STUDENT SCHOLAR SYMPOSIUM FALL 2019 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4 F A L L S E S S I O N ABSTRACT VOLUME Message from the Director Greetings and welcome to the Fall 2019 Chapman University Student Scholar Symposium! Student Scholar Symposium is sponsored by the Center for Undergraduate Excellence, which is the first stop and the central hub for students to learn about and engage in undergraduate research and creativity activity; and to discover the wide range of prestigious external scholarships available. The Student Scholar Symposium which is held once each semester celebrates the remarkable scholarship and creativity conducted by Chapman undergraduate students. Our student presenters reflect the diversity of academic and creative disciplines thriving within the Chapman community. Please take some time to stop by and wander through the vast array of student poster presentations to discover the kind of work our students are engaged in here at Chapman. Chapman University Student Scholar Symposium is education in action, a true example that Chapman students are pursuing anything imaginable! And make sure to save the date for the Spring Student Scholar Symposium on May 5‐7, 2020. As research and creativity inquiry has grown across the campus, the Spring 2020 Symposium has evolved into three full days. In addition to the poster presentations of previous years, we welcome the addition of oral, visual, and performing art presentations, allowing our students multiple ways to showcase their research and creative projects. In addition to all the student presenters and their faculty mentors, I would like to give a special thanks to the CUE Advisory Board for continued support throughout the year. Enjoy the Symposium Dr. Julye Bidmead Director of the Center for Undergraduate Excellence at Chapman University Acknowledgements The Center for Undergraduate Excellence gratefully acknowledge the following for their support: ‐ Dr. Glenn Pfeiffer, Provost ‐ Crean College of Health & Behavioral Sciences ‐ Donna Ford Attallah College of Educational Studies ‐ Schmid College of Science and Technology ‐ Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences ‐ CUE Advisory Board Alexander Kurz, Brooke Jenkins, Dave Pincus, Elaine Schwartz, Jason Keller, Julye Bidmead, Kelli Fuery, Michelle Miller‐Day, Quaylan Allen, Rakesh Tiwari, Robin Kish, Stephanie Takaragawa, Steve Gjerstad, Wendy Salmond Schedule of Events 9:30 – 11:00 am Student Poster Session I Beckman Hall 404 12:30 – 1:30 pm Student Poster Session II Beckman Hall 404 2:30 – 4:00 pm Student Poster Session III Beckman Hall 404 Table of Contents Message from the Director 1 Acknowledgements 2 Schedule of Events 2 Wednesday, December 4 Poster Presentations Session l: Abstracts Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 5 Biological Sciences 6 Chemistry 7 Communication Studies 8 Computational Science 9 Computer Science 10 Economics 12 English 12 Environmental Science and Policy 16 FFC 16 Health and Strategic Communication 22 Health Sciences and Kinesiology 22 Music 23 News and Documentary 25 Pharmacy 26 Political Science 26 Psychology 35 Religious Studies 38 Sociology 39 Theatre 40 World Languages and Cultures 40 Poster Presentations Session II: Abstracts Art 43 Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 43 Biological Sciences 44 Business 46 Chemistry 47 Communication Studies 48 Computer Science 51 Data Analytics 53 English 54 FFC 58 Film 61 Health & Strategic Communication 62 History 64 Interdisciplinary 65 News and Documentary 65 Pharmacy 66 Physical Therapy 67 Physics 67 Political Science 68 Psychology 71 Software Engineering 73 Theatre 74 World Languages and Cultures 79 Poster Presentations Session III: Abstracts Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 81 Biological Sciences 82 Chemistry 84 Communication Sciences and Disorders 85 Communication Studies 86 Computer Science 87 Data Analytics 89 Economics 89 English 90 Environmental Science and Policy 93 FFC 93 Film 99 Health Sciences and Kinesiology 100 Interdisciplinary 100 Mathematics 101 Peace Studies 102 Pharmacy 102 Political Science 103 Psychology 111 Religious Studies 114 Sociology 114 Software Engineering 116 Theatre 116 Index 120 Poster Presentations – Session I Wednesday, December 4 | 9:30AM-11:00AM Beckman Hall 404 Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 1. Characterizing the Ganglioside Composition in Extracellular Vesicles Isolated from Caco-2 Human Intestinal Epithelial Cells after Supplementation with Exogenous Gangliosides Presenter(s): Jordan Jernigan Advisor(s): Dr. John Miklavcic Dietary fats play a role in the development and treatment of chronic diseases. Gangliosides are a type of fat found in all human tissue and can be located within extracellular vesicles (EV), which are vesicles excreted by all mammalian cells for intercellular communication. Though not considered an essential nutrient, dietary gangliosides may alter the content and composition of gangliosides located in EVs. By manipulating the structural composition of EVs, the intercellular communications performed by EVs may be altered. The role of dietary gangliosides with respect to mitigating chronic conditions in the human body remains unidentified. To determine how gangliosides present in the diet influence the ganglioside make up of EVS, EVs will be analyzed for total ganglioside content and composition. An exogenous source of gangliosides will be used to supplement Caco-2 human intestinal epithelial cells. EV isolation from cell media will be completed according in to ExoQuick Ultra manufacturer instructions. Protein markers will be used to verify EV isolation. The purpose of this research is to comparatively quantify if exogenous gangliosides enrich EVs with control EVs, and to characterize the ganglioside content in EVs according to classes of ganglioside. The findings of this study will support future research on the therapeutic applications of dietary gangliosides, as well as the physiochemical properties of fats in the diet in relation to to human chronic conditions. 2. Investigation of Nuclear Translocation as a Possible Mechanism of Action for ca27 Downregulation of the Androgen Receptor in Prostate Cancer Presenter(s): Abbigael Eli Advisor(s): Dr. Marco Bisoffi Prostate cancer is one of the most frequent cancers in the world’s male population. The androgen receptor (AR), which responds to the binding of androgens (for example, testosterone), is a major oncogenic driver in cancer cells. Androgens binding the AR initiate the signal for AR to translocate to the cell nucleus and act as a transcription factor for genes that promote growth and development. In cancerous cells, the AR functions constitutively, always telling the cells to grow and divide when they do not need to be doing so. This project seeks to investigate an inhibitory compound of the AR, ca27, that has been shown in previous studies to downregulate AR expression and activity. The mechanism of action of ca27 is unknown. We hypothesize that it could interfere with AR nuclear translocation. By comparing the presence of AR in the cytoplasm and the nucleus of prostate cancer cells treated with or without ca27, this study will conclude whether or not ca27 affects AR nuclear translocation. Cytoplasmic and nuclear proteins will be isolated from prostate cancer cells and immunologically tested for the presence of AR protein using nuclear protein extraction, sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and Western Blotting. If nuclear translocation is a viable target for ca27, the Western Blotting results should show a clear and significant difference between the amount of AR protein in the cytoplasm and the nucleus of the prostate cancer cells, with the higher amount of AR protein being present in the cytoplasm. The outcomes of this project will fit into our lab’s broader studies about ca27’s mechanism of action, but can also impact future studies into novel therapeutic agents and targets in prostate cancer. 5 | Page Poster Presentations – Session I Wednesday, December 4 | 9:30AM-11:00AM Beckman Hall 404 Biological Sciences 3. The Mechanisms of Mud Burrowing in Atlantic Hagfish Presenter(s): Keolani Kahale-Lua Advisor(s): Dr. Douglas Fudge, Dr. Charlene McCord Hagfishes are elongate craniates that live on the ocean floor and are known for their evasive nature. Their unique locomotive behavior is characterized by anguilliform swimming and expert burrowing in complex environments and confined spaces like carcasses. However, little is known about whether specificity is employed by hagfishes to achieve this optimal ability. In this study, we analyze and propose behavioral mechanisms by which Atlantic hagfish (Myxine glutinosa) burrow into gelatin to understand how they navigate in marine mud sediments. Specifically, videos of the hagfishes were collected and all burrowing was quantified by frequency and amplitude of tail beats over time. Our results suggest that hagfishes use a methodical, biphasic approach for burrowing into substrate. High tail beat frequencies and head wagging devolve into body-axis propagation with smaller undulatory frequencies until the animal has completely submerged. Our research coincides with previous literature on the evolution of locomotion in long-bodied aquatic animals. Future experiments are expected to yield kinematic models for these locomotive patterns. 4. Fishing for Evolution in the Galapagos; A Study of Hagfish Species Diversity and Behavior Presenter(s): Zachary Baker Advisor(s): Dr. Douglas Fudge The study of new subspecies of hagfish is necessary for understanding the morphology