All Abstracts

Many children of color in low-income communities lack extracurricular exposure to education in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Due to this disparity, African-American and Hispanic or Latino students have lower performance scores on standardized tests deterrin...

Dibenzoylmethane (DBM) is a minor constituent of licorice root, a common ingredient in many sunscreens, and a known neoplasia inhibitor. Although DBM has exhibited anti-neoplastic activity in many studies, no reports offer definitive mechanisms of action for DBM on tumor growth inhibition. Our labor...

African American women are more susceptible to experiences of gendered racism, which is a hybrid phenomenon constructed by the intersection of racism and sexism (Essed, 1991). In order to cope with experiences of discrimination, African American women may alter their self-presentation to fit social ...

  Invasive species are organisms that are not native to a specific location and can potentially cause harm to their new community. These organisms are not harmful simply because of what species they are, instead they are harmful when they enter foreign habitats and disrupt the flow of the ecos...

African American (AA) men are disproportionally affected by prostate cancer (PCa) compared to men of any other ancestral background. Previous studies suggest that there are genes that play a role in PCa development and metastasis. Studies have also shown that during cancer progression, cancer cells ...

Compared to European Americans, African Americans are half as likely to use mental health services (Lukachko, Myer & Hankerson, 2015). Also, African American women use services at lower rates compared to African American men (Neufeld, Harrison, Stewart, Hughes, 2008). Research suggests that seve...

Trichosphaerium is a polymorphic, multinucleated, marine amoeba. It contains spicules consisting of calcium carbonate embedded in the glycocalyx covering that encapsulates the cell membrane. Microbial eukaryotes usually have definite shape and very few are observed to show multiple morphologies that...

This study examined whether there is a relationship between maternal rank and infant social behavior in the green monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus) of Barbados. Previous research on vervet monkeys suggests that maternal rank is strongly associated with infant rank and social behavior (Horrocks & Hun...

Numerous forms of modern slavery and human sex trafficking constitute a global billion-dollar industry. China is one of the largest factors fueling this industry. The Chinese government’s inefficient prevention and investigation measures have caused an exponential rise in human sex trafficking. Ov...

Bacteria are small single-cell, prokaryotic microorganisms. They are normally a few micrometers in length and usually grow together in millions as colonies. Bacteria can vary in shape: spherical (cocci), rod shaped (bacilli), and spiral (spirilla). One of the major factors that can affect bacterial ...

It is essential to explore barriers that inhibit African American college women in seeking mental health services. The purpose of this study is to examine how attitudes toward mental health services, mental health stigma, and racial centrality influence African-American college women’s intentions ...

This research examines the impact of race, income, age, education level, and sexual activity on the likelihood of teenage pregnancy. The hypothesis presented was that teenagers from African American communities and low socioeconomic backgrounds are more likely to have teenage pregnancies than Caucas...

Circadian rhythms are behavioral and physiological changes that occur on a 24-hour cycle. The timing of these rhythms are set by a biological clock located in the hypothalamus of the brain which is set by the timing of light input. Abrupt changes in the light-dark cycle, such as an altered light-dar...

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths of males in the United States. Although it is usually treatable, advanced or metastatic prostate cancer can be mortal. Our laboratory examines the use of various diet-derived compounds as potential chemotherapeutic agents for advanced pros...

Zero-tolerance policies in schools require severe disciplinary action regardless of the number of infractions or offenses (Skiba 2010). These zero-tolerance rules can result in children being suspended and even expelled from school. Schools relinquish their responsibility to the students they were b...

There is a well-documented and long-standing disparity between the reading levels of African American children and their European American peers (Craig, 2006). The assessments used to determine student reading levels have been criticized. Washington (1996) proposed that most child language developme...

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a disease of impairment in the production of or responsiveness to the pancreatic hormone, insulin. Pediatric patients with diabetes are often deemed to have insulin dependent diabetes (IDDM). Without insulin, children cannot keep their blood glucoses (BG) within a target ra...

Child development can be greatly influenced by prenatal and postnatal experiences. Recent primate studies have shown that prenatal stress can exacerbate behavioral outcomes. Competing demands can cause mothers to become psychologically unavailable to infants, which can disrupt normal development. Fu...

Metformin is the most widely used therapeutic for Type 2 diabetes, and it has also been shown to have antineoplastic properties by modulating tumor growth and T cell responses. Immunotherapy for cancer is becoming a promising approach to treat metastatic disease because of the rising pre-clinical an...

Despite its resource wealth, over 40% of Sub-Saharan Africans live in absolute poverty.  With more resources than many of the developed countries, it leaves one to wonder why Africa is unable to sustain steady economic growth, if not dominance. For many highly indebted African countries, it has...

This study examines whether Eastern subterranean termites (Reticulitermes sp.) use swarm intelligence as a way to increase foraging efficacy. We hypothesized that termites would use the shortest trail in each maze configuration as a result of swarm intelligence. Groups of 20 termites were deprived o...

Intermediate filaments include a group of proteins primarily involved in structural support as opposed to other cytoskeletal proteins that have specialized functions. Intermediate filaments are organized into different classes due to their variety. Intermediate filaments are found in most Opisthokon...

The issue of global warming or climate change, has fostered a great deal of interest to ecologists around the world. Climate change is a significant topic because of its adverse effects on the life cycles of several mammals and plants. The study of the impacts made by climate change on the timing of...

STEAM education is an approach to learning that encompasses the use of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math, to guide critical thinking and problem solving (Schweingruber, Pearson, & Honey, 2014). This teaching method is a kind of culturally responsive pedagogy because most chidl...

Antibiotics kill the bacteria or make it harder for them to grow. However, some bacteria are no longer affected by these drugs and are termed as “resistant”. Antibiotic resistance is when bacteria have the ability to resist the effects of antibiotics and continue to thrive in spite of treatment....

Diabetes is a disease in which the blood glucose levels of an individual are unnaturally high. The development of the disease is caused by a lack of insulin production. The island of Trinidad and Tobago has experienced a dramatic increase in the percentage of citizens who are diabetic, hypertensive,...

From 1966 to 1979, the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution redefined China’s political and historical atmosphere for rural Chinese women. Although there is literature that examines gender reforms, family reform and women rights, there is limited scholarly work about how rural women's labor force...

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the sea surface temperature in a region over the Atlantic ocean and hurricane and tropical storm frequency in the United States. Of late, there seems to be an increase in the number of hurricanes making landfall in the United State...

Water, energy, and food (WEF) are essential to human health, sustainable development, and economic success. WEF nexus is the interrelationship between water, energy, and food. The ability to understand how water, food, and energy are connected allows for a more sustainable environment. Urbanization ...

The unique nature of graphene and its versatility in technological applications has prompted research on the once enigmatic and theoretical material. With a nearly zero band gap, graphene offers conductive properties that surpass most, if not all, other semi-conductors/superconductors. Understanding...