Volume XXI ISSN: 1555-3760 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 50TH ANNUAL MEETING COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA UNIVERSITY BIOLOGISTS April 12-13, 2019 Hosted By: Department of Biology and Health Services Edinboro University Edinboro, Pennsylvania Proceedings of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania University Biologists 50TH Annual Meeting, April 12-13, 2019 Hosted by the Department of Biology and Health Services Edinboro University Edinboro, PA Table of Contents Schedule of Events………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2 Wi-Fi Login Information……………………………………………………………………………………………… 4 Keynote Speaker Biography…………………………………………………………………………………………..5 Outstanding Student Award Recipients………………………………………………………………………… 6 Student CPUB Research Grant Recipients…………………………………………………………… …….…14 Schedule of Platform Presentations……………………………………………………………………………..15 Schedule of Poster Presentations…………………………………………………………………………………21 Abstracts……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….........31 Historical Highlights of APSCUF/CPUB…………………………………………………………………………72 CPUB Officers…………………………………………………………………………………………………….……..…74 CPUB Presidents………………………………………………………………………………………………………....75 Schedule of CPUB Annual Meetings……………………………………………………………………….……..77 Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………………………………………..78 Maps……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..........80 Sponsors..…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………81 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania University Biologists 50TH Annual Meeting, April 12-13, 2019 Schedule of Events: FRIDAY, APRIL 12 6:00 – 7:30 PM Registration, Cooper Hall Lobby SATURDAY, APRIL 13 7:30 – 9:00 AM Registration, Cooper Hall Lobby 7:30 – 9:00 AM Poster Set-up, Cooper Hall, First Floor 8:00 – 8:45 AM CPUB Directors' Meeting, Cooper Hall, Room 173 9:00 – 9:15 AM Welcome and Introduction, Van Houten South Dining Hall 9:15 – 10:30 AM Keynote Address: “Pseudoscience Debate in Medicine and its Ethical Implications” Delivered by Dr. Kia Aramesh, Director of the James F. Drane Bioethics Institute, Edinboro University Van Houten South Dining Hall 10:45 – 11:45 AM Platform Presentations (Session 1, 2, 3), Cooper Hall, First Floor Platform Session I - Graduate – Room 170 Platform Session II - Undergraduate - Cell/Molecular – Room 171 Platform Session III - Undergraduate - Ecology/ Organismal – Room 172 2 12:00 – 1:00 PM Lunch, Cooper Hall Lobby 1:15 – 2:15 PM Poster Presentations, Group “A”: Odd Numbered Abstracts Cooper Hall 2:15 – 3:15 PM Poster Presentations, Group “B”: Even Numbered Abstracts Cooper Hall 3:15 – 4:15 PM Platform Presentations (Sessions 4, 5, 6, 7), Cooper Hall, First Floor Session IV – Undergraduate - Cell/ Molecular & Ecology/ Organismal– Room 170 Session V - Undergraduate - Cell/ Molecular – Room 171 Session VI - Undergraduate - Ecology/Organismal - Room 172 4:30 – 5:15 PM SCOTS Talks (Workshops), Cooper Hall, First Floor 1) “Art as a Forensic Tool” – Cooper Hall, Room 171 Michelle Vitali, MFA, Professor, Art Department, Fellow at the Institute of Forensic Sciences Edinboro University 2) “Science of Brewing” – Cooper Hall, Room 172 Adam Hoke, Voodoo Brewing Company Edinboro University (B.S. Biology 2012, M.S. Biology 2015) 3) “Curiosity-Driven Research: Looking at Autism Spectrum Disorders Through a New Lens” – Cooper Hall, Room 173 Vytas A. Bankaitis, PhD, University Distinguished Professor E.L. Wehner-Welch Foundation Chair in Chemistry Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine Texas A&M Health Science Center 3 5:30 PM Poster tear down, Cooper Hall 5:15 – 6:15 PM CPUB Business Meeting, Cooper Hall, Room 172 6:00 – 8:00 PM Banquet and Awards, Van Houten South Dining Hall GUEST WI-FI FOR CPUB MEETING Step 1: To connect, choose "EU-GUEST" from the available wireless networks. Step 2: Once you connect to EU-GUEST, you will be redirected to the following page. If you are not automatically directed you may need to launch a browser and go to www.edinboro.edu. Click on the Create Account link to create a guest wireless account. Step 3: Enter your name, your organization name (if you do not represent an organization then enter your name again) and your email address. Then enter the security code and check the “I accept the terms of use” box. Click on the Register button to create and display your Guest wireless account information. Step 4: Review your account username and guest password (jot it down) and click on the “Log In” button for network access. Your account credentials will also be emailed to the email address you entered. Your account for that specific device will be valid for 48 hours. If you use a different device or need to access our wireless network after 48 hours has expired, then you will have to follow steps 1 thru 4 to setup new guest access credentials. Go to the following link to find out more: http://www.edinboro.edu/directory/offices-services/information-technology- services/networks-telecommunications/WirelessGuestAccessInstructions5-24-2017.pdf 4 Keynote Address Kiarash Aramesh M.D., Ph.D. Director of the James F. Drane Bioethics Institute Dr. Aramesh is an assistant professor at the Department of Biology and Health Sciences. He also serves as the director of the James F. Drane Bioethics Institute. He is a physician and his specialty is in community medicine. He also holds a PhD in Healthcare Ethics. Before joining the Edinboro University, he had worked as a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Healthcare Ethics at Duquesne University in 2017-18 and at the department of bioethics at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2013-14. He also worked as a faculty member at the Medical Ethics and History of Medicine Research Center of Tehran University of Medical Sciences from 2005 to 2018. He has published several books and articles on various aspects of biomedical ethics in English and Persian and delivered numerous presentations as invited lecturer in different domestic and international conferences. His current research interests include Global Bioethics, Clinical Research Ethics, and Biopolitics. “Science-Pseudoscience Debate in Medicine and its Ethical Implications” Is it ethically justified to practice or promote homeopathy, energy therapy, acupuncture, or quantum healing? Are they alternative approached to medicine or just quackery and unreliable collections of pseudoscientific claims? How we, as patients or professionals, can evaluate each treatment approach in terms of its scientific validity? This presentation addresses the demarcation problem and discusses how to differentiate science from pseudoscience in medical practice and clinical research. Also, it will explore the ethical implications of the science vs. pseudoscience debate and the reasons behind the ethical wrongness of promoting or practicing pseudoscience in medicine. It argues that social value and scientific validity are two important ethical requirements in the realm of clinical research and concludes that the clinical practitioners are ethically obliged to use and prescribe only the treatment methods and medicines whose efficacy and safety are proved by the evidence-based methodology. 5 2019 OUTSTANDING STUDENT AWARD RECIPIENTS In 1977, CPUB initiated an Outstanding Student Awards Program to honor a life science student at each Pennsylvania SSHE University who best exemplifies scientific scholarship and academic achievement. These awards are presented each year at the CPUB Annual Meeting. The criteria for student selection are established by the department members at each university. Student award winners are provided funding by CPUB and the individual departments so that they can attend the Annual Meeting. This honor of distinction is given to one student at each SSHE University, but it represents the academic virtues possessed by numerous students who attend these Pennsylvania Universities. Many of the previous CPUB Award winners are presently attending various graduate and medical programs. Others have graduated and are presently involved in scientific research, teaching, or medical professions. Andrew Cross, Bloomsburg University Andrew Cross is a senior biology, pre-medical sciences major and chemistry minor. Andrew has achieved a 4.00 GPA and plans to attend Penn State College of Medicine. He has served as a patient companion on the medical/surgery floor at Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital and has health care shadowing experience in cardiology and orthopedic surgery. Andrew’s outstanding achievements have been recognized by a host of honors and awards including dean’s list each semester and selection for membership in the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and the Tri-Beta Biology Honor Society. He is a recipient of the Phi Kappa Phi Outstanding Freshman Award and the Bloomsburg University Academic Excellence Scholarship. Active in undergraduate research, Andrew has received grants from CPUB, Tri-Beta Biology Honor Society, and Bloomsburg University to support his investigations on oxidative stress in honey bees exposed to neonicotinoid pesticides. Andrew is active in the campus and local community. He is a member of the Pre-medical Sciences Club, the historian of Tri-Beta Biology Honor Society, and the treasurer of the Rideau Rod and Gun Club. He volunteers his time as a peer tutor in Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, and Genetics. Andrew has excelled and is recognized by department faculty for his scholarship, leadership and service. 6 Eric Moeller, California University Eric Moeller is a Biology major, Chemistry minor, with a 3.763 GPA. He is a member of the Honors program and is involved in several departmental clubs, including the Biology