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Enjoy learning about our students' research!

Charlotte Chauwin

The Big Five personalities and their relationship with how individuals interact with one another in a social network

Charlotte's study explores how the Big Five personality traits and gender influence social interactions and relationship-building. Seventy high school students in a Science Research Program evaluated fictitious characters representing extreme versions of each Big Five trait, rating their likelihood of avoiding, befriending, or respecting them. Regression analyses revealed that characters' agreeableness significantly affected responses, while interactions between participants' traits and those of the characters also influenced behavior. These findings highlight the importance of personality in shaping social dynamics, offering insights for improving teamwork and conflict resolution.

Keira Eckhardt

Determining a relationship between music engagement levels and gains in social and communicative domains in children with autism: A music therapy case study utilizing the novel Music Engagement Scale

The lack of a standardized tool to measure music engagement in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been a significant gap in research, limiting the understanding of music therapy’s full potential. Keira’s work addresses this need by using the Music Engagement Scale (MES) to assess music engagement in a client with ASD during 41 video recordings of his music therapy sessions. The study also links increased music engagement to improvements in social outcomes, confirmed through a Zoom conference with the client's music therapist. This research underscores the potential of music therapy to enhance social skills and improve the quality of life for individuals with ASD.

Summer Feng

   Collaborative creativity and bicultural identity integration: The use of a dyad brainstorming intervention to enhance creativity in Asian-American females

With a world as interconnected and fast-paced as it is in the 21st century, innovation and collaboration are in high demand in industries around the globe. As many different cultures interact due to the ability to work beyond physical boundaries, we must turn our attention to examining the impact of cultural identity on collaborative creativity. Asian Americans, who are biculturals, have been shown to be crucial in various fields of research, including creativity, or the production of original and useful ideas. Summer determined the influence of cultural identity and collaboration on creative ability in Asian-Americans, aiming to advance research on the benefits of creativity in both the classroom and the workplace, in hopes of maximizing productivity in this global workforce.

Gabe Goldman

Exploring glaciogenic cloud seeding efficacy: Microphysical evidence of AgI impact in IOP 6 of the SNOWIE project

As climate change intensifies pressure on global water supplies, scientists are exploring new ways to enhance precipitation. Cloud seeding has long been studied as a potential method to support water resources. This study draws on data from the SNOWIE project in Idaho to evaluate the impact of glaciogenic cloud seeding. The findings suggest that seeding helped increase ice formation in targeted cloud regions, supporting the idea that it can influence snowfall. While challenges remain in proving its effectiveness due to natural variability, the results contribute to growing evidence that cloud seeding could play a role in future water management and climate adaptation strategies. 

Chloe Kohl

Elucidating the development of coaxially printed hollow tubules for applications in vascular engineering

Bioprinting, or 3D printing from live cells, could lead to the development of functional engineered tissue; however, before this could become a reality, it is first vital that bioprinted tissue contains functional vasculature, or the network of blood vessels necessary for cellular life. Chloe Kohl's study focused on understanding interactions between the bonds connecting polymer chains in hydrogels, the ink used for printing, and a reaction that could reduce the size of printed tissue to approach dimensions on the cellular level. In doing so, Chloe found evidence suggesting that the development of these bonds may impede the shrinkage process, a relationship that could help researchers optimize engineered vasculature.

Andrew Levy

Analyzing extracellular vesicles for prediction of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patient immunotherapy response

Prescribing the right treatment to cancer patients can be difficult, as not all treatments work well for all people. Andrew investigated a potential method to effectively determine whether one specific type of treatment, immunotherapy, would work well for individual head and neck cancer patients by analyzing their blood samples. Importantly, this non-invasive and personalized approach may facilitate the transition from surgical biopsy to blood draws, ultimately improving patient experiences and outcomes.

Cooper Lipton

Novel citric acid and tube furnace thermal processing-based recycling process for solid-state NMC electrodes substantiated by advanced microscopy techniques and machine learning-driven tomographic reconstruction

The growing demand for electric vehicles and renewable energy has escalated the need for key battery materials, such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese, while traditional recycling methods remain harmful and inefficient. Cooper developed an eco-friendly recycling method using citric acid and a tube furnace sintering process to recover valuable metals from spent lithium-based battery electrodes. Advanced analysis confirmed that the recovered metals are reusable in new batteries or other applications like electrochemical sensors. This cost-effective, scalable method offers a promising solution for sustainable battery recycling, supporting a more responsible, circular economy for battery materials.

Julia Mahairas

Exploring the relationship amongst concussion history, neurocognitive function, and sex in adolescent student athletes

Around 25% of Americans have suffered a concussion, which has been demonstrated to affect cognition in the short and long term, but the 1–10 year impact is underexplored. This study analyzed data from 8,419 adolescent athletes and found that those with one past concussion performed slightly better in visual-motor speed (p = 0.016) and reaction time (p = 0.008) than those with none, with sex also influencing results. Overall, concussion history didn’t significantly affect baseline cognitive function during the 1-10 year period, but long-term effects remain a concern. These findings support using ImPACT testing for all athletes and highlight the need for sex-specific concussion care.

Kayleigh McLaughlin

Validating a scale for Orthostatic Tremor (OT-10): A comparison between the OT-10 Scale and four standard scales for assessing balance disorder patients

Kayleigh McLaughlin examined the validity of a newly developed scale for the rare movement disorder Orthostatic Tremor (OT), a poorly understood condition. Kayleigh sought to show that the Orthostatic Tremor Severity and Disability Scale (OT-10) is an accurate tool by determining the relationship between the OT-10 and four other scales that are commonly used to assess OT patients but are not specifically tailored for OT. She found that patient scores between the scales were quite similar to each other, confirming that the OT-10 is a valid tool and can be used with confidence, paving the way for better diagnosis and symptom monitoring for OT patients.

Maya Molloy

In the shadow of self-image: Comparing item vs. associative memory for neutral and arousal stimuli in women with high- vs. low-severity eating disorder behaviors

Eating disorders (EDs) are serious mental health conditions defined as a persistent disturbance of eating behaviors that can impact cognition, including memory. Maya investigated how well individuals with high- and low-severity ED behaviors recall neutral and arousal (trigger) stimuli, focusing on differences in associative memory, or the ability to recall the association between two separate concepts. Her findings suggest that memory impairments in EDs are not uniform but may vary based on the severity of the ED behaviors and the emotional content of the stimuli, offering insight into how treatment can be targeted and specified for individual patients.

Arjun Nair

The influence between BEFORE, DURING, and SHAM conditions of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over the primary motor cortex on fine motor skill performance of the upper limbs in patients with Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) causes a depletion of dopamine in the brain, leading to a range of motor and non-motor symptoms. While conventional treatments mainly focus on alleviating cardinal motor symptoms, they often have limitations and do not address finer motor skills, such as precise movements like pinching and gripping. Arjun explored the potential of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) to improve these fine motor skills by analyzing a Precision Grip Task (PGT) and four transfer tasks, assessing three different tDCS conditions: BEFORE, DURING, and SHAM. His findings suggest that tDCS could significantly enhance fine motor control in PD patients, potentially improving their daily functioning and overall well-being.

Bella Pantusa

Pleural mesothelioma in women: Characterizing the impact of sex on survival

Females with diffuse pleural mesothelioma—a rare and aggressive cancer that affects the lining of the lung—tend to survive longer than males with the same disease. Although prior research has investigated this disparity, Bella confirmed this finding using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database to explore how the sex of a patient (female/male) affects the overall survival of mesothelioma patients. In addition, she was the first to identify two additional relevant variables, marital status and income, that also have an impact on the overall survival rate. Documenting the difference in survival rates highlights the importance of maintaining accurate and up-to-date databases, enabling healthcare providers to personalize treatments based on each individual's characteristics, ultimately providing patients with the finest care.

Addison Rappaport

“I’m not just a number”: A qualitative study of underrepresented adolescent and young adult cancer survivors’ experiences in cancer care and research

Within the U.S., health disparities exist impacting people's access to quality healthcare. This is a particular issue for minority groups, specifically those who are racial minorities and sexual and gender minorities (SGM). Addison Rappaport focused her research on adolescents and young adults of racial minorities, who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and/or SGM, who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Plus (LGBTQIA+) with cancer. Using transcripts of interviews with these individuals, she explored their access, representation, and experiences in cancer care and clinical research. In the long run, Addison hopes to improve cancer care and research for all young patients regardless of their background.

Hailey Sirkin

Epigenetic associations with maternal childhood abuse: Elucidating generational consequences on daughters' development through analyzation of DNA methylation

In 2021, over 210,000 children were reported to be abused by their mothers in America, many of whom will go on to have children of their own. Hailey investigated how childhood abuse experienced by mothers affects their daughters’ DNA and mental health, focusing on the role of epigenetics—chemical changes that influence gene function without altering DNA itself. Using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), Hailey examined methylation patterns and their potential links to mental health effects in daughters. This research aims to improve understanding of the mother-daughter relationship through epigenetics, with the hope of enhancing treatment for the long-lasting impacts of maternal trauma.

Madeleine Testa

An exploration into how deviations from normal onset ages of puberty impact migraine incidence, severity, and frequency

Migraine is a neurological condition that causes persistent headaches, affecting more than one billion people worldwide. While it has been established that there is a relationship between puberty and migraines during adolescence, the question remains whether the exact age when puberty starts makes a difference. Mady Testa explored how starting puberty earlier or later than normal might relate to how often migraines occur and their severity and frequency. Looking at data from a health insurance claims database, she found people with early puberty had fewer migraines compared to those with normal and delayed puberty. This suggests that hormonal changes during puberty do indeed influence migraine characteristics and highlights the importance of future research on puberty timing.

Jordyn Wolf

Developing a C. elegans twnk-1 knockout strain as a model of mitochondrial disease

Mitochondrial diseases are a category of devastating neurodegenerative diseases that stem from a genetic mutation in nuclear DNA or mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Within mitochondrial diseases, mitochondrial depletion syndrome (MDS) is a severe disorder characterized by a loss of physical mtDNA, causing mitochondrial dysfunction. Currently, there is no cure for MDS, but exploring the disorder within a C. elegans worm model will allow for investigation in further characterization of the disorder. Jordyn investigated MDS in this model to understand and characterize energy defects that exist by completing three characterization assays. Importantly, this research provides the essential foundation for both diagnostic and therapeutic advancements in the future, ultimately helping suffering patients with mitochondrial disease.

Adrianna Zawojek

Psychological explorations into the applications of working memory and reinforcement learning as a potential educational aid

In the United States, 1 in every 5 individuals is diagnosed with single or several learning disabilities (National Center for Learning Disabilities, 2024). These learning disabilities can pose obstacles for individuals in various realms of life, but specifically in education. A connection between learning disabilities and two specific kinds of memory, working memory (short-term) and reinforcement learning (long-term) has been suggested by previous literature (Collins et al., 2018), proposing a possible groundwork for solutions that may lead to improved teaching & learning methods for individuals with learning disabilities. Adrianna's study solidified this connection, and she will ultimately use her findings as a propeller towards developing novel tailored educational strategies targeted towards individuals with learning disabilities in order to improve their educational experiences, such as the use of foreign language acquisition.