Student Presentations

The presentations shown here were presented by St. Norbert College at the Undergraduate Research Forum.

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Do You Have to Nourish to Flourish?

Lexi Anderson, Kassidy Ashbeck, Tasha Voss, and Brittney Zimmer

The present study examines various forms of self-care and how they relate to college students’ well-being. The researchers wanted to know: (1) What types of self-care strategies do students use? (2) Which of these self-care strategies enhance well-being? (3) How do these self-care strategies enhance well-being? There were 84 SNC student participants recruited through SONA systems. Participants were given an online questionnaire through Qualtrics, that consisted of questions regarding participants’ definition of self-care, the types of self-care they engage in, the features of their self-care, and well-being. The results showed that participants were more likely to engage in passive relaxation activities (like listening to music), compared to active relaxation activities (like pampering yourself) or physical activities. There was a positive relationship between physical activity and well-being, and a negative relationship between active relaxation activities and well-being. When participants felt competent and capable when doing self-care, well-being increased. Now, the researchers pose the question to you: Do you feel as though you need to nourish to flourish?
Designing an Experimental Apparatus for Rotational Mixing in Stokes Flow

William Bethard and Logan Hennes

We report on the design, construction, and operation of a rotational mixing apparatus that magnetically rotates a thin metal rod interacting with tracers suspended in a high-viscosity fluid. The purpose of this apparatus is to achieve Stokes flow, defined as having a Reynolds number below 0.001, where viscous forces dominate over inertial forces in a fluid system. The apparatus, designed using 3D modeling software and constructed using additive manufacturing techniques, holds a rod at a fixed angle with a magnetic field and rotates the rod conically about a fixed point. Tracer trajectories within the fluid were tracked using a custom implementation of the Open-CV python library that analyzed video of the fluid mixing captured by a document camera. It is intended that this apparatus will be used in future research to investigate rotational mixing of viscous fluids, with applications to clinical research in medical science.
A Case for Liberal Arts College Education in Prison

Kendall Bowers

The United States has faced a critical problem of mass incarceration for decades. One of the dominant problems facing the incarceration system is the high return to prison rate among released offenders. The high return to prison rate can be attributed to many factors, one being a lack of educational and rehabilitative programs. Providing a liberal arts education would decrease inmate misconduct rates and recidivism rates while substantially increasing job placement post release. My project gathers critical research in the form of a policy paper to be used to propose to local prison officials and state representatives to argue for policy for the implementation of liberal arts college education programs in prisons across the state.
Genetic Analysis of Elephant Species in Guinea Conakry

Olivia Bruni and Olivia Groenewold

In the aim of conservation, this project studied the elephant population in the transitional zone of Guinea Conakry to determine whether the individuals in the population are African forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis), African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana), or a hybridized species. In the transitional zone, the elephants live under low surveillance and security, making them vulnerable to poaching. In this study, we collected genetic data from the elephants of Guinea Conakry to better understand their taxonomic affinity and added to a larger genetic database that has been developed to locate the origin of ivory seized from poachers to better direct efforts and resources for African elephant conservation. We accomplished three goals by conducting this research: 1) used DNA to determine the elephant species found within the transition zone in Guinea Conakry, 2) identified single nucleotide polymorphisms indicative of hybridization, and 3) added this data to the growing trans-African genetic database to aid in anti-poaching efforts.
Bioacoustics and Regional Differences of Florida Scrub-Jay Rattle Calls

Rose Capek

Florida Scrub Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) are endemic to Florida and use weep, scold, or growl calls to communicate. However, most female corvids produce a rattle call when alarmed that the males do not. Regional calls are common in general vocalization patterns, but have not been particularly well described in rattles outside of the Florida Scrub Jays. Due to the different dialects, birds from one region do not recognize the foreign rattle as the same species. In this project, digital recordings of bird vocalizations from different populations in Florida were accessed from the Macaulay Library and analyzed in Raven, bioacoustic analysis software, to help further a more detailed understanding of the calls of Florida Scrub Jays. Calls were sorted based on the types of vocalization contained in each recording. From there the syllables and tik syllables were determined and a population assigned based on X and Y coordinates. In this project I will discuss descriptions and extents of regional dialects across the range of Florida Scrub Jays.
Exploring the effects of β-N-methylamino-L-alanine on Schmidtea mediterranea’s GluN1/GluN2A NMDA receptor subunits.

Frida Chavez

β-N-methylamino-L-alanine, also known as BMAA, is a neurotoxin produced by several species of cyanobacteria and eukaryotic microorganisms such as diatoms and dinoflagellates. BMAA has been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia. Being that it biomagnifies through the food chain, accumulation occurs in its symbionts like cycad seeds and seafood, and eventually gets ingested by humans causing possible neuronal consequences. There is evidence that BMAA agonizes N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, a family of L-glutamate receptors that play a critical role in learning and memory, inducing excitotoxicity against neurons. However, exactly how it causes death of motor neurons and how its actions may interact with other neurotoxins or pathological conditions, is not well understood. The focus of this study is to explore planarians (Schmidtea mediterranea) as a suitable model system to study the effects of BMAA. Because planarians contain endogenous glutamate and express genes for glutamate receptors, they are a desirable model for investigating a role for NDMA receptors in BMAA exposure. The present study focused on the following hypothesis (1) planarians are a suitable model system to study the effects of BMAA (2) NMDA receptor agonism through BMAA and ethanol exposure induces motor neuronal damage/death in planarians.
Effects of Social Media Use on Emotional Well-being and Life Satisfaction

Lauren Chiappetta and Amelia Wilcox

Social media is a largely prevalent, but understudied aspect of life. The Facebook Experiment conducted by Tromholt found statistical evidence that Facebook use negatively affected well-being and life satisfaction (2016). This study was a replication of the Facebook Experiment that was altered to use the social media platform, Instagram, instead. The study was conducted in one week with seven participants, four females and three males, with ages ranging from 20-22, all were white. The study examined the effects that Instagram has on well-being and life satisfaction. Participants were asked to take a survey to measure their well-being and life satisfaction and then were randomly assigned to either stay off of Instagram for a week or maintain normal usage. After the week participants took the same survey as they did before their assignment. The results after a week found no statistical evidence that Instagram usage changed participants’ well-being or life satisfaction. Because of this the study could not conclude that Instagram negatively impacts individuals.
The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Effects on Sexual Behaviors

Emily Corrigan

The purpose of this study is to explore the effects on sexuality during the COVID-19 pandemic by investigating the correlations between a person’s knowledge and perception of COVID-19 and their sexual behaviors. We hypothesize that desire and frequency of sex will be decreased in people who consider themselves “high-risk” or are fearful of COVID-19, have depression or feel lonely as a result of the pandemic, and will utilize more sexual behaviors that avoid close-contact such as technology-mediated behaviors.
Classifying Prime Character Degree Graphs

Sara DeGroot

In our work, we construct a family of graphs. We then classify whether or not each of these graphs occur as the prime character degree graph for some solvable group, with two notable exceptions. In this poster, we more closely investigate these two aforementioned graphs.
Exploring the Association Between Goal Difficulty and Well-Being

Hope Duppler

Goals are important sources of motivation and well-being, but not all goals are made alike. In this research, we investigate the effects of difficult goals on well-being. College students completed a series of four self-report surveys to track their goal progress and well-being over the course of a semester. In the first survey (Nт1=150), participants were asked to describe and rate various features of a goal they had for the semester. In the fourth and final survey (Nт4=48), they indicated their well-being, specifically life satisfaction and affect balance. Regression analyses indicated no significant main or interactive effects of goal difficulty and goal autonomy on life satisfaction or affect balance, ps > .154, and the same is true of main and interactive effects of goal difficulty and goal autonomy on these outcomes, ps > .095. When omitting two outliers (>2 SD below the mean of goal difficulty), results indicated a marginally significant curvilinear association between goal difficulty squared and affect balance (B = -1.254, β = -.273, SE= .682, p= .075). In general, this study suggests few effects of goal difficulty on well-being, even when goal autonomy and goal specificity are taken into account. However, this study does show a marginally significant curvilinear relationship between goal difficulty and affect balance. As a participant’s goal difficulty increased, the effect of goal difficulty on their well-being decreased. This may suggest the existence of an optimal level of goal difficulty, implying that not all difficult goals will be beneficial for one’s well-being.
Genuine and Narcissistic Altruism are Differentially Related to Anger-, Shame-, and Joy-Related Dispositions

Kylie Earing

Whereas greater genuine altruism (doing good without expecting benefits to the self) was most associated with reduced propensities for anger and shame, greater narcissistic altruism (doing good to receive benefits like admiration) was most associated with higher propensities for and rumination on anger. Neither was particularly associated with joy dispositions.
DNA Barcoding for Molecular Prospecting of Platyhelminthes

Logan Elkin and WIll Butak

DNA barcoding (Folmer et al. 1994), is an efficient method to distinguish species by short specific DNA sequences from a common region of their genome, such as the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) gene. The early primers of Folmer et al. (1994) were not as universal as desired (Elias et al. 2007). Platyhelminthes (flatworms), being the fourth most speciose animal phylum, is a taxonomic group where universal barcoding primers are not very effective (Vanhove, et al. 2013). Recently, Van Steenkiste et al. (2014) and Elbrecht and Leese (2017) developed primers for parasitic and free-living flatworms that show promise as molecular barcodes. We tested the primers developed by Van Steenkiste et al. (2014), Dice 1F, Dice 11R, and Dice 14R, on a diverse collection of trematodes, a group with a significant number of undescribed taxa. A total of 120 amplifications were performed on 69 trematode samples from 27 genera. Dice 1F/11R and Dice 1F/14R primer sets were tested alongside the JB3/JB5 primer set (Bowles et al. 1992; Derycke et al. 2005). Overall amplification efficacy was notably larger for the Dice 1F/11R primer set. However, the JB3/JB5 primer pair led to a higher percentage of successful sequences, as compared to either of the Dice primers.
Chemical Ablation of Stem Cells

Renata Foerstel

Planarians are an amazing model system for studying regeneration due to their large population of stem cells. A critical technique in studying stem cell dynamics is to eliminate stem cells through exposure to gamma or X-ray radiation. These techniques require expensive equipment. The goal of this project was to develop a cheap alternative to kill stem cells by using the cell cycle inhibitor hydroxyurea.
Functional Analysis of Protonephridia Genes Identified by Drop-Seq

Andrew Gaetano

Schmidtea mediterranea, the freshwater planarian, possesses protonephridia, which are an organized network of branched tubules that function in waste filtration and water regulation. On a cellular and molecular level, these structures show considerable homology to the human kidney making planarians a useful model system for exploring human excretory biology and disease (Scimone, 2011 and Vu, 2015). Additionally, the planarian genome contains many flatworm-specific protonephridia genes essential for survival, making them potential drug targets for parasitic worm infections of humans. We set out to validate the expression of protonephridia genes identified by Drop-seq, a single-cell RNA sequencing technique that identified the transcriptomes for every cell type in S. mediterranea (Fincher et al., 2018). To accomplish this, we mapped gene expression using colorimetric and fluorescence in situ hybridization and characterized gene functionality via RNA interference screening (RNAi).
Analysis of the Zebra Finch Gut Microbiota

Cole Hanke

The purpose of this study is to analyze the gut microbiota of the zebra finch. The fecal samples of both male and female birds were collected from two separate populations. The bacteria were then incubated and isolated in order to amplify and sequence their 16s rRNA. The analysis of the 16s rRNA in a bacterial database showed the presence of a variety of species from the bacillus, staphylococcus, and citrobacter genera.
Identification of Soil Bacteria by 16S Sequencing

Ethan Hess

Antibiotic resistance is a large and growing problem. Since most current antibiotics are produced by soil bacteria, identifying soil bacteria that might produce novel antibiotics could help with drug discovery. As a continuation of a project begun in BIOL 350, we isolated 18 bacterial strains from soil samples, identified them by 16S sequence, and are screening them for antibacterial properties.
Situating Views of Learning, Achievement, and Assessment Within Higher Education: The Impact of Collective Epistemology

Julia Johnson and Sarah Chouinard

Do experienced college professors, experts in their fields, hold relatively similar epistemological beliefs, or do epistemological views vary regularly by academic discipline? College professors’ epistemological views and implicit theory of learning will impact their teaching practices. An educator will teach, assess, and provide feedback all through their views. What they define as success and student achievement might differ depending on their implicit beliefs of learning. To research and compare epistemological views, structured interviews will be conducted with professors from several disciplines and institutions, and these will be analyzed.
Charter Establishing the Abbey of St. Martin of Laon in 1124AD

Megan Keyser and Halle Martin

In the Vitae Norberti, the hagiographic accounts of the life of Norbert of Xanten, it is described that Norbert is granted authority over the canons of the Abbey of Saint Martin in 1124 AD. Having established the first Norbertine community at Premontre a mere three years prior, the canons of Saint Martin were among the first religious brethren to be introduced to Norbert’s recently established tradition. Through research into historical trends of Ecclesiastical Latin grammar and wording, we were able to produce the first full translation of this charter nearly 900 years after it was written. The source was authored by Bishop Bartholomew of Laon, who was one of the most inspirational figures in Norbert’s lifetime and had pushed Norbert to expand his order beyond Premontre into Laon. Norbert and the canons were described to have been hesitant to associate with each other, as Norbert’s strong convictions about poverty and celibacy clashed with the practices of the Laon canons. When evaluating our translation in combination with the accounts of Norbert’s life, we found that the charter parallels the hagiographies in striking ways, such as the provisional clause for misconduct within the abbey. We are excited to share this original translation alongside the history of the charter within European scholarship.
Characterization of rfbB as a virulence-associated gene in B. cepacia

Jack Klahr

Burkholderia cepacia is a gram-negative bacterium that is a known pathogen of plants and humans. B. cepacia was first described as the causative agent of sour skin rot in onion crops and has more recently been recognized as an opportunistic pathogen in cystic fibrosis patients where it is able to colonize the airway and cause rapid pulmonary decline. There are limited treatments available for this bacterium due to its innate resistance to antibiotics, and the mechanisms of virulence used by B. cepacia in different contexts are not well understood. This work aims to identify and describe virulence factors necessary for B. cepacia pathogenesis. Transposon mutagenesis in B. cepacia ATCC 25416, followed by a virulence assay that screened mutants using an onion infection model, was used to identify mutants of interest. A variety of phenotypes were observed, and mutant 169 was selected for follow-up studies as it generated smaller wounds as soon as 24 hours post-infection. Genetic characterizations determined that the transposon inserted in the rfbB gene which is the first gene in a five gene operon within chromosome 1. Analysis of cDNA generated from the operon concluded that the rfbB and downstream genes are not expressed in the mutant. Therefore, the inactivation of the entire operon is responsible for the observed phenotype. This gene likely encodes a virulence factor, as the disruption does not alter bacterial growth in rich media or the formation of biofilms. rfbB shows homology to genes encoding glucose dehydratase, which plays a role in the synthesis of the O-antigen of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The disturbance in this outer membrane component may point towards the pathogen’s inability to interact with host cells. Therefore, current work is focused on characterizing structural differences in the LPS molecules produced by the rfbB mutant and the wildtype strain and assessing the binding and invasion efficiency of these two strains in a plant model of infection. In doing so, this potential virulence factor can be characterized and then applied to further the understanding of the infection process.
Palladium Catalysts Immobilized on Silica via Tripodal Phosphine Linkers

Miranda Lobermeier

Catalysis is immensely important in academia and industry, as emphasized by the Nobel Prizes 2021 that were awarded to David MacMillan and Benjamin List for establishing the new field of organocatalysis. However, some organic catalysts require complicated syntheses, and most of the conventional transition metal catalysts are expensive. These factors often make it difficult to obtain the materials and resources necessary to carry out catalytic reactions. Immobilized metal catalysts are a potential solution to this problem by combining the high selectivity of homogeneous catalysts and the easy separation and recycling of heterogeneous catalysts. To create an ideal immobilized catalytic system, the homogeneous catalysts are bound covalently to insoluble supports, such as silica. Solid-state NMR spectroscopy is a powerful tool to study these materials and is used throughout this research. Past investigations have shown that separate palladium and copper components can be immobilized on silica using bifunctional phosphine linkers to create an active and recyclable Sonogashira catalyst system. The Sonogashira reaction is a prominent cross-coupling reaction for aryl halides and acetylenes. Here, we describe the palladium component of a surface-bound heterobimetallic palladium/copper complex, in which the turnover frequency (TOF) and number (TON) are expected to be higher than for previously reported systems with separate palladium and copper components. The palladium mobility on the surface in the presence of uncomplexed phosphine linkers is observed using 31P High-Resolution Magic Angle Spinning (HRMAS) NMR spectroscopy. Linker degradation pathways and surface bonding modes are studied using 29Si Cross-Polarization Magic Angle Spinning (CP/MAS) and 31P HRMAS NMR spectroscopy. Furthermore, the immobilization of disiloxanes on silica supports is investigated. Disiloxane immobilization is more favorable than ethoxysilane immobilization because the disiloxanes are water tolerant, have higher atom economy, and result in higher surface coverages than their ethoxysilane counterparts.
Genetic Analysis of Planarian Protonephridia using Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization and TUNEL

Liz Maastricht

Polycystic Kidney Disease is one of the most common inherited genetic conditions and is often caused by dysfunction of cellular appendages called cilia. My project aims to better understand the requirement for cilia in the excretory system using planarians as a model system. Based on past experiments, we hypothesize that cilia may be important in regulating downstream pathways such as the Hippo signaling pathway. I have performed gene knockdown experiments as well as imaging techniques, such as Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization and TUNEL. These were used to test the genetic interactions between Hippo signaling components and genes required for cilia function.
Genetic Analysis of Protonephridia

Liz Maastricht

Polycystic Kidney Disease is one of the most common inherited genetic conditions and is often caused by dysfunction of cellular appendages called cilia. My project aims to better understand the requirement for cilia in the excretory system using planarians as a model system. Based on past experiments, we hypothesize that cilia may be important in regulating downstream pathways such as the Hippo signaling pathway. I have performed gene knockdown experiments as well as imaging techniques, such as Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization and TUNEL. These were used to test the genetic interactions between Hippo signaling components and genes required for cilia function.
Tech Bar Studio: Enhancing Creativity

Meredith Manke

This presentation is my first year of research as a digital learning and production fellow. It features FLEXspace, the Tech Bar Studio, Educause Connect, and other national academic technology websites that feature the SNC Tech Studio.
vgrG Gene as a Virulence Factor in Burkholeria cepacia

Lexie Matte

Burkholderia cepacia is a gram-negative bacterium responsible for causing onion soft rot disease and has been identified as an infectious agent in people with cystic fibrosis. As this bacterium is naturally antibiotic resistant, it is important to understand the virulence factors that contribute to this bacterium’s pathogenicity. Through the use of transposon mutagenesis and bioinformatics, the vgrG gene was identified as a possible virulence factor for B. cepacia ATCC 25416. This gene encodes the tip protein of the Type Six Secretion System (T6SS), a complex structure found in many species of bacteria. In other organisms, this syringe-like system allows a bacterium to inject proteins into neighboring cells as a mechanism of interbacterial competition or for nutrient acquisition during infection. Here, the vgrG gene was disrupted by transposon mutagenesis and tests were performed on both this mutant and the wild-type strain of B. cepacia. I have found that expression of vgrG is not essential for survival of B. cepacia, suggesting that it is used for virulence in our infection model. Similarly, the vgrG mutant strain created smaller lesions compared to the wild-type strain in an onion model of infection, and preliminary data suggests that this mutant cannot establish an infection without a prior wound in the host. I am currently developing genetic methods that will allow me to test whether this gene is required for bacterial interactions, such as those required for biofilm generation and interbacterial competition. Together, these data will describe how vgrG and T6SS contribute to the virulence of B. cepacia.
A Taxonomic Revision and Characterization of Sciuravus nitidus and S. undans (Rodentia; Sciuravidae), early to middle Eocene Rodents from the Bridger Formation, Green River Basin, Wyoming

Emily Mazier

New specimens from the Bridger Formation allow for a critical review of the alpha taxonomy and evolution of the two most abundant species of sciuravid rodents from the Early Eocene of the Green River Basin, Sciuravus nitidus and S. undans. Previously, the two species were considered to be synonymous, based on studies of the upper and/or lower dentitions. Specimens with nearly complete lower dentitions are studied for the first time and they reveal clear distinctions between the two species in the molar crown patterns, incisor shape, and mandible morphology. The key specimen, UM 101638, closely matched the type specimen of S. undans, YPM 13349, in molar dimensions and morphology for m1-2.