Whispers of the Himalayas: Tales of Bhutan’s Celestial Beasts (Rachel Cardwell; mentored by Prof Jerry Gabriel)

My goal is to produce four fictional podcast episodes that center around the tales of celestial Bhutanese creatures: the Tiger (Tak), the Yeti (Migoi), the Takin, and the Dragon (Druk). The Himalayas contain a wealth of folklore that has long been neglected by Western audiences, in part due to lack of accessibility. The Kingdom of Bhutan is of particular interest to me because of SMCM’s study abroad program with Royal Thimphu College, as well as the country’s unique position as the last standing Buddhist kingdom in the world. While there are numerous other animals that are integral to Bhutan’s mythology, the four I’ve chosen provide an excellent basis for understanding the country’s deep connection to and passion for nature while also touching on important historical figures. Dzongkha-to-English translations of Bhutanese folktales exist, I intend to breathe new life into these stories through the medium of an immersive fiction podcast.

Translating Belief: An Ethnographic Analysis of Cultural Discourse and Community Identity in a Bilingual Church (Davis Gaalswyk; mentored by Dr. Brian Smithson)

The overall goal of this research is to conduct an ethnographic study of the congregation of Libertad Baptist Church. I hope to explore the ways in which the bilingual nature of the congregation plays a role in the church’s sense of identity and belonging in the rapidly shifting demographic landscape of St. Mary’s County, as well as what role the church plays in addressing feelings of marginalization among the Spanish-speaking community. This will involve weekly attendance of the church’s Sunday sermons, as well as any additional community outreach activities offered. During site visits, field notes will be taken. Additional interviews with the pastor and other community members with active leadership roles will be conducted and transcribed in accordance with the Institutional Review Board. I plan to use my research as a jumping-off point for my SMP next year. The end goal of this project will be an ethnographic presentation to be given to the congregation as a form of community reciprocity. This research will also serve as a starting point for my SMP that I will begin work on in the coming year. Libertad Baptist was chosen specifically as the research site due to its diverse congregation and the prevalence of Spanish-speaking members in both its laity and its clergy– another aim of this research is to bring to light the Spanish-speaking community of Southern Maryland, a growing yet underrepresented population, and to analyze how bilingualism comes into play in a community-oriented religious environment.

Effects of additional angles and seed points on origami structures (Noah Hanscom; mentored by Dr. Sara Chari)

Origami Structures are a recently developed mathematical concept that contains many different properties. These structures can form a subset of the complex plane. Many of these structures satisfy the properties of being a mathematical ring. This being said the goal of this project is to research how changing the set of angles and starting points alters the structure. I will also be looking at origami structures in 3-dimensions. Mathematics has been a foundation for STEM fields and being able to better understand these structures potentially allows for new understanding and connections to other real-life fields such as crystallography and cryptography.

A Look into the Luciferian Archetype in Media (Azra Kanakis; mentored by Dr. Karen Anderson)

Although he does not appear until the King James version of the Bible, many of us are familiar with the character of “Lucifer”; more often than not, this figure is conflated with the figure of Satan and represents pure evil or sin. However, in recent years, there has been an increase in the representation of Lucifer as something more than simply evil, turning him into something of a more sympathetic, flawed character who aims to do good. This trope of a “sympathetic Lucifer,” I hope to argue, has historical roots in John Milton’s Paradise Lost. My hope with the SURF program is to look at how Milton’s Lucifer appears in various contemporary literature, film, and TV shows and to trace just how Lucifer became the figure we know him as today; I hope to make that argument in a 20-30 page critical essay. I also hope to study the complexity of various cultural definitions of “pure evil” and how it is important to define and note these different morals within the representations, as I trace the attraction to this seemingly tragic figure and where this interest may stem from. This work would be foundational for my SMP, which would lean from the cultural and into the psychological foundations of religious thought and figures in the complication of human life, specifically with the ingroup/outgroup phenomenon where I would be studying how perceptions of characters like Lucifer could reflect perceptions of those who do not fall in line within a religious community.

Revitalizing the Healing Garden: Making Sustainability Sustainable (Kirby Kirby; mentored by Prof Haley Galloway)

The Healing Garden is an area located behind the Cobb House, close to the Queen Anne Residential Hall and Ethel Chance Wellness Center, on Saint Mary’s College of Maryland’s (SMCM) campus. It was originally established in 2011 by former Director of Counseling Services MJ Raleigh as a quiet space for Counseling Services patients to relax, and was recovered in 2013, 2018, and 2023 with various missions in mind. Currently, the garden is not maintained by the Physical Plant because it is not utilized by students or faculty, and because plantings have never been successful, according to Brad Newkirk at the Physical Plant. Because Counseling Services has recently moved to Margaret Brent, the space is no longer used by them. My goal is to research the Healing Garden to learn why it has required multiple recoveries in the past and how we can solve that issue to maintain a healthy, well-used Healing Garden. I will start by writing a literature review about the impact of green spaces on college campuses, which will give me the opportunity to research how students engage with green spaces to lay the groundwork for my project. I will then research the past history of the garden with the goal of discovering why garden maintenance has not been continuous in the past, the present conditions of the garden to learn how it can be improved, and a detailed future plan of how to reinvigorate and maintain the garden. Ultimately, I will deliver an in-depth report of a future plan for the garden that will serve as a green space for students and a native garden that will benefit the surrounding ecosystem. SMCM values sustainability, and the Healing Garden is an area that would reflect this value if it was successfully maintained. I will include a possible governance system, which will ensure stakeholders maintain upkeep of the garden beyond my time at SMCM. This final report will offer a feasible solution within the unique constraints of SMCM to revitalize and maintain the upkeep of the Healing Garden beyond my time as a student. This report will offer a set-up solution to a continuing problem this school has had: maintaining the upkeep of this garden in an effective, environmentally friendly manner.

Influence of invasive plant species in the diversity and behavior of bee communities in Southern Maryland (Isabella L’Italien; mentored by Dr. Lorena Torres Martinez)

Insect pollinators are essential for the survival of native plant species as well as the successful reproduction of some crops around Maryland. However, habitat changes and human transportation have introduced invasive plant species into native plant communities, causing competition for resources and pollinators. In many cases, this leads to the decline of native pollinators that rely on native plant species; specifically native bees that tend to specialize on the floral resources of native plant species. In the absence of such species, bee populations can decline, or tend toward more abundant invasive species, thus impacting the whole ecosystem and nearby farmlands. However, we know little about how invasive species influence pollinator behaviour in Southern Maryland. I propose to study the effects of invasive species on bee pollinator diversity and behaviour. I hypothesize that ecosystems dominated mostly by native plants are maintaining a higher diversity of specialist and native bee species while ecosystems where invasive and non-native plant species are dominant will have less specialized and more generalist bee species. I plan to test this hypothesis through field observations in meadows around Historic St. Mary’s City where different plots will be set up. In these plots, the plant abundance, diversity, and taxonomy will be characterized to identify native vs non-native dominated areas. Bee visitation and taxonomic identity will be characterized through the spring and summer over weekly sampling and collection. The findings of my study will provide insights into the effects of invasive plant species in bee pollinator communities in Southern Maryland.

Looking Into the Lavender: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of an Intersectional Identity (Judas Lackey; mentored by Prof Carrie Patterson)

This project will be a cross disciplinary, artistic exploration into the potential connection between the lesbian and genderqueer experiences. The goal behind this project will be to create a series of narrative paintings that will tell the story of the information I find in my research, either in support of or in opposition to my theory: that being a lesbian is an inherently genderqueer experience. I will take an anthropological approach in my creative research by conducting interviews with members of the St. Mary’s community, and contextualize my research through an art historical lens by comparing modern-day lesbian experiences to the experience of lesbian artists from the 1900’s. This series of paintings will serve to tell a story and to explore the role of genderqueerness within the lesbian experience, and this series will be exhibited from June 25 to Sept. 5, 2025, in the Art Department Hallwalls Gallery space. With this project I aim to give a platform to lesbians, as a group that has frequently been silenced, and to do so on a deeply personal and expressive level by depicting these messages through artworks. Right now is an especially important time to discuss this due to the current political climate, in response to threats to women's rights and attacks on freedom of gender expression. Beyond that, it is appropriate to deliver these ideas through art due to art’s integral role in historical

queer and feminist rights movements.

Management of Biology Collections: Development of an Archival System and Maintenance Standards for Specimens (Helena McCallister; mentored by Dr. Jenna Pruett)

The gap in research for how biology collections can be revived after facing neglect is glaring. This is a notable absence particularly when considering the research done on how these collections are instrumental to biological research. In this project the focus will be placed on the management of biological collections at a college institution with the goal to create a comprehensive set of standard procedures for the organization, cataloging, and maintenance of specimens. These processes will include the compiling of all relevant information on individual specimens, imaging, and organization of the collection both physically and electronically for ease of access. Whether or not the implementation of these standards has been successful will be determined upon the analysis of data gathered from surveys of college faculty both before and after the execution of the management procedures (pre-catalog and post-catalog surveys). If the results show that the procedures outlined produced an archival system that is navigable, thoroughly comprehensive, and likely to increase the usage of the collection in either an educational setting or for research purposes then the report of procedures may have the potential to be shared with institutions of a similar nature.

Investigating the role of the fragile X messenger ribonucleoprotein1 (FMR1) gene in the production of new neurons in the adult hippocampus. (Joan Ominuta; mentored by Dr. Sarah Latchney)

Seizures are sudden, uncontrolled electrical disturbances in the brain that can affect movement, behavior, and awareness. They often originate in the hippocampus, a brain region responsible for learning, memory, and emotions. The hippocampus is also one of the few areas where new neurons are produced throughout life, a process known as neurogenesis. While seizures can increase neurogenesis, the production of new neurons may disrupt the normal balance of brain cell growth and function, potentially leading to further seizure activity. Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is a common inherited cause of intellectual disability and autism. It is caused by the silencing of the fragile X messenger ribonucleoprotein 1 (FMR1) gene, which prevents the production of fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). Without FMRP, neurons cannot communicate properly, leading to cognitive and behavioral challenges. Seizures are common in individuals with FXS, affecting about 10% to 20% of males with the condition. Prior work in Dr. Latchney’s lab has shown that mouse models of seizures have atypical increases in neurogenesis, including cell proliferation, differentiation, and programmed cell death. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the loss of the FMR1 gene affects the levels of neurogenesis in the hippocampus of mice lacking the FMR1 gene. Based on Dr. Latchney’s prior work, we hypothesize that mice lacking FMR1 will show increased neurogenesis, characterized by an increase in cell proliferation and differentiation. By studying these mechanisms, we hope to improve our understanding of FXS and identify potential targets for restoring normal brain activity in individuals affected by seizures and neurodevelopmental disorders.

The Impact of the Ketogenic Diet on Cocaine Self-administration and Cocaine-seeking Motivated Behavior in Rats (Veronica Velez; mentored by Dr. Torry Dennis)

The Ketogenic (keto) diet is nutritionally low in carbohydrates, high in fat. In typical diets, the body breaks down carbohydrates to generate energy. In the keto diet, the body’s main source of fuel shifts to fat, using an alternative metabolic pathway to generate energy. This diet has well-established clinical applications, playing an effective role in managing conditions such as treatment-resistant epilepsy or obesity (Paoli et al., 2013). Recent preclinical studies have used rat models to examine the role of diet-induced ketosis in treating established drug addiction (Trinko et al., 2023). However, little research has been conducted exploring diet-induced ketosis as a preventative factor in establishing drug addiction. This study will use male and female Sprague-Dawley rats as a behavioral model for addiction, feeding them either a keto diet or a standard chow diet and teaching them cocaine self-administration. Rats will be trained to self-administer drugs through use of a fixed-ratio one schedule, then switch to a progressive-ratio schedule to assess drug-seeking motivation. This will help build understanding on how establishing diet-induced ketosis prior to addiction impacts learning and motivation for cocaine self-administration. We hypothesize that diet induced ketosis will serve a protective factor against acquiring drug addiction and will reduce cocaine-seeking motivation.

Constructing Graphs Cospectral to Double Brooms and Double Stars (Isabel Walder; mentored by Dr. Emily Barranca)

Let G = (V, E) be a simple, undirected graph. The spectrum of G is the multiset of eigenvalues of the adjacency matrix of G. There can exist multiple graphs with the same spectrum, but many of these cases occur with isomorphic graphs. When a set of graphs has the same spectrum but are structurally different, it becomes interesting to study the properties that govern these graph structures. The objective of this proposed project is to examine sets of graphs with the same spectra to a specific type of graph, known as a double broom. We will use methods for computing matrices from linear algebra to study the properties of these graphs. This will involve using a computer program to find graphs with the same spectrum and their corresponding adjacency matrices and then searching for generalizations in the matrix transformations. A larger goal of this research is to gain a better understanding of the relation between the structural elements of double brooms and graphs they share spectra with. This could eventually reveal a generality about which structural properties of graphs can be determined from the spectrum alone.