VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2 | FEBRUARY 2021 emerginginvestigators.org Anti-cancer molecules The search for motor protein inhibitors that can stop rampant cell proliferation Ultra-waterproofing The development of a super-hydrophobic surface Microplastics and marine life How plastic pollution affects both fish and humans Asteroid analysis How gravity and temperature can affect an asteroid’s orbit A harmonic hypothesis Examining the higher harmonics in an oscillating string The Journal of Emerging Investigators is an open-access journal that publishes original research in the biological and physical sciences that is written by middle and high school students. JEI provides students, under the guidance of a teacher or advisor, the opportunity to submit and gain feedback on original research and to publish their findings in a peer- reviewed scientific journal. 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EXECUTIVE STAFF EDITORIAL TEAM Michael Mazzola executive director Brandon Sit editor-in-chief Sarah Bier coo Michael Marquis managing editor Qiyu Zhang treasurer Kari Mattison managing editor Caroline Palavacino-Maggio outreach Stephanie Zimmer managing editor Eddie Rodriguez education and curriculum Yamin Li managing editor Karthik Hullahalli internal engagement Scott Wieman managing editor Shuyang Jin financial sponsorship Colleen Lawrimore managing editor Shibin Mathew managing editor BOARD OF DIRECTORS Naomi Atkin head copy editor Sarah Fankhauser Bill Artzerounian Claire Otero head copy editor Lincoln Pasquina April Phillips Stephen Carro head copy editor Seth Staples Nadia Williams Alexandra Was, PhD proofing manager Elizabeth Phimister Gavin Smith Erika J. Davidoff publication manager Melodie Knowlton Hemai Parthasarathy Contents VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2 | FEBRUARY 2021 Comparison of perception of 2020 election security 5 threats between young and old voters Thomas Rafacz and Jason Campbell Schaumburg High School, Schaumburg IL The development of a superhydrophobic surface using 13 electrolytic deposition & polymer chains precipitation Heeyun Kim, Katelyn Woo, and MacRae Maxfield Brooklyn Technical High School, Brooklyn, NY From Waste to Wealth: Making Millivolts from Microbes! 19 Hamza Arman Lateef, Tony Ethan Bright, and Debra Peterman Charles J. Colgan High School, Manassas, Virginia Louise A. Benton Middle School, Manassas, Virginia High-throughput virtual screening of novel dihydropyrimidine monastrol analogs reveals robust 24 structure-activity relationship to kinesin Eg5 binding thermodynamics Tyler Shern, Ansh Rai, Krithikaa Premnath, Audrey Kwan, Ria Kolala, Ishani Ashok, and Edward Njoo Mission San Jose High School, Fremont, CA Dougherty Valley High School, San Ramon, CA Dublin High School, Dublin, CA Evaluation of microplastics in Japanese fish using visual 34 and chemical dissections Emma Rudy Srebnik and Sarah Urquhart Yokohama International School, Yokohama, Japan Long range radio communication for urban sensor 41 networks Molly Cantillon, Kevin A. Kam, and Ioannis Kymissis Newark Academy, Livingston, NJ, Predicting orbital resonance of 2867 Šteins using the 45 Yarkovsky effect Will Rosenberg, Esteban Herrera-Vendrell, Raymond Nucuta, Karsen Wahal, Sarthak Bhardwaj, William Bryce Gallie, and Paul McClernon BASIS Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Arizona Analysis of patterns in the harmonics of a string with 50 artificially enforced nodes Armaan Jain and Curtis Broadbent Good Shepherd International School, Tamil Nadu, India Can green tea alleviate the effects of stress related to 57 learning and long-term memory in the great pond snail (Lymnaea stagnalis)? Madison Elias and Janine Cupo Seaford High School Article Comparison of Perception of 2020 Election Security Threats Between Young and Old Voters Thomas Rafacz1 & Jason Campbell1 1 Schaumburg High School, Schaumburg IL SUMMARY attacks. While not fraudulent in essence, electoral laws and Elections constitute the bedrock of a democratically procedures, when manipulated, can lead to voter fraud, which governed society. Due to the long time it has historically is not a new phenomenon. Going back to 1982, a large-scale taken to ensure equal social participation, the integrity of elections needs to be particularly protected to scheme was unveiled in the Chicago and Illinois general make every vote count. The democratic process itself elections where 63 individuals were charged and convicted has been subject to manipulation through widespread of tampering with registration, including forging signatures illegal practices in many municipal areas like New and impersonation (2). In the recent two decades, despite York or Chicago that have earned in the past a a low number of proven instances of voter fraud, only 1,088 notoriety for ballot stuffing or stealing votes through cases nationwide since 2002 (3), the perception of fraud impersonation. In the current American social climate seemed to linger among American public, with a tendency of the 2020 presidential election, the same concerns to become subjectified. To illustrate, a study conducted in come up to the forefront, compounded by threats 2008 at Columbia Law School that involved a survey of a of cybersecurity. Our research gauged types and 36,500-person sample over a period of three years revealed extent of concernment among two age groups of that 41% of respondents held the belief of a high occurrence voters: college students and senior citizens. We of fraud (4). In 2015, Sances and Stewart demonstrated the explored the correlations using the baseline survey subjectivity of voter confidence through a strong pattern of and re-examined them after applying information voters reporting a high level of confidence (61%) in their own frames through a paired comparison. We found that votes being counted as cast and a low level of trust (22%) in opinions about voter ID laws and cybersecurity have the accuracy of other voters’ ballots (5). At the same time, a strong association to age. Our original hypothesis this distrust seems to have recently fluctuated and diminished was that seniors will unchangeably perceive voter as reported by the Gallup Newspoll from September of 2019 identification as essential to election safety while in which 70% of the public expressed a comfortable level of young people will emphasize cybersecurity but will be open-minded. Contrary to that hypothesis, confidence in the upcoming 2020 election’s accuracy (6). seniors expressed an equal concern over voter ID and Attempting to understand the changing trends and impacts cybersecurity and seemed to be more susceptible on this conflicting perception is crucial in taking steps to further to the influence of new information. Comparably, increase voter confidence. The sources of concern over college students overwhelmingly confirmed their election integrity stem from two kinds of threats: historically preoccupation with cybersecurity, marginalizing founded voter fraud, mostly through impersonation (7), and a voter ID, but unexpectedly did not show inclination to recent phenomenon of threat to cybersecurity (8). There were easily change their views. The age of voters plays a attempts to address the first problem through the introduction role in how they perceive the concerns and how they of voter ID laws that have become a highly contentious subject, react to information about them. opening the stage for some studies on their effectiveness, especially following a momentous challenge of these laws in INTRODUCTION Crawford v. Marion County Election Board case in 2008 (9). According to the 2019 report from the Electoral Integrity After the 2013 Supreme Court decision to strike down Justice Project (EIP) conducted by the Department of Government Department oversight of state election procedures, thirty-four and International Relations, in the years 2012 to 2018, the states responded by introducing varying degrees of voter United States scored 61 points on a 100-point scale of identification requirements (7). Public discourse demonstrates electoral integrity in the assessments of the cumulative that opinion on voter ID laws is very divided: either they are study of 337 presidential and parliamentary elections in a valuable tool for preventing voter fraud and assuring public 166 countries around the world (1). The scale measures 49 confidence or they are a tool for disenfranchising voters. The core items in expert political surveys, discerning a moderate existing research therefore has focused on examining the range (50-59), high (60-69), and very high (70+). Among relationships between the laws and election turnout as well global complex electoral concerns were inconsistent voter as public support for them based on rates of access to IDs by registration processes and vulnerability to cybersecurity social groups. For example, a study conducted in Texas in Journal of Emerging Investigators • www.emerginginvestigators.org FEBRUARY05 JAN 2021 2021 | VOL 4 | 51 2011 found that 4.5% of their registered voters lacked proper subsequently, if the perception concerning the type of threat identification (10). At the same time, the 2014 survey among tends to align with a respondent’s age. We posed a hypothesis New Mexico voters with a large Hispanic population who bear that