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Student Spaceflight Experiments Program: The Effects of Microgravity on the Chromosomal Alignment on the Metaphase Plate in Onion Root Tip Cells

William Garrity, Erica Langnickel, Anastasiya Bolotova
Sponsor: Dylan Carman

In our proposed experiment we will address the following question: Does microgravity affect chromosomal alignment on the metaphase plate during mitosis in onion root tip cells? We hypothesize that the onion root tip cells that will enter metaphase in microgravity will have more abnormalities in the equatorial chromosome alignment than the cells that will enter metaphase in Earth's gravity. Alignment of chromosomes on the metaphase plate is important for ensuring that both daughter cells have the same number of chromosomes and are completely identical. Prior experiments have shown that microgravity affects the cytoskeleton of the cell, which is crucial for chromosomal alignment on the metaphase plate, and chromosomal segregation in anaphase. For this experiment, we will germinate onion seeds in microgravity on the International Space Station and in Earth's gravity on the ground in the FME mini-lab. After 12 days of germinating we will fix the germinating onion roots with formalin. We will then stain the onion root tip cells and use light microscopy to compare the cells undergoing metaphase in microgravity to the cells undergoing metaphase in Earth's gravity. The goal of the analysis is to see whether chromosomes stray away from the metaphase plate or if their equatorial alignment will remain unaffected. As human cells perform mitosis similarly to plant cells, this proposed experiment will be able to provide insight into the possible effects of long-term exposure to microgravity and other low gravity environments on humans and on the growth of plants in microgravity.

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A Comparison of Gravity vs Microgravity Impact Upon Coliforms' Metabolic Dynamics

E. "Deaux-Deaux" Thibodeaux
Sponsors: Dylan Carman, Colin Wilson

A project that might end in 2025-2026, in which a control group of e. coli's cellular metabolism is studied in Earth's gravity, and later (if accepted into the SSEP) studied in microgravity. The purpose is to see how metabolism, a finely-tuned process, may react to these changes: Will it adapt? Will it break down? Will the bacteria be able to survive, perform well, or no? And so on. While these are tiny organisms, I would like to see if they parallel astronauts' metabolic changes while in orbit. If it is successfully accepted into the SSEP, I intend on returning to a second undergraduate scholars conference with additional findings.

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Designing an Online Portfolio

Evan Purscell'
Sponsor: Christian Tenczar

Using what I have learned in the past semester of web design, I created an art portfolio with CSS and HTML. I utilized several outside resources to implement complex design elements including galleries, contact forms, and wrappers. I discovered and solved issues with formatting, several being caused by smaller resolutions. I used the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) to identify issues and plan maintenance to improve user experience. The website is currently fully functional with several improvements planned.

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Student Textbook Cost Survey

Autumn Bateman, Mari Dus'
Sponsor: Andrea Robare

This project was implemented for the Open Educational Resources (OER) committee. These are learning and teaching materials in the public domain that have an open license to provide no cost or low-cost access. The modality has been implemented in many campuses across the country, and we were interested in collecting data to advocate and create awareness to lower the cost of textbooks at »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ Community College. We created a survey in Google Forms, that was distributed via email or a QR code handed in person during the first two weeks of class of Fall 2023. This code was also posted in the "Weekly Buzz' and in strategic areas on campus where students could easily access it.This project was a success, in the first four days of administering it we reached the 10% of the student body needed to validate the results. The survey results concluded that the cost of textbooks impacts enrollment numbers and students' performance and success in courses. Our survey responses are in line with research studies and national surveys on student textbook costs.

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Promoting Childhood Development

Savanah Schofield
Sponsor: Patricia Kay

Observing, Documenting and Assessing a Young Child: A project I created last semester for my Early Childhood Growth and Development course was based on observing a young child in the various developmental learning domains including cognitive, social/emotional, physical, and language. As I move through my power point presentation, I will explain my observations, documentation, and assessment of this child over the semester. Honing our observation skills and learning about various theories that explain how children grow and learn were key learning outcomes for this course. Along with a multitude of different kinds of assessment tools, I have provided pictures and videos from a preschool classroom. To summarize my presentation, I will suggest developmentally appropriate activities for teachers/adults to scaffold learning and provide creative child centered experiences for the child I observed.

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The Benefits of Music in the Classroom

Kristin Wilcox
Sponsor: Barbara Kotelnicki

I conducted a research project on The Benefits of Music in the Classroom. I have loved music and singing since I was a very young girl and that love has continued to grow as I have gotten older. When I was in high school education, I wanted to continue to share that love and become a music teacher. There are many benefits for using music in the classroom. Students are able to learn new ways to remember math problems and poetry. When music is used in an early educational setting, preschool children are able to learn body parts, colors, numbers, and how to process their feelings. In the past, I have struggled with math and not feeling confident in a math class. After viewing a TED talk about music and math, I wanted to change that mindset. If I could relate math to how I was able to learn music, then I could understand the math problems better. Learning and reading music has many math applications. Music has different time measures and beats- quarter notes, half notes, whole notes. When I was able to picture the math problem in my mind as music the problem became easier to see. By using music and math we can see students make connections. In this presentation I share the benefits and some of the ways that educators can use music to enhance their lessons to engage students using a multimodal approach.

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The Intelligence of Rats as Displayed with Trick and Agility Training

Danielle Lemieux
Sponsor: Thomas Tyning

There is a stigma spread by the media against rats in our society, deeming them to be dirty, scary, and unintelligent. I will be doing research against this stigma to prove otherwise, focusing on the intelligence in rats as displayed with trick and agility training. I will begin by training one of my rats using valuable treats (e.g. yogurt, applesauce, or malt paste for ferrets) as positive reinforcement. The first few training sessions (TSs) will be held in the rat's free roam space because it's familiar to him, then I'll move the TSs to other places (e.g. on a bed, on a sofa, or at school) to get the rat used to training in unfamiliar and distracting places. I'll be starting with a few tricks ranging from easy to difficult (e.g. spin, stay, ring-toss, fetch, etc.), and then I'll begin agility training. Throughout the research process, I'll be referencing online articles and videos of how others have trained their rats to inform my own methods. I believe my rat will learn and catch on to the training very quickly, and I hope that many people will see the results of this project and change their view of these wonderful animals.

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Magnetizing Sodium Acetate

Ethan Vaughan
Sponsor: Colin Wilson

Our understanding of magnets and how they work inspires the most powerful minds to create new inventions. Our stimulated research of magnets and their magnetic fields privileged us with the ability to synthesize tape recorders, speakers, and hard drives. However, chemists need to understand the atomic layout of these magnetic compounds as well as the properties governing their magnetic ability. One of the most immediate examples being earth, our super magnet home. In our traditional environment, gravity is stronger than the intermolecular forces (Van der Waals forces) that affect surface tension. In a microgravity setting however this is not the case. The ISS has their water glove experiment to showcase this. With the help of partnering companies like Infiniti, NASA is able to explore the means of space manufacturing. An ability like that would push us into the next generation of space technology and open up the door for new understandings of the secrets of the universe. I am currently working on growing sodium acetate crystals and determining if they can grow differently when mixed with iron shavings as nucleation points. From there I am seeing how the iron shavings affect the crystallization structure growth when exposed to a circular Halbach array. Eventually I plan to study the difference in having surface tension and no surface tension for this crystallization reaction.

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Statistical Analysis of Psilocybin vs. Niacin

Dan Hardy
Sponsor: Paul Johansen

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) affects more than 21 million American adults or about 8.4% of the U.S. population age 18 and older each year. Clinical trials administering psilocybin have shown promising effects to sufferers of MDD. In one such study a single dose of psilocybin vs. niacin placebo was administered to a group of 104 participants. To interpret the results of the study using inferential statistics, I used a standard normal curve to test my hypothesis. Using the data from the clinical trial I conducted a Z-test to determine if I would reject my null hypothesis or support it. At the 5% level of significance, the data supports the claim that psilocybin is more effective than niacin to drop depression scores in adults with MDD. Evidence that psilocybin-administered with psychological support- may hold a promising future for those afflicted by MDD.

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Phenology of Avian Species in »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ County

Holden Loverin
Sponsor: Bruce Winn

This research project is based on the various species of birds in the »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵs. Species have specific cycles- due to global warming, these cycles are advancing at different rates. The study of this is known as phenology. We are recording data on how this has changed over the course of about 60 years using journals written by S. Waldo Bailey. Bailey was a naturalist born in Newbury, Mass. in 1885, and he was the first warden at Bartholomew's Cobble in Sheffield. He has been described as "»Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ County's closest approximation to Henry David Thoreau'. Bailey recorded journals from 1902-1963 largely detailing what birds he saw, the location, and the weather. We are analyzing these documents and recording every bird named and the details about such. This is definitely a long-term research project- as of now, we've only managed to gather data from about 1959-1963. Continuation of this research project will grant us valuable information on the phenology of birds in the »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵs, which we will compare to modern data bases to learn how it has changed over the course of 122 years.

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The Tragedie of Metacom

Mercedes Bell
Sponsor: Christopher Laney

In 1675 the bloodiest war (per capita) in US history broke out between an alliance of Native American tribes and colonial settlers, who were aided by a few critical Native allies. History recognizes this conflict as "King Philip's War," and by the time it was over the demographics of a budding nation and Native-colonist relations were forever altered. Last semester I chose to write a "book" of poetry as an honors component to my US History class. I chose poetry in an effort to tap into the deep emotional undercurrents of this conflict, which extinguished warriors and civilians alike without mercy. I strove to abandon the narrative told from the perspective of the European victors as is commonly written in sources. Instead, I wanted to acknowledge the impact of this conflict from the Native American perspective. Therefore, when I gave a title to my collection of poems, I chose to use the Native name of Metacom for the Wampanoag sachem, or chief, who led the revolt against the colonists rather than the English nickname of "King Philip." During my presentation I will read a selection of the poems I have written. My readings will include an analysis following each poem that will help contextualize the material within and highlight the significance of the issues each one addresses.

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Peer Tutors Within Community College Writing Centers

Mercedes Bell
Sponsor: Liesl Schwabe

From prestigious academies notorious for legacy enrollment, to community colleges across the US that pave the way for countless students beginning their pursuit of a career, writing centers are a common resource available to students. But what purpose does a writing center fulfill? Who are peer tutors and are their roles within writing centers effective? And if peer tutors are beneficial, why are they under-utilized at a community college level? After all, The Writing Center Research Project reported only 58% of community colleges used peer tutors in contrast to the 95% seen in four-year institutions from 2014-2015.

While the daily operations of individual writing centers may vary based on the needs of their primary visitors, there are a few universal ideals that most strive for. As a peer tutor who works in the Writing Center here at »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ Community College, I plan to discuss the common misconceptions about writing centers and the roles of peer tutors working within them. I then plan on sharing a few of the practices that we consider standard and what some of our many skills include. Most importantly though, beyond the "what" I hope to clarify the "why". To the best of my ability, I hope to share why our writing center is a special resource within our community which positively impacts the development, creativity, and lives of our peer tutors as well as the diverse array of visitors we have the privilege of working with.

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Effective Communication with Dementia Patients

Stephanie Sanchez Heredia
Sponsor: Barbara Shimer

As someone who has worked a lot in long-term facilities, I have noticed a lot of people coming and going; mostly elderly. They are at the nursing homes for various reasons, falls, recent surgery, but one of the main reasons an elderly person lives at a nursing home is because they are suffering from dementia. I have heard a lot of family members say, "I don't know how you do this' or "I don't know how to take care of him/her at home'. As health care workers we get a lot of training and experience on how to communicate with people who suffer with dementia, and so I thought "What about the people who chose to keep their loved ones at home'?Yes, there is a lot of information on the internet, but all of this is overwhelming and sometimes even more confusing, and sometimes even after reading, people have a hard time applying what they read to real life. During my communications class we learned about the importance of not only communicating but communicating effectively. So instead of giving you a lot of pamphlets or directing you to those long websites that end up being overwhelming, I decided to show you some tips that I personally use when communicating and dealing with people who suffer from dementia. This is a great help to not only those who work in health care or choose a health care career, but also those who take care of their loved ones at home and need help.

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TRIO Talks: Breaking Down Barriers: Connecting Students to Campus and Community Resources

Fiona Casey
Sponsor: Kristin Winsett

During my fall internship with TRIO, I was tasked to create and facilitate two TRIO Talks. I collaborated with Rachel Smith another TRIO intern and created PowerPoint presentations and handouts for students. These two presentations were different but followed a bigger theme of connecting students to resources and explained what those resources can do to help students in not just their academic roles but also the many other roles that students at »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ Community College hold. The first presentation was given during First Generation Week, where we celebrate what it is to be a first-generation student. During this talk students were able to share stories that highlighted the joys and the challenges of being a first-generation student and to show students the different supports that are on campus as well as in the community. This included supports such as the SUCCESS Program, Tutorial Services, etc. on campus as well as help applying to outside programs such as RAFT for housing and LIHEAP for fuel assistance. The second TRIO Talk that was presented was about post-mindset and evaluating goals that students had set at the beginning of the semester to check in and determine the challenges faced and resources used to reach those goals. It was also a great way to determine the barriers that impacted a student's ability to reach their goals and how to overcome those barriers. These two groups brought great conversation and discussion where the group members were able to learn from each other and share their personal stories.

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Alcohol Consumption During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Nataliia Riva
Sponsor: Paul Johansen

Public health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic can exacerbate medical, psychological, and social issues, including raising rates of harmful alcohol use. Alcohol overconsumption is linked to violence, crime, poverty, sexually transmitted diseases, and other threats to community wellbeing. Additionally, alcohol is the fourth leading preventable cause of death in the United States today. The reason I chose this topic for my project is because of my role as an Office-Based Addiction Treatment (OBAT) nurse in our community. My curiosity was driven by a desire to understand the shifts in the drinking habits of the U.S. population and the factors influencing these changes. My personal goal was to enhance my effectiveness in assisting patients dealing with these issues. The project involved an analysis of alcohol consumption data in the United States in 2020, and a specific hypothesis was formulated predicting an increase in alcohol consumption during the pandemic. The hypothesis suggested that U.S. adults would consume more than 12.0 alcoholic drinks over a 30-day period. Employing a Z-test, the hypothesis was tested, leading to the conclusion that the data supported the claim.

Enzymes: What makes the Life Engine Race

Anastasiya Bolotova: BIO 101

Enzymes are proteins inside of living organisms that speed up chemical reactions, and frankly, life would be extremely short without them. They have a variety of different applications ranging from commercial use to medicinal use, but they are mostly important because of their ability to carry out the body's most vital chemical processes, such as digestion, to keep it alive. To better understand enzyme function, several experiments were conducted using the fungal enzyme Invertase in order to determine which changes in temperature (°C), pH, and concentration of substrate (Sucrose) would cause the enzyme to produce a higher percent of product. The experiment results were interpreted using a monosaccharide standard curve and the Benedict's Test, and the initial findings showed that the enzyme made the most product at a temperature of 48°C, a pH of 6, and a 12% substrate concentration. Ultimately, this experiment built a better understanding of data collection, data analysis, experimental design, and the scientific method, however it also helped explain the behavior of one of the most valuable mechanisms in living organisms.

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Identification of Klebsiella pneumoniae

Olivia Vilord: Microbiology

This research project was conducted to identify an unknown bacterium based on a series of tests that looked at the morphology, physiology, and biochemical characteristics. Three different media were used to grow the bacterium - agar broth, agar slant, and agar plate. These were used to study the growth and colony characteristics. The bacterium's cellular morphology was examined through a Gram Stain. The next step of the project was biochemical and gram-specific tests that observe the metabolic traits of the bacterium. The researcher used the results of the tests to identify the bacterium as Klebsiella pneumoniae. K. pneumoniae is found in the respiratory tract of between 1-6% of healthy individuals and the stools of 5 – 38% of healthy individuals. It is commonly known to cause nosocomial infections, also known as healthcare-associated infections (HAIs); responsible for 3 – 8% of all nosocomial infections and 11.8% of hospital acquired pneumonia. K. pneumoniae infections are considered a global health concern, as multidrug-resistant and hypervirulent strains have developed over the years. It is more prevalent in developing countries. Infections typically arise in sick patients that are older, immunocompromised or receiving treatments with equipment such as catheters and ventilators. Long courses of antibiotics, alcohol use, and diabetes mellitus increase the mortality rate. Healthy people are usually not affected by K. pneumoniae.

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Unknown Bacteria Project

Michele Belliveau: Microbiology

For this project, several tests were conducted to identify an unknown bacterium. This project was a fantastic way to show how a bacterium is studied to identify what it is. It shows how people in the lab identify the cause of an infection. This is how nurses find what infection their patients have and how to treat it. During this project, several tests were conducted to narrow down what bacteria was being studied. A gram stain was conducted to see if the bacterium was gram- negative or gram- positive. The bacteria was gram-positive because of its thick purple peptidoglycan layer. Then a motility test was done to see if it was motile or not. After a few more tests were completed, a nitrate and salt agar test really narrowed down the result to this bacterium. The mannitol salt agar (MSA) helped the most during this because of the yellow growth that appeared on the plate. These test results proved that the bacterium was Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococcus aureus is a gram-positive coccus shaped bacterium. It appears on the skin and causes small painful red bumps. This bacterium is not harmful but can be if it grows into the bloodstream. The most common infection caused by S. aureus is MRSA (Methicillin- Resistant Staphylococcus aureus) infection. It can also cause MSSA, VISA, and VRSA, which are all skin infections.

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Identification of Escherichia coli

Jocelyn Cote: Microbiology

The purpose of this research project was to identify an unknown bacterium using morphological, biochemical, and physiological tests. The bacterium was grown in an inoculating broth, on an inoculating slant, and on an inoculating streak plate to examine the bacterium's growth characteristics and colony morphology. A gram stain test was conducted to observe the bacterium's cell wall structure and cellular morphology. Lastly, five biochemical tests and four gram-specific tests were conducted to study the bacterium's metabolic characteristics. After analyzing these results, it was determined that the unknown bacterium was E. coli. The specific helpful characteristics were that E. coli is a gram-negative bacterium. E. coli is VP (Voges- Proskauer) negative which means that the bacterium does not ferment glucose. E. coli is also Citrate negative which means that no growth will occur therefore meaning that E. coli cannot utilize citrate as an energy source. The bacterium E. coli is important in the medical field as it is the most common cause of UTI (urinary tract infection) which is commonly talked about in the healthcare field. As UTIs can happen to a person at any age it is important to know about the most common cause. The bacterium spreads from the anus to the urethra causing the UTI. When taking the antibiotics, the symptoms may stop after 24-48 hours but the infection still is not cleared until the patient has taken the full amount of antibiotics.

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Unknown Bacterium

Jaiden Tatro: Microbiology

The purpose of this research project was to identify an unknown bacterium using structural and biological tests. The unknown bacterium was grown on an agar plate, an agar slant, and in an agar broth in order to examine its growth and morphology. A Gram Staining procedure was conducted to determine the bacterium's cell wall structure. In addition to this, nine other tests were conducted to study and observe the bacterium's metabolic characteristics. Five of these tests are biochemical tests, and the other four are gram-negative specific tests, since the Gram Staining determined the bacterium to be gram-negative. After reviewing all of the results, the unknown bacterium was correctly identified as Klebsiella pneumoniae. The two main characteristics that were most helpful were that K. pneumoniae is a gram-negative and nonmotile bacterium. K. pneumoniae is commonly a cause of hospital-acquired infections, and mainly impacts patients with low to weak immune systems. This bacterium can cause pneumonia, bloodstream infections, wound or surgical infections and meningitis. The most effective antibiotics to use against Klebsiella pneumoniae are the broad spectrum, third- or fourth- generation cephalosporins, quinolones, or carbapenems. However, this bacterium is becoming more resistant to some antibiotics.

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Creative Writing created at Herman Melville's "Arrowhead"

Ashton Bird: 2022 Melville Fellowship

A public reading of original writings I produced while taking part in the 2022 Melville Fellowship. Working on-site at Herman Melville's Arrowhead with Writer-in-Residence Emeritus Jana Laiz, I was able to sit at the very desk where Melville wrote some of his greatest stories, and take inspiration from the same environment he did. Watching autumn fade to winter outside Melville's window, in the same manner he must have, instilled an affection within me for the opportunity to think — to simply be — while still letting words trap my thoughts in their fragile bubble. I wrote a variety of stories inspired by Arrowhead. I will read two writings that include quotes from Melville's stories, a writing inspired by the grounds of Arrowhead, and a poem that encapsulated what I felt as a writer in the shadow of one of the greats.

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The Influences of Creativity Among Individuals with Depression and Anxiety

Sahra Abderrahim: Liberal Arts Capstone

I decided to do a research project on how creative expression can help improve symptoms of depression and anxiety. The reason I chose to do this topic for my research paper is because it is something very close to home. I struggle with depression and anxiety on a daily basis and one of the few distractions I have is creative expression. My project encompasses the wide variety of creative expression and the multiple effects it has on individuals diagnosed with depression and/or anxiety. Many forms include sculpting, painting, writing, singing, and dancing. Each has various aspects of helping relieve symptoms of both depression and anxiety by decreasing stress, increasing motivation, improving focus, and bettering a person's sleep schedule. Allowing outlets such as creative expression is the first step to understanding and comprehending the problem and moving towards the solution.

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Uncovering the Creative Process

Josie Overbeck: 2022 Melville Fellowship

What inspired one of the first great American novelists? As a 2022 Melville Fellow I sought to uncover the secrets of the creative process through establishing my own writing practice. Working on-site at Herman Melville's Arrowhead with Writer-in-Residence Emeritus Jana Laiz, I drew inspiration from sitting at the very desk where Melville wrote some of his most profound works. In a public reading I will share three original pieces in which I explore personal narratives through poetry and prose, alongside sharing what I learned about the creative process while remaining grounded in a literary giant's shadow.

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The Role of Mental Health in Education

Sarah Suriner: EDU-105

The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the mental health crisis in the United States. The CDC says 37% of young people suffer from poor mental health. Our educational system is feeling the strain of our chronically underfunded mental health system and our students are bearing the brunt. One in ten children/adolescents suffers from a mental health issue however, 75% of children who have mental-health needs, do not receive services. School-centered mental health services would increase accessibility and reduce stigma.

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Designing a Tensegrity Structure

Rosa Lopez Moritz: Computer Aided Drafting and Design (CADD)

As an aspiring engineer, designing pieces that work properly and defy conventional structures is something I look forward to. During the past five months I was able to learn the basics of Computer Aided Drafting and Design (CADD) through an Independent Study. It led me to understand the huge possibilities that this program holds for engineering. I was particularly interested in what is called Tensegrity and after taking steps towards learning how to use Fusion 360, I was ready to step it up and try to build a structure utilizing the Tensegrity concepts.

Exploring Tensegrity structures through CADD has been a major step for me. It let me create something from scratch, figure out if it is a model that is viable, and gave me a clear view on how this design would work in real life. My understanding of the program and how to design a new piece has grown. Learning that trial and error is an important part of the design process and being able to overcome the downs of not having a working model is knowledge that I consider very important as I move forward in this career path.

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They Lead First So We Can Rise!

Porscha Hamilton: EDU-205

This text set is about women who have changed history despite tough obstacles in their lives. It is important to celebrate women and important to honor women of importance who have changed history. Today women are stepping up and becoming leaders, fighting for women's rights, and having many firsts in a world where women were overlooked. I also believe it is more important to celebrate women who have played a role in changing The United States in more ways than one no matter if it was big or small. Young children now more than ever are standing up for what they believe in and if they are not already speaking up, they will and push for change without changing who they are. This text set will help young readers see that women have come a long way in history. I think that boys and girls both will enjoy this text set. I believe that all children have a woman figure in their lives that they look up to, it could be their mother, a teacher, or an aunt that has done something in their lives that boys and girls think is amazing. So why not celebrate them as well. Learning about important women will make them appreciate the brave women from the past and the ones they already know. I hope by sharing this text set, children will learn new information and want to learn more about other women in history.