UNDERGRADUATE SYMPOSIUM FOR SCHOLARLY & CREATIVE WORK

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Symposium Judging 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Friends Lecture Hall at Doheny Library (Judges only – closed to presenters and general public)

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

General Presentations, Exhibits, and Displays 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Trousdale Parkway

Awards Ceremony & Dinner Reception 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 pm Davidson Conference Center

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April 15, 2009

Dear Members of the USC Community:

It is my pleasure to welcome you to USC’s 11th Annual Undergraduate Symposium for Scholarly and Creative Work. The Symposium is designed to provide USC undergraduates with the unique opportunity to exhibit and share examples of their significant research, scholarly and creative work with the university community. Although the Symposium is modeled on a professional conference poster session, students may exhibit their work in a variety of ways, such as through posters, art exhibits, and electronic media. All undergraduates are encouraged to participate. An award ceremony recognizing the most outstanding works will take place at the end of the symposium and includes First Prize awards of $1000 and Second Prize awards of $500 in each of the following categories.

 Arts  Humanities  Social Sciences  Life Sciences  Physical Sciences, Mathematics & Engineering

A panel of distinguished faculty will judge submissions in each category. After the judging, you are cordially invited to attend the Award Ceremony at the Davidson Conference Center at 6:00 p.m. where the winners will be announced.

We hope you enjoy USC’s Undergraduate Symposium, which promises to be a highlight of the semester this year and in many years to come.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Garrett Vice President for Academic Planning and Budget

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The USC Undergraduate Symposium for Creative and Scholarly Work provides

undergraduates with the unique opportunity to exhibit and share examples of their

significant research and creativity with the university community. This year, we have received over 130 submissions with participation from over 160 students. Students

present work in a variety of ways, such as through poster/panel sessions, art exhibits, and

electronic media. All undergraduates are encouraged to participate. For some students,

the symposium serves as a culmination of work they have produced in partial fulfillment

of a senior honors project, or a research project with faculty, both individually and as part

of a program.

ACKOWLEDGEMENTS

On behalf of the Office of Undergraduate Programs and the Office of the Provost, we

graciously thank USC faculty judges for volunteering their time. The success of the

undergraduate symposium is largely due to the contribution of their expertise in the

judging process. We would like to give special thanks to the USC Trojan Knights for

their faithful service. Also, we would like to give thanks to the faculty advisors who have

sponsored students in this year’s Symposium. Your dedication to embrace teaching

through inquiry-based learning has made this event as successful as it has been. And

finally, we would like to express our gratitude to USC Stevens for their time, effort and

commitment to this special event.

THANK YOU!!!

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11th Annual Undergraduate Symposium for Scholarly and Creative Work

Table of Contents

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS ...... ii

LETTER FROM VICE PRESIDENT ELIZABETH GARRETT ...... iii

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT ...... iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS ...... v

ARTS ...... 1

HUMANITIES ...... 10

LIFE SCIENCES ...... 19

PHYSICAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING ...... 38

SOCIAL SCIENCES ...... 55

INDEX OF PARTICIPANTS ...... 70

INDEX OF PARTICIPANTS BY CATEGORY ...... 75

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have had to the man who hurt her. The song takes the listener on a journey through a simpler time when the couple shared an afternoon on the beach to the CATEGORY prolonged break-up in an Irish pub. In the verses the lyrics show the location and play to the senses. In the chorus the singer tells Arts the listener of her intentions of moving on. The piece is also an example of new media as it was completed using the music recording software, GarageBand, which broadens songwriters’ capabilities. The drum track was added to the song using GarageBand, while Cory Popovich performs the piano and vocal tracks. Music and lyrics to “I Knew” also written by Cory Popovich. §§§§

Category: Arts Category: Arts Name(s): Cory Popovich Name(s): Adrian MacDonald Submission Type: Individual Submission Type: Individual Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Carlos Rivera, Thornton School of Music Ken Lopez, Music Industry; Robert Waller, Format: Creative Work Writing Title: "I Knew" Format: Creative Work Abstract: Title: “Horsethief” from the debut album Music has always been a tool for expression “West” - By Adrian St. John and sometimes self-intervention. My Abstract: musical composition, “I Knew,” is both. “Horsethief” is a song/recording from upcoming album “West” by performing and Inspired by a lyrics workshop in my recording artist Adrian St. John. Horsethief Songwriting I course, I used certain and the remaining ten original songs that techniques that enhance the song’s comprise “West”, was composed, arranged, effectiveness in conveying the emotion of produced, performed and recorded by USC the piece. The song is based on a collection Music Industry Major Adrian St. John of real life experiences and some fictional MacDonald, or, Adrian St. John as she is elements, but the emotions used to tell the known on stage. Horsethief story of this one girl is universal. The singer quintessentially represents the folk and in the song sings a soulful ballad about her Americana influenced compositions that significant other ultimately proving that he exemplify Adrian St. John's affinity for is unfaithful in their relationship. Turning a animal mythology and symbolism, as well blind eye to her suspicions, the singer as the artist's unique blend of early admits that she knew the entire time that American musical influences and they were wrong for each other, and contemporary rock style. “West” will be breaks whatever connection she might independently released and distributed by

1 Adrian St. John on her birthday, June 24th Abstract: 2009. Unfortunately, cancer has touched everyone around the world in some way or §§§§ another. The prospect and eventual reality of hair loss for those who undergo Category: Arts chemotherapy is often a source of shame Name(s): Benjamin Brown and embarrassment. As someone who has Submission Type: Individual witnessed this process several times in my life, I feel the need to stop these feelings Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): and show how much beauty comes from Mason Cooley, Fine Arts being bald. Format: Creative Work Title: A Battle Through Time A bare white wig stand can be used as a Abstract: canvas to express one’s individuality, transforming a symbol of cancer’s side Man continues to innovate and discover, effects in to a piece of art. Instead of and takes these discoveries with him covering up one’s bald head with a wig, through the changing ages. And yet man these personalized wig stands was born with his instincts, and these do commemorate the elegance of a sleek bare not change despite his evolving figure. surroundings. Each wig stand is unique, and each stands One of these most basic instincts is power, proud and strong in the face of what may force, and dominance. Man seeks to come. They are inspired by cancer victims I expand and conquer. And with this comes have known and demonstrate the natural war between competing forces. With that, beauty of being proud to be bald. he who discovers the greater source of power will win the fight. §§§§ This piece is a depiction of a battle back through time, back before modern technology, where one's true strength Category: Arts prevailed to make him victorious. Name(s): Shannon Anderson Schnittker Submission Type: Individual Man's innovation brought him to this point Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): centuries ago, and so he has evolved since. Jeff Lengyel, School of Cinematic Arts This is yet another step through time in man's pursuit of discovery. Format: Creative Work Title: C o l o r s c a p e §§§§ Abstract: My intent with this piece is to explore the Category: Arts essence of how one human impulse can Name(s): Amy Shayne interact with the world and become Submission Type: Individual something tragically beautiful that was not in existence before. Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): James Brecher, Writing Format: Creative Work §§§§ Title: Beautifully Bare

2 Category: Arts know” the people first, then live amongst them, and then become disillusioned (to a Name(s): Tina Hovsepian degree). Group dynamics should also be Submission Type: Individual visible, as the series revisits people from Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): before; each new picture brings a new Doris Sung, Architecture degree of personality to them. Who’s Format: Creative Work present? Who’s missing? Title: Cardborigami Taken in Manhattan, Kansas. Population Abstract: approx. 50,000. 2009. Using cardboard as a readily available, cheap, recyclable, sustainable, self- §§§§ insulated, and structural material I created a portable, flexible, lightweight, and Category: Arts structural skin and enclosure. The immeasurable, or what I envisioned, was an Name(s): Elke Schnittker emergency housing shelter for the Submission Type: Individual homeless. I went through many material Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): studies of cardboard including stacking, Janek Dombrowa, Architecture carving, folding, cutting, and laminating. Format: Creative Work These endeavors led me to study origami. Using recycled cardboard and Velcro I was Title: Greensburg 'Natural Swim Park' able to mimic a traditional origami Abstract: structure at a human-inhabitable scale. My In 2007 Greensburg, Kansas lost 90% of father helped me build this project and I its built environment due to one of the have created diagrams that would teach largest Tornadoes ever recorded. Instead of any lay person how to build one of these abandoning their home for surrounding structures for themselves. Kansas towns, Greensburg citizens have committed to rebuilding their community §§§§ sustainably, and have gained international attention for their cause. Many Category: Arts components are needed for Greensburg to Name(s): Daniel Chen become functional again, one of the most important for a town of 800 people is a Submission Type: Individual place to foster/encourage community Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): events. Greensburg citizens want to rebuild Helen Kim, Fine Arts a progressive town that provides jobs, Format: Creative Work education and recreation to attract and Title: goodbye to the boys in the band retain a young generation of residents. Like Abstract: generations before, they want to leave a legacy for their grandchildren and serve as The idea of “the group” is a comforting an example for the midwestern towns of and empowering experience for its tomorrow. members, but time and stability can sometimes erode individuality and create a After visiting Greensburg and considering yearning for something else that must also the town goals, I designed a sustainable contend with the inclination to stick close recreation project. Most small Midwestern to those around you: contradictory towns have community swimming pools sentiments that send you in circles. that are used during the hot/humid summer months. Greensburg previously The pictures are arranged to “get to had a pool outside of town, I plan to bring

3 the popular activity back to the center of integrates the presence of the tourists town and use it as a multi-functional without disrupting the Iban lifestyles recreation element that would become the necessary for the functioning of their tribe. centerpiece of town; anchoring main street The spaces created allow for simultaneous and connecting pedestrian traffic across and integrated use by both groups and through to the other important allowing interaction and an exchange of landmarks of Greensburg. learning experiences. In addition, the structure itself is constructed sustainably Until the last 15 years, was no alternative from local bamboo and integrates to chemical pools in the urban seamlessly with the existing condition of environment, the sustainable alternative I the village. The Iban Visitor and Community designed in Greensburg is called an Center allows the Iban to reap the benefits ecological swimming pool that works with of tourism while continuing to advance nature to keep the chemical-free water their culture and tribal identity. clean at all times of the year. §§§§ §§§§ Category: Arts Category: Arts Name(s): Ciaran Vejby Name(s): Dustin Thorlakson Submission Type: Individual Submission Type: Individual Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Natalie Joseph, English James Steele, Architecture Format: Creative Work Format: Creative Work Title: Ishi's Legacy Title: Iban Visitor Community Center Abstract: Abstract: In 1911, the last known Yahi Indian walked The research and resulting design for this out of the wilderness and immediately project was conducted during the summer became an international sensation. Since of 2008 during a study abroad trip to his death in 1916, Ishi has become one of Southeast Asia. Through the USC School of the most written about Native American Architecture I travelled to Malaysia to work public figures in our history. However, not with a Universiti Malaya student on a until recently has the entire story been told. visitor's center for the Iban Tribe of Borneo. It was discovered in 1998 that although The tribe is struggling to maintain their Ishi's remains had been cremated by identity and cultural presence in today's anthropologists, his brain had been capitalistic society while exploring the removed and preserved. Thus began a opportunities existent in tourism. Today, fervant effort on the part of California the tribe extracts rubber from nearby trees Native Americans, University of California to sell in the major cities. This, however, is officials and advocates alike to repatriate difficult for the tribe since their villages are Ishi's remains. Through diligent reserach located hours upriver from any roads. The and conversation with Native American tribe is thus pursuing the opportunity of elders, Smithsonian repatriation officials allowing tourists to visit the villages as a and University of California experts, the type of ecological tourism project. story of Ishi's struggle can now be told in full. This documentary research project is The Iban asked the University Malaya, with an intensive labor of love and respect for aid from the USC School of Architecture, Ishi, one of California's most influential for help in designing a center for these figures. tourists. My design for the visitor's center

4 §§§§ the work, and idea of the artist. A painting is capable of guiding our attention in such Category: Arts a way that expands our encounter with reality into a more vivid, meaningful and Nicole Ferguson Name(s): coherent experience. Submission Type: Individual Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): §§§§ Dallas Willard, Philosophy Format: Creative Work Category: Arts Title: Knowledge and Art Name(s): Christopher (Chris) Kaye Abstract: Submission Type: Individual Twentieth century western philosophers Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Martin Buber and Henri Bergson describe Gary Macheel, Cinema - Production; Phil reality with an emphasis on that which Messina, Cinema - Production; Angelo exists beyond concepts and analysis. They Pacifici, Cinema - Production point out how analysis and representation Format: Creative Work alone do not lead to complete knowledge Title: Letter to the Unknown of any given object. They zoom in on this detail and expand it into the main focus Abstract: regarding our attempts to understand and This is a film that takes place in a world describe reality. We often fail to explain devoid of sound. The luxury of sound has away or fully clarify certain point in disappeared and has left this world analysis, and so these considerations about spiraling into despair, into depression, into knowledge are essential to our hell. I want the audience to experience this understanding of information and human world, to feel it, to know what such a experience. We see these ideas come to world might actually be like. For that life in areas such as consciousness, reason, the majority of the film will be near intelligence, and the mind. There is a silent. I hope that such a tactic will nonexpressible part of consciousness that immerse the audience in this world. That can be formed into concepts but that they too will be suffocated by it. No doubt cannot be recreated by such conceptions. this will be an uncomfortable experience. Art is one way to communicate this part of That is the point. This is not a world of thought and experience to which comfort. information and analysis do not have access. §§§§

Art is a unique form of communication in Category: Arts the way that it is both offered by its creator Name(s): Emily Yu and received by its viewer. Unlike Submission Type: Individual language, a painting is presented wholly and immediately. It asks the viewer to Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): actively participate in the formulation of its Ron Rizk, Fine Arts meaning. In viewing art, conceptual Format: Creative Work analysis (through history and information) Title: Maun: A Travelogue from Botswana must be partnered with an intuitive non- Abstract: dialogue. Our relationship to a work is With the award of the Summer both subjective and objective. These two Undergraduate Research Fund (SURF), I was perspectives interact with one another, able to conduct a month long research on allowing us to see that which exists beyond the effectiveness organized sports the art object itself, namely the subject of

5 programs as a means to reinforce healthy Abstract: core values linking conservation and An excerpt: environmental issues to personal, real life health and lifestyle decision-making in rural It sounded like mountains being torn apart. Botswana this past summer. In their At first it emerged as a simplistic, singular twenty years of research, Dr. Tico and tapping, like an unenthused Lesley McNutt have concluded that announcement of some forthcoming force; education is key to conservation. As such, I a noise so faint and assimilated into the took on the role of a conservation coach surrounding silence of the night that the for their second annual “Coaching for sheer abruptness of its realization Conservation Program”. We invited inherently questioned whether its existence approximately five hundred children from was unique or tied to a history that spans elementary schools to participate in our itself backwards into a topsy-turvy, timeless program. Utilizing innovative teaching frame of reference. It began more as a strategies, the conservation coaches taught feeling than an audible resonance, a fundamental conservation concepts psychological sensation turned physical like through group games and activities. Visual the cramping of a child’s stomach as he arts also played a key role in my experience. convinces himself that a killer lurks outside I was given the honor of designing and his bedroom door during his most executing a mural for a “Conservation vulnerable of hours. This feeling, like the Camp” constructed in manifestation of any emotion, existed Matshwane Elementary School. The beyond reason and outlived its catalyst. outdoor space is now used interchangeably Even once the initial sound disintegrated as a classroom and stage for teaching into the atmosphere, it could be felt conservation. Before visiting Botswana, growing and transforming within the conservation was only an intangible emptiness of the room until that emptiness concept. After witnessing the shrinking could no longer be explained as silence, natural habitat of wildlife and the dire but rather compared to the high pitch of living conditions of ordinary children in an old whistle or the full-bodied shrieks of Maun, conservation now resonates in my a new widow. And with the precisely equal everyday life. The experience gave me an amount of surprise and haste in which that intimate perspective on how art can immediate, independent tap swelled into a influence a community. It is my goal to use pseudo-metaphysical uproar, it vanished art to better improve and aid under- and the concept of quiet was utterly privileged and minority communities. To redefined. promote research, art, and volunteerism programs at USC, I created an illustrated book detailing my experiences in Botswana. §§§§

§§§§ Category: Arts Name(s): Douglas Mosher Category: Arts Submission Type: Individual Name(s): Richard Deutsch Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Submission Type: Individual Russell Ferrante, Jazz Studies; Alan Pasqua, Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Jazz Studies Robert Waller, Writing Format: Creative Work Format: Creative Work Title: Music For Martin Luther King, Jr. Title: Moving Mountains

6 Abstract: Abstract: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of the In this compilation of photographs and greatest orators of the 20th century and his poetry, the story of lost love unfolds. A girl speeches have helped shape American remembers their times together and apart. society. His commentary about race, brotherhood, equality, peace, and non- §§§§ violence are still as relevant today as ever. Many people, however, have heard very Category: Arts little of Dr. King's speeches. I have Name(s): Imran Shafi composed and recorded music to eight of Individual his speeches in an effort to add another Submission Type: dimension to his work. Through this I Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): found that there is a strong resemblance Robert Waller, Writing Program between music and speech. The first track Format: Creative Work on the CD, "Brighter Freedom," contains Title: Stroke Permanence five different speeches that set a tone of Abstract: urgency. I attempted to compose music that matched that urgency by paying White paper and black imaging of particular attention to the rhythm in Dr. information, to me, references and conveys King's delivery. The focus of the second a sense of the pure translation of composition, "A King," was to write music intellectual material. When one transfers that accentuated Dr. King's use of pitch, his thoughts on to the page, the page itself which he employs regularly to emphasize reflects that individual’s ideas and certain points. The piano chords and the sensibilities. In essence, the page becomes two tenor saxophones set a tonality under a physical representation of the unphysical, Dr. and this is the concept I was essentially King's emotional speech, which is the trying to tap into through my artwork. The melody. The last track is the 18 minute human associations integral with the color speech, "Been To The Mountain Top," the white—a blank canvas, a space devoid of last speech Dr. King gave. It is an important any matter, made it the perfect medium for and personal speech where Dr. King this art. I believe this reinforces my artistic simultaneously speaks of his philosophies value of the artist’s creative material being about on-violence and equality while also alone and without distractions. I often find summarizing his life. I wrote each section that in modern art, artists use so many of music to correspond to each section of materials and a variety of processes that Dr. King's speech while paying close the work to some degree is diminished in attention to his use of pitch and rhythm. all the noise. They use so many sources of material which makes the work more of a §§§§ craft, ultimately detracting from the artist’s intellectual translation. What I wanted to work on through this series was developing Category: Arts a type of purity, devoid of any external Name(s): Caroline Wong influence, removed from distracting Submission Type: Individual internal forces, and any conscious Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): references. The ink drawings I created are Dana Johnson, English and Creative Writing based on the idea that the unconscious stream of thoughts on the paper develop Format: Creative Work into its own form. Therefore, the finished Title: One for Love piece is never preplanned. The first stroke of the pen is the final stroke. From this

7 method I developed the title of this series Category: Arts as Stroke Permanence. Name(s): John (Burke) Mohan §§§§ Submission Type: Individual Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Category: Arts Mary Joan Negro, Theatre Name(s): Luke Kraman Format: Creative Work Submission Type: Individual Title: The First Angel Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Abstract: Virginia Kuhn, Ph.D., School of Cinematic A ghost comes into existence and questions Arts - Institute for Multimedia Literacy his creation and purpose. Format: Creative Work §§§§ Title: The American Perspective Abstract: Category: Arts The American Perspective is an intricate Name(s): Gehan Cooray Arasaratnam analysis of the various opinions on the Iraq War from Americans of diverse Submission Type: Individual demographics. The film medium is kinetic Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): typography –a type of animation Kathleen Berens, Writing Program combining text and motion. In terms of Format: Creative Work content, the interviews were selected from Title: V is for Virtue a larger project called “Talk to An Iraqi” Abstract: done by Haider Hamsa and later aired on Ira Glass’s Showtime Series “This American This collection of songs affirms the Life”. The subject of these interviews is the traditional Catholic belief that a man who Iraq War. I chose not to include any images remains a virgin is angelic and celestial, in this piece since the media has constantly while he who succumbs to sex is but a barraged us with photos from Iraq. I believe common, "mere mortal" so to speak. The due to this overload, we have become Council of Trent decreed that Virginity is desensitized to the statistics, stories and superior to Marriage, and that holding the images surrounding the Iraq War. The full opposite view was anathema. Considering scope of the meaning of these words has the fact that we live in a depraved era in sadly been taken away due to this over- which a man's sexual prowess is deemed exposure. Through kinetic typography, the the cornerstone of his masculine power, I film attempts to give back meaning to see these songs as my systematic attempt these words. As a result, this film not only to counter this utterly immoral point-of- comments on the Iraq War but also acts as view. I want to establish the fact that my an exploration of the film medium. Do you Masculine Chastity and Purity place me on need a visual image to have an emotional a pedestal that cannot be touched by men reaction? What is the true power of text? who are disposed towards having sex and satiating the "lower appetites". §§§§ §§§§

8 Category: Arts Name(s): Adam Perez Submission Type: Individual Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Cater Mull, Fine Arts Format: Creative Work Title: Watching from a distance Abstract: My project is rooted in the content of representation. I employ a journalistic aesthetic and complicate it by photography images that first glance provide menial information. I sequence 8 photos together creating a grid. The purpose of the grid is to bombard the viewer with visual. The subjects of my photos are women workers from a restaurant in Los Angeles, “Phillipes.” Through my images I hoped to convey an aura of sensibility and distance. The distance in my photos is also addressed by the spatial relations between the images. Thus, it asks the viewer to question their relationship with the piece and the people being represented. §§§§

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Category: Humanities Name(s): Jennifer Crawford CATEGORY Submission Type: Individual Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Humanities Lynn Swartz Dodd, Religion Format: Laboratory-based Research Title: Bringing the Past to Life: Recreating an Ancient Egyptian Gilding Technique Abstract: My research investigates the unique features of an Egyptian gilded bronze figurine located in the USC archaeology collection, focusing on the innovative techniques that were employed to achieve a gold layer that would last for at least Category: Humanities 2000 years. By analyzing the gilding Name(s): Helena Montes technique in a lab setting and attempting to recreate the object utilizing ancient Submission Type: Individual methods, I have gained a more thorough Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): understanding of this craft than has ever Carmen Silva-Corvalán, Spanish been possible before. Through my Format: Senior Honors Project collaboration with Getty conservation Title: Acquisition of Ser and Estar in scientists and a classically trained artist, I Bilinguals am contributing to the most detailed, Abstract: systematic study of gilding technology on bronze ever undertaken. This study addresses the central issue of crosslinguistic influence and acquisition Gilding refers to the application of a thin delay through a study of data from two layer of gold onto a less expensive material, Spanish-English bilingual siblings (1;5:8 to such as gesso, a white filler bound by an 3;6). The research more specifically focuses organic medium. A layer of gesso is on the acquisition and development of normally found on wooden artifacts, but Spanish ser and estar in the younger of the there are rare examples of gilded bronzes two siblings, Bren. His language production featuring a layer of gesso. is compared with that of his bilingual brother Nico, who has developed a more By systematically reconstructing the object balanced bilingualism due to the equality using the precise methods I discovered, I of input from adults. The questions am now able to fully appreciate the examined include how one language difficulty of the task that ancient craftsmen affects the other, whether the weaker achieved thousands of years ago. My language of a child differs from the research has identified a rare example of language of a balanced bilingual child, and the increasing sophistication of an Egyptian wether the child expresses ser and estar in craft technique and the transfer of ways that violate the rules of the Spanish technology between craft traditions. language. Egyptian craftspeople altered their gilding

10 methods through time. This raises periods. One of the trade beads was questions about the nature and identified to be made out of clamshell, organization of craft production in Egypt. which was a common material, used during In particular, my research shows that the the post mission period. Through the items techniques originally used for wood found in our trench we can hypothesize furniture gilding were adopted into the that Chumash trade continued among the realm of cultic statuary. original inhabitants into the post-mission period. §§§§ §§§§ Category: Humanities Name(s): Anna Fryxell, Alexandra Zigrang Category: Humanities Submission Type: Group Name(s): Christine Greer Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Submission Type: Individual Lynn Swartz Dodd, Religion Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Format: Field Research Lois Banner, History Title: Chumash Trade Beads - No Longer Format: Field Research Accepted at the Camarillo Outlets Title: Daddy's Girl Abstract: Abstract: The San Buenaventura Mission was the Over the summer and during the fall ninth California mission established in semester of 2007 I researched the media's order to convert the Chumash Native portrayal of father, daughter relationships American inhabitants of the Ventura area after World War II. My findings indicated and establish a permanent community. As that an eroticized father, daughter a result of modern attempts to expand relationship emerged as a result of their community, the city of Ventura has psychoanalytic emphasis on the Oedipal been subject to a number of excavations Complex and the emerging concerns of over the past 35 years. In the most recent mental health. However, the media incited excavation beginning in 1997, remnants of this sexualized relationship, which becomes the original mission orchard wall were evident throughout the literature and discovered. During the excavation an popular culture during this era. Because a inconsiderate employee moved the entire sexual portrayal of fathers and daughters in orchard wall material to a secondary site, the media became widespread, teenage thus destroying the original context and girls’ awareness of appropriate sexual stratigraphy of the site. Some of the objects behavior dissolved. Therefore, instances of discovered there as a result of this initial transgressing a non-intimate relationship excavation include Chumash trade beads, a could be masked. revolver, apothecary bottles, and small children’s marbles, however 99% of the §§§§ finds still remain in piles of dirt outside of the historical center in Ventura. In January 2009, the excavation was resumed on the secondary site by a USC led team. At the site, we were individually responsible for the complete excavation of one of five randomly selected 1x1 meter squares. In our trench we have discovered two different types of trading beads that were used during different historical

11 Category: Humanities Category: Humanities Name(s): Jacob Bongers Name(s): Aaron Muller, Jennifer Yee Submission Type: Individual Submission Type: Group Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Ran Boytner, Anthropology; Lynn Swartz Lynn Swartz Dodd, Religion Dodd, Religion Format: Laboratory-based Research Format: Laboratory-based Research Title: Khirbet Mazra’a: Virtual Archaeology Title: Illuminating Culture Clash: Material Abstract: Smashing in Northern Chile The Khirbet Mazra’a excavation was led by Abstract: a team of USC students, faculty, family, This research project aims to shed light on and students from other universities in the the incorporation of European products in summer of 1968. The village site, located Native American culture in the Andes one mile southeast of the Crusader port (South America) by analyzing the dispersion city of Tel Dor in Israel, was inhabited and consumption of European drinking during the late Roman, Byzantine, Arab, vessels in the Tarapaca Valley of Northern Crusader, Mamluk, and Ottoman periods: Chile. Hundreds of sites located in this around 1500 years on the same piece of valley have been identified containing land. The information gathered from the foreign bottles that show signs of “ritual fieldwork, such as stratigraphic, killing,” or the deliberate act of breaking architectural, and administrative records, artifacts. For the purposes of this project, I photographs, and ancient objects -- analyze six such artifacts. I utilize these including pottery shards, metals, pipes, and vessels as a means of understanding the other finds -- have been stored at USC impact of Spanish imperialism and colonial since the excavation forty one years ago. domination on the local, indigenous cultures of Northern Chile. By using micro Our research is centered on a virtual probe analysis on the bottles and deriving reconstruction of the site. The floor plans insights from the archaeological record, and walls were placed into Google historical accounts, and other literary Sketchup, a 3-D modeling program, in sources, I discuss how these vessels served order to create a probable reconstruction to initiate, establish, and perpetuate of the buildings excavated there. However, articulation and contact between the the floor plans only showed a portion of Spanish colonizers and the indigenous the buildings. In order to produce a more people. In addition, I realistic view of the previously assess whether there is any argument to unreconstructed buildings, the known floor be made for or against temporal continuity plans were compared to other of a cultural tradition involving the archaeological sites from the same time smashing of foreign containers in the period and culture. Where the floor plans Tarapaca Valley. My analysis of the look similar, the information, and introduction and consumption of foreign reconstructions, from those similar sites products is an essential foundation for my were used to paint a picture of how the examination of the indigenous cultural Khirbet Mazra’a buildings might have response to colonial contact in South stood. In addition to the reconstructions America for historical archaeologists. there is also a new website to showcase the project, previous student research on §§§§ the excavated material, an interview with the original archaeologist, USC Professor Dr. Gerald Larue, and an interactive alumni page.

12 §§§§ Category: Humanities Name(s): Sarah Butler, Lee Kraljev, Hannah Wong Category: Humanities Submission Type: Group Name(s): Naveed Khan Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Submission Type: Individual Lynn Swartz Dodd, Religion Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Format: Field Research Thomas Mack, Preventive Medicine Title: Native American Cultural Landscapes Format: Creative Work Abstract: Title: Life in the Third World: Health Care in Honduras Archaeological research is inherently data- driven and researchers studying ancient Abstract: Native American sites continue to suffer Located in the heart of Central America, inadequate documentation. As members of the Republic of Honduras has a population the Native American Cultural Landscapes of 7.7 million and half this population lives (NACL) project, we use an innovative, in poverty. The literacy rate of Honduras, multidimensional approach to preserving however, is 80%. Major infectious diseases and documenting sites that involves that affect the lives of the average “mobile light” images, a geographic Honduran include hepatitis A, diarrhea, information system (GIS) database, and malaria. The aforementioned diseases traditional literature research, and personal can all be cured and are preventable. interaction with local tribes. This research Nevertheless, the people of Honduras are constitutes a significant advance in the way unfortunate victims. archaeologists, tribes, and other interested parties approach the research and This piece of literature was originally a preservation of Native American culture. By journal entry that I wrote during my trip to linking mobile light images and information Honduras with the other members of USC regarding the ceremonial creation of rock Global Medical Brigades. As the group art to a GIS database of sites in their traveled on dirt roads to various villages to landscape, we generate a much more provide health care solutions to the dynamic tool for research, visualization, impoverished individuals of a developing and presentation. country, I learned numerous life lessons which are underscored in my journal entry. Dynamic images of significant Native In addition, I found happiness. I felt the joy American sites are available at the touch of of giving up the luxuries of living in a first- a button through the GIS database, which world country and putting myself in the makes it easier for preservation advocates shoes of people less fortunate than myself. to demonstrate that these sites are more I found satisfaction in assisting those in than simply boulders….they are complex desperate need of help. Most importantly, I ancient, often sacred, sites. Hence this realized how blessed I am with everything documentation and our GIS research that I have in my life. This journal entry is a improves heritage preservation prospects first-hand account of the most spectacular, while allowing new forms of research. eye-catching and miraculous occurrence of my life. This database is a sophisticated, innovative way of presenting information to diverse §§§§ research and preservation constituents. Mobile-light images capture the traces of ritual and ceremonial activity embedded in these sites. This GIS database creates a

13 means of exploring the ancient site in its his desired destiny, but only if he makes a relation to other sites and to views of the conscious decision to strive toward it. surrounding landscape, which is critical for understanding the ancient worldview. §§§§

§§§§ Category: Humanities Name(s): Ethan Freeburn, Christian Category: Humanities Maltbaek Name(s): Aubrey McClure Submission Type: Group Submission Type: Individual Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Lynn Swartz Dodd, Religion Margaret Rosenthal, Italian Format: Laboratory-based Research Format: Analytical Paper Title: Scarabs and Figurines of Tell al- Title: On the Dignity of Mankind: A Judaidah Testament to the Infinite Potential of Abstract: all Men The site of Tell-al Judaidah in southwestern Abstract: Turkey is located on a large trade route From the dark ages, man saw himself as a between the Mediterranean coast and being condemned by his sinful origins and inland Syria. Excavations were carried out in subject to the destructive power of his the 1930s by Robert Braidwood. The data carnal nature. Out of this darkness collected from the site now include store emerged the writings of Pico de Mirandola, rooms of artifacts, databases of a humanist that had a revolutionary view of information, and books of site plans. The man’s true nature and potential. Through data is vast, but important information is the use of syncretism to unify Christian and missing. Artifacts from the Judaidah ancient schools of thought, Mirandalo excavation are currently best viewed on a sought to prove that man was not a fallen database which compares columns of text being, but a man with infinite capability. in a way of organizing and reviewing the He discarded the common view of man— material. The goal of this project is to an individual forever tossed to and fro on provide images which organize the artifacts the winds of fortune and fate— and geographically, rather than by their created a vision of man vastly different attributes. The artifacts that we are from what had been held before— that is, specifically concentrating on are the a man in control of his destiny. A century numerous scarabs and figurines from Tell-al later, Moderate Fonte, in The Worth of Judaidah. We will create replicas of the Women, sought to use the Christian and Tell-al Judaidah site plans and then plot the ancient writings to elevate women to a artifacts in their respective locations. These plane of divine potential. This had a images will provide information at a glance dramatic and lasting impact on the power which would previously of the ultimate authority of the Renaissance take a great deal of research. Never before world—the Catholic Church—and would have people been able to view detailed have an enduring effect on all aspects of images of Judaidah artifacts while Renaissance society—from the artisans to simultaneously viewing object locations on the writers, the common man to the maps of the site. The information produced philosophers. The Oration on the Dignity of will show how the site was used from areas Man and The Worth of Women are as large as levels themselves, to specific exhortations from a myriad of voices from rooms in specific levels. This project will the dust for men, and women, to recognize plot out, specifically and visually, where their divine nature, for man truly can reach artifacts in Judaidah were found - an

14 invaluable tool for preserving the languages, such as the UNESCO Atlas or archaeological contexts for future Ethnologue catalogues. generations. §§§§ §§§§ Category: Humanities Category: Humanities Name(s): Christopher Johnson Name(s): Joseph Henderer Submission Type: Individual Submission Type: Individual Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Carmen Silva-Corvalán, Spanish and Andrew Simpson, Linguistics Portuguese Format: Field Research Format: Senior Honors Project Title: Southern California's Indigenous Title: Subject Position in the Speech of Languages: Documenting Our Spanish-English Bilinguals Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Abstract: Fight Against Language A study of the position of the grammatical Endangerment subject in the speech of two Spanish- Abstract: English bilingual siblings. The position of One of the world's languages disappears the subject in English declarative sentences every two weeks. is fixed preverbally; in Spanish, subjects may be preverbal or postverbal. The study This independent short film features examines the possible effects that the fixed linguistic research and documentation of preverbal position in English may have on endangered languages across Southern the Spanish of the bilinguals. The California. The initial purpose was to hypothesis examined is that bilinguals with expand on survey research published by lower proficiency in Spanish will place Leanne Hinton in “Flutes of Fire” (1994) as subjects preverbally in this language much to the actual number of native speakers more frequently than monolinguals or remaining, as well as language preservation Spanish-dominant bilinguals. This is efforts’ successes or failures, but this has expected as a consequence of influence been expanded to incorporate personal from the English pattern. The data for the experiences in the development of the study consists of transcriptions of audio ongoing project. Video and audio recordings of the children between the documentation of native speakers is ages of 3 years and 3 years 10 months. currently being conducted, providing the These data are analyzed both quantitatively field with high-quality linguistic data and qualitatively. The results lend some archives and the speech community with a support to the hypothesis: the sibling with means to document and preserve their a lower level of Spanish dominance places intangible cultural heritage for future subjects preverbally with a higher generations. frequency than the other child and than the adults who provide the Spanish input. This project may also prove useful to By contrast, English does not appear to be linguistic preservation efforts in the future, influenced by Spanish since both children heightening awareness of language loss place subjects only preverbally in this and providing insight on what best courses language. of action may be taken for each language. The information gained will prove valuable §§§§ to current efforts internationally to determine the status of endangered

15 Category: Humanities Category: Humanities Name(s): Rebekah Sick Name(s): Sarah Hawley Submission Type: Individual Submission Type: Individual Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Carmen Silva-Corvalán, Spanish Lynn Swartz Dodd, Religion Format: Senior Honors Project Format: Laboratory-based Research Title: Subject Use by Bilingual Spanish- Title: The Iconography of Empire: English Children Figurines from Tell al-Judaidah Abstract: Abstract: This project is based on a study of the This project, directed by Lynn Swartz Dodd expression of the grammatical subject in and supported by the University of the speech of two Spanish-English bilingual Chicago’s Oriental Institute, seeks to siblings. The subject in English sentences is uncover and publish information about expected to be expressed in all cases previously unknown figurines from a (except in coordinate sentences with significant Turkish archaeological site. identical subjects); in Spanish, subjects may be expressed or unexpressed. The study Tell al-Judaidah was excavated in the examines the possible effects that the 1930s, but the later half of the site material frequent subject expression in English may was never published. Only a portion of the have on the Spanish of the bilinguals. The 474 figurines found (a corpus of unusual hypothesis examined is that bilinguals with size) have been documented—the majority lower proficiency in Spanish will express have never been seen or analyzed by the subjects in this language much more archaeological community. This project, frequently than monolinguals or Spanish which will be published by the OI, compiles dominant bilinguals. This is expected as a information from written sources, original consequence of influence from the excavation records, and personal obligatory expression of subjects in English. observation. The publication will represent The data for the study consists of the first comprehensive documentation of transcriptions of audio recordings of the the figurine corpus, including an analysis of children between the ages of 3 years and 3 where the objects were found to determine years 10 months. These data are analyzed how the figurines were used, displayed, or both quantitatively and qualitatively. The deposited. results lend support to the hypothesis: the sibling with a lower level of Spanish This project will also contribute to dominance expresses the grammatical understanding a fascinating period of subject with a higher frequency than the history: the Greek confrontation with the other child and than the adults who Persians. Specifically, it tracks the changes provide the Spanish input. By contrast, in terracotta figurine production around English does not appear to be influenced the time of Alexander the Great’s triumph by Spanish since both children express all against the Persians. This was a period of obligatory subjects in this language. significant cultural change that dramatically affected people living in the region and set §§§§ the stage for the ascendancy of Greek culture across the Near East. The research details changes in material culture and links these changes to political history. Changes in the form of figurines and in the images represented reflect new traditions in craft production and ideology. These figurines

16 offer one way of tracing the impact of economic state of the Empire, only the regime change on the receiving society. public’s and senate’s view of their ruler.

§§§§ Our findings corroborate Mason Hammond’s article “Economic Stagnation Category: Humanities in the Early Empire” which traces specific Name(s): Cara Polisini, Nathanael Troupe signs of economic decline starting around the time of Nero. Submission Type: Group Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): §§§§ Lynn Swartz Dodd, Religion Format: Laboratory-based Research Category: Humanities Title: The Silver Lining: Roman Coin Name(s): Tara Norwood Composition as a Proxy for Submission Type: Individual Discerning Structural Economic Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Weakness in the Roman Empire Margaret Rosenthal, Italian Abstract: Format: Analytical Paper Our research is focused on Roman coin composition (purity versus debasement) as Title: Women Writers and Gender Roles a proxy for economic deficiencies in Abstract: imperial administrative structures. We The city of Venice, opportunely situated analyzed silver coins using X-ray along the Adriatic Sea at the trading Florescence to determine their metal crossroads of Europe and Asia, was a major composition. This analysis is a starting point commercial center during the Renaissance. for assigning the roots of administrative The influx of wealth from trade made decline to an earlier time period than is Venice one of the richest cities in the usually cited. We began research with an world. Paradoxically, prosperity adversely Alexandrian tetradrachm and a Hadrianic affected the freedom of women living in denarius. Roman economic historian Erik the city. In keeping with the mercantile Christiansen believes that Nero raided the spirit of the day, women in general were Alexandrian coinage for silver and regarded as commodities. The male- Chrstiansen points to poorly manufactured, dominated Venetian culture trafficked in debased coinage being produced by Nero the monetary and social value of virginity, at a time when money was desperately making chastity a marketable strategy for needed in the Empire. desirable marital alliances. As a result, women of all social groups were Our research uses the coins’ silver content, sequestered until marriage to maximize iconography, and production quality to their marital worth and also after marriage look at other economic factors in the to ensure the unadulterated continuation Empire, like sources for precious metals, of their husbands' hereditary line. the credit and debt system, and the cost of Renaissance wives were expected to be an overgrown government. Looking at a wholly dedicated to their husbands and small period of Roman history, Nero’s rule children, and they spent their time toiling through Hadrian’s, we are able to trace a in the home. And yet, some of them subtle but significant decline that shows managed to write and to publish their how the Roman Empire was becoming literary works even though they were unable to provide for all of its needs using encouraged to exemplify religious piety its given resources. While Hadrian is part of through the virtues of prudence, humility a group called “the 5 good emperors” this and silence in the public arena. The accolade does not take into account the confluence of these circumstances meant

17 that many noblewomen did not participate in the dramatic and otherwise positive progressive changes in sixteenth-century Italy which we associate with the renaissance period. Only one group of women escaped to some measure this subjugated condition. Courtesans of Venice were relatively free from the social and political constraints of the pious noble wife; courtesans were encouraged to educate themselves and to satisfy their spiritual and intellectual pursuit of a self-realized identity. Unfortunately, for this freedom, the courtesans traded their bodies to satisfy the physical desires of their clients. Although the Venetian courtesan and the wife led very different lives, they were nonetheless, both controlled by the gender ideologies of this period. The lives and literary production of these two different groups of women is the subject of my research project. I will explore both the secondary literature concerning noblewomen and courtesans, as well as the primary sources: which include their poems, dialogues, and letters published during their lifetime. I intend to compare how women of different social groups lived and involved themselves in intellectual pursuits during the Venetian Renaissance. My research will focus specifically on two female writers: the famous courtesan Veronica Franco and the middle class widower Modesta da Pozzo (aka Moderata Fonte). They were both proto-feminists who, in their writings, denounced the treatment of women from very different perspectives. §§§§

18 Developing knowledge of the molecular structure and its implications on the function of hPepT1 will elucidate the specificity and manner of its interaction CATEGORY with its substrates, which is of significant importance in the rational design of drugs and prodrugs for this transporter. The difficulty in elucidating the structure of Life hPepT1 is that being a transmembrane protein, it is not amenable to X-ray Sciences crystallography. Therefore, we attempt to derive its structure through a computer modeling approach in conjunction with site-directed mutagenesis. Previous studies have indicated that hPepT1 contains 12 transmembrane domains and a large extracellular loop between TM6 and TM7. We hypothesize that this loop plays an important role in the uptake of substrate, undergoing a conformational change from a helical loop to an extended loop to allow for an opening of an entry way for the substrate to enter the intracellular region. Category: Life Sciences Therefore, with site directed mutants and Name(s): Aisi Wu uptake studies, we can refine predicted Submission Type: Individual models of hPepT1. Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Daryl Davies, Clinical Pharmacy and §§§§ Pharmaceutical Economics & Policy Format: Laboratory-based Research Category: Life Sciences Title: A Structure-Function on Loop 6-7 of Name(s): Marlo Gawey the Human Intestinal Transporter Submission Type: Individual hPepT1 Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Abstract: Will Berelson, Earth Sciences (Geobiology) The dipeptide transporter protein hPepT1 is Format: Laboratory-based Research a transmembrane protein in the human Title: Aerobic and Anaerobic Respiration small intestine that transports protein Rates of Long Term Stationary Phase substrates, specificially di and tri peptides Microbes that result from protein digestion, from the lumen of the small intestine to the Abstract: bloodstream. A study of hPepT1 is of This project seeks to understand microbial particular interest in the pharmaceutical survivability under nature-simulating and field due to its broad substrate specificity, limiting conditions. Microbial life is the making it a promising candidate for oral most ancient and dominant life form on drug delivery. Existing drugs that have the planet. Microbes are adapted to demonstrated a dependence on hPepT1 for survive in almost any environment on earth, their uptake into the bloodstream are including deep sea sediments, and they cephalosporins, penicillins, bestatin, and play a crucial role in many biogeochemical prodrugs such as acyclovir and L-Dopa. cycles. Measuring the rates at which microbes consume or release chemicals into

19 their environment is important to cholesterol is implicated in the formation of understanding, modeling and predicting amyloid beta. The purpose of this study is these biogeochemical cycles. Microbial to determine the signaling functions of respiration, in particular, plays a crucial role amyloid beta and its role in cholesterol in both the nitrogen and carbon cycle. trafficking and homeostasis. Discovery of However, most laboratory research on the mechanisms by which amyloid beta microbial respiration rates is concerned regulates cholesterol homeostasis in exponentially growing cultures. The neurons may contribute significantly to majority of microbes in the environment understanding AD neuropathology as well survive under starvation conditions, or Long as lead to new candidates which may Term Stationary Phase. Rate of respiration reduce amyloid load and plaque burden in and growth in Long Term Stationary Phase vivo. We hypothesize that amyloid beta, microbes is not well known. The aim of the product of high membrane cholesterol, this project is to quantify the is the signal that initiates neuronal growth and rate of respiration of microbes metabolism and clearance of cholesterol in conditions that mimic real environments. thus leading to dysregulation of cholesterol I will analyze microbes in oxygen rich homeostasis. To environments, where they will consume test this hypothesis we plan to treat oxygen as the primary electron acceptor for neurons with increasing concentrations of respiration, and in anoxic environments, Ab for 24 hours and determine the where they will utilize nitrate as the primary changes in protein expression and we electron acceptor. I will perform this further plan to determine the age- analysis on three species- Escherichia coli, dependent changes of cholesterol Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 and homeostasis in an Ab overproducing mouse Marinobacter aquaeolei- during Long Term compared to an aging normal mouse. We Stationary Phase. found that amyloid beta dose-dependently increased cholesterol metabolism and efflux §§§§ while having minimal effects on cholesterol uptake in neurons. We further found that Category: Life Sciences the aging 3xTG mouse which overproduces Name(s): Adrian Pedroza amyloid beta with age dose-dependently increases cholesterol metabolism and efflux Submission Type: Individual with minimal effects on uptake. These Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): data suggest that amyloid functions as a Roberta Diaz-Brinton, Department of cholesterol metabolizing and clearing signal Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences in neurons. School of Pharmacy University of Southern California §§§§ Format: Laboratory-based Research Title: Amyloid Beta as a regulator of Category: Life Sciences cholesterol clearance and efflux Name(s): Brian Fowler Abstract: Submission Type: Individual Alzheimer’s Disease is a multifactorial Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): disorder that induces language impairment, Susan Forsburg, Molecular and cognitive dysfunction, and limits verbal Computational Biology comprehension and reasoning. The Format: Laboratory-based Research distinguishing hallmark of AD is the formation of senile plaques from the Title: Analysis of Hsk1 and Dfp1 Protein aggregation of the neurotoxic amyloid beta Interactions Using a Yeast Two- peptide. High neuronal membrane Hybrid Screen

20 Abstract: humans due to its many parallels with Schizosaccharomyces pombe proteins Hsk1 human biochemical pathways. Over just a and Dfp1 are equivalent to Cdc7 and Dbf1 few days, E. coli cell populations expand in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The Hsk1- exponentially during growth phase, but Dfp1 complex forms a protein kinase that is drastically decrease in number after essential for DNA replication initiation by reaching death phase until they reach a phosphorylating the MCM proteins, new cell population equilibrium. To date, replication checkpoint initiation, cohesion, the cause of the shift into death phase has alkylation damage response during S not been explained. However, by phase, and induction of meiotic dsDNA conditioning the growth media, the viability breaks. Dfp1 acts as the regulator for the and lifespan of cells during this shift can be complex and directs the activity of the manipulated. Specifically, the addition of catalytic subunit Hsk1. Though many of the ethanol, weak detergents, buffers and age- interaction partners of these two proteins conditioning can each delay the onset of are known there are still many possible death phase by prolonging stationary avenues for which this protein complex can phase. It was also found that filtered act within the yeast nucleus. To help media that has aged for five elucidate these possible interactions we will days while carrying cells provides the most be conducting a yeast two-hybrid screen favorable conditions for the growth and for the full-length and truncation mutants survival of new cells. This result implies of these two proteins. The proteins will be that a factor in the media must induce or screened against both vegetative and inhibit cell viability and growth and is more meiotic cDNA libraries. The goal is to active in some phases of the bacterial life ultimately gain a greater understanding of cycle than others. Ultimately, a greater the network of interactions occurring inside understanding of the effects of molecules of the S. pombe nucleus, especially as it in such media environments could explain pertains to DNA replication and damage the mechanistic cause of phenomena such response. as death phase and apoptosis and give insight into understanding human life §§§§ expectancy.

Category: Life Sciences §§§§ Name(s): Amy Hurwitz Category: Life Sciences Submission Type: Individual Name(s): Barbara Jenkins, Karlton Wong Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Submission Type: Group Steve Finkel, Computational and Molecular Biology Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Format: Laboratory-based Research Mike Jakowec, Neuroscience HSC; Brett Lund, Neurology; John Walsh, Gerontology Title: Bacterial Aging: the cause of death phase in E. coli Format: Laboratory-based Research Abstract: Title: CNS immune response to MPTP lesioning and the benefits of The study of human aging is an increasingly exercise in recovery prevalent topic as researchers attempt to understand mechanisms of cellular aging Abstract: and to explain the causes of death and The CNS, like the rest of the body, has its factors determining human life expectancy. own immune response to disease and The bacterium E. coli serves as an ideal injury, in the form of pro-inflammatory model organism for experiments relating to stimulations. The CNS immune response, which mostly comprises of activated

21 microglia and astrocytes, can act Category: Life Sciences beneficially by phagocytosing cellular Name(s): Dieuwertje (DJ) Kast debris, releasing neurotrophic factors, and synthesizing extracellular proteins. Submission Type: Individual However, previous research describes the Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): deleterious effects of the immune Suzanne Edmands, Biological Sciences response, mainly via the overstimulation of Format: Laboratory-based Research pro-inflammatory molecules that act as Title: Ecotoxicology study in the toxin neurotoxins. In Parkinson's disease, the sensitivity of divergent populations inflammation is characterized by microglia of the intertidal harpacticoid activation and reactive astrocytes that copepod Tigriopus californicus damages dopaminergic-neurons found mainly within the substantia nigra and Abstract: striatum. Microglia, which is the Copepods are crustacean invertebrates that predominant CNS immune cell, is expressed occur in almost every freshwater and in various phenotypes depending on its saltwater habitat on earth. The majority of microenvironment and can be categorized copepods are planktonic, while others are based on their CD45 expressions. While benthic or intertidal. One species of traditionally the activated microglia is harpacticoid copepod that lives in high tide usually associated with an pools along the western coast of North increase in MHC class II expression, this America, extending from Baja, California to study dissected the different microglia southeast Alaska, is Tigriopus californicus. subpopulations, distinguishing the different Unlike most marine organisms, this species roles of each microglia subset. By is unique because of its high genetic differentiating the function of individual structuring across its geographic range, microglia population, we would have a with limited gene flow/dispersal among better idea of treating the negative effects populations, indicating the potential for of inflammation, while sustaining the local adaptation. Because all populations benefits of the CNS immune response. In are subjected to regular and extreme this study, we analyzed the CNS immune fluctuations in environmental stressors due response in the MPTP-induced toxicity in to their specific inhabitance of supralittoral the C57Bl/6J mouse model of Parkinson's zone, they are not likely going to differ disease, specifically looking at the based on exposure to these variables. recruitment of different mononuclear cells However, due to T. californicus' abundance to the basal ganglia and their possible roles over a broad distance, it is potentially in repair and plasticity. Further, we differentially exposed to a range of other examined the therapeutic effects of environmental factors, name ly natural and exercise in improving the recovery of MPTP- anthropogenic toxins. For this study, lesioned areas, and its role in modulating individuals from a "clean" (Catalina) and the overall CNS immune response. "contaminated" (San Diego) site were collected and compared following exposure §§§§ to a range of chemicals at different concentrations. Fitness was measured via acute toxicity tests--96 hr LC50 mortality assays (concentration at which 50% died). The following toxic pollutants were used: copper, cadmium, TBTO, molinate, DDT and endosulfan. TBTO and endosulfan presented a significant difference between the survivorship of San Diego versus Catalina; San Diego dying at a higher

22 concentration then Catalina did. The tests conferred by the missing operon (as in on DDT, molinate, copper and cadmium rrnA, rrnD, and rrnB) while similar growth did not show the same pattern of patterns suggested greater dispensability of differential population sensitivity. the operon (rrnE and rrnH). Interestingly, while rrnC appeared the least dispensable, §§§§ the multiplex PCR-based strategy presently employed to compete all seven strains Category: Life Sciences simultaneously reveals rrnC to be the Name(s): Sara Kingston strongest competitor relative to the other strains. Submission Type: Individual Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): 4 Condon, C., Philips, J., Fu, Z., C. Squires, Steve Finkel, Molecular Biology C. 1992. Comparison of the expression of Format: Laboratory-based Research the seven ribosomal RNA operons in Title: Exploring the Nature of 7 rrn Escherichi coli. The EMBO Journal 11: Operons Through Their Effects on 4175-4185. Growth Rate and S §§§§ Abstract: A requirement for the functioning of all Category: Life Sciences organisms is the production of proteins for metabolic, catalytic, and biochemical Name(s): Kristie Wang functions in the body. Transcription of Submission Type: Individual specific genetic sequences results in Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): ribosomal translation which produces a John Walsh, Gerontology polypeptide that can reconfigure into a Format: Laboratory-based Research tertiary and quaternary structure specific for its encoded function. Ribosomes Title: Fast Scan Cyclic Voltammetry: themselves are complexes of both protein Studying Dopamine Release in the and ribosomal RNA transcribed from rRNA Brain operons, denoted as rrn operons. In Abstract: Escherichia coli, there are seven rrn Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is operons: rrnA, rrnB, rrnC, rrnD, rrnE, rrnG, essential for basal ganglia control of and rrnH. The predominant hypothesis movement with deficits in dopamine accounting for the presence of all 7 underlying the loss of movement seen in naturally occuring rrn operons relies on Parkinson’s disease. In my study, we increased levels of transcription to maintain explored the regulation of dopamine an rRNA quota that would confer an release by 1) autoreceptors for dopamine advantage in long-term survival. However, and 2) glutamate released by corticostriatal my experiment explores an alternative synapses. Data was obtained using a hypothesis in that the rRNA transcribed unique electrophysiological/electrochemical from different operons may be specific for technique for measuring dopamine release incorporation into ribosomes for specific from live rat and mouse striatal brain slices. functions.4 Therefore the presence of all The method, called fast scan cyclic 7 operons may allow the cell to better voltammetry (FSCV), measures synaptically adapt to growth conditions by producing released dopamine by measuring the flow genetically variant transcripts that would of current collected by a carbon fiber aid the cell in specific ways. Competing electrode. A specific voltage wave is the seven delta-1 strains against WT imposed upon the electrode that triggers a revealed pronounced differences in survival peak of oxidation for the neurotransmitter in WT that indicated a selective advantage dopamine. When dopamine is oxidized it

23 releases an electron and the carbon fiber cauterization followed by 2 hours exposure electrode detects the electron as a to 8% O2, or sham surgery followed by 2 “dopamine current”. A stimulating hours exposure to room air. On P8-P12, all electrode was positioned in the pups in three litters also underwent dopaminergic nigrostriatal pathway to isolation from dam and littermates release dopamine from synaptic terminals (Maternal Deprivation; MD) for 4 hours and a second electrode was placed in the daily. These treatments resulted in 4 cortex to see how corticostriatal glutamate experimental groups: Sham (n=8), HI (n= modulates the release of dopamine from 7), MD (n=11), and MD + HI (n= 9). the nigrostriatal terminals. We found clear Growth measurements were collected evidence of dopamine autoreceptor- daily, and behavioral tests were performed mediated decreases in dopamine release as at three developmental time points: well as glutamate-mediated changes, as postweaning (open field test), adolescence tested through the addition of CNQX, an (odor habituation), adulthood (elevated AMPA-glutamate receptor specific plus maze) . Repeated measures analyses antagonist, to the brain slices. showed reduced postnatal growth in HI +MD pups as compared to Shams. In §§§§ contrast, there were few differences in the behavioral performance of HI+MD rats as Category: Life Sciences compared to Shams at all ages tested. Our Name(s): Taylor Parks, Dustin Tetzl failure to detect performance deficits in HI+MD rats using standard behavioral tests Submission Type: Group shows that (1) there is a remarkable sparing Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): of function following early brain injury and Kathleen Burke, Center for Premature stress and (2) more sensitive and specific Infant Health and Development, Institute behavioral tests are needed to detect of Genetic Medicine, & Keck School of potential cognitive deficits in this animal Medicine; Jack Turman, Center for model. Premature Infant Health and Development, Institute for Genetic Medicine, & Keck §§§§ School of Medicine Format: Laboratory-based Research Category: Life Sciences Title: Growth and behavioral effects of Name(s): Amanda Compadre neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain Submission Type: Individual injury followed by maternal Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): deprivation Roberta Diaz-Brinton, Department of Abstract: Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences Perinatal brain injury is associated with School of Pharmacy University of Southern early growth deficits and long term California cognitive difficulties. Moreover, the effects Format: Laboratory-based Research of injury on developmental outcomes may Title: High membrane cholesterol, be exacerbated by early stressors such as activation of amyloid signaling postnatal separation from parents during hospitalization. In the present study we cascade; implication assessed the combined impact of brain Abstract: injury and severe stress (maternal Alzheimer’s disease is a multifactorial and deprivation) on rat growth and behavioral progressive neurodegenerative disease that development. On postnatal day (P) 7, one leads to short and long term memory loss half of the pups within each of 5 litters and a decrease in quality of life. Currently underwent right common carotid there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, and with

24 an increasing aging population AD poses a Category: Life Sciences large financial burden on the nation unless Name(s): Morgan Cross more effective treatments are determined. The hallmark of AD is the formation of Submission Type: Individual senile plaques (aggregated amyloid beta Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): (Ab) protein) which are neurotoxic. Ruth I Wood, Cell and Neurobiology Although the mechanisms underlying AD Format: Laboratory-based Research pathology are not completely understood, Title: High-Dose Testosterone Inhibits increasing evidence suggests that high pCREB in Mouse Brain intraneuronal cholesterol lipid rafts activate Abstract: -secretase and Ab production. The purpose of this study is to determine Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are cholesterol’s role in Ab production in vivo drugs of abuse, but their mechanism of and the regulation of neuronal cholesterol action within the brain is largely unknown. homeostasis. It was hypothesized that Many drugs of abuse act in the nucleus treating neurons with increasing levels of accumbens (Acb) to affect phosphorylation cholesterol would activate - of cyclic AMP response element binding secretase leading to an Ab producing protein (pCREB). Stimulants increase phenotype resulting in increased pCREB in Acb, while levels of pCREB cholesterol catabolism and that the decrease in response to opiates. To better overproducing Ab mouse (triple transgenic understand how AAS act in the brain, we 3xTG) would produce a similar phenotype. examined the effect of an acute To test this hypothesis we treated primary pharmacologic dose of testosterone on cortical neurons with increasing pCREB in brain regions that are androgen concentrations of cholesterol for 24 hours receptor dense or known to be involved in and determined the regulation of drug reinforcement. 10 male C57Bl/6 mice cholesterol efflux and metabolism and (n=5/group) received 1 mg/kg testosterone further determined these changes in the sc or an equivalent volume of aqueous 3xTG mouse (Overproduction of  vehicle. They were perfused 1 hour later. ) and the non transgenic mouse 40 μm coronal brain sections were (NTG). Increasing cholesterol dose- cut and stained for pCREB. Additional dependently increases cholesterol efflux sections were stained for Fos. Testosterone while decreasing cholesterol uptake and reduced both the number of pCREB- intraneuronal trafficking. These data positive neurons and mean staining suggest that cholesterol activates amyloid intensity compared to vehicle treatment, signaling and that -secretase but had no effect on Fos. In particular, the activation may regulate cholesterol uptake decrease of pCREB in Acb (1471±210 receptors as evidenced in the literature pCREB-positive cells after testosterone vs while simultaneously increasing metabolism 1911±128 with vehicle) resembles the and efflux. effects of opiates on Acb. Furthermore, reduced pCREB in Acb has been shown to §§§§ reduce dynorphin, the endogenous ligand of the kappa-opioid receptor (KOR) system. Activation of the KOR system is associated with dysphoria. A reduction in pCREB may alleviate dysphoria, thereby contributing to the reinforcing effect of AAS. §§§§

25 Category: Life Sciences §§§§ Name(s): Stephanie Hudiburgh Submission Type: Individual Category: Life Sciences Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Name(s): John Joseph, Negar Kahen, Samantha Butler, Biological Sciences Michael Mesa, Victoria Vuong Format: Laboratory-based Research Submission Type: Group Title: Investigating the Role of Smads in Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Commissural Neuron Specification Sergey Nuzhdin, Molecular and Cell Biology Abstract: Format: Laboratory-based Research As the spinal cord develops, diverse Title: Isolating novel genes that rescue populations of neurons arise from their loss of function mutation in l(2)gl undetermined precursors within the neural Abstract: tube. These different types of neurons Many human diseases such as Parkinson’s consistently form in separate and distinct and Alzheimer disease have been studied locations along a dorso-ventral axis and are using drosophila as model organism. Since specified by signals released from the roof Drosophila Lethal giant gene (l(2)gl) acts plate and floor plate. One class of signal just as a homolog for Human giant larvae-1 molecules, the Bone Morphogenetic (Hugl-1), we will use drosophila genome to Proteins, or BMPs, are released by the roof understand genes that have compensatory plate and have been shown to play an interactions. important role in defining different dorsal cell types, including the most dorsal The proposed research project will focus on population of cells known as commissural the Lethal Giant gene l(2)gl and other (C) neurons. BMPs act on C neuron genes that may participate in cancer progenitor cells by binding a BMP receptor pathway leading to formation of tumors. complex to initiate the Smad pathway. This cascade of second messenger signaling The goal of this research is to identify loci leads to the changes in transcriptional that interact with l(2)gl by combining regulation necessary for cell fate traditional approaches (QTL-mapping) and specification. cutting edge bioinformatics approaches (microarrays analysis). This work includes Despite our general understanding of the introgression of deficiencies in l(2)gl into Smad pathway, the importance of multiple out-bred genetic backgrounds in individual Smads in the BMP-mediated an experiment akin to mutation interaction specification of C neurons has not been genetic screens. Following introgression for established. To better understand the role five generations, we will extract DNA and of different Smads in this pathway, the RNA from the introgression lines as well as effect of disrupting the Smad-signaling has the original lines and hybridize the samples been investigated. The Smad pathway was to a whole genome Affymetrix microarray. disrupted through the overexpression of The DNA hybridization will identify all either Smad6 or Smad7, both of which are single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in inhibitory Smads believed to block BMP- the different lines. These SNPs will be our signaling. Smad7, but not Smad6, markers. The RNA hybridization will provide overexpression has been found to produce transcription levels for all of the expressed significant defects in cell fate, suggesting genes and will be our phenotypes. We will that these inhibitory proteins play different then use bioinformatics to connect the roles in the BMP-mediated specification of marker variation with the phenotypic C neurons. variation to identify novel interactions

26 between our introgressed areas and other neuron. Analysis of the injected neurons portions of the genome. demonstrated that the site of synaptic contact, the dendritic spines, decreased in §§§§ number after 3-NP poisoning and required 3 months to recover from this toxic event. Category: Life Sciences These changes all occurred at the synaptic Name(s): Jennifer Sasaki, Alexandra level without any evidence of cell death. Smith, Karlton Wong §§§§ Submission Type: Group Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Category: Life Sciences Mike Jakowec, Neuroscience HSC; Marta Name(s): Philip Vittozzi Wong Vuckovic, Neuroscience PhD candidate; John Walsh, Gerontology Submission Type: Individual Format: Laboratory-based Research Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Title: Lasting changes in the dendritic Mike Jakowec, Department of Neurology; spines of neurons caused by Giselle Petzinger, Department of chemical hypoxia Neurology; John Walsh, Davis School of Gerontology Abstract: Format: Laboratory-based Research Over the course of our research we studied the physiological and morhphological Title: Molecular Basis of Neurotoxicity in effects of chemical hypoxia created by an the Basal Ganglia injection of 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP), a Abstract: mitochondrial poison, in rats. A single, low The basal ganglia is important for normal dose injection of 3-NP had immediate and motor function. Diseases of the basal lasting consequences on the connections ganglia are common and lead to made between cortical and striatal neurons neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s in the rat. The first 24 hours post 3-NP disease and Huntington’s disease. These increased the level of corticostriatal two disorders share in common significant excitation, with the strength of this synapse impairment in motor function. The medium returning to normal by 48 hours. However, spiny neuron is the predominant cell in the over time there was clear evidence for a basal ganglia and in the caudate putamen decrease in signal strength occurring at this and its role is critical for normal motor synapse up to a month after the 3-NP function. The physiology and the function injection. Interestingly, the connections of the medium spiny neuron is dictated in recovered by 3 months post injection. turn by its relationship to the glutamatergic Synapse strength was evaluated by single system that consists of the glutamatergic cell, glass electrode intracellular recording. cortical striatal system, and its The electrodes also contained a molecule dysregulation is thought to underlie the called biocytin, which was injected into the motor impairment of both PD and HD. recorded cell. The tissue was then fixed in Both the MPTP and the 3NP animal model formaldehyde and the biocytin (a conjugate of PD and HD respectively have been of biotin and lysine) was located via a extremely valuable in helping us chemical reaction, which created a biotin- understand this dysregulation of the avidin complex (ABC reaction). The avidin glutamatergic cortical striatal system. Using molecule was also tagged with a the MPTP model the role of BDNF horseradish peroxidase molecule (HRP). The overexpression in modifying glutamatergic HRP served as a catalyst for reacting H2O2 dysregulation was examined using with diaminobenzidine, which formed a behavioral, neurophysiologic and molecular permanent dark label of the injected studies. Using the 3NP animal model the

27 effects of dopamine depletion on medium suggest that altered metabolic function spiny neuron function using contributes to growth deficits following neurophysiologic and molecular techniques neonatal rat HI injury during an important were performed. maturational period for neural circuitry related to homeostatic regulation. §§§§ Furthermore, these growth deficits are associated with a reduction in hippocampal Category: Life Sciences area, a brain region that has been Name(s): Hillary Gregg, Eric Rohman implicated in the regulation of consummatory behavior. Funding: CPIHD Submission Type: Group funds to JET. Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Jesus Dominguez, Biokinesiology and §§§§ Physical Therapy; Jack Turman, Biokinesiology & Physical Therapy Category: Life Sciences Format: Laboratory-based Research Name(s): Tiffanie Nham Title: Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain Submission Type: Individual injury impacts postnatal metabolism, Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): growth, and neural development in Arshad M Khan, Biological Sciences rats Abstract: Format: Laboratory-based Research There is an association between acute Title: Novel co-localization of phospho- growth deficits and poor ERK 1/2 with the hypocretin/orexin neurodevelopmental outcomes following system of the lateral hypothalamic neonatal hypoxic-ischemic (HI) brain injury. area (LHA) HI-induced growth deficits may result from Abstract: the disruption of feeding behaviors, neural Since its exclusive localization to the LHA, it regulatory centers, and/or dysregulation of is now known that neurons expressing metabolic processes. On P7, treated rats hypocretin/orexin (H/O) regulate (n=17) underwent a HI injury, shams (n=12) wakefulness, feeding, reward/stress, and underwent the same surgical procedure breathing. Given their widespread without cauterization or exposure to influence, our laboratory has recently hypoxia. On alternate days between P2-14, begun developing methodologies to track growth measures were recorded and H/O activation in vivo. Mitogen-activated metabolic parameters in individual pups protein (MAP) kinases of the ERK were examined. Rats were sacrificed on (extracellular signal-regulated protein P15 and gross histological examination was kinases 1 and 2) subfamily are involved in performed on brain sections. HI animals diverse biological functions but have not weighed less and had shorter snout-rump yet been observed in LHA neurons. (SR) and snout-crown (SC) lengths Therefore, I hypothesized that phospho- compared to shams (p<.01). There was a ERK1/2 may be a useful tracker of H/O significant day x condition interaction neuronal activation within the LHA. between groups on P14 (p<.01), with HI animals exhibiting higher VO2, VCO2, and Brain sections obtained histologically from energy expenditure values relative to eight adult male Sprague-Dawley rats shams. Analysis of the histological data receiving insulin (2 U/kg/ml) and four revealed that the right hippocampal and controls receiving saline were used for right cerebral hemisphere areas were single- and double-label significantly smaller than the left in the immunohistochemistry experiments. Briefly, injured animals (p<.05). Our findings I incubated brain sections with a goat

28 polyclonal H/O antibody and a rabbit these genes, I am isolating yeast strains phospho-ERK1/2 antibody to examine that are sensitive to both hydroxyurea (HU) phospho-ERK1/2 expression in H/O and thiabendazole (TBZ). These anti- neurons. Staining was analyzed under a proliferative agents arrest the cell cycle by Zeiss fluorescent microscope by tagging the interrupting two separate phases. HU anti-H/O with a red Cy3 fluorophore and functions by depleting the supply of the anti-phospho-ERK1/2 with a green nucleotides in the cell so that DNA streptavidin-Alexa 488 conjugate. replication cannot occur and the S phase arrests. TBZ functions as a spindle poison I observed elevated phospho-ERK1/2 levels and so disrupts the proper segregation of in suprafornical LHA neurons that also chromosomes during anaphase. stained robustly for H/O across control and hypoglycemic conditions. Moreover, I performed a genetic screen in which I dorsally and medially located LHA neurons mutagenized wild type S. pombe cells using appeared to demonstrate greater co- ultraviolet radiation that yielded 50% localization with phospho-ERK1/2 signal death of the initially plated colonies. The than more laterally located H/O neurons. surviving colonies were screened for both HU and TBZ sensitivity. Initially, 46 These findings demonstrate the presence candidates were identified in the primary and activation of phospho-ERK1/2 in the screen and analyzed more closely. Upon LHA, particularly its localization in a specific closer inspection, only 5 showed strong sub-group of H/O neurons. The high levels phenotypes. Currently, I am performing of phospho-ERK1/2 under both control and genetic analysis on these 5 mutant strains. hypoglycemic conditions suggest that other First, I am performing complementation temporal and stress factors may be testing to determine whether the amplifying phospho-ERK1/2 expression. mutations are dominant or recessive. Then I will carry out linkage analysis (recombination) to verify that both drug §§§§ sensitivity phenotypes are due to a single mutation. I will also cross them to one Category: Life Sciences another to determine how many different Name(s): Cara Bickers genes are represented by this collection of mutations. Submission Type: Individual Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): §§§§ Susan Forsburg, Biological Sciences Format: Laboratory-based Research Category: Life Sciences Title: Novel Mutants link DNA Replication Name(s): Miriam Lassiter and Centromere Function in the Submission Type: Individual Fission Yeast, Schizosaccharomyces Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): pombe Chong Pyo Choe, Center for Stem Cell and Abstract: Regenerative Medicine; Gage Crump, The centromere is a region on each Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative chromosome that connects it to the mitotic Medicine spindle, which will pull the duplicated Format: Laboratory-based Research chromosomes apart during mitosis. My hypothesis is that there are novel genes Title: Pharyngeal Pouch Development in that link chromosome segregation and Zebrafish centromere function to the replication of Abstract: the chromosomes. To isolate mutations in A deeper understanding of mechanisms

29 underlying facial structure development in Category: Life Sciences zebrafish will prove to be an invaluable tool Name(s): Darcy Ebentier, Nicole in the treatment of various genetic skeletal Hernandez, Brian Schneiderman defects and the regeneration of deformed or missing skeletal tissue caused by injury. Submission Type: Group Creating transgenics that label different Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): tissues with different colors allows the Robert Delgado, Anthropology & Biological visualization of interactions and migration Sciences patterns through fluorescent microscopy Format: Field Research and time-lapse imaging. These tissue- Title: Primate Surveys and Biological specific drivers also make it possible to alter Sampling in Northeastern Costa certain cell populations by ablation or Rica: Implications for Wildlife misexpression of genes to further study Conservation their roles. The goal of this project was to explore how endoderm develops into the Abstract: pharyngeal pouches, both at a molecular To evaluate the conservation status of level by studying specific receptors and species and act to minimize the loss of signaling transduction pathways, and also biodiversity, accurate and reliable data on at a cellular level by looking at how population abundance and habitat use are different tissues communicate and move in needed. We aimed 1) to determine the relation to each other. The receptor protein status of non-human primate populations tyrosine phosphatase LAR2 is expressed in in fragments of tropical lowland rainforest, the endoderm and may be a mode of 2) to collect vegetative data for describing communication between endoderm and forest structure and resource availability, mesoderm, facilitating pouch formation. and 3) to identify habitats of high Further suggesting this, LAR2 morpholino conservation value. For three sympatric injections done in this project showed species of Mesoamerican primates—black- skeletal defects in the HM plate and first- handed spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi), pouch formation. Communication roles black mantled howling monkeys (Alouatta between endoderm and mesoderm in palliata), and white-faced capuchins (Cebus pouch development was also studied due capucinus)—we conducted systematic line to their close proximity and similar transect surveys, collected behavioral data migration patterns during embryonic on ranging, feeding and habitat use, and development. Transgenic lines labeling the measured resource availability across three paraxial mesoderm were created by small and distinct forest fragments at La tagging a paraxial mesoderm-specific gene, Suerte Biological Field Station in fsta, to a blue fluorescent protein, cerulean Northeastern Costa Rica. Encounter rates and will be used for future experiments as and estimated densities tended to be a mesoderm marker and driver to further highest for all three species in the largest of study pouch development. the forest fragments surveyed. Across all fragments, capuchins were encountered §§§§ most frequently (3.51 ind/km), followed by howlers (2.79 ind/km) and then spider monkeys (1.24 ind/km), though the relative inactivity of howlers may have led to underestimating their abundance. Furthermore, there were significant differences in resource availability between the largest and smallest fragments, as measured by the average basal area of potential food tree species (t-test, p =

30 0.033), suggesting that local wildlife have shown that in the MPTP animal model conservation efforts should target of PD, exercise leads to an increased preserving the largest forest fragments expression of AMPA channel subunit GluR2 possible. and increased number of GluR2 positive cells. This study will further investigate §§§§ these findings using biotinylation to target the GluR2 surface receptor and determine Category: Life Sciences whether the changes in the levels of Name(s): Brandyn Castro protein expression occur at the level of the cell membrane. Submission Type: Individual Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): It is hypothesized that mice lesioned with Mike Jakowec, Neuroscience HSC; Giselle MPTP show a decrease in expression of Petzinger, Department of Neurology GluR2 receptors located on cell membrane Format: Laboratory-based Research as compared to controls. Exercise increases Title: Protein Receptor Trafficking of those levels in observing MPTP+exercise GluR2 in an Animal Model of mice. Parkinson’s Disease §§§§ Abstract: Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a debilitating Category: Life Sciences neurodegenerative disease affecting approximately 1 million people over the Name(s): Karli Herzog age of fifty in North America. The disease Submission Type: Individual leads to overall slowness in movements, Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): tremor, and walking difficulties due to cell Burt Jones, Marine Environmental Biology death in the substantia nigra pars Format: Laboratory-based Research compacta neurons of the brain, which produce the neurotransmitter dopamine. Title: Real-time optical detection of the This loss of dopamine leads to dysfunction Harmful Algal Bloom species Pseudo- of the movement control center of the nitzschia brain, called the basal ganglia. Abstract: Pseudo-nitzschia spp. is a phytoplankton Studies using the 1-methyl-4- species that is known to form blooms along phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) the Southern California coast that produces animal model of PD show that exercise may and often releases the harmful toxin change the way a parkinsonian brain Domoic Acid (DA) into the coastal ocean. compensates for the deficiency of While research has been done on Harmful dopamine. Exercise is thought to alleviate Algal Blooms (HAB) of Pseudo-nitzschia, in parkinsonian symptoms by increasing situ and real-time detection is limited to dopamine production and dopamine very complex instrumentation that is not targeted receptors in the remaining living commonly available. With this experiment, cells. Dopamine has the ability to influence a multidisciplinary approach was taken the glutamatergic system of the brain using both laboratory and fieldwork to which helps maintain long term depression. identify ways to track Pseudo-nitzschia One important role of dopamine in the blooms. Laboratory measurements of brain is to modulate the number, type, and spectral backscattering, chlorophyll and trafficking of glutamate receptors, causing Colored Dissolved Organic Material a normal firing rate of medium spiny (CDOM) fluorescence were done using neurons (MSNs) in the basal ganglia. Pseudo-nitzschia spp., and other local Immunocytochemisty and electrophysiology isolate algal cultures. The ratio of spectral

31 backscattering to chlorophyll of the domains in the action of ethanol. We Pseudo-nitzschia spp. proved to be 2-4 mutated single amino acids in the regions times higher than for other local species. In of interest to alanine because it is the February 2009, an underwater glider was smallest and most workable amino acid deployed in the San Pedro Shelf area, and expressed the mutated receptors in measuring different biogeochemical Xenopus oocytes. Using two-electrode parameters, including spectral voltage-clamp we tested the effects of backscattering, chlorophyll and CDOM ethanol (10-200mM) in mutant receptors. fluorescence. Parallel discrete water We found that mutating residues at sampling revealed the high abundances of positions 331 and 336 in the ectodomain Pseudo-nitzschia spp. and DA in the water region near the TM2 domain of P2X4Rs column. Laboratory findings and data significantly reduced ethanol inhibition. collected in the field were compared in Mutating the amino acids in positions 331 order to develop a more efficient and real- and 336 to non-polar significantly reduced time detection of the toxic Pseudo-nitzschia ethanol inhibition, while substituting both spp. the 331 and 336 amino acids with a polar residue did not alter the ethanol inhibition. §§§§ Taken together, our results suggest that physical-chemical properties of Asp331 Category: Life Sciences and Met336 are important determinants Name(s): Emma Freeman, Hannah for ethanol modulation in P2X4Rs. Mansky §§§§ Submission Type: Group Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Category: Life Sciences Daryl Davies, Molecular Pharmacology and Name(s): Joshua Lang Toxicology Submission Type: Individual Format: Laboratory-based Research Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Title: Sites of Ethanol Action in P2X4 Receptors Kenneth Nealson, Earth Sciences Abstract: Format: Laboratory-based Research Pharmacological strategies for alcoholism Title: Some Like it Cold: Microbial fuel cell treatment are presently limited by our applications using the cold loving understanding of how alcohol acts in the microbes Shewanella frigidimarina Central Nervous System on a molecular NCIMB 400 & Shewanella baltica level. One group of CNS receptors being OS155 studied is the P2X group of receptors, a Abstract: family of ligand-gated ion channels widely Bacteria of the genus Shewanella are distributed throughout the nervous system facultative anaerobes that possess some that are activated by extracellular adenine particularly fascinating characteristics triphosphate (ATP). Ethanol modulates including the ability to thrive in anaerobic P2XRs, however, sites of ethanol action in environments utilizing various substances P2XRs are not known. Recent findings as terminal electron acceptors. When the suggest that ectodomain regions from the Shewanellae transfer electrons onto a TM domains of P2XRs play an important metallic surface, it is then possible to utilize role in determining the action of ethanol. the electron gradient to generate The present study extends these findings to electricity. Thus from this researchers, another P2XR subtype, P2X4R, and including, Dr. Nealson at USC, have investigates the role of amino acids within become fascinated with the development the ectodomain region near the TM of MFCs powered by the Shewanella

32 bacteria. In my experiments I sought to Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute, explore the application of coldwater strains NPD1 is a molecule of current interest, of this bacterial genus in the fuel cell targeted as a possible anti-inflammatory apparatus. I selected two of the most therapy; as such, we have been working to robust cold-water strains including S. produce this molecule on a large scale. The frigidimarina NCIMB400 (which I will refer project is a collaborative effort — after to from here as FM) and S. baltica OS155 refining the techniques of total synthesis of (Bal). I ran the experiments first using NPD1, we hope to provide a significant lactate as the carbon source and then used quantity of the molecule to researchers at a more relevant carbon source N-acetyl Keck and LSU Medical Schools, who will glucosamine (NAG), a soluble derivative of test the molecule for potent therapeutic chitin, which is abundant in marine value. Clinical trials will reveal whether settings. Overall my experiments elucidated biosynthetic NPD1 is as effective a complex picture of cold-water fuel cells, in terminating inflammatory responses as demonstrating at least some potential its naturally-existing counterpart. If this capabilities for application. Both FM & Bal synthetic molecule does prove to have ran efficiently with lactate, and although similar resolving effects, it may be a means FM was the more robust strain aerobically, of mitigating the damage that results from Bal out performed FM in the fuel cell by many inflammatory responses. several orders of magnitude with comparable current production to §§§§ Shewanella oneidensis MR-1(the prototype strain). Using NAG was slightly more Category: Life Sciences complex and necessitates further Name(s): Diana Cholakian, Tara Matsuda exploration. Submission Type: Group §§§§ Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Biju Thomas, Opthamology Category: Life Sciences Format: Laboratory-based Research Name(s): Katherine Henry Title: The Effect of Retinal Degeneration Submission Type: Individual on the Morphology of Neurons in Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): the Superior Abstract: Nicos Petasis, Chemistry The effects of retinal degeneration (RD) on Format: Laboratory-based Research the morphology of the superior colliculus Title: Synthesis of Neuroprotectin D1: A (SC) are profound. We hypothesized that Future Therapy Against the retinal degeneration in 500-600 day Inflammatory Responses old rats would cause their neurons to look Abstract: morphologically different from their normal Much of the damage caused by various counterparts. Line 3 RD rats were bred to diseases, such as stroke, cancer, and age with retinal degeneration. By sagittaly Alzheimer’s, is due to the subsequent cross sectioning the right and left superior inflammatory responses that result from colliculi of (3?) normal rats and (5?) RD rats, them. Neuroprotectin D1 (NPD1) is a newly both which were 500-600 days old, we discovered DHA derivative found in neural obtained 18 sections total of 100 tissue which has been shown to play an micrometers each. Following this, we important role in mediating anti- analyzed each section under visual inflammatory and pro-resolution responses light/bright field images using a Nikon TI due to trauma. Previously synthesized for inverted light microscope. We then the first time in Dr. Petasis’s lab at the USC compared corresponding images from

33 normal and RD rats. Doing this, we saw a acetylcholine without opening a pore. This significant difference between normal SCs snail protein does not have the group of and RD SCs. There were specific changes hydrophilic amino acids that the nAChR in the number, density, and shapes of does. Our prediction, therefore, is that the neurons in the rat visual system. There was otherwise unfavorable existence of the also a difference in the size and neuron hydrophilic amino acids in the interior of density in the layers of the the nAChR makes the protein just flexible SC. These differences in the SC were enough to open and close its pore upon significant between normal and RD rats. binding of acetylcholine. In this project we Because of that, we have reason to believe studied the differences between the that retinal degeneration can alter neurons wildtype nAChR and a mutant nAChR in dramatically, causing the remaining which we replaced the hydrophilic residues neurons to over-compensate for the with the hydrophobic residues of the snail neurons that were left. A study of this protein to show that the wildtype is indeed kind, looking at rats of such old age, was just unstable enough to allow for the not found. opening of the ion channel. §§§§ §§§§

Category: Life Sciences Category: Life Sciences Name(s): Sonya Hanson Name(s): Melissa Brizuela, Reem Itani, Submission Type: Individual Christopher Suffridge Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Submission Type: Group Lin Chen, Biological Sciences Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Format: Laboratory-based Research Melvin Lyon, Biological Sciences; William Title: The Hydrophilic Core of the nAChR McClure, Biological Sciences Abstract: Format: Laboratory-based Research The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor Title: The Mozart Project (nAChR) is an ion channel that transmits Abstract: neuronal signals throughout the central Great works of music withstand the tests of nervous system. It is crucial to everyday time: they are still performed and lauded function, and is targeted in many diseases years and years after their creation. As such as myasthenia gravis, Alzheimer's, and technology improves, many find that those schizophrenia. When acetylcholine binds individuals that composed those works to the nAChR a pore opens and ions can were mentally troubled. For example, pass through the lipid membrane of a virtuoso Robert Schumann is known to neuron, propagating the neuronal signal. have suffered from bipolar disorder, Alexei In 2007, the Chen lab obtained a high Stanchinsky was a schizophrenic, and resolution crystal structure of the Wolfgang Mozart was thought to have had extracellular domain of one of the five Tourette’s Syndrome. With our experiment, subunits of the muscle nAChR, and found a we analyzed numerous musical pieces of peculiar water molecule embedded inside. both “sane” and mentally distressed The water molecule is stabilized by a couple composers to see if there was a correlation of hydrophilic residues that surround it. It with the predicted psychosis of the is unusual to find hydrophilic residues in composer and the number of recurring the interior of proteins because the folding time patterns within their works. The of that protein becomes less musical works were all chosen to be of the thermodynamically favorable. A snail same style, and were analyzed under a protein of similar structure binds standard tempo with temporal-behavioral

34 software THEME and statistical program potential in treating Huntington’s disease, SPSS. as well as other polyglutamine diseases. §§§§ §§§§

Category: Life Sciences Category: Life Sciences Name(s): Kevin Chang Name(s): Valerie Yuan Submission Type: Individual Submission Type: Individual Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Kelvin Davies, Gerontology; Gennady Valter Longo, (PhD), Gerontology Ermak, Gerontology Format: Laboratory-based Research Format: Senior Honors Project Title: The Roles of Oncogene Homolog Title: The RCAN1 Gene and its Protection Sch9 and Rev1 Polymerase in Age- Against Huntington's Disease Dependent Genomic Instability Abstract: Abstract: Huntington’s disease, a progressive Cancer is the second leading cause of neurodegenerative disease, is characterized death in the United States, accounting for by a trinucleotide repeat expansion of more nearly half a million deaths each year. than 30 glutamine codons, which results in Notably, the great majority of cancer a defective huntingtin protein that deaths are observed in patients above the accumulates in neurons, leading to age of 40, suggesting that aging is the neuronal death. Previous studies have major risk factor for cancer. Overwhelming demonstrated that phosphorylation of the evidence points to a central role for DNA mutant huntingtin protein has protective damage and mutations in cancer. effects against the Huntington’s disease. One way to promote the phophorylation of In previous research, Longo and colleagues the huntingtin protein is through the found that genomic instability was inhibition of the phosphatase calcineurin. increased by SCH9 over-expression and The RCAN1 gene family and its gene decreased in sch9Δ mutants, suggesting products present a highly-specific way of that there is a relationship between the inhibiting calcineurin in neurons affected oncogene homologs and age-dependent by Huntington’s disease. Previous studies spontaneous mutations, which is observed have shown that of the 3 isoforms of in both dividing and non-dividing cells. RCAN1, RCAN1-1L expression is diminished REV1, a gene that codes for an error-prone in brains of patients with Huntington’s polymerase of a translesion repair system, disease, and so RCAN1-1L was the isoform appears to be involved in the generation of we focused on. Using a mouse ST14A these mutations. striatal cell model for Huntinton’s disease, we have demonstrated that the Using Saccharmoyces cerevisiae yeast overexpression of RCAN1-1L can protect cultures as “test tube” models for aging against the toxic effects of mutant and cancer, the deletion of the REV1gene huntingtin protein. We have also in combination with long lived mutants demonstrated that increased levels of (sch9Δ) and transcription factors (eg. gisΔ) phosphorylated huntingtin protein via led to fewer DNA lesions such as point calcineurin inhibition is the most likely mutations (trp 1-289 reversions) as pathway through which this protective compared to the wild type strain. However, effect is manifested. These findings larger lesions such as gross chromosomal suggest the overexpression of the rearrangements (GCRs) occurred more RCAN1-1L isoform may have therapeutic frequently in REV1 deficient cells,

35 suggesting that with increasing age, the goal of this study was to investigate the

Rev1 polymerase is essential to preventing temporal effects of H2O2 exposure on life large DNA error mutations, but is largely span in Drosophila based on the circadian responsible for the increase in base rhythm. Our results demonstrated only substitutions. Therefore, both Sch9 and neutral or negative effects on male life the error-prone polymerase Rev1 appear to span. However, female life span was be responsible for age-dependent genomic extended when H2O2 was administered instability. only during the first ten days of life, or only during the dark period of the circadian §§§§ cycle. Our findings confirm the ability of

Category: Life Sciences H2O2 to extend life span and demonstrate Name(s): Sarah Takimoto its potential role in restoring normal daily fluctuations in oxidative processes to Individual Submission Type: counteract the mechanisms of aging. Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): John Tower, Molecular and Computational §§§§ Biology Category: Life Sciences Format: Laboratory-based Research Name(s): Cara Magnabosco Title: The Temporal Effects of Hydrogen Submission Type: Individual Peroxide Exposure on Life Span in Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Drosophila Douglas Capone, Biological Sciences Abstract: Format: Laboratory-based Research The accumulation of oxidative damage by Title: Utilization of methylphosphonate as reactive oxygen species (ROS) during aging a growth substrate for the nitrogen has provoked much speculation on a fixing marine cyanobacterium, possible aging mechanism. Studies have Trichodesmium demonstrated extended life span with over- Abstract: expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD) The earth’s atmosphere is a very abundant via a conditioning hormesis response that source of nitrogen (N2); however upregulates many metabolic-related genes. phytoplankton and other living organisms This response is theorized to proceed cannot utilize N2 until it has been “fixed” through a retrograde signal resulting from by diazotrophs. Throughout the nutrient- an increase in the product of SOD, H O 2 2 poor open ocean, the key player in (Curtis et al., 2007). H O is known to 2 2 nitrogen fixation is the marine cyanocteria function as a signaling molecule (Giorgio et Trichodesmium spp., which is responsible al., 2007), and it may be that SOD over- for supplying over half of the tropical expression and the resultant H O 2 2 ocean’s supply of nitrogen used in primary production is stimulating endogenous production. Uniquely, Trichodesmium is cellular signaling pathways. Moreover, capable of fixing nitrogen while performing recent work has suggested a link between photosynthesis making it an integral part of the processes of ROS detoxification and both the nitrogen and carbon budgets. circadian rhythms. The circadian clock is The dual roles that Trichodesmium plays in known to control the periodicity of many both nitrogen and carbon cycling makes it metabolic processes in Drosophila. an important and ideal model for Previous studies have demonstrated examining the constraints of nutrient rhythmic expression and activity of cycling throughout the marine system. redox-regulatory enzymes as well as daily Previously, phosphonates were not fluctuations in oxidative damage to lipids considered to be bioavailable to marine and DNA (Kondtratov, 2007). The primary

36 diazotrophs like Trichodesmium, yet recent exposure to ultra-violet light and is also research, like that of S.T. Dyhrman, has available in the diet, primarily from oily fish. identified phosphorus as a limiting nutrient It is metabolized in the liver to 25-hyroxy- and key element in nitrogen and carbon vitamin D; then further metabolized to its cycling performed by Trichodesmium. biologically active metabolite, 1, 25- However, the extent, pathway, and dihyroxy-vtamin D (1). diversity of Trichodesmium’s ability to utilize phosphonates has not been well Vitamin D supplementation might be characterized. Thus this experiment was important for the prevention and treatment meant to determine whether or not of tuberculosis. Patients with active TB who Trichodesmium is limited to growth on are vitamin D deficient might benefit form pure phosphonates or if, and to what vitamin D supplementation. Vitamin D extent, it can utilize other phosphorus supplements might also prevent persons containing compounds. with latent TB infection from progressive to active TB disease. §§§§ Out study will examine information Category: Life Sciences regarding the effects of vitamin Name(s): Karina Ledezma supplementation, diet and sun exposure on TB infected patients and their family Individual Submission Type: members. Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Brenda Jones, Department of Infectious §§§§ Diseases Format: Field Research Title: Vitamin D Deficiency in Tuberculosis Patients and their Family Members Abstract: Tuberculosis is a major global problem, responsible for two million deaths a year. In the preantibiotic era, vitamin D was used to treat tuberculosis, but gradually it became a discontinued therapy with the concern of Ultraviolet Radiation (UV light) and its effects on skin cancer. However, new information about the immunomodulatory properties of 1 alpha, 25, dihydroxy-vitamin D has rekindled interest in vitamin D as an adjunct to the treatment and prevention of tuberculosis. This a pilot study to determine the frequency of vitamin D deficiency in patients with tuberculosis (Tb) disease and latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). We are hoping find a relationship between the effects of vitamin D levels on TB infected patients, and therefore supply more vitamin D to the family members who are in contact with active TB patients.

Vitamin D is synthesized in the skin during

37 Forecast (UCERF) to end-users and the public at large through software development, animation, and digital archiving. CATEGORY The ability to communicate this new information was also facilitated by the production of this short, seven-minute film Physical illustrating the processes and interactions between each of the intern groups in Sciences & better communicating the content of the UCERF report. This short film depicts an in- depth look into how the UseIT interns Engineering played a central role in enabling and furthering scientific research and education relative to earthquakes. §§§§

Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Name(s): Juan Lora, Patrick McFaddin, Brittney Miller, Jorge Rodriguez, Jin Yoo Submission Type: Group Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Name(s): Andrew Whitesides Edward Rhodes, Physics and Astronomy Submission Type: Individual Format: Laboratory-based Research Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Title: An Investigation of the Quaking Sun During Different Levels of Solar Thomas Jordan, Professor Director of Activity Southern California Earthquake Center Abstract: Format: Creative Work This research project is a study of the Title: "The Grand Challenge" - structure and dynamics of the solar interior Documenting the SCEC UseIT through the measurement and analysis of Interns of 2008 the periodic oscillations of the photosphere Abstract: of the sun, caused by acoustic waves. One The Undergraduate Studies in Earthquake of our objectives has been to determine the Information Technology (UseIT), an relationship between changes in these internship program of the Southern oscillation frequencies and corresponding California Earthquake Center (SCEC), changes in the levels of solar activity during brings together a variety of undergraduate the eleven-year solar activity cycle. To students from around the nation in order research this question, we have been to help communicate earthquake science processing observations obtained in 1998, and risk reduction. Each summer, the UseIT 1999, and 2000 with the Michelson interns work in collaborative teams to Doppler Imager (MDI) instrument onboard tackle a scientific “Grand Challenge”. The the NASA/ESA SOHO spacecraft. Previous 2008 Grand Challenge presented was to results obtained by the group found an communicate the value and content of the unexpected signature of the frequency Uniform California Earthquake Rupture changes, and we are interested in

38 extending those results with data obtained over the entire network given a time between 1996 and 2001. During the horizon. When applying DCOP algorithms current semester, we have been employing to the robotic sensor network, we notice time series for which the missing data that the algorithms have different points had been replaced with estimated properties and perform optimally under data points using a gap-fitting technique different parameter settings. Some developed at Stanford University. We have algorithms perform better on certain graph generated sets of power spectra from 31 types (i.e. full, chain), with different different sets of 3-day time series, and then numbers of robots, and for different time fit all of the peaks contained within these horizons than others. spectra. Additionally, we have also fit all of these power spectra using both symmetric My goal is to apply machine learning and asymmetric profiles. Our plans now are techniques to mine information about the to inter-compare these different sets of nature of parameter spaces on our robotic frequencies and perform linear regression sensor network. Knowing about which analyses in which we will regress the algorithms perform better on different frequency differences upon the differences parameter spaces can help us do two in various activity indices. We hope to things. First, we can use learned determine if the slopes of these analyses information to predict which algorithm will fall midway between our 1996 and would be best to use on a new parameter 2001 results, and whether or not our use space. Second, we can construct hybrid of the gap-filling routine has resulted in algorithms that take into account the less-noisy analyses. situations in which each existing algorithm performs optimally. I have a couple such §§§§ hybrid algorithms in the work that show promise for beating the performance of the Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering even best DCOP algorithms on the robotic Name(s): Prateek Tandon sensor network problem today. Submission Type: Individual Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): §§§§ Milind Tambe, Computer Science Format: Laboratory-based Research Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Title: Applying Machine Learning Name(s): Meera Srinivasan Techniques to Problems on a Submission Type: Individual Robotic Sensor Network Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Abstract: Jihie Kim, USC Information Sciences My work focuses on applying machine Institute learning techniques to better solve Format: Analytical Paper Distributed Constraint Optimization Problems (DCOPs) on a robotic sensor Title: Assessment of Online Student network. A DCOP involves maximizing Discussions through Speech Acts global properties on a network of agents Analysis utilizing local constraints on agent pairs Abstract: and local actions. Many algorithms exist As web-enhanced and distance education that address solving the DCOP within approaches become increasingly integrated certain bounds. The test bed we have is a in engineering courses, discussion boards robotic sensor network of iCreates where offer a promising avenue for supporting the robots are utilizing local, small scale collaborative interaction and reflective movements to maximize the signal strength problem solving. However, existing systems

39 for on-line discussion are often not fully local helioseismology have been used to effective in promoting learning in produce the first subsurface flow maps undergraduate courses, and pedagogical during Solar Cycle 23. interventions can be necessary to keep collaborative discussions focused and Our project focuses on the measurements productive. Pedagogical Discourse is a of the meridional and zonal flow patterns study aimed at scaffolding and assessing at different depths during Solar Cycle 22. student interactions within online Our primary contribution lies in the discussion boards. We are working to investigation of a possible instrumental develop software tools that aim to support misalignment at the 60- Foot Solar Tower instructors handling many student requests at Mt. Wilson Observatory (MWO) and an and questions. Initial analysis of roles increase in capacity to process MWO and individual messages play in student SOHO Michelson Doppler Imager data. This discussion is currently done by human paper presents the analysis of the observed annotation of key cues and phrases, a misalignment of the MWO and flow process we aim to soon automate. patterns produced using corrected data. Annotating is done through speech acts, We have compared images taken during which define roles that a message plays the transition between Solar Cycle 22 and with respect to previous messages. This 23, to develop a difference in flows paper discusses the challenges that we between cycles and develop a correction currently face as we analyze discussions for the instrumental misalignment. and annotate common phrases. Our goal is to increase the accuracy of the §§§§ correction and number of flow maps for Solar Cycle 22. These results will allow us Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering to analyze solar internal flows back to the Name(s): Benedikt Riedel beginning of the MWO observations in 1988. Submission Type: Individual Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): §§§§ Edward Rhodes, Physics and Astronomy Format: Laboratory-based Research Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Title: Comparison of Solar Internal Name(s): Shelly Masuda Dynamics using Ground- and Space- Submission Type: Individual Based Observations Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Abstract: Massoud Pirbazari, Civil and Environmental One of the primary goals of modern solar Engineering physics is an improved understanding of Format: Laboratory-based Research the mechanism underlying the solar activity cycle, which is essential in order to develop Title: Comparison of the Biocatalytic improved methods for predicting solar Ability of Shewenella Strains in the activity. Solar ctivity is thought to originate Reduction of Hexavalent Chromium within the convection zone in the outer Abstract: interior of the sun. The generally-accepted This work explores the bioremediation of theoretical models of solar activity involve a hexavalent chromium in microbial fuel cells complicated interplay between zonal (East- (MFCs) with the evaluation of the West) and meridional (North-South) flows Shewanella genus as biocatalysts for the and vertical convection motions—the cathode. Recent studies have indicated that Dynamo Model. Within the past five years various Shewanella strains differ in power the tools of production when placed at the anode. In

40 previous MFC studies, employing MR-1 at near-miss accident was an absent Safety the anode required an inorganic catalyst to Culture within the utility organization. The drive the oxygen reduction reaction at the near accident at Davis-Besse had far cathode. The use of such catalysts, such as reaching implications in both plant culture platinum, is costly and limits the variety of and regulation. The reactor with a hole in electron acceptors that can be utilized. S. its head became the poster boy in the rally oneidensis MR-1 has been chosen for use which declared Safety Culture as a key at the anode because of its established role factor in overall organizational health. as an anodic biocatalyst. Evaluation of Safety Culture is often dismissed as a strains at the cathode included S. performance parameter because it cannot oneidensis MR-1, S. species MR4, S. species be readily measured or quantified. W3-18-1, S. species ANA3, S. lohica PV-4, However, in the midst of technological and S. amazonensis SB2B . Strains were advances that occur at the speed of light, it evaluated on relative power output and is critical that we remember who coulombic efficiencies as well as the continues to run and maintain technology. abilityto reduce Cr (VI) to low ppb levels. Human knowledge is fallible and human High performance liquid chromatography greed is pervasive. It is important that each was used to identify organics and is checked by an organizational system that metabolites produced in the anodic puts the safety of the public above all else. compartment while ion chromatography Luckily, it didn’t take an accident for the was used to quantify Cr (VI) levels in the Nuclear Industry to heighten their sensitivity cathodic supernatant. Additionally, electron to the reality of innate human fallibility—it micrographs of electrode surfaces show the only took an almost accident. efficiency of biomass attachment and biofilm growth. §§§§

§§§§ Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Name(s): Ashley Maker Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Submission Type: Individual Name(s): Leah Wickstrom Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Submission Type: Individual Andrea Armani, Chemical Engineering and Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Materials Science Najmedin Meshkati, Civil and Format: Laboratory-based Research Environmental Engineering Title: Design and Fabrication of Format: Analytical Paper Waveguide Sensors Title: David Besse 2002: Examining Safety Abstract: Culture in the Nuclear Energy Despite continuous advances in the medical Industry and pharmaceutical fields, an immense Abstract: need remains for biosensors – devices The U.S. Nuclear Energy Industry has been capable of accurate detection and analysis fortunate enough to only experience near- of biological and chemical analytes at miss accidents. Unfortunately, the two nanomolar concentrations. If made widely most prominent ones—Three Mile Island & available, biosensors could dramatically Davis-Besse—were completely preventable. improve medical research, food/water The incidents didn’t occur because of a supply monitoring, and the quality of technical foul up, but rather were the healthcare in developed and rural areas product of human error. At Davis-Besse worldwide. Unfortunately, existing Nuclear Plant located in Toledo, Ohio the biosensing methods have significant assignable cause of the second biggest disadvantages and limitations. Fluorescent-

41 based techniques require complex probes agents. Particularly, we’re interested in a and detection instrumentation which are diagnostic tool to test for the presence of not suitable for environments outside the vesicoureteral reflux, the improper flow of laboratory. Current optical waveguides urine from the bladder, through the ureter, lack the high interaction length and low to the kidneys. Vesicoureteral reflux can optical loss required for the high-sensitivity, cause kidney infection, scarring, renal low-detection limit measurements in failure, and the need for dialysis, kidney biological applications. transplant, or necesitate reimplantation of the ureter- ureteroneocystostomy. Between To overcome these problems, the Armani 200,000 and 400,000 children are group is utilizing silica’s inherently low diagnosed with vesicoureteral reflux every optical loss to develop a silica waveguide year in the U.S. The gold standard for with greater interaction length for diagnosis is the voiding cystourethrogram significantly improved sensitivity and (VCUG), which entails catheterization. detection limits. The development cycle of Catheterization is extremely traumatic for the silica waveguide has three major steps: children and their parents. This has led design, fabrication, and characterization. physicians to limit the number of diagnostic Simulations are used to design the size, tests that are given and to seek a non- configuration, and geometry of the invasive alternative. waveguide to optimize the interaction length and minimize optical loss. Various In an interdisciplinary collaborative effort to configurations, including linear, bent, and solve this issue, urologist Dr. Chang and spiral designs, are under investigation. The chemists Dr. Williams, Dr. Boz, and I are waveguides are fabricated on SiO2/Si synthesizing paramagnetic nanoparticles wafers using standard photolithographic that consist of a masked MRI contrast. We techniques. To characterize the loss of envision that the particle will enter the these devices, the waveguides will be blood stream and, through natural integrated with fiber v-grooves and excretion, arrive in the bladder. Once in the coupled to tunable lasers with wavelengths bladder, the MRI agent will be activated. ranging from the visible through the near- We are unaware of any current technology IR. We are currently in the process of that matches this description. Any backflow fabricating and characterizing the silica of urine will then be made evident through waveguides and will have more results in MRI. This diagnostic agent will allow the coming months. children with vesicoureteral reflux to be properly diagnosed and monitored in a §§§§ catheter free manner.

Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering §§§§ Name(s): Christine Epperson Submission Type: Individual Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Name(s): Ryan Berti Emine Boz, Postdoctoral Fellow; Andy Y Submission Type: Individual Chang, Pediatrics; Travis J. Williams, Locker Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Hydrocarbon Institute Thomas Jordan, Earthquake Center Format: Laboratory-based Research Format: Laboratory-based Research Title: Development of a Smart MRI Title: Earthquake Shake Velocity Contrast Agent for Pediatric Imaging Visualization Abstract: Abstract: We are developing “smart” MRI contrast Visualization of complex data has the ability

42 to convey large amounts of complex northernmmost California, has been the information simultaneously. This is the case site of 15 M>5.9 earthquakes since 1980, with earthquake visualizations where the the highest rate of large earthquakes in the process involved is daunting, yet the output lower 48 states. These earthquakes have is elegant and informational. occurred on a diverse array of faults which features five different fault orientations Supercomputers are used to calculate the within 100 km. Our study of the Gorda millions of vectors that represent deformation zone hinges on the hypothesis earthquake velocity over time, a process that an earthquake imparts changes in that would take a single processor stress to the surrounding crust which thousands of hours. These sets of files are increase or decrease the stress on nearby then displayed and updated on a timer to faults depending on their orientation, thus show the "shake" waves produced by an affecting the likelihood of nearby future earthquake. Screen shots are taken at every earthquakes. We calculate the distribution time step and strung together to produce of static stress changes imparted by each an informational video individual to an M>5.9 earthquake since 1980 and earthquake. determine whether they are correlated with the locations and focal mechanisms of The visualization of velocity data during an subsequent earthquakes. We find that this earthquake is informative on different correlation has occurred at a high rate for levels. To students it shows the magnitude earthquakes separated by less than one of an earthquake and the propagation of year: four of the fifteen M>5.9 earthquakes its "shake" velocity across a topography. occurred at locations where static stress To geologists, the visualization of "shake" was significantly increased by earthquakes data highlights contrasting regions of the less than one year prior. An additional earth's crust and their response to the three earthquakes occurred on faults which quake. To engineers, visualization of large were favored to rupture by an earthquake data sets is a matter of efficiency and can 11 years prior. We also find that a M=7.3 be preformed in many ways with differing earthquake in 1980 imparted a stress algorithms. To all, earthquakes are a decrease on all nearby left-lateral faults natural phenomena with the potential to which is consistent with an absence of do huge amounts of damage to our daily large earthquakes within 75 km for at least lives. The more we know about them, the 15 years. That earthquake also imparted better. stress increases on a fracture zone and subduction zone which are consistent with §§§§ increased seismicity rates on each.

Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering §§§§ Name(s): Chris Rollins Submission Type: Individual Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Name(s): Gabriel Inda Charles Sammis, Earth Sciences Submission Type: Individual Format: Analytical Paper Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Title: Earthquake triggering and Surya Prakash, Chemistry; Sergio Meth, interaction at a shear zone off Chemistry; George Olah, Chemistry Eureka, California Format: Laboratory-based Research Abstract: Title: Easy Synthesis of Pure Chiral The Gorda deformation zone, a region of Aminophosphonic Acids and tectonic shear off the coast of Derivatives

43 Abstract: model for cardiovascular research. The The main goal of this project is to find an zebrafish heart regenerates after 20% efficient synthetic route to the production ventricular amputation. However, of enantiomerically pure α- assessment of the physiological responses aminophosphonic acids and their during heart regeneration has been derivatives. In particular we would like to hampered by the small size of the heart find routes to fluorine containing and the necessity of conducting derivatives. These α-aminophosphonic experiments in an aqueous environment. acids and their derivatives have multiple We developed a methodology to monitor a applications, many of which are in the real-time surface electrocardiogram (ECG) biological field. The phosphonic acid group by the use of microelectrodes, signal serves as a good transition state analog for amplification, and a low pass-filter at a several enzymes, meaning that these sampling rate of 1 KHz. Wavelet transform compounds could serve as effective was used to further remove ambient inhibitors. There is also evidence that they noises. Rather than paralyzing the fish, we are effective as antibiotic agents. One of performed mild sedation by placing the fish the secondary goals of this project is to in a water bath mixed with MS-222 (tricane create catalytic antibodies for the synthesis methanesulfonate). We recorded distinct P of these compounds by injecting these waves for atrial contraction, QRS complexes compounds into living biological specimens for ventricular depolarization, and QT and recovering the products (catalytic intervals for ventricular repolarization prior antibodies) of their immune responses. to, and 2 and 4 days post amputation (dpa). Sedation reduced the mean fish As of right now we are researching heart rate from 149±18 to 90±17 synthetic techniques in the literature and beats/min. The PR and QRS intervals either combining certain aspects from remained unchanged in response to different procedures or modifying existing ventricular apical amputation (n=6, P > procedures in order to come up with 0.05). Corrected QT intervals (QTc) were efficient synthetic routes. We hope to be shortened 4 dpa (n=6, P < 0.05). In a able to find an efficient, low cost synthetic parallel study, histology revealed that apical route to enantiomerically pure compounds thrombi were replaced with fibrin clots and to create a library that will be available for collagen fibers. Atrial arrhythmia was noted biological and pharmaceutical tests. in response to prolonged sedation. Unlike the human counterpart, ventricular §§§§ tachycardia or fibrillation was not observed in response to ventricular amputation 2 and Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering 4 dpa. Taken together, we demonstrated a Name(s): Elizabeth Parks minimally invasive methodology to monitor zebrafish heart function, electrical activities, Submission Type: Individual and regeneration in real-time. Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Tzung Hsiai, Biomedical Engineering & §§§§ Cardiovascular Medicine Format: Title: Electrocardiograms to Study Post- Ventricular Amputation of Zebrafish Heart Abstract: The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is an emerging

44 Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Name(s): Harris Talsky Name(s): Holly MacGillivray Submission Type: Individual Submission Type: Individual Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Douglas Hammond, Earth Sciences Scott Paterson, Earth Sciences Format: Laboratory-based Research Format: Senior Honors Project Title: Emanation Rates of Radon and Title: Examination of a volcanic-plutonic Radium from Coastal Sands: A tool contact in a magmatic arc crustal for estimating seawater circulation section rates through permeable sediments Abstract: Abstract: Much of Mongolian geology represents a Naturally occurring radon and radium are large collage of collided crustal and oceanic useful tracers for determining mixing rates fragments, called the Central Asian in coastal waters, if their release rate from Orogenic Belt. In the remote southwestern coastal sands can be defined. The corner of Mongolia, the Gobi Tienshan mechanism releasing most radon and Intrusive Complex (GTIC), one of these radium is recoil of the isotope during the collided fragments, represents a tilted alpha decay of the parent, often called magmatic arc crustal section from the emanation. My objectives were to (1) paleo-surface to 12 km depth. I focused measure emanation rates for 222Rn, on mapping the surface volcanic sequence 223Ra, and 224Ra, (2) determine their and sub-volcanic plutons in this section and efficiencies of emanation (emanation examined samples collected along transects rate/total production), and (3) evaluate across their contact believed to be an reasons for differences in efficiencies. My intrusive relationship along the eastern findings indicate the measured efficiencies contact and a gradational relationship in for these sands to be 2-10%. The grain size and composition along the variations in efficiencies are due to complex southern contact. Two main subvolcanic factors. First, 223Ra emanation efficiency rock types are rapikivi porphyries and K- is greater than that of 222Rn. This is most feldspar rich syenogranites. The likely due to the chemistry and half-life of syenogranite was compositionally similar, the parent isotopes. In the 238U decay but displayed grain characteristics that chain intermediate isotopes are somewhat implied a faster cooling period which is soluble and are lost before 222Rn is consistent with their structural concordance produced by alpha decay, whereas for the with the adjacent volcanics. Similar 235U decay chain producing 223Ra, the compositions over a range of grain size intermediate isotopes are virtually suggest similar source magmas of both the insoluble. The loss of intermediates leaves subvolcanics and some volcanics. Whole relatively less of the 222Rn parent available rock geochemical analyses displayed that to cause emanation. Second, 224Ra the volcanic unit has multiple sources over emanation efficiency is comparable to that time, including, but not limited to, the of 222Rn, as predicted from simple recoil currently exposed subvolcanic chamber. models. Finally, it is likely that grain size However, rare earth element patterns plays a role in emanation efficiency of all display similarities between the sub- isotopes, which will be a topic for future volcanic and volcanic units, possibly research. indicating a geochemical filtering process in the subvolcanic system which may have §§§§ implications for the conceived impact of subvolcanic chamber processes on volcanic geochemistry. Isotopic data shows us that

45 crustal sources are tapped throughout the by injecting varying fractional flows of IC8 complex including the subvolcanics and (non-wetting “CO2” phase) and brine volcanics, providing evidence for a (wetting phase). From this, the relative continental margin tectonic setting for the permeabilities will be determined. GTIC. Concurrently, the saturation profiles are being investigated using resistivity §§§§ measurements along the column. Next, the effects of capillary pressure and capillary Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering trapping will be investigated. Name(s): Meredith Hankins Submission Type: Individual The goal of this research is to contribute to

Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): a better understanding of CO2 immobilization in saline aquifers by Kristian Jessen, Mork Family Department experimentally confirming counter-current of Chemical Engineering and Materials simulations. Science Format: Laboratory-based Research §§§§ Title: Experimental Investigation of Non- Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Wetting Phase Entrapment In Name(s): Joseph Lubinski, Kedar Naik Counter-Current Subsurface Flows Submission Type: Group Abstract: Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): As the effects of CO2 emissions on global warming have become better understood, Tait Pottebaum, Aerospace and efforts have been made to capture Mechanical Engineering emissions from point sources, such as coal- Format: Laboratory-based Research

fired power plants, and “trap” the CO2 Title: Heat Transfer from a Cylinder below-ground, in saline aquifers. Although undergoing Streamwise Oscillations computer simulations are routinely in a Cross-flow performed to estimate how much CO can 2 Abstract: be immobilized in aquifers, many of the Cross-flow heat exchangers are widely existing simulations assume co-current used in heating and cooling applications. flow, when the injection of CO into an 2 These devices are comprised of long tubes aquifer should actually result in counter- embedded in a moving fluid. Though current flow, as buoyancy causes the CO 2 designed to remain steady, unanticipated to move upwards. Accordingly, external forces often cause the tubes to experimental observations are needed to experience some type of oscillatory motion. ensure that the simulations are accurate. The resulting heat transfer within the heat exchanger is different from its design In order to validate the counter-current intent. Indeed, fully understanding the computer simulations being run by a physics behind the heat loss from a cylinder graduate student in the department, a will allow more efficient heat exchangers, column was designed and built for which either dampen this oscillation or take experimentation. First, the absolute advantage of it, to be engineered. permeability and porosity of the bead packs was determined. Next, iso-octane (IC , 8 To reduce the scope of this multifaceted used as a substitute for CO ) and brine 2 problem, the goal of the present study was were injected into the glass beads in order limited to exploring the effects of to mimic more closely the actual subsurface streamwise oscillations (parallel to the conditions of a saline aquifer. Imbibition and freestream) on the heat transfer from a drainage curves are now being created

46 cylinder. materials due to its high dielectric constant

and SrTiO3 is often mixed with BaTiO3 to

A set of experiments was conducted to create Ba1-xSrxTiO3; varying the Ba:Sr ratio investigate the effects of streamwise can tune dielectric properties. oscillations on the heat transfer from a cylinder in a cross-flow. The study was A low-temperature synthesis of BaTiO3 performed in a heat transfer water tunnel nanocrystals has recently been discovered using a Reynolds number of 747. The which produces well-defined, 6-nm convective coefficient of heat transfer was nanocrystals of BaTiO3 at room calculated for 77 distinct oscillation temperature through the vapor diffusion conditions. Notable enhancements in heat of water into a BaTi(O2C4H9)6 solution. transfer were observed while driving the Hydrolysis at the vapor-solution interface cylinder at the Strouhal frequency and its leads to nucleation and nanocrystal second harmonic. A dependence on the growth. We have extended this approach amplitude of oscillation was seen as well. to SrTiO3 nanocrystal synthesis, and have The experimental results were discussed produced well-defined 6-nm nanocrystals and used to make recommendations for of both SrTiO3 and Ba1-xSrxTiO3 at 80 ˚C. future study, with specific attention given Dielectric measurements of the solid to considerations of peculiarities in the solutions are currently in progress. wake structure. Our work has also been applied to the §§§§ production of BaTiO3-polyimide nanocomposites for high-power density Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering thin film capacitors. The BaTiO3 Name(s): Marie Anne Cuevas nanocrystals were surface-functionalized Submission Type: Individual with n-hexylphosphonic acid to improve Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): dispersability in the polymer matrix. Preliminary data shows that the dielectric Richard Brutchey, Jr., Chemistry -1 strength (210 MV m ) of the polymer is Format: Laboratory-based Research unaffected by 10 vol% nanocrystal Title: Low Temperature Synthesis of incorporation – suggesting good Perovskite Nanocrystals and their dispersion. Alkyl chain end modification of Applications to Nanocomposite the phosphonic acids with azide groups is Dielectrics currently in progress to provide an avenue Abstract: for “click” chemistry with extensions to

Perovskites exhibit a wide range of SrTiO3 and Ba1-xSrxTiO3 nanocomposite electrical properties with applications such incorporation. as piezoelectric transducers and high- power density capacitors. Traditionally, §§§§ perovskites are synthesized through high- Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering temperature, solid-state routes; however, Name(s): Thomas Cummins the successful low-temperature synthesis of Submission Type: Individual perovskite nanocrystals is necessary for Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): incorporation into future miniaturized Richard Cote, Pathology technologies. Format: Laboratory-based Research

Title: Microfilter Device for Tumor Cell Our research focuses on the low- Capture temperature synthesis of the BaTiO and 3 SrTiO3 perovskite nanocrystals. BaTiO3 is one of the most significant ferroelectric

47 Abstract: reduces silica’s structural integrity. In dry Early stage cancer detection is now possible samples of silica under a critical stress using a novel microfilter technology. Size- value, the silicon-oxygen bonds are stable. based separation of circulating tumor cells However, when moisture builds up on the from other cells in blood has many times surface, even if little stress is applied, Si-O the sensitivity of today’s leading detection bonds will spontaneously break. Under methods. This technology is being stress, Si-O bonds near water break at a developed in Dr. Richard Cote’s lab at the much faster rate than those in dry samples. Keck School of Medicine here at USC. Understanding the chemical reactions that While working in Dr. Cote’s lab, I helped cause this failure of silica glass is an develop this novel technology into one that important challenge to materials scientists. is now undergoing full clinical trials and will Current theories do not closely match potentially become commercialized in the experimentally observed rates of reaction. near future. As amazing of a technology as This study compares molecular dynamics this filter was, the device that housed it and simulations of crack propagation in wet facilitated the processing was difficult to and dry samples of silica glass to determine assemble and malfunctioned frequently. which chemical reactions account for the The majority of time spent processing each difference in crack propagation rate. Once clinical sample was dedicated to assembling it is known why water accelerates the rate and disassembling the housing device. I of reaction, modifications can be made to designed and oversaw the manufacturing the structure of glasses to slow crack process for the new microfilter-housing propagation. device. This new design has become the standard device used in this multinational §§§§ research project because of how efficient it has made processing the clinical samples. Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Labs in the Netherlands, Germany and at Name(s): Mariah Gill, Hannah Gray, Cara Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York Magnabosco will be using the new filter device based on Submission Type: Group my prototype design as part of an ongoing Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): R01 grant. Massoud Pirbazari, Civil and Environmental §§§§ Engineering; Roger Ravindran, Civil and Environmental Engineering Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Format: Laboratory-based Research Name(s): Dayton Thorpe Title: Nanoparticle-Coated Filters for Submission Type: Individual Providing Safe Water For All Nations Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Abstract: The United Nations and World Health Aiichiro Nakano, Computer Science and Organization have recognized the intense Physics and Astronomy need to provide biologically-safe drinking Format: water for impoverished people in Title: Molecular Dynamics Simulations of developing nations across the globe. Our Silica Glass Crack Propagation research addresses this issue by studying Abstract: the colloidal silver nano-deposition on Silica is the primary molecule in most forms ceramic filters for providing bacteria-free of glass. A well-documented but poorly water. Although these ceramic systems are understood characteristic of silica glass is considered capable of removing pathogenic that the presence of water significantly bacteria, our research has demonstrated that they are often fragile, temperamental

48 and ineffective. They harbor indigenous (SCEC) is to communicate the Uniform microorganisms and can remove as little as California Earthquake Rupture Forecast 30% of pathogens. Our work investigates (UCERF), Version 2 report, as well as to the deficiencies of ceramic pots and candle digitally preserve its contents and related filters in removing Escherichia coli (E. coli) materials. SCEC’s digital library was bacteria, commonly used as indicator created during the summer of 2008 and is organisms for establishing biological purity supported by the University of Southern of potable waters. It evaluates the California (USC) Libraries system, from transport and filtration of E. coli through which assets and metadata records are ceramic filters with and without nano- accessible to the public. An asset is a coatings of colloidal silver, assesses other document or item that is to be digitally invasive microbial species in filters that archived in one or many formats and is contribute to contamination, and examines described by a metadata record. A the biocidal activity of colloidal silver nano- metadata record is a brief overview that coatings for bacterial disinfection. In includes such information as a title, the general, colloidal silver coatings greatly author(s) name(s), the extraction of the improve the ability of the filter to remove asset’s key concepts, and the internal and bacteria and provide safe water. external review necessary to preserve the Furthermore, the study evaluates the integrity of the asset itself. The retrieval of cleanability and maintenance of ceramic pertinent information from an asset is filters using three cleaning methods, and required to prepare an accurate description the effect of flow rate on filtration of the document at hand. Internal review efficiencies for bacterial removal. Our among the archiving individuals, as well as presentation shall include results from the collaboration with the authors and scanning electron microscopy for observing other persons familiar with the materials, the pore-structure and morphology of ensure an honest representation of the ceramic materials, and x-ray energy assets being digitally archived. Currently, dispersion spectroscopy for determining the digital library consists of over 200 elemental compositions of nano-deposits. metadata records of the UCERF report, which are very near to publishing after §§§§ intensive editing and revision during the past academic year. Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Name(s): Brittney Miller §§§§ Submission Type: Individual Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Name(s): Leslie Koehn Thomas Jordan, Earth Sciences Submission Type: Individual Format: Creative Work Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Title: Pioneering a digital archive for the importation, preservation, and Najmedin Meshkati, Dept. of accessibility of Southern California Civil/Environmental Engineering and Dept. Earthquake Center records of Industrial and Systems Engineering Abstract: Format: Analytical Paper As computer-based technology is readily Title: Positive Train Control - The Answer becoming more available and digital to the Rail Safety Calamity material is continuously being created, the Abstract: need for a digital library emerges. The In the fall of 2008 Southern California purpose of the digital library for the witnessed the worst rail travesty in recent Southern California Earthquake Center memory when a Metrolink train collided

49 head on with a freight train killing twenty Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering five people in Chatsworth. This Name(s): Hubert Lau, Balyn Zaro catastrophic calamity could have been avoided had Metrolink employed new state Submission Type: Group of the art Positive Train Control (PTC) Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Technology. This technology has been Surya Prakash, Chemistry thrown around the rail industry for the past Format: Laboratory-based Research twenty years and has recently become not Title: Solvent-Free, One-Pot Synthesis of only a reality, but a feasible cost effective Alpha-Aminonitriles Using Acid safety alternative. It may seem strange that Catalysts more rail companies do not have this vital Abstract: safety technology, but unfortunately there are many issues standing in the way of fully Alpha-Aminonitriles, precursors of alpha- integrated PTC implementation. It may aminoacids, are important classes of seem most of the opposed arguments to compounds that show interesting PTC lack validity and substance. pharmaceutical and therapeutic properties. Use of metal based reagents and catalysts §§§§ for the synthesis of these compounds are undesirable in pharmaceutics. A successful one-pot, three-component Strecker Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering reaction of a series of aldehydes and a few Name(s): Panthong Wangperawong ketones has been achieved using Submission Type: Group trifluoroethanol, hexafluoroisopropanol, Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): and silica supported Michael Crowley, Computer Science tetrafluoroethanesulfonic acid as metal-free Format: Field Research acid catalysts. These reactions are simple, clean and minimal work up-purification Project Mind Ctrl - Increasing Title: steps are required. Products are obtained in Accessibility to the Computer and high yield and high purity. Internet Abstract: §§§§ The computer and internet is increasingly becoming beneficial resource in people Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering lives. However, due to necessary motor Name(s): Henry Yuen capabilities, people with disabilities may not have access to the computer and Submission Type: Individual internet. This concern gave rise to Project Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Mind Ctrl, which consist of software that Aiichiro Nakano, Computer Science and allows a neural impulse actuator (NIA) Physics and Astronomy device to control mouse movement, Format: desktop user interface that allows users to Title: Spatio-Temporal Event Miner: select applications to be enlarged, and a Atomistic Event Detection from Firefox add-on that allows user to select Graph Time Series links with less proximity. Through the use Abstract: of Project Mind Ctrl software and the NIA device, people are able to navigate the Large datasets are commonly found in computer with their minds. molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, which model materials as a set of atoms §§§§ and provide atomic coordinates and velocities as a function of time. State-of- the-art MD simulations generate a time

50 series of graphs consisting of multibillion Abstract: nodes (atoms) and edges (bonds between Background: An extensive survey of atomic pairs), and it is a challenge to current and future energy storage extract information from such simulation technologies was completed with a focus results. on different types of batteries. Battery technologies including but not limited to We have developed a Spatio-Temporal lead acid, lithium ion, silver zinc, and nickel Event Miner (STEM) framework that cadmium were studied in addition to other automates the process of knowledge current alternative energy storage discovery in MD simulations. Given a technologies such as compressed air energy definition of an atomistic event provided by storage, flywheels, and pumped hydro. material scientists, STEM correlates spatio- Future technologies such as MIT’s water temporally proximate atomistic events into hydrolysis or Stanford’s nanowire lithium macro-events, which are likely regions of ion battery are also included. A table interest for the material scientists. To compares the relative strengths, reduce the search space of potentially weaknesses, and applications of the energy significant events, we have designed a storage technologies. Then the role of Quality Threshold (QT) clustering algorithm. these technologies within the categories of grid energy, automobiles, and portable We present the application of STEM to a electronics are explored. The role of the 1536-atom dataset generated from MD new administration and the economic simulation of silica glass under shear stimulus package is also examined. deformation. Here, the atomistic event is defined as a sharp drop in the stress time- Conclusions: Batteries and other energy series for each atom, and our STEM storage advances do not follow any rule or framework identifies clusters of atoms in law (such as Moore’s Law) so changes can “interesting” space-time regions and happen quickly or lag. It seems that the visualizes them. To quantify the significance portable electronic and automobile of the clusters, we compare the degree of industries will continue to rely on batteries non-affine transformation (which signifies such as lithium ion or silver zinc. Grid plastic deformation) of each cluster region energy storage is much more complicated with that of the total system. The cluster as it can be solved on a micro (individual regions are found to exhibit much greater houses storing energy) or macro level non-affine shear deformation than the (power plants storing energy). Either way, total system average, indicating greater grid energy will probably depend on plastic activities in those space-time batteries while exploring new technologies regions. with a focus on MIT’s hydrolysis project. The overall trend should be gradual §§§§ improvements in all battery technologies. Eventually, there will be a breakthrough Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering that hits the market (like MIT’s hydrolysis) Name(s): Jay Creech that will revolutionize energy storage. Submission Type: Individual §§§§ Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Najmedin Meshkati, Civil & Environmental Engineering Format: Analytical Paper Title: Survey of Energy Storage Technologies

51 Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering available for many medical diagnoses. One of the problems is that strain is non- Name(s): Alan Huynh uniformly distributed, making it difficult to Submission Type: Individual measure properly. The aim of this project is Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): to produce a small, implantable device that James Moore, School of Policy, Planning, can measure strain within the environment and Development of a living organism. A photolithographic Format: Analytical Paper process was used to create the features of Title: Taxi Cab 101: Problems and the device, which was then encapsulated in Alternative Solutions a medical-grade silicon polymer to enable safe implantation. The device is being Abstract: tested on cats whose bladder control Research has recently shown that Los functions have been disabled. Positive Angeles is denser than New York City and results may lead to future testing and Chicago. The geography of Los Angeles applications in other areas such as the skin, has allowed the area to develop a high flat stomach, or even the eye. density instead of New York, Boston, Chicago, or other old growth cities. In §§§§ order to improve congestion and increase mobility, the Los Angeles Taxi system needs Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering to be put into consideration. Los Angeles has a franchised Taxi system that is Name(s): Sonya Hanson inefficient for the mobility needs of the Submission Type: Individual resident because it does not allow every Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): taxi service within the county to pick up Santiago Schnell, Department of Molecular customers within any of Los Angeles & Integrative Physiology at University of County's 88 cities. This paper will evaluate Michigan the problem and recommend alternative Format: Analytical Paper resolutions to increase the mobility of Los Angeles County by evaluating systematic Title: The Reactant Stationary alternatives that could increase mobility Approximation and allow taxi's to play a vital role in a Abstract: multi-modal solution for Los Angeles' In the application of the quasi-steady-state congestion problems. approximation, it is generally assumed that there is an initial transient during which the §§§§ substrate concentration remains approximately constant while the complex Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering concentration builds up. In this project, we Name(s): Lawrence Yu address the assumption that the substrate concentration does not change significantly Submission Type: Individual during this initial transient and name it the Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): reactant stationary approximation. For the Ellis Meng, BME single enzyme, single substrate reaction, Format: Laboratory-based Research the reactant stationary approximation is Title: The Development of a MEMS generally considered a sufficient condition Medical Strain Sensor to apply the quasi-steady-state Abstract: approximation. Studying the dynamic behavior of this reaction with an initial The sensory system provides tracks the complex concentration, we show that the stresses and strains on many parts of the quasi-steady-state approximation and body, yet this information is not readily reactant stationary approximation are two

52 separate approximations. We discuss the tests to determine which of these cues are consequence of this result for the most significant in our effort to determination of reaction parameters in discriminate between the two kinds of enzyme catalyzed reactions. interactions. These robust cues will form the basis of understanding the differences §§§§ between child-human and child-machine interactions. Eventually, we hope extend Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering our research to help us design better child- Name(s): Jeannette Chang, Jonathan machine interfaces, including those Chang targeted to children with cognitive impairments. Submission Type: Group Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): §§§§ Shrikanth Narayanan, Electrical Engineering Format: Laboratory-based Research Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Title: Understanding Differences between Name(s): Sharla Shimono Child-Human and Child-Computer Submission Type: Individual Interactions Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Abstract: Scott Paterson, Geological Sciences As technology use has become prevalent Format: Field Research among young children, improving the quality of child-machine interactions has Title: U-Pb Zircon Age Constraints on the become a topic of increasing significance. Tectonic Evolution of the Northern Successfully integrating machines into Margin of the North China Craton useful applications, however, requires that and Souther Margin of the Central we understand the differences between Asian Orogenic Belt child-human and child-computer Abstract: interactions. Analyzing these dissimilarities The Precambrian North China Craton (NCC) may give us insight into how to design is the old continental core of China with more natural and effective machines. It published ages ranging from 1 to 2.6 may also shed light on child psychology billion. Along its northern edge it is in and the intrinsic advantages of child- contact with the collided ~400-500 Ma computer interactions for certain Bainaimiao volcanic arc and other crustal applications. We have collected a rich fragments in the Central Asian Orogenic audiovisual corpus with about 50 subjects Belt (CAOB). Along this margin, the NCC is aged 4-6 years. In the data we consider, overlain by a passive margin sequence each subject interacts with both a human dominated by quartzites. I obtained U/Pb moderator and embodied computer agent detrital zircon analyses on four samples in briefing and debriefing sessions. We from these quartzites and on two samples hypothesized that we could differentiate from sandstones in a molasses-filled basin between these child-human and child- farther south in the NCC. We also dated computer interactions using visual, zircons from plutons intruding the NCC, acoustic, and lexical cues. The cues range overlying quartzites, and Bainaimiao arc. from visual cues, The analyses of zircons were conducted at such as head orientation and hand the Arizona using the Laser-Ablation gestures, to lexical cues, such as richness of Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass vocabulary. We annotated these Spectrometer, which enables a quick age multimodal cues with time stamps for both determination of multiple zircons in types of interactions. We plan to extract samples providing clues about maximum information from our annotations and run depositional age and provenance of

53 sedimentary units and emplacement ages of plutons. The four quartzites display minimum zircon ages of 1.2 b.y. and maxima at 1.6 to 2.5 billion. The southern sandstones have minimum zircon ages of ~ 270 Ma and older maxima at 400 Ma and 1.9-2.0 to 2.4 billion years. Two plutons had 400 to 500 Ma ages and all others had ages of ~262 Ma. These data suggest that the NCC craton remained a passive margin until ~500 Ma, during which it largely received sediments from the NCC. Subduction, magmatism and volcanic arc formation occurred between 500-400 Ma, southern basin formation between ~ 270-260 Ma and final collision between the NCC and CAOB and intrusion of post collision granites by ~260 Ma. §§§§

54 experimental and quasi-experimental designs. Results reveal that the effects of employment-related programs on recidivism are small. During a one-year CATEGORY follow-up, approximately 43 out of 100 youth in employment-related programs recidivate compared to 50 out of 100 in control conditions—a 14% reduction. Social Twenty-four potential moderators of program effects are examined. Moderator Sciences analyses indicate that the effectiveness of employment-related programs is significantly related to scientific rigor and publication year. §§§§

Category: Social Sciences Name(s): Noelle Miller Submission Type: Individual Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Nancy Lutkehaus, Anthropology Category: Social Sciences Format: Name(s): Ishwar Bridgelal Title: A Question of Reproductive Freedom Submission Type: Individual Abstract: Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): The project, completed in Ghana during Stan Huey, Psychology the Spring 2008 semester, provides a Format: Laboratory-based Research feminist evaluation of population reduction Title: A Meta-Analysis on the Effectiveness and family planning programs in the of Employment-Related Programs country. Working under the premise that for Delinquent Youth such programs can either empower or Abstract: oppress women based on their Previous research suggests that implementation and working ideologies, employment may curb recidivism among the researcher attempted to gauge the delinquent youth who experience difficulty effect of the national family planning re-entering their communities. Past reviews initiatives on women in the city of Tamale and meta-analyses provide a limited in Northern Ghana. The researcher perspective on the effectiveness of conducted observations for one month at employment-related programs for these two different family planning clinics. In delinquent youth, however. This meta- addition, she interviewed family planning analysis extends previous work to provide patients, practitioners, and policy makers. more appropriate coverage of the Based on this information, she assessed the literature, broadening eligibility criteria to level of empowerment or oppression of the include individuals who meet the upper policies within four evaluative categories age of jurisdiction of the juvenile justice set forth during a UN discussion of system. The present work reviews 48 population and human rights in 1989: birth employment-related programs for control promotion and distribution, delinquent youth, considering both economic incentives/disincentives, propaganda/psychological pressure, and

55 coercion. The researcher found that since would this relationship affect grandparents’ Ghana is a traditionally pro-natal country health physically and psychologically, and where large families are greatly valued, finally what is the role of the link parents. population reduction and family planning programs were met with resistance. Ghana §§§§ Health Services compensated for cultural resistance to birth control bycounseling the Category: Social Sciences use of long-term, clinician-controlled, and Name(s): Nicole Moody discreet methods of birth control. The researcher also observed a psychological Submission Type: Individual pressure placed on citizens by from the Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): government and international aid agencies Jo Ann Farver, Psychology; Thomas Lyon, to reduce population in order to increase Law and Psychology personal and national wealth. In order to Format: Senior Honors Project greater empower women, the researcher Title: Are We There Yet?: Preschool recommends that the government educate Children’s Understanding of citizens about reproductive and sexual Approximation Using the Word health and encourage male responsibility in “Almost” family planning. Abstract: §§§§ Language acquisition becomes more refined with age, but no research to date addresses about children’s ability to Category: Social Sciences approximate (i.e. how children use Name(s): Shiwei Wu, Mengzhe Zhao, language to distinguish between multiple Chenli Zhou items which differ in degrees of similarity Submission Type: Group and differences) or at what age this Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): cognitive ability surfaces. This study Iris Chi, School of Social Work; Ling Xu, investigates children’s ability to School of Social Work approximate using the word “almost.” Format: Analytical Paper Subjects aged 3-0 to 5-5 were shown a target image and asked to identify which of Title: An Unprecedented Study: The three images was “almost the same” and underlying Relaitonship Between the “really different” from the target. Six First and Third Generation of categories were utilized in this study: Chinese Immigrants number, size, color, location, schematic Abstract: facial appearance, and realistic facial Our project involves analytical appearance. The results indicate that the questionnaire and focus group to analyse ability to approximate similar and different the underlying relationship between the items is acquired by age three for all tasks. first and the third generation of Chinese Overall, younger children seem to have an immigrants in Los Angeles area. We understanding of “same” and “different.” consider ourselve a pioneer in this research However, when it comes to the concept of topic, concentrating on Chinese ethnics. “almost the same” and “really different”, The objective of our research project is to the study the grandparent-grandchildren younger children are simply performing at relationship of the Chinese immigrant chance. This skill begins to emerge at age grandparents. We are specifically interested 3-6, as children demonstrate with relative in four aspects, whether or not the accuracy their ability to use the word relationship is harmonious, and what are “almost.” The findings shed light on the factors affecting this relationship, and children’s language development, including

56 verbal capacity and comprehension Psychologists. There is a positive trend concerning approximations during the between the attribution of expertise to preoperational stage. Marriage and Family Therapists and previous exposure to popular media. The §§§§ results of this study can be added to existing information to better understand Category: Social Sciences their combined importance and impact on Name(s): Jessika Tuazon public mental health, and may be used to help develop programs aimed to improve Submission Type: Individual the interaction between mental health Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): experts and the public. Jo Ann Farver, Psychology; Robert Gore, Psychology §§§§ Format: Senior Honors Project Title: Attributions of Trustworthiness and Category: Social Sciences Expertise to Mental Health Experts Name(s): Aditya Prasad (Analysis of Media Mental Health Submission Type: Individual Experts’ Ethical Behavior) Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Abstract: Lisa Aziz-Zadeh, Neuroscience; Jo Ann This study will add to the existing Farver, Psychology knowledge about psychologists, ethics and Format: Senior Honors Project public perception, and their combined impact on public mental health. The Title: Can humans learn to navigate public’s perception of this professional field spatial environments through is an important part of the overall observation of others? legitimacy of psychology. As such, it is Abstract: important to study how the public Vast literature exists on the use of cognitive attributes expertise (credibility) and mapping among human beings to trustworthiness to mental health experts. represent and navigate spatial Survey data were collected for 227 college- environments. Socially mediated learning; aged participants regarding their learning through observation of an perceptions of mental health experts, organism demonstrating a specific specifically their attribution of behavior, has also been well-documented trustworthiness and expertise (credibility) to in both human and non-human primate different credentials within the field. These populations. Unfortunately, there is not data were examined in terms of the much research on whether humans or participants’ ability to identify proper animals can bridge these two abilities and professional behavior, the degree to which learn cognitive concepts through they perceived each credential to be observation of others. The aim of the trustworthy and credible, and their current study is to determine whether or exposure to relevant college-level not adult human beings can acquire a psychology courses and psychology-related cognitive map of a spatial environment by media (television, radio and books). observing a naïve subject exploring that Preliminary analysis shows an interesting environment using trial and error and pattern of findings. Exposure to relevant subsequently navigate the environment college-level psychology courses was more efficiently. Humans are known to be positively correlated with attributions of expert imitators therefore it is hypothesized both expertise and trust to Clinical that those allowed to observe naïve Psychologists, Licensed Clinical Social participants exploring a spatial environment Workers, and Licensed School using trial and error method will be able to

57 successfully navigate the same environment faster while committing fewer errors. This Category: Social Sciences research is significant because it will further Name(s): Jason Carver, Sui Nga Chow, our understanding of how we navigate Dianna Dai, Jonathan Goldford, spatial environments and possibly provide Kimberly Smith clues as to how we can improve our Submission Type: Group acquisition of internal spatial environments. Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): §§§§ Jolanta Aritz, Center for Management Communication Category: Social Sciences Format: Analytical Paper Name(s): Lydia Green Title: Communicating Financial Meltdown to Shareholders: A Cross-Cultural Submission Type: Individual Analysis of CEO’s Letters to Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Shareholders Bruce Zuckerman, Religion Abstract: Format: Field Research The annual report is one of the most Title: Central Alaskan Yup'ik: A Linguistic important means of communication Research Project between big companies and their Abstract: shareholders, potential investors, and This project makes use of a website to general public. Most annual reports begin present recordings of native speakers of with a single important document, CEO’s Central Alaskan Yup'ik in a way that makes letter to shareholders, which is used by the them accessible to the Alaskan community chairperson to reinforce the corporate and to the linguistic community, while image of the company and his or her own bringing attention to language leadership. Our interdisciplinary study endangerment as a global issue which is focuses on 40 CEO’s letters in 2008 annual culturally and scientifically significant. reports in four different regions throughout Specifically, the recordings are the world, China, Europe, Japan, and the approximately six hours of video footage United States. Our project asks the with high quality audio of elders relating following questions: (1) how do companies songs, myths, poems, hymns, and stories across the world communicate with their from their childhood. Some of the shareholders during times of financial informants spoke English and provided crisis? and (2) how do they maintain their translations as they were recorded, but in confidence in light of uncertainty and fear most cases a translation is given for those in the financial markets? In order to answer who spoke only Yup’ik. Biographies with the first research question we used linguistically relevant information are quantitative methods of analysis to provided for each informant. The website investigate the use of Plain English. highlights language endangerment as a Previous research has shown that the broader issue, goes into detail about how readability ease of corporate reporting the research was conducted, showcases decreases during times of financial some of the most interesting properties of difficulties. As a result, the consumer the Yup’ik language, and presents the confidence also drops. Our analysis recordings in a dynamic way. It also confirms previous findings and also provides informational resources for others documents cultural differences in CEO’s who may be inspired to document dying or letters. In order to answer the second endangered languages. research question, we used qualitative methods of analysis to determine the use §§§§ such linguistic features as personal and

58 possessive pronouns, nonhuman agents, economic distress and hegemonic and passive voice and how they are used to opposition. Worldwide, several countries communicate externalities, establish have socialized medicine but in these four confidence, and maintain relationships in categories, Cuba is unique. times of financial meltdown. Our findings discuss cultural differences found across Starting in Havana and then moving east CEO’s letters of Chinese, European, across the island, I traveled through Cuba Japanese, and American companies. in the winter of 2009, conducting the majority of my research in neighborhood §§§§ family clinics called Consultorios. Drawing from both the medical literature and my Category: Social Sciences personal experience interviewing doctors Name(s): Joshua Lang and patients, I examine the system of primary care in Cuba. Submission Type: Individual Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): §§§§ Nancy Lutkehaus, Anthropology; Cheryl Mattingly, Anthropology Category: Social Sciences Format: Field Research Name(s): Nicole Hummel Title: Cuban Health Care: First Class Public Submission Type: Individual Health on a Third World Budget Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Abstract: Amy Parish, Anthropology/Gender Studies On New Year’s Day, 2009, Cuba celebrated Format: Analytical Paper the 50th anniversary of the communist revolution that brought Fidel Castro to Title: Deconstructing Sex Tourism: power. Following the momentum of an Imperialism, Patriarchy, and activist and political career that viewed Women's Bodies health as an issue of social justice, Castro Abstract: nationalized healthcare reform. Today, “We are a society of people living in a state Cuba represents a paradox as it ranks of post-traumatic shock: amnesiac, among the poorest of nations but boasts dissociated, continually distracting one of the healthiest populations in the ourselves from the repetitive injuries of world. How does a country with widespread collective violence” dilapidated facilities, lack of access to -Aurora Levins Morales, Medicine Stories medicine, and obsolete technology claim first world health statistics? Few The global sex industry is worth over $20 Americans have conducted fieldwork in billion, according to the Economist, and Cuba because of a US travel ban, which dealing with the issue from a policy-making may partly explain why there is little perspective is difficult, given the fact that scholarship on this phenomenon. most intervention strategies end up hurting the woman who is prostituting herself - In my independent study I examine the whether she is a victim or voluntary state of healthcare in Cuba with attention participant. While the state must figure out to infrastructure, the role of the family policies that criminalize those who harm physician, continuity of care, and the the women in any way, from an doctor-patient relationship. By anthropological perspective many other revolutionizing the way patients interact problems that are deep-seated in the within a system of health and disease and practice manifest themselves when stripping barriers to care, Cuba has found a analyzing sex tourism. Global sex tourism unique remedy to the adversity of has in a large part developed as a result of

59 the political-economic advantage of assessments) for Spanish expressive oral wealthy men from developed countries, language, English print knowledge and and their culture’s fantasy of the exotic Spanish print knowledge. woman who is liberated from the sexual inhibitions of women in their own society. I §§§§ will begin my discussion with the historical development of the marketing of sex Category: Social Sciences within the tourism industry, and follow Name(s): Jonathan Ortega with an exploration of the idea that women’s bodies have become objects up Submission Type: Individual for sale in a world that has been strongly Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): impacted by capitalist consumer culture. Jo Ann Farver, Psychology; Thomas Lyon, Throughout this piece I focus on specific Law cases, including Brazil, where I spent a Format: Senior Honors Project semester as a student and researched the Title: Effects of Narrative Rapport and phenomenon even more critically. Putative Confessions on Children's Disclosure §§§§ Abstract: This study examined the effects of open- Category: Social Sciences ended narrative rapport practice and Name(s): Irene Campos putative confessions on 156 4- to 9-year- Submission Type: Individual old maltreated children’s disclosure of a Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): minor transgression. The child was left Jo Ann Farver, Psychology alone while the interviewer retrieved some Format: papers. In the interim the child played with a confederate. Two toys appeared to Title: Effects of Dialogic Reading on break and the confederate asked the child Preschool Spanish-English Language to promise to keep the breakage a secret. Learners' Emergent Literacy Skills The interviewer returned and asked either Abstract: closed or open-ended questions during This secondary data analysis examined the rapport building, and for half of the effects of dialogic reading on preschool children, claimed that the confederate Spanish-speaking, English-Language “told me everything that happened and Learner’s emergent literacy skills in both wants you to tell the truth.” The English and Spanish. The sample was interviewer then asked free recall and composed of 400 preschoolers. 188 recognition questions about the child’s children participated in a dialogic reading interactions with the confederate. We intervention, aimed at increasing expressive hypothesize that participants in the open- language skills, while 212 children were ended narrative rapport condition, as well assigned to the control group. Children’s as the putative confession condition will emergent literacy skills (expressive oral exhibit increased rates of disclosure. language, print knowledge and Additionally, we expect the open-ended phonological awareness) were assessed narrative both at the start of their preschool year and rapport condition to have the strongest at the end of the year. Children in the effect on the youngest children. Preliminary intervention group had significantly higher analyses suggest that putative confessions Spanish expressive oral language scores have a significant effect on children's than did the control group. The scores of personal disclosure of toy breakage as well both groups improved across the preschool as increasing children's disclosure while in year (i.e., from Time 1 to Time 3 the close-ended narrative rapport

60 condition. Open-ended narrative rapport associated with major EKG abnormalities, practice does not appear to have a particularly at older ages. There does not significant effect on children's rate of appear to be any link between education disclosure. and more minor abnormalities. The results suggest that the heart is sensitive to the §§§§ stresses associated with a low SES lifestyle, and EKG measures in surveys may be a Category: Social Sciences useful tool for measuring potential health Name(s): Theodore De Beritto risks. Submission Type: Individual §§§§ Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Eileen Crimmins, Gerontology; Aaron Category: Social Sciences Hagedorn, Gerontology Name(s): Jessica Erberich Format: Senior Honors Project Submission Type: Individual Title: EKG Abnormalities and Their Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Relation to Age, SES, and Education Level Tok Thompson, Anthropology Abstract: Format: Field Research Socio-economic status (SES) is a very Title: Happily Ever After: A How-To powerful predictor of old age health Manual outcomes, like cardiovascular disease, but Abstract: the mechanisms behind this observation Working within the paradigm of Proppian are not well understood. One approach to syntagmatic analysis, we will apply these understanding the mechanisms behind SES theories and methodologies to a is to investigate how socio-economic status comparative analysis of two to four is linked to individual clinical measures of folktales from Japan, Germany, and India health, often referred to as biomarkers of respectively, examining particular cultural aging and health. This study focuses on context in terms of motif variation and measures of heart functioning, and is larger cross-cultural parallels in terms of meant to show how education influences tale-type. By comparing the morphology of lifestyle decisions that have consequences tales that conclude successfully for the for old age health. protagonist and those that conclude unsuccessfully, we may be able to arrive at This study uses data from the Third a categorical definition to differentiate the National Health and Nutrition Examination two in terms of structure. The majority of Survey (NHANES) to examine measures of folktales (as per William Bascom’s cardiac function, as measured by an description of the term) end in a successful electrocardiogram (EKG), and investigates conclusions, but what this success entails how SES is linked to abnormal EKG results can vary drastically across regional amongst different age groups, and for oicotypes, allowing for analysis of the males and females. Socio-economic status cultural context in which a given tale is is measured by level of formal education performed. completed. Analysis is shown on specific EKG measures such as T-Wave, QRS, QT §§§§ abnormalities, and major abnormalities defined as severe deviations in the normal wave-length pattern.

The results suggest that Education is

61 Category: Social Sciences Category: Social Sciences Name(s): Claire Zeigler Name(s): Abbie Wazlawek Submission Type: Individual Submission Type: Individual Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Jeffrey Nugent, Economics Jo Ann Farver, Psychology; Jennifer Format: Senior Honors Project Overbeck, Management and Organization Title: Happiness Levels as Related to Oil Format: Senior Honors Project Prices Title: Power Does Not Corrupt But I'd Abstract: Prefer If It Did; How The Powerful Recently, the economics of happiness has Decide and How We Judge Their become a subject of interest as researchers Reasoning attempt to determine what makes people Abstract: and countries happy. It is interesting to This study examines hop powerful targets look at oil prices as a determinant of are judged for making unethical decisions happiness given the media’s attention to based on whether targets employ and fluctuations in the price of oil. The consequential or deontological reasoning. intention of this study is to explore the After reading vignettes describing targets relationship between oil prices and and ethical dilemmas they face, participants happiness. As oil prices rise, we might rated the level of personal control they expect that the consumers of oil (oil would feel if the target were in a position importing countries) will become unhappy, of power over them and the target's and the producers (oil exporting countries) ethicality, predictability, and concern for will become happier. This assumption is utility. We also used vignettes and a power evaluated through regression analysis of prime to examine whether high-powered data from the World Values Survey individuals are more likely to reason (1982-2004) on aggregate happiness levels consequentially or deontologically when for a number of countries. Results show faced with an ethical dilemma. Findings that increases in oil prices do seem to were contrary to our predictions, indicating negatively influence happiness in oil that observer's prefer powerful individuals importing countries. For oil exporting who reason consequentially and that countries, however, the results are mixed. It powerful individuals are more likely to might be interesting to repeat this study employ deontological reasoning. over a longer period of time and with a larger data pool if it becomes available. §§§§

§§§§ Category: Social Sciences Name(s): Amanda Bogart, Ashley Flor Submission Type: Group Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): María Luisa Zubizarreta, Linguistics Format: Analytical Paper Title: Rhythm in Second Language Speech Abstract: This study investigates the effects of the first language (L1) on the rhythm of the second language (L2) and vice versa. We examine Spanish and English, which differ

62 typologically with regards to rhythmic few sacred sites that the Pechanga and San classification (Romance vs. Germanic Luis Rey tribes still use for community rhythm, respectively). This classification is ceremonies considered central to tribal grounded in differences in vowel duration ideology. Unfortunately, these sites fell (eg. duration between stressed and victim to graffiti defacement in 2006, unstressed vowels is greater in English than joining the rapidly rising number of in Spanish) and syllabic complexity (eg. vandalism casualties across the nation. English has complex consonant clusters not Chemical solvents have been deemed found in Spanish; Spanish has culturally inappropriate; as an alternative, predominantly open syllables). These we are researching laser ablation methods characteristics give rise to a difference in to achieve precise and controllable the consonantal to vocalic ratio in the cleaning. We have undertaken studying speech stream, which is higher in English and summarizing past articles on laser paint than in Spanish. Data were collected from removal as well as observing the frequency, adult monolingual English and Spanish media, and location of graffiti in the urban speakers, as well as second language Los Angeles area. We create test rocks by speakers of English. Subjects were recorded covering granite with spray paints of reading a standard, phonetically-balanced various colors and bases. Under the passage; sound files were subjected to supervision of Professor Lynn Swartz Dodd program analysis that extracted and (Religion/Archaeology), Prof. Hannah measured the consonants and vowels in Reisler (Chemistry) and graduate the speech stream. Results indicate not only researcher Blithe Casterline, we operate a that the rhythmic classification distinction Nd:YAG laser in the Reisler Lab to expose between English and Spanish holds, but our test samples to variable powers and also that the rhythm of the L1 does have an wavelengths, then use macrophotography influence on the L2 rhythm. Furthermore, to analyze the amount of paint removed results show that the rhythm of the L2 also and reveal any damage incurred by the influences the rhythm of the L1. Specifically substrate. In addition, we have consulted there was a difference in the consonantal faculty from the Earth Sciences department to vocalic ratio between the Spanish of to determine effects of rock composition monolingual speakers and the Spanish of and are preparing to analyze our samples L2 English speakers. through X-ray diffraction in collaboration with UCLA. This research will provide §§§§ guidance to tribes and preservation and conservation professionals who need to Category: Social Sciences remove paint from ancient sites; it promises Name(s): Sasha Marie Orfano, Alexandra to regenerate sacred landscapes anywhere Sinnott, Tiffany Tsai in the world. Submission Type: Group §§§§ Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Lynn Swartz Dodd, Religion Format: Laboratory-based Research Title: Ritual Rock: Application of Laser Cleaning Techniques to Native American Sacred Abstract: Lines of charcoal, ocher, and animal fat branch out into a barely visible maze on a Riverside County granite face, one of the

63 Category: Social Sciences §§§§ Name(s): Lisa Tran Submission Type: Individual Category: Social Sciences Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Name(s): Natalie Abrahamian Olga Solomon, Occupational Therapy Submission Type: Individual Format: Analytical Paper Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Title: Sensory Integration and Autism: A Mara Mather, Gerontology Cross-over Analysis Between the Format: Senior Honors Project Clinical Research and Autobiographical Accounts Title: Spontaneous Suppression, Incidental Abstract: Forgetting, Relational Memory Binding, and Depression Level Problems in sensory integration and Discrepancies Among Both Younger processing have been seen in many and Older Adults children with autism, and have been corroborated in clinical research studies Abstract: (Rogers & Ozonoff, 2005; Blanche, Roley, & The study investigated and determined Schaff, 2001). Furthermore, sensory whether the binding of an individual’s integration problems have been described memory and attributed memory processes in first-person accounts by highly are influenced by –(a) the emotionality of a accomplished individuals with autism picture stimulus and/or (b) the valence (Grandin, 1986, 1995; Williams, 1992; (positivity or negativity) of the picture Prince-Hughes, 2004). This study critically stimulus presented to the observer. The analyzes how the clinical research matches objective of this experiment was to against autobiographical accounts of distinguish whether these aforesaid autism, examining comparisons and conditional factors serve as contributory contrasts between the two. For this cross- influential determinants on an individual’s over analysis, a review of the literature was ability to remember a picture as an conducted that investigated sensory associated segment of a learned pair. In the integration and processing issues in autism. study, both younger and older adults In addition, two autobiographical accounts, observed and tried to encode various Emergence: Labeled Autistic and Thinking versions of numerous face-scene paired in Pictures by Temple Grandin, a high- pictures in four-block sequences (equally functioning person with autism, were dispersed and graded in regards to valence critically reviewed and evaluated for and intensity/neutrality), after which they sensory integration and processing issues. were only shown the associated face and By analyzing both the clinical research and were told to describe the matching scene autobiographical accounts, a better that was specialized to the respective face- understanding of the conceptualization of scene picture pair. We specifically tested for sensory experiences in autism was the ways in which the degree of depression established. Seeing sensory integration level and exposure to repeated reminders problems from the eyes of an individual of a scene might affect memory and its with autism provided an empirical view that affiliated binding processes by was lacking from the clinical research. This incorporating a face-questions task into the cross-over analysis study emphasizes the study. During this task, the participant importance for researchers in this field to consecutively sees and answers subjective look at both clinical research and questions about only the faces from the autobiographical accounts to gain a better earlier encoding portion of the study. By conceptualization of sensory processing presenting the faces alone with a issues that is characteristic of autism. subsequent question, we are trying to

64 discover and ascertain whether the affect the body. The present study also repeated exposure of singly the neutralized investigated school connectedness as a portion of the learned pairs (the face) has potential moderator of the relation the potential of impacting one’s memory. between aversive life events and cortisol We anticipate that the depression level of reactivity, possibly indicating a resiliency the participant, emotional content, and factor. Preliminary analyses indicate that number of repetitions of the images will adolescents who are well connected to influence both younger and older their school fare better in terms of cortisol individuals’ memory of the pairs. reactivity to a psychosocial stressor than those who are less connected. This effect is §§§§ especially prevalent for those adolescents who have experienced high distress from Category: Social Sciences negative events in the prior year. Name(s): Diana Bennett §§§§ Submission Type: Individual Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Category: Social Sciences Gayla Margolin, Psychology Name(s): Tamar Zadiguian Format: Senior Honors Project Submission Type: Individual Title: Stress and the Body: Can School Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Help? Robert Gore, Psychology Abstract: Format: Senior Honors Project Aversive life events can have profound psychological and physiological effects on Title: Study of Celebrity Perceptual the people who experience them. Research Processes as they Relate to Media has shown that the experience of negative Commentary life events is related to the development of Abstract: health and emotional problems. However, This study investigated how people ascribe it is unclear how life events manifest these credibility to media psychologists based on effects, and why some people may be more the speaker’s use of one and two sided vulnerable while others show resilience in messages and speaking styles that vary in the face of aversive occurrences. In linguistic power. It was hypothesized that determining how life events are related to lay people unwittingly reinforce suboptimal psychological and physiological outcomes, or even unethical practices by being more this study investigated the role stress plays likely to believe one sided powerful in response to negative life events. Using messages if they have no previous data from two waves of a longitudinal knowledge about the subject. This study study of Los Angeles area families, the also attempted to identify a situation where present study focused on how aversive life two sided messages can in fact, be more events in a little-studied adolescent persuasive. Since ethically responsible population impact the physiological messages tend to be two sided, this study reactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary- will add to the literature by developing a adrenocortical (HPA) axis, specifically descriptive model of decision making. The salivary cortisol, a stress hormone. Elevated study was a 2 ×2×2 study where levels of cortisol have been linked to health participants responded to messages that effects as broad as weight gain, decreased were manipulated for message "sidedness" bone mineral density, and increased blood and "speaking styles." Videos were used to sugar, as well as cognitive and emotional simulate a psychologist giving a diagnosis functioning, therefore serving as an about a hypothetical celebrity in the media. important mechanism in which stress can Participants then responded to vignettes

65 based on their perceptions about the Category: Social Sciences message content and the speaking style of Name(s): Kevin Stanek the psychologist in the video. Submission Type: Individual §§§§ Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Laura Baker, Psychology Category: Social Sciences Format: Senior Honors Project Name(s): Paul Jansson Title: The Effects of Polyunsaturated Fatty Submission Type: Individual Acids on Impulsivity & Aggression in Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Twins Jo Ann Farver, Psychology; Robert Gore, Abstract: Psycohology Utilizing a longitudinal twin study of Format: Senior Honors Project children (ages 11-16), the current research investigated the genetic and environmental Title: The Attribution of Legitimacy and basis of food intake, as measured through Credibility to Media Mental Health food diaries and has examined the relations Experts of the nutrients to both impulsivity and Abstract: aggression. The participants are The purpose of this study is to extend the representative of the southern California heuristic-systematic and elaboration population and were studied on several likelihood model of attitude change to occasions (i.e., up to three waves of explain ascriptions of legitimacy and assessment) from ages 9 to 15. In all, 821 credibility to media mental health experts. twins’ and caregivers’ data was studied. Using a 2×2 design, undergraduate Genetic predispositions were found to students at the University of Southern explain some of the individual differences California (N = 227) read four vignettes in nutrient levels derived from these diaries, modeled after celebrity gossip magazine which calls into the question the idea that articles. In each vignette, the expert was nutrition may be related to behavioral assigned either a high- or neutral- outcomes for purely environmental educational heuristic cue, as well as either reasons. Thus, the modest relationships a high- or neutral-intangible cue indicating found between nutrients and behavior their status. The students then reported the might be explained, at least in part, by amount of credibility they granted the shared genetic predispositions rather than expert. A Repeated Measures Analysis of causal effects of nutrients on behavior. In Variance indicated a significant effect (p contrast to the literature, Omega 3 and =.016) for the educational cue. The study Omega 6 were not related to decreased reviews the current educational and impulsivity or aggression in the current licensure protocols in psychology and study. The current study is unique in that it discusses current examples of media mental employs multiple perspectives (child, co- health experts practicing outside of their twin, caregiver, and teacher) on scope and licensure. Results indicate that psychological variables such as impulsivity further education is needed for the general and aggression. public to fully understand the role and limits of the mental health commentator, §§§§ as well as the different levels of licensure and education of mental health professionals. §§§§

66 Category: Social Sciences Category: Social Sciences Name(s): Georgia Christodoulou Name(s): Christina Gotuaco, Grace Submission Type: Individual Hwang Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Submission Type: Group Michael Dawson, Psychology Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Format: Analytical Paper Thomas Jordan, Southern California Title: The Relation Between Grasp Reflex Earthquake Center Inhibition and Prefrontal Cortex Format: Field Research Performance Title: The Usefulness of Social Networking Abstract: Sites for Tracking Past Interns It is well established that primitive reflexes, Abstract: although present for a short time during Using the social networking site, Facebook, infancy, eventually disappear during normal we conducted a study to research the development (Schott & Rossor, 2002). Past effectiveness of social networking sites for research, however, shows that primitive SCEC, a research institution, to maintain reflexes tend to reappear in individuals contact with its past interns, gain feedback suffering from disorders that cause damage on the internship program and its to the frontal lobe, specifically the effectiveness, build a base of volunteers for prefrontal cortex. Thus, primitive reflexes future events, potentially reach out to become indicators of neurological future interns for recruitment, and facilitate abnormalities and damage. In more recent relationships between incoming interns and studies, researchers have examined SCEC alumni. We also sought to achieve a additional uses of primitive reflexes within way for interns to maintain the these abnormal populations, including their relationships they established during the predictive power over cognitive program, reconnect with old friends, and performance and treatment response. The make new connections with interns from purpose of this present study was to other years. examine the association between the inhibition of the grasp reflex (a primitive §§§§ reflex) and prefrontal cortex functioning among normal participants. This study was Category: Social Sciences significant because it pursued a direction in Name(s): Jonathan Tanis research that has not been addressed, Submission Type: Individual potentially opening up the uses of primitive reflexes to an entirely new Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): population. This study also looked at the Lynn Swartz Dodd, Religion relation between the startle response and Format: Field Research the Stroop task. Preliminary analyses show Title: Traversing the Native American modification of the startle response during Ritual Landscape: Experiences in early and late processing, providing further Liminality evidence for the attentional and cognitive Abstract: modulation of this particular reflex. As a cornerstone of the anthropological §§§§ approach, participant-observation distinguishes ethnography from armchair social science. It emphasizes the tactile and experiential, as opposed to abstract speculation. This spring break I extended that ideal to the Native American Cultural

67 Landscapes project, where I have been Abstract: researching liminality in the context of the This study explores the way people explain Luiseno tribe's puberty rituals. My research success and failure in relation to personality had led me to a point at which the variables within the context of the 2008 theoretical canon regarding the dialectic of Presidential Election. Participants were 127 social structure and anti-structure felt individuals contacted via the University of insufficient; I needed to achieve direct Southern California undergraduate subject experience of what liminality entails. pool, emails, and Facebook messages who responded to a web-based survey Thus I extracted myself as far as possible administered on the Qualtrics website. The from my normalized lifestyle, arriving alone survey consisted of two-parts--the first in the Utah desert with minimal camping completed during the week prior to the supplies and a notebook. The goal was election and the second completed during self-ethnography and the method was the the two weeks following the election. In mirroring of certain aspects of the the pre-election survey, participants traditional Native American vision quest: reported their political party affiliation, living in the desert, fasting, journeying and candidate preference, voting intentions, meditating in solitude, while remaining and election outcome predictions. conscious of my liminal status. My written Participants then read four scenarios account takes the form of loosely linked presenting outcomes of the election-- meditations on various experiences, McCain wins by a landslide, McCain wins a divulging what they revealed about the close election, Obama wins by a landslide phenomenon of liminality. and Obama wins a close election. Following each scenario was a 20-item questionnaire My thoughts eventually coalesced into designed to assess the way a person coherent proposals, the most significant of explains the election results. Paricipants these being: (1) expansion of Victor were also assessed on scales measuring Turner's communitas beyond the social to personality variables (e.g., extraversion, include greater forces of alienation and agreeableness, conscientiousness, unity, and (2) liminality understood as a neuroticism, and openness). It was physical brain state in addition to a predicted that when the participant's symbolic status, opening doors to preferred candidate wins attributions neuroscientific inquiry. Lastly I attempted to would be internal and when the preferred bring spirituality and politics into the candidate loses, attributions would be discussion, exploring the imminent external. Furthermore, it was predicted that possibilities and benefits of a temporary or this tendency be stronger for close permanently liminal lifestyle. elections than for landslides. In the post - election survey, pariticpants were presented §§§§ with the actual election results followed by the same election attribution measure. Category: Social Sciences Participan's general style of explaining Name(s): Johanna Stulting events. The results of the post-election Submission Type: Individual survey were compared to the responses gathered in the first survey. Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Richard John, Psychology §§§§ Format: Senior Honors Project Title: Voting, Politics, and the 2008 Presidential Election: Explaining Election Outcomes

68 Category: Social Sciences Name(s): Diana Bennett, Lauren Ford, Rachel Rice Submission Type: Group Faculty Sponsor(s) and Department(s): Gayla Margolin, Psychology Format: Laboratory-based Research Title: You Defriended Me!?: The Scope and Prevalence of Interpersonal Aggression Abstract: This study was designed to assess the prominence of aggressive behaviors within friendships and romantic relationships through research with female and male undergraduate students at the University of Southern California. The study focused especially on aggressive behaviors perpetrated through electronic media (e.g. text messaging, instant messaging, and social network internet sites). The range and emotional salience of these events was determined by assessing the subjective distress reported from both physical and psychological aggression, and by examining psychological and physical reactions that may be associated with interpersonal aggression. The study included a series of online questionnaires administered to USC Psychology Subject Pool participants (undergraduate psychology students) and also utilized focus groups to assess the relevance of questionnaire items. §§§§

69 Symposium Participant Index

A Abrahamian, Natalie 64 C Anderson Schnittker, 2 Campos, Irene 60 Shannon Carver, Jason 58 Castro, Brandyn 31 B Chang, Jeannette 53 Chang, Jonathan 53 Bennett, Diana 65 Chang, Kevin 35 69 Chen, Daniel 3 Berti, Ryan 42 Cholakian, Diana 33 Bickers, Cara 29 Chow, Sui Nga 58 Bogart, Amanda 62 Christodoulou, Georgia 67 Bongers, Jacob 12 Compadre, Amanda 24 Bridgelal, Ishwar 55 Cooray Arasaratnam, Gehan 8 Brizuela, Melissa 34 Crawford, Jennifer 10 Brown, Benjamin 2 Creech, Jay 51 Butler, Sarah 13 Cross, Morgan 25

70 Cuevas, Marie Anne 47 Gregg, Hillary 28 Cummins, Thomas 47 H D Hankins, Meredith 46 Dai, Dianna 58 Hanson, Sonya 34 De Beritto, Theodore 61 52 Deutsch, Richard 6 Hawley, Sarah 16 Henderer, Joseph 15 E Henry, Katherine 33 Hernandez, Nicole 30 Ebentier, Darcy 30 Herzog, Karli 31 Epperson, Christine 42 Hovsepian, Tina 3 Erberich, Jessica 61 Hudiburgh, Stephanie 26 Hummel, Nicole 59 F Hurwitz, Amy 21 Huynh, Alan 52 Ferguson, Nicole 5 Hwang, Grace 67 Flor, Ashley 62 Ford, Lauren 69 Fowler, Brian 20 I Freeburn, Ethan 14 Inda, Gabriel 43 Freeman, Emma 32 Itani, Reem 34 Fryxell, Anna 11 J G Jansson, Paul 66 Gawey, Marlo 19 Jenkins, Barbara 21 Gill, Mariah 48 Johnson, Christopher 15 Goldford, Jonathan 58 Joseph, John 26 Gotuaco, Christina 67 Gray, Hannah 48 Green, Lydia 58 K Greer, Christine 11 Kahen, Negar 26

71 Kast, Dieuwertje 22 49 Kaye, Christopher 5 Miller, Noelle 55 Khan, Naveed 13 Mohan, John 8 Kingston, Sara 23 Montes, Helena 10 Koehn, Leslie 49 Moody, Nicole 56 Kraljev, Lee 13 Mosher, Douglas 6 Kraman, Luke 8 Muller, Aaron 12 L N Lang, Joshua 32 Naik, Kedar 46 59 Nham, Tiffanie 28 Lassiter, Miriam 29 Norwood, Tara 17 Lau, Hubert 50 Ledezma, Karina 37 O Lora, Juan 38 Lubinski, Joseph 46 Orfano, Sasha Marie 63 Ortega, Jonathan 60 M P MacDonald, Adrian 1 MacGillivray, Holly 45 Parks, Elizabeth 44 Magnabosco, Cara 36 Parks, Taylor 24 48 Pedroza, Adrian 20 Maker, Ashley 41 Perez, Adam 9 Maltbaek, Christian 14 Polisini, Cara 17 Mansky, Hannah 32 Popovich, Cory 1 Masuda, Shelly 40 Prasad, Aditya 57 Matsuda, Tara 33 McClure, Aubrey 14 R McFaddin, Patrick 38 Rice, Rachel 69 Mesa, Michael 26 Riedel, Benedikt 40 Miller, Brittney 38 Rodriguez, Jorge 38

72 Rohman, Eric 28 Rollins, Chris 43 V Vejby, Ciaran 4 S Vittozzi Wong, Philip 27 Sasaki, Jennifer 27 Vuong, Victoria 26 Schneiderman, Brian 30 Schnittker, Elke 3 W Shafi, Imran 7 Shayne, Amy 2 Wang, Kristie 23 Shimono, Sharla 53 Wangperawong, Panthong 50 Sick, Rebekah 16 Wazlawek, Abbie 62 Sinnott, Alexandra 63 Whitesides, Andrew 38 Smith, Alexandra 27 Wickstrom, Leah 41 Smith, Kimberly 58 Wong, Caroline 7 Srinivasan, Meera 39 Wong, Hannah 13 Stanek, Kevin 66 Wong, Karlton 21 Stulting, Johanna 68 27 Suffridge, Christopher 34 Wu, Aisi 19 Wu, Shiwei 56 T Y Takimoto, Sarah 36 Talsky, Harris 45 Yee, Jennifer 12 Tandon, Prateek 39 Yoo, Jin 38 Tanis, Jonathan 67 Yu, Emily 5 Tetzl, Dustin 24 Yu, Lawrence 52 Thorlakson, Dustin 4 Yuan, Valerie 35 Thorpe, Dayton 48 Yuen, Henry 50 Tran, Lisa 64 Troupe, Nathanael 17 Z Tsai, Tiffany 63 Zadiguian, Tamar 65 Tuazon, Jessika 57 Zaro, Balyn 50

73 Zeigler, Claire 62 Zhao, Mengzhe 56 Zhou, Chenli 56 Zigrang, Alexandra 11

74 Symposium Participants by Category

Shayne, Amy 2 Arts Thorlakson, Dustin 4 Anderson Schnittker, 2 Vejby, Ciaran 4 Shannon Wong, Caroline 7 Brown, Benjamin 2 Yu, Emily 5 Chen, Daniel 3 Cooray Arasaratnam, Gehan 8 Deutsch, Richard 6 Humanities Ferguson, Nicole 5 Bongers, Jacob 12 Hovsepian, Tina 3 Butler, Sarah 13 Kaye, Christopher 5 Crawford, Jennifer 10 Kraman, Luke 8 Freeburn, Ethan 14 MacDonald, Adrian 1 Fryxell, Anna 11 Mohan, John 8 Greer, Christine 11 Mosher, Douglas 6 Hawley, Sarah 16 Perez, Adam 9 Henderer, Joseph 15 Popovich, Cory 1 Johnson, Christopher 15 Schnittker, Elke 3 Khan, Naveed 13 Shafi, Imran 7 Kraljev, Lee 13

75 Maltbaek, Christian 14 Joseph, John 26 McClure, Aubrey 14 Kahen, Negar 26 Montes, Helena 10 Kast, Dieuwertje 22 Muller, Aaron 12 Kingston, Sara 23 Norwood, Tara 17 Lang, Joshua 32 Polisini, Cara 17 Lassiter, Miriam 29 Sick, Rebekah 16 Ledezma, Karina 37 Troupe, Nathanael 17 Magnabosco, Cara 36 Wong, Hannah 13 Mansky, Hannah 32 Yee, Jennifer 12 Matsuda, Tara 33 Zigrang, Alexandra 11 Mesa, Michael 26 Nham, Tiffanie 28 Life Sciences Parks, Taylor 24 Pedroza, Adrian 20 Bickers, Cara 29 Rohman, Eric 28 Brizuela, Melissa 34 Sasaki, Jennifer 27 Castro, Brandyn 31 Schneiderman, Brian 30 Chang, Kevin 35 Smith, Alexandra 27 Cholakian, Diana 33 Suffridge, Christopher 34 Compadre, Amanda 24 Takimoto, Sarah 36 Cross, Morgan 25 Tetzl, Dustin 24 Ebentier, Darcy 30 Vittozzi Wong, Philip 27 Fowler, Brian 20 Vuong, Victoria 26 Freeman, Emma 32 Wang, Kristie 23 Gawey, Marlo 19 Wong, Karlton 21 Gregg, Hillary 28 27 Hanson, Sonya 34 Wu, Aisi 19 Henry, Katherine 33 Yuan, Valerie 35 Hernandez, Nicole 30 Herzog, Karli 31 Hudiburgh, Stephanie 26 Hurwitz, Amy 21 Itani, Reem 34 Jenkins, Barbara 21

76 Physical Shimono, Sharla 53 Srinivasan, Meera 39 Sciences & Talsky, Harris 45 Tandon, Prateek 39 Engineering Thorpe, Dayton 48 Berti, Ryan 42 Wangperawong, Panthong 50 Chang, Jeannette 53 Whitesides, Andrew 38 Chang, Jonathan 53 Wickstrom, Leah 41 Creech, Jay 51 Yoo, Jin 38 Cuevas, Marie Anne 47 Yu, Lawrence 52 Cummins, Thomas 47 Yuen, Henry 50 Epperson, Christine 42 Zaro, Balyn 50 Gill, Mariah 48 Gray, Hannah 48 Social Sciences Hankins, Meredith 46 Abrahamian, Natalie 64 Hanson, Sonya 52 Bennett, Diana 65 Huynh, Alan 52 69 Inda, Gabriel 43 Bogart, Amanda 62 Koehn, Leslie 49 Bridgelal, Ishwar 55 Lau, Hubert 50 Campos, Irene 60 Lora, Juan 38 Carver, Jason 58 Lubinski, Joseph 46 Chow, Sui Nga 58 MacGillivray, Holly 45 Christodoulou, Georgia 67 Magnabosco, Cara 48 Dai, Dianna 58 Maker, Ashley 41 De Beritto, Theodore 61 Masuda, Shelly 40 Erberich, Jessica 61 McFaddin, Patrick 38 Flor, Ashley 62 Miller, Brittney 38 Ford, Lauren 69 49 Goldford, Jonathan 58 Naik, Kedar 46 Gotuaco, Christina 67 Parks, Elizabeth 44 Green, Lydia 58 Riedel, Benedikt 40 Hummel, Nicole 59 Rodriguez, Jorge 38 Hwang, Grace 67 Rollins, Chris 43

77 Jansson, Paul 66 Lang, Joshua 59 Miller, Noelle 55 Moody, Nicole 56 Orfano, Sasha Marie 63 Ortega, Jonathan 60 Prasad, Aditya 57 Rice, Rachel 69 Sinnott, Alexandra 63 Smith, Kimberly 58 Stanek, Kevin 66 Stulting, Johanna 68 Tanis, Jonathan 67 Tran, Lisa 64 Tsai, Tiffany 63 Tuazon, Jessika 57 Wazlawek, Abbie 62 Wu, Shiwei 56 Zadiguian, Tamar 65 Zeigler, Claire 62 Zhao, Mengzhe 56 Zhou, Chenli 56

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