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 Carol...

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 determ...

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 c...

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...

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 increase...

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 cellulariz...

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...

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 environmen...

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...

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 ...

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...

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 determ...

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 mutatio...

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 anti...

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 meth...

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...

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 ...

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 b...

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 ...

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 ...

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 dat...

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-Americ...

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 perform...

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 hy...

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 infor...

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 densi...

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. Th...

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 scie...

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 ther...

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...