Hendrick Hudson High School Science May 2018 Research Sponsored by the Hendrick Hudson Community Educational Foundation (HHCEF) “ You are limited only by your imagination” 1 Mr. Beau White 2 Hendrick Hudson High School May 2018 Science Research Margaret Quinn Gruber has worked on the effects of radiation on neurogenesis, an important topic not just about our future in space flight, but also addressing the neural degeneration happening in radiation thera- py treating brain cancers. Quinn will attend University of Pennsylvania in the fall. Our Juniors competed this year as well. Thea Barbelet took First place for her poster in the Animal Science category on bee pollination at JSHS and got Second best overall grade. Buu-Hac Nguyen got First place for her poster in the Neurosci- ence 1 category at JSHS and got Third best overall grade. She also got the College Ad- mission Central Science Horizon Award at WESEF. Buu-Hac worked on charac- terizing the Dopamine transporter with nanobodies. Hailey Kissner competed at WESEF with her fabulous work on Dys- lexia. Congratulations to a wonderful group of students. We would like to express our sincere and profound gratitude for the work of Dr. Matthias Quick, who Melody Munitz received two Regeneron STS badges, for has been mentoring several of our students over the years, Student Initiative and for her Research Report. She placed who has acted as judge, advised and helped our students Second in the Behavior category for WESEF and Second as present their research better. a speaker for JSHS, qualifying for the finals. Her work on Aphantasia defined new characteristics of this condition. In Our collaboration with the Pine Ridge Girls School in South addition to her accomplishments in Science Research, Mel- Dakota is continuing. We will be able to pair our Science ody is an outstanding actress and singer, who will join the Research classroom with the science class of Mr. Beau Pennsylvania State University, Schreyer Honors College, to White on a regular basis starting in the fall, thanks to the major in musical theater. She is the 2018 Salutatorian. generosity of Mr. James Mackin, who equipped both of our classrooms with webcams. This Science Research Program Peter Manthey placed Second in Tri-County Science Fair in collaboration is part of a developing and pilot program from computer science category. His project, modeling the devel- the Society for Science and the Public to help underserved opment of birds’ beaks, is very important in understanding communities build science research programs. the epigenetic modifications leading to specific beaks’ shapes. Peter is going to attend Colgate University in the fall. 3 An Epidemiological Study of Aphantasia by Melody Munitz (STS paper excerpt) (Senior) Abstract high-functioning as individ- frontoparietal and Aphantasia is a newly ac- uals and in society. One of posterior brain knowledged condition char- the most prominent results is processes (Barto- acterized by the inability that most aphantasiacs have lomeo, 2008), this to form mental images in vivid visual dreams, suggest- skill has numerous one’s mind’s eye. As it has ing that aphantasia affects practical implications, such cally quantifying visualiza- recently surfaced, there has conscious, but not uncon- as its assistance in learning, tion skills. This questionnaire been little research conduct- scious visualization. Anoth- glancing ability and creativ- describes several situations ed on it. I created a survey er important result lies in the ity, among other psychologi- and then asks the participant and distributed it to groups fact that most aphantasiacs cal processes. The formation to rate the vividness of their of self-declared aphantasi- experience diminished im- of mental imagery is also mental imagery on a scale acs via social media, and re- agery of their other senses, linked to memory, as sup- of 1-5. Using the VVIQ and ceived 395 responses. These not simply visual; i.e., they ported by Marks’ 1973 ex- other similar tools and ques- responses were compared to have difficulty conjuring au- periment in which male and tionnaires, Galton found that a control group of 150 sub- ditory or gustatory imagery. female subjects who claimed not everyone is equipped jects. This epidemiological This suggests that aphanta- to have varying visual imag- with comparable visual im- study of aphantasia is the sia is caused by a neurologi- ery capabilities were shown agery capabilities. While first of its kind to function cal mechanism broader than an image and then asked to most people fall somewhere on a large scale, providing those responsible for just vi- recall it. The results sug- on the high end of the spec- important information about sual imagery formation and gested that the subjects who trum, having good or even the nature of the condition recall. claimed to have higher visu- superb visual imagery skills, and its effects on those who Introduction al imagery capabilities were there is a small percentage of people that possess very have it. The results suggest Visualization, or being able more accurate in their recall that aphantasiacs find mental of the images they had seen, poor visualization abilities to conceive an image in one’s (Galton, 1880). In similar re- workarounds to compensate mind’s eye, is an impressive allowing for the conclusion for their lack of visualization that “images have an impor- search conducted by Faw in and impactful ability. Be- 2009, assessing such capa- skills that allow them to be lieved to be the product of tant role in memory” (Marks, 1973). In another experiment bilities of 2,500 participants, relating to the correlation it was found that 2.1-2.7% of between eye movements and them fell in this small group, visualization, there was “no claiming extremely poor or evidence that vivid visual- absent visual imagination izers showed more scanning (Faw, 2009). activity than a group of Ss Aside from Faw’s limited [patients] operationally de- work, this phenomenon has fined to be poor at visualiz- not received much scien- ing”, suggesting that visual tific exploitation. Recently, imagery is more than sim- however, Professor Adam ply eye movements (Marks, Zeman at the University of D.F., 1973). Exeter has begun conduct- Some of the first document- ing research on this topic. ed research regarding visual This condition now named imagery was conducted in ‘aphantasia’ (Zeman, 2015), 1880 by Sir Francis Galton, is hypothesized to be the re- esteemed English scientific sult of either of two different pioneer of the 19th century, types of neurogenic visual and was geared toward de- imagery impairments: i) vi- termining how different peo- sual memory disorders, or ple’s visual imagery skills ii) ‘imagery generation’ de- compare. To assess where privation (Farah, 1984). To each patient lay on the scale explore further features of of visualization, Galton de- aphantasia, Zeman and his veloped the Vividness of Vi- team distributed a shortened sual Imagery Questionnaire version of the VVIQ as well (VVIQ), which has since be- as a supplemental question- come a standard of scientifi- naire addressing additional 4 a good basis for further re- US: 58% Other). Of aphan- search (Zeman, 2015). tasiacs, 42% reported hav- I created a questionnaire and ing been in the academic top distributed it via the internet 10% in high school, compa- to self-proclaimed aphanta- rable to the 39% of the con- sia patients to gather addi- trol group that reported such, tional statistics of the con- showing that aphantasiacs dition. This study gathered don’t feel that aphantasia demographics of the tested has hindered their academic population, as well as infor- success. Most subjects ex- mation regarding the effects pressed that their visual im- of aphantasia on learning agery had been equally weak ability, glancing ability, fa- throughout their life, and did cial recognition ability, cre- not seem to be the result of ativity, career and memory. an accident or other change. This data will facilitate an Confirming Aphantasia: improved understanding of Since most aphantasiacs aphantasia within the sci- were self-identified (only 4% entific community, and act reported that their mind’s eye as a base for further studies weakness has been verified aimed at determining the by a healthcare profession- cause of the condition. al), it was important to verify Goal of Study/Hypothesis personal information to 21 versation with ‘normal’ visu- their standing as aphanta- participants who suspected alizers. Interestingly, despite Develop a survey to be ad- siacs. The first questions of that they had the condition, the 21 participants’ VVIQ ministered to self-proclaimed the survey asked subjects to 19 of whom were male. This scores being tremendously aphantasiacs to verify their undergo a series of visual- testing generated various re- lower than those of the 121 condition, as well as gage izations and record their ex- sults; 5/21 reported having control patients, many sub- additional information about perience. The experimental relatives who experience jects claimed to experience aphantasia that will facilitate group consistently reported similar symptoms, and most involuntary imagery at vari- further scientific investiga- low numerical responses, participants claimed having ous times. This first explor- tions. This will serve as the showing their diminished realized their visualizing atory study of aphantasia first in depth epidemiologi- mind’s eye and categorizing deficit during their teens or began to define and quantify cal study of this condition, them as aphantasiacs. The early twenties through con- the condition, and acted as providing useful information consistently high numeri- about the demographics of cal responses of the control the population of non-visu- group on the same questions alizers, as well as highlight- verified them as non-aphan- ing the effects of the condi- tasiacs, making them a vi- tion on various functions.