Umbc Review Journal of Undergraduate Research U M B C
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UMBC2014 UMBC REVIEW JOURNAL OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH U M B C © COPYRIGHT 2014 UNIVERSITY OF MAYLAND, BALTIMORE COUNTY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. EDITORS: DOMINICK DIMERCURIO II, VANESSA RUEDA, GAGAN SINGH DESIGNER: MORGAN MANTELL DESIGN ASSISTANT: DANIEL GROVE COVER PHOTOGRAPHER: KIT KEARNEY UMBC REVIEW JOURNAL OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH 2014 TABLE OF CONTENTS 11 ROBERT BURTON . ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING TREATMENT OF TETRACYCLINE ANTIBIOTICS IN WATER USING THE UV-H2O 2 PROCESS 31 JANE PAN . MATHEMATICS / COMPUTER SCIENCE LOSS OF METABOLIC OSCILLATIONS IN A MULTICELLULAR COMPUTATIONAL ISLET OF THE PANCREAS 55 JUSTIN CHANG & ANDREW COATES . BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES / MATHEMATICS MODELING THE EFFECTS OF CANONICAL AND ALTERNATIVE PATHWAYS ON INTRACELLULAR CALCIUM LEVELS IN MOUSE OLFACTORY SENSORY NEURONS 83 ISLEEN WRIDE . BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES THE COSTLY TRADE-OFF BETWEEN IMMUNE RESPONSE AND ENHANCED LIFESPAN IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER 99 LAUREN BUCCA . ENGLISH ST. CUTHBERT AND PILGRIMAGE 664-2012AD: THE HERITAGE OF THE PATRON SAINT OF NORTHUMBRIA 123 GRACE CALVIN . PSYCHOLOGY ACCULTURATION, PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING, AND PARENTING AMONG CHINESE IMMIGRANT FAMILIES 141 ABIGAIL FANARA . MEDIA & COMMUNICATION STUDIES A DIAMOND IS FOREVER: THE CREATION OF A TRADITION 163 LESLIE MCNAMARA . HISTORY “THE LAW WON OVER BIG MONEY”: TOM WATSON AND THE LEO FRANK CASE 181 KEVIN TRIPLETT . GENDER & WOMEN’S STUDIES OVERCOMING REPRODUCTIVE BARRIERS: MEMOIRS OF GAY FATHERHOOD 209 COMFORT UDAH . ENGLISH INSCRIBING THE POSTCOLONIAL SUBJECT: A STUDY ON NIGERIAN WOMEN EDITORS’ INTRODUCTION You have in your hands the fifteenth edition of The UMBC Review: Journal of Undergraduate Research. For a decade and a half, this journal has highlighted the creativity, dedication, and talent UMBC undergraduates possess across disciplines. The university has a commitment to its highly renown undergradu- ate research, and to that end the UMBC Review serves to pres- ent student papers in an academic and prestigious manner. The selections in this journal result from the rigorous scrutiny from professional, anonymous reviewers off-campus, some as close as College Park and others as far as China. UMBC provides undergraduates with many opportunities to succeed, opportunities that often remain with them after graduation, and the UMBC Review is one such opportunity. Each year, undergraduate researchers submit papers with significant findings to their field, accomplished research that they would like to share with their fellows, faculty, and family. Through the combined effort of student editors and designers, with the con- tinuous support of their faculty advisers, this journal selects and 2014 compiles several articles that best represent the diverse research performed on campus. We are pleased to present to you the ten articles in this issue: UMBC REVIEW 6 7 Robert Burton notes the pollutants of the antibiotic tetracycline in the water supply via its excretion in human urine. Through chemical techniques, Burton investigates UV-H2O2 treatment as EDITORS’ INTRODUCTION an effective measure to mitigate this environmental hazard. Through various computational methods, Jane Pan investigates the leading causes of oscillation death for the concentration of metabolites in a multicellular islet of the pancreas. In their interdisciplinary study, Justin Chang and Andrew Coates introduce a mathematical model of intracellular calcium levels in the olfactory sensory neurons of mice to explain their experimental data. Isleen Wride presents a correlational study between the ability to fight off disease and lifespan in fruit flies artificially selected for longevity and in a control. Her data ultimately support the life history theory, which indicates a tradeoff between immuno- competence and senescence. Lauren Bucca details her trip to England, where she followed the pilgrimage of Saint Cuthbert, the patron saint of Northum- bria. She uses interviews and folios to uncover the significance of the pilgrimage today and what people gain from pilgrimages. In her study, Grace Calvin explores the behavior of Chinese- American mothers and their way of raising their children in the United States. Abigail Fanara examines the tradition of giving diamond rings as engagement tokens by looking at the history of the diamond industry. Leslie McNamara considers the racial and religious undertones of the Leo Frank case, a court case that riveted the state of Georgia in 1913. Kevin Triplett explores the identity of fatherhood in gay men choosing to adopt or to conceive through surrogacy. He ex- plores two novels to arrive at a conclusion about this identity and its permutations. Comfort Udah analyses three novels written by Nigerian wom- en to find perspectives of class and gender issues as told from different points of view. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to thank the faculty mentor of each student au- thor for their support and their expertise toward the completion of each project. Each mentor guided their student in researching a topic, provided support throughout the process, and were gracious about adapting the writing into an interdisciplinary format: DR. REBECCA ADELMAN - Department of Media and Communication Studies DR. JONATHAN BELL - Department of Mathematics and Statistics DR. JESSICA BERMAN - Department of English DR. LEE BLANEY - Department of Chemical, Biochemical & Environmental Engineering DR. CHARISSA CHEAH - Department of Psychology DR. MATTHIAS GOBBERT - Department of Mathematics and Statistics DR. JEFF LEIPS - Department of Biological Sciences DR. WEIHONG LIN - Department of Biological Sciences DR. CAROLE MCCANN - Department of Gender and Women Studies DR. GAIL ORGELFINGER - Department of English DR. ANNE RUBIN - Department of History We are forever grateful to the reviewers who offered their time and expertise. These reviewers are peers from different institutions, and their comments guided the selection and editing process. For confidentiality purposes, these reviewers will remain anonymous. We recognize the help of those who so gracefully of- fered their time and input during the editing and proofreading process: CHRISTINE POWERS - Natural and Mathematical Sciences STEPHANIE LAZARUS - Human Relations AMANDA KNAPP - Undergraduate Education ANNE ROLAND - Public Policy TIM SPARKLIN - Research Administration ANDREA MCMILLEN - Natural and Mathematical Sciences 2014 NANCY MILLER - Academic and Pre-Professional Advising BRIAN SOUDERS - International Education Services TIM FORD - Illustrative Services; Biological Sciences JULIE CROSBY - Natural and Mathematical Sciences LISA BEALL - Undergraduate Education JANET MCGLYNN - Undergraduate Education UMBC REVIEW 8 9 We offer our gratitude to those committed to undergraduate research and provide funding for the UMBC Review: EDITORS’ INTRODUCTION Dr. Freeman Hrabowski The Office of Undergraduate Education The President’s Office The Provost’s Office Finally, the UMBC Review student editors and designers owe their thanks to their respective faculty adviser for their continu- ous input and support by dedicating their time and expertise in creating the journal: DR. SUSAN MCDONOUGH - Editing GUENET ABRAHAM - Designing It is our sincere hope that you enjoy this year’s edition of the UMBC Review. EDITORS DOMINICK DIMERCURIO II - Junior, Biological Sciences & Mathematics VANESSA RUEDA - Senior, English GAGAN SINGH - Senior, English ROBERT BURTON ROBERT BURTON Robert Burton is a junior Chemical Engineering Major in the Environmental Engineering Track, with expected graduation in May 2015. He has a particular interest in wastewater treat- ment. Robert has been active in Engineers without Borders and is currently the vice president of the UMBC Chapter. He is also a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Robert would like to thank the Office of Undergraduate Educa- tion for their support via the Undergraduate Research Award. He also would like to especially thank Dr. Lee Blaney for giving him the opportunity to work in his lab. Dr. Blaney’s advice and guidance with experimental design and analysis has been in- valuable. Robert would finally like to thank his family, lab mates, and friends for their support and guidance. TREATMENT OF TETRACYCLINE ANTIBIOTICS IN WATER USING THE UV-H2O2 PROCESS Protecting natural resources has long been significant to me. On my path to Eagle Scout, I gained an appreciation for the importance of the environment to human civilization, and this awareness kin- dled my pursuit of a career that designs systems to protect natural waterways from damage. In Dr. Lee Blaney’s environmental engi- neering lab, I was fortunate to be able to choose a research proj- ect at the intersection of my interests in agriculture, chemistry, and the environment. Pharmaceuticals, especially tetracycline, are an emerging contaminant in wastewater, contributed by both animal and human populations throughout the world. The purpose of my experiment was to decompose tetracycline into harmless compounds. A critical reason for this line of research is to mitigate the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant germs. This project studied the kinetics of tetracycline breakdown under ultraviolet light with varying amounts of hydrogen peroxide and with changes in the pH of the solution. We determined the rate constants of tetracycline degradation under ultraviolet light and the varying conditions. Rate constants that specify how fast a reaction occurs can be used to determine the time required to complete a reaction. This analysis will help wastewater treatment plants