All Abstracts

There have been many discussions in recent years relating to hydraulic fracturing in North Carolina. As early as 2010, heated debates between environmental agencies and pro-fracking energy companies began, which eventually led to a state lawsuit between Clean Water North Carolina and the North Carolina Oil and Gas Commission. In 2015 this lawsuit r...

Previous research links autobiographical storytelling to both individual and familial psychosocial well-being indices. This study examines the relationship between measures of well-being and the stories families tell about one’s birth, known as birth narratives. The project will allow us to determine how well-being is expressed through basic reco...

Globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) is a glycolipid molecule that serves as a receptor for Shiga toxin molecules. Shiga toxin molecules are produced by some strains of E. coli bacteria. Infection with Shiga toxin-producing bacteria can lead to hemorrhagic colitis in adults and hemolytic uremic syndrome in children. Shiga toxin B subunits each contain three...

In order to establish a protocol for stem cell differentiation, we experiment on different methods in C2C12 cells. To begin, C2C12 cells transduced with the myoD promoter were grown to full confluency. When differentiation began, the control cells grown horizontally were compared to the experimental cells grown vertically. The cells grown verticall...

This study examines the power of an authority figure and the role of source credibility in relation to the continued influence effect conceptual framework. A random sample of 165 participants is examined. We hypothesize that (1) an authority figure providing false information will result in increased believability and increased reliance on misinfor...

Endosperm is a tissue produced inside the seed of flowering plants. It surrounds the embryo and provides nutrients. It also provides signals to regulate embryo growth. Endosperm development consists of the syncytial and cellularization phases. Interestingly, embryo growth is faster in the cellularization phase than the syncytial phase. An invertase...

Art Therapy is a form of psychotherapy involving the encouragement of free self-expression through painting, drawing, or modeling (Malchiodi, 1998). Art Therapy is also used as a means to diagnosis emotional or psychological problems in individuals. Even though Art Therapy is not typically practiced in schools, the techniques and strategies are som...

Environmental Justice (EJ) highlights the unbalanced exposure to environmental hazards vs environmental amenities or benefits. It is important to include social and economic issues in environmental research. In this project, spatial accessibility measured by GIS is used as an indicator of environmental inequities for all counties of Georgia. EJ is ...

Tutoring programs yield positive academic outcomes for diverse students (Gordon, Downey, & Bangert 2013). This mixed methods project examines the effectiveness of tutoring programs on low-income and minority middle school student’s perceptions and achievement. The case study is a STEM tutoring program, which utilizes minority instructors. Par...

Under ambient light and in normal cells, protection against apoptosis, namely cytoprotection, is mediated by nitric oxide induced (NO-induced) elevations in cGMP, which activate cGMP-dependent protein kinase I (PKGI) isozymes. PKGI phosphorylates BAD, preventing it from binding BCL-XL, thus leading to decreased apoptosis. Thus, if NO stimulates ant...

It is known that plants have antibiotic resistance genes, which suggests that plants are exposed to antibiotics. Various microorganisms are found in soil including among those closely associated with plant roots. However, their ability to produce antibiotics has not been examined. We analyzed plant associated metagenomes for the presence of antibio...

Significantly high racial disparities in preterm birth rates exist between White and Black women, even when accounting for socioeconomic status and known risk factors. One potential explanation is epigenetics. Differentially methylated genes in Black women who had given birth prematurely have been identified. It was to be determined if the differen...

Reconiliation is an integral element in social relationships.  The purpose of this naturalistic observational study was to determine whether green monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus) engae in reconciliatory behavior. Focal data were collected on a group of free-ranging green monkeys in the Barbados Wildlife Reserve. There were 7 adult females and 2 ...

Graph theory is the study of connections. There are many applications of graph theory to other fields. In this project, we analyze different properties of graphs that imply the existence of certain sets of cycles in graphs. In particular, we investigate the pairs of subgraphs we must forbid to imply that our graph contains doubly chorded cycles of ...

Previous research indicates that relationships with deviant peers are associated with increased smoking and increased alcohol use. In addition, adolescents do not have fully developed prefrontal cortexes, which affects decision making and social behaviors. One implication of this is that adolescents believe that they are not susceptible to harm and...

It is known that Chlamydia pathogenesis causes complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease and tubal factor infertility. In this study, we will determine the role of circadian rhythms on the outcome of Chlamydia infection. We hypothesize that the time of day of infection is important in determining the progression of chlamydial pathogenesis. ...

Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer (HNPCC) is an inherited disease that promotes the development of cancer. HNPCC patients are also at risk of developing other cancers throughout the body. HNPCC is linked to defects in the DNA mismatch repair mechanism (MMR). MMR corrects single point mutations resulted from unfaithful DNA replication. MutS ...

Redox signaling is how molecules, such as superoxide, communicate within cells to negatively impact normal cell function. Understanding redox signaling is important because of the role of redox signaling in the aging of a cell as a result of superoxide radicals. Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) is an antioxidant enzyme that functions to eliminate superox...

Organochlorides, a component of pesticides, are suspected of contributing to cancer risk due to their effect on DNA methylation. Our previous study showed that among individuals with greater than 100ng/mL of organochloride DDE in their blood, the genes TERT, HCK, and DIO3 displayed differential methylation. The goal of this study was to determine i...

Classifying amoebae is difficult due to limited morphological characters that can be used to distinguish them. Biodiversity within amoeboid organisms still remains poorly studied. DNA sequences such as small subunit ribosomal RNA and Cox1 genes are almost exactly the same between Cochliopodium minus & C. pentatrifurcatum. However, they have a v...

In this study, we focus on the interaction of termites and ants, whether there is one free-moving ant, one restrained ant or if a free moving and restraint fire ant is present in the same environment. Three parameters—termite colony, presence of a soldier termite, and whether the ants were living or dead—were tested to assess aggressive behavio...

The study examines the emotional consequences of witnessing a coworker’s negative behavior in a multiracial work setting. Black female undergraduates read a scenario in which they imagined themselves as an African-American woman named Amanda who is at a training session for a new job. During a break, Amanda converses with two previously unacqua...

Reproductive justice, a term coined by Loretta Ross, means the right for women not to have children, and the right for women to have children. Inspired by Loretta Ross’ term, I will examine how women’s right to have children may be violated. In my study, I center black women with infertility in the United States and compare their rates of infer...

This project examines the ancient Chinese courtesans of the Qing Dynasty. Courtesans are women who are professionally trained in the arts of music, dance, poetry, painting, etc. Chinese courtesans were highly respected entertainers of their time. The highly esteemed women usually entertained men of high status, often becoming their mistresses or co...

Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) is classified as a persistent organic pollutant that is a breakdown product of DDT. DDE is a highly fat-soluble compound that accumulates in the fatty tissues of insects, wildlife, and humans, particularly in adipose and brain tissues. In previous studies the genes TERT and HCK were found to be differentially ...

There is much misunderstanding about the evolutionary narrative of Amoebozoa. The phylogeny of amoeba has been understudied due to their complex life cycle.  Amoebozoa often switch from an active stage of amoeba in the trophozoite form to an inactive cyst stage. The amoeba examined in this study is an unknown freshwater amoeba designated the n...

Both male and female red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, have a high mating rate. Male beetles demonstrate clear pre-copulatory mate choice. Males prefer mature females over callow females, virgin females over previously mated females, and younger females over older females. We hypothesize that male choice is affected by the environment and test...

The Greater Atlanta Area as well as the West End communities that surround Spelman are in environmental danger. We will study environmental awareness among students at Spelman College, a minority college. Using a survey, we will gather information from students across all majors.  Collected data will be itemized using the SPSS statistics softw...

Several mental health morbidities and physical mortalities disproportionately affect African-American women. Mistrust and negative perception towards the value of health professionals may play a role. This study examines the environmental, cultural, and societal factors that influence African-American college women’s attitudes toward mental and p...

Spelman College is well known for the success of its graduates in the workforce. Because of this, students feel the need to overachieve in their studies. 62 Spelman College students were asked to participate in an anonymous online survey. The survey asked about academic stereotypes, academic performance, and stress. A Pearson Correlation was conduc...

Although African American women are burdened by mental illness, their use of mental health services is low (Matthews & Hughes, 2001). This project explores how black women’s identity relates to knowledge about mental health and shapes attitudes towards seeking mental health treatment. It is hypothesized that mental health literacy is positive...

This project explores Sexual Literacy among college students. The researcher conducted focus groups and administered questionnaires to a convenience sample of students at Spelman College. In the focus groups, the participants shared their feelings about and experiences with sexual health. This information was used to develop a questionnaire. Survey...

Microgel particles are being applied to a variety of nano- and microtechnologies such as biomaterials, materials for enhancing oil refinery, and catalysis. Highly deformable microgel particles dispersed in solvent, swell more than stiffer particles because the latter have a higher crosslinking density. However, when these microgel particles are cro...

Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are a group of bone marrow derived leukemia’s defined by overproduction of one or more myeloid blood cell lineages. MPNs contain genetic alterations which “clonally emerge” or arise as the disease progresses, resulting in a mixed pool of different clones. This makes identification of mutational hierarchy an...

This study examines the role of biomedical informatics in the development of vaccines. The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) defines biomedical informatics as an "interdisciplinary field that studies and pursues the effective uses of biomedical data, information, and knowledge for scientific inquiry, problem solving, and decision maki...

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecological cancers in the United States. High grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) histotype accounts for 70% of all the diagnoses. This histotype is the most deadly because it is found in the later stages because symptoms are very general and there are no screening methods. Research has shown tha...

This research paper investigates the growing relationship between Africa and China. Although some of the West’s fears about the possibility of a Chinese imperialistic presence in Africa are well founded, many of them are influenced by Western paranoia and economic interests. This study reviews and analyzes current research on China’s Africa str...

Phenology is the study of seasonal natural phenomena. Leaf-out is the specific time a tree’s leaves bud. Shifts in climate change can impact leaf-out timing and other ecological aspects. Instability within the ecosystem can cause issues for other organisms. It is believed that climate change can directly affect leaf-out times because many plant s...

Cochliopodium species are difficult to identify based on morphological characters due to cryptic diversity. Recent molecular analyses (DNA sequence data) of barcoding markers such as COI have begun to reveal the true diversity of this genus. We present morphological (light microscope) and molecular data (COI) for two new Cochliopodium species, comm...

Performing well academically often opens the door to opportunity. Academic achievement can lead to acceptance into organizations, post-graduate study, and even positions of leadership. The pressure to achieve academically can sometimes be interpreted as requiring near-perfect performance. Therefore the trait of perfectionism may be fostered in some...