Pacific Undergraduate Research & Creativity Conference

Program & Abstracts 12th Annual Pacific Undergraduate Research & Creativity Conference PURCC-2012 University of the Pacific Stockton, CA 95211 April...
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Program & Abstracts 12th Annual

Pacific Undergraduate Research & Creativity Conference PURCC-2012 University of the Pacific Stockton, CA 95211

April 18, 21 & 28, 2012 Sponsored by The Pacific Fund

Program Volume edited by Dr. Lydia K. Fox Director of Undergraduate Research

Program April 18 Senior Art & Design Show Reception: 6:00 – 8:00 PM Reynolds Art Gallery

April 21 Oral Session I 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM DeRosa University Center, Room 211A/B Oral Session II 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM DeRosa University Center, Room 211A/B Poster Session I 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Tiger Lounge Poster Session II 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Grace Covell

April 28 Engineering Senior Project Demonstrations 2:00 – 3:30 PM School of Engineering & Computer Science

Senior Art & Design Show – Reynolds Gallery Artist Reception – April 18, 6-8 PM

Artist(s) Caroline Aguirre Graphic Design

Zachary Bates Graphic Design

Lindsay Biggar Graphic Design

Allison Colberg Graphic Design

Aaron Davis Graphic Design

Theresa Gallagher Graphic Design

Mark Radanovich Graphic Design

Lia Santini Studio Art

Jennifer Sese Studio Art

Clifton Thammavongsa Studio Art

Amanda Zimmerman Studio Art

Title

Faculty Mentor(s)

Culture Upbringing of Self

Marie Lee

Untitled (Mixed media)

Marie Lee

REVINYL: The Revival of Vinyl LPs in America

Marie Lee

A Modern Day Twist

Marie Lee

Motion

Marie Lee

Cheers! Here’s to us!

Marie Lee

Spark Energy Foods

Marie Lee

Aqueous Design

Monika Meler

The Finest Cut

Jennifer Little Lucinda Kasser

Alter Ego

Dan Kasser

TransParent

Jennifer Little Monika Meler

3

Oral Session I – DeRosa University Center, Room 211

Time

9:00

Student Presenter(s) Ana Garcia Sociology

Marissa Ito

9:20

9:40

Development and Cultural Change

Ann McAdam Business

Presentation Title

Women, Power and Politics

What Does It Mean To Be a Latino In Stockton?

Reunification and Foster Care: Is it Always Best to Put Humpty Dumpty Back Together Again?

Jennifer Immel

10:00

10:20

Development and Cultural Change

Sugar, Slavery, and Sovereignty

TyaCamellia Allred, Chynna Andeola, Aliza Moody

Why Do Students Sit Where They Sit in a Classroom?: A Survey of University of the Pacific Undergraduate Students

Sociology

10:40

11:00

11:20

Jin Kim International Relations

Law and Politics of FDI

Faculty Mentor Marcia Hernandez Sociology

Analiese Richard International Studies

John Myers Law

Analiese Richard International Studies

George Lewis Sociology

Yong Kyun Kim International Studies

Development and Cultural Change

Community agriculture as a response to the global food crisis: A comparison of models from Nicaragua and the United States

Megan Chavez, Timothy Schell, Hilary King

Psychological Management of Catastrophic Incident

Jodi Baker

Tiger PRIDE: Mobilizing community partnerships to improve pedagogical skills of pre-service PE teachers

Lara Killick Darrin Kitchen

Maya CampbellUnsoeld

Analiese Richard International Studies

Sport Sciences

Athletic Training

11:40

Ellen Barton, Codi Kaiser, Lindsay Sasaki Sport Sciences, Sport Pedagogy

4

Sport Sciences

Oral Session II– DeRosa University Center, Room 211

Time 1:00

1:20

Student Presenter(s) Danielle Procope English

Darya Ramanava Finance, Economics

1:40

Minhchau Dinh

2:00

Jordan Schreiber

2:20

Danielle Procope

2:40

Break

3:00

Amy Olmos

3:20

Eeva Nelson

Environmental Studies

Political Science

English

Biochemistry

History

Emily Duarte

3:40

Speech Language Pathology

4:00

Arlen Guillen

4:20

Chelsea Fredrick

4:40

Gabriella Giannini

Biochemistry

Communication

Communications

Presentation Title Anti-Blackness in Enlightenment Thought & the Limitations of W.E.B. Du Bois Persistency in stock performance of sequential mergers and acquisitions in Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) industry in the USA Food Deserts: A Comparison of Rural and Urban Census Tracts Adopting the Turkish Model: The Post-revolution Political Development of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood The Myth of Black Solidarity and the Sexist Oppression of Black Women

Cindy Sherman’s outrage against the victimization of women

The Deflection of the Gaze: How Lorna Simpson’s Stereo Styles Subverts the Messages of Advertisers Shirin Neshat’s Turbulent: A Look Inside Gender in Muslim Society TDS, not so tedious: An efficient technique to study topological changes in modified G-quadruplex DNA

Faculty Mentor Jeffrey Hole English

Phil Zhu Finance

Bill Herrin Economics

Bill Herrin Economics

Daniel O’Neill Political Science

Jeffrey Hole English

Merrill Schleier Visual Arts

Merrill Schleier Visual Arts

Merrill Schleier Visual Arts

Liang Xue Chemistry

Student Self Esteem's Effect on Classroom Leadership

Qingwen Dong

Call of Duty: Affects of Violent Video Games on Aggressive Behaviors

Qingwen Dong

5

Communication

Communication

Poster Session I – Tiger Lounge

Poster

Student Presenter(s)

1

Sara Stookey

2

Hannah Rea

3

Haley Hartwick

4

Rebecca Kutcher

Communication

Communication

Communication

Psychology

Poster Title

The Art of Creation

Solidaridad (solidarity)

Media and Youth Politics Today

Will They Buy It: Variables That Influence Willingness To Pay

Shannon Chapman

5

6

7

8

Applied Economics & International Studies

Food Insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa

Jayme Swalin

Developing Sustainable Agricultural Incomes: A case study from the Amazon Basin

International Studies & Economics

Annalisa Purnell Economics

Theresa & Monica Cortez-Guardado History & Gender Studies

9

Marisol Aguilera, Diana Lujano, Anthony SandovalJunio, Lyndsi Mark

Faculty Mentor(s)

Tanya Storch Religious Studies

Erin Rausch Center for Community Involvement

Qingwen Dong Communication

Michelle Amaral Economics

Bill Herrin Economics

Bill Herrin Economics

Argentine Inflation: An Application of the Phillips Curve

Sharmila King

Perceptions of Sex Trafficking: Asian Women and Massage Parlors

Gesine Gerhard

Social Facilitation Effects on Memorization Task in University Students

Gary Howells Rocci Jackson

Psychology

6

Economics

History Gender Studies

(graduate student) Psychology

Poster Session I – Tiger Lounge

Poster

10

Student Presenter(s) Amir Cruz-Khalili, Sadaf Sahibzada, Marissa Davis, Tabrisha Johnican

Poster Title

Faculty Mentor(s)

Views on Current Events

Gary Howells Rocci Jackson (graduate student) Psychology

Psychology

11

Alina Franco, Megan Rangel, Ginny Durakovich, Christina Thompson

Gender Differences in Attitudes Towards War

Gary Howells Rocci Jackson (graduate student) Psychology

Psychology

12

Tyler Glassford, Sean Kagan, Jonel Imutan, Nina Shenke

Prosocial Behavior In Instances of Theft On College Campuses

Psychology

13

Alisa Gordon, Xaio Xaio He, Nicole Otte Psychology

14

Dandre Ignacio, Bertha Muro Mora, Brian Ng

Effects of Media on College Student Attitudes Towards Islam

Assessment of Islam group threat perceptions and values

Psychology

15

Nydia Ramos, Rubi Carrillo, Alexa Zaharris, Jorge Montanez, Itzel Flores

Exploring the Bystander Effect in Value of Stolen Possessions

Psychology

16

Kelly Rush, Michelle Martinez, Joanna Kwan, Andrea Soto

Gender Differences on the Beliefs of Punishment

Psychology

7

Gary Howells Rocci Jackson (graduate student) Psychology

Gary Howells Rocci Jackson (graduate student) Psychology

Gary Howells Rocci Jackson (graduate student) Psychology

Gary Howells Rocci Jackson (graduate student) Psychology

Gary Howells Rocci Jackson (graduate student) Psychology

Poster Session II – Grace Covell

Poster

17

Student Presenter(s) Isha Srivastava, Grace Ramos

Poster Title

Faculty Mentor(s) Shelly Gulatig Simon Tang

Ankle Healing Aid

Bioengineering

Mark Van Ness

Bioengineerng

Sport Sciences

18

19

Brianna Juhrend Civil Engineering

Brian Phan, Justin Pyun Civil Engineering

20

21

Matthew Ebia Bioengineering

Ernest A. Garcia Chemistry

Priya Patel

22

Pre-Dentistry Biological Sciences

23

Laura Tsu

24

Gracie Castillo

25

Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences

Erica Chean Heidi Huh Biological Sciences

26

Emilio Cortes Elviña Biological Sciences

Drinking Water Security and Sustainability

Design and Production of a Steel Bridge Utilizing Innovative Connections and Fabrication Techniques

An Assessment of the Total Phosphorous Mass Balance Using a Modified Persulfate Digestion Method Solving the low dissolved oxygen problem by understanding the sources and fate of different nitrogen species entering in the San Joaquin River Estuary

Mary Kay Camarillo Civil Engineering

Luke Lee Gary Litton Scott Meery Civil Engineering

William Stringfellow Chelsea Spier Environmental Engineering

William Stringfellow Environmental Engineering

A Tail of Two Monkeys: Dietary Choice in Relation to Cranial and Dental Dorothy Dechant Evolution in the Red Howler Monkey and Dentistry Olive Baboon Preferred Diet - Got Insects or Leaves?

Dorothy Dechant

Voice and Laryngeal Design: The Role of Vocal Fold Architecture

Marcos Gridi-Papp

The Effect of Cell Size on Auditory Morphology and Tuning in Gray Treefrogs Hearing Sensitivity in the Golden Treefrog Polypedates leucomystax from Vietnam

8

Dentistry

Biological Sciences

Marcos Gridi-Papp Biological Sciences

Marcos Gridi-Papp Biological Sciences

Poster Session II – Grace Covell Poster

27

Student Presenter(s)

Poster Title

Faculty Mentor(s)

Joanna Mari Concha Guhit

Variations in Sound Production Frequency Among North American Gray Tree Frogs

Marcos Gridi-Papp

Biological Sciences

Moid Khan

28

29

Biological Sciences Pre-Dentistry

Pauline Montemayor, Stephanie Nguyen, Yutian Zeng Biological Sciences

31

31

The Relationship Between Auditory Morphology and Tuning in Three Species of Frogs

Biological Sciences

Effects of Ploidy on the Tuning of Hearing in Female Hyla versicolor and H. chrysocelis Treefrogs

Johanna Hsieh, Christina Pham-Le, Susan Phy, Lan Tran

Toward Understanding the Genetic Basis of Mimetic Color Pattern in Limenitis lorquini

Mary Paduano, Sarah Anne Wong

Biological Sciences

32

The Effect of Energetic Costs on Calling Strategies of the House Cricket, Acheta domesticus

Seung Wan Ha, Charles Kim, Alexander Mendoza, Graham Travenick, Chris Weber, Chad Wierlo

Biological Sciences

Marcos Gridi-Papp Biological Sciences

Marcos Gridi-Papp Biological Sciences

Marcos Gridi-Papp Biological Sciences

Ryan Hill Biological Sciences

Genotypic and Phenotypic Diversity in Endangered Populations of the Callippe Silverspot Butterfly (Speyeria callippe) in the Greater Bay Area

Ryan Hill

Genetics of Sexual Dimorphism in an Ostracod Crustacean, Euphilomedes carcharodonta

Ajna Rivera

Comparing Total Precipitation for Vernal Pools in Wet and Dry Seasons

Stacy Luthy

Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences

33

Brenna CarilloZazueta, Logan Brodnansky, Connie Lin, Priya Patel, Brianna Hu

Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences

34

35

Minhchau Dinh Environmetnal Studies

Alec Follmer, Gwen Alldredge Biological Sciences

Effects of Range and Frequency on DIDSON Measurement Accuracy

9

Biological Sciences

Stacy Luthy Biological Sciences

Poster Session II – Grace Covell

Poster

36

37

Student Presenter(s)

Poster Title

Faculty Mentor(s)

Diana Furukawa, Breanna Wong

Stacy Luthy

Biological Sciences

Growth Rate Differences Amongst Leiostomus xanthurus Between Varying Estuarine Creeks

Hasan Alkazemi, Jonathan Choy, Lan Tran

Comparing Sand Flipping of Elephant Seals between Sex and Age

Richard Tenaza

Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences

38

Sejal Bhayani, Antonia Centeno, Quang Nguyen Biological Sciences

39

Patrick Kang, Jaeyoung Lee, Mike Trinh, Pauline Montamayor, Christopher Nguyen

Comparison of Aggression between Female Elephant Seals with Pups and without Pups towards Non-Filial Pups

Behavioral thermoregulation of northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) adults and pups in a breeding colony at Piedras Blancas, California

Richard Tenaza Biological Sciences

Richard Tenaza Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences

40

Biological Sciences

Fluctuations and Sex Differences in Food Consumption Relative to Molting in Magellanic Pegnuins (Spheniscus magellanicus) at San Francisco Zoo

41

Amber Overgard, Daniel Kee Lu Biochemistry

Rad51 Paralogs and Complexes – A Study of Protein Function and Interactions

Lisa Keikoan, Nick Le

42

Cina Kim, Katie Ross

43

Casey Ardrey

44

Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences

Aaron Au, Steven An Biological Sciences

Histological Characterization of Vitamin D-induced Apoptosis in a Hamster Buccal Pouch Model of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Preliminary Proteomic Analysis of a Vesicle-enriched Fraction from the Protozoal Parasite Trichomonas vaginalis Characterization of an Adenosylhomocysteine Hydrolase Enzyme in the protozoal parasite Trichomonas vaginalis

10

Richard Tenaza Biological Sciences

Joanna Albala Biological Sciences

Joanna Albala Biological Sciences

Kirkwood Land Lisa Wrischnik Biological Sciences

Kirkwood Land Biological Sciences

Poster Session II – Grace Covell

Poster

45

Student Presenter(s) Olga Bachour, Kai Chang, Tex Mabalon Biological Sciences

46

Annie Chen, Sandy Chen, Vivian Huang, Victoria Lewis, Hasna Manghi

Poster Title Effects of Serine Protease Inhibitors on the Human Protozoal Parasite Trichomonas vaginalis Cloning and Expression of an Aspartic Protease from the Human Protozoal Parasite Trichomonas vaginalis

Faculty Mentor(s) Kirkwood Land Biological Sciences

Kirkwood Land Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences

47

Annie Chen, Sandy Chen, Vivian Huang, Victoria Lewis, Hasna Manghi Biological Sciences

48

Kassandra Cooper, Tiffany Riley, Asma Patel, Raquel O’Connor, Neal Patel

Transmission Electron Microscopy Localization of a Major Cysteien Protease of the Protozoal Parasite Trichomonas vaginalis Studies of Calpain Inhibotors as Antiparasitic Agents Against Trichomonas vaginalis

Kirkwood Land Lisa Wrischnik Biological Sciences

Kirkwood Land Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences

49

Oliver Dam, Faheen Qazi, Derek Paw Biological Sciences

50

Nathan Haberkern

51

Jonathan Huang

Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences

52

Stephen Kim

53

Evan Kristiansen

Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences

Analysis of a Kex2-like Gene in the Protozoal Parasite Trichomonas vaginalis

Charcterization of Cysteine Protease Inhibitor (CP8) Virulence Factor in Bovine and Feline Strains of T. Foetus

Cloing and Expression of Thioredoxin Reductase from the Human Protozoal Parasite Trichomonas vaginalis

Analysis of new Theosemicarbazones Against the Human Protozoal Parasite Trichomonas vaginalis

Characterization of a Novel Kinase in the Protozoal Parasite Trichomonas vaginalis

11

Kirkwood Land Lisa Wrischnik Biological Sciences

Kirkwood Land Biological Sciences

Kirkwood Land Lisa Wrischnik Biological Sciences

Kirkwood Land Biological Sciences

Kirkwood Land Biological Sciences

Poster Session II – Grace Covell Poster

54

55

Student Presenter(s)

Poster Title

Faculty Mentor(s)

Evan Kristiansen

Molecular Detection of Dog Heart Worm in Mosquitoes in the San Joaquin Valley

Kirkwood Land

Use of a motion-based, novel computer application for whole-plate screening of drugs against small parasitic nematodes

Kirkwood Land Gregg Jongeward

Biological Sciences

Neal Patel, Tiffany Riley, Asma Patel, Raquel O’Connor Biological Sciences

56

Alex Yee, Tiffany Riley, Asma Patel, Raquel O’Connor, Neal Patel

In Vitro Activity of Calpain Inhibitors Against Tritrichomonas foetus

Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences

Kirkwood Land Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences

57

Kimiko Agari, Hansel Poerwanto Biological Sciences

58

59

Pachai Moua Biological Sciences

Maria Nattestad, Kristin Oshiro Biological Sciences

60

61

Effects of MAT alpha deletions on protein secretion in Pichia pastoris

Biological Sciences

Visualizing the Pathways of MBP-EGFP Fusions with Fluorescence Microscopy

Geoff & Joan Lin-Cereghino

Messing with Perfection: Analysis of the 5' untranslated region (5'UTR) of the alcohol oxidase 1 (AOX1) gene in recombinant protein expression in Pichia pastoris

Geoff & Joan Lin-Cereghino

Biological Sciences

Expression and Purification of Pyriform Spidroin 2 Protein

Hasan AlKazemi, Jacky Aguilar, Sophia Chou

The Structural Studies of Artificial Silk Fibers and the PySp2 Protein

Nadia Shaheen

Geoff & Joan Lin-Cereghino

Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences

Geoff & Joan Lin-Cereghino Biological Sciences

Craig Vierra Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences

62

Richard Chen, Alex Hoang-Mendoza, Jun Park, Pauline Pham, Moe Thien

Expression of the Latrodectus hesperus Glue Silk Protein, Pyriform Spidroin 1, in Bacteria

Biological Sciences

12

Craig Vierra Biological Sciences

Poster Session II – Grace Covell

Poster

63

Student Presenter(s)

Poster Title

Faculty Mentor(s)

Cynthia Co Ting Keh, Frances Pham, Yifeng Li, Steve Oh

Exploration of Pyriform Spidroin1 (PySp1) QEA Module’s Role in Fiber Formation and Properties

Craig Vierra

Studying the Function of Pyriform Spidroin-2 Modules

Craig Vierra

Expression of an Internal Block Repeat Domain from Pyriform Spidroin1, a Glue Silk Protein from Black Widow Spiders

Craig Vierra

Expression of Internal Block Repeats within the PySp2 Protein

Craig Vierra

Expression of Spider Egg Case Protein-3 for Structural and Mechanical Studies

Craig Vierra

Biological Sciences

Taylor Rabara, Aneesha Sharma, Reisa Rara

Synthetic glue silk fibers spun from PySp2 of orb-weaving spiders

Craig Vierra

ZipK Influence on Apoptosis and Cell Migration

Douglas Weiser

Isolation and Characterization of Cyanin Chloride from Strawberrie

Andreas Franz

Biological Sciences

64

Eugene Kim, Mariah Mayo, Katherine Yin Biological Sciences

65

Jay Ko, Nancy Nguyen, Raymond Pandez, Vu Tran Biological Sciences

66

Isaac Lee, Sally Ok, Thao Tran Biological Sciences

67

68

Albert Lin

Biological Sciences

69

Christine Hu

70

Gurbir Gudial

71

Bhupinder Padda

72

Biological Sciences

Biochemistry

Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences

Chemistry

Jinhua Ren

Biochemistry

Molecular Modeling to Determine Acidity and Basicity of Organic Compounds

Rajneet Padda

Synthesis of Polypeptides and Cleavage

Jinhua Ren

Biochemistry

13

Chemistry

Chemistry

Poster Session II – Grace Covell

Poster

73

Student Presenter(s) Juan Manuel Abundes, Elaina Khoo, Lifang Zhou, Jennifer Ou, Felicia Resendez, Hyungsuk Lee, Christina Quach

Poster Title

Expression and gene modification of Taqpolymerase using the SUMO purification system

Faculty Mentor(s)

Jerry Tsai Chemistry

Chemistry

74

Una Lee, Sirena Lau, Vickie Nguyen, Sarah Chiu

Adventures in New Metal Complexes Design and Synthesis

Pre-Pharm, Chemistry

14

Qinlang Zhao Yi-Ju Tsa (graduate student) Chemistry

School of Engineering & Computer Science – Senior Projects

Bioengineering: Student Presenters

Project Title

Faculty Mentor(s)

Tyler Chuang, Brandon Hill

Co-Current Device for Synthesis of Spider Silk

Shelly Gulati, Craig Vierra

Isha Srivastava, Grace Ramos

Ankle Healing Aid

Shelly Gulati Simon Tang Mark Van Ness

Eileen Thai, Nestor Decierdo, Matthew Ebia

The Puzzle of Getting up From a Seat

Shelly Gulati, Simon Tang

Student Presenters

Project Title

Faculty Mentor(s)

Matthew Anderson, Bryant Fukuda, Josh Hai Ngo

Snow Supporting Structures, Echo Summit, California

Scott Merry, Gary Litton

Thanh Do, Dameon Flores, Caroline Grant, Gregory Weissmann

Municipal Water Storage Upgrade, City of Oakdale, California

Scott Merry, Camilla Saviz, Luke Lee, Gary Litton

Evan Eyster, John Romero, Roberto Vera, Damasio Zepeda

Ford’s Bridge Spanning The Tuolumne River, Long Barn, California

Scott Merry, Luke Lee, Hector Estrada, Camilla Saviz

Scott Henderson, Elizabeth Avelar, Natalie Muradian

Pacific Outdoor Greek Theater

Mary Kay Camarillo, Hector Estrada, Luke Lee, Gary Litton, Scott Meery, Camilla Saviz, Patrick Cavanaugh, Randal Enlow, Cathie McClellan

William Moreno, Jesse Proud Vicki Thai

San Joaquin Regional Transit District Mall Transfer Station Expansion Project

Scott Merry

Civil Engineering:

15

School of Engineering & Computer Science – Senior Projects Computer Science: Student Presenter(s)

Project Title

Faculty Mentor(s)

Jeremy Ai

Media Aggregation Website

Jinzhu Gao, Michael Doherty

Andrew Dirksen, Jerry Chen, Chris Trondsen

University of the Pacific Helper App

Jinzhu Gao, Michael Doherty

Kyle Dodge

Lanmes

Jinzhu Gao, Michael Doherty

Thomas Mendoza

Browser-Based Mobile Application for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Jinzhu Gao, Michael Doherty

Peter Miller

Chapter Connection Phone App

Jinzhu Gao, Michael Doherty

Michael Ongaro

Vengeance

Jinzhu Gao, Michael Doherty

Victor Tachkov

Secure Electronic Voting Website

Jinzhu Gao, Michael Doherty

16

School of Engineering & Computer Science – Senior Projects

Electrical & Computer Engineering: Student Presenters

Project Title

Faculty Mentor

Edward Berbano, Gary Tang, Chris Xiong

Virtual Gloves

Jennifer Ross

Jay Brink, Mark Reed, Brandon Shields

Piano Note Recognizer

Cherian Matthews

Justin Charette, Kenton Suzuki, Nick Yuen

Digital Note Recognizer

Cherian Matthews

Trang Nguyen, Jon Hagerty, Joe Hasekamp

Wind Power Generator on a Movable Platform

Elizabeth Basha

Student Presenter(s)

Project Title

Faculty Mentor

Steven Barry, Molly Beckler, Craig Burton, Jessical Ovieda

Convertible Tandem Bike System

Kyle Watson

Carl Castro, ByungHoon Park, Daniel Schow, Phillip Yun

Automated Whiteboard Eraser

Kyle Watson

Lane Cowan, Ernesto Hernandez, Michael Sandoval

Recirculating Solar Hot Water Heater System

Kyle Watson

Lindsey Miho, Joel ParraHermosillo, Bonnie Zhu

Rotational Molding Machine for Small Parts

Kyle Watson

Mechanical Engineering:

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Senior Art & Design Show – Artist Statements Culture Upbringing of Self Carolina Aguirre Faculty Mentor: Marie Lee The project Culture Upbringing of Self is a representation of my life struggles, which I have illustrated through skeletal imagery. As a portrayal of my own life, I have created this package with skeletal imagery to represent both its physical and psychological meaning. For this project, the idea came from of my fascination for skeletal art. There is this pure analogical connection between the skeleton and intrapersonal significance. Physically, the skeleton has such a core value and strength. I am drawn to its visual imagery because the physical topology of bones can be interlocked and arranged to make a meaningful shape with personal significance to me. Through my life struggles, I have kept the core strength of my identity and developed my values. As a graphic designer, I have done digital designs for promotional pieces, worked with typography, made event posters, and so on. From this work, I’ve developed a passion for packaging. There is a different visual approach to designing a package. Starting with what you want the outcome to be, you work in reverse, breaking every side of the package, ending with a flat surface. The designing stage itself is art, because it’s so complex and creative. Since a package can be formed into anything, I have chosen to have that be my instrument for this project, to symbolize the idea that a skeleton can transform into any shape, be anything, but never lose its strength and value.

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Senior Art & Design Show – Artist Statements Untitled Mixed media (collage, cardboard, screen printing, transfer) Zachary Bates Faculty Mentor: Marie Lee As a graphic designer, it is required that my artistic output consistently solves problems—immediately imparting a specific idea/desire onto a targeted demographic. This series strays from the aforementioned, hopefully leaving you, the viewer, questioning rather than content. The collages serve as an outlet; a freeing exercise from the constraints experienced within the specificity of graphic design. All of the imagery has been repurposed from previous artistic endeavors or appropriated and decontextualized from various printed media and trash. They provide an obscured personal retrospective, allowing one’s own meaning(s) to be attached to the work. Each element was been built up slowly and simultaneously, adding and subtracting elements until deemed satisfactory. The overlaid contour line drawings are indicative of experiences and individuals—contrasting the happenstance choosing of the underlying collage elements chosen mainly for their complementary aesthetic.

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Senior Art & Design Show – Artist Statements REVINYL: The Revival of Vinyl LPs in America Dedicated to Record Store Day: April 21, 2012 Lindsay Biggar Faculty Mentor: Marie Lee During the summer of 2011, I spent a portion of my time experimenting with printmaking and monotypes using old vinyl LPs. At first, it was just a fun experiment of playing with geometric shapes and colors within a composition and as time went by, I slowly started to incorporate stencils into my work. These stencils soon became my translations of song lyrics that I was listening to as I was created each piece. What started out as a simple summer art project with no particular relevance, turned into something that carried much more meaning for me as an artist. Within the last several years, younger generations of Americans have been taking an interest in collecting both new and old vinyl LPs. For me, I started to collect albums because each one was a tangible piece of art and music that brought me a sense of community among other collectors. In the Fall 2011 semester, I spent time researching experience design and the music industry for a project called “Do-Good Design.” It was here where I learned that music fans have grown tired of current packaging of their music. Newer forms of music such as MP3’s lack an experience and collectors value. People will spend seconds downloading a song, when years ago they would spend hours reading the liner notes from an LP sleeve while appreciating the album artwork. After learning about this lack of experience, it felt like the perfect opportunity to revisit this project. In conclusion, I have created a series of six monotype prints that represent different songs that have been important in my life and to my overall growth.

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Senior Art & Design Show – Artist Statements A Modern Day Twist Allison Colberg Faculty Mentor: Marie Lee Avant Garde art of the 20th century was considered the hallmark of modernism, innovation, and experimentation. Artists during this time broke down traditional ideas of design and pushed the boundaries of what was culturally and artistically accepted. I designed six different advertisements, each one based on and inspired by an Avant Garde artist of the mid 1900s. I researched and drew inspiration from Piet Zwart, Andre Breton, A.M. Cassandre, Jan Tchichold, Marinetti, and Pablo Picasso, and sought to design my advertisements as these designers would if they had lived and worked in modern times. The artistic movements with which these artists were associated were Berlin Dada, the Bauhaus, Futurism, Cubism, and De Stijl. I began my project researching elements of each movement, current events prominent in society, and issues each designer sought to highlight and explore in his work. I chose to advertise subjects based on what was relevant during the time and what concerned them the most, and I sought out topics in modern day society which best paralleled these concerns. For example, I chose the video game Guitar Hero as the subject matter for one of my advertisements, because Futurism — the artistic movement I was representing — was focused on technology, noise, chaos, and intensity. I felt that Guitar Hero embodied those themes well in today’s world. Even the materials I used complied with the spirit and ideals of Avant Garde: I worked with sheets of clear Plexiglas, small hardware pieces, and metal tubing. These materials not only produced a sturdy, stable finished product, but also gave my advertisements an industrial-looking finish.

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Senior Art & Design Show – Artist Statements Motion Aaron Davis

Faculty Mentor: Marie Lee When I interned at Comcast Sports, I learned to create motion graphics. The thrill of seeing my designs transform into a living moving production immediately opened a whole new door that made my passion for art and design grow even bigger. The first animation is ten-seconds and displays the Comcast Sports logo forming from tiny little pieces flying together. Lightening strikes from the logo to reveal each of the Bay Area sports teams. Following my first animation is an advertisement for the California Football team, which displays on the bottom of the screen like a banner and is similar to a flipbook as the images flip and slide into the composition. Next is a time-lapse concept for an opening title sequence for a basketball documentary called The Town Game. The documentary is set in Oakland and the view of San Francisco can be seen as if you are playing on an outdoor basketball court in Oakland. The fourth animation is a music video for the song Black President by Nas. The video has a static effect that lingers throughout the whole video. The composition is broken up into nine videos. Sometimes one video is played on all of them, but most of the time it is broken up to show various videos at the same time. Last is a commercial to help announce the spring concert at University of the Pacific, which reveals the artist who is performing and the two DJ’s that are present before and after the artist.

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Senior Art & Design Show – Artist Statements Cheers! Here’s to us! Theresa Gallagher Faculty Mentor: Marie Lee My project is a series of wine bottles, each with a separate brand identity. Each of these identities was developed with a different kind of consumer in mind and designed to appeal specifically to that customer. For every bottle I have also created collateral materials to further carry the respective brand identity. This ensures customer recognition and reminds consumers of a unique wine drinking experience every time they use these materials in the future while encouraging them to become repeat buyers. The first wine label I designed was the Robert Mondavi 838 bottle for a packaging design assignment last year; but this spring I was able to extend the project by designing more labels as well as the matchbooks and other materials. Designing each label was a process of choosing colors, developing graphics, and placing type to accurately capture the character of the wine contained inside. Once this was accomplished it was only a matter of using elements from the labels to create corresponding collateral materials to support and extend each identity. The result is a dynamic series of unique and eclectic bottles that appeal to a variety of audiences.

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Senior Art & Design Show – Artist Statements Spark Energy Foods Mark Radanovich

Faculty Mentor: Marie Lee Spark Energy Foods is a small-time food product company all about health and nutrition. The idea behind it being called “spark” is that it provides that extra spark of energy. It is a healthy solution to getting extra energy needed to get through the day. The energy drink essentially is an all-around beverage that provides energy, hydration, and nutrients. The company, while it is small, has a big attitude. The identity of this company has a corporate appearance to it, but its content is young, fun, and witty. This product line is mainly targeted at young adults, primarily college students, who need extra energy to get through their busy day, but are also conscious about their health. Being a college student myself, I wasn’t attracted to the unhealthy ingredients in these drinks. College students already eat somewhat unhealthy foods, so you don’t need another added to the already long and unhealthy list. The company is a reflection of its customers… the entire company identity, from the logo, to the package designs, to the website, are all very professional and corporate in appearance, but the company gives off that young and fun vibe which its target audience can relate to. They enjoy having fun but also want to look good at the same time. Since it targets a younger, more modern crowd, I thought it would be appropriate to design the logo around something similar to what they see everyday with bright colors and a sleek type treatment. The designs of the other companies all employ extremely eye-catching and intricate designs with vivid colors and creative names. I thought I’d make Spark stand out from the rest with more simplistic designs, but still maintain those bright colors to catch people’s eye.

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Senior Art & Design Show – Artist Statements Aqueous Design Lia Santini Faculty Mentor: Monika Meler For my senior project I did a series of prints that capture my connection with water as a swimmer and as a person growing up in the Pacific Northwest. In the prints I am working with design, decoration, color, and abstraction. They are a combination of relief and monoprints. Water is constantly changing and moving, which is a metaphor for my life as a swimmer and student, to a retired swimmer and graduate. Growing up, I was inspired by the Pacific Northwest Native Americans who have their own visual language of shapes and color to tell stories. Using their aesthetic as inspiration, I wanted to create my own language that would help me tell stories of my own life. I printed on thin, Japanese paper. The thinness of the paper created different effects when held up to the light, but also changed the colors when the layers were created. The multiple layers in these prints and how they react to the light reminds me of how water changes when the light hits it, or when it washes up on shore, and there are designs and layers in the foam, kelp and sand. The colors of the prints are important because they change when laid on top of each other, and that is something I cannot control, but accept. This acceptance mirrors the acknowledgement that water is similarly chaotic and difficult to control.

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Senior Art & Design Show – Artist Statements The Finest Cut Jennifer Sese Faculty Mentors: Jennifer Little and Lucinda Kasser The art of character design is a process of trial and error. However, the development of characters can be both a rewarding and fulfilling experience. Character designers simply do not draw their characters in one sketch; it takes many sketches, as well as conceptualizing personalities and stories to hold them together. Most importantly, a character design must have believability, appeal, and above all, life. My four character designs are all part of an original story entitled, “The Finest Cut.” The story takes place in a medieval setting, and focuses on the life of four young squires. I have given each character their own personality, exhibited through unique facial features, physicality, physical stance, and facial expression. Their costumes and weapons also give a clue as to where each may have come from, as well as their individual area of expertise. Colors play a role in each character’s overall appearance, giving the viewer greater insight into the unique persona of each squire. The plot of my story is as follows. An elite group of knights, known as the Royal Arms, holds a competition every year for all squires in the kingdom. Four squires, Tybalt, Brom, Thea, and Einhard, are quickly drawn by the competition’s prize: one open position in the Royal Arms. With weapons in hand, the four squires compete against all odds to win a place in the Royal Arms and gain the respect they desire.

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Senior Art & Design Show – Artist Statements Alter Ego Clifton Thammavongsa Faculty Mentor: Dan Kasser The artworks for my senior exhibition present the story of Shaiyo Kiyui, a character I have been developing for eight years. The drawings and paintings represent a narrative based in autobiography and my artistic journey to give form to the cruel and darker issues in our society. The premise for Shaiyo’s character is his internal struggle between his gentle nature and the pressure and contradictions of society’s malevolent side. The catalyst of Shaiyo’s conflict began early in his childhood; society bullied him. The external sources, the form and the style of my paintings are derived and inspired by selected autobiographical experiences, contemporary cultural history in America, and finally comic books and graphic novels where many of the darker conflicts in society find an audience. The continuity between my autobiographical sources and the construction of my artworks is derived from my personal involvement in the martial arts and my interest in the philosophy of Bruce Lee, expressed through his book Tao of Jeet Kune Do (1975). Through Lee’s philosophy I learned to divert and reform my anger and feelings of victimization through an integrated lifestyle of physical, mental, and spiritual wholeness. My artworks are designed to tell that story in a short hand or short story style. Presented as comic book and large-scale, black and white India ink drawings, these works uses the comic book style to create a condensed and exaggerated narrative for the story of Shaiyo Kiyui’s awakening to his inner strength and selfdefense.

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Senior Art & Design Show – Artist Statements TransParent Amanda Zimmerman Faculty Mentor: Jennifer Little and Monika Meler All relationships are intertwined. The personal interactions people have shape their life experiences and affect their actions in future relationships. As we mature, we recognize how much influence those relationships have on our everyday lives. Memories surface and color many of our decisions. These ideas led to the creation of a body of work in which I explore the correlation between my childhood relationship with my father and my maternal relationship with my son. This collection of images is autobiographical and is purposefully displayed in layers. Representing the underlying influences my father has had on my decisions; the bottom layer depicts a landscape upon which photographs of him as a young boy are strewn. A window placed over this layer represents me and serves as the connection between my father and son. Finally, screen-printed images of my son on some of the panels of glass are the final layer and demonstrate the passage of time. This artwork represents the connection with my father and the strong influence he passed on in my life with my son. As a parent I want to provide for my son, as my father had done for me and pass onto him the characteristics I acquired from my father. After viewing this artwork, I hope that the audience gains insight to my memories and actions as a parent, and possibly an internal look into their own relationships and what inspires them to make decisions.

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Senior Art & Design Show – Artist Statements Latino. The Spanish language is used by insiders of the Latino cultural group as a way of forming linguistic identity, where the norm (in Stockton) is the Mexican style of Spanish. However, outsiders of this cultural group use Spanish as a way to paint a negative picture of users of this language. Similarly, salsa dancing has been seen as a way to access ‘Latino’ culture, where levels of fluency in the dance, can express how much you belong to the Latino cultural group.

Women, Power and Politics Ana Garcia Faculty Mentor: Marcia Hernandez In this presentation I will examine to what extent gender matters when it comes to women in highranking, political positions in the U.S. Using scholarly articles to examine how women politicians are perceived by voters, and whether or not the experiences of women politicians have changed over time. My preliminary findings suggest that people’s views and attitudes towards women have not changed much over a 50-year period. My findings also suggest that compared to their male counterparts, women politicians are framed as emotional and needy. My research is timely because we are in the height of another voting season; no new women candidates are running for the presidential office since Michelle Bauchman has resigned her intentions of running for President. I conclude with suggestions for future research which may include exploring the correlation of women candidates’ age, education level and media perception of voters in today’s society.

Reunification and Foster Care: Is it Always Best to Put Humpty Dumpty Back Together Again? Ann McAdam Faculty Mentor: John Myers America’s Foster Care system is in crisis. It is not uncommon for a child to be removed from a neglectful family only to be reunited before the parents have changed their lifestyles. The result is an emotionally destructive revolving door for children. They either face lack of stability in foster care or an unhealthy home environment. Parental drug addiction is often involved in these cases, and is also often a cause of the inability to function as a nurturing parent. Often, the rights of children and parents are weighed against each other in matters of reunification and custody. It is a battle between the child’s right to be permanently removed from an unhealthy environment, and a parent’s right to maintain custody of his or her children. This study combed through numerous foster care and social science research journals, as well as books on parental rights and foster care history in order to find an alternative that correctly balances the rights of parents and children. Several of the sources were conflicting in opinion as to the degree of which reunification should be stressed and attempted. An analysis of these materials yielded the possibility of the following compromise: When a child enters the system, a parent should be given a limited number of reunification attempts, possibly no more than one or two. Parents should also be provided with the ability to receive the best rehabilitation services possible in order to better facilitate rehabilitation. However, in the occurrence of relapse, parental rights should be revoked. This alternative may give parents the best support and cause to change; it also eliminates parents who

What Does It Mean To Be a Latino In Stockton? Marissa Ito Faculty Mentor: Annaliese Richard The term “Latino” was officially adopted in 1997. However, de jure terms, do not always meet reality. In the United States, race is polarized into the two categories of white and black. Because of this, “Latinos” or those categorized as “brown” have to find a place to fit in the spectrum. Specifically in Stockton, CA, a city that is considered to be one of the most miserable cities in the world, paints a negative and segregated picture of those that are “Latino.” This term has been thrown around and used interchangeably with other terms such as “Mexican” or “Hispanic.” To discover what does it mean to be a Latino in Stockton, ethnographic interviews, participant observation and research on peer-reviewed articles and journals were conducted. In Stockton, the term Latino has come to be seen as connected to language, origin and skin color. However, outsiders of this cultural group choose to categorize many people who would not consider themselves members of this cultural group as

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Oral Presentation Abstracts are unwilling to change their lifestyle to better provide for their children. This project adds to the discussion of reunification and parental rights, and serves to suggest a possible solution to the dilemma of reunification.

that could impact why students chose particular seats over others in a classroom. The variables under study included: race/ethnicity, physical attractiveness, familiarity, and gender of the respondent in reference to other people that may be present within the classroom at the time of seat choice. Other variables include access to goodies of the classroom such as attention from the professor, and approximate location to the door, windows, board, etc. Traditional classroom setting is operationalized by a room with: four walls, one of which is lined with windows; 20-30 student desks assembled in rows and columns; a professors’ desk in the front of the room and parallel to some kind of board or projector; and a door. The research design used was a survey questionnaire distributed to five different classes within five different undergraduate major departments of the University of the Pacific campus, with a total of 98 respondents. Sampling was limited by both time and conflicting schedules. Utilizing a table of random numbers, a list of departments from the university website, and a series of e-mails to network with professors, classes that were administered the survey were selected based on willingness and availability of time that could be taken out of the professors’ lecture. The survey consisted of: nine Likert-scale questions, two fill-ins, one openended question, and a diagram where respondents were able to physically mark their ideal seat if all seats were available upon arrival in a classroom. Data collection was accomplished through a tally of responses to each question based on the respondents’ race/ethnicity and sex, followed by the calculation of each category’s mean and mode responses. The main findings of the inductive survey are as followed: males are more inclined to sit next to a person that they find physically attractive, Asian-Americans are more likely to sit against the wall in order to gain access to outlets, and females prefer to sit in areas to minimize the number of distractions they would be exposed to.

Sugar, Slavery, and Sovereignty Jennifer Immel Faculty Mentor: Analiese Richard With the discovery of the New World and economic shifts towards mercantilism, competition between European nations promoted the conquest and extraction of raw materials in the Caribbean. During the seventeenth century, the shift from the extraction of raw materials to the production of crop commodities affected the economic structures in both Europe and the Caribbean colonies. This research explains how changes in economic thought affected the economic, political and social structures of France, and by extension Haiti, Martinique, and Guadeloupe. Using primary and secondary sources, my research connects the rise of French sugar in the world market to the emergence of the French slave trade. I examine the relations between the plantation modes of production and the social relations surrounding the French sugar trade in Haiti, Martinique, and Guadeloupe during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The French slave trade from the West African coast to the Caribbean created a shift in the French labor force in the Caribbean, which affected the social, political, and economic relationships between different classes and races in Haiti, Martinique and Guadeloupe. Finally, I explore the how the circulation, and exchange, of revolutionary ideas of liberty, fraternity, and equality disrupted the social, political, and economic class structures in France, Haiti, Martinique, and Guadeloupe in the nineteenth century.

Why Do Students Sit Where They Sit in a Classroom?: A Survey of University of the Pacific Undergraduate Students

Law and Politics of FDI

TyaCamellia Allred, Chynna Andeola, Aliza Moody Faculty Mentor: George Lewis

Purpose of my paper is to study why states would bind themselves to hand-tying agreements in investment treaties that would undermine their state sovereignty. To that extent, I will study the various political and economic conditions that might force or induce the respective states to

Jin Kim Faculty Mentor: Yong Kyun Kim

This inductive study examined the various variables within a traditional classroom setting

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Oral Presentation Abstracts agree to and conceded to the investor-state dispute (ISD) settlement provisions in order to attract foreign investment. The study will encompass a combination of literature review and case studies comparing Republic of Korea and Australia as well as Brazil and China. Through the paper, I will show that states’ relative bargaining power of the two BIT partners as well as the domestic economic factors, including the respective growth rates and business cycles, of the capital-importing states are the most important factors that might induce the latter state to concede to the negotiations and accept ISD settlement provisions. Logically, the developed countries are the more powerful countries with capital to export, whereas the developing ones that need to import capital are the less powerful partner in the negotiation. These developed countries that are in need of foreign capital are more desperate for a successful treaty agreement, so as to attract foreign investment that could help jump-start their economy. The statistics also show that few years preceding signing of a BIT tend to be a business cycle trough, with lower GDP growth rates. The less-developed countries with low GDP growth rates will have higher demand for new foreign capital compared to those countries that already have high growth rates.

Psychological Management of Catastrophic Incident Megan Chavez, Timothy Schell, Hilary King Faculty Mentor: Jodi Baker This presentation explores the psychological management of the athlete, patient, and the Certified Athletic Trainer when faced with various examples of catastrophic incident. We explore the stages of grief and the management of these emotions as they affect these individuals. We will supply referral criteria and assessments the athletic trainer may use in referral of a patient when the psychological management is no longer within the athletic trainer’s scope of practice. Research has shown a lack of confidence from the athletic trainer in their ability to handle psychological issues of the patient when it does not pertain to rehabilitation. Management of emotions during the rehabilitation process is covered much more extensively in the Athletic Training curriculum. The lack of research supports future exploration in the psychological management of the patient in times of crisis, and to extend the research on the management of the athletic trainer and their self-care. To make the referral process a focal point in the athletic training program will help make referral more successfully organized. Our presentation utilizes information obtained from personal interviews, educational psychology information, and peer reviewed journals on the coping/management methods of similar allied health professionals that experience psychological aspects of catastrophic events. Information used from other health professionals was used to address similar concerns in the athletic training field and to support the need for more research on the athletic trainer’s psychological management.

Community agriculture as a response to the global food crisis: A comparison of models from Nicaragua and the United States Maya Campbell-Unsoeld Faculty Mentor: Analiese Richard This paper compares community agriculture programs used as local solutions to the global food crisis and rising food prices. Two case studies were conducted in community garden programs in El Manzano Uno, Nicaragua and Stockton, California. Both communities face food security issues, despite being located in regions of large-scale commercial agricultural production. The comparison of these two models yields insight into the role of community-based agricultural projects in creating successful agricultural policy at a global scale, as well as some common challenges faced by local community agriculture programs in confronting systemic crises.

Tiger PRIDE: Mobilizing community partnerships to improve pedagogical skills of pre-service PE teachers Ellen Barton, Codi Kaiser, Lindsay Sasaki Faculty Mentors: Lara Killick, Darrin Kitchen Discussions around the health climate of the US have reached unparalleled levels of concern (Time, 2004). Research suggests that while physical activity rates are in decline, obesity and associated health problems such as diabetes, asthma and heart disease are rapidly increasing

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Oral Presentation Abstracts (WHO, 2000, 2004, 2008a). As future physical educators, we can play a crucial role in developing lifelong physical activity habits and healthy lifestyles in future generations of Americans. Indeed, the US Surgeon General (1996, 2004) has identified the production of quality PE teachers as a critical strategy in addressing the health concerns of the nation. Our research project explores how we can mobilize community partnerships to improve the pedagogical skills of pre-service PE teachers and better equip us for the diverse learning environments we will encounter in the classroom. In conjunction with Stockton Unified School District (SUSD), we implemented an 8week after-school physical activity program (Tiger PRIDE) at an elementary school in Stockton, CA. In addition to providing physical activity opportunities for a high-need population, Tiger PRIDE was designed to develop our use of the pedagogical strategies, practices and principles necessary to optimize student learning. Drawing on video footage of our teaching episodes and quantitative systematic observation data, this presentation will demonstrate how this project resulted in an improvement in our teaching skills across several categories (including, but not limited to, provision of feedback, quantity of idiosyncrasies, teacher movement and time utilization). In addition, we will highlight how Tiger PRIDE improved the participants’ step count, skill-based cognitive understanding and enjoyment. We call for the initiation of similar programs in pre-service PE teacher education programs across the nation.

rationalism meant to justify racially based slavery and degradation, classified black people as less than whites and slightly above animals.

Anti-Blackness in Enlightenment Thought & the Limitations of W.E.B. Du Bois

Darya Ramanava Faculty mentors: Phil Zhu, Bill Herrin

This research presentation will examine the ways in which Enlightenment thinking has retained its power in the present. It will simultaneously explore how a movement ostensibly predicated on human rights managed to legitimately curtail the definition of personhood to white men alone. Despite the ideas of human equality embodied in America’s founding documents and the formal equality black people receive today, the problem of blackness very much remains. This troubling race concept has been perpetuated to modern times in oftentimes deceptively invisible, but still powerfully impactful ways, invalidating the possibility of a post-racial society. I will use texts of Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois to address the problematic nature Enlightenment thinking poses for a 19th century black intellectual who desires to theoretically demonstrate their humanity. Du Bois attempted to dissolve the rational basis for racism while simultaneously evoking the very ideology that is predicated upon the verity of a racial hierarchy. However, his move was necessary in his time, creating the possibility for more radical modes of thought today.

Persistency in stock performance of sequential mergers and acquisitions in Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) industry in the USA

As the value of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in the USA increased 35% higher in 2011 from previous year, more and more companies perceive M&As as a way to increase shareholder value and achieve higher degree of market power. Extensive research reaffirms that a lot of companies experience an increase in their earnings shortly after the first acquisition. However, academic literature lacks deep analysis in the area of sequential mergers and acquisitions. Can companies use successive M&As as a strategic tool to achieve substantial growth and maximize shareholder wealth? More importantly, does this rule hold in one of US fastest growing industries – real estate investment trusts?

Danielle Procope Faculty Mentor: Jeffrey Hole Race is perhaps the most devastating social construct of human history. The concept of blackness evokes ideas of inhumanity, evil, and barbarity, and yet this categorization hovers calamitously over a group of human beings. It denies the full personhood of those who lack the mythologized purity of whiteness. The problem of blackness sees its foundational moment in the Enlightenment period. Enlightenment thinkers, from Hume to Kant, from Jefferson to Voltaire, employing a brand of

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Oral Presentation Abstracts Using the SDC Platinum database, this paper uses regression analysis to check if the company with positive (negative) returns during the first acquisition is more likely to have positive (negative) returns during the successive acquisition around the announcement date. It also investigates the M&A deal characteristics that may affect the stock performance of sequential acquisitions (e.g. the elapsed time between acquisitions).

individuals that live in urban areas. This work analyzes the differences in food security between rural and urban counties in the United States, taking into account other factors such as income and transportation, to determine if low-income communities in urban neighborhoods are better off in accessing fresh food, than their rural counterparts.

The preliminary results confirm that the persistency in abnormal returns around both announcement dates really exists. In this way, obtained results are of great value to shareholders, since successive M&As can be used as a strategic tool for REITs to achieve higher growth and maximize shareholder wealth. This work gives readers a better understanding of drivers of abnormal returns for REIT’s sequential acquisitions as well as introduces them to factors which help the wealth effects of M&As persist.

Adopting the Turkish Model: The Postrevolution Political Development of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood Jordan Schreiber Faculty mentors: Dan O’Neill My research project aims to discover the policy path of the Egyptian sociopolitical organization, the Muslim Brotherhood and more specifically it’s political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party in a post-revolution environment. I aim to determine whether or not the Islamic political party, the AKP, which has been in power in Turkey for over a decade, would provide a viable model for its new Egyptian counterpart. The Muslim Brotherhood has played a major role in Egyptian society since its founding in 1922, but since the 1952 revolution that overthrew the British instituted monarchy, the organization has been banned under new regulations of secularism in the government. This all came crashing down in February of 2011 when, after eleven days of protests in the streets of Cairo, President Hosni Mubarak was ousted. The revolution gave way to a new wave of political freedom and for the first time the Muslim Brotherhood was permitted to form a political party. Their subsequent success in the country’s parliamentary elections solidified their role in the political future of Egypt. The question then becomes what kind of political presence will they be? Will they implement the radical Islamic agenda the west has feared for so long or will they choose a more centrist, pragmatic approach focusing on economic growth and strong foreign policy. The Turkish AKP party offers a strong model for just that, a modern Islamist party and what I seek to discover is whether or not the stage is set for the Muslim Brotherhood to adopt that model and move their country forward in a way deemed appropriate by the western world.

Food Deserts: A Comparison of Rural and Urban Census Tracts Minhchau Dinh Faculty mentor: Bill Herrin Food insecurity, or the limited availability and access to fresh food, leads to hunger and is a growing problem in the United States. In 2010, approximately one in seven US households (17.2 million households) were food insecure, the highest number ever recorded in the United States. This has devastating effects on child nutrition, causing challenges to learning and development. Households that lack food security are generally located in low-income neighborhoods and poor rural communities. These communities have limited access to fresh food (grocery stores, open food markets) because these food outlets are not located near these poor communities. Furthermore, these low-income communities often do not have access to convenient transportation to take them to these fresh food sources that are further away. The differences between poor urban and rural communities have not been thoroughly researched. According to Morton, Bitto, Oakland, and Sand in “Accessing food resources: Rural and urban patterns of giving and getting food”, 58% of low income and rural individuals have access to fresh food versus low income

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Oral Presentation Abstracts behind the symbolic caution-tape barrier. A brief examination of her career before the Fairytale and Disaster series, an overview of the rape laws in the United States before 1985, and analysis of the formal elements will uncover her motive for such explicit photographs. By making us unwitting witnesses, she prompts us to take her artwork seriously and perhaps use it to our advantage in order to prevent future crimes.

The Myth of Black Solidarity and the Sexist Oppression of Black Women Danielle Procope Faculty mentors: Jeffrey Hole Black solidarity is an ambiguous concept that has been held to throughout the history of black people in America. Black solidarity is understood to be the way in which black people can actively and most effectively resist the duress white supremacy. However, I will argue that black solidarity is in fact a superimposition of institutional hierarchies within the black community. In that, the political and social needs of the least marginalized of black people: middle-class, heterosexual black men, are attended to, whereas, the needs of the poor, homosexual, and women are not. This creates a black community that mirrors oppressive white supremacist formation, steeped in sexism, classism, and heterosexism. I will specifically focus on the sexist oppression acted on black women and how this oppression is justified by black people who are invested in patriarchy but do this by arguing for the concept of black solidarity. But also, I will grapple with how the construction of the authentic black woman is entrapped in an acceptance of sexist norms and oppression. In this way, inauthentic black solidarity disempowers black women.

The Deflection of the Gaze: How Lorna Simpson’s Stereo Styles Subverts the Messages of Advertisers Eeva Nelson Faculty mentor: Merrill Schleier Visual artist Lorna Simpson uses her photographic work Stereo Styles (1988) as a commentary on African American women’s representation in the media. She does this by adopting the rhetoric of advertisements and through the use of these methods, subverting its often Eurocentric messages. Lorna Simpson accomplishes this by formatting her picture like an advertisement, and then facing her subject away, therefore not allowing her viewers to objectify the young woman she is portraying. She protects the subject by defending against the viewer’s sight and expectations. This presentation will use formal analysis, historical analysis of African American representation in the media, as well as the artist’s biography to prove this point. I will demonstrate how Simpson identifies stereotypes and clichés of race through her exploration of the model’ hair, so that she may ultimately undermine them.

Cindy Sherman’s outrage against the victimization of women Amy Olmos Faculty mentor: Merrill Schleier From her Untitled Film Stills of the late 1970s in which she depicted actresses and starlets in various poses until the present, American photographer Cindy Sherman has used her own body to explore issues affecting women. Beginning in the 1980s, Sherman began her Fairytale and Disasters series of which Untitled #153 1985 and Untitled #93 1981 are a part, which depict what appear to be female violence victims. Sherman’s inspiration for these graphic photographs could arguably be due to the increased violent acts against women seen in the late 1970s and early 1980s. By being both the artist and character in Untitled #153 and Untitled #93, Sherman tries to reclaim the voice of these past victims of sexual rape and domestic battery who were afraid or unable to speak. In the hope of ending these two prevalent crimes, Sherman spreads awareness t by allowing viewers access

Shirin Neshat’s Turbulent: A Look Inside Gender in Muslim Society Emily Duarte Faculty mentor: Merrill Schleier Shirin Neshat is Iranian-born visual artist and feminist whose works provide thoughtprovoking insight into lives of Muslim men and women. In Neshat's video piece Turbulent (1998), she focuses on the differences between the sexes and the strict rules of interactions that have been instilled in them since birth. Turbulent brings the status of women in Iran to light and shows the ways they have been rebelling and exerting power.

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Oral Presentation Abstracts For this paper I employ biographical information about Shirin Neshat in order to show how her upbringing influenced her vision of the separate spheres for men and women. This is supplemented by a consideration of the cultural, social, and religious codes in Muslim countries, in particular Iran. I also examine the gender roles of men and women in the Muslim world, which clarify that, through her work, Neshat is trying to convey her belief that despite women’s limited rights, they still have a powerful voice. Finally, I conduct a formal analysis of the video in order to show that despite their separation, the fate of men and women are powerfully linked.

Student Self Esteem's Effect on Classroom Leadership Chelsea Fredrick Faculty Mentor: Qingwen Dong It is assumed that student’s who possess the combination of high self-esteem and social intelligence are guaranteed to be more vocal, persuasive, and productive leaders within a classroom environment and later in the work environment. However, without statistical data it is difficult to prove the correlation between a student’s self confidence and their performance within the classroom. This paper intends to present data that will clearly define the influence individual self esteem and social intelligence has over classroom behavior. After assessing individual empathy, listening skills, open mindedness, productivity, and persuasion techniques within the classroom, this information can be compared to each student’s semantic differential scale (a classic self esteem survey). After testing is complete, each personality quality will be tested for reliability and then continue on to a complete correlation analysis. The final statistics presented will give a vivid indication of the relationship between the mentality of a student and how they conduct themselves within a learning environment.

TDS, not so tedious: An efficient technique to study topological changes in modified G-quadruplex DNA Arlen Guillen Faculty mentor: Liang Xue The UV thermal difference spectrum (TDS) is a convenient and inexpensive tool for characterization of nucleic acid structures. It is obtained by taking the difference in the UV absorbance spectra of the unfolded and folded states of a given nucleic acid below and above its melting temperature. The specific shape of the spectra is distinctive for a given nucleic acid sequence/structure. Recently, it was reported (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2011, 123, 10833-10836) that TDS spectra can be used to classify different types of G-quadruplex DNA topologies as well. G-quadruplex DNA is a unique DNA secondary structure that is formed by guanine rich nucleic acid sequences. The guanine nucleobase can associate through Hoogsteen hydrogen bonds to form a square planar structure called G-tetrad. The G-tetrads then stack on top of each other to give rise to G-quadruplex DNA. Such structures have been proposed to form at the ends of chromosomes i.e. the telomeric region containing the 5’-dTTAGGG repeats and play an important role in genomic integrity. Telomeric DNA is readily accessible by DNA damaging agents, leading to chemical modification of nucleobases such as 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxodG), 8oxo-7,8-dihydroadenine (8-oxodA) and abasic sites. Herein, we report the use of TDS as a tool to study the effect of location and type of nucleobase modification viz. 8-oxodG, 8-oxodA and abasic sites, on the topological changes in Gquadruplex DNA structures.

Call of Duty: Affects of Violent Video Games on Aggressive Behaviors Gabriella Giannini Faculty Mentor: Qingwen Dong The impact of chronic violent video game play on player’s aggressive behaviors have been a passionate debate with mixed results supporting both sides of the issue. For over 40 years, violent video games have been able to efficiently market its violent plot and images to millions of players even in a market inundated with competition. Call of Duty, one of the most popular violent video games in the contemporary marketplace is a game that motivates its players to take on the role of military arms men and kill as many competitors as possible. This game has gained widespread appeal, even with a strong M-rating (mature) that advises consumers of its graphic storyline, characters, and weaponry. With this pervasive attraction to violence in video games, the possibility of players subconsciously retaining the violent action and images shown in the violent video games is a serious possibility. Through a sample of 300 college students, this

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Oral Presentation Abstracts research examined how habitual video game play can desensitize players and affect player’s aggression in real-life situations. The results should offer some educational elements for young adults to understand the critical issues related to violent video games playing. Limitations and suggestions for future research will be offered.

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Poster Session Abstracts The Art of Creation

Media and Youth Politics Today

Sara Stookey Faculty Mentor: Tanya Storch

Haley Hartwick Faculty Mentor: Qingwen Dong

The Art of Creation looks at the different ways creation stories are told throughout various religions and cultures. This creative project focuses on the creation stories of Hinduism, Taoism, the Cherokee, the Navajo and the Old Testament. Each story is depicted on canvas using acrylic paints to illustrate the artist’s interpretation of the creation story. This project was inspired by a love of culture, religion and storytelling.

Political involvement has always been important to the American people; however, research on the youth population's decline in voting has only been studied a small amount. Since the 1970's, when the voting age was lowered to 18, the youth vote has been lessening. However, it is possible by studying the increased amount of social media use among youth, one can find a way to increase awareness of the need for political youth activism. The increasing amount of social media use on youth may have an impact on decision making, via internet-group behavior, creating a massive scale form of groupthink. It is possible, because of the intensity of youth’s media involvement, that it is distracting from political involvement and is being used for personal entertainment instead. However, because of this media involved generation, they may be much more easily influenced by political messages and campaigns.

Solidaridad (solidarity) Hannah Rea Project Mentor: Erin Rauch This year’s ASB team spent seven days of spring break in Cholula, Mexico doing community service work throughout the city. We saw many beautiful sights, and met even more beautiful people. We ventured there hoping to change their lives, but they changed ours.

Will They Buy It: Variables That Influence Willingness To Pay

The very first day we were in the heart of the city. We visited the Mayan and Aztec pyramid ruins with the Spanish church on top. As I was walking up to the ruins, a man and his son stopped me and asked me where I was from. I replied, ‘California’, he immediately shook my hand and thanked me for coming to his country. This was the first exchange I had with someone in Mexico and I will remember it for the rest of my life. His gratitude and how he welcomed me to his country was so genuine and I found that this exchange mirrored every other one I would have on my trip.

Rebecca Kutcher Faculty Mentor: Michelle Amaral Dan Ariely (2004) demonstrated that people’s willingness to pay (WTP) for an item was malleable, and thus modifiable by external variables. Further, he found that when individuals were provided with an arbitrary number, their WTP was subsequently influenced. Ariely (2006) also found that external variables (e.g. information) influenced drink preference in participants. The current study examined which variables influenced student’s WTP for two categorically different drinks (i.e. decaffeinated coffee vs. decaffeinated coffee mixed with Rockstar Energy Drink ®). Participants in this study were randomly assigned to one of three groups; each group received different information about the two products. Prior to trying the drinks, participants were asked to convert the last three digits of their student ID number into a monetary quantity (e.g. 625 to $6.25). In the control group, participants tried both blends of coffee without knowledge that Rockstar was mixed with coffee. In group two, participants were told the ingredients in both drinks, prior to tasting either. In group three,

I learned that those who have the least, often give the most and that a home or a community is not determined by material wealth, but instead, by the people that surround you. This collage is meant to mirror the Aztec and Mayan ruins, the volcano that was always in sight, and the many faces of the generous people we met in Cholula.

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Poster Session Abstracts participants tried both drinks and were then told that Rockstar was in the second coffee before deciding which drink they preferred. A regression analysis was used to analyze which variables had an impact on participants’ WTP. The results suggested that a higher ID number lead to a higher WTP for coffee mixed with Rockstar (p ≤ .01). Further, having friends in the group (p ≤ .05) and being told that Rockstar was in the second coffee before participants decided on which coffee was preferred (p ≤ .05) influenced WTP.

Developing Sustainable Agricultural Incomes: A case study from the Amazon Basin Jayme Swalin Faculty Mentor: Bill Herrin This paper analyzes the factors that influence rural farm income in the Amazon Basin in Brazil. The Amazon is the world’s largest rainforest with the most diverse flora and fauna found anywhere. One of the most important aspects of the forest is the amount of carbon dioxide that is processed, which has a significant effect on world climate change. Deforestation has been growing in this region as more people are searching for farmland to try to make an income for their families in this region. Rural farming techniques such as slash and burn have negative effects for the forest but are popular because of the quick benefits to the farmers. This paper helps identify the most important determinants of farm income to help suggest less damaging ways for rural farmers to earn a sustainable income. The study uses data from the Dynamics of Household Land Use and Economic Welfare on the Amazon Frontier, 1996-2005, Rondonia, Brazil, and is from Salisbury University.

Food Insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa Shannon Chapman Faculty Mentor: Bill Herrin The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) states that food insecurity exists when either physical, social, or economic factors affects a person’s access to nutritious and safe food and affects their ability to live a healthy life. While the concept of food insecurity involves a multitude of complex variables, the statistic most used by the FAO to represent this concept is undernourishment. Specifically, they use the prevalence of undernourishment as a percentage of the total population of a country, with undernourishment referring to continuously low consumption levels of dietary energy. Some of the highest rates in the world – over 40% – are among countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Apart from South Africa and Gabon, who both have rates less than 5%, every single country is considered food insecure.

Argentine Inflation: An Application of the Phillips Curve Annalisa Purnell Faculty Mentor: Sharmila King Inflation and unemployment rates remain relatively high in post-recession Argentina, posing a significant obstacle to long run recovery. This paper examines whether a shortrun Phillips curve can be used in Argentina to predict the inflation-unemployment tradeoff often used in modern macroeconomic forecasting. The model proposed is explicitly forward looking and uses the unemployment gap, based on the non accelerating inflation rate of unemployment (NAIRU). The model analyzes Argentine inflation, expected inflation, the unemployment gap, and world wide industrial prices using quarterly statistics from the International Monetary Fund from years 20022011. Results were mixed, with expected inflation and industrial prices being shown to have a positive correlation with inflation. The unemployment gap produced insignificant results with an unexpected coefficient (expected

This work focuses on how the sub-Saharan agricultural industry affects food insecurity. I explain undernourishment with a wide-range of factors. I explore correlations with the amount of people living in rural and urban poverty, the total population, and the prevalence of undernourishment. Finally, I take into account how much external assistance exists to agriculture and how much the government spends on agriculture per year.

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Poster Session Abstracts coefficient was negative), and could not be shown to have an effect on inflation. Discussion will emphasize theoretical causes of inflation and unemployment in the context of the current macroeconomy and how they can or cannot be explained by the Phillips curve.

Social Facilitation Effects on Memorization Task in University Students

Perceptions of Sex Trafficking: Asian Women and Massage Parlors

Social facilitation is the process in which task performance is inhibited or facilitated by the presence of others (Zajonc, 1965). It is traditionally hypothesized that the presence of an audience will cause a person to perform better on a task that is previously mastered. However, when participants were asked to perform a kick drill in front of an audience, results showed that there was no significant difference of the effects of an audience on the performance (Bell and Yee, 2001). However some research has shown that even the presence of virtual humans on a computer screen has the same effects as humans for social facilitation. Performance was facilitated with the presence of a virtual human with a simple task such as a maze (Park and Catrambone, 2007). Newman and Dickenstein (1976) have shown that social facilitation produces higher performance scores as the complexity of puzzle building increased. The present study will observe audience effects on participants trying to complete a complex maze. In this experiment, each individual will be given 30 seconds to solve and memorize a complex maze. The participants are going to be randomly assigned to one of three conditions: memorization and completion of the maze alone, memorization alone and completion of the maze in front of an audience, and both memorization and completion of the maze in front of an audience. We hypothesize that participants will be facilitated in learning the maze and task performance while in the presence of others. Results from studies on social facilitation can aide in many different relevant aspects, such as finding the ideal setting for students to study, the best way for athletes to train, and the most efficient method for professionals in any field to perform their job.

Marisol Aguilera, Diana Lujano, Anthony Sandoval-Junio, Lyndsi Mark Faculty Mentor: Gary Howells, Rocci Jackson (Graduate student)

Theresa and Monica Cortez-Guardado Faculty Mentor: Gesine Gerhard This paper examines the way in which sex trafficking is viewed in America. Sex trafficking is typically seen as a one dimensional issue that prescribes to an abolitionist viewpoint only. This viewpoint defines sex trafficking as an industry which is always a forced profession with unwilling victims. However, sex trafficking is actually an industry that includes women who work as sex workers because it is an economically viable option for gainful employment. This fact is often forgotten though with the many ways in which the abolitionist viewpoint has been promoted and encouraged in U.S. society. U.S. legislation has been influenced by this viewpoint as well as modern-day media which tends to focus on young girls being pimped out. In particular western perceptions of Asian women have made it so they are always perceived to be the ones sexually exploited. Essentially, the abolitionist viewpoint of sex trafficking and its prevalence throughout history, in U.S. legislation and in media sources contributes to the sexualization and victimization of women, particularly Asian women, in American society. In order to discover American perceptions of sex trafficking and Asian women, both will be contextualized historically and these perceptions will be connected to our micro-study of Sacramento area massage parlors as an example of the more ambiguous nature of sex trafficking. Overall, sex trafficking proves to be an ambiguous issue as it is not always clear who is a victim, but it is clear that there are prevalent Western perceptions of Asian women as sexual objects.

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Poster Session Abstracts participants will complete a pre-intervention survey before exposure to either “pro war” or “pro peace” information. In the final session, participants will be given a second but similar survey to determine whether exposure to information regarding war elicited a change in attitude. Implications of this study may suggest gender differences in vulnerability to propaganda and could shed light on national military action over past years. Limitations include small sample size time constraints and experimenter presence may have influenced the responses of participants. Future research could evaluate the relationship between SES or ethnicity and attitudes toward war.

Views on Current Events Amir Cruz-Khalili, Sadaf Sahibzada, Marissa Davis, Tabrisha Johnican Faculty Mentor: Gary Howells, Rocci Jackson (Graduate student) Previous research has examined implicit or indirect discrimination before and after events that have fostered the national fear of Islam (Sheridan, 2006). This study will explore Islamophobia, looking at opinions on current events throughout the world, with or without exposure to a historical source. It is presumed that with the presence of a biased historical video clip, participants will rank higher on an Islamophobia scale compared to those not exposed. Thirty participants will be recruited from a small, private University in Northern California. Three conditions - the viewing of a historical clip, the viewing of a Muslim comedy, and the control group - will be run using a between-subjects ANOVA. The scores will be taken from a validated Islamophobia scale. Results of the study should reveal an association between the presence of a video clip and the level of Islamophobia. Future studies should incorporate a larger sample size, a more diverse population, and an eclectic assortment of video clips and/or current events.

Prosocial Behavior In Instances of Theft On College Campuses Tyler Glassford, Sean Kagan, Jonel Imutan, Nina Shenker Faculty Mentor: Gary Howells, Rocci Jackson (Graduate student) Prosocial behavior refers to the voluntary efforts one takes in order to benefit another, even when there appears to be no incentive or gain in doing so (Eisenberg, Fabes & Spinrad, 2007). Prosocial behavior can refer to acts as minimal as sharing and volunteering, or as significant as intervening in a violent crime. There may be many factors influencing one’s decision to be prosocial such as the timing and location of the instance, the number of other bystanders, etc. Alternatively, the bystander effect refers to instances when individuals refrain from engaging in prosocial behaviors as a situation presents itself. The question then becomes, how and when does one decide to engage in prosocial behavior? The present study will investigate prosocial behavior of college students on a small university campus in Northern California. Confederates of the study will leave their belongings unattended for another confederate to attempt to steal those belongings in the presence of an unaffiliated bystander. Prosocial behavior will be evaluated in terms of the bystanders’ decision to intervene or not. It is hypothesized that gender will influence one’s decision to engage in prosocial behavior.

War Attitudes Across Gender Alina Franco, Megan Rangel, Ginny Durakovich, Christina Thompson Faculty Mentor: Gary Howells, Rocci Jackson (Graduate student) The purpose of this study to evaluate gender differences in attitudes toward war and to determine whether exposure to positive or negative war information affects explicit attitude. Previous research has suggested that women are more willing to participate in peaceful encounters, have more consistent and positive attitudes towards conflict groups (Yablon, 2009). Therefore it is hypothesized that women will hold more consistent and negative views toward war than men. Thirty participants (15 males, 15 females) will be recruited from a small private university. Using a between-subjects design, participant’s attitudes toward war will be measured across two sessions using a 5-point Likert scale, 12- item survey from the Revised Attitudes Towards Violence Scale (2006) in combination with six student designed items. All

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Poster Session Abstracts American college students to examine the factors that contribute to discriminatory emotional responses toward Islamists. It has become an increasingly accepted norm that media has a strong influence on its viewers. Thus, the purpose of the current study is to examine how media affects the participants' attitude regarding Islam after they are exposed to a seemingly genuine article that presents Islam either conflicting of aligning with Western values. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two conditions; indicating which article they will be exposed to. They will be given five minutes to read the article, then will be asked to fill out a questionnaire using a 7-point Likert Scale; this will be assessing their perceptions of Muslim value threats. This will be conducted at the University of the Pacific's library or psychology building. We hypothesize that the form of media that depicts contradictory Muslim values, as compared to Western Society, will engender negative attitudinal responses. Conversely, we also hypothesize that the article that depicts Muslim values aligning with Western Society will produce positive attitudes.

Effects of Media on College Student Attitudes Towards Islam Alisa Gordon, Xaio Xaio He, Nicole Otte Faculty Mentor: Gary Howells, Rocci Jackson (Graduate student) In today’s technology driven climate, media coverage is crucial to most people’s understanding the events in the world. Media coverage can also shape people’s thoughts about a certain subject, such as feelings towards groups of people. The present study will examine the effect of media coverage on the attitudes of college students towards Islam; particularly, the effects that some media may subsequently produce fear towards Muslims and Islamic culture. Previous research has found that since September 11th, 2001, fears towards Muslims have steadily increased and persisted (Lee, Gibson, Thompson, & Timami, 2009). In the current study, participants from a small private college will be taking a previously validated scale, the Islamophobia scale by Lee et al. (2009). After the first implementation of the scale, the participant will watch either a neutral or negatively biased video about Islam. The participants will wait twenty-four hours and retake the Islamaphobia scale. Researchers hypothesize that the viewing of a negatively biased video about Islam will not affect the participants’ scores on the Islamaphobia scale. In order to test the hypothesis, researchers will run statistical tests such as a paired sample T-test to assess the differences between each participant’s scores. This area of research is important in assessing the views of college students in regards to Islam, and measuring the overall effects of how media can shape those views. Future research can assess the differences of attitudes towards Islam in regards to gender, age, and religious views.

Exploring the Bystander Effect in Value of Stolen Possessions Nydia Ramos, Rubi Carrillo, Alexa Zaharris, Jorge Montanez, Itzel Flores Faculty Mentor: Gary Howells, Rocci Jackson (Graduate student) The current current experiment will be based off of the study by Thomas Moriarty (1975) where results showed that bystanders were more apt to stop a thief if the confederate had asked them to watch their possession in advance versus not asking them at all. The current experiment will attempt to do a similar study, and to further explore this concept, will add two conditions in which the value of the possession that will be stolen is either low (school text book) or high (laptop computer). We will be observing 40 participants from a small private university in Northern California. In order to leave out any extraneous variables, there will be an equal number of female and male participants for each of the four different scenarios. The hypotheses are that those who are asked by the victim confederate to watch the possessions will be more likely to intervene when the thief confederate attempts steal the possessions; and that participants would be more likely to intervene if it is a high value possession that is stolen.

Assessment of Islam group threat perceptions and values Dandre Ignacio, Bertha Muro Mora, and Brian Ng Faculty Mentor: Gary Howells, Rocci Jackson (Graduate student) Analyses have implicated a strong, negative attitude that Americans have against Muslims (Freyd, 2002 as said in Matthews & Levin, 2012). Matthews and Levin (2012) investigated perceptions of value threat from Muslims by

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Poster Session Abstracts Gender Differences on the Beliefs of Punishment

Drinking Water Security and Sustainability

Kelly Rush, Michelle Martinez, Joanna Kwan, Andrea Soto Faculty Mentor: Gary Howells, Rocci Jackson (Graduate student)

Brianna Juhrend Faculty Mentor: Mary Kay Camarillo A series of presidential decision directives (PDD) and legislation have strengthened the U.S. stance on water security issues. Much of this effort has been in response to the events of September 11, 2001. However, even before this egregious event, security was a significant concern for U.S. politicians. Legislation that affected water security directly began with Executive Order 13010 in 1996 which contained the President’s Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection (PCCIP) that listed water supply as one of the eight national infrastructures vital to security. Steps need to be taken to strengthen water security and protect American drinking water. Most importantly, better technology is needed to detect and aid in responding to security breaches or contamination events. Much of the existing work in the area of contaminant warning systems has been theoretical, based on computer modeling and simulation. Field-testing of available devices and systems is needed to verify performance and provide baseline monitoring information. Additional physical security systems are needed throughout the country for large and small water systems. Detection of intentional or accidental contaminants is crucial to ensuring the protection the drinking water quality. Improved methods of detection will allow for quicker responses and for a contamination event to have a less severe impact. Detection technologies are being developed to improve the water quality monitoring equipment and tools available in a water security contamination event.

There are differing views on the criminal justice system and sentences that are given to criminals. Previous research has shown that men and women have shown significant differences in their beliefs toward punishment. Davila and colleagues (2011) examined attitudes towards sentencing and found that women were more likely to view punishment as too harsh. Approximately 30 participants will complete the study, in which approximately half will be males and the other half will be females. Participants will be sampled from the University of the Pacific campus. In the current study, participants will complete a questionnaire regarding their beliefs on the current criminal justice system and then be read either random facts of the current criminal justice system or facts of overcrowding in the prison system. Participants will then rate scenarios as too lenient, appropriate, or too harsh. The scenarios will describe a criminal, his or her crime, the reason for committing the crime, and the sentence that was given to them. There will be five pairs of scenarios. Within the pair, one scenario will include details of a family and the other will not. Independent sample t-tests will be conducted to see whether gender is a significant factor. Other demographics will also be correlated to observe any other significant differences on beliefs on punishment within the corrections system. It is hypothesized that females will score the punishment in each scenario as too harsh when compared to men who will score the punishment in the same scenario as too lenient.

Design and Production of a Steel Bridge Utilizing Innovative Connections and Fabrication Techniques

Ankle Healing Aid

Brian Phan, Justin Pyun Faculty Mentor: Luke Lee, Gary Litton, Scott Merry

Isha Srivastava, Grace Ramos Faculty Mentors: Sheely Gulati, Simon Tang, Mark Van Ness

The Pacific Steel Bridge Team was tasked to design, fabricate, and construct a 23 ft model steel bridge to compete in the 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers Mid-Pacific Conference. A team of students ranging from freshmen to seniors used their skills, ingenuity and knowledge developed from fundamental

See Bioengineering Abstract section

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Poster Session Abstracts engineering courses to produce a design in compliance with specifications and rules outlined by the National Student Steel Bridge Competition committee. Specifications dictated dimensional limits, construction restraints, and judging criteria. The bridge was judged by a panel of practicing engineers who evaluated performance categories including stiffness, aesthetics, construction, and sustainability.

combined heat and power systems and collect system performance data for future use to advance the science, technology, and market penetration in California. A mass balance of nitrogen, sulfur, carbon, salts, and solids is being developed. Samples collected as part of this mass balance include a mixture of slurry and solids. Slurry samples have been measured for total phosphorous (TP) since the beginning of the project using a modified persulfate digestion followed by an ascorbic acid reaction, which allows for colorimetric determination of TP. For my part of this project, I am developing a new method for TP determination on solid samples based on standard methods because the previous method was determined to be insufficient for many sample types. Once this method is developed all archived solid samples will be measured and TP will be included as part of the mass balance. The mass balance is critical to the long term sustainability of the system because nearly all wastes entering the system remain on site and are ultimately applied to the fields as fertilizers.

In the design phase, several bridge designs were modeled in RISA-3D structural simulation software to evaluate structural performance under an applied load of 2500 pounds. A selection was made based on deflection and weight performance. Upon selection of the optimal design, shop drawings were rendered in AutoCAD software to determine material quantities. Following fundraising, the team purchased the necessary tools and materials to begin the fabrication process. Students cut, welded and drilled steel parts while incorporating innovative dovetail connections to allow for rapid construction with minimal deflections. These design features allowed the students to construct the bridge in approximately 27 minutes. Loading the bridge with 2500 pounds yielded 1.1 inches of vertical deflection, and a 50-pound lateral pull produced less than 0.5 inches of deflection. The strong structural performance was echoed by a fierce aesthetic presence, consisting of an orange truss, marked with black stripes mimicking that of a tiger’s back.

Solving the low dissolved oxygen problem by understanding the sources and fate of different nitrogen species entering in the San Joaquin River Estuary Ernest A. Garcia Faculty Mentor: William Stringfellow Stockton’s deepwater ship channel (DWSC) has been suffering from low dissolved oxygen for decades, especially in dry water years. The Ecological Engineering Research Program (EERP) has been the lead science agency on the Dissolved Oxygen (DO) Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) project since 2005. The purpose of this project is to collect and analyze data on the sources of nutrients, phytoplankton and oxygen-consuming materials in the San Joaquin River (SJR) estuary, the upstream SJR, and upstream tributaries to support the development of an estuary model. This model is needed by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board) to provide modeling tools, scientific data and other information to support management actions that will be taken by the Regional Board and stakeholders to resolve the low DO problems in Stockton’s DWSC. For my part in this project, I have been responsible for measuring ammonia, nitrate, and total nitrogen in samples collected in 2011 as

An Assessment of the Total Phosphorous Mass Balance Using a Modified Persulfate Digestion Method Matthew Ebia Faculty Mentor: William Stringellow Chelsea Spier (graduate student) California ranks first in the nation in municipal solid waste, sewage sludge, dairy manure, and food processing waste generation. This waste has undeveloped potential biogas generation capacity estimated at 600 Megawatts. Utilizing these wastes to produce biogas for energy production could help California meet state renewable energy goals and greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. The Ecological Engineering Research Program (EERP) is working with Fiscalini Farms, a California dairy, to develop best available control technology for biogas

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Poster Session Abstracts part of the DO TMDL Project. These nitrogen species are important nutrients in phytoplankton growth which is a principal oxygen-consuming material in the Stockton’s DWSC as it dies and decomposes. Additionally, ammonia can consume oxygen as it is oxidized by bacteria. Nitrogen can come from a variety of anthropogenic sources such as commercial fertilizers, animal manures, and point source such as the Stockton Waste Water Treatment Plant. Understanding the sources and fate of different nitrogen species entering the SJR Estuary is a necessary part of the estuary model and solving the low dissolved oxygen problem.

Primates, but they have been geographically separated for 35 – 40 million years. Having reached the same grade of evolution, they share some of the same characteristics, but different monkey species also have unique traits that make them distinct. The New World Red-Backed Squirrel monkey (Saimiri oerstedii) and the Old World Black and White Colobus monkey (Colobus guereza) are compared in this study, portraying differences between monkeys of the Cebid and Cercopithecid primate families. Information from scientific journals and books has been complied about each species’ ecology, life history, diet, locomotion, behavior and anatomy. Measurements of the skull and teeth were also gathered and compared, revealing even further differences in anatomy. Data from these different sources confirm that Saimiri oerstedii is the smaller species, occupying an arboreal, frugivorous and insectivorous niche in Central America and Colobus guereza is larger, occupying an arboreal, folivorous niche in Africa.

A Tail of Two Monkeys: Dietary Choice in Relation to Cranial and Dental Evolution in the Red Howler Monkey and Olive Baboon Pryia Patel Faculty Mentor: Dorothy Dechant Monkeys, along with prosimians, apes and humans, are classified in the Order Primates. Members of this order share certain characteristics while each species exhibits a number of unique traits. The niche parameters of two monkeys, the New World red howler monkey (Alouatta seniculus) and the Old World olive baboon (Papio anubis) are compared here, with emphasis on cranial and dental anatomy. Literature searches resulted in comparative information of the ecology, life history, behavior, diet, locomotion and anatomy of these two species. Cranial and dental measurements were taken to describe anatomical differences resulting from adaptation to an arboreal niche with leaf-eating diet (howler monkey) versus a terrestrial niche with omnivorous diet (olive baboon). The data compiled suggests that dietary adaptation to folivory has produced a comparatively smaller, arboreal monkey while adaptation to omnivory has produced a larger, terrestrial monkey.

Voice and Laryngeal Design: The Role of Vocal Fold Architecture Gracie Castillo Faculty Mentor: Marcos Gridi-Papp The vibration of vocal folds is a complex phenomenon and it was first modeled with reasonable predictive power in the 1970's. Like mammals, frogs make sounds with a pair of vocal folds, but these have a different geometry, being highly concave upstream. Our previous measurements in frog larynges indicate that at the onset of sound, they function as reed-based wind instruments, where maximum airflow occurs at intermediate pressures. The purpose of this study is to design artificial larynges to test hypotheses and model aspects of sound production in frogs. A computer-controlled source of air was connected to a PVC pipe holding a pair of latex vocal folds configured to produce sound. Artificial laryngeal air pressure, airflow and generated sounds were recorded in an anechoic chamber. The vocal folds are positioned in two ways: a) the membranes are completely flat, or b) they have a thickened medial edge that makes them become concave upstream (like a parachute) as the driving air pressure is increased. Preliminary data show that with the reinforced medial edge, our artificial vocal folds vibrate within an extended range of

Preferred Diet - Got Insects or Leaves? Laura Tsu Faculty Mentor: Dorothy Dechant New World monkeys, found in Central and South America, and Old World monkeys, found in Africa and Asia, are both part of the Order

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Poster Session Abstracts pressures, with increased sound intensity and reduced airflow. This indicates that the reinforced medial edges lead to increased concavity of the membranes, producing a lateral force that compresses the medial edges against each other. This lateral force should be the key that allows the vocal folds of frogs to produce intense sound over a wide range of pressures without requiring muscular positioning of the vocal folds.

Hearing Sensitivity in the Golden Treefrog Polypedates leucomystax from Vietnam Emilio Cortes Elviña Faculty Mentor: Marcos Gridi-Papp For sound stimuli to be perceived by the brain, they have to transmitted across several structures in the ears. In order to unveil general principles of auditory design, our lab is conducting comparative studies of natural variation in auditory morphology and hearing sensitivity. This study is focused on hearing performance in the South Asian common treefrog (Polypedates leucomystax), as a representative of the family Rachophoridae for which auditory information is very scarce. Auditory responses to pure tones at various frequencies are being quantified with two methods: 1) The vibration of the eardrum is measured with a laser vibrometer, in order to assess the function of the mechanical portions of the ear; and 2) Since frogs cannot be trained to press a button when they hear a sound, we employ neurophysiological recordings to determine which sounds elicit neural responses at the brain. A tungsten electrode is positioned among neurons in the torus semicircularis, an auditory center located in the optic lobe. Sound tones are then played at various intensities and frequencies to stimulate neural response. The data are currently being collected and the preliminary results indicate that the hearing sensitivity of this frog matches closely those of similar-sized treefrogs in the New World, despite their significant geographic and phylogenetic distance.

The Effect of Cell Size on Auditory Morphology and Tuning in Gray Treefrogs Erica Chean and Heidi Huh Faculty Mentor: Marcos Gridi-Papp For the brain to perceive sound, signals have to be transmitted across the eardrum, ossicles, inner ear fluid, hair cells and nerves. The hearing properties of frogs are affected by the mechanical properties of tissues in the auditory chain. If the sizes of the cells vary, the tuning of the auditory structures formed by them might be affected. Two gray treefrogs: Hyla versicolor and Hyla chrysoscelis, are identical, but the former has twice the number of chromosomes than the later, and chromosomal duplication always results in increased cell size. We hypothesized that the larger cells of auditory elements in the tetraploid H. versicolor make it more sensitive to lower frequencies than diploid H. chrysoscelis. We are characterizing the auditory morphology of both frogs to relate it to their hearing performance. In order to obtain quantitative results, we have been dissecting out the inner ear, middle ear, and auditory ossicles. These tissues are then decalcified and embedded in paraffin, sectioned in the microtome and stained with hematoxylineosin. These methods have been initially tested in Rana pipiens, to establish decalcification procedures involving acids, EDTA, and microwaving. We are currently obtaining the sections for gray treefrogs and these results should allow us to determine relationships between polyploidy, cell size, auditory morphology and hearing performance. These data should advance our understanding of ear design and explain how morphological differences in the ears result in the hearing sensitivities of various species.

Variations in Sound Production Frequency Among North American Gray Tree Frogs Joanna Mari Concha Guhit Faculty Mentor: Marcos Gridi-Papp Studies of mammalian vocal structures have demonstrated the relationship between laryngeal size and sound production frequency. This relationship is also present in anurans. Hyla chrysoscelis and Hyla versicolor, two North American gray tree frog sister species, share their physical aspect, size, ecology and behavior, but differ in chromosome numbers as H. chrysoscelis is diploid and H. versciolor is tetraploid. It has been hypothesized that H. versicolor should produce lower frequency calls

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Poster Session Abstracts than H. chrysoscelis because the former possesses greater ploidy, which results in larger cells. The evidence from field studies is, however, scarce and inconclusive. In this study, we compare the laryngeal morphology of these two species via dissection and histology. Tissues of leopard frogs (Rana pipiens) were initially employed for adjustment of the techniques, especially with relation to the decalcification of the posterior processes of the hyoid bone, which is necessary for the production of good sections of the larynx. Preliminary data from Rana pipiens indicate that our method will allows us to obtain precise measurements of the sizes and thicknesses of the laryngeal structures and of the cell sizes in epithelia and cartilages, besides the thicknesses of muscular fibers. These measurements should unveil the effects of cell size on laryngeal function, expanding the current understanding of the design and evolution of the vocal apparatus in vertebrates.

semisoundproof box. We are currently adjusting the software to identify and measure individual chirps in the recordings. The results will provide insight into the complexity of the brain circuits that define the signaling strategies of male crickets.

The Relationship Between Auditory Morphology and Tuning in Three Species of Frogs Pauline Montemayor, Stephanie Nguyen, Yutian Zeng Faculty Mentor: Marcos Gridi-Papp Rana pipiens is a frog that has been extensively used as a model to learn about the auditory capabilities of anurans. Due to the lack of comparative studies of the auditory system among frogs, we used R. pipiens as a reference to assess differences in ear morphology between species indigenous to other areas of the world, specifically Engystomops pustulosus (found in Central America), and Leptopelis flavomaculatus (found in Africa). Theoretically, there should be an inverse relationship between the size of a frog and the sound frequencies that it can hear and produce. Engystomops pustulosus, being the smallest of the three species, would hypothetically be tuned to the highest frequencies; likewise, the large R. pipiens would hear and produce sound at the lowest frequencies. Dissections were conducted to isolate the middle and inner ears. To compare species’ ear anatomy, histological methods were used which allow for precise measurement of cells and larger structures under the microscope. Tissues were fixated and decalcified, dehydrated, paraffin embedded, sectioned with a microtome, mounted onto slides, rehydrated, and finally, stained. The highly ossified nature of auditory structures required additional adjustment of the decalcification protocol, including acids, EDTA, and microwaving. The expected results are quantitative descriptions of the morphology of the auditory pathway, that should explain the size relations and specializations presented by the species in this study.

The Effect of Energetic Costs on Calling Strategies of the House Cricket, Acheta domesticus Moid Khan Faculty Mentor: Marcos Gridi-Papp Much is known about the acoustic communication of the house cricket (Acheta domesticus), through both laboratory studies of its neurobiological basis and field studies of its ecology. We ask how ecological and neural factors influence the calling strategies of house crickets. Males chirp to attract mates by rubbing a pair of wings, and chirping is energetically expensive. In a signaling strategy, crickets divide their energetic budget in various dimensions of sound production: chirp intensity, chirp rate and number of hours chirping per night. If the wings are moderately loaded with weight, the animal might: 1) maintain the chirping behavior and experience altered sound and energetic cost; 2) maintain its energetic cost by altering the chirping behavior and sound; 3) maintain its sound with altered behavior and energetic cost. In order to determine which of these three strategies the cricket will actually employ, we will compare the chirping of a control group to that of a group of crickets whose wings are loaded with a coat of glue. We have developed a 16-channel, 32-bit recording studio which houses 16 crickets and monitors them individually and continuously. Each cricket is housed in a

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Poster Session Abstracts Danaus plexippus (Monarch) and Battus philenor (Pipevine swallowtail) are mimicked by the moderately defended L. archippus (Viceroy) and L. arthemis astyanax (Red-spotted purple) respectively. Additionally, in Western North America the palatable Limenitis lorquini (Lorquin’s admiral) mimics the unpalatable model Adelpha bredowii (California sister). The mimicry in L. lorquini involves an orange patch on the apex of the forewing. The genetic basis of this trait, including the number of loci involved, is currently unknown. We investigated this by taking advantage of a natural hybrid zone between L. lorquini and a species with a black forewing apex, L. weidemeyerii. These two species are known to hybridize and produce fertile offspring in eastern California. We crossed the orange-tipped L. lorquini with blacktipped L. weidemeyerii (parental generation) which produced an F1 hybrid generation that all displayed orange forewing coloration. We then self-crossed several of the F1 hybrids with the prediction that the F2 offspring would exhibit a 3:1 ratio of orange-tipped to black-tipped individuals. Our results are consistent with a 3:1 Mendelian ratio indicative of a trait controlled by a single locus with two alleles. In this case we conclude that the allele for orange color is dominant to the recessive black allele for forewing apex coloration.

Effects of Ploidy on the Tuning of Hearing in Female Hyla versicolor and H. chrysocelis Treefrogs Mary Paduano, Sarah Anne Wong Faculty Mentor: Marcos Gridi-Papp Two sister species of gray treefrogs, Hyla versicolor and H. chrysocelis, share identical morphology, ecology and behavior but differ in ploidy level and call structure. Hyla chrysocelis is diploid and produces fast-pulsing calls, whereas H. versicolor is tetraploid and produces slow-pulsing calls. Polyploidy always increases cell size and this could potentially bias the tuning of the auditory system. This study examined females of both species to determine if ploidy level affects tuning in these species. Hearing was characterized via two methods: tympanic vibration and multicellular neural recording. Measurements of tympanic vibration are informative of transmission biases in the mechanical portion of the ears, whereas brain responses recorded from the torus semicircularis indicate actual hearing sensitivity. Preliminary results did not reveal differences in tuning that could not be attributed to body size, suggesting no significant effect of ploidy level on hearing. Such outcome could be explained by any of three mutually exclusive hypothesis: 1) increased cell size does not alter the mechanical properties of any of the components of the ear and it does not alter transduction by the hair cells; 2) natural selection prevents the increase of cell size in the auditory system; or 3) additional morphological changes have been selected to compensate for biases produced by increased cell size. Examination of the morphology of the auditory structures and the sizes of their cells is now necessary in order to identify the correct explanation.

Genotypic and Phenotypic Diversity in Endangered Populations of the Callippe Silverspot Butterfly (Speyeria callippe) in the Greater Bay Area Seung Wan Ha, Charles Kim, Alexander Mendoza, Graham Travenick, Chris Weber, Chad Wierlo Faculty Mentor: Ryan Hill Speyeria callippe callippe is on the federal endangered species list and is restricted to populations surrounding the heavily urbanized Bay Area. Destruction of appropriate habitat that includes adult and larval food resources has caused extinctions of many populations in the hills of the San Francisco Bay Area. Despite its endangered status no research into the size or genetic diversity of the remaining populations has been done. This is critical information for management because current populations may be suffering reduced genetic variation and reduced gene flow that can lead to further extinctions. One problem that has hampered traditional

Toward Understanding the Genetic Basis of Mimetic Color Pattern in Limenitis lorquini Johanna Hsieh, Christina Pham-Le, Susan Phy, Lan Tran Faculty Mentor: Ryan Hill Mimicry is a crucial antipredator defense in insects that involves the convergence of color pattern between unrelated species. Two classic examples of mimicry in North America involve the butterfly genus Limenitis. In Eastern North America, the well-defended distasteful species

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Poster Session Abstracts mark-recapture studies for estimating population sizes is that two other subspecies of Speyeria are present in the Bay Area (S.c. comstocki and S.c. liliana). These subspecies are difficult to distinguish because their color patterns broadly overlap. Thus, our study examined two questions: 1) do S. callippe populations in the Bay Area show any signs of reduced genetic diversity or gene flow? And 2) do color pattern traits used in describing subspecies correlate with genetic diversity? To answer these questions we analysed 884 bp of mitochondrial DNA for 191 individuals from nine populations, and scored each specimen for two wing pattern traits. Our results indicated that 1) there is striking genetic differentiation among S. callippe populations in the Bay Area, 2) the main endangered species population has no variation in the analyzed gene, and 3) four mtDNA haplogroups were identified that only weakly correlate with the three subspecies.

we will also compare gene expression levels (how much a particular gene is turned on) in male and female eyes.

Comparing Total Precipitation for Vernal Pools in Wet and Dry Seasons Minhchau Dinh Faculty Mentor: Dr. Stacy Luthy Vernal pools, also referred to as temporary pools or ephemeral pools, are surface pools on impervious land substrates leftover from precipitation. These temporary pools appear during rainfall in winter and spring, and dry up in summer and fall. Throughout this cycle, vernal pools support numerous endemic plant and animal species, many of which are endangered, such as the federally and state protected fairy shrimp and its three species. For this research I took pool samples from four sites near Prairie City, CA from November 2010 to April 2012 that included three types of crustacean: copepods, daphnia, and fairy shrimp. These crustaceans lay resistant eggs (cysts) when the pools are wetted that will hatch during the next pool season. Research has shown cysts hatch proportionally to their chances of survival and that vernal pool depth is positively correlated with species richness. The length of inundation of these species is critical to their success, as some species need longer ponding periods to fully develop. Longer ponding periods depend on total precipitation, storm intensity and pattern, and land topography. In Northern California, the winter of 2010-2011 was classified as wet, but the next year (winter 2011-2012) was extremely dry. This scenario not only led to fewer vernal pools in 2011-2012, but also pools with shallower depth and shorter inundation period. I analyzed total precipitation between the 2011 and 2012 vernal pool seasons to observe how total precipitation, storm intensity, and rain patterns affect the life and longevity of vernal pools.

Genetics of Sexual Dimorphism in an Ostracod Crustacean, Euphilomedes carcharodonta Brenna Carillo-Zazueta, Logan Brodnansky, Connie Lin, Priya Patel, Brianna Hu Faculty Mentor: Ajna Rivera Sexual dimorphism refers to the differences in male and female secondary sexual characteristics; in humans, the pathways to sexual dimorphism is started by they presence or absence of a Y (male) chromosome. Here we examine a sexual dimorphism in Euphilomedes carcharodonta, a species of ostracod crustaceans. In this species, males and females are genetically similar (males do not have a Y chromosome), but differ with regards to their eyes. Males have large multi-faceted eyes while females have only miniscule non-image forming eyes. The sexual dimorphism doesn’t stem from extra genes – it actually comes from a difference in the male and female developmental program. Males undergo tissue duplication and gain a second eye field which is not seen in females. This could possibly be from differing developmental potentials; in particular, males and females may turn on different sets of genes in their nervous system cells. To begin to understand how males can grow eyes without additional genetic information, we cloned and looked at the sequence of several genes known to be involved in eye development. In the future,

Effects of Range and Frequency on DIDSON Measurement Accuracy Alec Follmer, Gwen Alldredge Faculty Mentor: Dr. Stacy Luthy The DIDSON Sonar is a multi-beam acoustic camera that produces near video quality images in two frequencies (low-1.1MHz and high-

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Poster Session Abstracts 1.8MHz). DIDSON is particularly useful in murky or rough waters because targets within the field-of-view are imaged through sound waves rather than traditional video imagery. Although studies have been conducted as to the accuracy and precision of estimating length with the DIDSON, none in which range and frequency were analyzed simultaneously have been conducted. Our artificial target was manually operated in a controlled pool environment and lengths were measured by the Fish-Marking tool in the DIDSON software. We had four test groups: low frequency at 5 m, high frequency at 5 m, low frequency at 10 m and high frequency at 10 m. The statistical analysis revealed that target range had a significant effect on DIDSON derived measurements while frequency did not. DIDSON-derived length measurements were significantly smaller than the actual target length at both ranges tested.

support faster growth. Results showed that ages of fish from different creeks were similar; however, their lengths were significantly different. This proves that the growth rates of fish vary between creeks, indicating fine-scale differences in nursery habitat quality within the estuary.

Comparing Sand Flipping of Elephant Seals between Sex and Age Hasan Alkazemi, Jonathan Choy, Lan Tran Faculty Mentor: Richard Tenaza Abstract Text: Every winter northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) come ashore at several coastal and island sites on sandy shores of central and southern California and western Mexico to breed, give birth, and rear their pups to weaning. The adult male’s nose is a protruding proboscis, resembling the trunk of an elephant. While ashore, elephant seals frequently scoop sand with a backward motion of the front flippers and throw it onto themselves, an action known as sand flipping. We investigated age and sex differences among elephant seals in their frequencies performing this behavior at a breeding colony at Piedras Blancas California. The research builds upon previous studies conducted by other Pacific students during in 2010 and 2011 breeding seasons at Piedras Blancas.

Growth Rate Differences Amongst Leiostomus xanthurus Between Varying Estuarine Creeks Diana Furukawa, Breanna Wong Faculty Mentor: Dr. Stacy Luthy An estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal area where freshwater and saltwater blend. In the past, research has shown that certain areas within estuaries, such as wetlands and seagrass meadows, have been identified as fish nurseries. An area is considered to be a nursery if it contributes “higher density, survival, growth, and movement to adult habitat”. The purpose of this study was to test whether there were differences in nursery habitat quality between closely related intertidal creeks within North Inlet Estuary, SC. Samples of juvenile spot Leiostomus xanthurus were collected from Oyster Landing, Bly Creek, and Old Man, three different creeks within the region that are geographically close in range. Each specimen was dissected in order to isolate the otoliths, specifically the right and left lapilli and sagittae. Otoliths are calcareous, vestibular structures found within the inner ear of bony fish. As the fish grows, rings develop on the otolith, which can be counted to estimate age. In this study, only the left lapillus was subjected to further evaluation. Lengths were measured and ages were estimated via otolith analysis. Growth rates were used as an indicator of nursery quality, with the assumption that a better habitat would

Comparison of Aggression between Female Elephant Seals with Pups and without Pups towards Non-Filial Pups Sejal Bhayani, Antonia Centeno, Quang Nguyen Faculty Mentor: Richard Tenaza Our research tests the hypothesis that adult female elephant seals with pups are more aggressive toward strange (non-filial) pups than are females without pups. Working from video recordings of portions of the elephant seal colony, we will observe and tabulate behavior of equal numbers of both types of females toward non-filial pups, analyzing interactions one female at a time. This research was conducted in 2012 in two separate weekends at San Simian on January 21st and 22nd, and February 4th and 5th. It was observed that females were aggressive to non-filial pups through the behaviors of biting, chasing, and vocalizations. Our hypothesis

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Poster Session Abstracts states that females who have pups are more aggressive towards non-filial pups than are females without pups. The approach to sampling will be done through focal sampling female elephant seals with and without pups once an interaction with a non-filial pup presents itself. By sampling each female separately for ten minute intervals, the data can be used to quantify the amount of times a female exhibits aggressive behavior. Preliminary findings show that females who have pups are more prone to being aggressive towards non-filial pups.

Fluctuations and Sex Differences in Food Consumption Relative to Molting in Magellanic Pegnuins (Spheniscus magellanicus) at San Francisco Zoo Lisa Keikoan, Nick Le Faculty Mentor: Richard Tenaza Our objective was to measure food intake of adult Magellanic penguins as they fatten up before molting, fast while molting, and regain condition afterwards. In late summer and early fall every year Magellanic penguins shed all their old feathers and grow new ones. Unable to enter the water without mature feathers for insulation penguins fast while molting, and to survive the fast and grow new feathers they build up fat stores beforehand. Using data from San Francisco Zoo, we analyzed fish consumption of 29 female and 26 male penguins for 60 days before the onset of molt and 40 days after. Data were standardized for analysis by designating the first day of molt Day Zero for every bird. Food intake started increasing noticeably 50 days before molt began, doubled—going from 200 to 400 g—over the next 30 days, and then more than doubled again in the following 20 days. While Magellanic penguins in the wild would not eat at all while molting, at the zoo they did but mean daily consumption dropped to 50 g for both sexes. Molt took 21 days, following which food consumption increased sharply, quadrupling over the next 20 days for both sexes, and then beginning to level off.

Behavioral thermoregulation of northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) adults and pups in a breeding colony at Piedras Blancas, California Patrick Kang, Jaeyoung Lee, Mike Trinh, Pauline Montamayor, Christopher Nguyen Faculty Mentor: Richard Tenaza Our study tested the hypothesis that the Northern elephant seal (NES) Mirounga angustirostris uses coloration for thermoregulation on land. The NES comes ashore every winter to breed and—being adapted to living in cold seas for most of the year—on shore they may be faced with over-heating from higher temperatures and direct solar radiation. Their large size and thick blubber give adult NES’s low surface area to volume ratios and a layer of thermal insulation which are advantageous for conserving heat in cold seas but disadvantageous for dissipating it on land. However, they are very dark on the back and pale beneath, which could allow them to absorb or reflect heat by adjusting orientation to the sun. Pups are born with no blubber but are uniformly black, which could allow them to absorb heat from the sun over the entire body surface. We found that pups did tend to stay exposed to sunlight in cooler hours and shaded by their mothers’ shadows in warmer ones. In adults we found that females exposed their reflective bellies to the sun more than males at all times and that both sexes were significantly more likely to orient the belly toward the sun during warmer hours compared to cooler ones.

Rad51 Paralogs and Complexes – A Study of Protein Function and Interactions Amber Overgard, Daniel Kee Lu Faculty Mentor: Joanna Albala Double-strand breaks in DNA have potential to result in cancer. Currently, there are two methods known for repairing such breaks and maintaining genome integrity. These are non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) and homologous recombination repair (HRR). HRR is accomplished through the use of homologous DNA strands, one strand acting as a template to repair the other strand. A key protein in the strand exchange and homologous pairing used during HRR is Rad51. Presently, there are five human proteins with homology to Rad51, these paralogs are Rad51B, Rad51C, Rad51D, Xrcc2, and Xrcc3. Loss of these protein functions leads

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Poster Session Abstracts to chromosomal instability. In this research, the interactions of the five paralogs and the two complexes, both containing Rad51C that form from them will be investigated. Escherichia coli containing either human Rad51B or human Xrcc3 were grown and the plasmids containing the appropriate target gene were isolated. The plasmids were treated with restriction enzymes and the samples were run on an agarose gel to verify that the DNA of each repair gene was the expected size. Samples will be sequenced to verify the cDNA is mutation free. The target gene will be isolated and placed in a plasmid for expression in the yeast, Pichia pastoris, more suited for recombinant protein expression of higher eukaryotic organisms. The plasmid will be inserted into P. pastoris using electroporation and the corresponding protein will be expressed. These proteins will be used to examine protein interaction and function. This study will increase current understanding of Rad51C complex formation and function in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks.

pathway can render cellular DNA more resistant to damage, and strengthen cellular resistance to radiation therapy and selective chemotherapeutic agents. Studies have documented the elevation of Rad51 levels in several cancer cell lines, including immortalized cells. Previous studies in the Albala lab have demonstrated the downregulation of Rad51 by VD3 in the hamster buccal cheek pouch model. This work aims to demonstrate a correlation between the reduction of Rad51 protein by VD3 in this hamster model and the effects of 7,12dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) as a carcinogen, inducing the repair mechanism when administered to the hamster buccal pouches.

Preliminary Proteomic Analysis of a Vesicle-enriched Fraction from the Protozoal Parasite Trichomonas vaginalis Casey Ardrey Faculty Mentors: Kirkwood Land, Lisa Wrischnik We have analyzed using mass spectrometry a vesicle-enriched fraction from the human protozoal parasite Trichomonas vaginalis. Using the recently completed T. vaginalis genome, we have carried out an extensive bioinformatic analysis of this subcellular fraction and have identified a number of interesting targets for future biological study. We will discuss the implications of our analysis on drug discovery against this important human parasite.

Histological Characterization of Vitamin D-induced Apoptosis in a Hamster Buccal Pouch Model of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cina Kim, Katie Ross Faculty Mentor: Joanna Albala Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains a major cause of mortality and morbidity in the U.S. and around the world. Vitamin D3 (VD3), in addition to its primary role in maintaining calcium homeostasis, has been shown to induce differentiation and suppress the growth of squamous cell carcinomas in vitro. As such, proteins and compounds that act in the vitamin D pathway are potential candidates for therapeutic intervention for treatment of HNSCC. Previous work in the Albala lab has demonstrated that VD3 was chemopreventive in cancer formation in the hamster buccal pouch model. The hamster buccal pouch tumor model is a well-characterized model system since the progression from normal epithelium to carcinoma closely resembles those changes in humans.

Characterization of an Adenosylhomocysteine Hydrolase Enzyme in the protozoal parasite Trichomonas vaginalis Aaron Au, Steven An Faculty Mentor: Kirkwood Land Trichomonas vaginalis is the causative agent of trichomoniasis, a common sexually-transmitted disease in humans. Approximately 5% of cases of trichomoniasis are resistant to treatment with the commonly prescribed metronidazole. The search for alternative new therapies for both nitroimidazole susceptible and resistant cases is imperative. Here, we have shown that 2'-deoxy2'-fluoroadenosine, 9-(β,Darabinofuranosyl)adenine, 9-(2-deoxy-2-fluoroβ,D-arabinofuranosyl)adenine , and 9-(2-chloro2-deoxy-β,D-arabinofuranosyl)adenine inhibit T.

Rad51 protein plays an important role in is cell proliferation and homologous recombinational DNA repair. Defects in the pathway may render cells sensitive to DNA cross-linking agents and ionizing radiation, while up-regulation of the

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Poster Session Abstracts vaginalis 100% at 100 μM level. These compounds have an IC50 of 2.94 μM, 3.6 μM, 0.09 μM, and 5.93 μM, respectively (Metronidazole’s IC50 value for the same strain is 0.72 μM). To further characterize this potential drug target, we have analyzed the ADHY activity in whole cell extracts of T. vaginalis. We have also cloned the gene into pQE80L and have successfully expressed the enzyme in E.coli. To characterize the subcellular location of this enzyme, we have constructed an expression vector with the gene for an HAepitope tag on the C-terminus of the ADHY protein. The successful expression, characterization, and localization of the ADHY protein of T. vaginalis will set the stage for development of inhibitors against this enzyme as chemotherapy for drug resistant infections.

this parasite is thought to be mediated by proteases. Inhibitors against aspartic proteases significantly blocked growth of T.vaginalis, and our present study is to clone and express the single aspartic protease. Using the genome project, we have succesfully cloned the fulllength TvCatD gene from strain T1 into a protein expression vector for expression in E.coli. The purification of characterization of the recombinant enzyme will help us to design improved inhibitors targeting this critical enzyme.

Transmission Electron Microscopic Analysis of Proteases in Trichomonad Protozoa Annie Chen, Sandy Chen, Hasna Manghi, Victoria Lewis, Vivian Huang Faculty Mentors: Kirkwood Land, Marcia Fox, Lisa Wrischnik

Effects of Serine Protease Inhibitors on the Human Protozoal Parasite Trichomonas vaginalis

We have used transmission electron microscopy to analyze the localization of proteases in trichomonad parasites. In particular, we are interested in the location of a number of different cysteine proteases predicted to be in lysosomelike vesicles. One such protease, CP1, is predicted to have a preprodomain and a predicted transmembrane domain based on genomic analysis. Also, immunofluorescence of trichomonads reveals vesicular localization. Further analysis at the electron microscopic level also reveals vesicular localization. The analysis of these enzymes at the subcellular level will aid in the design of additional experiments to test the role of these parasites in pathogenesis.

Olga Bachour, Kai Chung, Tex Mabalon Faculty Mentor: Kirkwood Land Trichomonas vaginalis is a protozoal parasite that causes trichomoniasis in humans. The mechanism of pathogenesis is thought to involve proteases. In this study, we have focused on the possible role of serine proteases in the pathogenesis of this parasite. In related protozoal parasites, like malaria and trypanosomes, serine proteases play a key role in processing virulence factors in the endomembrane system. To begin to understand the possible role of these enzymes, we have screened a number of different commercial serine protease inhibitors on the growth of the parasite in culture. The effects of this inhibitors should shed light on the potential role of these enzymes in the life cycle of this important human parasite.

Studies of Calpain Inhibitors as Antiparasitic Agents Against Trichomonas vaginalis Kassandra Cooper, Tiffany Riley, Asma Patel, Racquel O’Connor, Neal Patel Faculty Mentor: Kirkwood Land

Cloning and Expression of an Aspartic Protease from the Human Protozoal Parasite Trichomonas vaginalis

Trichomonas vaginalis is the most prevalent STD with cases on the rise in both the US and other countries. With the rapid increase in Trichomonasis drug resistance, it leads one to look at other pathways where drugs might be effective. Calpains have been shown to have a pathogenic role in many diseases with parasitic diseases being the most recent and studied

Annie Chen, Sandy Chen, Vivian Huang, Victoria Lewis, Hasna Manghi Faculty Mentors: Kirkwood Land, Lisa Wrischnik Trichomonas vaginalis is a protozoal parasite of humans; and one mechanism of pathogenesis of

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Poster Session Abstracts pathway. Inhibitors for calpains are currently being tested for activity against neural diseases as well as anti-malaria properties. Here we showed that Calpain Inhibitor III, MDL28710, had significant resistance to T1 Trichomonas vaginalis strain and drug resistant line CDC-085, as compared to our control. Furthermore, a combination therapy of Calpain Inhibitor III with standard drug treatment of Metronidazole showed better inhibition than standard Metronidazole therapy alone. Also the combination therapy showed that less Metronidazole was needed with Calpain Inhibitor III to have the same effect as just Metronidazole alone. Overall, with these findings we have shown that Calpain Inhibitors can be a new source of drug treatment for Trichomonas vaginalis infections and could help reduce the number of drug resistant cases.

examines the role of CP8 in both bovine and feline clinical isolates. We have obtained samples from cows and cats that presented with clinical disease at the UC Davis Small Animal Hospital and are analyzing the expression of CP8 in all of these isolates. The characterization of this virulence factor will shed light on the pathogenesis of this important veterinary protozoal disease.

Cloning and Expression of Thioredoxin Reductase from the Human Protozoal Parasite Trichomonas vaginalis Jonathan Huang Faculty Mentors: Kirkwood Land, Lisa Wrischnik Trichomonas vaginalis is a protozoal parasite that causes trichomoniasis in humans. The current FDA approved drugs for treatment of human trichomoniasis are metronidazole and tinidazole. Current data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have suggested that almost 5% of all clinical cases of trichomoniasis show some level of resistance to these drugs. In search of new chemotherapies, we have focused on the role of thioredoxin reductase, an enzyme that plays a role in susceptibility to metronidazole. To begin to understand the possible role of these enzymes, we have cloned and have begun to express the thioredoxin reductase from T. vaginalis. Our goal is to better understand the role of this enzyme in drug susceptibility and resistance.

Analysis of a Kex2-like Gene in the Protozoal Parasite Trichomonas vaginalis Oliver Dam, Derek Paw, Faheem Qazi Faculty Mentors: Kirkwood Land, Lisa Wrischnik Trichomonas vaginalis is a protozoal parasite that causes trichomoniasis in humans. The mechanism of pathogenesis is thought to involve proteases. In this study, we have focused on the cloning and expression of a kex2-like serine protease. In related parasites, like malaria and trypanosomes, kex2-like serine proteases play a role in processing virulence factors. To begin to understand the possible role of TvKex2, we have cloned and isolated the gene, and have begun to express recombinant forms of Tvkex2. We have also started cloning the gene into a yeast vector pYES for genetic complementation studies of kex2 mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Analysis of New Thiosemicarbazones Against the Human Protozoal Parasite Trichomonas vaginalis Stephen Kim Faculty Mentor: Kirkwood Land

Characterization of Cysteine Protease Inhibitor (CP8) Virulence Factor in Bovine and Feline Strains of T. foetus

Trichomonas vaginalis is a protozoal parasite that causes trichomoniasis in humans. The current FDA approved drugs for treatment of human trichomoniasis are metronidazole and tinidazole. Current data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have suggested that almost 5% of all clinical cases of trichomoniasis show some level of resistance to these drugs. In search of new chemotherapies, we have screened a small compound library of thiosemicarbazones. Our laboratory has

Nathan Haberkern Faculty Mentor: Kirkwood Land Tritrichomonas foetus is related to the human parasite Trichomonas vaginalis. In T. vaginalis strains Cysteine proteases are thought to be major virulence factors. One such virulence factor is Cysteine Protease 8 (CP8). This study

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Poster Session Abstracts previously shown that this group of cysteine protease inhibitors has potent inhibitory activity against trichomonads protozoa. Our goal is to identify potential new chemotherapies against this important human parasite.

premature death in companion animals. Mosquitos are relatively understudied as a vector for D. immitis and existing detection systems for the presence of these parasites could be adapted to study them in mosquitos. We plan to use a variety of techniques to analzye mosquitoes and to identify D. immitis in mosquitoes from the San Joaquin Valley. This project can help us to understand how mosquitoes ticks transmit this parasite.

Characterization of a novel kinase in the protozoal parasite Trichomonas vaginalis Evan Kristiansen Faculty Mentor: Kirkwood Land

Use of a motion-based, novel computer application for whole-plate screening of drugs against small parasitic nematodes

Protein kinases are part of several important cell signaling pathways. We seek to use protein kinases as an potential drug target for the clinical treatment of Trichomona vaginalis. Trichomonas vaginalis is a protozoal parasite and the causative agent of trichamoniasis, a common sexually transmitted disease. While there are treatment options for trichamoniasis, these treatments are restricted to 5nitroimidazole derivaties. Metronidazole, known by the name Flagyl, is the FDA approved treatment for a Trichomonas infection. Five percent of trichamoniasis cases cannot be treated effectively with Metronidazole however, and so the search for alternative therapies is essential.

Neal Patel, Tiffany Riley, Asma Patel, Raquel O’Connor Faculty Mentors: Kirkwood Land, Gregg Jongeward One of the major stumbling blocks toward developing effective macrofilaricides has been the lack of a high-throughput screening method for candidate drugs and other chemical libraries. Current methods utilize systems that measure one well at a time and are time consuming and often expensive. Recently, a new, low-cost and simple visual imaging system to automate and quantify screening entire plates based on parasite movement was developed (called Worm Assay). This system was first developed for analysis of larger filarial nematodes such as Brugia malayi. Whether this technology can be adapted for analysis of smaller parasitic worms is unclear. To address this, we have begun to adapt the Worm Assay using C. elegans as a model nematode for analyzing drugs in a high throughput method. Conditions for successfully culturing nematodes in suspension in 96-well plates and for analyzing their motion in the presence and absence of common anthelmintics are underway. The successful use of the Worm Assay with C. elegans should help to identify potential new chemotherapies for a variety of smaller parasitic nematodes.

Several challenges arise when considering the treatment of a eukaryotic pathogen, its similarity to our own cells make targeting this disease difficult. We have discovered, in collaboration with a university partner, a unique protein which could act as a drug target. This class of enzyme, a protein kinase, is often involved in cell maintenance pathways and therefore is an attractive target for inhibition of cell growth. This enzyme, called the gatekeeper, has been previously examined and purified from several other eukaryotic parasites and the coding sequence has been found in the genome of T. vaginalis. We have been working to use this genomic sequence to recombinantly express the T.vaginalis Gatekeeper gene in E.coli.

Molecular Detection of Dog Heart Worm in Mosquitoes in the San Joaquin Valley Evan Kristiansen Faculty Mentors: Kirkwood Land, Ryan Hill Mosquitos and ticks are common vectors of microbial diseases. Of particular interest to pet owners is their ability to carry the common dog heartworm Dirofilaria immits, which can cause

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Poster Session Abstracts In Vitro Activity of Calpain Inhibitors Against Tritrichomonas foetus

Visualizing the Pathways of MBP-EGFP Fusions with Fluorescence Microscopy

Alex Yee, Tiffany Riley, Asma Patel, Raquel O’Connor, Neal Patel Faculty Mentor: Kirkwood Land

Pachai Moua Faculty Mentors: Geoff Lin-Cereghino, Joan Lin-Cereghino

Calpains have been shown to have a pathogenic role in many microbial diseases. In this study, we have examined the role of calpain in the in vitro viability of the veterinary protozoal parasite Tritrichomonas foetus. Several calpain inhibitors were tested on the in vitro growth of T. foetus strain D1, the most virulent strain characterized in the laboratory. Although not as potent against T. foetus as other trichomonads, the 50% reduction in viability suggests a important role of these enzymes in viability. This finding warrants further study on role of calpains in the life cycle of this important pathogen.

The yeast Pichia pastoris is known to be efficient at expressing and producing recombinant proteins. Previous studies successfully produced the maltose binding protein (MBP), a type of "escort" protein that aids protein folding and purification. We expressed enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) fused to either the N-terminus of MBP (MBP-EGFP, pJV4) or to the C-terminus MBP (EGFP-MBP, pVJ103). Surprisingly, MBPEGFP was proteolyzed before secretion, but EGFP-MBP was secreted intact. The objective was to find out if the two fusions followed different paths in the cell by using fluorescence microscopy. This led to the development of a protocol for visualizing EGFP in Pichia pastoris cells. Our results suggest that depending on its position in the fusion, EGFP followed a different route in the cell.

Effects of MAT alpha deletions on protein secretion in Pichia pastoris Kimiko Agari, Hansel Poerwanto Faculty Mentors: Joan Lin-Cereghino, Geoff Lin-Cereghino

Messing with Perfection: Analysis of the 5' untranslated region (5'UTR) of the alcohol oxidase 1 (AOX1) gene in recombinant protein expression in Pichia pastoris

Pichia pastoris is a yeast known to efficiently express and secrete heterologous proteins. In this yeast, MAT alpha is a signal that can direct protein secretion. Its effect on secretion can be tested using reporter genes, whose protein products can readily be measured. The goal of our project was to create specific deletions in the MAT alpha secretion signal and to determine their effects on secretion. Mutant constructs were made via site-directed mutagenesis, and the reporter genes tested were horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and lipase. We hypothesized that distinct deletions in the MAT alpha secretion signal should affect protein secretion differently, and these effects were tested by comparing secretion of the HRP and lipase proteins.

Maria Nattestad, Kristin Oshiro Faculty Mentors: Geoff Lin-Cereghino, Joan Lin-Cereghino Pichia pastoris is a methylotrophic yeast that has been genetically engineered to express over one thousand heterologous proteins valued for industrial, pharmaceutical, and basic research purposes. In most cases, the 5' untranslated region (UTR) of the alcohol oxidase 1 (AOX1) gene is fused to the coding sequence of the recombinant gene for protein expression in the yeast. Because the effect of the AOX1 5'UTR on protein expression is not known, site-directed mutagenesis was performed in order to decrease or increase the length of this region. Both of these types of changes were shown to affect translational efficiency, not transcript stability. While increasing the length of the 5'UTR clearly decreased expression of a beta-galactosidase reporter in a proportional manner, a deletion analysis demonstrated that the AOX1 5'UTR

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Poster Session Abstracts contains a complex mixture of both positive and negative cis-acting elements, suggesting that the construction of a synthetic 5'UTR optimized for a higher level of expression may be challenging.

Using genetic engineering, we inserted a segment of the PySp2 cDNA into the prokaryotic expression vector pBAD-Thio-TOPO. Restriction digestion analysis and agarose gel electrophoresis was performed to verify the presence and directionality of the PySp2 cDNA in the cloning vector. Following the confirmation of the cDNA insert in the cloning vector, we induced the expression of PySp2 in bacteria and monitored its expression using western blot analysis. Our long term goal is to purify the PySp2 protein and spin artificial silk fibers as well as use the solubilized protein for structural studies.

Expression and Purification of Pyriform Spidroin 2 Protein Nadia Shaheen Faculty Mentors: Joan Lin-Cereghino, Geoff Lin-Cereghino Pichia pastoris is a yeast commonly used for expression of foreign proteins, as the yeast are easily genetically manipulated, can be grown in high concentrations, and express large amounts of heterologous proteins. In this case, Pichia pastoris was used to express the Pyriform Spidroin 2 Protein, PySp2, a spider silk attachment disk glue protein. After growth and induction of PySp2, expression of the protein was confirmed through western analysis. Expression was optimized by varying culture conditions. PySp2 was then purified from the cultures via affinity chromatography using both native and denaturing conditions. The protein was successfully expressed on small and large scales; however, purification in native conditions resulted in a low yield. The yield from denaturing conditions, on the other hand, was significantly higher. Ultimately, the properties of heterologously expressed PySp2 protein can be compared to naturally produced PySp2 protein. This will help determine whether Pichia pastoris is an ideal resource to synthesize spider silk proteins on a larger scale.

Expression of the Latrodectus hesperus Glue Silk Protein, Pyriform Spidroin 1, in Bacteria Richard Chen, Alex Hoang-Mendoza, Jun Park, Pauline Pham, Moe Thien Faculty Mentor: Craig Vierra The biological mechanisms that spiders use to spin silk fibers remains a mystery to scientists, making it difficult from labs to biomimic this process. Spiders spin multiple silk types that have a diverse range of biological functions. The highly studied dragline silk has been shown to have tremendous properties that rival both steel and Kevlar in elasticity, toughness, and tensile strength. In this lab, the pyriform spidroin protein 1 (PySp1) from the black widow spider, Latrodectus Hesperus, was studied to help elucidate how it provides a strong, adhesive glue-like function that anchors dragline silk. The purpose of our research was to express a portion of the PySp1 protein. PCR was used to amplify a segment of the PySp1 cDNA, which was then inserted into the pBAD-Thio/TOPO bacterial expression vector. E. coli was then transformed with the ligation mixture and colonies carrying the correct vector were identifies by restriction digestion and agarose gel electrophoresis. Transformants carrying the vector were induced with arabinose to express the PySp1 cDNA insert. Western blot analysis was then used to check for the expression of the PySp1 protein. With the results obtained, further experiments will be carries out in attempt to synthesize synthetic pyriform fibers.

The Structural Studies of Artificial Silk Fibers and the PySp2 Protein Hasan AlKazemi, Jacky Aguilar, Sophia Chou Faculty Mentor: Craig Vierra Spider silk is a biodegradable, non-toxic biopolymer that is stronger than Kelvar, Nylon, and steel. Spider silk can be used in a variety of fields, including engineering and medicine. In our research, we are attempting to spin synthetic spider silk from a glue silk protein, PySp2. PySp2, which is expressed in golden orb weavers, is spun into attachment discs and helps immobilize dragline threads. PySp2 contains internal block repeats whose sequences can be tested for their unique mechanical properties.

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Poster Session Abstracts shown that the strength of spider silk is comparable to that of high-tensile steel. When comparing other properties, spider silk is more extensible and tougher relative to high-tensile steel and Kevlar. With such superb mechanical properties, spider silk is being further studied for future industrial uses.

Exploration of Pyriform Spidroin1 (PySp1) QEA Module’s Role in Fiber Formation and Properties Cynthia Co Ting Keh, Frances Pham, Yifeng Li, Steve Oh Faculty Mentor: Craig Vierra Spider silk, known for its tensile strength, extensibility and toughness, has a wide array of potential uses that span from medical equipment to military armor. Spider silk’s strength is comparable to high-tensile steel, yet it can withstand considerable strain or extensibility without breaking. There are several types of spider silk, each originating from a different silkproducing gland. These fibers provide different functions for spiders, ranging from web constructions to locomotion. Pyriform spidroin 1 (PySp1), the protein under study, was first identified in the pyriform gland, whose main function is to produce silk that is used to immobilize dragline silk. Our research focused on the significance of PySp1 QEA module and its relationship to the mechanical adhesive properties of pyriform silks. The PySp1 cDNA encoding the QEA module was amplified from a cDNA library prepared from the silk-producing glands of the black widow spider, Lactrodectus hesperus. After insertion of the cDNA into a prokaryotic expression vector, we transformed E. coli and performed a restriction digestion analysis to check for the cDNA insert presence and correct directionality. Following the validation of the presence of a cDNA insert, the QEA PySp1 cDNA was induced and its product monitored through both blue silver staining and western blotting. Western blot analysis showed that QEA PySp1 was expressed in high levels. To further understand its role in pyriform silk formation and function, we plan to purify the protein through nickel affinity chromatography. We hope to spin fibers from the purified protein solution in order to better comprehend its mechanical properties and function.

Pyriform Spidroin 2 (PySp2) is a glue silk fibroin spun by orb-weaving spiders from the pyriform gland. PySp2 is spun into attachment discs as a viscous liquid that dries rapidly, allowing for the fastening of dragline silk, which facilitates locomotion and web construction. The internal block-repeat sequences of PySp2 have the ability to self-assemble, promoting fiber formation to occur in a liquid environment. The PySp2 protein sequences play a central role in affecting the protein’s overall mechanical properties. The goal of our research was to express truncated versions of PySp2 proteins in bacteria and spin fibers from these purified proteins in order to test its mechanical properties. To express the proteins, the PySp2 cDNA was inserted into the cloning vector pBAD-ThioTOPO, which was propagated in bacteria. Bacterial cells carrying the expression vector were induced and the resulting recombinant proteins were further studied. Western blot analysis was used to verify the expression of the protein. Results showed that PySp2 recombinant proteins were expressed in bacteria, specifically in cells carrying the expression vectors with the PySp2 cDNA. These positive results will allow further experimentation and observation of the mechanical properties of glue silk fibers spun from the purified proteins.

Expression of an Internal Block Repeat Domain from Pyriform Spidroin1, a Glue Silk Protein from Black Widow Spiders Jay Ko, Nancy Nguyen, Raymond Pandez, Vu Tran Faculty Mentor: Craig Vierra

Studying the Function of Pyriform Spidroin-2 Modules

Spider silk is composed of proteins that allow for its high extensibility and tensile strength, making spider silk an ideal substance for stitching wounds, bandaging, and other medical uses. By synthetically producing spider silk proteins in vitro, ample amounts of spider silk can be

Eugene Kim, Mariah Mayo, Katherine Yin Faculty Mentor: Craig Vierra Extensive research on the properties of spider silk has sparked the interests of the general community in discovering potential uses for these materials. Mechanical properties have

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Poster Session Abstracts synthesized for medical purposes more quickly than by natural spider silk production. The Pyriform Spidroin 1 (PySp1) protein of the black widow spider, Latrodectus hesperus, contains an AEQ rich region that participates in fibers that cement dragline silk to solid supports. The mRNA transcripts of PySp1 are expressed and produced in the pyriform gland of the abdomen of the spider. Since PySp1 transcripts are expressed in the pyriform gland and the protein spun into fibers, we hypothesize that PySp1 has an important structural role as it is spun into attachment disc silks to lock dragline fibers to substrates, which is important for prey capture and movement. To produce PySp1 recombinantly, the cDNA was inserted into the prokaryotic expression vector pBAD-Thio-Topo. PySp1 protein induction with arabinose was checked with blue-silver staining and Western blot analysis. The recombinant protein will be purified using a nickel resin and then used to spin synthetic fibers.

visualized using Coomassie blue staining as well as western blot analysis. The long-term goal of our research is to ultimately spin the purified protein into fibers for mechanical testing.

Expression of Spider Egg Case Protein-3 for Structural and Mechanical Studies Albert Lin Faculty Mentor: Craig Vierra Spiders produce a diverse number of silk proteins that are well-known for their extraordinary mechanical and biological properties after they are spun into fibers. Dragline silk has been the most prominent focus of research because of its exceptional high tensile strength and extensibility. In our research we have focused on the characterization of a third constituent of tubuliform silks (egg case silk). This constituent, which is dubbed Egg Case Protein 3 (ECP-3), is produced exclusively in the tubuliform gland of the black widow spider, Lactrodectus hesperus. The ECP-3 cDNA was obtained from a cDNA library prepared from the silk-producing glands of the spider. This cDNA was placed into the prokaryotic expression vector pBAD-TOPO and then moved into pET-19b-Sumo to facilitate purification. Using western blot analysis, we have verified that the ECP-3 protein is efficiently expressed in bacteria. To test the structural properties of ECP-3, we plan to perform circular dichroism to study the secondary structure of ECP-3. Our long-term goal is to spin artificial silk fibers for mechanical studies to relate the structure of ECP-3 to the material properties of tubuliform silks.

Expression of Internal Block Repeats within the PySp2 Protein Isaac Lee, Sally Ok, Thao Tran Faculty Mentor: Craig Vierra Spider silk is known for its high performance mechanical properties. Spider silk is tougher than high-tensile steel, largely due to the silk’s increased extensibility. The key feature that allows spider silk to possess phenomenal mechanical properties is due to internal block repeats within its protein architecture; these repeats are rich in alanine and glycine. In addition to the internal block repeats, spider silk fibroins all share a non-repetitive N-terminus and C-terminus, along with molecular masses that exceed 250 kDa. Nephila clavipes, commonly referred to as the golden orb weaving spider, has 6-7 silk glands. One of these glands, the pyriform gland, expresses glue silk genes such as PySp2. PySp2 is found in attachment discs and facilitates N. clavipes in locomotion by helping secure dragline silk to solid supports. Pyriform silks are essential for a spider’s survival and this material is spun into a liquid that dries quickly. In an effort to analyze the relationship between the mechanical properties and protein sequence of PySp2, part of the PySp2 cDNA was expressed in bacteria using the prokaryotic expression vector pBAD/Thio-TOPO. The recombinant protein was purified, and then

Synthetic glue silk fibers spun from PySp2 of orb-weaving spiders Taylor Rabara, Aneesha Sharma, Reisa Rara Faculty Mentor: Craig Vierra Due to certain characteristics of spider silk, such as high elasticity and tensile strength, researchers are continuously expanding their knowledge of spider silk proteins in the hopes of one day being able to manufacture these silks for industrial purposes. Some practical uses of spider silk include bulletproof vests and medical sutures. Ultimately, the goal is to be able to produce a spider silk-like protein for artificial fiber spinning.

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Poster Session Abstracts Pyriform Spidroin 2 (PySp2) is a component found in the pyriform gland of orb-weaving spiders such as Nephila clavipes, and is essential to the formation of attachment disks. These glue silk fibers have high tensile strength and are nontoxic, and attach dragline silk to surfaces to allow for locomotion and web construction. The toughness of the fiber is attributed to both the spinning conditions and the overall protein architecture. The PySp2 protein has a distinct set of internal block repeats containing segments of specific repeating amino acids, which contribute to the overall polarity and the successful assembly of the proteins into fibers.

Silica Gel Isolation, and Restriction Digests. Attempts to express full-length ZipK showed poor expression. It was hypothesized that the GST construct of the E. coli expression vector was too large to be expressed efficiently. Recently, we have generated a truncated GST segment and will attempt to express this construct in E. coli.

Isolation and Characterization of Cyanin Chloride from Strawberries Gurbir Gudial Faculty Mentor: Andreas Franz, Ilona Serebnitskaya (graduate student)

We plan to test the significance of each block repeat and the resulting relationship to the mechanical properties of the attachment disk fibers. cDNA constructs containing each internal repeat have been inserted and expressed in the pBAD-Thio-TOPO expression vector. Our long term goal is to purify the recombinant fusion protein and spin these proteins into synthetic fibers. Mechanical properties of the fibers will then be tested and compared to those of naturally spun fibers of orb-weaver attachment discs.

Strawberries are convenient sources of polyphenolic compounds that have documented ability to act as radical scavengers and hence might be of general benefit to human health. We have reproduced a published method for the isolation of one specific poylphenolic compound, cyanin chloride; a red-colored pigment. Strawberries were homogenized and were subjected to Soxhlet extraction (methanol). The evaporated extract was redissolved in water and was partitioned between several organic solvents. The fractions were analyzed by Thin Layer Chromatography and Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). A commercially available cyanin chloride standard was used for reference, and its structure was confirmed by extensive NMR spectroscopy. The identity of the commercial standard and the extracted cyanin chloride was confirmed.

ZipK Influence on Apoptosis and Cell Migration Christine Hsu Faculty Mentor: Doug Weiser Apoptosis, programmed cell death, is important for numerous physiological functions and in preventing tumor formation. ZipK is a member of the DAPk family of serine/threonine kinases that regulates apoptosis. ZipK is also implicated in the regulation of cell migration. Two of its main substrates are myosin light chain and mypt1. Mypt1 has a role in cell movement during gastrulation, a stage of early vertebrate development. Studies have shown that cell movement during gastrulation is similar to cell movement in cancer. Thus, these experiments will give insights into how ZipK regulates processes associated with cancer. In order to study the effects of ZipK and its substrates on apoptosis and cell migration, the Weiser lab sought to purify zebrafish ZipK protein expressed in E. coli cells. Although ZipK is found in vertebrates, zebrafish was chosen as the genetic model as rodents show significant divergence in their gene sequence for ZipK. Some of the methods used include Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Gel Electrophoresis,

Molecular Modeling to Determine Acidity and Basicity of Organic Compounds Bhupinder Padda Faculty Mentor: Jianhua Ren Acidity is associated with losing protons while basicity is associated with gaining protons. In both instances, molecules can go from a neutral state to an ionic state. This can greatly affect the structure of a molecule and may also change its function. My research is focused on looking at the acidity and basicity for a series of common organic compounds. The ability of an organic compound to form ions depends largely on its strength as an acid or a base. This information can be used alongside mass spectrometry data to better understand ionization efficiency.

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Poster Session Abstracts Some of these compounds are so complex that measurements for acidity and basicity cannot be carried out experimentally. For this reason, molecular modeling calculations are used to determine the theoretical value. Spartan and Gaussian were the computational programs that were used to determine the three dimensional structure of the organic compounds. From there, various calculations were carried out to determine the acidity and basicity. The theoretical values were compared with experimental data for known compounds to evaluate the method. The results showed that the theoretical values directly correlated with the experimental data.

Expression and gene modification of Taqpolymerase using the SUMO purification system Juan Manuel Abundes, Elaina Khoo, Lifang Zhou, Jennifer Ou, Felicia Resendez, Hyungsuk Lee, Christina Quach Faculty Mentor: Jerry Tsai Taq DNA polymerase is an enzyme produced by the thermophilic bacterium Thermus aquaticus, which is commonly used to amplify DNA in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The enzyme’s unique ability to withstand high temperatures, 36-75°C, makes it an efficient enzyme for cycles of heating and cooling. Purification of Taq polymerase can be done through heat lysis. While this is adequate for general use, this method produced an impure Taq polymerase mixed with other contaminating proteins. The impurities make it difficult to only study Taq polymers. With this in mind, an improved purification method was employed that combined the affinity tag of histidines along with the small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) gene. This histidine tag of the SUMO system is an ideal purification technique for Taq polymerase due to the tag’s affinity to nickel. It was proposed that cloning the Taq gene into the SUMO expression system would facilitate easy purification. SUMO modulates protein structure and function by binding to the lysine side chains of target proteins. The Taq polymerase gene is cloned onto the C-terminal end of the SUMO gene using a PCR approach. Specific DNA primers were designed to introduce the excised Taq gene into the proper vector. Then, by inducing the bacterium, Escherichia coli (E. coli) with this gene, the Sumo-Taq protein can be expressed, to later be isolated using affinity chromatography involving the Nickel resin. Taq polymerase alone can be isolated by flowing SUMO protease through the column, resulting in simple and homogenous purification of this protein.

Synthesis of Polypeptides and Cleavage Rajneet Padda Faculty Mentor: Jianhua Ren Polypeptides are short polymers that contain amino acid residues and are linked by a peptide bond. The peptide bonds correlate with the secondary structure of proteins, which are either alpha helices or Beta sheets. Changing an amino acid residue in a primary structure can change the way a protein folds; therefore, affecting the function of the protein. In order to understand how the primary structure can affect the protein folding, it is extremely important to understand the chemical properties of polypeptides In this research various peptides are synthesized using the Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis. In this procedure amino acids are attached to Rink Amide resins one at a time until the peptide of choice is synthesized. Then the peptide is cleaved from the resins using a cleavage reagent. In order to obtain a peptide with high yield and high purity, the right cleavage reagent must be used. For Cys-AlaAla-Ala and Ala-Ala-Ala-Cys peptides, three cleavage reagents have been tested in our lab: TFA and Reagent R, and Reagent B. The results from the three cleavage reagents will be presented in the poster.

Adventures in New Metal Complexes Design and Synthesis Una Lee, Sirena Lau, Vickie Nguyen, Sarah Chiu Faculty Mentor: Qinliang Zhao Yi-Ju Tsai (graduate student) Functionalization of an organic molecule often involves C-H bond activation. However, the

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Poster Session Abstracts energy that must be overcome in that process is immense. In general, special metal-containing catalysts are required, especially in selective bond activation. Here, we seek to design and synthesize new metal complexes from two different ligand approaches. These complexes hope to catalytically convert readily available compounds to useful molecules, such as ubiquitous methane (CH4) to methanol. The projects will contribute to the research field of organic synthesis, and at the same time they target the energy problem worldwide. The first family of ligands is N,N'diarylformamidine which displays different geometries in solid state. It is mainly due to the altered degree of steric hindrance and inter or intramolecular H-bonding. In solution, a more symmetric conformation is generally seen for non-sterically hindered formamidines, while the others show the coexistence of isomers. Metallation gives complexes with a variety of conformation as well. Preliminary investigation of their utility in activating C-H bonds will also be described. The second group of ligands is tripodal-type ligands. Three branches are built up from one central atom, C or N, so that the overall ligands behave like three-prong clamps which can potentially secure multiple metal ions in their centers. Detail synthesis of the ligands and their coordination compounds will be followed.

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Bioengineering Senior Projects require multiple adjustments. Our ankle brace design provides comfort to the patient during recovery and also can be worn after recovery to prevent re-injury. The addition of pressure surrounding the ankle serves the need to have multiple adjustments. When the ankle first heals, it requires a stiff support to heal the ankle back in place but as the healing process continues it requires less pressure and adjusted torque to the ankle to provide comfort as well as more natural motion of the joint. The pressure is administered using a detachable hand pump and the air enters pockets encased within the ankle brace. A small, digital pressure gauge will be affixed on to the ankle brace to ensure proper amount of pressure. Success of the ankle brace will be determined by testing the ankle brace on a control group—people who have never had an ankle injury and an experimental group—people who have sustained an ankle injury.

Project Alpha: Co-Current Device for Synthesis of Spider Silk Tyler Chuang, Brandon Hill Faculty Mentors: Shelly Gulati, Craig Vierra Spider silk is a material that is has proven to have many applications in fields of Surgery, and Bioengineering. It has been shown to be bioinert, allowing for use in physiological environments, as well as having unique and valuable mechanical characteristics allowing new uses in engineering and surgery as devices such as sutures or implants. Unfortunately there are no feasible ways to farm natural silk, making artificial synthesis of the material a very important research topic. Artificial silk synthesis involves expressing silk in bacteria and then purifying it. This purified silk must be concentrated in order to yield fiber. The silk is dehydrated, then dissolved it in a volatile solvent, creating a concentrated dope. Modern spinning involves pushing silk dope through a simple needle, allowing the shear forces of the needle to form the silk. This traps pockets of solvent in the fiber, weakening the fiber’s mechanical properties. Utilizing microfluidics, a novel approach has been developed which involves the co-current of the silk dope with a buffer, allowing diffusion of the solvent present in the dope into the buffer, while also allowing the shear forces of the buffer to form the silk, thus allowing for a stronger silk fiber. This cocurrent device allows the flow of a buffer to surround the silk dope, allowing them both to be present in the state of laminar flow. This forces the substances to interact just through the mode of diffusion, thus allowing the removal of solvent pockets, and thereby improving the mechanical properties.

The Puzzle of Getting up From a Seat Eileen Thai, Nestor Decierdo, Matthew Ebia Faculty Mentors: Shelly Gulati, Simon Tang Millions of people in the United States have difficulty rising from a chair. To address this issue various companies have developed seat assists and lifting cushions to help people transition from a seated position to a standing position and vice versa. Current assist devices are only capable of moving the user in one plane of motion - up and down. Attaching a swiveling base will provide an axis of rotation so the user can move to the right or left while seated. No seat assist or lifting cushion on the market has this feature. We have re-engineered the current design of the UpEasy Seat Assist, a portable lifting cushion. By adding a swiveling base, our assist device will have an additional axis of rotation for a larger range of motion. The overall design of the seat was reshaped to be smaller and circular so that it can be used in a larger variety of chairs. A biomechanical analysis of the joints during the interval from sitting to standing was also carried out. It was determined that the reaction forces experienced by the hip, knee, and ankle joints were lessened when the seat assist was used. The rise times from a seated position to a standing position will be measured with and without the seat on a test group to determine the advantage of using the seat assist device and a questionnaire will be distributed to all participants to assess the device’s ease of use.

Ankle Healing Aid Isha Srivastava, Grace Ramos Faculty Mentors: Shelly Gulati, Simon Tang, Mark Van Ness About 25,000 people per day in the United States alone suffer from an ankle sprain. Ankle injuries mayoccur during sports as well as everyday activities when an unnatural twisting action befalls on the ankle bone. Sprains can be categorized into various types and grades, depending on the anatomical location and severity of the injury. We have designed a pressurized ankle brace in order to assist the healing process for ankle sprain injuries that

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Civil Engineering Senior Projects In order to meet the current and future peak water demands of its citizens, the City of Oakdale needs to increase its municipal water storage capacity. This will be done by adding two water storage tanks at opposite ends of the city center at Greger Street and Valley View Drive. Additional supporting elements will also be constructed as need for tank to function as designed.

Snow Supporting Structures, Echo Summit, California Matthew Anderson, Bryant Fukuda, Josh Hai Ngo Faculty Mentors: Scott Merry, Gary Litton Avalanches are a constant threat to winter travelers both in convenience and safety. Currently, the avalanche risk near Echo Summit is being managed by the Gaz-EX system, which triggers small avalanches in order to prevent a major avalanche. Utilizing current methods, the California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS) is able to readily clean up the debris on the highway created by the small avalanches. In a worst case scenario, small avalanches triggered at the wrong time would result in a much larger uncontrolled avalanche and wasted resources. This sudden avalanche could endanger the property and lives of travelers. Additionally, road closures and removal of snow and debris after avalanche generation are requirements of the current system, which cost both time and money.

Project goals at the Greger and Valley View Sites include design of a 1.5 million gallon surface-bearing tank, and a 250,000 thousand gallon surface-bearing tank, respectively. Design considerations will include structural, geotechnical, water resources, civil planning, and environmental analysis. Final project deliverables will include structural design of the tanks and foundations, upgrade of the existing pipe network, and development of construction site plans.

Ford’s Bridge Spanning The Tuolumne River, Long Barn, California

Our proposed solution to this problem is a snow supporting structure that is based on a design popularly used in Europe and recommended by the Swiss Avalanche Guide. It is a steel structure that will have horizontal panels in order to support the snow. The structure will be supported by micropiles. This structure will be designed to withstand a design snow load of six and a half feet; thus, reducing the frequency of dangerous avalanches in the area.

Evan Eyster, John Romero, Roberto Vera, Damasio Zepeda Faculty Mentors: Scott Merry, Luke Lee, Hector Estrada, Camilla Saviz The Ford and Matkin Family are owners of a property located near Long Barn, California. Access to his property involves a crossing of the north fork of the Tuolumne River. The crossing is located in a timber harvesting area and the path is subject to frequent use by logging vehicles and residents of the property. The current crossing is partially submerged year round and fully submerged during wet weather storm events. Recently, the state of California’s Regional Water Quality Control Board has identified an increase in sediment loading and erosion in streams due to logging traffic. During wet weather events the river crossing may become inaccessible. The steep driveway grades also create a safety hazard for traffic during winter months. As a solution to the access and environmental river crossing issues, Mr. Ford is looking to build a bridge.

The structure will require no upkeep during the winter seasons and is intended to prevent avalanches up to six and a half feet of snow. During the summer seasons it is Trifecta’s intent that the structure will blend into the landscape and look as if it belongs in the surrounding environment.

Municipal Water Storage Upgrade, City of Oakdale, California Thanh Do, Dameon Flores, Caroline Grant, Gregory Weissmann Faculty mentors: Scott Merry, Camilla Saviz, Luke Lee, Dr. Gary Litton

Vision Consulting Engineers will provide services in the design of a bridge to cross the Tuolumne River. With the addition of a bridge, there will be improved year-round access, quality of life, safety of the residents. In addition,

The City of Oakdale is an agricultural and food production town located in Stanislaus County. Since 2006, the City’s population has increased by over 30% and is now nearing 21,000 people.

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Civil Engineering Senior Projects sediment disturbance and potential pollutants from vehicles and increased erosion potential due to vehicle traffic will be mitigated. The design of the bridge will include an assessment of the site conditions that includes: development of topographic maps and site cross sections, hydraulic modeling used to assess hydraulic characteristics of the stream, geotechnical analysis used to estimate soil properties and foundation design, and structural design of a bridge having a span of 80 feet.

San Joaquin Regional Transit District Mall Transfer Station Expansion Project William Moreno, Jesse Proud, Vicki Thai Faculty Mentor: Scott Merry The San Joaquin Regional Transit District (SJRTD) has expressed a desire to expand an existing mall transfer station in the City of Stockton on West Yokuts Avenue between Pacific Avenue and Claremont Avenue, between the Weberstown and Sherwood Malls. The new transit station will house Metro Hoppers (Hoppers), a bus service that accommodates Americans with Disabilities (ADA) certified passengers. Currently six (6) Hoppers are using the northern region of the mall parking lot as a passenger loading and unloading zone. The purpose of this project is to provide a permanent, efficient, and user-friendly bus transfer facility for mall patrons and bus passengers.

Pacific Outdoor Greek Theater Scott Henderson, Elizabeth Avelar, Natalie Muradian Faculty Mentors: Mary Kay Camarillo, Hector Estrada, Luke Lee, Gary Litton, Scott Merry, Camilla Saviz, Patrick Cavanaugh, Randal Enlow, Cathie McClellan

Tekton Prestige Engineering (Tekton) understands that SJRTD plans to develop a mall transfer station at Yokuts Avenue to assist traffic of the existing Hoppers. The new facility will accommodate bus access for the transit route entering and exiting the transit stop, as well as accessibility for pedestrians from the surrounding area of stores and restaurants. To facilitate movement of pedestrians through the street without conflict with motor vehicles, designated pedestrian crosswalks and sidewalks connecting the two malls. The expansion project also requires new pavement design and the planning of an adjacent parking garage to recover eliminated parking spaces. Engineered solutions will be designed per California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Highway Design Manual, American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) specifications and ADA standards.

Greek theaters have been used throughout history as gathering places for the colorful celebration of religious and civic beliefs. The sharing of artistic expression was attended by all citizens, whether rich or poor. By bringing everyone together to share art and emotions, a sense of community was created. Using Greek theaters to encourage social bonding, a greater participation in the community, and greater civic contribution is a tradition that is still utilized today. University of the Pacific (Pacific) can bring this ancient tradition into the 21st century through the construction of a Greek theater, as Pacific does not currently have an outdoor venue that is solely dedicated to the performing arts. While there are several indoor theaters with capacities ranging from 100-800, Pacific’s only outdoor venues are specifically designed for sporting events. By designing an outdoor amphitheater with a capacity ranging from 250400 persons, Pacific can increase the variety and quality of events offered to its students and the Stockton community. The preliminary design of Greek Theater dimensions and layout will be based primarily on a capacity dictated by cost effective use of space. Candidate site locations will be selected based on dimensions and a feasibility analysis. After selecting a final site, the design will be finalized, including the evaluation and design of slopes and foundation, stormwater management, structural considerations, and an engineer’s estimate of costs.

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Computer Science Senior Projects Media Aggregation Website

Lanmes

Jeremy Ai Faculty Mentors: Jinzhu Gao, Michael Doherty

Kyle Dodge Faculty Mentors: Jinzhu Gao, Michael Doherty

The goal of my project is to design and create a website where users can post and share media content. Such content includes images, news stories, videos, and links to external websites. While many such websites already exist, the goal of this project is to take a variety of features from other such sites and combine the best features into one website. Anonymous posting is a prominent feature; users will not have to create any account before posting content or comments. Users will also be able to vote on content, with a positive vote ratio providing greater visibility, and a negative vote ratio resulting in poor visibility or even deletion. Content visibility will also be affected by other factors, such as view count and time of creation. Such features attempt to allow for well received content to be visible for a short period of time, before making way for new content.

My project is to design and build a fullyfunctional, lightweight Instant Messaging program that allows users to communicate with each other without sending data outside of their trusted local network. The program is based on the *nix command line, and has no graphical interface. This allows the user to load the program without much waiting time, and conserves system resources by not requiring a Graphical User Interface (GUI), which would take up memory and processing time. It also allows the user to run the program without having to install a windowing system, like X. The program will be written in C, and most of the work will be done using the Eclipse environment. Aside from basic messaging, Lanmes will include a discovery feature that allows the user to see who else is using Lanmes on their LAN. Basic sending of a message only requires that a user enter the destination IP address and the message, but effort will be put into allowing a "quick response" feature, avoiding the need for the user to type the entire IP address. While some of the features like "discovery" and "quick response" seem essential for an instant messenger, it is imperative that the application stay lightweight and quick.

University of the Pacific Helper App Andrew Dirksen, Jerry Chen, Chris Trondsen Faculty Mentors: Jinzhu Gao, Michael Doherty We have developed an iPhone app to aid current students, prospective students, faculty and anyone else who wishes to understand the University of the Pacific. Our application provides three features commonly used by the faculty and enrolled students. Features including links to most used sites, a customized Google map to display building names, and a staff directory. • The Links section provides websites most commonly used most by students and faculty, such as InsidePacific, the Pacific Bookstore, and Pacific’s home page. It will also include commonly used external sites, such as ratemyprofessor.com. • The map section will help students find the location of campus buildings. We are also working on GPS navigation, and building name search. • The Staff Directory provides contact information for Pacific faculty and staff, for students in need of any kind of assistance. The directory features search functionality and will display name, email, and phone number.

Browser-Based Mobile Application for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Thomas Mendoza Faculty Mentors: Jinzhu Gao, Michael Doherty Mobile devices change at a very rapid pace. Consequently, the applications run on them must change to continue to be usable and keep up with updates to both hardware and operating systems. The browser-based application I've created (essentially a mobile web-application) meets the mobile data collection requirements we've established while being easy to maintain and cross-platform since it runs on anything with a browser. Additionally, the application is persistent allowing it to function both on and offline.

66

Computer Science Senior Projects fleeing the scene through the windows at the back of his home. In a blind rage caused by the death of his beloved, John retrieves the pistol that he has kept in case of an emergency. With his weapon in hand, John pursues his wife’s murderers through the dark streets of Monopolis. The game starts with John Raven hot on the tails of the attackers and ready to achieve his goal of vengeance.

Chapter Connection Phone App Peter Miller Faculty Mentors: Jinzhu Gao, Michael Doherty The Chapter Connection Phone App is an Android application that centralizes around chapter communications. It initially targets fraternities and sororities but will eventually be expanded to support general chapters or clubs of any kind. This app will provide an easy way to communicate within a group about private matters as well as to communicate with people outside the group for sharing information about events and news. The app will be free to the end user but organizations will be a charged a service fee for server space.

Secure Electronic Voting Website Victor Tachkov Faculty Mentors: Jinzhu Gao, Michael Doherty Up until now, the faculty at University of the Pacific has been casting their votes in faculty elections using the archaic method of exchanging emails and marking names on Portable Document Format (PDF) forms. With the implementation of my project, the Secure Electronic Voting Website, the difficulties associated with manually counting votes and coercing faculty members to vote will be mitigated. The proposed website provides a user-friendly interface for voting in an election from the comfort of one’s desk over the Internet. As the title suggests, the website will implement various preventative security measures, such as encrypting sensitive information stored on the server and preventing users from abusing and leveraging the system to gain an unfavorable advantage over the competition. The website is currently being developed using Microsoft’s ASP .NET Framework with C# as the server-side scripting language.

A user will request access to a particular group, with either member access or guest access. Since there will be different group levels of users, the communication aspect of the app can be easily controlled. If a notification needs to be pushed out to members of a group saying that the chapter meeting is at 5pm, it can be sent just to those members of that permission level. If a campus wide message needs to be sent out regarding philanthropy, it can be sent to members, students, administrators, etc. There will also be other functions of the app that will be activated according to the type of user.

Vengeance Michael Ongaro Faculty Mentors: Jinzhu Gao, Michael Doherty Vengeance is a shooter game developed for the Android mobile platform which has a twodimensional and a three-dimensional version. The character is controlled through an on-screen directional pad as well as on-screen buttons. The object of the game is to eliminate all enemies in each level. The player can accomplish this by running through the streets, or by climbing buildings through the process of jumping onto ledges and window sills. There are power-ups scattered throughout the level to aid the player in their objective of defeating all of the enemies. The story of Vengeance begins in the major metropolitan city of Monopolis. The main character, John Raven, comes home after work one night to find his wife murdered in cold blood. John hears sounds of the murderers

67

Electrical & Computer Engineering Senior Projects Virtual Gloves

Digital Note Recognizer

Edward Berbano, Gary Tang, Chris Xiong Faculty Mentor: Jennifer Ross

Justin Charette, Kenton Suzuki, Nick Yuen Faculty Sponsor: Cherian Mathews

We are creating a pair of motion-sensing gloves, also known as virtual reality gloves for their use in applications such as virtual reality, teleoperation of robotics, and video games. These gloves will use flex resistors and electronic accelerometers and gyroscopes as sensors. This means the gloves will be able to detect finger curvature and hand position and orientation. They will be also be able to detect both the hand's location as well as where it is pointing. The gloves will be battery-powered and will transmit wirelessly to a computer, where a demo program will process the data and display a pair of hands whose motions correspond to the user's movements. We will be demonstrating tasks such as browsing files and manipulating buttons in a virtual environment.

Our team has designed and built a portable and user friendly piano note recognizer. This device has two modes of operation. The first mode displays notes on the musical staff as the user plays the piano or other musical instrument. The second mode prompts the user to play a note and verifies that the correct note was played on the LCD screen. This project is designed, built and thoroughly tested. Several algorithms were considered for analyzing the audio signals. After testing a few, we developed code in MATLAB to process the audio signal and translated our solution to the Arduino Nano platform. Our unique design is implemented on our own printed circuit board that we created using Eagle ayout tools. The finished portable battery operated device will recognize single notes one octave above and below middle C.

Piano Note Recognizer Jay Brink, Mark Reed, Brandon Shields Faculty Mentor: Cherian Mathews

Wind Power Generator on a Movable Platform

We have designed and built a digital piano note recognizer. The device is able to detect and display note names as well as their position on the staff. The device recognizes a range of notes from one octave below, to one octave above Middle C. It has two modes of operation, the first of which will be a listening mode where the device will detect a sound is played and display it to the user on an LCD screen. In the second mode, the device will display a note to be played by the user, listen for it to be played, display the note played, and confirm whether it is correct or not. For signal processing, we develop MATLAB code using a fast Fourier transform and translated it to our microprocessor. We created a custom fabricated circuit board to hold our design. The device is battery operated and rechargeable with a standard 120 V AC Plug.

Trang Nguyen, Jon Hagerty, Joe Hasekamp

Faculty Mentor: Elizabth Basha Our project is to build a portable wind power generation unit. The application of this generator is to power a network of sensors deployed to collect data in the field. The assembly must be on a moveable platform to self-align itself with the wind, and transmit data wirelessly to a laptop for data collection. The device powers itself and chargs a backup battery for operation on low wind days. The generation unit must be able to stand outdoor conditions for continual operation in all weather conditions.

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Presenter Abstract Index Convertible Tandem Bike System

Automated Whiteboard Eraser

Steven Barry, Molly Beckler, Craig Burton, Jessica Ovieda Faculty Mentor: Kyle Watson

Carl Castro, ByungHoon Park, Daniel Schow, Phillip Yun Faculty Mentor: Kyle Watson

Tandem bicycles present many advantages to bicycle riders, but they are uncommon and inconvenient to own. The purpose of this project is to create a system that will transform two individual bicycles into one fully functional tandem bicycle, and then back into two individual bicycles. An attachment was designed and fabricated out of steel tubing and fittings to allow two individual bicycles to join into one tandem system. The design avoids permanent alterations to the individual bicycles, and allows either bicycle to occupy the front or rear position of the tandem system. This proves the concept that a convenient tandem bicycle is possible through the transformation of individual bicycles.

The automated whiteboard eraser is a whiteboard/eraser system where an automated eraser system is integrally mated with a whiteboard such that the simple press of a button will activate the system and cause the eraser to clean the board. The eraser is a vertically oriented wiper which spans the height of the board and is held in place by brackets at the top and bottom of the board. The brackets are floating on bearings at the top and bottom of the board, such that they are free to move horizontally along the board when driven by a motive force. A motor and track system is mounted on the back of the board, such that when activated, the motor assembly crawls along the track and moves the brackets at the top and bottom of the board. The brackets then move the vertical wiper horizontality across the board, erasing the contents of the board in one pass. The entire system is operated by a simple, 3 button interface mounted on the frame of the whiteboard and controlled by a Parallax BasicStamp control circuit.

Rotational Molding Machine for Small Parts Lindsey Miho, Joel Parra Hermosillo, Bonnie Zhu Faculty Mentor: Kyle Watson Rotational molding is a manufacturing process that is capable of fabricating hollow objects out of a thermoplastic material that is heated and rotated in order to form the desired shape. The primary advantages of this process are that it involves inexpensive tooling in comparison with other manufacturing processes that are able to fabricate similar parts; very little material is wasted while fabricating a part; a part can be fabricated quickly and easily; and the products made from rotational molding can be recycled, thereby satisfying industrial sustainability goals.

Recirculating Solar Hot Water Heater System Lane Cowan, Ernesto Hernandez, Michael Sandoval Faculty Mentor: Kyle Watson Reducing the cost of heating water for household use by the means of a passive solar collector is the goal of this project. A solar hot water heater system with the ability to heat water from a preexisting household water heater was designed and built to reduce both the cost of heating and reduce the carbon footprint of each household. The panel consists of a frame that is well insulated and uses conduction as well as convection processes to heat the water flowing through the copper tubing. It was determined from testing that four gallons of water could be heated from 65 degrees Fahrenheit to 120 degrees Fahrenheit in one hour. It was also determined that a savings of $10 per month could be achieved by recirculating the water from the household water heater to the solar collector.

These benefits make rotational molding ideal for prototyping and for creating parts that can be studied in Materials Science, Manufacturing, and Polymer and Composite Materials, where samples can be easily fabricated and the behavior and material properties of these samples can be studied. For this project, the objectives for the design and fabrication of the machine are to design and fabricate a device that is capable of rotation about two axes with a fixture capacity of up to 1 cubic foot, a variable heat source of up to 500°F, and a variable speed system with a range of up to 50 rpm for a total cost of under $1750.

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Presenter Abstract Index Student Presenter

Session

Juan Manuel Abundes

Poster Session II, Poster #73

61

Kimiko Agari

Poster Session II, Poster #57

56

Jacky Aguilar

Poster Session II, Poster #61

57

Marisol Aguilera

Poster Session I, Poster #9

40

Caroline Aguirre

Senior Art & Design Show

19

Jeremy Ai

Computer Science Senior Projects

66

Hasan Alkazemi

Poster Session II, Poster #37

50

Hasan AlKazemi

Poster Session II, Poster #61

57

TyaCamellia Allred

Oral Session, 10:20-10:40

31

Gwen Alldredge

Poster Session II, Poster #35

49

Steven An

Poster Session II, Poster #44

52

Chynna Andeola

Oral Session, 10:20-10:40

31

Matthew Anderson

Civil Engineering Senior Projects

64

Casey Ardrey

Poster Session II, Poster #43

52

Aaron Au

Poster Session II, Poster #44

52

Elizabeth Avelar

Civil Engineering Senior Projects

65

Olga Bachour

Poster Session II, Poster #45

53

Steven Barry

Mechanical Engineering Senior Projects

69

Ellen Barton

Oral Session, 11:40-12:00

32

Zachary Bates

Senior Art & Design Show

20

Molly Beckler

Mechanical Engineering Senior Projects

69

Edward Berbano

Electrical & Computer Engineering Senior Projects

68

Lindsay Biggarn

Senior Art & Design Show

21

Sejal Bhayani

Poster Session II, Poster #38

50

Jay Brink

Electrical & Computer Engineering Senior Projects

68

Logan Brodnansky

Poster Session II, Poster #33

49

Craig Burton

Mechanical Engineering Senior Projects

69

Maya Campbell-Unsoeld

Oral Session, 11:00-11:20

32

Rubi Carrillo

Poster Session I, Poster #15

42

Brenna Carillo-Zazueta

Poster Session II, Poster #33

49

Gracie Castillo

Poster Session II, Poster #24

45

Page

70

Presenter Abstract Index Student Presenter

Session

Carl Castro

Mechanical Engineering Senior Projects

69

Antonia Centeno

Poster Session II, Poster #38

50

Kai Chang

Poster Session II, Poster #45

53

Shannon Chapman

Poster Session II, Poster #5

39

Justin Charette

Electrical & Computer Engineering Senior Projects

68

Tyler Chuang

Bioengineering Senior Projects

63

Megan Chavez

Oral Session, 11:20-11:40

32

Erica Chean

Poster Session II, Poster #25

46

Annie Chen

Poster Session II, Poster #46

53

Annie Chen

Poster Session II, Poster #47

53

Jerry Chen,

Computer Science Senior Projects

66

Richard Chen

Poster Session II, Poster #62

57

Sandy Chen

Poster Session II, Poster #46

53

Sandy Chen

Poster Session II, Poster #47

53

Sarah Chiu

Poster Session II, Poster #74

61

Jonathan Choy

Poster Session II, Poster #37

50

Sophia Chou

Poster Session II, Poster #61

57

Allison Colberg

Senior Art & Design Show

22

Joanna Mari Concha Guhit

Poster Session II, Poster #27

46

Kassandra Cooper

Poster Session II, Poster #48

53

Monica Cortez-Guardado

Poater Session I, Poster #8

40

Theresa Cortez-Guardado

Poster Sesssion I, Poster #8

40

Cynthia Co Ting Keh

Poster Session II, Poster #63

58

Lane Cowan

Mechanical Engineering Senior Projects

69

Amir Cruz-Khalili

Poster Session I, Poster #10

41

Oliver Dam

Poster Session II, Poster #49

54

Aaron Davis

Senior Art & Design Show

23

Marissa Davis

Poster Session I, Poster #10

41

Nestor Decierdo

Bioengineering Senior Projects

63

Minhchau Dinh

Oral Session, 1:40-2:00

34

Minhchau Dinh

Poster Session II, Poster #34

49

Page

71

Presenter Abstract Index Abstract Page

Student Presenter

Session

Andrew Dirksen

Computer Science Senior Projects

66

Thanh Do

Civil Engineering Senior Projects

64

Kyle Dodge

Computer Science Senior Projects

66

Emily Duarte

Oral Session, 3:40-4:00

35

Ginny Durakovich

Poster Session I, Poster #11

41

Matthew Ebia

Poster Session II, Poster #20

44

Matthew Ebia

Bioengineering Senior Projects

63

Emilio Cortes Elviña

Poster Session II, Poster #26

46

Evan Eyster

Civil Engineering Senior Projects

64

Dameon Flores

Civil Engineering Senior Projects

64

Itzel Flores

Poster Session I, Poster #15

42

Alec Follmer

Poster Session II, Poster #35

49

Alina Franco

Poster Session I, Poster #11

41

Chelsea Fredrick

Oral Session, 4:20-4:40

36

Bryant Fukuda

Civil Engineering Senior Projects

64

Diana Furukawa

Poster Session II, Poster #36

50

Theresa Gallagher

Senior Art & Design Show

24

Ana Garcia

Oral Session , 9:00-9:20

30

Ernest A. Garcia

Poster Session II, Poster #21

44

Gabriella Giannini

Oral Session 4:40-5:00

36

Tyler Glassford

Poster Session I, Poster #12

41

Alisa Gordon

Poster Session I, Poster #13

42

Caroline Grant

Civil Engineering Senior Projects

64

Gurbir Gudia

Poster Session II, Poster #70

60

Arlen Guillen

Oral Session, 4:00-4:20

36

Seung Wan Ha

Poster Session II, Poster #32

48

Nathan Haberkern

Poster Session II, Poster #50

54

Jon Hagerty

Electrical & Computer Engineering Senior Projects

68

Haley Hartwick

Poster Session I, Poster #3

38

Joe Hasekamp

Electrical & Computer Engineering Senior Projects

68

Xaio Xaio He

Poster Session I, Poster #13

42

72

Presenter Abstract Index Student Presenter

Session

Scott Henderson

Civil Engineering Senior Projects

65

Ernesto Hernandez

Mechanical Engineering Senior Projects

69

Brandon Hill

Bioengineering Senior Projects

63

Alex Hoang-Mendoza

Poster Session II, Poster #62

57

Johanna Hsieh

Poster Session II, Poster #31

48

Brianna Hu

Poster Session II, Poster #33

49

Christine Hu

Poster Session II, Poster #69

60

Jonathan Huang

Poster Session II, Poster #51

54

Vivian Huangi

Poster Session II, Poster #46

53

Vivian Huangi

Poster Session II, Poster #47

53

Heidi Huh

Poster Session II, Poster #25

46

Dandre Ignacio

Poster Session I, Poster #14

42

Jennifer Immel

Oral Session, 10:00-10:20

31

Jonel Imutan

Poster Session I, Poster #12

41

Marissa Ito

Oral Session, 9:20-9:40

30

Tabrisha Johnican

Poster Session I, Poster #10

41

Brianna Juhrend

Poster Session II, Poster #18

43

Codi Kaiser

Oral Session, 11:40-12:00

32

Sean Kagan

Poster Session I, Poster #12

41

Patrick Kang

Poster Session II, Poster #39

51

Lisa Keikoan

Poster Session II, Poster #40

51

Moid Khan

Poster Session II, Poster #28

47

Elaina Khoo

Poster Session II, Poster #73

61

Charles Kim

Poster Session II, Poster #32

48

Cina Kim

Poster Session II, Poster #42

52

Eugene Kim

Poster Session II, Poster #64

58

Jin Kim

Oral Session, 10:40-11:00

31

Stephen Kim

Poster Session II, Poster #52

54

Hilary King

Oral Session, 11:20-11:40

32

Jay Ko

Poster Session II, Poster #65

58

Evan Kristiansen

Poster Session II, Poster #53

55

Page

73

Presenter Abstract Index Student Presenter

Session

Evan Kristiansen

Poster Session II, Poster #54

55

Rebecca Kutcher

Poster Session II Poster #4

38

Joanna Kwan

Poster Session I, Poster #16

43

Sirena Lau

Poster Session II, Poster #74

61

Nick Le

Poster Session II, Poster #40

51

Hyungsuk Lee

Poster Session II, Poster #73

61

Isaac Lee

Poster Session II, Poster #66

59

Jaeyoung Lee

Poster Session II, Poster #39

51

Una Lee

Poster Session II, Poster #74

61

Victoria Lewis

Poster Session II, Poster #46

53

Victoria Lewis

Poster Session II, Poster #47

53

Yifeng Li

Poster Session II, Poster #63

58

Albert Lin

Poster Session II, Poster #67

59

Connie Lin

Poster Session II, Poster #33

49

Daniel Kee Lu

Poster Session II, Poster #41

51

Diana Lujano

Poster Session I, Poster #9

40

Tex Mabalon

Poster Session II, Poster #45

53

Hasna Manghi

Poster Session II, Poster #46

53

Hasna Manghi

Poster Session II, Poster #47

53

Lyndsi Mark

Poster Session I, Poster #9

40

Michelle Martinez

Poster Session I, Poster #16

43

Mariah Mayon

Poster Session II, Poster #64

58

Ann McAdam

Oral Session, 9:40-10:00

30

Alexander Mendoza

Poster Session II, Poster #32

48

Thomas Mendoza

Computer Science Senior Projects

66

Lindsey Miho

Mechanical Engineering Senior Projects

69

Peter Miller

Computer Science Senior Projects

67

Pauline Montemayor

Poster Session II, Poster #29

47

Pauline Montamayor

Poster Session II, Poster #39

51

Jorge Montanez

Poster Session I, Poster #15

42

Aliza Moody

Oral Session, 10:20-10:40

31

Page

74

Presenter Abstract Index Abstract Page

Student Presenter

Session

William Moreno

Civil Engineering Senior Projects

65

Pachai Moua

Poster Session II, Poster #58

56

Natalie Muradian

Civil Engineering Senior Projects

65

Bertha Muro Mora

Poster Session I, Poster #14

42

Maria Nattestad

Poster Session II, Poster #59

56

Eeva Nelson

Oral Session, 3:20-3:40

35

Brian Ng

Poster Session I, Poster #14

42

Josh Hai Ngo

Civil Engineering Senior Projects

64

Christopher Nguyen

Poster Session II, Poster #39

51

Nancy Nguyen

Poster Session II, Poster #65

58

Quang Nguyen

Poster Session II, Poster #38

50

Stephanie Nguyen

Poster Session II, Poster #29

47

Trang Nguyen

Electrical & Computer Engineering Senior Projects

68

Vickie Nguyen

Poster Session II. Poster #74

61

Raquel O’Connor

Poster Session II, Poster #48

53

Raquel O’Connor

Poster Session II, Poster #55

55

Raquel O’Connor

Poster Session II, Poster #56

56

Steve Oh

Poster Session II, Poster #63

58

Sally Ok

Poster Session II, Poster #66

59

Amy Olmos

Oral Session, 3:00-3:20

35

Michael Ongaro

Computer Science Senior Projects

67

Kristin Oshiro

Poster Session II, Poster #59

56

Nicole Otte

Poster Session I, Poster #13

42

Jennifer Ou

Poster Session II, Poster #73

61

Jessical Ovieda

Mechanical Engineering Senior Projects

69

Amber Overgard

Poster Session II, Poster #41

51

Bhupinder Padda

Poster Session II, Poster #71

60

Rajneet Padda

Poster Session II, Poster #72

61

Mary Paduano

Poster Session II, Poster #30

48

Raymond Pandez

Poster Session II, Poster #65

58

ByungHoon Park

Mechanical Engineering Senior Projects

69

75

Presenter Abstract Index Student Presenter

Session

Jun Park

Poster Session II, Poster #62

57

Joel Parra-Hermosillo

Mechanical Engineering Senior Projects

69

Asma Patel

Poster Session II, Poster #48

53

Asma Patel

Poster Session II, Poster #55

55

Asma Patel

Poster Session II, Poster #56

56

Neal Patel

Poster Session II, Poster #48

53

Neal Patel

Poster Session II, Poster #55

55

Neal Patel

Poster Session II, Poster #56

56

Priya Patel

Poster Session II, Poster #22

45

Priya Patel

Poster Session II, Poster #33

49

Derek Paw

Poster Session II, Poster #49

54

Frances Pham

Poster Session II, Poster #63

58

Pauline Pham

Poster Session II, Poster #62

57

Christina Pham-Le

Poster Session II, Poster #31

48

Brian Phan

Poster Session II, Poster #19

43

Susan Phy

Poster Session II, Poster #31

48

Hansel Poerwanto

Poster Session II. Poster #57

56

Danielle Procope

Oral Session, 1:00-1:20

33

Danielle Procope

Oral Session, 2:420-2:40

35

Jesse Proud

Civil Engineering Senior Projects

65

Annalisa Purnell

Poster Session I, Poster #7

39

Justin Pyun

Poster Session II, Poster #19

43

Faheen Qazi

Poster Session II, Poster #49

54

Christina Quach

Poster Session II, Poster #73

61

Taylor Rabara

Poster Session II, Poster #68

59

Mark Radanovich

Senior Art & Design Show

25

Darya Ramanava

Oral Session, 1:20-1:40

33

Grace Ramos

Bioengineering Senior Projects

63

Nydia Ramos

Poster Session I, Poster #15

42

Megan Rangel

Poster Session I, Poster #11

41

Reisa Rara

Poster Session II, Poster #68

59

Page

76

Presenter Abstract Index Student Presenter

Session

Hannah Rea

Poster Session I, Poster #2

38

Mark Reed

Electrical & Computer Engineering Senior Projects

68

Felicia Resendez

Poster Session II, Poster #73

61

Tiffany Riley

Poster Session II, Poster #48

53

Tiffany Riley

Poster Session II, Poster #55

55

Tiffany Riley

Poster Session II, Poster #56

56

John Romero

Civil Engineering Senior Projects

64

Katie Ross

Poster Session II, Poster #42

52

Kelly Rush

Poster Session I, Poster #16

43

Sadaf Sahibzada,

Poster Session I, Poster #10

41

Michael Sandoval

Mechanical Engineering Senior Projects

69

Anthony Sandoval-Junio

Poster Session I, Poster #9

40

Lia Santini

Senior Art & Design Show

26

Lindsay Sasaki

Oral Session, 11:40-12:00

32

Timothy Schell

Oral Session, 11:20-11:40

32

Daniel Schow

Mechanical Engineering Senior Projects

69

Jordan Schreiber

Oral Session, 2:00-2:20

34

Jennifer Sese

Senior Art & Design Show

27

Nadia Shaheen

Poster Session II, Poster #60

57

Aneesha Sharma

Poster Session II, Poster #68

59

Nina Shenke

Poster Session I, Poster #12

41

Brandon Shields

Electrical & Computer Engineering Senior Projects

68

Andrea Soto

Poster Session I, Poster #16

43

Isha Srivastava

Bioengineering Senior Projects

63

Sara Stookey

Poster Session I, Poster #1

38

Kenton Suzuki

Electrical & Computer Engineering Senior Projects

68

Jayme Swalin

Poster Session I, Poster #6

39

Victor Tachkov

Computer Science Senior Projects

67

Gary Tang

Electrical & Computer Engineering Senior Projects

68

Eileen Thai

Bioengineering Senior Projects

63

Vicki Thai

Civil Engineering Senior Projects

65

Page

77

Presenter Abstract Index Student Presenter

Session

Clifton Thammavongsa

Senior Art & Design Show

28

Moe Thien

Poster Session II, Poster #62

57

Christina Thompson

Poster Session I, Poster #11

41

Lan Tran

Poster Session II, Poster #31

48

Lan Tran

Poster Session II, Poster #37

50

Thao Tran

Poster Session II, Poster #66

59

Vu Tran

Poster Session II, Poster #65

58

Graham Travenick

Poster Session II, Poster #32

48

Mike Trinh

Poster Session II, Poster #39

51

Chris Trondsen

Computer Science Senior Projects

66

Laura Tsu

Poster Session II, Poster #23

45

Roberto Vera

Civil Engineering Senior Projects

64

Chris Weber

Poster Session II, Poster #32

48

Gregory Weissmann

Civil Engineering Senior Projects

64

Chad Wierlo

Poster Session II, Poster #32

48

Breanna Wong

Poster Session II, Poster #36

50

Sarah Anne Wong

Poster Session II, Poster #30

48

Chris Xiong

Electrical & Computer Engineering Senior Projects

68

Alex Yee

Poster Session II, Poster #56

56

Katherine Yin

Poster Session II, Poster #64

58

Nick Yuen

Electrical & Computer Engineering Senior Projects

68

Phillip Yun

Mechanical Engineering Senior Projects

69

Alexa Zaharris

Poster Session I, Poster #15

42

Yutian Zeng

Poster Session II, Poster #29

47

Damasio Zepeda

Civil Engineering Senior Projects

64

Lifang Zhou

Poster Session II, Poster #73

61

Bonnie Zhu

Mechanical Engineering Senior Projects

69

Amanda Zimmerman

Senior Art & Design Show

29

Page

78