyes in textile wastewaters molecules that bacteria use to communicate between have significantly contributed to the global pollution crisis. Although many physical and chemical themselves. It is known that bacteria synthetize and techniques have been used to remove these azo dye release chemical signals, secreted factors (SFs), that contaminants, there is still a great need to develop play a key role in communication. In this project we better methods which are faster and more effective. explore the potential of mixed microbial cultures Herein, the catalytic effect of magnetic iron oxide (MMCs) as a source of signaling mixtures or SFs. (Fe3O4) nanoparticles on the degradation of Congo MMCs are obtained from environmental sources and red dye has been investigated. Magnetic iron oxide grown in a low nutrient medium suited for the nanoparticles were synthesized by a low-cost and cultivation of environmental bacteria. After a week rapid co-precipitation method. In addition, of growth, we filter the media to remove the living composites of magnetic iron oxide (Fe3O4) cells, this media has the SFs produced by the nanoparticles stabilized on to the surfaces of single- MMCs. Thereafter, we investigate: 1- the ability that walled carbon nanotubes, as well as oxidized single- the filtered media has to inhibit biofilm formation walled carbon nanotubes, were synthesized and their 2- the changes that the SFs present in the media catalytic degradation properties were investigated. cause to a model Streptomyces strain, Streptomyces Mid-IR spectroscopy and UV-Visible spectroscopy coelicolor. were used to analyze the synthesized catalyst and their catalytic properties. Congo red dye degradation Our preliminary results show that the chemical efficiencies of above 95 % were observed within molecules produced by the bacterial one hour in the presence of the magnetic iron oxide communities from our natural samples can mediate (Fe3O4) nanoparticle catalysts. signaling between bacteria, similar to what happens in Nature providing us with a tool to study bacteria communication in the laboratory.

GPS data to calculate the change in total electron content (dTEC). Poster B72 Poster B73

Investigation of Interplanetary Structures Characterization of a Streptomyces and Long Duration positive Ionospheric coelicolor rhomboid protease knockout Storms mutant

Amir M. Maghsoudi, Jamie Asan, Shaina Juan Mesa Durand and Amanda Martino Mentors: Professors Monica Trujillo and Mentors: Professors M. Chantale Damas Naydu Carmona (Queensborough Community College) and Chigomezyo Ngwira (ASTRA) Rhomboids are intramembrane proteases present in all forms of life and widely distributed in bacteria. Space weather results from the variability of the Rhomboids are loosely associated with cell signaling Sun. It has become an increasingly important topic yet their function in prokaryotic physiology is mostly due to its potential impact on human life, society unknown. Streptomyces are gram positive bacteria and economy. Geomagnetic storms are one type of commonly found in soil that have a complex space weather events that can damage satellites, developmental cycle that includes spore germination, degrade the accuracy of the Global Navigation production of secondary metabolites and formation of Satellite System (GNSS) applications and high aerial mycelia. The signaling network that regulates frequency (HF) communication, and affect the the Streptomyces life cycle is not fully characterized electric power grid. Therefore, we need to better yet. Our hypothesis is that rhomboids play a role in understand them to mitigate their impacts. This the signaling mechanisms of Streptomyces. Using investigation focuses on space weather impact on bioinformatics tools we identified SCO3855 in the ionosphere, a layer of electrically charged Streptomyces coelicolor, the model organism for particles important for satellite-based Streptomyces. SCO3855 codes for a putative communication and navigation. As a first step, in rhomboid protease present in all Streptomyces strains order to understand how Earth responds to analyzed. This gene complemented a well geomagnetic storms, we looked at the values of two characterized bacterial rhomboid mutant (AarA from indices: disturbance storm time (Dst) and the Providencia stuartii) demonstrating that SCO3855 is symmetric horizontal component of Earth’s an active rhomboid protease. Using CRISPR magnetic field magnetic field (SYM-H). Our goal technology a SCO3855 knock out (KO) was was to determine which of the two indices is the constructed. The corresponding complementation best one to use for our research. We looked at more strain was also created. Here we report the than 700 geomagnetic storms from 1996-2018, with characterization of the SCO3855 rhomboid KO values of Dst and SYM-H < -40 nT and determined mutant. that the two indices can be used interchangeably. Since SYM‐H has a higher We analyzed three strains, the wild type, the KO and resolution (1‐min) compared to Dst (1‐hour), it is the corresponding complementation strain. Blind used in our study. We continue our study of storms analysis was performed in triplicates and assessed for by investigating: 1) interplanetary structures; and 2) statistical significance. We used microscopy to long duration positive ionospheric storms that affect compare spore morphology and production of the electron density of the ionosphere. Long actinorhodin was assayed spectrophotometrically. duration positive storms refer to storm that cause an Our results show that the KO mutant has an altered increase in TEC that last six hours or more. We use developmental cycle as shown by shorter spores and

impaired actinorhodin production. The complemented strain partially recovers the wild type phenotypes. In summary, SCO3855 plays a role in the life cycle of S. Poster B75 coelicolor supporting our hypothesis. Protein Profile Comparison, Morphology Poster B74 and Development of an Overexpressing Rhomboid Protease Streptomyces Morphology of poly(2,5-dimethylaniline) prepared from W/O/W double emulsions coelicolor Mutant

Megan Pirtle Tia Robinson

Mentor: Professor David M. Sarno Mentor: Professor Monica Trujillo Queensborough Community College Queensborough Community College

A method to prepare porous microspheres through a Streptomyces are gram positive soil bacteria with a water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) double emulsion has complex developmental life cycle. They are been developed using the conducting polymer producers of secondary metabolites such as polyaniline and several of its derivatives. The double actinorhodin. The production and expression of emulsion is generated when excess 4 M ammonium these natural products is in coordination with the hydroxide is rapidly added to an HCl dispersion cell cycle through signaling pathways that integrate containing the preformed polymer and an amphiphilic monomer such as o-toluidine (OT). The monomer is environmental, physiological and stress inputs. soluble in acidic solution, but spontaneously forms Rhomboids are intramembrane proteases that immiscible droplets in sufficiently alkaline solution. hydrolyze peptidic bonds within the phospholipid The polymer dissolves in the monomer droplets to bilayer. The biological functions of rhomboid form the spheres, and pores are formed by water proteases are diverse and include cell signaling. Our droplets trapped in the polymer matrix. The monomer hypothesis is that rhomboid proteases play a role in serves as a single small molecular surfactant that the signaling mechanisms of Streptomyces. We have stabilizes both the oil-water and water-oil interfaces of identified SCO3855, a functional rhomboid protease the double emulsion, which is rare among W/O/W in Streptomyces coelicolor (the model organism for systems. We have recently applied this method to di- Streptomyces). We have constructed a mutant strain substituted polyanilines, including poly(2,5- with an extra copy of that gene. The details of the dimethylaniline) (P25DMA). We observed limited current project entail the comparison of the reproducibility using OT as the monomer surfactant; developmental cycle and protein profile of the over- however, with 2,5-dimethylaniline as the monomer, expression and the control strains. Furthermore, we were able to obtain higher quality spheres. We using microscopy we have investigated improved our results by adjusting the mass/volume morphological differences between these strains. percent of P25DMA in order to limit the amount of polymer that is incorporated into the monomer droplets. Qualitatively, SEM images reveal that this approach removes much of the unstructured material and reduces the size distribution of the spheres.

to an awareness of their own ownership of their identity and sense of self. Poster B76 Poster B77 The Impact of Inquiry-Based Learning on Students’ Understanding of Race as a Social Synthesis of Construct, and Shifting Their Attitudes and Phenylenebis(trichloroacetamide) Beliefs on Race Derivatives by Microwave Reactor: Possible Precursor to Aromatic Polyurea Anna Romero Keiann Simon Mentor: Professor Larisa Honey Queensborough Community College Mentor : Professor Jun H. Shin College : Queensborough Community College The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of inquiry- based learning method (IBLM) to Microwave reactor is a new technology and has expand students’ understanding of race and to shift become an invaluable tool adopted in many areas of attitudes and beliefs about race, culture, and science laboratories due to the convenience identity. IBLM exercises allow students to challenge including temperature, pressure and power controls. racial structures by providing a space for In the previous report, three engagement, where they are encouraged to share phenylenebis(trichloroacetamide) derivatives were personal experiences (Hart & Ashmore, 2006). This prepared from the reactions of hexachloroacetone study focuses on how teaching race as a biological (HCA) and corresponding phenylenediamine and sociopolitical concept through IBLM will affect compounds (otho, meta or para) after refluxing student's understanding of race as a social construct overnight in CHCl3. However, the same results were and to shift attitudes and beliefs about race, identity, obtained after heating the reaction mixture for 1-2 and culture. Using a pre- and post-study design, hours at 120-150°C using a microwave reactor community college students enrolled in introductory instead of refluxing overnight. The prepared anthropology courses participated in exercises derivatives were spectroscopically characterized, where they learned their individual mitochondrial and the molecular structures were also determined DNA (mtDNA) and reflected on race, identity, and by X-ray diffraction. Further reactions to convert culture in essays and personal blogs to assess. them to the corresponding polyurea using a Ninety-seven students completed pre-surveys, microwave reactor are under investigation. Attitude Knowledge Belief surveys (AKB), and 85 students answered post-survey. Post-surveys Poster B78 indicated that IBL methods increased students' overall understanding of race as a social versus biological construct and shifted attitudes about the Microwave synthesis of composites of socio-political impact of racial identity. Descriptive polyaniline nanofibers and ruthenium coding of student essays and blogs revealed results nanoparticles consistent with survey data. In the beginning they viewed themselves in separate discrete categories, Harpreet Singh whereas by the end of the course, students had a more expansive view of race where they adopted a more scientific approach and indicated a more Mentor: Professor David M. Sarno multifaceted way of viewing racial identity. This led Queensborough Community College

We are developing a method to prepare hybrid moment recursion on a weighted version of the materials composed of ruthenium nanoparticles (Ru- magnetization, concentration investigation and in- NPs) and polyaniline nanofibers (PANI-NFs). These depth investigation on the resulting nonlinear will be deployed as catalysts for the degradation of second order dynamical system. Our purpose is to the toxic azo dye congo red, a model compound that figure out under what condition of the base is representative of a variety of industrial pollutants. frequencies of adenine and thymine is the reconstruction solvable. If it is solvable, we want to RuCl3 or RuI3 is dissolved in water and microwave figure out minimum sample information we need to irradiated at 150°C in the presence of NaBH4 and pre-formed PANI-NFs. The NFs serve as a high solve the problem. surface area scaffold to disperse the Ru-NPs and Poster B80 minimize their aggregation. SEM images reveal

RuI3 more consistently produces well-dispersed NPs compared to RuCl3. We will present our efforts to Effect of Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes optimize the morphology of the NF/NP composites on the Young’s Modulus of Breast Cancer by varying irradiation time and reactant Cells concentrations. Yingxian Tan Poster B79 Mentor: Professor Regina Sullivan Big Data Information Inference on the Queensborough Community College

Infinite Communication Tree Network Single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) have the potential to expand treatment options for cancer Jiayao Sun patients. Carbon nanotubes have a high surface area to volume ratio which allows for surface Mentor: Professor Liu Wenjian functionalization and potential for drug delivery. Queensborough Community College Studies from other labs have shown both functionalized and unfunctionalized nanotubes enter Big data is a very hot scientific study nowadays, cells via endocytosis, gap junctions or ion channels. especially in the AI development has made a great Other studies have shown when SWCNT enter cells, contribution. The big data information they may interact with cellular components reconstruction problem on the infinite including the actin cytoskeleton. We have communication tree network, is to collect and previously demonstrated that SWCNT analyze massive samples at the n-th level of the functionalized with collagen as well as phylogenetic tree to identify whether there is non- unfunctionalized SWCNT inhibit breast cell vanishing information of the root, as n goes to migration. In this study, Atomic Force Microscopy infinity. The corresponding reconstruction threshold (AFM) was used to study the surface morphology of answers the question whether the ancestral DNA breast cancer cells treated with unfunctionalized information can be reconstructed from a known SWCNT. AFM is a powerful tool not only to study phylogenetic tree. In this project, we focus on the the surface morphology but also mechanics of cell form of signals' probability transition matrix structure in nanometer scale regions. While AFM corresponding to a classical DNA evolution model, provides surface morphological information of the Felsenstein 1981 (F81) model, while further carbon nanotubes in triple negative breast cancer allow the existence of a guanine-cytosine content cells, quantitative determination of Young's bias. The corresponding information reconstruction modulus provides valuable information of elastic problem in molecular phylogenetics will be properties of nanometer scale regions of cancer explored, by means of the refined analysis of cells. Penetration of carbon nanotubes into the

cancer cells will result in changes in deformation of formative performance need to be carefully considered affected areas. The data from the AFM studies was in the design of learning interventions, especially in used to determine Young’s Modulus. Young’s the context of cultural and social experiences. Modulus is a measure of flexibility such that Poster B82 increased Young’s Modulus correlates with decreased flexibility. Therefore if the SWCNT enter Finding the Optimal Solution by Using cells and interact with the actin cytoskeleton, the Linear Algebra and Generation Function Young’s Modulus of the treated cells will increase. Our overall goal is to correlate decreased cellular Zhenyi Wang flexibility with reduced breast cancer cell migration with potential for possible new cancer therapeutic targets. Mentor: Wenjian Liu Queensborough Community College Poster B81 Recently, Hansen and Scheinkman (2009) and Steve Student Reactions to the Implementation of Ross (2013) have shown applications of principal Problem-Based Learning: A Qualitative eigenvalues and eigenfunctions and its appropriate and Quantitative Review generalizations to recovering market beliefs from option prices. The main purpose of this project is to Ashley Torres show the uniqueness and calculate maximal dividend yields for financial portfolios under multiple driving state variables, by means of generalizing Ross' Mentor: Anissa Moody principal eigenvalue skills. Specifically, a financial Queensborough Community College portfolio typically pays dividend based on its value. We have shown that there is a unique portfolio that Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is a method of pays the maximum dividend rate while remaining teaching that enables students to engage in learning in solvent, under appropriate assumptions. We a collaborative environment actively. To date, few characterizes the maximum dividend yield and the studies investigate the impact of PBL in a community portfolio itself by the eigenfunction of a certain college context. This study examines the effect of second order partial differential equation. Then in implementing PBL exercises in Psychology 101 order to optimize the dividend yield, we analyze the courses, Fall 2018. Specifically, students’ reactions to some basic properties of eigenvalues of this PDE with participating in these courses requiring teamwork and the knowledge of Differential Equations. Moreover, deconstructing concepts organized within case studies. we develop an algorithm based on the preceding It is well documented that students learn at a deeper theory to calculate and simulate the portfolio paying level with PBL and increase their learning skills in the maximum dividend rate. general (Wiggins, Chiriac, Abbad, Pauli & Worrell,

2016). An analysis of Psychology 101 student learning outcomes identified the need for students to meet higher level learning goals. Using a phenomenological qualitative approach, this sub-study explores themes in observed behaviors to students’ reports of their responses to PBL.

The results showed that PBL did impact students’ engagement and motivation, while patterns of academic performance and learning readiness were more nuanced. Initial findings suggest that student perceptions of their skills, group behaviors, and

Poster B83 microspheres and preliminary results of the extraction of Methyl Orange dyes by the Investigating the Inorganic microspheres from the waste water will be complex/polymer of Rhodanine with presented. Palladium (II) and its role in the destruction of Azo Dyes Poster B84

Using Generating Function and Pole Sameen Zahra Analysis to Enhance the Learning of Dice Sums Mentor: Moni Chauhan Queensborough Community College Amy Zhang

The high quality conducting polymers with metal Mentor: Haishen Yao nanoparticles have interesting applications in Queensborough Community College catalysis, sensors, colored films and memory devices. In addition, these composite materials have In the real world, dice are polyhedral made of unique properties of electrical conductivity, plastic, wood, ivory, or other hard material. Each environmental and thermal stability, and protection face of the die is numbered, or marked in some way. against corrosion of metals in aqueous medium. Mathematically, we consider a die to be a random They behave as biosensors, have the ability to variable that takes on only finitely many distinct transfer electric changes and serve as immobilizing values. Usually, these values will constitute a set of matrices for biochemical reactions. In our recent positive integers 1, 2, ... , n in such cases, we will publication, we have reported a template free green refer to the die as n-sided. A die is rolled repeatedly synthesis of nano-micro spheres of polyrhodanine and summed. What can you say about the expected with Copper(II) salt. These Polyrhodanine number of rolls until the sum is greater than or equal nanospheres have positive charge localized over its backbone and can successfully degrade methyl to some given number x? In other words, we are orange dye to about 80% within 3 hrs. interested in expected time of rolls to hit or pass a given number. The mentee is expected to apply the Recently, we are investigating complexes of Pd(II) recursive method and generating function to give a with Rhodanine and studying their morphology via delicate analysis of the sum barriers by estimating Infra-red (IR) spectroscopy, SEM (Scanning order of convergence, and obtain a general Electron Microscopy) and TEM (Transmission asymptotic result. Moreover, technologies such as Electron Microscopy) analysis. The initial reaction MAPLE/MATLAB will be utilize to simulate the involves formation of black precipitate of rolling process. Rhodanine-Pd(II) complex and analysis via IR and UV-vis spectroscopy shows great resemblance to the complexes formed from Rhodanine and Cu(II). There is deprotonation of the amide group and coordination of nitrogen, sulfur and carbonyl group to the Pd(II) ion. SEM/TEM analysis displays spherical composite material and the microsphere are in the range of 20-200 nm. The Rhodanine Pd(II) complex after heating for more than 48 hrs does not show polymerization of Rhodanine to poly- Rhodanine. In this presentation, one pot synthesis and morphology of Pd(0) polyrhodanine

Poster B85 data on how sonic booms propagate in these environments. In order to determine the effects of a Sonic Boom Propagation in Urban sonic boom in a city, the resulting sound fields need Environments to be determined using numerical simulations. A successful implementation of this software currently exists, coded in the Fortran programming language. William Costa The original software is difficult for the user to implement and takes anywhere from several hours Mentor: Professor Kimberly Riegel to a week to run for simple geometry configurations. Queensborough Community College This project is working on porting the original code to the Python programming language. The goal of Supersonic flight capabilities have been available porting the software is to improve the user for decades, yet supersonic travel has been banned experience and to make the code more efficient and over the continental United States and many other easier to parallelize. The software has been ported countries. These bans cite excessive noise pollution to python and has produced similar results. The due to the sonic booms generated during flight. In current efforts aim to increase the user-friendliness the decades since, significant research has been of the software, primarily through the methods of conducted that determined that shaping the sonic environment generation. Currently, users can port boom via the aircraft design parameters can reduce any complex urban environment directly from its impact on people and their environments. readily available 3D Design software. This allows However the current unlawful nature of flyover users to easily design or use significantly more testing prevents researchers from acquiring valuable complex environments for simulations.