All Abstracts

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...

Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a pathogenic sexually-transmitted bacterium, is becoming untreatable due to increased antibiotic resistance (AR). Related commensal Neisseria bacteria are non-pathogenic and are often found in the human oral and nasopharynx, but they are rarely studied. We seek (1) to characterize the intrinsic antibiotic resistance (AR) prof...

Recently, Community Mental Health initiatives have been brought to the forefront due to China’s government health policies lagging on the professionalism, normalization, and effectiveness of mental health programs. The purpose of this study is to examine the current state of China’s Mental Health Reform with a focus on its impact on younger gen...

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...

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 ...

This project examines the impact of the gender diversity on corporate boards on business performance for US S&P 500 firms. Corporate performance is measured by market capitalization, earnings per share, revenue and total return. Gender diversity is defined as the total number of women on a firm’s executive board, the percentage of women on th...

Racially and economically identical families tend to migrate to specific locations by choice (Dill 2016). However, questions remain about differences in the standard of living between cities within similar financial brackets but different racial demographics. This project examines how the demographics of three Georgia cities (Riverdale, Atlanta and...

There are several creeks and natural waterbodies in the Atlanta area that many people in the Atlanta University Center are unaware of. These waterbodies include but are not limited to Proctor Creek and Peachtree Creek. However, due to pollution, the water at many of the sites does not meet the quality standards set by the Environmental Protection A...

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which employment discrimination against transgender women in traditional workplaces results in a significant number of transgender women turning to sex work as a form of survival. Transgender unemployment is three times the national average, and there are no federal laws barring employment d...

Maternal mortality is a widely-used indicator of the political, social, economic and cultural landscape of a country. This project investigates the effects of selected macroeconomic drivers of maternal mortality in the time periods 2000-2001 and 2013-2014. Ordinary least squares regression is used to analyze country-level, cross-sectional data avai...

Given the importance of entrepreneurship and innovation (E&I) for economic growth, the question of what stimulates them is imperative. Recent research has focused on business training programs as a main driving force. However, these programs have been shown to have mixed effectiveness. Therefore, it is necessary to explore other potential drivers. ...

In the Dominican Republic, there are remnants of oppression and atrocious discrimination which have detrimentally halted the attainment of equality for Afro-Latina women. This research explores the pattern of systemic femicide and gender violence which pre-date the 21st century as they have been perpetuated by the historic prevalence of racism attr...

Black women are often underrepresented and marginalized in the workplace. Black women often deal with the double edged sword of both their race and gender, which can impact their work and their ability to move up the corporate ladder. There are currently no black women CEOs among the Fortune 500 companies, while there are four black men and thirty ...

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...

This project explores the differences between education systems in China and the  United States, including each system's advantages and disadvantages. The materials used to carry out this study include news articles and websites. By focusing on students' daily lives, I will show how and why there are faults and strengths in both countries' edu...

Spectroscopy is used to investigate how matter, such as atoms and molecules, interacts with light. Spectroscopy is also one of the most effective ways to study the behavior and structure of molecules. Conventional spectroscopy is able to gather information for most simple molecules. However, some molecules are difficult to analyze using conventiona...

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...

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 ...

Pharmaceutical testing on epigenetic effects of drugs is very limited. The use of vertebrates as preclinical research models is constrained by their long mating and generational times, leading to very low numbers of progeny to test and assess. In contrast, invertebrates such as insects are ethically acceptable and convenient as a laboratory model b...

Kryptopterus vitreolus, known as the glass catfish, is a small species of Asian glass catfish found in a series of coastal river basins of peninsular Thailand. The glass catfish is known as an electroreceptive fish, but is not known to be electrogenic. Bioelectrogenesis means the purposeful generation of electricity, and is usually found in fish th...

HIV is a public health problem in the United States which disproportionately impacts racial minorities. Current studies highlight the social determinants of health (SES, media, social stigma, etc.) on the spread of HIV. This study investigated media, HIV-related stigma, and perceived risk of HIV contraction as social determinants of health. African...

Spectroscopy is the use of electromagnetic radiation to analyze the composition and behavior of matter (e.g., atoms and molecules). Recently developed three dimensional spectroscopy techniques yield spectra with higher resolution and less congestion than in 2D spectroscopy. This project focuses on the development and testing of new nonparametric no...

Spectroscopy uses the interaction between light and matter to create spectra that are used to determine the structure and behavior of atoms and molecules. The transition from traditional one-dimensional to two- and three-dimensional spectroscopy can give more information about the molecules or samples under study. The purpose of this project is to ...

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...

On nearly every surface and inside almost every organism, there are millions of tiny microbes that are invisible to the naked eye. Some of these microbes, known as symbionts, live in symbiosis or within other organisms. These tiny microbes include bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Honeybees (Apis mellifera), like most insects, host symbionts in their g...

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...

I will contextualize my thesis collection within the literature on psycholigical responses to color, specifically the impact of color on mood. Psychological responses should not be confused with emotional responses or color symbolism. Color, along with sound and light, can be used in art as a vehicle to explore the relationship between cause and ef...

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...

This study explores the cultural expectations in China and how they affect college students. There is a strong culture of academic achievement in China, and Chinese students outperform much of the rest of the world on standardized exams. However, this high level of achievement comes at a price. Chinese students report some of the highest stress lev...

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of blood disorders which affect over 100,000 people in the United States. A common complication of SCD is the blockage and subsequent damage to vascular endothelial tissue, leading to vaso-occlusive crises. These symptoms are accompanied by chronic pain, inflammation, and stress. Currently, the only FDA-approved...

The mission of Spelman College's sustainability initiative "is to extend our reach and engage the Spelman community in authentic conversations that will increase awareness, knowledge, and action on campus.” With this in mind, a team of senior environmental science and studies majors proposed a conceptual plan to address rainwater runoff on land o...

According to UNESCO, in the United States, about 29% percent of adults are reading at a basic or below basic level (UNESCO, 2010). Many adults who struggle with reading are parents. Research shows that parents contribute to the literacy success of children. The purpose of this research was to investigate the parental engagement of adults who strugg...

Coherent Multidimensional Spectroscopy is a technique that can be used to gain structural and behavioral information about gases and molecules. In contrast to the limitations presented in One-Dimensional Spectroscopy such as spectral congestion, this technique produces rotationally and vibrationally resolved spectra in either a two-dimensional or t...

Primate immunodeficiency viruses have similar physical, morphological, and biochemical characteristics but differ in their behavior. Many African primates have coevolved with these virus, allowing for disease-free productive infection. Molecular variations may explain these variations in outcomes. To characterize these differences, we analyzed vira...