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Presentation Details ACCOUNTING 2 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A16 Richmond Amoako Susan McPherson (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Quinsigamond Community College Future of Employment The future of employment is on every graduate's mind. This research focuses on the theory of employment, including what employment is, the effects of employment in our economy, and benefits of employment. It also delves into what employment was like in the past, as far back as 200 years ago, as well as the current state of employment and what kinds of jobs are now fading. Lastly, this research explores the paradigm of employment and what we should be expecting in the near future. Presentation Details 3 Room 801 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Nhi Hue Lang Zaur Rzakhanov (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Accounting and Finance, UMass Boston Opportunistic Financial Reporting: An Analysis of Meeting-or-Beating Earning Firms versus Consistent Earning Increases Firms In the attempt to contribute to the existing knowledge of earnings management, we propose to study the difference between two sets of firms. The first set of firms has a history of consistently meeting-or-beating analysts’ forecast over the prior 20-quarter period or more; we called these the MBE firms. The second set of firms has a history of consistent earnings increase over the prior 20-quarter period or more; we called these the CEI firms. First, we predict that CEI firms have stronger economic fundamentals than MBE firms because firms can sustain MBE strings by guiding analysts’ expectation downward, also known as expectations management, but they cannot sustain CEI string through expectation management simply because time-series forecasts are predetermined before earnings announcements. Second, we predict that MBE firms are more likely to experience the SEC enforcement actions than CEI firms. In doing so, we will gain insight into the economic fundamentals of MBE and CEI firms. In addition, we will identify a set of firms that use a more opportunistic financial reporting to sustain the string of positive earnings. Presentation Details 1 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A19 Declan Neil Taber Dorris Perryman (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Accounting, Bristol Community College Transition from GAAP to IFRS The expansion of business from existing in just the United States, to entering the global economy has posed certain changes from the traditional Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) to the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The purpose of this research is to look at what parts of GAAP have been converted, when and how these changes came about, and why the United States has not moved forward with the conversion project. Using scholarly literature through various databases, manuals on reporting information, and personal insights of experts in the field, the paper will closely examine these questions. Theoretically there has not been many changes from the GAAP standards to IFRS, and the conversion process that has taken place are the most basic and necessary changes. Any changes that occur to the reporting standards in accounting are important to understand and research as it affects how a business needs to report such finances. Presentation Details AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES 4 Room 162 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Nicholas Alexander Ozorowski Gretchen Gerzina (Faculty Sponsor) Commonwealth Honors College, UMass Amherst Not Your Protest Writer: James Baldwin and the 20th Century Black Radical Challenge In the spring of 1987, author, essayist, and scholar James Baldwin taught a course titled “The Afro-American Cultural Experience” in the W.E.B. Dubois Department of African American Studies here at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. As thirty years of time and space have created a metaphysical distance from his work, Baldwin’s legacy of literary resistance remains salient in discussions of contemporary racial politics – from policing to the polls. Introducing the course as a dialectic between A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens and Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, he constructs race in the US in his time as an impossibility - an obstruction to justice caught in the ideological and literary fictions of western civilization. Moving beyond these configurations, this presentation will analyze Baldwin’s construction of and resistance to the taxonimization of “The Protest Writer” as capturing the essence of his vision: a case for black futurity that demands interiority, complexity, and a critical understanding of a distinctly American experience in the greater Black Atlantic. I will argue that Baldwin, who maintained a complicated and at times precarious relationship to the social movements of his time, refused to compromise the contours of his identity commonly erased by modalities of resistance ultimately inherited from the West. In doing so, he temporally redefines the praxis of “radicalism” in the 20th Century – effectively precipitating contemporary movements that both center and prioritize nonnormative experiences of race and gender in their organization. Through a literary and historical exploration of Baldwin’s haunting relevance, I intend to suggest that a reassessment of his legacy could reveal a myriad of implications for current intellectual analytics as well as social movements currently challenging global oppression and injustice. In a world beyond his living imagination - of social unrest, of democratic failure, and of mass-mobilization – Baldwin’s cultural voice retains its unapologetic commitment to truth and justice, existing as a guide for navigating the infinite futures that lie ahead. Presentation Details ANIMAL SCIENCES 8 Hadley Room 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 Stephanie Julia Crowley Jesse Mager (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Veterinary Science, UMass Amherst Analysis of Differential Gene Expression during Gastrulation Onset of gastrulation marks a critical and dynamic period in development of the mammalian body plan. Examination of differential gene expression during murine gastrulation may provide insight behind the mechanisms of cell lineage commitment and pluripotency. To identify both temporal and spatial gene regulation during gastrulation (murine embryonic days 6.5-8.5 dpc), RNAseq of specific embryonic tissues was performed. The data was subsequently screened for differentially expressed gene candidates; approximately 150 candidates were filtered for potential novel characterization and ultimately, 13 genes were prioritized for further examination. We began the process of verifying this bioinformatic data in embryonic sections by creating DIG-labeled, antisense RNA probes. These probes will be used to visualize gene expression via section in situ hybridization (SISH). The results of these studies will identify novel differentially expressed genes during development that may play critical roles in lineage specification, differentiation or pluripotency. Presentation Details 5 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A34 Bradley I. Fowler Cassandra Uricchio (Faculty Sponsor) Stockbridge School of Agriculture, UMass Amherst Parasite Resistance and Egg Reappearance Period in Horses With the overuse of anthelmintics (dewormers) in the horse community, parasite resistance is on the rise and horse owners are relying more on fecal tests to monitor for resistance. This study examined the horses at the University of Massachusetts Amherst over a three month period to check for parasite levels and signs of resistance in S. cyathostomins (small strongyles), and compared different fecal float methods for accuracy. The methods used include the Modified McMaster Fecal Egg Count, Modified Wisconsin Fecal Egg Count (both pre and post treatment), and Fecal Egg Count Reduction Test (FECRT). Data was collected and analyzed from different groups of horses based on age, breed, and gender. The data collected included Egg Reappearance Period (ERP), eggs per gram, and efficacy of different classes of dewormers. This information is critical to creating a targeted deworming program and preventing future parasite resistance. Presentation Details 9 Hadley Room 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 Rosemary Joan Huggins D. Joseph Jerry (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, UMass Amherst Genetic Modifiers of Mammary Tumor Susceptibility in BALB/c and C57BL/6 Mice Trp53+/- BALB/c mice frequently develop mammary tumors, similar to women with inherited mutations in TP53. However, Trp53+/- C57BL/6 mice do not develop mammary tumors. Genetic crosses between C57BL/6 mice and BALB/c have identified a linkage to a locus on chromosome 7, designated SuprMam1. Recombinant congenic mice were selected that are nearly genetically identical to BALB/c mice except for a small region of chromosome 7 that corresponds to the C57BL/6 genome. This 20Mb region, spanning from 122-142Mb of chromosome 7, is associated with a difference in rates of homology-directed repair (HDR). HDR is important for maintaining genomic integrity through accurate repair of DNA double-stranded breakage. However, susceptible BALB/c mice have altered rates of HDR, which may be associated with less efficient DNA replication. DNA fiber assays help determine the effects of slowed replication on maintaining replication forks in proliferating cells. By integrating the fluorescently labelled IdU and CldU nucleotide analogues into the replicating DNA, fluorescent microscopy is used to analyze the different modes of replication carried out by cells after exposure to replicative stress. Different patterns of IdU and CldU labelling can represent different replication events. Preliminary data supports the idea that susceptible BALB/c mice exhibit more cases of stalled forks and inefficient replication. With this information, we can further analyze the 20Mb SuprMam1 region for genes involved in maintaining replication forks and promoting efficient replication. If a gene is found that is responsible for the difference in mammary tumor susceptibility in mice, there may be a similar gene in humans to serve as a therapeutic target for women with inherited TP53 mutations. Presentation Details 6 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A35 Katelyn J. Perkins Kathleen Arcaro (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Animal Sciences, UMass Amherst Effects of Maternal Diet on Breastfed Infants Microbiome The establishment and development of a healthy gut microbial community is essential for infant health. Human breast milk can influence the gut microbial community by providing human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), which are indigestible by the infant and act as prebiotics for favorable infant gut microbes. Breast milk can also directly transfer microbes from breast to belly. There is little information about the effects of maternal diet on the gut microbiome of the breastfed infant. We have a unique opportunity to examine the effects of maternal diet on the infant gut microbial community. Infant fecal samples were collected adjunct to a study modifying maternal diet to increase fruit and vegetable consumption. Fecal samples were collected from 10 infants (1 to 26 months old); 5 from the control group and 5 from the intervention group at baseline and at 12 weeks. Three of 10 infants were exclusively breastfed at the baseline collection point, and two of 10 infants at the final collection. Seven of the 10 infants were vaginally delivered. The infant gut microbial community will be determined for samples collected at baseline and at 12 weeks using next generation sequencing of 16s rRNA (V3 and V4 region) in this unique nutritional context. Presentation Details 7 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A36 Jackson Tyler Riseman Rachel D'Andrea Mohamed Halabi Thomas J. Kania Kathleen Arcaro (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Animal Sciences, UMass Amherst Optimization of Bisulfite-Amplicon Massively Parallel Sequencing for Validation of Methylation Array Data Epidemiologic studies assessing methylation of white blood cell DNA using array technology have identified CpG sites associated with breast cancer risk. These intriguing results require validation with highly sensitive technology. Massively parallel amplicon sequencing of bisulfite-modified DNA, in which a cytosine to uracil nucleotide change indicates an unmethylated CpG site, is considered one of the most sensitive technologies for detecting sequence-specific cytosine methylation. However, development of primers for non-biased amplification of methylated and unmethylated DNA within CpG-dense regions remains difficult and a potential obstacle to validation studies. In the present study we developed primers for 28 target amplicons containing CpG sites with methylation patterns previously shown to be associated with breast cancer risk. Tagmentation-mediated DNA library preparation, and high-throughput Illumina NextSeq amplicon sequencing of DNA with known percent of methylation (0, 5, 10, 15, 25, 50, 75 and 100) allowed us to assess the extent to which our methods accurately detected methylation of specific CpG sites. Of the 28 target amplicons, only eight exhibited R2>0.9 between the expected and the observed methylation. To further verify these 8 target amplicons, we used quantitative PCR to ensure a single product in the dissociation curve. We now plan to capitalize on prospectively-drawn sera originating from the Prostate, Lung, Colon, and Ovarian Cancer National Cancer Institute cohort, by examining white blood cell DNA methylation for the 8 target amplicons from sera taken 1-2 years and 4-7 years prior to breast cancer diagnosis among 300 cases and 300 controls. Presentation Details 10 Hadley Room 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 Natalia Trikoz Karen A. Dunphy (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, UMass Amherst The Effect of Activin and TGFβ on Breast Cancer In Vitro and In Vivo – Assessing Epithelial Differentiation and Tumorigenesis Parity is the most significant factor that can modify breast cancer potential. Epidemiological studies have established that there is a life-long protective effect associated with pregnancy. Activin and TGFβ are cytokines of the Transforming Growth Factor superfamily and are thought to have similar function, however their temporal expression patterns and functions during pregnancy suggest otherwise. TGFβ is expressed during involution of mammary epithelium after cessation of lactation, and is responsible for cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Activin, on the other hand, is present throughout pregnancy and peaks during lactation, and is presumed to be responsible for differentiation of mammary epithelium. Women who suffer from preeclampsia during pregnancy have higher levels of serum Activin and an increased protection against breast cancer relative to women that have undergone a normal pregnancy. Results from the Jerry/Dunphy lab showed that in vivo, CDβGeo cells pre-treated with TGFβ undergo Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) and developed into mammary tumors in 100% of the mice. In contrast, Activin-treated cells had poor outgrowth potential when transplanted into mice, and tumor potential could not be defined. We hypothesize that Activin is part of the protective effect of parity and functions to promote epithelial cell differentiation and decrease the stem cell population. Therefore, we will compare proliferative responses and progenitor activity of mouse mammary epithelial cells in response to Activin-treatment in vitro and in vivo. Presentation Details ANTHROPOLOGY 11 Room 163 8:30-9:15 Panel 1 Abigail Hupfer Anson Kathleen A. Brown-Perez (Faculty Sponsor) Commonwealth Honors College, UMass Amherst Reforming Mass Incarceration: The Benefits of a Ten-Year Maximum Sentence for All Crimes The United States criminal justice system is one of the most extensive in the world, and is viewed by American citizens as completely immutable. This honors thesis discusses the problems inherent in the system of mass incarceration, looking at the racial history of the prison industrial complex and racial and other discriminatory structures that frame it today. Also discussed is the financial burden of this system, as well as “aging out of crime” trends and the impracticality of death-in-prison sentences. These factors, combined with the lack of substantive rehabilitation and focus on vengeance, as well as the extensive collateral consequences for prisoners, their families, and communities, call for a dramatic reduction in the length of sentencing policy. It will argue for a universal ten-year maximum sentence for all crimes. Presentation Details 21 Room 163 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Kayara Burnett Kathleen A. Brown-Perez (Faculty Sponsor) Commonwealth Honors College, UMass Amherst Innocent until Proven Poor: The Relationship between Race, Poverty, and Crime in the United States In this work, I will explore the connections between race, poverty, and crime in the United States. The primary objective in this research is to highlight the fact that the huge disparities that exist between rates of crime by race, rates of wealth by race, and rates of crime by wealth. It is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the disproportionalities in the representations of the races in nearly every aspect of life. This problem was studied through careful library research of each individual aspect of race, poverty, and crime, and then the synthesis of two or more aspects with each other. Sources consulted include contemporary work such as Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow to sources as old as 1975 to illustrate that the inequalities that were present in the past are still present today, though they may manifest themselves differently. Mass incarceration is one of those manifestations that has evolved from as far back as slavery in the United States. And it was the policies and practices put in place during the Nixon/Reagan presidencies that can account for the disproportionate representation of minorities in jails and prisons today. A serious restructuring of America’s criminal justice and welfare systems is needed if we are to see equity. Presentation Details 12 Room 163 8:30-9:15 Panel 1 Benjamin Worthington Colman Kathleen A. Brown-Perez (Faculty Sponsor) Commonwealth Honors College, UMass Amherst The World’s Largest Correctional Officer: America’s Desperate Need to End the War on Drugs in Lieu of Substance Abuse Treatment Drugs and crime are synonymous to each other, with substance abuse often being the lead cause of an individual’s criminal behavior and subsequent incarceration. However, incarcerating an offender for a drug-related crime only addresses the consequence of substance abuse, namely the criminal act, whereas, in order to prevent drug-related crime, the criminal justice system needs to address the source of an addict’s criminality, their addiction. Through America’s War on Drugs substance abusers are aggressively arrested and incarcerated for non-violent crime, with minorities in particular disproportionately targeted. Furthermore, America’s four-and-a-half-decade long drug war is costing American taxpayers significantly more than they can afford, but it has not decreased rates of substance abuse. This is evident as America is now facing an opioid epidemic that killed more people from drug overdoses in 2014 than ever before. Courtmandated rehabilitation programs are a substantially better option for preventing drug induced crime, because they address the environmental and psychological factors that cause an addict to commit crime in the first place. Furthermore, treatment helps prevent recently released addicts from reoffending by providing them with methods for staying sober and away from crime. In this paper, I analyze all the faults of America’s drug war to prove why it is ineffective. Then I provide sufficient evidence to prove that treatment is more effective in reducing substance abuse and criminal behavior among recently released drug offenders. Finally, I conclude with a platform for how treatment should operate to be successful. Presentation Details 26 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A20 Kristi Dorr Susan McPherson (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Quinsigamond Community College Religious Shifts in the Contemporary West In a Gallup poll conducted in 1937, 73 percent of Americans surveyed reported themselves to be members of a church or synagogue. In polls as recent as 2016, this number has dropped significantly to 55 percent. In spite of the decrease in memberships of religious institutions, however, 89 percent of Americans were reported to believe in God (or, in some cases, a universal spirit). By examining polling data, anthropological and theological studies, as well as sociological research, this project analyzes the possible reasons for this discrepancy in contemporary America and Europe: specifically, the declining interest in organized Judeo-Christian religions and the rising interest in more open-ended New Age religions and spiritualities, such as Neopaganism. Presentation Details 16 Room 163 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Nathaniel Fair Kathleen A. Brown-Perez (Faculty Sponsor) Commonwealth Honors College, UMass Amherst The Canal Chronicles: A Case Study in American Greatness If the human brain were a computer, a language would be the code for operating all of its higher-level functioning. Languages are simply sets of symbols that allow the transmission of information for interpretation by individuals. As such, in the wake of the 2016 election, what does greatness look like? The rise of a demagogue like Trump is a crowning example to the tyranny of the central authority. In order to unmask the demon masquerading as Uncle Sam, it is necessary to deconstruct the narrative of American greatness that has been its license for all manner of evils. As the internal problems of race and class eternally fail to shake the unfathomable faith in the capitalist democracy, an investigation of American greatness abroad will reveal they are not simply accidents of time and place. With 150 years under the weight of the Colossus, Panama is a perfect case study. An unlawful treaty created a U.S. colony inside the protective neocolony buffer of the Republic of Panama. From 1846-1931, the U.S. military played a direct role in restricting Panamanian self-government. From the stronghold of the Canal Zone, military operations were carried out all over Latin America. In doing so, the Colossus regularly allied itself with brutal dictators. In Panama, these were Omar Torrijos and Manuel Noriega. These strongmen helped the U.S. pursue hemispheric dominance from 1968-1989 and the rhetoric surrounding the 1989 invasion of Panama to oust Noriega is an example of the Colossus trying to cover up its bloody footprints. Presentation Details 19 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A09 Anna Flynn Farah Habib (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Bristol Community College Native-American Mythology and Evolution: Traditions of the Past and Present There are a number of striking similarities between the Theory of Evolution and Native American Mythology. This piece seeks to highlight those similarities through a discussion of the mythology of the Navajo, Cherokee, and Sioux nations, and the ways in which they parallel the current Theory of Evolution. Methods of research for this project include observational fieldwork at Native American and Natural History museums, and the utilization of scientific sources coupled with the writings of Native authors and other experts. Some of the major similarities identified between Evolution and Native American mythology include the roles that these two theories played in their respective societies, and how they embody the idea of an evolving creation from the primitive to the advanced. This presentation challenges society’s current view of evolution with the hope to spark further discussion of this topic. Presentation Details 22 Room 163 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Joshua Edward Freund Kathleen A. Brown-Perez (Faculty Sponsor) Commonwealth Honors College, UMass Amherst Fully Loaded: Police Militarization and Social Movements In this research paper, I explore a critical analysis of police militarization as it relates to systems of racialized-gendered social control and social movements in the United States. A Critical Race survey of US law and economic policy shows how structural barriers were installed along lines of race and gender, creating a society with seemingly permanent racialized-gendered disparities in power, wealth, and life chances. The task of enforcing these racialized-gendered social control systems has fallen within the purview of local and state police, as the US Constitution sets strict limitations on the use of the federal military for domestic affairs. An intersectional-revisionist interpretation of United States history reveals how indigenous nations, radical women of color, and oppositional social movements have challenged capitalist white-male hegemony, and have imagined and created alternatives to the oppression of heteropatriarchal white supremacy, settler colonialism, and global imperialism. This research draws from multidisciplinary sources within the social sciences to articulate how the technological, psychological, and legal advancements in police militarization are in response to these social justice movements. This research serves to contribute to the scholarly illegitimization of US law, policy, and criminal justice systems, and sheds light on emerging solidarities in the manner in which social movements can draw upon historical precedents of resistance. Presentation Details 20 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A14 Norma A. Fuentes Ester Shapiro (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Psychology, UMass Boston Youth Visual Ethnography in Colombia: Documenting the Transition from a Culture of Violence towards One of Peace Youth Visual Ethnography in Colombia was a Participatory Action Research project conducted with a Non-governmental Community Organization in Bogota, Colombia, to explore how youth experienced the post-conflict transition. This undergraduate global research project was sponsored by The Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy at UMass Boston; made possible with the help of The Robert Hildreth Latin America Internship Award. With the premise that we are all experts of our day to day life, and can contribute to the knowledge improving our communities, Youth Visual Ethnography in Colombia is an undergraduate led project that taps into that idea to challenge adolescents to view their every day surroundings through a critical lens as a way to accurately present their experiences and realities through the use of personal photography and storytelling. The work was conducted over the span of two months with youth group leaders under the guidance of a local coalition made up of non-profit organizations located in Bogotá, and Barranquilla, Colombia. Participating youth were challenged to capture the perceptions of their identity as victims of violence in a society deep in the throes of politically negotiating it's terms of peace after a long standing history of bloodshed and human rights violations. Furthermore, adolescents took part in bimonthly workshops framed around the pedagogy of the oppressed and participated in small group activities such as theatre role playing and team building exercises to facilitate group discussions around the themes of youth, peace, and violence. In the hopes of building a greater collective consciousness about our human experiences through transnational work, the PhotoVoice gallery on display showcases the real life hopes, fears, dilemmas, joys, reflections, and thoughts of young adults living in Colombia. Presentation Details 17 Room 163 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Sara Hickey Kathleen A. Brown-Perez (Faculty Sponsor) Commonwealth Honors College, UMass Amherst Mandatory Vaccinations: A Look at the Acceptance in Public Schools In this work, I explore the various perspectives on whether vaccinations should be mandatory in public schools, and find that, because it is nearly impossible to find consensus between the various views, vaccinations should be mandated. However, exemptions should be accepted for those students who feel the need to be exempted. The public health perspective presents arguments such as a need to maintain herd immunity and protecting the health of entire populations, and comes off as very provaccine. The legal perspective could be used to argue both for vaccination mandates as well as against them, depending on which detail is brought up. This perspective may argue that it is not legal to take away the bodily autonomy of an individual, but may also argue that many court cases have upheld the legality of vaccination mandates. Lastly, an ethical perspective may question the morality of putting the interests of one family above another or administering a vaccine that is only potentially effective. While each perspective has a very different outlook on the issue at hand, there are many intersections of these viewpoints, making it impossible to come to a simple yes or no decision on vaccination mandates if looking through only one lens. It is for this reason that the closest to a fair agreement would be to make vaccinations mandatory for all public school children, but accept that some exemptions should be granted if families request them. Presentation Details 13 Room 163 8:30-9:15 Panel 1 Jeffrey Martelli Kathleen A. Brown-Perez (Faculty Sponsor) Commonwealth Honors College, UMass Amherst Prisoners of War: The Mass Incarceration of African-Americans and Latinos at the Hands of the War on Drugs Inmates convicted of drug offenses make up half of the prison population in the United States. The War on Drugs created the problem of mass incarceration, which has done irreparable harm to the already disadvantaged. Politicians branded the War on Drugs as the necessary step to clean up the streets of dangerous drugs. Mandatory minimum sentences enacted as part of the War on Drugs increased the severity of punishments. More importantly, mandatory minimum sentences have given virtually complete sentencing power to prosecutors, taking it away from judges. What has resulted is African-Americans and Latinos being sent to prison at extremely high rates. In this paper, I examine the connection between prosecutorial power and the disproportionate amount of blacks and Latinos in prison on drug offenses. What I find is that this may not be an accident. Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan benefitted from appealing to the racial sentiments held by Southern Whites in the rhetoric utilized in creating the War on Drugs. Politicians that want to appear tough on crime, as well as the Supreme Court, have allowed for law enforcement to target poor, minority communities. Once arrested and charged, prosecutors use mandatory minimum sentences as a bargaining chip to force guilty pleas from defendants who cannot afford a proper attorney. AfricanAmericans and Latinos are disadvantaged at all steps of the criminal justice system. Mass incarceration continues the oppression that African-Americans and Latinos have all but become accustomed to over the course of the history of the United States. Presentation Details 18 Room 163 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Carly Brooke Messitte Kathleen A. Brown-Perez (Faculty Sponsor) Commonwealth Honors College, UMass Amherst The Beauty Community versus the Beauty Industry: The Globalization of Makeup and the Effects Cosmetics Have Had on Social Norms and Women’s Health in the US Although the makeup community currently provides its members with a creative outlet and inclusive access to cosmetics today, in large and throughout history, the makeup industry has not had their consumers’s best interests in mind. Through the lens of the past and present, explaining how major beauty companies have gained leverage over time demonstrates their priority of monetary gain over people’s health. In contrast, the beauty community has always been skeptical of unsafe products, has called for social inclusion during later periods of activism, and, today, uses technology and social media platforms to prioritize a community of people over products. In this honors thesis, I will show how companies have the ability to change social norms for the better, and thus to push for a change in current business practices that turn creative processes into daily chemical warfare. Presentation Details 14 Room 163 8:30-9:15 Panel 1 Eliza Morog Kathleen A. Brown-Perez (Faculty Sponsor) Commonwealth Honors College, UMass Amherst Mass Incarceration of the Marginalized: The Disparate, Negative Effects In this work, I explore the impact of mass incarceration on traditionally marginalized groups, including ethnic minorities and women. After a brief overview of the historical events that allowed for the framework of mass incarceration, I analyze the impact of the War on Crime and the War on Drugs, along with the militarization of law enforcement that accompanied the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) and its successors. While this work intends to include the marginalized groups most disparately impacted by mass incarceration, it focuses predominately on African American men because statistically they are the most effected. Regardless of socioeconomic status, the odds are 50-50 that young black urban males are imprisoned, on probation, or on parole. Those at the intersection of inclusion in an ethnic minority and having a low income are especially prone to interaction with carceral control. Aside from the act of violence that results in a criminal conviction, there are many acts of violence that impact an offender while incarcerated and upon release which require analysis. Post-carceral discrimination serves as a substantial barrier to successful reintegration into mainstream society, and thusly so warrants consideration. Presentation Details 23 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A31 Anthar Nieto Michael Dubson (Faculty Sponsor) Honors Program, Bunker Hill Community College Day of the Dead Every year on November 1 and 2, the homes and the streets of Mexico transform into scenes filled with food, music, and aromas to honor the loved ones that have passed to the other side. Mexicans believe that death is a part of life, and that it should be celebrated. This tradition is over 2,000 years old, beginning in the pre-Columbian era. The survival of this tradition after the arrival of Conquistadores and the process of evangelization explains the fusion of Mesoamerican traditions with Catholic ideology. This resulted in a ritual that is deeply rooted in the Mexican psyche. The Day of the Dead became a day of reminiscence and devotion, but it is also a celebration of life in the face death. They know that death is possible at any moment, and they fear death just as any other culture. The difference is that they express this fear by satirizing death. The research used for this project includes anthropological sources, documentaries on Mexican culture and current newspaper articles covering the Day of the Dead ritual. This project will demonstrate the enduring role of this emblematic Mexican tradition and one of the most well known around the world. Considered Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, Day of the Dead is a tradition that only keeps getting stronger. Presentation Details 15 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A19 Michaela L. Seaman Ellen Zimmerman (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Framingham State University The Effects of Growing Up in a Bilingual-Bicultural Environment on One's Identity This paper examines how growing up in a bilingual-bicultural environment influences an individual’s identity and perception of self. A bilingual-bicultural environment includes the home, as well as the outside settings such as an English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom. Much research has been done on how identifying as bilingual develops and how education influences an individual’s identity. Less research has been done examining how bicultural identities and values play a role in self-identification. Based on existing literature and personal interviews, this project analyzes how individuals develop bicultural identity, focusing primarily on bilingualism and family culture. Presentation Details 24 Room 903 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Sarah Jean Welch Krista Harper (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Anthropology, UMass Amherst Journeys through the Library: Applied Design Ethnography in the W.E.B. Du Bois Library The tallest library in North America contains a wealth of resources across its many floors, and students who use the W.E.B. Du Bois Library have many stories about how they found their way to them. Interviews with undergraduates at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst reveal what resources are the most important to them, how they access the resources and spaces they need, and the importance of ethnicity/nationality-specific spaces within the library. Areas of study include how students were first introduced to the resources and spaces they use; physical pathways individuals take through the library; traffic patterns the library sees on an everyday basis, and what kind of resources tend to draw the most traffic. This ethnographic data as situated within broader contexts of social identity provides the basis for design recommendations to Du Bois librarians as well as insights into the social and political significance of libraries as community resources. Presentation Details 25 Room 917 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Erica Lee Wolencheck Sonya Atalay (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Anthropology, UMass Amherst A Reworking of UNESCO World Heritage Criteria for an Inclusive Heritage Model The goal of my thesis is to outline an improved model for UNESCO World Heritage site nomination through creating criteria that are more inclusive to minority and Indigenous heritages. This will require a critical analysis of the term “value” UNESCO criteria utilize, and will deconstruct this concept of "value" through an analysis of Western and Indigenous forms of knowledge production. I will also outline current power structures at work in UNESCO framework, comparing top-down to bottom-up approaches, advocating for a bottom-up approach in order to make Indigenous and minority voices heard in the process of site nomination. I will discuss the overall importance of UNESCO World Heritage status to larger efforts of nation-building and why the increased visibility provided through this outlet can be useful to Indigenous and minority groups. In conjunction, I will also critique the existence of UNESCO World Heritage status, questioning the need and desire for a framework that places an arbitrary worth on heritage. UNESCO legislation will also be considered as a means for reimagining current narratives of Indigenous lives, past and present. An emphasis will be placed on the community-building potential of archaeology and the non-tangible repercussions of the archaeological record through case studies. I will identify the shortcomings in UNESCO World Heritage framework and suggest a course of action for reworking it into a more holistic model for site nomination. Presentation Details ARCHITECTURE 28 Room 165 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Corey Louis Coleman David Keith Chenot (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Industrial Technology, Fitchburg State University Using Urban Design to Reshape Refugee Infrastructure At the end of 2015, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported more than 65 million humans as being forcibly displaced. Natural disasters, armed conflicts, terrorism, along with religious prosecution, will increase this population in years to come. Initial emergency response to this displacement has been extremely effective in protecting those who need swift relief. However, this model fails to meet the social and economic consequences of widespread displacement over extended periods. This prolonged period of habituation along with the lack of social stimulation and structure is detrimental to the integration and development of future generations. An indepth case study into the settlement at the Öncüpınar Accommodation Center in Kilis, Turkey provides validation of this current model’s shortfall. By exploring current conditions supporting the refugee population of Öncüpınar and cross-examining such conditions against urban design rationale, it is feasible to create a reasonable planning procedure for the development of semi-permanent cities created from massive surges of displacement. Research into the works and theories of urban design innovators, such as Jane Jacobs and Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr., paired with evolutionary traits of humanity, have refined how spaces should be examined, utilized, and ultimately suited for the humans who inhabit them. Understanding how we use our built environment can positively affect not only temporary design, but long term infrastructure. Presentation Details 29 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A15 Alma Crawford-Mendoza Carey Clouse (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Architecture, UMass Amherst Tree Armor Trees have a variety of functions on this planet; they provide oxygen, shade, habitats for birds, etc. While trees are quite resilient, factors such as weather, human negligence, diseases, and predators challenge their ability to live out their lifespan. In this project, we educated ourselves on some of the threats trees face and we developed possible solutions to these problems. In times where a building site is undergoing excavation it is likely that existing trees are neglected and damaged by heavy machinery. One of our design schemes is to install an intervention around the base of a tree that acts as a buffer from approaching machinery. This buffer would have a reactive feature meaning when force is applied to it the buffer would compress so as to further protect the tree as well as thwarting the oncoming vehicle. In another case, people often grow shrubs underneath the eaves of their houses. In snowy climates, the snow will slide down the roof and onto the shrub. We explored how shrubbery could be protected from snow but rather than the tent-like system that is commonly used, we developed a new design that has some artistic flare while also being snow repellent. Finally, deer can be detrimental predators to a tree. We explored schematic designs for a wrap-around tree protection device that encases the tree trunk while featuring deterrent, defensive spikes. Presentation Details 27 Room 911 8:30-9:15 Panel 1 Devin Dekang Liang Stephen Schreiber (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Architecture, UMass Amherst The Research of Chinese Traditional Garden and the Usage in Modern Architecture Design In the 21 century, architecture has developed in a very diverse environment. There are multiple approaches to designing sustainable buildings, including those that consider cultural and humanist aspects. Chinese traditional gardens, from my home country, could be an inspiration for modern architecture design. I will use simple qualitative comparative analysis to start my study. I will consider peer review articles to compare data and fundamental ideas. I will use graphic analyses to arrange and organize many different types of garden components-- plan and elevations. After I got a large sample of the typical element of a garden, I will relate them to the garden history or other influential factors (such as natural environment or climate factor). The goal is to learn whether or not the ideas behind Chinese gardens can be useful in modern architecture design. Presentation Details ART 41 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A01 Rona Louise Balco Catherine Wilcox-Titus (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Visual and Performing Arts, Worcester State University A Greenprint for Survival My inspiration for this project has been my love of Nature and Art having witnessed many awesome wonders and disasters of Nature during my lifetime. This Capstone project is a three dimensional multi-media installation displaying eight facial masks depicting Humanity’s lack of understanding the role of Nature as a partner. This has led us to the current challenge for our generation, climate change. These masks display our past history up to the present day; human sacrifice, war, deforestation, pollution of the oceans, nuclear effects, greed, broken dreams & promises, as well as hope for the future. Each mask has been placed in a frame as a wall hanging with sculpture armaments, natural materials, oil paints, paper, sand and recycled materials. Two floor pedestals display man’s brain being exposed to new thinking and an open heart being held by loving hands, while a wooden carved raven observes throughout history as the future hangs in balance. Now that we are aware of our role creating climate change, we are recycling our used materials. Solar energy is replacing fossil fuels. Biomimicry is a new biological field helping us understand the secrets of Nature. I am truly hopeful that by becoming partners with nature, we will provide a new carbon free era for the next generation to thrive in. As John Muir says, “When one thing tugs at a single thing in nature he finds it attached to the rest of the world." Presentation Details 42 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A02 Paris Ann Bourdeau Catherine Wilcox-Titus (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Visual and Performing Arts, Worcester State University Be Kind to Every Kind This project consists of multiple two-dimensional pieces of mixed media work focused on animal agriculture and the unnecessary pain that is inflicted on animals at the hands of humans. This subject matter is important for people to become aware of because exploiting animals has a greater impact than people often think. The focus is not only on different animals but also different means of exploitation such as the food industry, clothing industry, and animal testing in cosmetics. Rabbits are routinely doused in chemicals to make a new formula for mascara. Instead of using animals for clothing there are alternatives for people to find protection from the elements that don't involve animals. The meat and dairy industries are not only cruel to the animals but also heavily contribute to global climate change. My work uses painting, drawing and collage featured on various sized canvas’s which collectively come together as one cohesive piece. While the work is inspired by animal exploitation, they are not graphic. The viewer will find the work aesthetically compelling too. My work uses grayscale in order to draw attention to the content without the distractions of color. Presentation Details 43 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A03 Midaly Carrasquillo Delgado Catherine Wilcox-Titus (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Visual and Performing Arts, Worcester State University The Wall: A Contemporary Mexican Mural There’s considerable social support towards African Americans, Women and even animals, but not much for the Hispanic and Latino community. In the midst of current events, much hatred and discrimination has arisen against minorities. The nation’s president plans to “build a wall to keep Mexicans out” was the inspiration of for this project. Facebook has a “wall” in which an individual can post thoughts, pictures, share videos, etc. A Contemporary Digital Mexican Mural, uses the idea of a conceptual wall to build a digital mural to respond to the issues of the Latin and Hispanic community. My art work is a digital and interactive projection of a Facebook page on the gallery. It is a conceptual word-based project. The page will invite the participation of the audience. It will be a digital mural displaying imagery pertaining Mexican muralism, information about the movement, and articles of current issues. The posts presented on the page suggest a correlation to issues presented in traditional Mexican murals. However, there are opportunities for the audience to react to a post or comment in the digital mural. This interaction will allow the audience to follow the page and “Like it” from the comfort of their smart devices, and encourage them to actively respond/participate on the page. In this manner, the audience will not only end up learning and understanding the challenges, hardships and issues of the Latinos and Hispanic community, but they will also have the choice to get involved with the subject. Presentation Details 33 Room 174 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Aimee Chang Catherine Wilcox-Titus (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Visual and Performing Arts, Worcester State University Dear Mama I believe that people and religion can impact one’s life. My grandma has always been someone I looked up to, and she has influenced my life in so many ways. She has also brought Buddhism into my life at a young age, so I always want to include my cultural background in my art. My art is a tribute to her. I create my art because she has struggled so much in life, she deserves something that can remind her she has survived and she is strong. My artwork consists of three large painted canvases, but I also use other mixed media. Each painting will represent something important for my grandma, but it also connects with the symbols of Buddhism. One canvas is an outline of Buddha’s face in graduated tones in my grandma’s favorite color, because Buddhism has played a role in my life and my grandma’s. The second canvas is a threedimensional Lotus flower reflecting her calm strength. The last canvas is the Golden Fish symbol. The meaning behind this symbol is happiness, freedom, and unity. I chose this symbol because my grandma has struggled through her life and these symbols represent her present life where she has attained peace and happiness. My three canvases flow together as one piece, but they can each stand alone. Presentation Details 48 Room 904 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Brittany Florence Cormier Stephanie Grey (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Art and Music, Framingham State University Who Are We? Engaging Communities through Design for Social Change Designing for social change is more than just visual problem solving. It gives designers the ability to bring awareness to causes that may have otherwise gone unnoticed and been overlooked. Using their unique perspective concerning the awareness of these causes, designers are able to establish meaningful methods of communication that will benefit any organization. As a graphic designer, asking myself the question “What bothers you?” is a powerful way to gauge every step of the design process. Working to design a new brand identity for the Out-of-School-Time programs, offered by Framingham Public School’s office of Community Resource Development, provides the opportunity to connect two of my passions: graphic design and education. My past experiences include working with at-risk youth from Framingham to support and encourage them to pursue higher education, as well as with first-year students at Framingham State University to ease their transition to a college environment. The key hours of after school time are crucial to a student’s development, which provides the purpose to take action and give children the resources they need to be successful. I strive to recognize and render this purpose through the design of a new brand identity for the Out-of-School-Time programs. This brand identity will not only engage a community of faculty, parents, and students, but will also shine a design light on the growth of these students that will resonate as part of their identity. Presentation Details 36 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A01 Emily Paige Dunnigan Brian Alves (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Art and Design, Salem State University Art + Design Portfolio This year marks my eighth semester as an Art major with a Graphic Design concentration at Salem State University. I am presenting a portfolio that showcases the work that I have researched, envisioned, sketched, and executed. Because of my general interest in art in many forms, my design style has evolved throughout the years. I have recently been implementing other mediums of work into my Graphic Design. I want to be able to showcase different aspects and mediums of art within one vessel. Because my portfolio is a reflection of me as both a person and a designer, my personality shows through in each piece that I have created. Presentation Details 34 Room 903 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Lissette Marie Fuentes Jessica Thelen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Westfield State University Art Influence Seeing an art piece physically can create a connection to the viewer and draws a better understanding of how the piece was made and its meaning. Examining art pieces at art galleries gives the viewer a better understanding of how the artist expresses their work and their techniques in creating their pieces. Faith Lund is the artist I researched. Her inspiration to develop her work is nature. A painting, Evolution I, was displayed in the Arno Maris Gallery during a Faculty Art show in December 2016. This was to get students at Westfield State University to appreciate the purpose of an artist's work. The techniques and materials used and the process to develop their pieces is not valued as much as the finished work. By attending the Faculty Art show, I was able to get a personal view on Lund's artwork. Evolution I used cool acrylic colors which were stained onto the canvas and this can be shown very clearly by examining the piece in person. Evolution I was a piece that captivated me the most with its patterns, shapes, and values of color. Desiring more information about Lund's work, I researched. I noticed that paintings can give the viewer more experience when they view the piece in person rather than through media. A person visiting art galleries can value an artist's work rather than scrolling through web. To truly appreciate an artist's work, it's best to look around art galleries to experience a connection towards art. Presentation Details 44 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A04 Kasey Gillen Catherine Wilcox-Titus (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Visual and Performing Arts, Worcester State University Take My Flower My thesis art collection consists of a series of three mixed media pieces, each being sixteen by twenty inches in size. These are feminist works highlighting the ongoing issue of sexual assault and women’s rights. These pieces were produced using collage, paint and line work. I focused my work around women’s most attractive body parts as well as objects often associated with women, such as flowers. These works were partially inspired by the conventional interpretation of Georgia O’Keefe’s use of flowers as representing female anatomy. My work also uses this symbolic association. The floral aspect to each piece ties the individual works together to create a complete series. The conventionally appealing subject matter as well as the soft, warm color palette invites viewers up to closely inspect the art. Upon further inspection, the viewer sees that the image is made from a combination of handwritten paragraphs, magazines, and news articles, some focusing on sexual assault and rape cases. The goal of this series is to begin an open conversation about women’s roles in society and women’s rights. It is also intended to question the justification of sexual assault and rape under various circumstances. Presentation Details 37 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A02 Luna Hamdi Brian Alves (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Art and Design, Salem State University Graphic Design and Multimedia Portfolio As an art major with a concentration in Interactive Multimedia, I am presenting a portfolio that includes examples of graphic design, animation and web design. As I am completing my degree at Salem State University and moving into the professional world, I look forward to the opportunity to improve my communication skills as well has learn from other talented people. Presentation Details 45 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A05 Nicole Jacqueline Howland Catherine Wilcox-Titus (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Visual and Performing Arts, Worcester State University Queen Zenobia: A Forgotten Feminist My capstone research is based on the Palmyrene Queen Zenobia from the 3rd century AD, who fought relentlessly against the Romans to protect her empire and her people. As a woman, Rome saw her unfit to rule, yet she led armies of men, fought alongside them, thereby securing her people’s faith and admiration. She is a true heroine, but her story is fragmented and seems to have been forgotten in history. I feel a responsibility to share her story and restore her rightful place as an inspiration to women all over the world. With the recent destruction of her ancient city of Palmyra by ISIS in 2015, the timing feels right. Using a multitude of materials ranging from, but not limited to, clay, plaster, wood, stone, paint and ink, I am creating my own memorial to Queen Zenobia. The pieces of her story are scattered over a wood panel. Utilizing cuneiform and symbols pertaining to the culture of her time, mixed with my own interpretation of her esteemed place in history, I am shining light on her role as an “ancient feminist.” She fought persistently against patriarchy. The struggle for her place in history continues into the contemporary era as Palmyra has experienced devastating destruction of its artifacts when the bombs went off in Palmyra almost 2 years ago. This is a woman deserving a place in the forefront of strong, inspirational females in history, and I truly hope my work does her justice. Presentation Details 30 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A01 Maria Katinas Brian L. Bishop (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Art and Music, Framingham State University The World Surrounding Me My current artwork strives to represent how I visually interpret and interact the world. I want use my paintings to share with others how I take interest and find beauty in neglected objects while strolling outdoors, and in doing so I hope to make the viewer more aware of these objects, places and environments. I am interested in the things that other people would not normally notice. I find beauty in rusty fences, muddy sidewalks, and the strides of people walking around me. I hope to show my fascination with these otherwise mundane objects and share the beauty I find in the everyday to viewers. My goal is to make them look around outside with a more thoughtful and curious point of view. In my presentation I will explore the influence of several generations of painters who have been important to my artistic development. In addition I will show how my studio work has progressed over the course of my studies. Presentation Details 38 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A03 Mark Irving Katz Brian Alves (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Art and Design, Salem State University Graphic Design Portfolio Since a very young age, I have always enjoyed creative pursuits such as drawing, painting, sculpture, woodworking, and design. After a creative high school career, followed by a year in a college studying architecture, I took a few years off from the educational system to work in various trades and occupations. I ultimately decided to once again pursue a college degree, this time with a focus on graphic design which I felt was a logical and practical path based on all my previous experiences. Graphic design proved to be a great direction and I feel that my work over the past several years has helped my progress significantly as a designer, artist and a person. I would like to share my portfolio and some of that work that I have created over the past few years. My portfolio includes print work such as posters, flyers, booklets, brochures; electronic media such as web design, logos, and animation; and also conceptual projects like branding, style guides, visual identities, and research. There are many parallels between design and other disciplines and careers, and there is much to be gained from sharing and collaborating with others. Presentation Details 40 Room 801 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Kezia Miller Md. Imranul Islam (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Fashion Design and Retailing, Framingham State University How Non-traditional Applications Can Better the Textile Industry and Society Background: The application of textile and fashion industry is comprehensive, even though most people think of fashion as just runway, magazines, and high end designs. Technology has become a major part of industry as of late. The extensive use of technology made this industry more diverse such as enhancing fibers to perform better than they currently do, or helping in healthcare to better our society. Objectives: (1) Find which fibers are best to enhance for healthcare. (2) Find end uses of the most popular enhanced fibers. (3) Come up and create our own enhanced fibers and end use. Method: A literature review will be conducted on enhanced fibers and how they have been used in textiles and technology as fashion and smart textile. Also, content analysis of secondary data will be applied to how the fibers are made to create our own enhanced fiber. Expected Findings: An enhanced fiber can improve durability to perform textiles the best in certain high performance task. Conclusions and implications: This study will help both fashion and healthcare industries succeed using technology to create enhanced fibers to wear, heal, and protect the body. Also, this study can help consumers, retailers, and designers understand how the two worlds of fashion and technology have come together and help improving their brand images to the world. Presentation Details 39 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A04 Hannah K. M. O'Leary Brian Alves (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Art and Design, Salem State University Studying and Growing as an Artist at Salem State University An art student is someone that is able to look at the world and transform it into an experience. A graphic designer’s job is more than just creating aesthetically pleasing work it’s about creating an interactive experience for a viewer. It’s important to engage the audience. The same could be said about researching art. Being an art major is about taking in the world around you and giving back your thoughts and ideas. Salem State University has helped me reflect on many things including self-expression, professionalism, creativity and productivity. I will share a selection of my own work to demonstrate my development as an artist over the past three years. Presentation Details 46 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A06 Pamella Saffer Catherine Wilcox-Titus (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Visual and Performing Arts, Worcester State University Lotus Rising: A Contemporary Interpretation of an Ancient Symbol This installation is inspired by the lotus, a powerful cultural and religious symbol depicted throughout many cultures for over two thousand years. Representations of the lotus can be seen in paintings and sculptures throughout art history symbolizing awareness, potential and perfection, honesty, rebirth and creation itself. Lotus blossoms have been associated with the deities of many religions of the ancient Near East, the Mediterranean and Africa. A member of the water lily family, this beautiful, fragrant flower emerges in the morning from mud and water, then subsides in the evening back into the water. This aspect has attracted cultures over millennia to regard the flower as a metaphor for the path to spiritual enlightenment. The mud signifies worldly experience from which the blossom rises striving for purity and enlightenment. This aspect attracted me to envision a twenty-first century adaptation. My work reflects the interconnectedness of all life and a collective rising above the challenges of worldly experiences. The Lotus Installation consists of eighty suspended three-dimensional forms created from various Japanese papers, some dyed using plant sources. The forms are supported by plant materials, such as dried branches and stems, many of which I have cut and gathered. Hanging rice paper banners delineate the space and echo the theme. The installation invites viewers to participate by using lotus symbol stamps to create a communal banner and a small personal version which they may take away. Presentation Details 32 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A11 Nicole Elizabeth Singer Alexis Kuhr (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Art, UMass Amherst "Vocalise": A Visualization of Rachmaninoff's Work For my project I created five large-scale paintings interpreting the emotions conveyed in Vocalise Op 34, No. 14 by Sergie Rachmaninoff and performed by Joshua Bell, Michael Stern and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. After listening to Vocalise, I identified a number of repeating motifs, each with distinct feelings and emotions. Each painting in the series is a response to motif and their order in the installation parallels their appearance in Vocalise. My final painting, Vocalise Number 5 interprets the song’s dénouement, the only motif that does not repeat. The paintings were created using an experimental process, layering traditional acrylic paint with acrylic spray paint and high-flow acrylic on canvas. Presentation Details 31 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A01 Meagan R. St. Laurent Brian L. Bishop (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Art and Music, Framingham State University Art and the Environment I am keenly interested in leveraging the aesthetics and strategies of visual art to help spread awareness of environmental issues, such as the decline of bee populations due to neonicotinoids in fertilizers, and to help encourage self-awareness when buying or using everyday products. Bringing awareness about environmental issues like neonicotinoids and their effect on bee populations is important since bee pollination is a vital part of growing food and maintaining life. Bees obtain the chemicals from the fertilizers by coming in contact with them while pollinating and foraging and by ingesting the chemicals while feeding off the nectar of contaminated plants. Some of the effects of the neonicotinoids on bees are reduced food consumption, reduced reproduction, and difficulty flying and navigating. I believe that the power of art, its ability to convey complex and meaningful content, and its ability to speak to a diverse audience is a vital aspect of this project. Art has the capacity to capture attention and to be a catalyst for change. I hope to use this agency to change minds and inspire action. Presentation Details 47 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A07 Debbie Doan Tran Catherine Wilcox-Titus (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Visual and Performing Arts, Worcester State University "When Life Gives You Lemons": An Original Children’s Picture Book When Life Gives You Lemons is a children’s book with an original storyline and illustrations. The story is about Life, a butterfly, giving lemons to the other character, a human-like girl, and turning a sudden and unwanted situation into something worthwhile. As a double major in Visual Art and Education, I often work with young students. The firsthand experience with younger students has confirmed that books have a more meaningful impact on their lives than most people imagine. This inspired an interest to create a children’s picture book that will help guide their lives even after the book is closed. While searching through the library’s collection of children’s picture books, I came upon a book called, What Do You Do With An Idea?, written by Kobi Yamada and illustrated by Mae Besom. That book was the impetus to create a book about how to deal with life’s challenges. It was while reflecting back on my own personal life’s mottos that creating a storybook about searching for the positive side of everything in life became the message of this project.A few children’s book illustrators and authors like Kobi Yamada, Mae Besom, and Aaron Becker who create incredibly detailed artwork with simple storylines are the biggest inspiration for this book. Storytellers have an important impact on children’s lives, and this book, When Life Gives You Lemons, intends to encourage children to persevere through the challenges that happen in everyone’s life. Presentation Details 49 Room 911 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Deborah Karen Uller Vanessa Martinez (Faculty Sponsor) Honors Program, Holyoke Community College The Body as Representation in Feminist Art of the Late 1960's-1970's and Its Influence on a Contemporary Feminist Artist Feminist artists of the 1960’s and 1970’s created resistance to the patriarchy of the time through their artwork. They attempted to change the perceptions of the cultural stereotypes of women by reclaiming the power and presence of the female body. This essay examines the history of the feminist movement as well as its effect on the feminist art movement. I will highlight the evolving role of the female artist in the art world by focusing on the lives and artistic expression of five major artists, Judy Chicago, Ana Meindeita, Carolee Schneeman, Hannah Wilke and contemporary artist Nona Faustine, in their efforts to use their bodies as a powerful tool against the social constraints of gender. The artists presented their own bodies as the subject of their own artwork maintaining representation and control rather than relying upon the objectification of the male gaze dictating to the female passive female form. All of these artists have been successful in influencing the perceptions of the culture as evidenced by the fact that female artists are now well represented in in art books and in art history. Previously female artists had been marginalized as a result of men being in charge, with limited options and restricted freedom of expression of their own sensuality and sexuality. Female art students now have more choices, having female art professors as role models and many various ways of expression and being shown in art galleries. This thread of feminist influence supplied a resistance to the patriarchy a changing of new perceptions, with new and different portrayals of the female body. Women, in general, and female artists in particular have become empowered to make their own choices and possess freedom of expression. Presentation Details 35 Room 903 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Caroline Whelan Martha Taunton (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Art, UMass Amherst Human Perception and Art This research investigates the different ways in which people, engineers and artists in particular, view and perceive abstracted art. This investigation utilizes information drawn from four separate interviews that analyze detailed responses, from both engineers and artists, when asked to answer questions regarding two hand-drawn, abstracted, black and white drawings. Textual references were also used to support conclusions derived from the interviews. At the conclusion of the interview process, the different ways in which engineers and artists perceive art was revealed, as well as why these groups perceive art in such specific ways and the results and level of accuracy that their methods of perception bring. It was found that engineers take a more logical approach when perceiving art, as they tend to conceptualize what they see and compare things to their prior knowledge of the real world. For this reason, abstracted art that is unusual in relation to our real world experiences tends to challenge engineers and their understanding of art. Artists tend to take a more narrative based approach when perceiving art. They use their personal memories, beliefs, and experiences in order to build these narratives, as they strive to further understand the art. This investigation shows that artists are able to identify the subject matter within an abstracted art piece more quickly than engineers are. With information from this investigation and further understanding of individual human perception, Art Education teachers may discover more effective ways of bringing children of different backgrounds to understand and appreciate art. Presentation Details ART HISTORY 50 Room 903 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Victoria Fletcher Fiske Nancy Noble (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Art History, UMass Amherst Mabel Dwight: A Focus on the Body and the Gaze Mabel Dwight was an American print artist of the early-to-mid twentieth century. Although recognized for her work during her lifetime, since her death in 1955, she has undeservedly been overlooked by art historians. Using lithography as her primary medium, Dwight showcased her work across the United States in gallery exhibitions as well as through reproductions of her prints published in national magazines. Dwight’s most common subject was everyday life in New York City. My paper focuses on Dwight’s depictions of the body and the gaze—both human and animal—and my analyses of how Dwight’s portrayals of everyday life in an urban setting convey to the viewer her distinct perceptions about human behavior, especially social interactions between genders, races, and species. By comparing Dwight’s prints to works by several of her contemporaries such as Reginald Marsh, Paul Cadmus, and Isabel Bishop, I demonstrate how Dwight developed a unique caricature-like style to depict the body such that she communicated empathetic depictions of white women that subvert the objectifying male gaze, at times incorporated stereotypical images of African Americans into her artwork in both complex and ambiguous ways, and promoted social equality between animals and humans. Presentation Details 52 Room 911 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Lucia Ocejo Damian LaVoice (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Library, Massachusetts College of Art and Design Earth Mother and Holy Mother, The Virgin de Guadalupe The power of the Virgin of Guadalupe to the Mexican people is unquestionable. She is the “Great Mother of Mexico,” “Empress of the Americas,” “Our Lady.” Her image preceded the insurgent army when Miguel Hidalgo gave El Grito de Dolores in 1810 to trigger the Independence movement. Emiliano Zapata and his agrarian rebels fought under her emblem during the Mexican Revolution a century later. Today, her image adorns house fronts and interiors, churches and home altars, taxis and buses, streets and restaurants. She is the epitome of a spiritual Mexican community. She is the Catholic contemporary manifestation of the ancient Mexica female deity Tonanzin. It is the fused hypostasis of Tonanzin with the Virgin de Guadalupe that transforms and binds together the diverse cultural streams of Mexican society. She encompasses all within her earthly reign. As the Old World was consumed by the wonders of the New World, the image of Guadalupe became a response to a cosmic conflict produced by the cataclysm of two cultures: European and Native Mesomerican. The Virgin of Guadalupe established a spiritual democracy that allowed only under her figure to unite Indians, mestizos, and creoles into one nation. This paper investigates the historical and cultural configurations of the Virgin of Guadalupe as a powerful and central figure straddling the ancient worship of Tonanzin and contemporary Catholic practice in Mexico. Presentation Details 51 Room 803 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Mariah Tarentino Pamela Karimi (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Art History, UMass Dartmouth Artistic Responses to the 2016 Presidential Election One can gain greater understanding of a culture’s socio-political climate through examining artistic responses. The United States’ 2016 election cycle was the most polarized in recent memory and brought many issues to the forefront of the country’s consciousness. Political art is not a new tradition and by analyzing the political art of the past, one can contextualize the political art of today. In the past, we have seen political art become iconic and synonymous with ideologies, such as Warhol’s Vote McGovern or Fairey’s Hope. Historically art has been especially important to progressive causes, and this correlation seems even stronger presently as tensions increase between the left and fringe groups such as the “Alt-Right.” Much of today’s art, however, varies from the past in its accessibility. Today’s art varies from Jessica Bennet’s now iconic Pussy Grabs Back to anonymous memes of the internet. Social media and public art provide a platform in which anyone can become an artist and have their art widely seen. This provides more comprehensive insight into the general public’s opinions. Through examination of digital art on social media, graffiti, and protest signs in relation to the election and inauguration, one can find trends in what messages are communicated and how artists choose to communicate them. These trends in turn represent and influence public opinion and values. As this research is visually based, an exhibition of local political art will be held in at UMass Dartmouth’s Fredrick Douglass Unity House in April 2017 to supplement an academic paper. Presentation Details ASTRONOMY 53 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A37 Derek Anthony Berman Min Yun (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Astronomy, UMass Amherst Pulling Back the Cosmic Curtain: A Search for the Most Luminous, Strongly Lensed SMGs at 1< z < 4 There is great knowledge that can be gained about star and galaxy formation in the early universe, where 1 < z < 4, through observations and studies of submillimeter galaxies (SMGs). It is believed that these extremely bright galaxies as well as the majority of stars in the modern universe were all formed in this early era. It is not yet understood what powered such high star formation rates or how galaxies efficiently manufactured so many stars in such a spatially restrictive environment. Locating and observing such galaxies is of paramount importance. Making use of both IDL and Python programming languages, data obtained from the ESA/NASA Planck Observatory is used to produce a catalog of candidate point sources. The specific data used originates from the Planck Catalog of Compact Sources version 2.0 (PCCS2). This included FITS files covering frequency ranges 857 GHz, 545 GHz, 353 GHz, 217 GHz, and 143 GHz. Utilizing a series of data filters, a limited set of target regions were produced that were then cross-referenced against other astronomical databases such as WISE, Herschel, NED, and SDSS. To date this has resulted in a catalog of over 150 candidate gravitationally lensed high-z galaxy candidates. From this catalog, 31 targets have been verified via observations from telescopes such as the LMT, GBT, and Hubble. These targets include some of the brightest and oldest galaxies ever observed. Presentation Details 56 Room 165 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Daniel Thomas Borden Stephan Martin (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Astronomy, Bristol Community College Analysis of TRAPPIST-1 Planets Located in the Habitable Zone The TRAPPIST-1 is a red dwarf located 39 light years from Earth. NASA has announced the discovery of seven Earth sized planets orbiting TRAPPIST-1. NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope confirmed two of the planets and discovered five other planets orbiting TRAPPIST-1. Three of these planets (e, f, and g,) have been confirmed to be in the habitable zone of TRAPPIST-1. There is evidence that shows planets e, f, & g might be habitable for carbon based life. All seven Earth sized planets are likely to be tidally locked. This would make any development of carbon based life a challenge as all of the energy from TRAPPIST-1 would be absorbed by only one side of the planet. This creates a large temperature difference which sets conditions for powerful winds to circle the planet. There is a mild-twilight zone which would be the best location for carbon based life to exist. An XMM-Newton X-ray study explains that due to the close proximity of planets e, f, and g, to its host star, each planets has been exposed to sufficient X-ray and extreme ultraviolet (EUV/XUV) irradiation. Any primary and secondary atmosphere that the planets have will be altered. Planet’s e, f, and g are less likely to host carbon based life with these disadvantages. There are only certain areas that might be habitable on each planet. (EUV/XUV) irradiation would further decrease any chance of these planets being habitable. Presentation Details 54 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A38 Ryan David Boyden Stella Offner (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Astronomy, UMass Amherst Assessing the Impact of Astrochemistry on Molecular Cloud Turbulence Statistics We investigate the sensitivity of 15 commonly applied turbulent statistics to complex molecular gas chemistry. We analyze hydrodynamic simulations of turbulent, starforming molecular clouds that are post-processed with the photo-dissociation region astrochemistry code 3D-PDR. Our models represent synthetic 12CO(1-0) and CI(3P13P ) maps with various chemical complexities and background radiation fields. To 0 characterize differences between the datasets, we perform statistical measurements, identify diagnostics indicative of our simulation parameters, and quantify the responses by using a variety of distance metrics. We find that multiple turbulent statistics are sensitive not only to the systematic incorporation of underlying chemical parameters, but also to the strength of the background radiation field. The statistics with meaningful responses include the PCA, delta-variance, and dendrograms. A few of the statistics, such as the VCS, are also only sensitive to the type of tracer being utilized, while others, like the skewness, are strictly responsive to the background radiation field. Collectively, these findings indicate that more realistic chemistry impacts the responses of turbulent statistics and is necessary for accurate statistical comparisons between models and observed molecular clouds. Presentation Details 55 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C61 Dylan Michelson Pare Daniel Wang (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Astronomy, UMass Amherst iCons: Studying the Magnetic Fields of Nearby Spiral Galaxies Faraday Rotation Measure Synthesis (Rm-Synthesis) enables highly detailed studies of extragalactic magnetism. This technique analyzes the amount by which polarized emission from background sources located behind an imaged galaxy is rotated while passing through the magnetized plasma with the galaxy's disk and halo. This rotation of the polarized light is known as a Rotation Measure (RM), and the value and sign of the RM contains information regarding the magnitude and orientation of the magnetic field in the region of the galaxy the light passes through. Continuing the work of the CHANGES collaboration (Continuum HAlos in Nearby Galaxies -- an EVLA Survey), we have incorporated this technique in our study of NGC 3044, finding a map of RMs that extends approximately 5 kpc away from the plane of the galactic disk. We are able to map the magnetic field of the galaxy well into its halo as a result of this extensive RM map, and our map of the galaxy's magnetic field is in agreement with previous results published by the CHANG-ES collaboration. In addition, we detect three field reversals in our mapping of RMs through this technique -- one that occurs above the galactic plane, one that occurs below the galactic plane, and one that occurs as the magnetic field passes through the plane of the galactic disk. Presentation Details BIOCHEMISTRY 59 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A39 Alexandra Nichole Barbato Michael J. Knapp (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, UMass Amherst Protein Hydroxylation for Bioorthogonal Labeling The aim of this project is to develop a new method for intracellular protein labeling. This will be accomplished by utilizing an alternative substrate of the hydroxylating enzyme Factor Inhibiting Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1α (FIH), which is an Fe(II) α-ketoglutaratedependent enzyme that hydroxylates the β-carbon of amino acid side chains of its peptide substrates. FIH has been shown to modify a handful of peptide sequences, such as Ankyrin Repeat Domain (ARD) peptides, with varying target residues. This project focuses on the ARD peptide with the target residue serine. This substrate has been identified as a good target for bioorthogonal labeling due to the formation of an aldehyde, an uncommon biological function group, on the substrate after FIH hydroxylates the serine residue. The formation of the aldehyde on the peptide substrate has been confirmed using various carbonyl-specific chemical reactions, and the modification site has been confirmed using tandem mass spectrometry. A fusion protein of this substrate with Maltose Binding Protein (MBP) has been prepared and is currently being probed for its activity with FIH. If successful, this project will develop a new method for protein labeling and visualization, which will allow for a more complete understanding of the timing of protein expression and the lifetime and localization of proteins. Presentation Details 78 Concourse 10:45-11:30 Board C64 Timothy James Bloomingdale Jeanie M. Tietjen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Massachusetts Bay Community College Mechanisms of Antidepressants and Pioneering Next-Generation Antidepressants My research focuses on the biochemical processes and mechanisms associated with SSRIs and SNRIs in treating depression, the inherent side effects from artificially raising levels of neurotransmitters, and the psychopharmacological challenges in pioneering an effective, fast-acting antidepressant. Current antidepressants harbor numerous side effects ranging in severity. The two classes of antidepressants upon which my research focuses are Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and Serotonin Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs). Serotonin and norepinephrine are neurotransmitters, chemicals responsible for relaying signals across nerve cells. Serotonin is associated with mood and social behavior while norepinephrine serves a role in regulating stress. Instead of affecting the levels of an entire system like other antidepressants, SSRIs and SNRIs target specific neurotransmitters in the brain. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 15.7 million American residents aged eighteen and older experienced major depression in 2014. Over the course of 2015, the National Institute of Mental Health states the number of majorly depressed Americans increased to 16.1 million individuals. Depression is an increasingly more common diagnosis in America, and a result, psychiatrists prescribe more and more SSRIs and SNRIs; however, SSRIs and SNRIs may induce side effects ranging from more common and less severe, loss of appetite and insomnia, to uncommon and dangerous, increased depression and an increase in suicidal thoughts. Side effects vary person to person, but with a market increase in depressed individuals, it is imperative for psychopharmacologists to develop safer, more consistent medications. Presentation Details 60 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A40 Abigail S. Bose Robert Thomas Zoeller (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Amherst The TR Isoform-specific Effects of TBBPA on a Thyroid Response Element Thyroid hormone (TH) is an important regulator of normal physiological and developmental functioning in vertebrates. TH binds various thyroid receptor (TR) isoforms in order to initiate effects in thyroid response elements (TREs). Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) is an endocrine disrupting chemical known to interfere with TH action. This study investigated how, if at all, TBBPA influenced TH action on a specific TRE (2xclys) for individual TR isoforms. We hypothesized that TBBPA would act uniquely based on the TR isoform present and that the magnitude of any effect seen would increase with increasing TBBPA concentration applied. CV1 cells were manipulated to express TRa, TRb1, or TRb2 and were treated with concentrations of TBBPA in the presence and absence of TH. By measuring 2xclys-directed luciferase activity in relation to luciferase activity not under TRE control, fold change values were generated for each treatment group. These fold changes were compared to controls to determine whether TBBPA had any significant agonistic or antagonistic effects on TH action. While magnitude of fold change did differ between isoforms, the magnitude of effect did not increase with increasing TBBPA concentration. TBBPA had a significant effect on fold change for two treatment groups (10 uM TBBPA+T3 on TRα; 1 uM TBBPA+T3 on TRβ1). Repetition of this experiment in CV1 cells will contribute to the significance of the data collected. However, these results warrant further investigation into human exposure to TBBPA. Presentation Details 70 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C62 Megan Brady Ruthanne H. Paradise (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, UMass Amherst iCons: Analyzing Neurotransmitters and Hormones within the Human Breath Matrix through Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) The exhaled breath matrix provides a rich source of endogenous volatile compounds and metabolites that represent strong diagnostic potential in the areas of human disease. The isolation of the alveolar portion of the breath provides the most accurate representation of the compounds and biomarkers present in the body systemically. The alveoli represent the barrier between the blood and the lungs, and the transport of specific molecules through this barrier may be of critical importance in the diagnosis of disease. (Almstrand, 2010). Hormones and neurotransmitters that are substrates of organic anionic or cationic transporters in the apical or basolateral membranes of the lung hold the potential to be visible in exhaled breath. Collection of the alveolar portion of human breath through a developed sampling technique will result in a sample rich in endogenous substrates and will contain hormones and neurotransmitters. The sampling technique involves a glass tube containing a solution of water and ethanol, responsible for trapping the substrates in the breath sample. This sample will then be analyzed through Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS), specifically using a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. This bioanalysis has the potential for the extensive application to human health and disease diagnosis, and represents a non-invasive mechanism for the collection of a bodily sample and holds the possibility to become an accurate method of evaluation for hormone and neurotransmitter levels, a mechanism that could have significant implications on disease diagnosis. Presentation Details 81 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A21 Francesco Sergio Canali Kevin Mitchell (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Laboratory Science, Northern Essex Community College Optimizing Multiplex PCR for DNA Fingerprinting The objective of this is experiment is to optimize a multiplex PCR, or polymerase chain reaction, for DNA fingerprinting using single tandem repeat loci (STRs). The Human Genome has multiple STR loci that can be analyzed and it is possible to analyze more than one during a single test and this is called multiplex DNA fingerprinting. The FBI uses 13 loci when analyzing STRs in a series of multiplex PCR reactions. This experiment will initially focus on testing 4 separate loci for DNA fingerprinting analysis in one multiplex PCR reaction. These are the CSF1PO, TH01, TPOX, vWA loci. These 4 are used as the expected product sizes do not overlap. The results will be visualized using gel electrophoresis. After the multiplex PCR reaction has been optimized it will be used for DNA analysis in a faux crime scene. Presentation Details 57 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A07 Lynn Chuong Karen A. Dunphy (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, UMass Amherst Effectiveness of E2 Pellets Sterilized with Gamma-irradiation Estrogen plays an essential role in the reproductive system and mammary development, which could be pivotal to the research in breast and other endocrine related cancers. To investigate the effects of estrogen in vivo, treatments of estrogen must be administered to mice. Estrogen is a lipid soluble molecule, and can therefore diffuse through the cell membrane to bind to estrogen receptors [1]. Consequently, it is possible to treat mice with estrogen using silastic pellets, which allows the use of crystallized or lypophilized hormones mixed with cellulose [2]. Strom et al has done similar work in delivering exogenous estrogen into mice and demonstrated that use of silastic pellets was one of the more consistent and efficient methods [3]. However, new regulations by the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) now require sterilization of compounds administered to animals. Therefore, this study intends to determine if sterilization with γ-irradiation (IR) diminishes the activity of the estrogen in the silastic pellets. The findings of the study demonstrated that even after sterilization through IR, the pellets were still effective in secreting E2, and that the E2 was not compromised. Using an E2 ELISA, the blood serum of E2 treated mice were tested, and found to have very high concentrations of E2. Then, using a BrdU assay, the tissues of these mice had shown that the estrogen treatment was still effective because the percent proliferation of the E2 treated mice was greater than that of the control mice. Presentation Details 77 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A20 Ezequiel De Leon Steven Cok (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry and Food Science, Framingham State University The Effects of Phytochemicals on the Expression of C/EBP-α and SREBP-1 as They Relate to Adipogenesis and the Progression of Prediabetes to Type II Diabetes in the Obese State Using a C. elegans and GFP Reporter Fusion Protein Model Type II Diabetes Mellitus is a metabolic disease characterized by insulin resistance and hyperglycemia. Hypertrophic obesity has been strongly associated with increased hypoxia and increased infiltration of adipose tissue by macrophages as well as a lower expandability or capacity of adipose tissue to store lipids compared to hyperplastic obesity. It is believed that reduced lipid storage capacity effectively results in ectopic lipid accumulation, a major contributor to insulin resistance through the mechanisms of lipotoxicity and lipid induced insulin resistance. Increased storage of lipids through increased adipogenesis and through increased lipid storage are thus areas of interest in the treatment of type II diabetes. Adipogenesis is under regulation by host of transcriptional regulators most notably PPAR-y and C/EBP-α, central transcription factors in the differentiation of adipocytes, as well as other transcription factors such as SREBP-1. This study aims to elucidate novel phytochemicals involved the expression of C/EBP-a and SREBP-1 using a C. elegans and GFP reporter fusion protein model. Presentation Details 61 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A41 Daniel Doza Mark S. Miller (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst Measuring Regulatory Light Chain Phosphorylation in Human Skeletal Muscle Fibers Older women experience a larger decline in skeletal muscle function as compared to older men. This decline in muscle function increases their risk for physical disabilities and reduces their overall quality of life. Recent work from our laboratory demonstrated that this age-related skeletal muscle dysfunction could be partially explained by sexspecific alterations in the interaction of myosin and actin, the two primary proteins responsible for muscle contraction. Reduced phosphorylation levels of a protein that binds to myosin, the regulatory light chain (RLC), can possibly explain the slower myosin-actin interactions in older women. To better understand this relationship, RLC phosphorylation studies must be completed in single fibers from humans. As of today, RLC phosphorylation has never been measured at the single fiber level. Initial results in mice have shown that the total RLC protein can be measured via gel electrophoresis at the single fiber level using standard staining reagents such as Coomassie Blue and Silver Stain. Continued research is underway to increase our sensitivity for detecting phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated RLC. We are optimizing a three-step Western blot (primary, secondary and streptavidin) to amplify the chemiluminescent signal. The nontraditional streptavidin step relies on an interaction with a biotinylated secondary antibody. Additionally, the addition of Phos-tag to the acrylamide gels allows separation of phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated RLC without using urea solubilization. The successful optimization of this technique will allow us to test our hypothesis that RLC phosphorylation contributes to decreased skeletal muscle function in older adults, especially women. Presentation Details 82 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A22 Michaela Frontiero Kevin Mitchell (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Laboratory Science, Northern Essex Community College Utilizing Antibiotic Properties of Marine Actinomyces This research project will focus on exploring the antibiotic-producing capabilities of the Actinobacteria class Actinomyces. These bacteria are gram positive and when exposed to certain environmental conditions, yield antibiotic molecules in order to compete against microorganisms for resources and ensure their own survival. This research is important and relevant to the scientific community because while much work has been done to explore the antibiotic-producing properties of freshwater Actinobacteria, much less research has been done with marine sources of Actinobacteria. These strains of marine bacteria could be used in the future to create new pharmaceutical antibiotics, which is crucial to the development of modern pharmacology because as antibioticresistant bacteria develop, the medical field requires alternative treatment options. This research is also critical in helping the scientific community to understand marine sediment and environmental conditions. In this research experiment, conditions will be designed to optimize the extraction, growth, and isolation of potentially novel Actinobacteria strains. Presentation Details 79 Room 905 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Sachita Ganesa Scott C. Garman (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UMass Amherst The Pharmacological Chaperoning of CG85 on a Chimeric Alpha-galactosidase Dimer Mutations in the GLA gene, which encodes the lysosomal enzyme α-galactosidase (αGAL), lead to a build up of the substrate globotriaosylceramide (GB3) in affected tissues, ultimately resulting in Fabry disease. Mutations in the NAGA gene, which encodes the lysosomal enzyme α-N-acetylgalactosaminidase (α-NAGAL), result in Schindler/Kanzaki disease. These lysosomal storage diseases lead to progressive deterioration of organs, including the liver and kidney, and eventually result in death. Because lysosomal storage diseases are caused by defects in single proteins, they are in principle repairable and thus active topics of clinical research. To date, enzyme replacement therapy, pharmacological chaperone therapy, substrate reduction therapy, and gene therapy have been approved or tested. Pharmacological chaperones (PC) stabilize their target proteins to increase the amount of enzyme activity in the lysosome. Previously, we have engineered the human α-GAL dimer to contain two αNAGAL-like active sites (α-GALE203S/L206A). Extending from this result, we have designed a chimeric version of the α-GAL dimer, with one α-GAL active site and one αNAGAL active site. We hypothesize that the chimeric molecule can be chaperoned in one active site, increasing the activity of the other active site of the heterodimer. We have designed the chimeric molecule to have two distinct affinity tags, allowing purification by tandem affinity chromatography, using nickel and streptavidin columns. Then, we will test our chaperoning hypothesis, using the PC CG85. We have predicted and shown that binding of chaperone to one half of the chimeric molecule increases enzymatic activity in the other active site, 50Å away. Presentation Details 62 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A42 Jake Edward Jensen Alexander Suvorov (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Environmental Health Sciences, UMass Amherst Exploring the Mechanisms and Outcomes of Reproductive Toxicity in Rats Exposed to PBDE-47 Several negative trends in male reproductive health have emerged over time including lower male fertility and a higher rate of germ line cancers, which are linked to a variety of endocrine disruptors. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are well-established endocrine disruptors and research supports their role in the improper development of the male reproductive system. The blood-testis barrier (BTB) is responsible for protecting sperm during proliferation, while the mTOR1 and mTOR2 complexes regulate the actin and tight junction proteins that compose it. Inhibition of mTORC1 and knockdown of both complexes was shown to disrupt spermatogenesis and lead to atrophy of mice testis. Our hypothesis is that PBDE reproductive toxicity is modulated through mTOR by disrupting the BTB and therefore spermatogenesis. To explore this 14 pregnant female Wistar rats were exposed to 0.2mg of PBDE-47/kg/day from pregnancy day 8 to postpartum day 21, before the separation of male pups from mothers that were euthanized on postnatal day 120. Sperm smears were sampled, differentially stained, and examined via microscopy. Cross-sections of testis were mounted on slides, stained with immunohistochemistry for proteins related to BTB integrity, and observed using microscopy. Analysis of sperm head dimensions and morphology showed a longer head length (p=0.05) as well as an increased rate of morphological abnormalities (p=0.026) in exposed animals. Observations of immunostained testis tissue reveals potential differences, but requires further analysis. The differences in sperm morphology are thought to be from changes in the BTB structural proteins and dysfunction of chromatin packaging. Presentation Details 75 Room 917 8:30-9:15 Panel 1 Rachel Maria Levantovsky David A. Sela (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nutrition and Food Science, UMass Amherst Prolongevity and Healthspan of Caenorhabditis elegans is Promoted by Bifidobacterium spp. The model organism Caenorhabditis elegans is widely used in studies of host-microbial interactions at the intestine, but the bulk of the existing body of work examines pathogenesis, not interactions with beneficial or commensal microbes. Previous work studying probiotic effects by Bifidobacterium spp. has demonstrated that C. elegans grown on certain strains of bifidobacteria experience prolongevity, or extended lifespan. This study seeks to discover if previously untested species and strains of bifidobacteria exert the same effects in a C. elegans model, and to ascertain which species or communities of these bacteria best promote worm survival. The second aim of this work is to assess the promotion of healthspan in response to bifidobacteria – asking if the probiotic not only increases lifespan, but the proportion of worms which live healthier, rather than longer. To address these questions, a lifespan assay of growth synchronized, adult C. elegans (N2 strain) was performed, with growth on either the control Escherichia coli OP50, or on single culture or co-culture Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis, Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum, Bifidobacterium longum subsp. suis, Bifidobacterium bifidum, or Bifidobacterium breve. Survival curves were established. Adult C. elegans were also subjected to a series of stress assays (heat, heavy metal, and oxidative) to determine whether exposure to bifidobacteria, either in single culture or co-culture, would promote increased healthspan. The outcomes of this prospective study may guide future discovery of the mechanism by which probiotic effects are exerted, and elucidate functions of host-commensal relations at the physiologically similar human intestinal epithelium. Presentation Details 73 Room 174 8:30-9:15 Panel 1 Johanna P. L'Heureux Dong Wang (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biochemistry, UMass Amherst Characterizing Novel Genes Crucial to Nitrogen Fixing Symbiosis The symbiotic interplay between rhizobia and the legumes that allows for the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen into usable ammonia is essential for the advancement of sustainable agriculture. Researchers want to harness this symbiosis to optimize and expand its role, but as of now, there is a lack of knowledge in mechanisms essential to nitrogen fixation. To understand the mechanism, the first step is to analyze the proteins involved. This leads to the need for an effort to identify and understand critical proteins in the symbiosis process. One of the best ways to discover how a gene and the encoded protein operates is to observe the organism when that gene is knocked out. Using this forward genetic approach, hundreds of ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) mutated seeds of the A17 ecotype of Medicago truncatula were screened for a fix minus (-) phenotype, typified by nonfunctional nodules that remain white. To further characterize this mutation, several verified fix- mutants were examined at the microscopic level through staining nodule tissue. To map the mutation, genetic crosses were performed between the mutant and A20 wildtype lines of M. truncatula. Pooled DNA from the fix- mutants of the F2 mapping population was used for PCR with genetic markers across the M. truncatula genome. Based on a marker that appeared to cosegregate with the mutation, a specific genomic region of the target gene was identified. Presentation Details 80 Room 905 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Natalie G. McArthur Lila M. Gierasch (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UMass Amherst Allosteric Relationships between Human Hsp70 and its Mutants The Hsp70 family, a group of heat shock proteins present in almost all living organisms, comprises essential molecular chaperones responsible for a wide range of protein related cellular functions. In bacterial Hsp70, termed DnaK, the allosteric mechanism, whereby substrate binding is modulated by nucleotide binding, is well understood and consists of interconversion between a docked and an undocked state resulting from interactions of the two functional domains. However, human inducible cytoplasmic Hsp70, termed HspA1, although similar in some aspects to DnaK, is not as well understood in its allostery. In this poster, the behavior of HspA1 is studied by observing the effect of single point mutations in locations thought to be allosterically critical. Through structural analysis by nuclear magnetic resonance, the effect that these mutations have on the allostery can be observed, regardless of the severity of change. In this poster, effects of one particular mutation of HspA1 of a glutamic acid to a lysine, a location forming a salt bridge, are tested and the data suggests, that this destabilization causes HspA1 to favor domain docking. Contrary to DnaK, through NMR analysis, this mutant has been observed to 100% favor the undocked state even with substrate, which tells us that this particular salt bridge contributes to the allosteric mechanisms of HspA1. In the future, understanding allosterically important sites and how they affect allostery in HspA1, may help discover sites for therapeutic small molecule candidates to bind and modulate Hsp70 function. Presentation Details 63 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A43 Chloe Okleschen McCollum Lila M. Gierasch (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UMass Amherst Interrogating Protein Folding Fate in a Reconstituted Cellular Environment with Supplemented Molecular Chaperones It is essential for the health of cells that the proteins within them fold properly, as proteins that fail to do so suffer a loss of function. If these proteins misfold, they may become toxic to cells or clump together and form harmful aggregates. Cells have a complex maintenance system in place to ensure that most proteins avoid or are rescued from these fates. Molecular chaperones and degradation enzymes are key components of this system that work in concert with each other to sustain protein homeostasis. Ordinarily, the cell has a tremendous capacity to ensure optimal levels of functional protein, however, the mechanism by which certain few proteins overwhelm this quality control system remains poorly understood. The focus of this work has been to explore the effects that the molecular chaperones DnaK/DnaJ/GrpE and GroEL/GroES have on aggregation-prone cytosolic proteins. Specifically, a reconstituted cell-free translation system has been used to recapitulate protein synthesis in an in vitro environment and allow the supplementation of chaperones at a range of concentrations. By studying precisely how molecular chaperones help their substrates fold, as well as the factors that influence such processes, therapies can be optimized to target the specific steps along misfolding pathways where aberrant folding occurs. Presentation Details 71 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C63 Alyssa Maria McQuillan Elizabeth Vierling (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biochemistry, UMass Amherst Genetic Analysis of the Function of Specific Small Heat Shock Proteins (sHsps) in Plants Molecular chaperones are proteins that assist in the unfolding or refolding of other macromolecular structures. Small heat shock proteins (sHsps) are key chaperones that are found across many species and play a large role in stress tolerance by preventing the irreversible aggregation of proteins that have become misfolded. When the protein quality control network is either overwhelmed with damaged proteins or is somehow defective, it often leads to various disease states. Understanding the mechanism of sHsps and the interactions with other chaperones has wide ranging implications, including fully recognizing the roles these proteins actually play in cellular stress, as well as in disease processes. The goal of this project is to analyze the phenotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana plants carrying mutations in genes that code for specific sHsps. The first mutant will have both class II sHsps, Hsp17.6 and Hsp17.7, knocked out. Both genes will be knocked out via the CRISPR/Cas9 mechanism, or by starting with a TDNA knockout of Hsp17.6 combined with a CRISPR/Cas9 mutation of Hsp17.7. The other mutant will eliminate the organelle-targeted sHsps for both the mitochondria and chloroplasts, identified as 26.5_MT, 25.3_CP, 23.5_C/MT and 23.6_C/MT. These mutants will be created by crossing plants carrying single or double gene knockouts already available in the lab in order to create plants that are triple knockouts for all chloroplast and all mitochondrion-targeted sHsps. Understanding how these mutants behave and handle different stresses will provide a key understanding into how important sHsps are in these plants and in life. Presentation Details 58 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A08 Chirag R. Mehta Elizabeth Vierling (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biochemistry, UMass Amherst Substrate Interactions of Small Heat Shock Proteins Using Photo-inducible UV Crosslinking Small Heat Shock Proteins (sHSPs) are a class of ATP-independent chaperones that are thought to act as molecular life vests to protect misfolding proteins from irreversible aggregation. The typical architecture of a sHSP monomer consists of three domains: a disordered N-terminal arm, a highly conserved α-crystallin domain, and a flexible Cterminal extension. In their native state sHSP monomers form oligomers of 12 or more subunits. Upon stress, these oligomers disassemble into active dimers, exposing hydrophobic surfaces that can interact with nonpolar patches on misfolded substrates. Despite this known information, interactions between sHSPs and substrates, particularly in vivo, remain poorly understood. The goal of this work is to examine in vivo interactions of a sHSP with substrates in Synechocystis 6803, a cyanobacterium with a single sHSP, Hsp16.6, which is required for thermotolerance. The photoinducible cross-linker, benzoyl-L-phenylalanine (Bpa), will be introduced at the position of five residues within the different sHSP domains; positions were chosen based on successful in vitro cross-linking results with a homologous higher plant sHSP. Residues were also chosen based on chemical similarities to Bpa in order to minimize compromising the three dimensional structure of Hsp16.6. The modified proteins will be expressed and purified from E.coli, and their activity as chaperones will be tested. Proteins with wild type activity will be introduced into a Synechocystis strain engineered to incorporate Bpa, enabling crosslinking to sHSP substrates in vivo. Crosslinked proteins can then be identified by mass spectrometry, increasing our understanding of the role of sHSPs during stress. Presentation Details 85 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A32 Peter Clarence Niimi William G. Hagar (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, UMass Boston Characterization of Polyphenol Oxidase from Chloroplasts in Barley (Hordeum vulgare) Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) is an enzyme found in plants which serves to protect them after they have been damaged. When the PPO isozymes are exposed to the air, they catalyze the oxidation of cathecols to quinones and initiate the production of melanin, the pigment which causes the brownish color on fruits or vegetables which have been cut. This is only one of the functions PPO might have. This safety mechanism doesn’t explain why the PPO enzyme is also found at a much higher pH (pH 8) in the chloroplasts. To explore potential additional characteristics or mechanisms, we purified PPO from Herdeum vulgar, more commonly known as barley. This purification through ammonium sulfate precipitation and re-suspension followed by dialysis and centrifugation. The purified enzyme will be analyzed for kinetic data, activity staining gels to determine electrophoretic mobility, and separating active isozymes. The activity of polyphenol oxidase enzyme(s) will be monitored using the oxidation of DOPA. Discovering the role PPO plays in the chloroplast could open the door to a better understanding of photosynthesis. Presentation Details 84 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A02 Cissy Nsubuga William G. Hagar (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, UMass Boston Chlorophyll Protein 668 and Its Reactions Chlorophyll Protein 668 (CP668), is a photoconvertible water soluble Chlorophyll-protein (WSCP), isolated from Chenopodium Album (C.Album), and a few other plants. In the presence of light, and oxygen, it converts to a nonconvertible form, CP743. Initial absorption measurements showed peaks at 668 nm and 430 nm for the unconverted form (CP668). Upon illumination, new peaks appeared at 743 nm and 574 nm. To study the characteristics of the protein, CP668 was prepared from a 0.01 M Sodium Phosphate pH 7 buffer extract of macerated C.Album leaves. To prevent photoconversion, all extraction and purification steps were carried out in dark-green light conditions. The extract was filtered through a cheesecloth and centrifuged at 5000 rpm. The WSCP was precipitated and partially purified using a 30%/70% Ammonium Sulphate fractionation, dialysed against buffer and separated using chromatography column. Fluorescence emission and excitation spectrum of the converted forms were measured, and we found that the oxidized molecule is separated from the unconverted "chlorophyll a" molecules still on the protein. Excitation at 570 nm primarily results in emission at 746 nm, and excitation at 430 nm results primarily in emission at 668 nm. We are currently comparing the excitation spectra of both forms with their absorption spectra to investigate any possible differences in this conversation reaction. These results and the use of other possible electron acceptors in the photoconversion reaction will be discussed. Presentation Details 64 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A44 Rory Hugh O'Connell Margaret Stratton (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biochemistry, UMass Amherst Bio-characterizing the Role of the Arc/CaMKII Complex in Synaptic Regulation Both Ca2+/Calmodulin dependent kinase II (CaMKII) and activity regulated cytoskeletal protein (Arc) have been found to play an important role in regulating synaptic plasticity, though through different mechanisms. Synaptic plasticity is essential for learning as it allows neuronal connections to be prioritized and de-prioritized due to usage. CaMKII is activated upon Ca2+ entry into the dendritic spine due to an excitatory signal from a nearby axon. CaMKII is then able to phosphorylate downstream targets, ultimately leading to long term potentiation and synaptic strengthening. Conversely, when there is a lack of an excitatory signal the synapse is weakened and undergoes longterm depression. Current models suggest that Arc plays a role in regulating longterm depression within the dendritic spine. Research has shown an interaction between inactivated CaMKII and Arc, and suggests that inactivated CaMKII leads to shuttling of Arc from the dendritic shaft to the dendritic spine. For my project I am studying the interaction between CaMKII and Arc. First, I am studying the existence of multimeric species of Arc in order to determine the structure of Arc. I will also try to crystallize the Arc and inactivated CaMKII complex and study the binding affinity by fluorescence resonance energy transfer experiments between the two proteins. Presentation Details 65 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A45 Oshiomah Philip Oyageshio Kathleen Arcaro (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Animal Sciences, UMass Amherst Using a Luminometric Methylation Assay to Determine Effects of Environmental Pollutants on Bonefish Populations Bonefish (Albula spp.) are ecologically and economically important fishes of tropical, shallow-water systems worldwide. In the Florida Keys alone bonefish are part of a recreational flats fishery that has an annual economic impact exceeding $465 million. South Florida was the birthplace of contemporary bonefishing, however, the past few decades have seen a marked decline in bonefish numbers. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the decrease in abundance of bonefish in the Florida Keys including deleterious effects of urban and industrial development on bonefish health. Changes in DNA methylation are frequently observed in response to environmental exposures and have been associated with decreases in reproductive health. In the present study we optimized non-lethal sampling of white blood cell DNA from bonefish in both impacted and pristine environments. Bonefish blood was collected on spot cards from several populations in waters off the Florida Keys and the Bahamas. DNA was isolated from blood spots using a modification of the phenol/chloroform extraction and quantified using a Qubit Fluorometer. A Luminometric Methylation Assay (LUMA) was used to analyze the methylation status of the bonefish genome to determine the extent to which DNA methylation is associated with environments heavily impacted by human activity. Presentation Details 66 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A46 Brendan Edward Page Margaret Stratton (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biochemistry, UMass Amherst Exploring Ca2+/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase II (CaMKII) Splice Variants with Regards to Activation Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is an oligomeric enzyme involved in learning and long-term potentiation (LTP). The underlying mechanism of this enzyme’s function has important value to the understanding of LTP and other aspects of learning. CaMKII is comprised of four main components: the kinase (catalytic) domain, regulatory segment, variable linker and the hub domain. The variable linker is especially important for activation. Alternative splicing in the linker region accounts for several isoforms for each gene of CaMKII (α, β, δ, and λ). The isoforms differ in linker length and composition. Variable linker length controls the degree of association between the kinase domain and hub domain. Therefore it is suspected that the shorter a linker is, the more Ca2+/CaM is required for CaMKII activation, as the active site is less accessible. Here, we have cloned each isoform of CaMKII α and β. Using a NAD+-coupled activity assay, we show the EC50 values for each of these isoforms and substrate thresholds for activation. We demonstrate that linker length is negatively correlated to the amount of substrate required for CaMKII activation. Presentation Details 86 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A33 Anjali Pandey Jason Roush (Faculty Sponsor) Honors College, UMass Boston Engineering a Tissue-Specific Cell-Based Therapeutic Delivery System Delivery of protein-based therapeutics to specific tissues is a major hindrance to the treatment of many diseases, including solid tumors. Cell-based therapeutic delivery vehicles, which are naturally capable of sensing and responding to their environment, are a promising approach to improving the targeting of therapeutics to pathological sites. To improve the specificity of cell-based delivery vehicles, we are developing a cell-based delivery system that expresses a therapeutic protein upon sensing multiple signals indicative of the disease state. As a proof of concept for the system, we are working to target solid tumors using macrophages; macrophages are naturally recruited to solid tumors, making them an ideal delivery vehicle. However, they also localize to non-pathological sites including the lungs, liver, and spleen, requiring additional engineering to restrict therapeutic delivery to pathological sites. This system could be used to deliver anti-cancer therapeutics, such as interleukin-2, specifically to tumors, thereby reducing deleterious off-target effects associated with systemic administration. To accomplish this goal, we are coupling endogenous signals characteristic of the tumor environment to transgene expression. Therapeutic protein expression will be triggered by simultaneous activation of two native transcription factors (TFs), HIF-2 and PPARγ:RXRα (PPARγ), which are activated by hypoxia and immunosuppressive signals indicative of solid tumors, respectively. When both TFs are activated, they will facilitate the recruitment of a novel engineered scaffold protein and transcriptional activator (miniCBP) to a DNA response element (DRE), triggering expression of the therapeutic protein. To identify an appropriate DRE, we will use protein-binding microarrays (PBMs) to screen tens of thousands of DNA sequences. We will then test the system in vitro in HEK293 cells and primary human monocytes. We anticipate that this work will advance the specificity of cell-based delivery vehicles and represents a potentially transformative approach for delivering potent protein-therapeutics directly to tumors, increasing efficacy and reducing toxicity. Presentation Details 74 Room 174 8:30-9:15 Panel 1 Milo Ray Dong Wang (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biochemistry, UMass Amherst Characterizing Nitrogen Sensing and Signaling in Medicago truncatula Nitrogen Fixation Legumes are responsible for much of the biochemically accessible "fixed" nitrogen entering the nitrogen cycle. Legumes form a root organ in which to house their symbiont called a nodule supported by photosynthates and nutrients from the phloem and with leghemoglobin. Leghemoglobin maintains the necessary oxygen levels for nitrogen fixation and gives nodules their characteristic pink color. Medicago truncatula is a model organism used to study the symbiosis between legumes and nitrogen-fixing bacteria (rhizobia). Free living rhizobia enter the nodule through tunnel-like structures called infection threads. Once inside host cells, they elongate and differentiate, forming symbiotic organelles known as bacteroids. The bacteroids produce ammonia which is exported from the roots to support the host plant. To aid in the study of this unique process, a genetic approach in M. truncatula is employed. When an inoperative gene results in nodule formation without nitrogen fixation, this class of mutants are known as defective in nitrogen fixation (dnf). They typically have small white nodules in comparison with the large pink nodules seen in wild type, as once the plant senses nodules are not providing nitrogen it stops supplying them with nutrients and leghemoglobin. Recently, we made the surprising discovery that some late stage dnf mutants maintain large pink nodules, similar in outward appearance to wild type, when the plants are grown with low levels of external nitrogen. Although these nodules provide no fixed nitrogen, the plant expends valuable resources towards their maintenance, seemingly unable to distinguish between internal and external sources of nitrogen. Presentation Details 69 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C59 Katelyn Jean Richards Joohyun Lee (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Amherst iCons: The Role of the Long Noncoding RNA COLDAIR in Controlling Flowering Time Many plants undergo the process of vernalization, which is the process by which prolonged cold exposure to the winter cold triggers an epigenetic switch that gives them the competence to flower, in order to optimize their flowering times. In the model organism, Arabidopsis thaliana, the gene FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC), which is a floral inhibitor, is the gene that gets epigenetically repressed after the vernalization response is triggered. Different accessions of Arabidopsis exist in which they have various single nucleotide polymorphism (aka SNPs) differences between them. Interestingly, there is varying FLC strength between accessions, which causes earlier or later flowering times in each accession; however it is not well understood what causes FLC to have varying strengths between accessions. There is a long noncoding RNA known as COLDAIR that is encoded in the same gene as FLC that is thought to be involved in FLC repression, and may influence the FLC strength of each accession. Therefore, it is hypothesized that differences among SNPs in the coding sequence of COLDAIR among different accessions of Arabidopsis influence FLC strength, and therefore whether the accession flowers earlier or later. By better understanding the role COLDAIR has in influencing FLC strength, then this could be used in future research to help optimize the flowering times of many agricultural crops that use vernalization, and in turn, potentially have a larger crop yield from the same amount of crops. Presentation Details 87 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A34 Lance Antonio Rufino Shuwei Cai (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, UMass Dartmouth Implementation of DPPH Assay to Rate Antioxidant Activity of Crude Fruit Extracts Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, as well as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are diseases relative to the progressive loss of neurons over a host’s life span. As time progresses, proteins within the host have a propensity to fold incorrectly, specifically beta amyloids, synuclein, and Tau proteins. Mitochondrial dysfunction within the host is a symptom of the progressive loss of neurons due to oxidative stress. The mitochondria is unable to digest damaged organelles and macromolecules creating oxidative stress thus, causing neuronal dysfunction. One hypothesis of leading to neuronal dysfunction is through fibrillization of Tau proteins. In scenarios when Tau proteins are exposed to genetic mutation, posttranslational modification, or intracellular environmental changes, the Tau proteins are vulnerable and succumb to form into neurofibrillary tangles (NFT’s) or paired helical filaments (PHF). The initiation of NFT’s/PHF’s is through the oxidative process of hyperphosphorylation. After hyper-phosphorylation occurs, Tau proteins are no longer soluble causing the proteins to precipitate within the compartments of neurons. Tau proteins in their aggregated form cannot transport materials and nutrients to support these neurons. This causes deprivation of the neighboring neurons and leading the neuronal cells to perish. It is under consideration that compounds which behave as strong antioxidants may be effective in preventing mild cognitive impairment. Trolox, a commonly used antioxidant standard, was used to validate the method, and demonstrated an EC50 value of 9.24 µg/mL. Extracts of polar desugared blueberry and cranberry samples exhibited EC50 values of 3 µg/mL for both the desurgared blueberry and cranberry samples. Presentation Details 83 Room 805 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Benjamin Ari Sadok Yeonhwa Park (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Food Science, UMass Amherst Effect of Insecticides on Fatty Liver The liver is a vital organ that filters blood, metabolizes drugs, detoxifies chemicals, and plays a critical role in lipid metabolism. Improper balance of lipid metabolism results in the accumulation of triglycerides in liver, which causes fatty liver disease, a common condition among the obese and type 2 diabetes. It has been reported that the exposure to certain environmental contaminants, including insecticides, is linked with the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The goal of this study was to determine the role of insecticides on the development of fatty liver. HepG2 cells, human hepatoma cells, are used as a model for testing various insecticides, such as permethrin and imidacloprid. The HepG2 cells were plated at 30,000 cells per well in a 96 well plate and were treated with palmitic acid, a saturated fatty acid that can cause fatty liver in these cells, and various concentrations of insecticides. Then, Nile Red was used as the marker for total fat measured by a fluorescence spectrophotometer. It was confirmed that treatments of palmitic acid resulted in significant increases of fat accumulation in this model. This study furthers tests different types of insecticides on fat accumulation along with the palmitic acid treatments to determine the effect on fatty liver. Presentation Details 67 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A47 Khaled Said Lawrence Schwartz (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Amherst Structural Requirements for Acheron’s Function as a Survival Factor Programed cell death (PCD) is a fundamental component of development and homeostasis in virtually all organisms. Defects in PCD contribute to a wide range of human diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders, autoimmunity and cancer. In most cases PCD occurs via apoptosis, a process that typically occurs when a family of proteases, the caspases, become activated and degrade the cellular substrates that result in rapid cellular destruction. During a molecular screen for genes that regulate PCD in an insect model system, the Schwartz lab at UMass Amherst discovered the Acheron gene. Acheron is a member of the Lupus Antigen family of RNA binding proteins and functions as a survival factor in certain cells by binding to pro-apoptotic proteins. This represents a novel mechanism for regulating cell death and may provide insights into the control of differentiation and pathogenesis. I am using mouse NIH3T3 fibroblast cells to test the hypothesis that regions in the C- and N-terminus of Acheron are required for its ability to function as a survival protein. As part of the project, I am transfecting mouse NIH3T3 fibroblasts with Acheron expression vectors with different Cterminal or the N-terminal tags to determine if they interfere with protein-protein interactions and block its ability to function as a survival protein. The ultimate goal of this work is to develop novel therapeutic interventions designed to block Acheron action and sensitize cancer cells. Presentation Details 76 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A02 Catherine Soliman Steven Cok (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry and Food Science, Framingham State University The Effect of Phytochemical Extracts on the Expression of Key Proteins that Could Prevent the Development of a Pre-diabetic State to a Diabetic One Using a C. elegans Model The circulating FA and their intracellular accumulation that are observed in obesity lead to a state of cellular stress and hypoxia that results in the infiltration of macrophages into the adipose tissue (AT) and subsequent release of nuclear factor-kB (NF-κB)induced pro-inflammatory cytokines. Through various mechanisms, these cytokines, especially Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α) interfere with the insulin signaling pathways to promote insulin resistance. A protein that counteracts this state of inflammation by several mechanisms is AMP-dependent kinase (AMPK). AMPK and Sirtuin-1 (SIRT-1) are induced by similar factors and AMPK further increases SIRT-1 expression. Together, they indirectly inhibit NF-kB and its downstream inflammatory cytokines, thus attenuating insulin resistance. Among the factors that induce AMPK/SIRT-1 are dietary polyphenolic compounds. In this experiment, C.elegans were used to determine the level of expression of the AMPK and SIRT-1 analogous genes upon exposure to various phytochemical extracts with the goal of potentially preventing the development of a pre-diabetic state to a diabetic one. Presentation Details 68 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A48 Peter Tao Li-Jun Ma (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biochemistry, UMass Amherst Analyzing the Mechanisms of Fusarium oxysporum Pathogenicity and Expansion of Blood-Brain Barrier Research Methodologies Fusarium infections in immunocompromised patients have a very poor prognosis with almost a 100% death rate in patients with neutropenia (Nucci et al., 2007). Infections can range from a broad range of keratitis, onychomycosis, lung infections, blood infections, and brain infections. Additionally, Fusarium species can also infect common crops such as tobacco, banana, tomato, and cotton plants (Herman et al., 2011, Ordonez et al., 2015). Thus, our first aim is to understand the Fusarium oxysporum infection mechanism, specifically in the blood brain barrier (BBB). We used the human cortical microvascular endothelial cell line (hCMEC/D3) as an in vitro platform for researching the BBB. 10^6 spores of the human strain 32931 were added to the top well and incubated at 37ºC. Six bioreplicates were tested. The number of hyphae was used to measure amount of Fusarium. In three of the 6 wells, hyphae were found on the bottom well, suggesting passage through the hCMEC/D3 cell layer. Our preliminary experiments suggest the fungal spores were able to penetrate the hCMEC/D3 barrier. However after initial experiments were conducted, it needs to be ascertained whether the hCMEC/D3 cells are tight enough to simulate the BBB. The cell to cell interactions of the hCMEC/D3 is critical to the success of this apparatus. Presentation Details 72 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C64 Tristan Tay Vincent Rotello (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, UMass Amherst iCons: Engineering Cas9 Protein and Gold Nanoparticles for Efficient Intracellular Delivery The CRISPR/Cas9 system is a gene editing technology with the potential to cure over 1,800 genetic disorders caused by a single gene mutation. Specifically, the protein (Cas9) complexed with a guide RNA molecule (gRNA) can be directed to any faulty gene and either inactivate or correct it. However, therapeutic application of the CRISPR/Cas9 system requires efficient delivery of its components into a cell’s nucleus. The Rotello lab has engineered Cas9 proteins to enable efficient cytoplasmic and nuclear delivery. In our strategy, a negatively charged peptide tag (E-tag) was appended to the Cas9 protein facilitating nanoassembly formation with functionalized gold nanoparticles. By appropriately tuning the E-tag length, we fabricated nanoassemblies that delivered Cas9 protein into cell cytoplasm with an efficiency as high as 90%. Furthermore, we show that our system does not interfere with Cas9’s ability to edit genes when co-delivered with gRNA. Thus, our co-engineering strategy of Cas9 protein and gold nanoparticles provide an approach for highly efficient gene editing, expanding the opportunities for therapeutic application. Presentation Details 88 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A22 Anne Saradia Volcy Diane P. Stengle (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, Holyoke Community College Understanding the Significance of Artificial Blood in the Scientific Community Artificial blood can be utilized as a replacement for our red blood cells. While the functions of our authentic blood are many, artificial blood solely transports oxygen and carbon dioxide throughout the body. Because of the high demand for artificial blood, scientists all over of the world through their research have discovered different methods of producing this alternative blood. Two examples of substances used are perfluorodecalin and perfluoro-t-butylcyclohexane. The methods of synthesis include synthetic production, chemical isolation, or recombinant biochemical technology. The interest in a source of synthetic blood dates to the early 1600s. Yet the search for the perfectly safe and effective blood substitute continues. This study will show the ultimate importance of fabricated blood for hospitals and health centers with the car crash victims, shotgun victims and cancer patients coming through daily. It will also evaluate some of the difficulties in the use of these sources of blood, such as toxicity and cost. Presentation Details BIOLOGY 116 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A03 Fathi Mohamed Abdi William G. Hagar (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, UMass Boston Anti-Tcell, Immunosuppressive ATG Drug in Acute Graft versus Host Disease (aGVHD) Patients post Allogeniec Homotopeitic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) In this study, we investigated the impact of administering the drug ATG (anti-Tlymphocyte globulin) for the prophylaxis of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in patients undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation. ATG has been shown to reduce the intensity of acute and chronic GVHD, but can also increase the risk of infectious complications and relapses. We prospectively analyzed blood samples from 44 patients receiving ATG and 47 patients in a control group. Samples were collected at 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and one year post transplant. We investigated the repopulation of immune cells in these transplant patients using flow cytometry. Immunophenotyping data was analyzed by FACS Diva software for T cells, B cells, Natural Killer (NK) cells and Dendritic cells. Our results indicate that all T cells and T cell subsets were suppressed after the ATG treatment along with a subset of NK cells. Once the clinical data is incorporated with the research data, we will better assess the efficacy of ATG on GVHD. Current data suggests that ATG severely increases the time it takes to repopulate regulatory immune cells. This decrease in the quantity of T cells and subsequent T cell subsets may account for the increased rate of infections and complications seen in patients treated with ATG. Presentation Details 91 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A49 Patrick F. Aoude Margaret Riley (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Amherst Antibiotic Resistance beyond the Clinic: Evaluating Evolutionary Histories for Several βlactamase Genes Due to excessive use of antibiotics, resistance is a challenge affecting people globally. While research on antibiotic resistance has traditionally focused on its occurrence and impact in clinical settings, recent studies have revealed the importance of the environment in serving as a potential source of novel antibiotic resistance genes. We examine the phylogenetic relationships between multiple samples of seven antibiotic resistance genes (blaACC, blaCEB, blaCEC, blaCMY, blaLEN, blaOXY, and blaTEM) obtained from clinical and non-clinical sources, including enteric bacteria, soil, and water, and demonstrate the random distributions of environmental and clinical sequences. We also analyze nonsynonymous and synonymous nucleotide substitution rates to illustrate the diversity of selective pressures experienced by the different genes and by the same genes sampled from clinical and environmental sources. Together, these results suggest that antibiotic resistance may originate in the environment where it is subject to dramatically different selective pressures and that this highly diverse gene pool may be the source of resistance genes detected in the clinic. Presentation Details 92 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A50 Maura Elizabeth Benson Victoria Ann Guarino Abbie Jensen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Amherst Uncovering Molecular Mechanisms of Rod Outer Segment Renewal in Zebrafish In eyes, there are two main types of photoreceptors, rod cells and cone cells. Photoreceptor cells allow people to see movement, depth and shapes in high or low light conditions. Photoreceptors are composed of the cell body, the inner segment and the outer segment. The outer segment is continuously renewed through the combined processes of proximal growth and distal shedding. If photoreceptor cells shed too much outer segment material (compared to that added by growth), the outer segment shortens, and if it shortens too much the cell dies. The death of photoreceptors is the leading cause of blindness. While there is some literature concluding that the light cycle plays a part in outer segment renewal, the molecular mechanism is unknown. In order to discover more about the molecular mechanism for the growth and shedding, we are retesting and validating compounds discovered in a small molecule screen completed in our lab that altered outer segment renewal. Because these small molecule compounds have known molecular targets, we can identify pathways that regulate rod outer segment growth and shedding. We use the zebrafish as a model organism for this research. Presentation Details 110 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A23 Robert James Bollmann Kelsey Bernard Lynn Fletcher (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, Salem State University Comparison of Macroinvertebrate Community Structure at Six Distinct Sites of the Ipswich River Watershed (Massachusetts, United States) during Drought-RestrictedFlow and Nominal-Flow Regimes The Ipswich River Watershed (IRW) is located in northeastern Massachusetts; it encompasses the main channel of the Ipswich River, as well as 45 tributary streams that combine to drain 155 square miles ranging across 21 towns/municipalities. The IRW is a main source for drinking water for 350,000 local residents as well as primary habitat for a myriad number of vertebrate and invertebrate species. Climatic extremes, such as drought, are predicted to increase in frequency for the Northeastern United States in the coming decades. We predict these extremes could impact the health and community structure of the watershed and that biotic metrics of macroinvertebrates will reflect this environmental change. Macroinvertebrates are easy to sample and can be utilized to determine overall river health and water quality. The Ipswich River Watershed Association conducts yearly monitoring and sampling at 6 sites along the Ipswich River. We examined the effects of drought on macroinvertebrates by comparing biotic metrics such as EPT family richness (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera) and total family richness between non-drought and drought years. We determined periods of drought by looking at USGS flow rates in the Ipswich River and data from the US Drought Monitor program. Presentation Details 133 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A28 Justin Buresh Meghan C. Kilroe Kimberly L. Pouliot (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, Westfield State University The Relationship between Extracellular TNF and Macrophage Bacterial Susceptibility Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic, inflammatory autoimmune disease that effects around 2.5 million people in the United States. Inflammation is localized to joints and is associated with high levels of TNF produced mainly by macrophages. Previous studies have shown that RA patients are two times as likely to develop bacterial infections. Patients are particularly susceptible to osteomyelitis and septic arthritis, typically associated with Staphylococcal ssp. The mechanism that causes the increased infection susceptibility is not yet clear. We tested the effect of extracellular inflammatory cytokines on macrophage function. Differentiated human THP-1 macrophages were stimulated with LPS to produce conditioned media which was later used to grow subsequent macrophages. We infected THP-1 cells with Staphylococcus aureus after growth in conditioned media. Bacterial internalization was quantified by gentamycin protection assay and inflammatory cytokine responses were analyzed by sandwich ELISA. This study will aid in the understanding of RA-associated infections. Presentation Details 93 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A51 Gabrielle Mila Calandrino Michelle Dana Staudinger (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Environmental Conservation, UMass Amherst Environmental and Ecological Factors Affecting Gray and Harbor Seal Haul-Out Behavior on Duck Island, ME The Gulf of Maine is one of the fastest warming bodies of water in the world, and previous studies have found relationships between environmental variables and pinnipeds such as harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) and gray seals (Halichoerus grypus). This study seeks to determine how certain environmental variables influence the seasonal movements and haul-out behavior of gray and harbor seals on Duck Island in the Gulf of Maine. This is a unique, mixed-species haul-out site that serves as a potential stop-over between large populations of gray seals in Canada and on Cape Cod. The increase of gray seal numbers on Duck Island from 2011-2016, found during mark-recapture photographic surveys, allows for a more in-depth analysis of their behavior and how they respond to environmental variables. Preliminary data analysis indicates that gray seals are using Duck Island as a stepping-stone habitat (migrant behavior) as well as a seasonal habitat (resident behavior) as they move between Cape Cod and Canada. Further analysis will determine whether haul-out behavior of both gray and harbor seals is related to meteorological factors or ecological factors such as inter or intra-species interactions and molting. Presentation Details 145 Room 174 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Anastasia V. Chobany Geng-Lin Li (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Amherst Phase-Locking Precision is Maintained in Auditory Hair Cells following FALI Mediated Ribbon Destruction Despite Disruption of Post-Synaptic Response Density The auditory system encodes complex temporal information through phase-locking, or the synchronous firing of nerve fibers to acoustic stimulation. Auditory hair cells employ synaptic ribbons to facilitate vesicle mobilization and the timed release of their neurotransmitter content to corresponding afferent fibers. Because of the ribbon's role in facilitating neurotransmitter release, we examined how ribbon destruction affected phase-locking precision via paired patch clamp recordings of hair cells and their corresponding nerve fibers. FITC-labeled ribbon binding peptide (fRBP) was used to destroy ribbon function following fluorescence assisted light inactivation (FALI). The fRBP [10 μM] was dialyzed into hair cells during whole cell voltage clamp recordings with the patch clamp pipette. Cells were then subject to sinusoidal stimulation (20 mV peak to peak at 400 Hz) to mimic sound wave stimulation. By itself, fRBP showed no effect on the vector strength of phase-locking precision. A 10 s flash of light (480 nm) resulted in a progressive and significant reduction in the density of post-synaptic response after 2-3 simulations, in contrast with the untreated control hair cells. Vector strength initially showed marked reduction in these stimulations as well. However, vector strength then recovered to levels comparable to control. These results suggest that phase-locking precision, unlike the strength of the post-synaptic response, is achieved independent of the synaptic ribbon. Presentation Details 94 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A52 Stephanie Choi Jason K. Kim (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Molecular Medicine, UMass Amherst Transgenic Mouse Model of Breast Cancer Causes Skeletal Muscle Inflammation and Insulin Resistance Epidemiological evidence has highlighted a relationship between breast cancer and diabetes. Furthermore, breast cancer is associated with inflammatory responses, but the underlying mechanisms and effects on glucose metabolism and insulin signaling remain poorly understood. Here we examined glucose metabolism in a transgenic mouse model of breast cancer expressing the polyoma middle T-antigen oncogene driven by the Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus promoter (MMTV-PyMT). A hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp was performed in female MMTV-PyMT and WT mice at 8-9 weeks of age. Whole body glucose turnover rates were significantly decreased in MMTV-PyMT mice with a 20% decrease in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in skeletal muscle. More macrophages were found in skeletal muscle of MMTVPyMT mice, as suggested by increased CD68 and F4/80 mRNA levels. Consistently, MMTV-PyMT mice had a significant increase in plasma levels and skeletal muscle mRNA expression of IL-6, MCP-1, and G-CSF. Particularly, there was a trend of increased mRNA expression of Arg1, a M2 macrophage-specific marker. Similar trends were observed in tumor tissues, but with much higher gene expressions of inflammatory cytokines and Arg1 comparing to skeletal muscle. Skeletal muscle of MMTV-PyMT mice showed a trend towards higher expression of the stress-response protein, CHOP, possibly from increased inflammation. These results indicate that tumor-bearing MMTVPyMT mice develop insulin resistance in skeletal muscle, along with increased gene expression of macrophage markers and inflammatory cytokines. Taken together, our findings suggest a novel paradigm in which tumor microenvironment-derived inflammatory cytokines affect muscle glucose metabolism, providing new insights into the relationship between breast cancer and insulin resistance. Presentation Details 141 Room 165 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Helen Chow Paula Stamps (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Public Health, UMass Amherst No More Neglect: An Analysis of Marburg and Ugandan Society Marburg (Marburg marburgvirus) is a hemorrhagic fever virus that currently plagues the countries of Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Kenya. Marburg is a single-stranded filovirus that resides in fruit bats. Exposure is limited because people rarely travel into caves harboring fruit bats however small Marburg outbreaks still happen. This thesis connects the Marburg virus with poverty by using the concept of neglected tropical diseases and a case study on Ugandan population. I choose Uganda because it is the prime location of most recent outbreaks and is also one of the most impoverished countries in the world. My research is conducted through analyzing scientific journals about Marburg, Ugandan health and government records, historical journals, and current news topics. The aim of this thesis is to classify Marburg as a neglected tropical disease, raise attention to its threat level, and describe a plan to maintain the virus given the fiscal constraints of the Ugandan environment. A new classification of Marburg distinguishes a reason that the virus reoccurs and has not been controlled. Also, Marburg is considered a dangerous threat since its cousin virus, Ebola, famously caused a large epidemic lasting between 2014-2016 and it was allegedly included in the Soviet Union’s biological weapons program. Therefore, Marburg presents a global threat simple from one travelling. Although weaponizing Marburg is unlikely, it is still a virus that affects a portion of the world that cannot afford it. Presentation Details 105 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C85 Thomas Corsi Westin George Cohen Randi Darling (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, Westfield State University Red Harvester Ants and Pheromone Trails In this experiment, we examined how harvester ants communicate to find food. We hypothesized that ants which found the food first (scout ants), would lay pheromone trails enabling other ants to find the food. We tested this hypothesis by building an apparatus that contained two areas (a starting area and food area) connected by clear tubes. The first ant that crossed a tube, found food, and returned to the colony is referred to as the scout ant. Once a scout ant traveled to the food, and back to the colony, we recorded the number of ants that took each tube to the food. We found that significantly more ants took the pheromone tube compared to the three non-pheromone tubes indicating that harvester ants follow pheromone trails laid down by other ants. Presentation Details 129 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A21 Shawn Michael Costa Jennifer K. Hood-DeGrenier (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, Worcester State University Overexpression of Non-phosphorylatable or Phospho-mimic Bud3 Mutant Proteins to Observe Effects on Cell Morphology and Cell Cycle Progression Budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) cells reproduce asexually through budding, where a new cell grows off of the original cell at a bud site and eventually separates by cellular division. Bud3 has been shown in previous studies to be involved in the process of axial budding, which occurs in haploid yeast cells and causes a new bud site to form adjacent to the site of a previous budding event. Bud3 has also been implicated in events at the end of the cell division cycle. Here, we investigated the role of phosphorylation in the function of Bud3. Bud3 contains three amino acids that are phosphorylated by the mitotic cyclin-dependent kinase Cdk1. To investigate the role of Bud3 phosphorylation on the cell cycle and budding, high-copy plasmids were generated to express three versions of the Bud3: the wildtype protein, a triple alanine mutant that couldn’t be phosphorylated, and an aspartic acid/glutamic acid phosphomimic mutant. The effects of Bud3 overexpression and phosphorylation site mutation will be observed by transforming the high-copy plasmid into yeast and observing effects on cellular morphology, cell cycle progression, and bud site selection. Yeast bud site selection is a generalized model of cell polarity. The results of this investigation will provide insight to the role of phosphorylation in specifying cell polarization and links between the mitotic cell cycle and cell polarity. Presentation Details 119 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A35 Mikayla A. Cote Jennifer Elizabeth Mendell (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, Bridgewater State University Assessing Effects of Different Matrices in Light Biosand Filters on Efficiency of Removing Pathogens from Contaminated Water Clean water is a basic human right, yet many underdeveloped countries, including Cambodia, lack access to a clean drinking water supply. More specifically, fecallycontaminated water allows for microbial-borne gastrointestinal diseases eventually resulting in death. Clean water is provided through installation of a type of point of use water filter, called a biosand filter. Biosand filters are gravitational water filtration systems comprised of layers of gravel and sand. Traditional concrete biosand filters are effective but these filters are too heavy to install in floating villages, on the Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia. Alternatively, lighter PVC based biosand filter were introduced, but have not performed as well. These issues in performance could be due to the proportions of matrices used or from the sand matrix packing in these filters, slowing the water output or flow rate. To further investigate this, PVC based light biosand filters with a variety of sand and gravel matrices were designed, built and tested using water contaminated with chicken feces to assess both efficiency of removing contaminants while maintaining proper flow rate. The initial filters built according to CAWST specifications demonstrated a rapid decline in flow rate so new filters were built with a coarser sand matrix, and varying amounts of gravel. These filters performed better initially, but eventually slowed to a flow rate below the acceptable level. To ensure proper flow rate, the top layer of sand was mixed prior to feeding with contaminated water as part of daily maintenance, allowing these filters to effectively remove bacterial pathogens. Presentation Details 95 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A53 Pheobe Mairin Deneen Lynn S. Adler (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Amherst The Effect of Rutin Concentration in Pollen on Crithidia bombi Load in Bombus impatiens Many pollinator species are at risk due to a variety of environmental factors, including an increase in parasite prevalence. In some cases, pollinator diet affects parasite load, including that of a common gut trypanosome, Crithidia bombi. Bumblebees that are infected with this parasite can have a reduced parasite load from feeding on floral tissues high in certain secondary compounds. Consuming sunflower pollen also dramatically reduced C. bombi load, although the mechanism is not yet known. Sunflower pollen is high in flavonoids, including a particular quercetin glycoside. Rutin, used as a substitute for this quercetin glycoside, was added to buckwheat pollen, which does not reduce infection, to determine if this compound reduces parasite load. Bees were inoculated with the parasite and exclusively fed sunflower pollen, buckwheat pollen, or buckwheat pollen with rutin at one of four concentrations. After a week, bees were dissected and their parasite load was assessed. We also measured the amount of pollen consumed in a 24-hour period and whether the bee survived to dissection. Rutin did not affect pathogen load, although sunflower pollen significantly reduced C. bombi loads as expected. There was no effect of pollen diet on survival or consumption. This study indicates the value of studying the effects of multiple chemical components of sunflower pollen simultaneously before individual compounds may be tested. It also highlights the importance of further researching the impact of nutritional composition on parasite load. Presentation Details 127 Hadley Room 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Jonathan Adam DiRusso Michele Markstein (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Amherst Novel Characterization of the Response of Stem Cells to a Ubiquitous Irritant: Methylmercury In the United States approximately 80,000 synthetic chemicals used in common foods, household products, and building materials remain completely untested for their effects on human health. This is in part because there are no established high throughput toxicology assays to assess their impact on human health. To help address this problem, we partnered with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to test the impact of 80 common compounds on our in vivo Drosophila model for intestinal stem cells. This has been a powerful model to study chemotherapeutics, so we thought it could likewise be used to probe similar chemical-stem cell intereactions. In our screen we identified one compound, Methylmercury, as having a growth-inducing effect on normal stem cells. This is a concern because unregulated cell proliferation is one of the first steps in cancer development. I will present the results of our screen as well as my follow up work to determine whether evolutionary conserved signaling pathways are triggered by Methylmercury. I am investigating the JAK-STAT inflammatory pathway, the JNK stress pathway, and the Hippo growth pathway using molecular markers and RNAi. Any link found between these pathways in Drosophila suggests a similar process may occur in humans. This would open a door into further understanding the toxic nature of methylmercury, which is currently best understood for its role as a neurotoxin. Our results suggests that methymercury may also be a carcinogen, and my current work aims to determine the molecular pathways that it triggers in stem cells. Presentation Details 111 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A24 Kimberly DosSantos Katie Lyn Lefebvre (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, Bristol Community College Crohn's: Making Molecules Hard to Digest Crohn’s disease is one of the fastest growing intestinal diseases in the United States. Until roughly two years ago, the cause(s) of Crohn’s Disease was still largely undetermined. Recently, however, several large-scale clinical studies have shown that the number of some beneficial bacteria in the gut decrease in Crohn's patients, while the number of potentially harmful bacteria increases. These findings are extremely important because they could lead to new, less invasive diagnostic tests. They also indicate that antibiotics—which aren't recommended for Crohn's but are often given when patients first present with symptoms—may actually make the disease worse. We will be examining the growth rate, metabolic requirements, and morphology of three predominant gut bacterial species, E. coli, E. aerogenes, and E. faecalis, in response to both control (normal bacterial) culture conditions and in response to elevated concentrations of each of the four organic molecules (fats, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, and proteins). Anyone can get Crohn’s disease, but it seems to be more prevalent in women, those of Jewish descent, and whites. It has affected over 500,000 people in the United States. It is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD. Crohn's disease can affect any part of the GI tract, though it usually occurs at the end of the small intestine, also known as the ileum, and the beginning of the large intestine, also known as the colon. Presentation Details 99 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C65 Angela Rose Essa Kathleen Arcaro (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Animal Sciences, UMass Amherst The Effects of a Dietary Intervention on Inflammation and Methylation Markers in the Breast Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, and 1 in 8 women in the United States develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Mechanistic research provides convincing support for the hypothesis that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables reduces the risk of developing breast cancer. In contrast, results from observational studies are inconsistent, possibly due to measurement error, analysis of blood biomarkers as a surrogate for breast, and the developmental time period assessed: most epidemiologic studies examine the effects of diet in later adulthood on subsequent breast cancer risk, yet earlier time points in breast development represent critical windows during which environmental exposures influence breast cancer risk. In an attempt to circumvent these limitations, we conducted a randomized dietary intervention study in lactating women in which breastmilk was collected at baseline and at 12 weeks. Human milk provides an ideal opportunity to assess the effects of a diet on breast health, as milk contains both secreted proteins and exfoliated breast epithelial cells for analyses of biomarkers related to breast cancer risk. In this pilot study, five women in the intervention group were provided with weekly boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables, tailored nutritional counseling, and asked to maintain food journals. Analysis of weekly journals and breastmilk collected at baseline and 12 weeks from women in the intervention and control groups demonstrate that is it feasible to significantly increase fruit and vegetable intake in lactating women and alter the inflammatory profile in the breast environment. Presentation Details 144 Room 168 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Benjamin Robert Estabrooks Randi Darling (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, Westfield State University Male versus Male Territorial Interaction in Red-Jointed Fiddler Crabs Red-jointed fiddler crabs (Uca minax) range along most of the Eastern seaboard of North America in low salinity coastlines. Their habitat consists of muddy shores where they dig burrows up to 60cm deep (Mienkoth, 1995). Burrows are guarded by the males and, like other fiddler crabs, Uca minax, males have a highly ritualized aggression sequence used to defend their territory that involves displaying their singular enlarged claw. There are three primary steps in the escalation of male confrontation starting with males facing each other, then leading into them aligning their enlarged claw, and finally concluding with grappling. Grappling is the highest escalation of male display and consists of the males interlocking their enlarged claws together (Clark, 2016). We tested the hypothesis that larger males (based on body and claw size) will establish dominance when placed in a tank with other smaller males. We predicted that if the largest dominant male was removed from the group then the next largest male would become dominant. Presentation Details 96 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A54 Rachel Margaret Fahey Elena Vazey (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Amherst Effects of Substantia Nigra Dopamine Neuron Loss on Cognitive Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease characterized by numerous motor deficits due to a striking loss of dopamine (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). Substantial development in DA replacement therapies has largely improved the management of many motor symptoms in PD patients, however, early cognitive impairment is unaddressed by current therapies suggesting the responsibility of non-dopaminergic degeneration. Mounting evidence suggests the early loss of norepinephrine (NE) neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC) may impart many of the deficits in executive function experienced by PD patients. The effects of DA and NE denervation were assessed in 31 rat models of PD receiving sham, DSP-4 lesions of LC-NE neurons, striatal 6-OHDA lesions of SN-DA neurons, or double (DSP-4+6-OHDA) lesions. Immunocytochemistry for tyrosine hydroxylase- (TH-) positive dopaminergic cells and dopamine-β-hydroxylase- (DBH-) noradrenergic cells was performed on mounted 40µm coronal sections of rat brain. An unbiased stereological count was collected of dopaminergic neurons in the SNc using Stereoinvestigator Software (11.0 MBF Biosciences). DA neuron population was assessed by treatment group and analyzed alongside previously recorded NE fiber counts. Stereological analysis showed a reduced population of DA neurons in the SNc of 6-OHDA lesioned rats compared to controls and DSP-4 lesioned rats. Interestingly, DSP-4 lesioned rats displayed a higher mean population of SN-DA neurons compared to non-lesioned controls. The present findings indicate that both SN-DA and LC-NE neuron loss play a significant role in the manifestation of PD symptoms. Presentation Details 97 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A55 Thomas John Finlay Alexander Gerson (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Amherst Assays for Evaluating Avian Metabolic Endurance Performance Avian migration is characterized by a number of long duration flights each followed by a refueling phase. Metabolic rate in flight is ~10 times a bird’s Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) but measuring flight performance in free flying birds is difficult. Thus, there are several existing techniques used to evaluate the aerobic metabolism, fuel mixture, and tradeoffs associated with long duration endurance metabolism in birds. The existing methods that are used to evaluate avian metabolic performance each have shortcomings that limit their utility in evaluating true endurance flight performance, and its tradeoffs. Peak metabolic rate (PMR) approximates maximal metabolic rate, but is an acute test and therefore may not be suitable to estimate endurance performance, and shivering metabolic rate (ShivMR) provides an endurance test, but only results in a 3fold increase in MR over basal levels. Additionally, ShivMR may result in low rates of water loss, whereas birds in flight have very high rates of water loss. Therefore, here we evaluate these established metabolic performance techniques, while also evaluating a novel technique using a helium-oxygen mixture (helox) to induce shivering at high temperatures resulting in elevated water loss as well as metabolism. By also measuring BMR as a metabolic baseline, we can determine which method produces physiological conditions most similar to flight. I evaluated metabolic performance of zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) using each of these techniques in a repeated measures design to compare and contrast their utility in evaluating endurance metabolism in birds. Presentation Details 130 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A23 Kristen Fuller Robin E. White (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, Westfield State University The Effects of Beta-carotene on Neuro-2a Cells Beta-carotene is a carotenoid that is commonly used for eye and vision health by acting as an antioxidant through its radical scavenging effects. Previous research has shown that it is beneficial to many different types of cells, but it’s effects on nervous system cells has never been examined. The aim of this study was to show whether or not betacarotene would protect Neuro-2a cells against oxidative stress, however, due to betacarotene being an antioxidant, we expected it to have a protective effect. We used the Neuro-2a cell line, which are fast-growing mouse neuroblastomas, and oxidative stress was induced by a 24-hour exposure to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in cell culture. Cell death was measured using Hoechst and Propidium Iodide (PI) fluorescent stains. When 0.05 μM, 0.10 μM, and 0.25 μM beta-carotene was added to the N2a cells, only 0.25 μM beta-carotene showed an increase in cell death. Studies thus far have not shown protection against oxidative stress, but future studies will explore different dosages that may do so. Our results suggest that beta-carotene has little to no effect on cell death, which is crucial because we now know that beta-carotene is not harmful to Neuro-2a cells. Presentation Details 89 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A09 Katlyn R. Gabriel Rolf Karlstrom (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Amherst The Virtual Zebrafish Brain: A 4-Dimensional Gene Expression Atlas of the Adult Zebrafish Brain A major focus in neuroscience research is to understand how brain structures relate to actions or behaviors. Brain atlases have been historically important tools for this research, serving to define and map brain anatomy in a wide variety of organisms, from worms to flies to mice to humans. Modern molecular biology approaches have allowed the creation of expression atlases such as the Allen Brain Atlas in mouse, which has mapped the expression of every mouse gene onto the brain using in situ hybridization. Zebrafish have become an important model for investigating vertebrate brain function, neurological diseases, neurodegeneration and brain regeneration. Thousands of transgenic lines are now available that express fluorescent proteins in distinct cells or brain regions. Brain atlases were recently developed for larval zebrafish stages, but no adult atlas currently exists. My project is to help create the first 3-Dimensional gene expression atlas of the zebrafish adult brain. We are creating atlases at multiple life stages, providing the first life-course (4-Dimensional) expression atlas for any vertebrate. This atlas, the Virtual Zebrafish Brain (VZB), will be made available as an online community resource, allowing researchers from around the world to examine gene expression and brain anatomy. We are building the VZB by using new tissue clearing and lightsheet confocal microscopy techniques to create 3Demensional images of fluorescent gene expression in intact zebrafish brains. Each 3Dimensional whole-brain image is then aligned to a reference brain image, allowing comparison of gene expression between different lines. The goal of my honors research is to standardize and optimize tissue clearing and imaging techniques for highthroughput brain imaging, generate reference brain images for five life stages, and align expression domains for up to 30 transgenic lines at multiple ages. To date we have aligned 20 gene expression patterns to reference brains at four life stages. Ultimately, we hope the VZB will help guide new hypothesis-driven research into vertebrate brain structure, function, and dysfunction. Presentation Details 120 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A36 Heena Gandevia Kellee R. Siegfried (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Boston Generation of a Germ Cell-Specific Nuclear Localized Fluorescent Protein to Study Zebrafish Germ Cell Development Zebrafish are an important biomedical research organism, however the mechanisms by which sex is determined are not known. Most zebrafish strains do not have sex chromosomes, instead several loci in the genome direct sex determination. Interestingly, the germ line has a major role in sex determination: more germ cells typically correlates with female sex and fewer germ cells correlate with male sex. However, whether germ cell amounts have a direct role in sex determination is not known. By monitoring the development of germ cells in the gonads in live fish, the effect of germ cells numbers on sex determination can be tracked. The purpose of this project is to create a transgenic line of zebrafish that expresses nuclear localized fluorescent protein in germ cells. This localization allows for individual cells to be quantified, which allows for the exact number of germ cells to be noted. Ziwi, or piwi-like RNA gene silencing 1, is a germ cell specific gene in Zebrafish. The ziwi promoter has been characterized and confers germ cell expression in transgenic zebrafish. Deadend (dnd) is a germ plasma component found in vertebrates that is involved in the maintenance and survival of primordial germ cells. Depletion of dnd will result in loss of germ cells and sterility in males. By using the ziwi promoter and the dnd3’UTR, along with a nuclear localized fluorescent protein, a construct was made and will be injected into zebrafish embryos. We predict that this transgenic line of zebrafish will allow germ cells to be precisely quantified as early as a few hours post fertilization. We aim to utilize this transgenic line to quantify germ cells in live fish to uncover the earliest time point at which germ cell numbers correlate with sexual fate. Presentation Details 121 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A37 Cassandra Marion Gath Ahmad Hasaba Naomi Stuffers Kenneth L. Campbell (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Boston Protein Hormones as Nested Information Systems: Computational Prediction of Protein Hormone Cleavage Site Alignments Recent study of the proteolysis of protein hormone transcripts has indicated that many protein hormones are actually nested information systems; the gene transcripts carry multiple physiological chemical signals that are gradually released during the biological lifetime of the protein hormone molecule, including its degradation. Investigating the formation and function of proteolytic fragments, specifically identifying multiple signals in different protein hormones, will likely provide a deeper understanding of these information systems. Here, bioinformatics databases were used to ascertain the relative locations and coincidence of protein hormone gene exonal boundaries, protein hormone functional domain boundaries, and known or predicted protein hormone proteolytic site locations. Our past results suggest these three locations coexist. Coincidence allows organisms to access archaic protein domain functions without preserving intact archaic protein genes. Early frequency analyses of the coincidences of DNA exonal borders, protein domain boundaries, and known or predicted protease sites suggests correlation within four amino acids of the exonal borders. In addition, protein cleavage sites predicted by PROSPER software was verified against known cleavage sites in human protein hormones noted in the MEROPS database; high correspondence was noted, boding well for use of predictive software in further analyzing protein hormone transcripts. Further verification of the PROSPER predictions is being done to optimize the utility of the software as a step in analyzing our complete catalog of over 900 soluble human protein hormone gene transcripts. Collectively, the information will greatly expand our knowledge of protein hormone metabolism, endocrine system operation, and expand options for modulating endocrine physiology. Presentation Details 131 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A24 Robert J. Haluska Jr. Robin E. White (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, Westfield State University Ketones and the Brain Ketone bodies are created during the process of fat metabolism. High ketone levels are present when someone goes on a high fat, low carbohydrate diet, such as intermittent fasting or the Atkin’s diet. While these diets have shown great potential for weight loss and therapeutic relief in diseased cases, it is still unknown how ketone bodies affect a non-diseased brain. Beta-Hydroxybutyrate is a ketone body that is able to pass through the blood-brain barrier. BV2 microglia cells were studied under ketogenic conditions in 1mM and 5mM concentrations of Beta-Hydroxybutyrate, along with a 5mM glucose control and a no glucose, no ketone negative control. The BV2 cells were incubated for 72 hours in their respective mediums before fixing and staining. Statistical quantification shows that cell count under ketogenic conditions is significantly less than the glucose control. Cell shape and phagocytosis will be assessed in future studies. This study is crucial for brain health for those who actively partake in high fat, low carb diets. Presentation Details 112 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A25 Nathan F. Hart Amy B. Sprenkle (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, Salem State University Atypical Cell Morphology in a Fibroblast Cell Line Treated with Prodigiosin The bacterial pigment prodigiosin has been reported to have antimicrobial activity, as well as antioxidant and cytotoxic effects on multiple cancer cell lines. In this study, Serratia marcescens was grown at 27oC to maximize pigment production, harvested by centrifugation, and treated with 19:1 (100% ethanol:1M HCl) to extract crude prodigiosin. The cells were centrifuged again and the supernatant was kept for rotary evaporation. The rotary evaporated crude extract was then diluted to a stock concentration of 5.2 X 10-3 g/mL using DMEM/10% calf serum. NIH/3T3 fibroblasts were subcultured into DMEM/10% calf serum with varying amounts of crude prodigiosin (5.2 X 10-3 g/mL, 5.2 X 10-4 g/mL, and 5.2 X 10-6 g/mL) along with a negative vehicle control. After treatment, the 3T3 cells showed no apparent cell division or proliferation as is typical of the line. Cell morphology also remained in what appeared to be the ‘rounded-up’ shape typically seen when these particular cells were trypsinized and passaged for counting and subculture. Monolayers of NIH/3T3 fibroblasts were also treated with identical variables and controls. Cell morphology was observed after growing for three days at 37oC in 5% CO2 and the atypical cell morphology was associated with treatment constituents. Future work will utilize LC purified prodigiosin as refined treatment conditions, as well as looking for more specific changes in gene expression tied to the morphologic changes associated with exposure to prodigiosin. Presentation Details 132 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A26 Nathan D. Hayden Tim Parshall (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, Westfield State University How Do Budburst and Leaf Emergence Differ between Native and Invasive Shrubs in Western Massachusetts? Some scientists believe that the Earth is in the midst of a mass extinction event, as a result of habitat destruction, climate change and the introduction of non-native species. However, it is likely that when factors such as these combine, the threat of extinction is even greater. This study focuses on invasive plant species and how they outcompete native plant species in Western Massachusetts forests in the face of changing climate. Invasive species are already known to be threats to biodiversity due to their ability to become abundant in habitats quickly, partly because they emerge earlier in the growing season. Phenological characteristics (e.g., budburst, leaf growth) were observed on the campus of Westfield State University multiple times each week for both native and invasive shrubs including bush honeysuckle, spicebush, burning bush, multiflora rose, dogwood, and speckled alder. A qualitative scale was used to characterize the status of 30 buds on each subjects. Weather data from the WSU weather station is used to calculate weather characteristics including growing degree days. Budburst and leaf emergence are expected to be earlier for the invasive shrubs compared with their native counterparts. Permanently marks shrubs can be observed by students in future years to investigate how climate change may be advantageous to invasive shrubs at this site. Presentation Details 98 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A56 Lauren E. Healey Peter Alpert (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Amherst Clonal Integration and Competitive Ability in a Wild Strawberry Physically connected plants within clones can often exchange resources and signals. To test whether such physiological integration can increase the competitive ability of clonal plants, we conducted a greenhouse experiment on a wild ancestor of the cultivated strawberry, Fragaria chiloensis; and a grass, Bromus carinatus, that is a dominant species in many Californian coastal grasslands where F. chiloensis occurs. Sets of two or four connected plants of F. chiloensis were grown for three months in pots in a greenhouse with or without plants of B. carinatus in some or all of the pots. The stolons connecting plants of F. chiloensis were left intact to permit integration or severed to prevent it. A plant of F. chiloensis grown with B. carinatus accumulated about twice as much total dry mass and allocated less mass to roots when left connected to a plant of F. chiloensis grown without B. carinatus than when the connection was severed. The combined final mass of pairs of plants of F. chiloensis in which only one plant was grown with B. carinatus was also higher when plants were left connected. Connection had little effect on the growth of individual plants or of sets of plants of F. chiloensis when none or all of the plants in a set were grown with the grass. Results suggest that clonal integration can decrease the negative effect of competition on clonal plants, but only when connected plants experience different levels of competition. Presentation Details 102 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C82 Melisa Joseph Geng-Lin Li (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Amherst Functional Ribbon Destruction Impairs Depolarization Mediated Vesicle Release, Independent of Voltage-Gated Calcium Channel Function in Auditory Hair Cells Auditory hair cells employ ribbons to facilitate high volume vesicle fusion. FITC-labeled ribbon binding peptide (fRBP) is shown to destroy ribbon function following fluorescence assisted light inactivation (FALI) in retinal bipolar cells, with no morphological effect to the ribbon. To determine if fRBP affects hair cell secretion changes in stimulated membrane capacitance (ΔCm) were compared in patch clamp recordings before and after FALI. Hair cells were stimulated with step depolarizations from -90 mV to -30 mV. Since vesicle fusion is calcium dependent, the effect of fRBP on evoked calcium channel currents by FALI were tested. During whole cell voltage clamp recordings, fRBP was dialyzed into hair cells via the patch clamp pipette, at increasing concentrations [1-10 μM]. By itself, fRBP showed no effect on either ΔCmor calcium current density regardless of concentration. 10 s flash of light (480 nm) evoked a concentration dependent reduction in ΔCm, with no significant effect on calcium current. Effects were not immediate, but observed to occur within 2-3 stimulation pulses after FALI. 1 μM fRBP showed negligible effects while 10 μM showed substantial ablation in ΔCm. A similar effect was found in paired patch clamp recordings of the hair cell and its post synaptic afferent nerve fiber. Hair cell stimulated post-synaptic function was compared with step depolarization to -30 mV. Once again, the fRBP peptide showed no effect, but there was a concentration dependent effect on post synaptic current response. These results suggest that FALI mediated through fRBP impairs ribbon facilitated synaptic transmission. Presentation Details 100 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C66 Nicole Jessica Kim Anita Milman (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Environmental Conservation, UMass Amherst Groundwater Management in California California's sixth year of drought, which is considered to be the third worst in the state’s history, recently ended. Coinciding with this drought have been the warmest years by California records, and warmer winters reduce snowpack, one of the main recharging sources of groundwater. With less winter snowmelt to replenish groundwater in the spring, its levels deplete further, and thus groundwater availability in California has been dramatically decreasing. For a variety of reasons (predominantly political), to date, California has had little formal management of groundwater resources. Yet in 2014, California passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. This Act requires the local-level to develop groundwater management plans (GWMP) that will achieve sustainability by 2040. This means over 200 local agencies are scrambling to develop groundwater management plans, with little prior experience. Fortunately, there are several dozen GWMPs that were voluntarily created before the Act was passed. My research examines a subset of the voluntary plans developed by the local-level. I analyze the mechanisms included in the plan for implementation, identify local agencies that have developed plans that are likely to be highly effective, and make recommendations as to what elements would best be included in new GWMPs. The more carefully implementation is considered in a plan, the more likely it is to be carried out effectively. Governance is integral to management, and one cannot exist without the other. Presentation Details 134 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A30 Kayla Ashley King Kristen Amy Porter (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, Westfield State University Macrophage Differentiation and Their Role in Wound Closure Globally, between 20-90% of women experience violence in their lifetime, and upwards of 50-55% of women have wounding of the female genitals following sexual trauma. While wound healing of the skin is well studied, the process in the female reproductive tract (FRT) remains a critical gap. Studies of damage and subsequent wound healing of the FRT mucosal tissues and its role in HIV or STD acquisition are needed. Following tissue damage, macrophage cells of the immune system act to clear infections, damaged tissue and trigger wound healing.Macrophages are dynamic in their differentiation and function. Some are inflammatory to clear infections while others are tissue regenerative. For these studies, a wound healing assay of the upper and lower female genital tract was established and macrophages were differentiated and introduced to the wounded cell model. We hypothesize that similar to wound repair of the skin, wound healing-type macrophages will lead to faster wound closure than in other classes of macrophages. These and future studies will have an impact on clinical treatment of trauma, treatment of STDs and inform upon contraceptive and HIV prevention product development. Presentation Details 128 Hadley Room 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Kit Kolbert Michele Markstein (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Amherst Characterizing the Role of an ABC Transporter in Stem-Cell Drug Resistance A major problem in the treatment of cancer is that tumor cells become drug resistant over time. This resistance is driven in large part by the high expression of efflux pumps called ABC transporters in cancer stem cells. Understanding the transcriptional regulation of these transporters in stem cells therefore holds great therapeutic promise. However, in mammals ABC transporter genes typically span hundreds of thousands of base pairs, making it prohibitively difficult to dissect their transcriptional regulation. We therefore decided to test whether ABC transporters have a similar role in Drosophila stem cells, since Drosophila is much more amenable to the dissection of regulatory elements. Here, I report my findings that an evolutionarily conserved ABC transporter belonging to the C family of transporters plays a role in drug resistance in Drosophila stem cells. I show this with a dye assay as well as will the chemotherapeutic Bortezomib. I am now using quantitative fluorescence confocal microscopy to quantify these results to determine how much this ABC-C transporter contributes to overall drug efflux in stem cells. These results are exciting because they are the first demonstration that Drosophila stem cells are multidrug resistant, like their mammalian counterparts. This opens the door to using Drosophila to dissect the transcriptional regulation of ABC transporters, which will hopefully shed light on therapeutic targets to reduce the acquisition of drug resistance in tumor cells. Presentation Details 122 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A38 Keegan Scott Krick Helen C. Poynton (Faculty Sponsor) Department of School for the Environment, UMass Boston Tracking the Evolution of Key Toxicological Pathways through the Bivalvia by RNA Sequencing Bivalves are broadly dispersed aquatic mollusks that account for a large proportion of global shellfish consumption each year. Beyond the fishing industry, they are utilized by national and international biomonitoring programs to warn of critical toxicant levels that enter aquatic habitats through anthropogenic activities. Despite their ecological, economic, and toxicological significance, genomic and transcriptomic resources for bivalves are sparse, yet may provide insight into the evolution of key toxicological pathways that enable these organisms to cope with highly toxic environments. In this study, we sought to characterize baseline bivalve gene expression by RNA sequencing eight bivalve species and to explore the evolutionary selection of toxic pathways throughout this phylogenetic class. RNA sequencing libraries were prepared using stranded oligo-dt beads to impart strand specificity. These libraries were sequenced on the Illumina HiSeq2500 platform to obtain 60-90 million reads per species, providing high fidelity for each gene and enabling discovery of novel transcripts. Transcriptome assembly was performed using the Trinity package to generate novel transcriptomes without a reference genome. Following transcriptome assembly, we will use sequences from the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, genome to identify genes involved in stress responses and toxicant metabolism within the transcriptomes of the eight bivalve species. Comparing these genes across the broad class of bivalves will enable us to determine their level of conservation and whether gene expansions have occurred within particular groups that may enable these organisms to survive in highly variable urbanized environments. Presentation Details 123 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A39 Jessica Nicole MacNeil Kellee R. Siegfried (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Boston Identification of Genes Regulated by the Dmrt1 Transcription Factor in Germ Cells Doublesex & mab-3 related transcription factor 1 (Dmrt1) is a transcription factor that is highly conserved across most metazoans. Dmrt1 is a master sex-determining gene in some species, like chickens and medaka fish. In Danio rerio, or zebrafish, dmrt1 plays a key role in male sex determination and differentiation by controlling testis development. In humans, dmrt1 also plays an essential role in male development. Male patients with disrupted dmrt1 exhibit problems with testicular development and are partially feminized. Because Dmrt1 is a transcription factor it likely impacts the expression of other genes. However, it is not known what genes dmrt1 regulates in the zebrafish gonad. The identification of such genes will uncover genes that are important for testis fate determination and development. Dmrt1 is expressed in two cell-types in the testis, germ cells and somatic cells. The goal of this project is to identify genes that are regulated by Dmrt1 specifically in germ cells. To this end, transgenic zebrafish that express an epitope-tagged Dmrt1 protein specifically in the germ line cells of the gonad will be generated. A construct was made whereby dmrt1 cDNA contains a V5 epitope tag and is expressed via a germ cell-specific promoter. This construct was built using the Gibson Assembly Method, and was injected into wild-type zebrafish embryos to generate transgenic animals. Once adult, these transgenic fish will be used for chromatin co-Immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChIP-seq) to find what promoter elements Dmrt1 is interacting with in the genome of the zebrafish germ line. Presentation Details 101 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C67 Angelina Jean McKenna Ana Caicedo (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Amherst iCons: QTL Fine Mapping of a Shattering Locus in US Weedy Rice Crop domestication is the process by which humans shape the evolution of plants to suit their needs. Through artificial selection, humans have had the distinct ability to mold the characteristics of plants to create numerous crop varieties that provide humans with food. Traits selected for include greater yields, larger fruits and seeds, and in cereal crops, a loss of the seed dispersing mechanism. However, in the process of inventing agriculture, humans also created a new environment that became available for opportunistic plants and animals, and thus domestication of plants was accompanied by the evolution of agricultural weeds. A particularly problematic agricultural weed is weedy rice, which invades rice crop fields around the world and decreases yields. Weedy rice is able to persist and grow in abundance because unlike cultivated rice, weedy rice shatters, or drops its seeds to the ground. Seeds lost to shattering remain in the soil and sprout in the next growing season, further infesting crop fields. There is little known about how the shattering trait is genetically controlled, however previous research has shown the locus to be within a region of chromosome 2 that is 400 kb in length. It is possible to narrow down the region and potentially identify the locus through the use of a method known as Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) mapping. In addition to supplementing knowledge of agricultural evolutionary mechanisms, determination of the shattering locus could ultimately allow for eradication of weedy rice and increased crop production. Presentation Details 103 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C83 Kristen Mackenzie Michaud Lynn S. Adler (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Amherst The Impact of Flower Number Manipulation on Crithidia bombi Transmission in Bombus impatiens Flowering plant species may play an integral role in the transmission of infections among foraging insects. Floral tissues provide a substrate for disease transmission, acting as a hub for frequently visiting foragers. Variation in floral morphological traits may play a significant role in the degree of infection transmission of the trypanosome pathogen, Crithidia bombi, of foraging common eastern bumblebee workers. A previous observational study across 13 plant species found a positive relationship between the number of floral structures and Crithidia transmission. To assess whether having more flowers causes higher transmission, I manipulated flower number within three flowering plant species to determine whether flower number is the causal trait impacting severity of infection at the transmission level. Uninfected workers foraged on inoculated inflorescences with a manipulated high or low number of flowers. In one plant species, Monarda didyma, there were significantly more severe infections in workers foraging on higher number of flowers. However, in the other two plant species, flower number did not affect infection transmission. Although these results suggest that flower number plays a role in transmission severity for some species, this result indicates that flower number alone does not determine transmission severity. A further assessment of floral traits correlated with flower number is necessary to determine definitively which characters contribute to widespread transmission of infection in wild foragers. A comprehensive mechanistic understanding would allow for practical management plans to be implemented in areas with higher incidences of infection to prevent further pollinator declines. Presentation Details 104 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C84 Jennifer Ashley Morrisson Courtney Babbitt (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Amherst Effects of Promoter Variation on Gene Expression during the Fibroblast Serum Response in Humans and Nonhuman Primates A major goal in the field of evolutionary genomics is to establish a better understanding of the complex link between genotype and phenotype. In primate evolution, gene sequence and protein function are highly conserved between humans and chimpanzees, yet there is a stark phenotypic disparity between the species in traits such as behavior, cognition and diet. It has been proposed that the principal source of phenotypic disparity between humans and nonhuman primates lies in gene expression and regulation, rather than protein coding differences. In our project we will be investigating how variation in the promoter region of the GPI (Glucose-6-Phosphate Isomerase) gene between humans and nonhuman primates contributes to interspecies differences in gene expression during the serum response pathway. GPI performs several mechanistically distinct roles in the cell without the need for alternative splicing. These include roles as a glycolytic enzyme, a neurotrophic factor, and a lymphokine. The impact of GPI promoter variation on gene expression levels between primate species will be evaluated using luciferase assays of human, gorilla, and macaque cisregulatory regions located approximately 2 kilobases upstream of the GPI coding region. GPI's functional versatility, independent of variation in transcript or amino acid sequence, makes it an ideal candidate for studying the functional consequences of gene regulation. By comparing the effects of cis-variation between humans and nonhuman primates we hope to gain perspective on the contributions of cis-regulatory elements to phenotypic traits and evolutionary change. Presentation Details 142 Room 165 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Daphne Nakawesi Mark Beaumont (Faculty Sponsor) Honors Program, Bunker Hill Community College Heart Disease in Uganda The purpose of this paper was to study heart diseases in Uganda, a low income earning, developing country in Africa. My main focus was mainly on rheumatic heart disease, which is very prevalent in the country in comparison to other parts of the world and to address the reasons why this easily preventable and curable disease has persisted in one country and is almost nonexistent in others around the world. With scarcely any data and statistics available online about the severity of the disease and what is being done to address the situation, the little data was obtained from a few online resources and compounded with experience as a national of the country. Knowing the economic status of the country was an added bonus as I could relate and understand why. The most significant factor contributing to the prevalence had to do with a lack of income to sustain basic needs of people, let alone the ability to afford health care and doctors’ visits. Efforts to get in touch with physicians in the county proved futile as phone calls were not answered or returned. A lot more information is expected to be obtained with a physical trip to the country in March as it will permit face to face communication and interviews with the physicians and caretakers that will in essence provide more information and data. This is expected to be more fruitful than phone calls and outcomes from the trip shall be updated. There seems to be a correlation between low socioeconomic status, unemployment and low standards of living and the high prevalence of communicable and heart diseases like rheumatic heart disease in developing countries like Uganda. A lot of these diseases are otherwise preventable and curable, but with no access to medical insurance and no income to afford to pay for doctor visits and medications, this is almost a lost cause. Illiteracy has also left many people ignorant of the ways they can protect themselves from some of these diseases that are otherwise easily treated and preventable with simple antibiotics and standard hygiene. Living in inaccessible villages and rural areas doesn’t help the plight for them to have access to any resources either. If some of these diseases are to be eradicated in the country, basic education and affordable medical care has to be afforded to the people in the country especially those living in rural areas that are most susceptible. Presentation Details 117 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A04 Erika Ines Naumann Gaillat Tracie Ferreira (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Bioengineering, UMass Dartmouth Protein Engineering for Developing a Cancer Treatment Molecule The human body typically eliminates antigens from itself by using immune cells/antibodies. When it comes to the case of trying to eliminate cancer cells in advanced tumor settings, the cancer cells develop an immune suppression mechanism so that the immune system does not recognize them as antigens within the body. Earlier research and development has identified bridging immune cells to cancer cells may help bypass the immune suppression mechanisms of cancer. My aim is to develop a therapeutic molecule that can bind to breast cancer cells, and guide the immune cells to target and eliminate the breast cancer growth. This project’s focus included being able to successfully insert several genes into an Escherichia coli (E.coli) expression vector. The genes were verified by a gel electrophoresis and then through molecular cloning, recombinant DNA was created in the form of a plasmid. The recombinant DNA was then transformed into the E.coli cells. After the E.coli cells had grown, they were induced. Then the expressed proteins were isolated from the cells after they were broken down via sonication. Expression and purification analysis were done using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis and the subsequent coomassie staining. The proteins were then purified using column chromatography. The next steps in this project include putting the protein molecule(s) that form the antibody into cell-based assays with breast cancer cells as well as immune cells. If all are able to bind together correctly, then that will mean the lysis of the cancer cells. Presentation Details 126 Concourse 1:30-2:15 Board C96 Jenny Olins Samuel Hazen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Amherst Natural Variation in the Arabidopsis Cell Wall Renewable plant-based biofuels, such as cellulosic ethanol, are an appealing option to help prevent the impending energy crisis. Cellulose is found in the plant secondary cell wall, and its biosynthesis is regulated by a host of transcription factors. Thus, identifying and exploiting the genetic intricacies of cellulose biosynthesis are critical to maximizing the output of energy crops. CELLULOSE SYNTHASE 4 (CESA4) is one of three nonredundant subunits of the cellulose synthase complex in the plant cell wall. Investigations of natural variation of the CESA4 gene in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana will be presented. Genetic mapping and analysis of transcript levels between two near isogenic lines (NILS) of A. thaliana, CESA4Bay-0 and CESA4Sha, confirmed a cis-expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) located within the TERE transcription factor binding motif of the CESA4 promoter, causing a two-fold reduction in CESA4Sha transcript levels. The cellular phenotypes resulting from this cis-eQTL were investigated. Phloroglucinol-stained stem cross sections were indistinguishable between NILs, and no difference in secondary cell wall thickness was found. Likewise, there was no detectable difference in abundance of crystalline cellulose, as measured by the Updegraff assay. Results suggest A. thaliana is able to tolerate some naturally occurring reduction in CESA4 expression without compromising the structural elements of the plant, providing insight on the elasticity of the genetic network. Presentation Details 143 Room 174 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Marcello Orlando Jason Roush (Faculty Sponsor) Honors College, UMass Boston A FRET-Based Approach to Understanding the Physiological Role of Aggregation of the Prion-Related Protein TIA-1 There is a large prevalence of stress-related illness within the United States, many of which, are not being treated effectively; a biological solution that blocks the core of what is causing these illnesses is needed. Prions, special folding proteins, can be beneficial to the body by possibly driving basic biological functions in the human body. The TIA-1 aggregate, a prion-like protein, is thought to drive biological stress; manipulating TIA-1 aggregation, could serve as a tool to controlling stress. The goal was to find a way to probe TIA-1 aggregation through use of its prion-related domain. It was hypothesized that blocking TIA-1 aggregation may perturb stress formation. First, the prion-binding domain of TIA-1 was determined. Secondly, the peptides were inserted back into its sequence in order to observe changes in the formation of aggregates through a FRET procedure. This procedure consisted of fluorescent protein-tagged TIA-1 treated with peptides at different concentrations in order to view changes in FRET signal, which directly correlates with changes in aggregation. The results of demonstrated that certain sections of the prion-related domain of TIA-1 caused changes in FRET signal compared to the control. In the future, a gel-filtration chromatography procedure should be performed in order to view physical, qualitative changes in TIA-1 rather than quantitative. Ultimately, the peptides that demonstrated an ability to alter TIA-1 aggregation through these procedures may serve as a powerful tool for controlling stress levels per specific patient and stress-related illness. Presentation Details 135 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A32 Peter Michael Orlovsky Susan McPherson (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Quinsigamond Community College Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria The focus of this research is on the topic of microbial life that is resistant to common forms of antimicrobial medication, resulting in untreatable illnesses that were once very easy to treat. The research first delves into the origin and history of modern antibiotics, from their discovery by Alexander Fleming in 1923 to their further development and increasing promiscuity all the way into the modern age. Additionally, the world prior to the discovery of antibiotics is detailed, wherein many diseases we treat today as mere annoyances were once life threatening. The usefulness of modern antibiotics in many modern medical settings, such as surgical procedures is also described, leading to a discussion of the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria, as well as the common causes and enhancers of the development, such as the agricultural and medical industries. Many people take a lax attitude towards antibiotics today, resulting in misuse and over-prescription, two of the largest causes of development of antibiotic resistance. There is also an overuse of antibiotics in farm animals, which can lead to development of antibiotic resistance for human populations as well as among animals. Finally, this research will touch on methods by which we can prevent the impending obsolescence of these modern medical marvels. Without antibiotics, our way of life today would not be possible. We, as a species, would be forced to return to a time before the many boons of modern medicine, without any hope of reclaiming our former way of life due to a lack of any further options for treatment. This future is one that I, and hopefully many, would be willing to fight to prevent. Presentation Details 139 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C96 Nicole Marie Pawell Bethany Bradley (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Environmental Conservation, UMass Amherst Quantifying Spatial and Taxonomic Biases in Invasion Ecology Research Existing research on non-native, invasive plants is known to suffer from biases, with studies typically concentrated in developed countries and focused on a small subset of species. However, previous research on these biases has only focused on a portion of the scientific literature, such as studies evaluating invasive plant impact, and has not tested whether biases are changing through time. Here, we evaluate biases in invasive plant research using a more comprehensive database of papers published between 2000-2010. We searched Web of Science for all papers on invasive plants using the term ‘invasi* plant’. We read titles and abstracts of the resulting 9,929 publications and identified 1,178 studies focused on one or more invasive plant species for further analysis. These papers included 630 invasive plant species, however, only 29 species accounted for 1/3rd of the studies. Forbs/herbs (41%) were the most commonly studied growth form, while vines (2%) received little attention. Consistent with previous findings, field studies located in North America (55%), Europe (18%), and Australasia (10%) were overrepresented in the scientific literature. Through time, North America has been continuously overrepresented each year (roughly 50% of all publications) with little yearto-year change in invasive species research. However, the proportion of studies in Europe (13% in 2000 to 21% in 2010) and Asia (3% in 2000 to 8% in 2010) has been gradually increasing. Concurrently, the proportion of publications from Australasia (23% in 2000 to 7% in 2010) and Africa (14% in 2000 to 2% in 2010) over time appears to be declining. Future research should focus on underrepresented study locations and taxonomic groups in order to better understand the mechanisms and impacts of understudied invaders. Presentation Details 113 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A26 Christopher A. Racioppi Jessica A. Beal Cesar D. Mesta Kevin Mitchell (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Laboratory Science, Northern Essex Community College The Development of C. Elegans as a Research Tool at Northern Essex Community College The goal of our project is to establish C. elegans as an organism that can be used for research by the Laboratory Science and Biology programs at Northern Essex Community College. C. elegans is an excellent organism to study because they have a simple genetic code of 17,800 genes, the adult worm is only 1 mm, the life cycle is short (3-7 days), and it is transparent. The combination of these factors as well as their biological similarities to humans make them great model organisms for medical research, and as subjects of research at Northern Essex Community College. Research projects involving C. elegans will allow students to gain experience in many techniques including molecular biology, polymerase chain reaction, maintenance/culture of organisms, observational skills/phenotype analysis, and good laboratory practice. We plan to develop two projects using C. elegans. The first project includes using RNAi to silence genes in the worms and optimize conditions for the expression of different phenotypes. Using RNAi we can silence any gene we choose. We will initially focus on silencing genes that will result in easily observed phenotypes such as the unc-22, dyp-11 genes. There is also a lot of interest in using C. elegans for toxicity studies in place of mice. In the second project we will develop a project that will look at how different chemicals affect C. elegans. We will compile our procedures into protocols that are optimized for performance in a classroom environment at NECC. Presentation Details 124 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A40 Megi Resulaj Jill Macoska (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, UMass Boston Role of Estrogens in Myofibroblast Phenoconversion Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS) is a spectrum disorder in aging men characterized by tissue proliferation, smooth muscle dysfunction, and fibrosis. Fibrosis is characterized by excess collagen deposition and the persistence of myofibroblasts and can be promoted by the activation of the TGF-β/TGFβR axis and the EGF/EGFR signaling pathways. Because estrogen levels increase in men consequent to aging, we hypothesized that estrogens may contribute to the pro-fibrotic micro-environment of the aging prostate. For this reason, we seek to determine the effects of the endogenous estrogen 17β-estradiol and the environmental estrogen Bisphenol-A (BPA) on myofibroblast phenoconversion and prostate fibrosis. For these studies, immortalized N1 normal human fibroblasts were cultured with 17β-estradiol or BPA. Western blotting confirmed the presence of estrogen receptors (ERa and ERβ). Cells treated with subnanomolar concentrations of both 17β-estradiol and BPA demonstrated a dosedependent increase in proliferation. Changes in cellular morphology consistent with myofibroblast phenoconversion were observed in cells treated with estrogen concentrations ranging from 0.1nM-10mM. An increase in total soluble collagen was observed via Sircol Assay in response to BPA treatment. Cell lysates subjected to Western blotting revealed that BPA treatment activated Erk1/2 but not Smad3 signaling, while 17β-estradiol did not have any substantial effect on the signaling of either of these pathways. These findings suggest that BPA, a known endocrine disruptor, may promote prostatic fibrosis and LUTS, and that prostate myofibroblast phenoconversion may proceed through pathways that depend on EGF/EGFR signaling. Presentation Details 136 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A34 Helena Rheault Vanessa Holford Diana (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Westfield State University Long-Term Population Dynamics of Wildlife Species in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania Wildlife populations are declining at alarming rates between 50-59% across Africa. Protected areas are not an exception to these declines. By identifying the species with the greatest declines, isolating the root causes, and assessing how these declines have shaped the structure of the overall community is ideal for wildlife managers to identify vacancies in management plans and evaluate appropriate intervention methods. This research aimed to address these concerns in Lake Manyara National Park, located in northern Tanzania, which has population data ranging from 1959-2016. We used general additive models and other statistical methods to assess population trends for thirteen herbivore species, we assessed trends in community structure and biomass, and we identified structural changes in the trends. These breakpoints were crossreferenced with documented local historical events. The main findings identified major population crashes of African elephant, Cape buffalo, and black rhinoceros, which resulted in a 42% loss of overall herbivore biomass and the local extinction of the black rhinoceros. Severe poaching in the 1980s is thought to be the main cause of these declines, and the root cause of a major regime shift in the park’s community structure that has begun to favour the spread of browsing species. The remaining species have overall faired relatively well, with many exhibiting natural fluctuations over the study period. This study supports prior research that anthropogenic disturbances are a major source of population declines and demonstrates how they can have impacts on an entire community system for decades beyond the initial affect. Presentation Details 137 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A36 Kimberly Rosario Amanda Shea Kimberly L. Pouliot (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, Westfield State University The Effects of Nicotine on C6 Cells Nicotine is a highly addictive substance used by approximately 16 million Americans. Controversy still surrounds nicotine on whether it should be labeled a carcinogen and tumor promoter. Previous studies have shown that nicotine accelerates cell proliferation in several cell types including A549 (NSCLC, lung cell line), MCF-7 and MDA-MB-468 (breast cell lines). Nicotine is a stimulant that has been shown to cross the blood brain barrier. It is unclear what effect nicotine has on neuronal cells. We performed a dose response curve on C6 rat astrocytoma cells. Cells were exposed to 1um, 100 um, .1um, and .01 um nicotine for 24, 48, and 72 hours. Cell viability was assessed both by microscopic techniques and WST-1 reagent. This study will lead to more information on the effect of nicotine on cancerous neuronal cells. Presentation Details 106 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C86 Varun Sheel Lawrence Schwartz (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Amherst Investigating Acheron's Roles as a Survival Protein in Basal-Like Breast Cancers All cells carry the genetic machinery required to commit cell suicide, a process known as programmed cell death (PCD). While the ability to initiate PCD serves a number of useful purposes during development and homeostasis, mis-regulation of PCD is the basis of most human diseases including cancer, autoimmunity and neurodegeneration. Using the tobacco hawkmoth Manduca sexta as a model organism, the Schwartz lab at UMass Amherst has demonstrated that PCD requires de novo gene expression and has cloned numerous death-associated genes, one of which encodes the protein Acheron. Acheron is a novel survival protein that protects certain cells from death during development by binding to pro-apoptotic proteins. Using mouse C2C12 myoblasts as a model, I am testing the hypotheses that Acheron and pro-apoptotic proteins co-localize in the mitochondria and that this co-localization is integral to Acheron’s role as a survival protein. Since Acheron is misregulated in certain cancers and drive metastatic processes, these data may provide insight into the regulation of development and pathogenesis. Presentation Details 138 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A38 Lily Noel Shepherd Kimberly L. Pouliot (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, Westfield State University The Effect of Glucose Concentration on Macrophage Function Exposed to Bacteria Patients with Type 2 Diabetes are more susceptible to developing bacterial infections and are more adversely affected when an infection occurs. High blood sugar levels have shown to weaken immune system’s functions. Macrophages grown in a high glucose environment may contribute to the likelihood of a more severe infection progression compared to macrophages grown in an environment with normal glucose levels. To test macrophage function, we grew differentiated THP-1 macrophages under high glucose conditions and infected them with a panel of microorganisms. Numbers of internalized bacteria were quantified by gentamycin protection assay. Presentation Details 107 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C87 Austin Cole Snyder Elena Vazey (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Amherst The Effects of Direct Manipulation of LC-NE Tonic Activity on Cognitive Performance Decision making goes awry in many psychiatric disorders. Cortical function during decision processing is heavily influenced by ascending monoamines, including norepinephrine (NE). The locus coeruleus (LC) is a major source of NE in the mammalian brain providing the sole supply of NE to the cerebral cortex and hippocampus; two major regions controlling cognitive function, learning and memory. Optimal cognitive performance has been hypothesized to require moderate tonic LC-NE signaling. Low LC activity is associated with drowsiness and inattentiveness whereas high levels of LC activity occur during stressful events and are associated with poor performance. The associations that inform models of the relationship between LCNE activity and cognitive performance are based on correlative information, however causal verification is missing. To address this we controlled tonic LC-NE activity directly by expressing Gi coupled hM4Di designer receptors in the female Long-Evans rat (n=7) to inhibit tonic LC. Levels of LC-NE inhibition were tested by varying concentrations of clozapine-N-oxide (0.1-1.0 mg/kg), the specific hM4Di receptor agonist, injected systemically. Rats were trained on a 2AFC task in which cue lights (red/green) illuminated on every trial indicating which of two laterally-located levers would be rewarded. Behavioral results were analyzed for marker criteria of cognitive performance including premature trials and accuracy as well as total trials and omissions, indicating distractibility. These results have important implications in understanding the causal relationship between LC-NE activity and cognitive performance and how disruptions to LC-NE signaling may influence the circuit dysfunction characteristic of certain cognitive and psychiatric disorders. Presentation Details 90 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A10 Sarah Stanley Jeff Podos (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Amherst Song Sharing and Social Interaction in Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia) The Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) is a species of bird that uses vocal communication signals (songs) for a multitude of purposes including to attract mates, to convey aggressive intent, and to establish territories. One fascinating aspect of vocal communication in some bird species is that not all individuals sing the same song. In fact, birds within a species may share certain parts but not all of their song repertoires. Song element sharing is a fascinating social behavior that likely serves important communication functions. This study will compare levels of song element sharing among neighbors and non-neighbors, through analysis of song recordings from banded birds at three sites within Amherst, Massachusetts. A song element catalogue will be created for each bird, by breaking down each song into its smaller vocal elements. Element catalogues will then be compared across neighbors (within site) and nonneighbors (between sites), to quantify sharing rates. We hypothesize that birds within the same sites will tend to share more song elements with each other, as compared to birds across sites. Exploring the degree of song sharing in song sparrows will further our understanding of this species' social dynamics and communication behavior, and might also provide new insights into the song learning process. Presentation Details 108 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C88 Justin Sun Rolf Karlstrom (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Amherst Zebrafish Pituitary Development: New Understanding of the Neurohypophysis The pituitary gland sits at the base of the vertebrate brain and secretes over a dozen hormones into the bloodstream to regulate physiological processes in the body, including growth, metabolism, and reproduction. The pituitary contains an anterior lobe called the adenohypophysis, and a posterior lobe called the neurohypophysis, which connects to the hypothalamus. The neurohypophysis serves as a junction between the brain and endocrine systems. Although mammals and fish have distinct hypothalamicpituitary axis morphologies, the hormonal regulation of these organs is very similar. Despite extensive work on the neuroendocrine functions of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis in both mammal and fish models, the molecular mechanisms that guide neurohypophysis development are not well understood. Our objective is to characterize the roles of two cell-cell signaling systems, Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) and Sonic Hedgehog (Shh), in zebrafish neurohypophysis development. Using blockers of FGF and Shh signaling, we show that FGF plays a positive role in directing NH cell fates, while Shh plays an inhibitory role. We have now used a heatshock-inducible FGF lossof-function transgenic line to verify these results. We are now testing the hypothesis that FGF and Shh are required for the next step in neurohypophysis formation: the outgrowth of cells from the ventral brain that establishes mature pituitary connectivity and morphology. This study provides new insight into the molecular mechanisms of neurohypophysis development, a key step in embryogenesis necessary for establishing proper regulation of pituitary function by the brain. Greater understanding of the development of these systems may lead to treatments for various endocrine and metabolic diseases related to the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. Presentation Details 125 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A41 George Tarabelsi Timothy Musoke Alexey Veraksa (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Boston Investigating the Recruitment of β-arrestin Kurtz by Activated G Protein-Coupled Receptors Kurtz (Krz), a homolog of mammalian β-arrestins, is the only non-visual β-arrestin in Drosophila and has been implicated in the regulation of cellular signaling pathways such as G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) and mitogen associated protein kinase (MAPK). Dysregulation of these pathways results in severe developmental abnormalities, many of which have been implicated in various diseases. It is important to understand which specific residues on arrestins are functionally important for GPCR desensitization, and while numerous mammalian in-vitro studies have focused on the direct association between GPCRs and arrestins, few, if any, have tested their in vitro functionality. Mutations in arginine to alanine (R66A), lysine to alanine (K51A and K52A) and valine and leucine to alanine (V111A and L112A), have been found to alter arrestin-GPCR binding. In order to study the mechanisms behind the arrestin-mediated termination of GPCR signaling, we are performing GFP-Krz recruitment assays along with Bioluminescent Resonance Energy Transfer (BRET) assays to test the extent to which Krz binding to GPCRs is altered by these mutations. Our genetic studies have also shown that mutations of the Krz residues in which individual binding sites were lost do not alter Krz’s ability to rescue lethality associated with complete loss of krz function, while a combination of mutations such as KK/A and VL/A completely impairs Krz’s ability to rescue homozygous krz mutants. Understanding the mechanisms by which βarrestins regulate cell-signaling networks presents great hopes for understanding multiple signaling networks and developing therapies for developmental and behavioral disorders. Presentation Details 118 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A05 Tin Than William G. Hagar (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, UMass Boston Determine Level of Methyl Mercury in Fish Tissue We are investigating low cost methods to measure mercury concentration in fish tissue. Mercury is a very toxic chemical, and is introduced into the water ecosystem from atmospheric deposition. When mercury gets in to aquatic systems it becomes converted into monomethyl mercury by bacteria. The level of methyl mercury fixed in bacteria is very low; however it becomes more concentrated at each level in the food web with the highest levels found in fish. The purpose of this experimental protocol was to develop a method to measure the amount of methyl mercury found in fish tissue. Mohammad et al. measured methyl mercury levels in fish tissue by using the inhibition of the enzyme Invertase as an indicator. They extracted the methyl mercury from fish tissue in acidified toluene, equilibrated it with Invertase, and then measured the decreased rates of Invertase enzyme activity with sucrose. They measure the released reducing sugars using chemical reactions of dinitrosalicyclic acid (DNS). We modified their procedure to include the use of enzymes to measure the amount of glucose released by hydrolysis of sucrose. The enzymes used were hexokinase and glucose 6- phosphate dehydrogenase. The released glucose detection enzymes provided similar results at low concentrations of methyl mercury chloride, but were inhibited themselves at higher levels of methyl mercury chloride. These results will be discussed as well as improved methodology for extraction of recovered methyl mercury chloride from fish tissue. Presentation Details 114 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A27 Kathleen Troisi Peter Alachi (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, Salem State University Bacterial Attachment to Microspheres To facilitate the removal of bacteria from the skin, some companies have introduced products that include small plastic 'beads', scientifically named microspheres. The manufacturers claim that the microspheres attract bacteria to their surfaces and that they’re environmentally biodegradable. The microspheres are made of plastic polymer shells and coated with particular chemicals that attract the bacteria. In facial soaps, these microspheres are washed down the drains after their use along with the bacteria they harbor. Once in the water ecosystem, the microspheres can persist for an unknown amount of time, and in the interim, may attract evolving communities of microorganisms that might form small biofilms on their surfaces and in various grooves and nicks. Hence, there may be potential risks to humans, animals, and the environment from drinking or coming in contact with these microspheres and their residues once in water ecosystems. This research focuses on studying the ability of microspheres to attract and attach bacteria. Several skin bacteria will be isolated and identified then used to study their ability to attach to microspheres. In addition, microspheres from the Lynn Reservoir, if found, will be examined for harboring bacteria. Presentation Details 115 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A28 Michelle Urh Mark Robert Fregeau (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, Salem State University An Examination of Marine Fouling Organisms’ Presence on Varying Substrates in a New England Marina Marine fouling communities are comprised of various marine organisms that begin life as planktonic larvae before attaching to submerged surfaces. The purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of the substrate preferences of marine organisms that commonly foul New England marinas. Two sets of four 14x14cm fouling plates constructed of either PVC, fiberglass, concrete, or slate were suspended off a floating dock at 1 and 2 meters below the surface of the water. The 16 plates were placed at the Boston Harbor Shipyard and Marina in East Boston, MA, on 17 July 2016 and photographed every two weeks until 4 December 2016 for a total of 20 weeks. Individual organisms were counted and the percent cover calculated for colonial species to examine what settled and general abundance. It was found that the most common fouling organisms were Ciona intestinalis, Molgula sp., and Botrylloides violaceus. Ascidiella aspersa and Botryllus schlosseri were also present. The two most common solitary species present on all plate materials were C. intestinalis and Molgula sp. with B. violaceus being the most common colonial species. C. intestinalis and Molgula sp. showed a preference for the natural materials, concrete and slate, over those considered to be artificial. B. violaceus was most common on the slate plates. All colonial ascidians were observed growing on other organisms showing their involvement in secondary settlement. Understanding the substrate preference of these species develops a baseline for further research and the potential to control the spread of invasive species naturally. Presentation Details 109 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A21 Angela Wyman Richard Beckwitt (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, Framingham State University Evidence of Founder Effect on Odocoileus virginianus Located on Nantucket Island, MA It is believed that all whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on Nantucket island are descended from one male and two females that were brought to the island in the 1920’s. In order to ascertain whether or not the current O. virginianus population on Nantucket is descended from these three individuals, fecal and muscle tissue samples were collected from Nantucket as well as mainland Massachusetts and Connecticut. If the population was founded by these two known females, as an isolated population, there should be no more than two haplotypes in the maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), whereas the mainland population could see variation in excess of two haplotypes due to the lack of isolation. Mitochondrial DNA was amplified via polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) and of the eighteen samples tested, fourteen (4/4 muscle, 10/14 fecal) samples yielded mtDNA in sufficient quantity for sequencing. Seven of these fourteen sequenced samples produced viable sequences of approximately 417 base pairs. These results indicate a minimum of three haplotypes exist within the population on Nantucket Island, which would suggest that the entire population is not descended from the initial three deer reported in 1926. This negates the hypothesis that the population was only founded by two females and suggests the possibility that individuals are moving between Nantucket and the mainland as well as possibly neighboring islands. Presentation Details 140 Room 162 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Anna Yeaton Michele Markstein (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Amherst Investigating Possible Drug Targets to Optimize Response to Chemotherapy Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. While chemotherapies are widely used to combat the CRC, our current arsenal of drugs ultimately fails to contain the disease. One of the underlying reasons for this failure is drug resistance due to expression of high levels of efflux pumps called ABC transporters. The literature has been unclear whether cancer cells intrinsically express high levels of these pumps or can react to drugs such as chemotherapeutics by expressing higher levels of these pumps. The aim of this research is to study published transcriptome data sets from colorectal cancer tumors and colorectal cancer cell lines before and after treatment of chemotherapeutics to determine whether cancer stem cells and their normal counterparts constitutively express high levels of ABC transporters or do so mainly in the wake of chemotherapy treatment. This analysis will determine potential drug targets to reduce multidrug resistance in cancers. My approach is to obtain mRNASeq and miRNASeq data provided by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and published experiment data set GSE77533 to identify the patterns of expression of ABC transporters and their potential regulators (transcription factors and miRNAs) using Machine Learning techniques, such as Random Forest, Neural Network and Support Vector Machine. Preliminary results identify potential transcription factors involved in ABC transporter regulation specifically in cells subject to chemotherapy. Presentation Details CHEMICAL ENGINEERING 146 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A11 Michael A. Beauregard Neil Forbes (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemical Engineering, UMass Amherst A Continuously Stirred Tank Reactor to Mimic Pharmacokinetic Properties of Anticancer Therapies In Vitro Current anti-cancer drug discovery and development efforts primarily utilize monolayer assays to verify the viability of drug candidates. However, this method excludes barriers to mass transport that may limit a drug’s ability to do its intended function. In contrast, microfluidic models can be used to more accurately mimic in vivo environments by including barriers to mass transport. Three-dimensional tumor spheroids can be placed into a microfluidic device and cell media containing a drug candidate can be flowed past the spheroid. The spheroid can be imaged over time to provide information on the efficacy and other properties of a drug candidate. This report presents the addition of a Continuously Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR) to this previously developed microfluidic system for testing anti-cancer therapies. The inclusion of the CSTR enables predictable manipulation of the concentration of drug flowing past the tumor spheroids in the microfluidic device. Specifically, the rate of drug decay in plasma could be changed without affecting other pharmacokinetic parameters such as total drug exposure. The volume of the CSTR was used to reliably change the rate of drug clearance. FITC dye was used to characterize the relationship between volume and clearance rate. Doxorubicin (trade name Andriamycin) was flowed through the CSTR and past LS174T colon tumor spheroids in the microfluidic device at plasma half-lives between 15 minutes (near natural physiological conditions) and 4 hours. Initial concentrations inside the CSTR were altered to hold total drug exposure, the area under a pharmacokinetic curve, constant. Slower clearance rates (longer half-lives) allowed more Doxorubicin to travel deeper into the tumor tissue. After 24 hours, the tumor spheroids exposed to Doxorubicin with a longer half-live experienced more cell death at every distance from vasculature except the region directly adjacent to vasculature. Presentation Details 150 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C89 Julie Ann Boshar Maureen Lynch (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Mechanical Engineering, UMass Amherst The Mechanobiology of Bone Metastatic Breast Cancer: Elucidating the Effects of Cyclic Mechanical Loading on Expression of Cancer and Fracture-Derived Angiogenesis Advanced engineering strategies are at the forefront in the race to develop novel therapeutics and treatment strategies to combat cancer. Metastasis, or the spread of cancer, is a main therapeutic challenge because it is difficult to locate and destroy cancer once it becomes systemic. Specifically, breast cancer preferentially metastasizes to the skeleton and is less manageable if not detected early. Certain environmental or physiological cues modulate the progression of breast cancer; however, the underlying signaling pathways are complex and not well understood. Recently, applied mechanical loading inhibited tumor growth in the skeleton and maintained bone mass in a mouse model, revealing that the tumor microenvironment can be manipulated by mechanical signals. My research focuses on investigating how in vitro mechanical loading impacts the expression of genes involved in breast cancer metastasis to the bone and in angiogenesis, which involves the formation of blood vessels required to sustain a tumor. MDA-MB231 breast cancer cells were seeded onto 3D bone mimetic scaffolds and compressive mechanical loading was applied (5% peak compression, 1 hour/day for 3 days). Cancer cells remained alive and expressed VEGFA (angiogenesis-related gene) in both loaded and non-loaded groups. Current work investigates how loading impacts the effects of tumor-secreted signaling factors on VEGF-A expression in bone mesenchymal stem cells as they differentiate into osteoblasts, or bone-forming cells. Presentation Details 151 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C90 Christine Davis Sarah L. Perry (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemical Engineering, UMass Amherst Creation and Study of Graphene-Based Microfluidic Devices Capable of In Situ Protein Activity Assays To enable determination of protein structures, protein crystallographic techniques are used to image protein crystals using X-ray beams. Traditional methods of mounting crystals for imaging can lead to damage from manual manipulation, so microfluidic devices have been designed to allow for in situ imaging, lessening this risk. However, the thickness of materials used in the creation of these microfluidic devices has a adverse effect on the quality of resultant images. To mitigate this issue, the Perry Lab created a device whose top and bottom layers have a window structure of single-layer graphene, only ~1 μm thick. One feature previously lacking in the Perry Lab’s microfluidic device was the ability to introduce new material at a later time, with the ability to perform in situ activity assays being the goal. The data acquired from growing protein crystals in a microfluidic device and imaging them, no matter how high-quality, is incomplete without a consideration of the state of the often-fragile protein crystal being imaged. The ability to map specific structural damages seen on x-ray diffraction images to protein activity changes determined by activity assays for a particular crystal after imaging could provide valuable information about the role of the damaged structure in the mechanisms of protein action. A material-addition capable microfluidic device, along with its characterized diffusion patterns, will be presented. Additionally, results from a proof-of-concept experiment involving scaling down and then running an on-chip activity assay on α-galactosidase will also be discussed. Presentation Details 147 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A12 Sarah M. Duquette Shelly Peyton (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemical Engineering, UMass Amherst Migration and Proliferation of Breast Cancer Cells Cultured on Soft Gels Cancer cells have six fundamental traits; they can proliferate without normal growth signals, avoid antigrowth signals, avoid apoptosis, limitlessly replicate, make the body grow new blood vessels to get a supply of nutrients and oxygen, and they have the ability to move and create new colonies in various types of tissue. The purpose of this research is to study cancer cells’, movement and growth, two of their significant characteristics and how these features relate to stiffness. Tumors stiffen over time, so we have examined breast cancer cells cultured on gels of different stiffnesses and observed how they react by tracking their proliferation and migration rates over time. The cells were cultured on 1 kPa gels, 41 kPa gels, and tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS). Average cell velocities were calculated by tracking in FIJI for each of the nine different cross sections of the three stiffnesses (1 kPa, 41 kPa, TCPS) and the three types of cultured cells (1 kPa, 41 kPa, TCPS). Additionally, using a plate reader, the fold change of the number of cells on day 1 to the number of cells on day 4 each week was calculated to examine the proliferation rates of the three different cell cultures. The results show that there have not been any significant differences between the cells cultured on 1 kPa, 41 kPa, and TCPS in migration or proliferation rates as of week 9. However, we have previously observed changes at much later time points to those cultured on TCPS. Based on this data, it can be concluded that the effects of stiffness on the migration and proliferation of breast cancer cells are not visible until some point past 9 weeks of being cultured. Cancer cells in the body will likely experience a given stiffness for months or even years, so we will continue the experiment in order to determine what changes occur to the cells and when. This will help us better understand signaling that occurs during early, intermediate and late tumor development. In the future, we will expand this experiment by examining how cells cultured on these gels behave across more stiffnesses. Additionally we will look at gene and protein expression to understand what causes functional differences in cell migration and proliferation. One protein that we expect to see a change in is Rho Kinase (ROCK), a protein involved in the phosphorylation of the myosin light chain (MLC), because ROCK activity has been linked to stiffness with more activity in stiffer environments. Because increasing phosphorylation of the MLC is linked to an increase in cell migration, we expect expression of this protein to increase in the cell cultures with the most migration. Presentation Details 162 Room 163 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 Sydney E. Foster Wei Fan (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemical Engineering, UMass Amherst Inexpensive Synthesis of Chabazite, SSZ-13 Aluminosilicate crystalline solids, called zeolites, are used the world over for their regular repeating micro-pore structures, which can act as scaffolds for efficient catalysis, as catalysts, or as molecular sieves. Some zeolites, while occupying large portions of usage markets, can still make a positive impact on industries motivated by the desire to increase efficiency. One of these is CHA zeolite SSZ-13, which is used extensively in NOx reduction from diesel engine emissions, and shows good selectivity for methanol-to-olefin conversions. The limitation on the development and usage of these more advantageous zeolites is the excessive cost of manufacturing required to produce even small amounts of pure crystals. The kinetics of synthesis, and crystallization conditions are studied for a new method that is significantly less expensive than methods widely accepted for manufacture of CHA zeolite, and allows for more flexible feed sources. Presentation Details 149 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C60 Ari Kane Gilman Dimitrios Maroudas (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemical Engineering, UMass Amherst iCons: Analysis of Atomic Diffusion in Defect Engineered Graphene Graphene is a two-dimensional material, a single-atomic-layer sheet of carbon, with extraordinary mechanical and optoelectronic properties that have the potential to enable numerous applications, such as in electronic device and nanocomposite fabrication. Graphene’s properties can be further tailored through chemical functionalization and defect engineering. In this work, a systematic analysis based on molecular-dynamics simulations has been conducted to explore atomic diffusion along graphene nanoribbon (GNR) edges and edges of nanopores in graphene. Such atomic diffusion facilitates the migration of nanopores, as well as GNR edge relaxation and pattern formation at high temperature. The effects of the edge types (armchair and zigzag) on the atomic diffusivity have been investigated. The Arrhenius temperature dependence of such edge diffusivity has been established and the activation energy barriers for edge atomic diffusion have been calculated. Finally, the diffusion mechanisms have been analyzed further by constructing the underlying optimal atomic migration paths through nudged elastic band (NEB) calculations. This work will contribute to our fundamental understanding of defect dynamics in graphene structures at high temperature and aid in the improvement of defect engineering strategies in graphene and graphene derivatives. Presentation Details 152 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C91 Brandon Michael Johnston Sarah L. Perry (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemical Engineering, UMass Amherst The Effect of Polymer Architecture and Zwitterionic Moieties on Complex Coacervation Complex coacervation is a liquid-liquid phase separation driven by electrostatics, resulting in a dense, polymer-rich phase. Coacervates, which scatter light while in aqueous solution, are measured through turbidity readings, or a reading of the amount of light scattered. Formed in aqueous solutions of oppositely charged polypeptides, coacervates have properties that can be altered through changes in polycation-topolyanion ratio, temperature, pH, and polymer concentration. However, the architecture of the actual polymers that are used to form the coacervates has not been well studied, people have looked at polymers with branched structures, such as natural polymers, but their composition and number of branches was not well defined. A model polymer system based on polypeptides was utilized to compare the effects of polymer architecture on complex coacervation in systems of linear vs. comb polymers. The addition of the comb architecture broadened the range of polycation-to-polyanion ratios for which complexes formed. However, longer peptide chains induced beta-sheet formation. In addition to architecture, we looked to understanding the effects of incorporating zwitterions, with both positive and negative charges in close proximity, into our polymeric structure. These net neutral zwitterions are incorporated as copolymers into our comb polymer architecture. The zwitterions increase polymer solubility and interact electrostatically, which alters the salt stability of the mixture as zwitterion concentration increases. Understanding the affect that parameters like architecture and the addition of “neutral” zwitterions have on complex formation and properties could lead to things like vaccine stabilization through encapsulation and delivery vehicles for proteins. Presentation Details 159 Room 163 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Ashley Louise Kaiser Christos Dimitrakopoulos (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemical Engineering, UMass Amherst Low-Temperature Graphene Growth by Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition Graphene is a promising material for electronic applications due to its excellent carrier mobility and atomically-thin, two-dimensional structure. When high-quality graphene can be produced at low cost, this carbon nanostructure could serve as a diffusion barrier in the copper interconnects of integrated circuits, thereby advancing computing technology as circuit sizes continue to decrease. Although high-quality graphene can be grown by thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using methane, this process occurs at high temperatures (~1000°C) that are not suitable for microelectronic integration. To address this problem, it is proposed here that the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) of aromatic carbon precursors can be used to produce continuous, monolayer graphene on copper at low temperatures (~400°C), as the high-energy plasma can stimulate the reactions. Three main objectives are covered in this study: first, the established growth of high-quality graphene on Cu foil is experimentally confirmed by performing 1000°C thermal CVD with methane; then, amorphous carbon films are deposited on Cu using low-temperature PECVD with methane, and finally, the lowtemperature growth of PECVD graphene from toluene is investigated. Hydrogen and argon are used as carrier gases, and the parameter space involving gas flow rates, temperature, pressure, plasma power, deposition time, and substrate material is investigated by experimental design. Raman spectroscopy is used to characterize the chemical bonding of the carbon films. Here, graphene’s structural character is identified by a sharp 2D peak at 2700 cm-1, a G peak at 1590 cm-1, and a minute D peak at 1350 cm-1, indicating few defects. Presentation Details 153 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C92 Natalie Mako Jessica Schiffman (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemical Engineering, UMass Amherst Bacteria Can Feel: How Understanding Bacterial Attachment Preferences Can Improve Medical Device Design Hospital – acquired infections are responsible for over 99,000 deaths per year, more than can be attributed to both AIDS and breast cancer combined. Many of these infections originate on implants and devices that are being used to improve the health of hospital - bound patients. Generally, these infections are combated using antibiotics. However, this antibiotic usage tends to spur the evolutionary advancement of antibiotic resistant bacteria known as “super bugs”. This evolution is not only detrimental to the patient involved but to the medical community as a whole as it decreases the efficacy of antibiotics for future infections. Therefore, it is crucial to find other methods of combating bacterial infections that do not rely on antibiotics. On such method is the mechanical modification of medical surfaces. The surface investigated in this study include hydrogel coatings for medical catheters. In previous work, my group has shown that bacterial attachment increases with hydrogel stiffness. Here, we expand upon this finding to determine the effect hydrogel thickness has on the bacterial attachment. Through bacterial growth experiments and mechanical characterization, it was determined bacteria can sense and respond to the thickness of a hydrogel coating. In thinner hydrogel systems, the bacteria can “feel” through the hydrogel and sense the stiff underlying support surface, allowing for increased attachment rates. This finding can be applied to improve catheter design, allowing for a safer, more robust catheter that deters bacterial infections without prompting the evolutionary advancement of bacteria. Presentation Details 160 Room 163 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Davis J. Miller Caitlyn Butler (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Civil Engineering, UMass Amherst Pel Exopolysaccharide Quantification for Studying Effects of Biofilm Structure on Nanoparticle-Biofilm Interactions Pel is an exopolysaccharide produced by many strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It is an important structural component of the extracellular polymeric matrix, which gives biofilms structural integrity. The presence of ionic cross-linking, as a function of pH, has been demonstrated between Pel and extracellular DNA. The objectives of this research are: 1) to develop a direct quantification method for pel and 2) to examine the relation between Pel quantity and biofilm structural properties. It is proposed to quantify Pel based on its chemical composition, being mainly composed of N-acetylgalactosamine (72.5 ± 3.6 mol%) and N-acetylglucosamine (14.5 ± 2.6 mol%). Secreted Pel is extracted using ethanol precipitation and further enzymatic treatment to remove impurities. Purified Pel is analyzed using a well-documented method of alditol acetate derivatization. Pel is converted to its monosaccharide constituents through acid hydrolysis and then derivatized to alditol acetates. These volatile alditol acetates may then be analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. By using an internal standard with known Pel composition, the total amount of Pel may be quantified. However, this is a relatively time-consuming method. We are currently developing a faster method of quantification through simple staining (with crystal violet) and absorbance measurements. This new method enables us to correlate the total biomass with the Pel produced. Presentation Details 161 Room 163 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Andreas James Mueller Edward Bryan Coughlin (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, UMass Amherst The Effectiveness of N-Methylpyrrolidine (MP5) and N-Methylpiperidine (MP6) as Quaternization Agents for the Fabrication of Polyisoprene-ran-Poly(vinylbenzylchloride) (PI-ran-PVBCl) Based Anion Exchange Membranes Photo cross-linked anion exchange membranes (AEMs) for use in anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) have been fabricated from solvent-processable polyisoprene-ran-poly(vinylbenzylmethylpyrrolidinium chloride) (PI-ran-P-[VBMP5][Cl]) and polyisoprene-ran-poly(vinylbenzylmethylpiperidinium chloride) (PI-ran-P[VBMP6][Cl]) in order to ascertain the effectiveness of N-methylpyrrolidine (MP5) and Nmethylpiperidine (MP6) as quaternization agents with respect to resultant membrane morphology, ion conductivity, water update and mechanical robustness. These results will be compared to previous works concerning membranes fashioned from polyisoprene-ran-poly(vinylbenzyltrimethylammonium chloride) (PI-ran-P-[VBTMA][Cl]). Thus far numerous quaternization experiments have been performed in order to produce PI-ran-P-[VBMP5][Cl] and PI-ran-P-[VBMP6][Cl] from polyisoprene-ranpoly(vinylbenzylchloride) (PI-ran-PVBCl). According to IR-scan and H-NMR data it has been found that PI-ran-P-[VBMP5][Cl] can be prepared utilizing the same methods described previously to make PI-ran-P-[VBTMA][Cl]. On the other hand, ways to completely quaternize (PI-ran-PVBCl to PI-ran-P-[VBMP6][Cl] with MP6 are currently under investigation as previous methods do not yield complete quaternization— presumably due to the lower solubility of MP6 in the polar solvents used. Membranes have recently been fabricated from the PI-ran-P-[VBMP5][Cl] and are currently undergoing water uptake analysis, with plans to perform SAXS scans and ion conductivity analysis in place. Presentation Details 163 Room 163 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 Adam Daniel Murphy Sarah L. Perry (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemical Engineering, UMass Amherst Improving the Tumor Microenvironment In Vitro In the advancement of biomedical therapeutics for human disease and cancer, the transition from lab bench in vitro experiments to in vivo animal trials is often inevitable. Research over the past decade, however, has shown that results in vitro do not automatically translate to similar results in vivo. Therefore, development of techniques and systems that produce more accurate, reliable in vitro models is a key component in progressive research. The research lab, run by primary investigator Dr. Neil S. Forbes, seeks to develop novel cancer therapeutics and analysis techniques using core chemical engineering principles. To aid in this research, a microfluidic system has been designed and developed to facilitate testing on three dimensional tumor spheroids. This microfluidic system has significantly increased experimental throughput and alleviated time spent on the tumor packing process. The system, also, generates consistent sample size to allow for responsible statistical analysis. Furthermore, the design has enabled diffusion-focused experiments that better mimic a drug’s or engineeredbacteria’s effect on tumor tissue due to blood vessel flow. Efforts have been made to automate the tumor packing process and image acquisition and analysis. As this microfluidic system is optimized and automated, a higher volume of in vitro experiments can be achieved to screen for effective therapeutic techniques, resulting in more efficient use of time during in vivo trials. Presentation Details 154 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C93 Tam N. Nguyen Dimitrios Maroudas (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemical Engineering, UMass Amherst Pore-Pore and Pore-Edge Interactions in Graphene Sheets and Nanoribbons Defect engineering of graphene is a promising approach toward fabrication of carbonbased two-dimensional materials with unique properties and function. The assembly of nanopores, formed by irradiation or lithographically, is of particular interest for developing patterning strategies in graphene sheets and graphene nanoribbons (GNRs). Toward this end, a fundamental understanding is required of the interactions between such pores in graphene sheets and between pores in graphene nanoribbons and the nanoribbon edges and how these interactions mediate pore migration and coalescence processes. In this research, a systematic analysis of pore-edge interactions in GNRs and pore-pore interactions in graphene sheets is conducted based on atomic-scale simulations according to reliable interatomic potentials. Molecularstatics (MS) simulations are used to study the interactions between two pore edges or a pore edge and a GNR edge that are in close proximity (a few bond lengths). The interactions are found to be attractive with the attraction becoming stronger at shorter distances between the two edges. Nanopore migration toward the GNR edge or toward a larger pore through a sequence of carbon ring reconstructions, driven by the thermodynamic driving force from the attractive interaction, is demonstrated by molecular-dynamics (MD) simulations at high temperature in the vicinity of both GNR edges and other pores in graphene sheets. Faceted edges following a nanoporearmchair edge coalescence are observed and the implications for GNR edge patterning are discussed. Presentation Details 155 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C94 Owen O'Connor Vishnu Raman (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemical Engineering, UMass Amherst Development of a High Throughput Tumor-on-a-Chip Platform for Testing Cancer Therapies Cell culture monolayers are used as a primary method to test cancer therapies. But, this lacks the important 3-D microenvironment that exists in the body. Microfluidic devices are a possible solution that can be packed with tumor spheroids that better mimic in vivo conditions. However, creating a high throughput method of testing drugs on these multicellular spheroids has been difficult. The goal of this project is two-fold: a.) create a high throughput tumor-on-a-chip device and b.) automate the selection of tumor spheroids of similar size. Tumor spheroids can better resemble in vivo conditions due to the tissue heterogeneity and the nutrient gradients generated by the cell clusters. We have created a device that can be readily scaled for high throughput drug testing on tumor spheroids. Eight drugs may be tested at once and theoretically this device may be scaled to test up to hundreds of drugs at once. The tumor spheroids used in these devices are manually selected which results in various sizes. The need for similar size spheroids are necessary for more consistent and reproducible results. Currently, we are designing a new microfluidic device with spiral channels that can separate tumor spheroids by size. Inertial focusing is the main driving force used to separate the spheroids by size. This method generates equilibrium positions within the channel due to a balance of size dependent, opposing forces. This microfluidic device will help automate the process of selecting tumor spheroids for drug testing. Presentation Details 156 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C95 David Podorefsky Shelly Peyton (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemical Engineering, UMass Amherst Adapting a PEG Hydrogel to Study 3D Cellular Traction Forces The mechanical properties of the cellular microenvironment direct cellular processes including spreading, migration, and differentiation. Cells transmit force and regulatory signals via linkages to the extracellular matrix called focal adhesions, which allow them to exert force on their external environment creating cell-induced material deformations. Many current analytical methods of matrix displacements and cellular tractions are restricted to 2D platforms even though cells in native tissue are in 3D environments. There are a variety of 3D hydrogels available for cell culture, and some have been adapted for traction measurements, however no group has explored in depth how cellular traction changes as a function of material properties in 3D. Here, we employ a poly(ethylene) glycol based hydrogel, which can be independently tuned in stiffness, adhesivity, and degradability. To measure cell traction, we embed 0.5μm fluorescent microspheres with cells into the hydrogel and track their motion. Images of the cell and microsphere filled volumes are acquired using laser scanning confocal microscopy in time-lapse at 35 minute intervals to render spatiotemporal models of cellular environments in a non-invasive manner. These models can be processed with a digital volume correlation algorithm to compute cellular-generated displacements and further manipulated by a large deformation formulation calculation of stress to compute accurate traction. To validate that we are measuring cell generated traction, we drugged cells with Cytochalasin D to prevent actin polymerization, a process that creates structural filaments used in cell contraction and adhesion, in turn decreasing the ability for cells to exert force. This project aims to understand which features of the extracellular environment contribute most to cell forces so we can probe how cells interact with their environment in the context of disease. Presentation Details 158 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A25 Rasmia Rizwan Shamsi Jessica Schiffman (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemical Engineering, UMass Amherst Spin-Coating Coacervate Thin Films with Encapsulated Rhodamine Complex coacervation is a particular kind of polymer-based self-assembly which results in a liquid-liquid separation. The coacervate is a resultant dense, polymer rich phase, which retains salt and water. Here, we utilize spin-coating to investigate the preparation of thin coacervate films containing active small-molecule cargo. In particular, we investigated the encapsulation of fluorescent Rhodamine dyes as a proxy for smallmolecule therapeutics to facilitate easy quantification of loading and release efficiency. Properties such as the charge and hydrophobicity of Rhodamine dyes, and their effect on the resultant films were studied. We have looked into the process of adding dye to the coacervate phase, and quantified dye retention by both the liquid coacervate and the resulting spin-coated films. We varied process parameters such as spin-time and spin-speed to analyze the effect of dye encapsulation on the resultant film thickness, which was quantified using profilometry. In addition, studies were conducted to measure the rate of release of dye from the films using molecular spectroscopy. These results suggest that nanostructured coacervate-based coatings hold potential to release active small molecule compounds from a range of surfaces, from indwelling medical device to food processing surfaces. Presentation Details 157 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C96 Christopher Alexander Sparages Shelly Peyton (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemical Engineering, UMass Amherst Cathepsin-Selective Hydrogels Poly(ethylene glycol), or PEG hydrogels are used as cell culture systems because they are biocompatible, easy to use, and easy to chemically functionalize with bioactive chemistries. People have engineered these to be degradable because that happens within the human body. One aspect of tissues is that cells can degrade them, allowing for proliferation and migration. Some enzymes used to degrade extracellular matrix (ECM) are cathepsins and Matrix metalloproteinases or MMPs. MMPs are proteases which through upregulation degrade the ECM. These engineered peptides are limited to only MMPs. Current PEG hydrogels have only been designed to selectively degrade in response to MMPs; however, this is very limiting. Here, we have developed and characterized peptides that can be added to hydrogels and will degrade in the presence of cathepsins. Cathepsins are more wide-spread than MMPs so this hydrogel can be used to provide a better understanding of the role of cathepsins in tissues and disease. However, there are a lot of different cell-secreted enzymes approximately a dozen of which are a part of the cathepsins family. We developed peptides for cathepsins K, L, and S because of their roles in tissue remodeling and disease. Cathepsin K is almost exclusively secreted by osteoclasts to degrade bone matrix or in tumors. Cathepsin L plays a major role in tumor invasion and metastasis. Cathepsin S is expressed by antigen-presenting cells to cleave ECM proteins such as laminin and collagens. The peptides were identified by taking the FASTA sequences of the chosen cathepsins and running them across a database to determine potential peptides capable of being cleaved by cathepsins. The peptides were created using FMOC solid-phase peptide synthesis. A fluorescamine assay was created and optimized for the use of running peptides cleaved by cathepsins. The assay is used to validate these peptides found to be cleaved by cathepsins by measuring the Kcat/Km. Kcat is the time required by an enzyme molecule to turn over one substrate, our peptide. Km is the substrate concentration when the enzyme’s velocity is at ½ its maximum. Determining these values for each enzyme/substrate will show our substrates are selective. The assay is used to calculate the Kcat and Km by measuring the amount of N-terminal amines in solution overtime, so if an enzyme is cleaving the substrate this value will increase overtime. To date, we have synthesized our peptide substrates and shown this assay can measure Kcat/Km. Ultimately, optimized peptides will be incorporated into hydrogels in order to study how cells interact with the environment. By testing these peptides in hydrogels by dissolving them in PBS and adding them to a PEG-Maleimide solution, a better understanding of the role of cathepsins in tissues and disease will ideally be obtained. Presentation Details 148 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A13 Annali Min Yurkevicz Lauren Jansen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemical Engineering, UMass Amherst Increasing the Lifetime of Thiol-Silane Chemistry for Long-Term Storage and Distribution Drug screening is a practical application for measuring interactions between drugs and their biological targets. These biological target can be influenced and change in response to the surrounding environment. However, most drug screening is done on tissue-culture polystyrene (TCPS), a hard two-dimensional substrate that has no control over displayed properties and does not mimic native tissue. We predict the lack of physiology on TCPS may contribute to the >0.01% chance of predicting drug efficacy in humans. We have developed a hydrogel system to mimic real tissue. Our material is based on the polymer polyethylene glycol (PEG) and peptides. Here, we are attempting to adapt these platforms to current high-throughput screening platforms. One challenge of this is the lifetime of the chemistry used to covalently attach our material to a plate. First we investigated the lifetime of our chemistry. We made silanatedthiol glass coverslips and stored them in oxygenated and deoxygenated environments. Daily a hydrogel, which reacts with thiols, was formed on the coverslips in each environment.To-date we know the chemistry provides stable attachment for a week, regardless of environment. Future, work will determine how if reduction of thiols post-silanating glass can be used to extend the chemistry lifetime. Determining, the optimal packaging and storage conditions will allow these materials to be sufficiently marketed to other labs, so to begin to understand how tissue drives drug response. Presentation Details CHEMISTRY 171 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A42 Gisele Andree Min Chen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, UMass Amherst OmpG as a Thrombin Detector Outer membrane protein G (OmpG) has been utilized to detect protein analytes through covalently affixing a small molecule ligand to one of its seven loops. We seek to genetically engineer a peptide site into several loops of OmpG in order to detect a known protein target. A peptide sequence from the protein hirudin will initially be added into loop 6 of OmpG. This allows for it to bind to thrombin, a serine protease that is involved in many physiological functions, most notably, blood clotting. We hypothesize that the peptide inserted into OmpG will mimic hirudin binding to thrombin, and through electrophysiology, the engineered OmpG can be used to detect thrombin once it binds to the hirudin sequence. This characteristic has never been seen with OmpG although other protein sensors have demonstrated thrombin detection. If the detection of thrombin is successful with one loop of OmpG, the project will be extended further to genetically engineer an OmpG with several hirudin binding sites incorporated into multiple OmpG loops with hopes of increasing the sensitivity of the OmpG sensor through multivalency. Presentation Details 168 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C68 Emily May Boyle Ricardo Metz (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, UMass Amherst iCons: Investigation into the Interaction between Transition Metals and Methane Commonly used natural gas is composed almost entirely of methane. However, transporting methane as a gas is potentially dangerous. Thus, it is of scientific interest to find a method to transfer methane to a liquid, namely methanol. To complete this reaction in an energetically efficient manner, a metal catalyst is necessary. The Metz physical chemistry laboratory has investigated the interaction between iron and methane by creating iron-methane complexes in varying stoichiometry using mass spectrometry and vibrational spectroscopy. The vibrational spectra can then yield information regarding the effects iron has on the carbon to hydrogen bonds in methane. Additionally, computational methods are used to identify possible geometries and binding energies to be compared to the experimental data. Presentation Details 178 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A40 Tadas Buivydas Joseph Quattrucci (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, Worcester State University Hybrid Quantum/Molecular Mechanic Study on the Reaction Mechanism of Nitroxyl and Thiol Derivatives Nitroxyl (HNO) is a highly reactive nitrogen compound and its high reactivity and electrophilic nature makes it a strong candidate for reducing nucleophilic thiols. The thiophilic nature of HNO has the potential for enzymatic inactivation leading to protein modification. Given the strong affinity of HNO towards various thiols, previous thermodynamic calculations have shown that selenothiols have a lower energetic barrier and a faster rate constant than its sulfur-containing thiol analogue. To determine the kinetics under physiological conditions, hybrid quantum/molecular mechanic calculations regarding the reactivity of various thiols with HNO were carried out to determine the thermodynamic properties of the two-molecule system. Introduction of both temperature and varying concentrations of thiols provided further information on the reaction mechanism and potential insight into how HNO can deactivate enzymes such as glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase via conformational changes. Presentation Details 179 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A42 Tyler H. Clausen Carly Rose Doyle Judy Karam Marriki Katelyn L. Rioux Eihab Jaber (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, Worcester State University Computational Analysis of the Stabilization Energy Contributions of Individual Hydrogen Bonding Interactions in Parallel-Stacked Guanine Tetraplexes Telomeres mitigate the loss of genetic information during DNA replication and are composed of guanine (G) rich sequences. These sequences form G-tetramer complexes in vivo that are stabilized by eight G-G hydrogen bonds and ligand bonds to a central cation. While previous investigations utilizing ab initio methods have provided insight into the interactions that contribute to G-complex stability, they failed to identify the contributions of the individual bonds within the complex, as well as the cation contribution to the overall stability. A novel computational methodology is presented that has facilitated the characterization of each individual hydrogen bond’s energy contribution to the complex’s stability while selectively breaking individual bonds. This methodology will be utilized to elucidate the formation dynamics of parallel-stacked Guanine Tetraplexes. Presentation Details 172 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A43 Francesca Marie Corsini Wei Zhang (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, UMass Boston Structural Activity Relationship Study on Dual PLK1 / Bromodomain Inhibitor BI-2536 Bromodomains are epigenetic reader proteins which recognize acetylated lysine residues in histones and can lead to the development of cancer when their activity is unregulated. Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) has been found to be overexpressed in some cancer types, thus both Bromodomains and PLK1 are therapeutic targets for the treatment of different types of cancer. BI-2536, a previously identified PLK1 inhibitor, has been identified to inhibit a specific Bromodomain containing protein, BRD4, with nanomolar inhibitory activity. A synthetic scheme was developed to synthesize analogs of BI-2536 aimed at producing a balanced dual kinase-Bromodomain inhibitor and an inhibitor which is selective to PLK1. The development of these simple, scalable, and efficient reactions were extremely important for the ability to develop analogs continuously. The synthesis of dual kinase-Bromodomain inhibitors and the simultaneous inhibition of the activity of these proteins is a powerful tool in combatting cancers in which their over-activity is implicated and can reduce the number of therapeutics taken by cancer patients. The leading dual kinase inhibitors UMB101 and 160, displayed potent inhibitory activity of 84 nm and below. Compounds UMB 92 and 86 have shown greater inhibitor selectivity for PLK1 over BRD4. Presentation Details 187 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C96 Thomas Mark Drews Richard Vachet (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, UMass Amherst Inhibition of Beta-2-Microglobulin Amyloidosis Dialysis Related Amyloidosis (DRA) is a disease with symptoms of osteoporosis and discomfort in dialysis patients. This disease is caused by the amyloid fibrils of the protein b-2-microglobulin (b2m), which deposit in the joints of patients, resulting in DRA. In order to prevent the formation of the amyloid fibrils, different small compounds were tested in order to inhibit the initial aggregation of the monomers of b2m. These experiments tested the compounds curcumin and polyphenol (-)-epi-gallocatechine gallate (EGCG) with b2m via fluorescence and high performance liquid chromatography size exclusion chromatography (HPLC-SEC). Intrinsic and extrinsic fluorescence experiments of the compounds at a wide range of concentrations determined if they influenced the aggregation of b2m. If the compounds were inhibitors, the increasing concentration would result in a decrease in fluorescence of b2m. This was generally observed for curcumin, however, some unexpected peaks appeared in the data which might be from alternate interactions of curcumin with other compounds in the solution. The EGCG fluorescence data was taken by another student in the laboratory. The HPLC-SEC experiments will occur at a smaller range of concentrations in order to observe the effect of the compounds on the rate of formation of the initial aggregates. Future experiments could test gold nanoparticles, which are predicted to influence the noncovalent interactions of the dimers, and could be tested through the HPLC-SEC. If these compounds demonstrate a decrease in the rate of formation of initial aggregates, they could be used to prevent DRA in patients undergoing dialysis. Presentation Details 173 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A44 Sina Foroutanjazi Bela Torok (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, UMass Boston A Sustainable Method of Synthesizing, Extracting, and Purifying Conjugated Aromatic Species in Search for an Optimal Set of Blood-Brain-Barrier Penetrable Antioxidants The instability of unpaired electrons in radical species contributes to the potency of these compounds as cell-damaging agents. Radical Oxygen Species (ROS) are among the most powerful molecules that can easily diffuse through the cell membrane and damage the vital cellular components. Of these cellular components, enzymes, chromosomes, and RNA derivatives are the most vulnerable, as they are more prone to dysfunction when they are structurally altered. Diseases such as amyloidosis and Alzheimer’s disease, which are manifestations of the accumulation of β-amyloid protein in vivo, have been found to be correlated with an increased activity of radical species in cells and a weakened defense mechanism toward neutralization of such damaging compounds. Vitamins C and E are organic molecules that are naturally obtained by diet and can modulate the activity of ROS in cells. But since the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is inherently impenetrable to most exogenous substances, delivering these vitamins to the brain, which is the main organ that is severely affected in the Alzheimer’s disease, has been shown difficult and ineffective. A new set of conjugated compounds were obtained through green synthesis methods and their antioxidant capacity was studied through various biochemical assays. In addition to making use of quick, solvent free, environment-friendly methods of synthesizing conjugated aromatic compounds, molecules with a higher possibility of passing through the BBB could be synthesized in this study; (1H-indol-3-yl)-hydroquinone, phenylhydroquinone (PHQ), and 2-(1H-indol-3yl)-2-oxoacetyl chloride derivatives are among these newly synthesized compounds. Presentation Details 164 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A14 Nicholas Ronald Fragola Bolat Alex White Julian Tyson (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, UMass Amherst Determination of Arsenic Compounds in Rice with a Field-Test Kit Procedure Much of the world’s rice contains concentrations of inorganic arsenic, a class I carcinogen, that may cause long-term health problems. Methods for determining inorganic arsenic in rice typically involve costly and complex instrumental techniques, such as high performance liquid chromatography with plasma-source mass spectrometry detection. A simpler and cheaper method is required. Our goal is to adapt the Hach EZ field test kit (designed to determine inorganic arsenic in groundwater) to the analysis of rice. There are two critical stages: extraction and conversion to the arsine gas (that gives the yellow/brown color on the test strip). Preliminary results indicate that the Hach test is inaccurate; our hypothesis is that the starch and protein co-extracted with the arsenic compounds interfere with the hydride generation (HG) reaction at the powdered zinc surface. We have shown that alkali solutions may be more effective in degrading the starch and protein than is either water alone or dilute acid, and a study of the relevant parameters is in progress. We are investigating sodium borohydride (NaBH4) as an alternate reagent for HG. A major problem is that the reaction is so fast that arsine is lost before the lid of the reaction vessel can be secured. Several procedures have been investigated, of which the most promising is an agar gel formed from 5 mL of 2% hot agar solution in a mold containing 350 mg of NaBH4 dissolved in 200 µL of 1.0 M NaOH. Results for the method optimization, validation, and application to real rice samples will be presented. Presentation Details 174 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A45 Anubhab Haldar Kevin Kittilstved (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, UMass Amherst Exploration of the Photocatalytic Effects in Sb/Cr Co-doped Strontium Titanate (SrTiO3) Bulk Powders Strontium titanate (STO) is a promising low-cost perovskite which has potential photocatalytic uses, particularly the production of hydrogen and oxygen from water. However, the bandgap of STO (~3.75 eV) corresponds to photoactivity only when excited in the ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Since only 3-5% of solar radiation at sea level corresponds to the ultraviolet range, it is desirable to tune the bandgap of STO for increased photoactivity into the visible light region. We explore the effects of antimony-chromium co-doping of bulk STO powders. This combination of antimony and chromium is expected to control the oxidation state of the chromium to primarily the 3+ state, which is preferential for visible-light photoactivity. We will present our recent results at studying the electronic structure of antimony and chromium codoped STO as a function of various dopant ratios to produce optimal photoactivity in the visible region of the spectrum. Using our results, we will also suggest avenues for further research. Presentation Details 165 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A15 Luke He Vincent Rotello (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, UMass Amherst Kinetic Parameters of Artificial Enzymes Comprised of Nanoparticle-Embedded Ruthenium Catalysts Bioorthogonal chemistry employing transition metal catalysts (TMC) has emerged as a powerful tool for the in situ activation of prodrugs in the selective treatment of tumor cells. The anchoring of TMCs to nanoparticles to produce artificial enzymes (nanozymes) has been proposed to ameliorate the cytotoxicity, chemical instability, and low solubility of TMCs in aqueous media. Thus, we have embedded ruthenium catalysts in the protective thiol monolayer of gold nanoparticles, allowing our nanozyme to cleave allyl carbamate groups. We then used an allylcarbamate-protected fluorophore as substrate to explore the kinetic parameters of our nanozyme at different temperatures and in different media. Although we found that our nanozymes followed the MichaelisMenten model in deionized water, increasing the ionic strength of the medium caused significant deviation from the classical model. Further adsorption experiments demonstrated that the nanozyme underwent substrate inhibition in these media. In response, a model describing the emergence of an ionic double layer has been suggested to explain the observed nanozyme behavior. Presentation Details 175 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A46 Marc Legris Wei Zhang (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, UMass Boston A Pot-Economical and Stereoselective Synthesis of Novel 3,4,5,6tetrahydrobenzo[b]azocin-2(1H)-one Involving Cycloaddition, Reduction and Lactimization A readily and versatile one-pot reaction process involving [3+2] cycloadditions, cascade reduction and lactamization is developed for diastereoselective synthesis of novel tetrahydrobenzoazocinone-fused polycyclic compounds with skeleton, substitution, and stereochemistry diversities. Pot, atom and step economic (PASE) method were employed in the green synthesis of heterocyclic compound libraries as highly efficient and minimal waste disposal organic techniques.1 In recent years, we have reported a series of multicomponent reaction (MCR)-based diversity oriented synthesis of heterocyclic scaffolds for drug discovery studies. Our mainly effort has been focused on the versatile development of 1,3 dipolar [3+2] cycloaddition-initiated reactions followed by one-pot cyclization or cycloaddition reactions to generate highly diastereoselective polycyclic frameworks. Introduced in this paper is a pot-economical three steps reaction through the initiation of first [3+2] azomethine ylide cycloaddition followed by cascade reduction and lactamization for the generation of novel polycyclic scaffolds, containing tetrahydrobenzoazocinone, pyrrolidine, pyrrolidinedione with four stereogenic centres. These heterocyclic fragments can be found in a series of bioactive compounds with antibacterial, antiviral, antiinflammatory, antitumor, and antioxidant properties. We desired to develop an new method for triazolobenzodiazepine scaffold through a novel PASE reaction process. Presentation Details 182 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A19 Julia Lenef Dhandapani Venkataraman (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, UMass Amherst Investigation of Charge-Transport Properties in Organic Thermoelectric Materials Organic semiconductors materials possess thermoelectric properties that provide a means to transform waste heat to electricity from a temperature gradient. Therefore, they serve as a possible solution to the current environmental and energy problems. Variations of the organic semiconductors have been examined due to their high electrical conductivity, power factor, and figure of merit—all key features of effective thermoelectric materials. However, understanding the electrical conductivity and charge-transport properties of these materials are not well understood. By using analytical tools including UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy and Seebeck coefficient measurements, the mechanism of charge transport can be probed. Moreover, the understanding of charge-transport models for disordered materials can serve as a propellant to the development of tunable and optimized organic semiconducting materials. This poster will present results from our recent investigations of organic semiconductors. Presentation Details 176 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A47 Sarah Slogan Nzikoba Daniel P. Dowling (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, UMass Boston Characterization of NeoN: A Radical S-Adenosyl-L-Methionine Epimerase Involved in the Final Step of Neomycin Biosynthesis Radical S-adenosyl-L-methionine (rSAM) enzymes initiate complex radical reactions by enabling a molecule of SAM to bind to its [4Fe-4S] cluster to reductively cleave SAM, generating the 5’-deoxyadenosyl radical (5’-dAdo). The rSAM superfamily utilizes the 5’dAdo radical intermediate to catalyze diverse radical transformations such as posttranscriptional and post-translational modifications, enzyme activation, and biosynthesis of antibiotic natural products. Neomycin C epimerase (NeoN) is a rSAM epimerase that catalyzes the selective epimerization of the C-5” of neomycin C to produce a more potent form of the antibiotic—neomycin B. In order to understand the catalytic activity of NeoN, we have generated expression constructs of the protein for crystallographic studies. Colony Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was used to amplify the neoN gene from Streptomyces fradiae. The neoN gene was successfully ligated into two expression vectors, with either a hexahistidine tag or a soluble protein tag. These vectors were specifically used to overexpress the protein and increase protein solubility. Finally, expression tests were conducted in order to find suitable conditions for the production of the NeoN protein. Presentation Details 183 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A20 Jennie Jean Paik Richard Vachet (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, UMass Amherst The Effect of Shear on Peptide Aggregation A fluid flowing through a capillary tube is subject to shear forces, which can denature proteins in solution. The extent of denaturation has been found to be variable with flow rate. Arterial rigidity increases while diameter decreases with age, thus increasing shear forces that may affect the aggregation of the protein Aβ1-40 in Alzheimer’s disease. The techniques developed in my study contribute to the study of spectrometric evidence of protein oligomerization upon exposure to shear and the effect of flow rates on extent of oligomerization. This is studied by sending small volumes of peptide-containing solutions through stainless steel capillary tubes by HPLC, which are then analyzed by UV-Vis and mass spectrometry to determine whether oligomerization has taken place and to what degree. Initial work has studied the peptide angiotensin, with eventual application to study Aβ1-40. Early efforts have focused on developing the proper methods and flow rates for studying the effect of shear. We have found that the most effective method for obtaining reproducible flow of peptides through a column consists of a series of tubing washes with milliQ water and solutions of 50:50 methanol/water with 5% acetic acid at flow rates of 1 and 2 mL/min. When using these washing steps, we have obtained peptide peaks that reveal information about the peptide’s transit through the column under different flow rates and how the resulting shear influences the protein’s diffusion in the tube. The peptide’s extent of diffusion provides information about any structural changes or aggregation due to shear. Presentation Details 184 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A21 Nathaneal Akio Park Richard Vachet (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, UMass Amherst The Application and Improvement of Parallel Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange (HDX) and Covalent Labeling Techniques The experimental processes of covalent labeling (CL) and hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HDX) are functionally related techniques used to selectively mass-label specific regions of proteins and peptides based in part on how solvent-exposed they are and/or how dynamic they are. HDX, as the name implies, exchanges labile hydrogens (specifically N-H and O-H) for deuterium. Interior and less dynamic regions of a folded protein will tend to exchange more slowly than more exposed and more dynamic ones. Thus, information about the rate and extent of deuteration gained from studying mass shifts of fragment ions can give structural information about the protein. In an analogous fashion, CL techniques use one of a number of reagents that react covalently with specific amino acid residues, again enabling researchers to infer information about the three dimensional shape of a folded peptide or protein based on the extent of labeling at different sites. Since protein structure is integral to its function, these techniques are extremely useful in proteomics and the pharmaceutical industry when combined with predictive software or other techniques in determining a protein’s function or mode of action. The current project will aim to determine optimal experimental conditions under which to perform HDX, and explore ways to use the two techniques simultaneously to provide more in-depth information about a protein’s conformation. Presentation Details 169 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A22 Letycia Lino Pereira Shelli Waetzig (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry and Food Science, Framingham State University Reductive Amination The purpose of this project was to adapt a reductive amination for use in the undergraduate organic laboratories. Following optimization, a full derivatization and characterization of the compounds used would then allow for the use of different aldehydes and/or amines as student unknowns. Presentation Details 177 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A48 Lisa Evelyn Perreault Maricris Lodriguito Mayes (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, UMass Dartmouth Towards Understanding the Self-Assembly of Dipeptide Nanotubes The self-assembly of peptides has numerous potential applications in the fields of energy, nanobiotechnology, and nanomedicine. Peptides serve as excellent building blocks because they offer a great diversity of chemical and physical properties, can be synthesized in large amounts, and can be easily functionalized. Aromatic peptides have the tendency to form dipeptides which then self-assemble into nanotubes. However, there is a lack of fundamental understanding as to how these nanotubes assemble. In this study, quantum-chemical computational methods were used in a bottom up approach to investigate the initial steps of cyclic tryptophan-tyrosine and linear tryptophan-tyrosine self-assembly. First the numerous conformations of the dipeptides were screened to find the most sterically and energetically stable forms. These stable conformers were then used to model and study their dimer and hexamer forms. For each monomer, dimer, and hexamer, the energetics, thermodynamics, and IR spectra were analyzed to gain knowledge on their chemical properties and interactions. Additionally, the effects of solvation were investigated using the same procedure but accounting for acetone solvation. Based on these work, it is possible that the growth of fibers involved π-stacking and hydrogen bonding interactions between planar diketopiperazine rings resulting in a tubular fiber-like morphology. Presentation Details 185 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A22 Erin Lee Phillips Vincent Rotello (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, UMass Amherst Membrane Fusion Cytosolic Delivery of Functional Proteins Using Gold Stabilized Nanocapsules Proteins determine the behavior of a cell through regulation of major cellular functions. Many diseases are due to malfunctioning proteins or protein deficiency. Common complications with proteins are malfunctioning proteins and improper levels of protein expression. If a cell is deficient or contains malfunctioning proteins, the ability to deliver functional proteins would be able to compensate for the lack of natural proteins and ensure proper cell function. Transport of the new, functional proteins into the cell would be nearly impossible without the use of nanocarriers which are able to transport the proteins across the cell membrane and release them into the cytosol. Delivery directly into the cytosol is a difficult task. Release from the delivery vehicile requires release from the endosomal compartments without undergoing exocytosis. This release requires additional stimuli that would be able to withstand entrapment and degrade the endosomal compartments which then increases cytotoxicity and decreases the efficiency of the delivery. A more efficient, faster pathway would be if the nanocarrier fused directly to the cell membrane and was not dependent upon endocytosis. This would allow the nanocarrier and its cargo to bypass the endosomes completely, greatly lowering the amount of reagents needed in the nanocapsule and would create lower cytotoxicity. I have eliminated the surfacant limitations of previous delivery vehicles and the need for additional stimuli for release into the cytosol by using a water in oil membrane fusion technique with gold stabilized nanoparticles to deliver functional proteins directly into the cytosol of cells. Presentation Details 180 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A44 Travis Rivera Eihab Jaber (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, Worcester State University Stabilization of Chelating Complexes Using Computational Analysis The bidentate chelating ligands of a metal ion are known to result in a more stable molecule due to the chelate effect when compared to monodentate ligands on the same metal ion. In this work, the enthalpic contribution to the stabilization of the metal ion complexes was examined as the ligands change from monodentate to bidentate and subsequently, as the molecule itself becomes more macrocyclic. Ca, Ni, Cu, Ag, Au, Zn, Cd, and Hg were used as the subject metal ions, and the monodentate and bidentate chelating ligands were NH3, ethylenediamine (EN), and 1,3-propanediamine (TN) respectively. This work aims to establish periodic trends in stability as the denticity of the ligand increases, while also determining whether chelating is enthalpy or entropy driven through computational analysis. Presentation Details 166 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A16 Matthew Donald Rollings Dhandapani Venkataraman (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, UMass Amherst Synthesis of Authentic Standards for Atmospheric Analysis Analytical atmospheric chemistry provides data for the understanding of physical processes that occur in the atmosphere with measurements and models. Analytical chemists have found a variety of clever ways to probe the identities, concentrations, and interactions of low-concentration, short-lived compounds in the atmosphere. These methods, however, must often be indirect. Calibrating instruments, for example, poses the most obvious flaw in these experiments. Measurements could be more accurate if instruments were calibrated with a known quantity of the exact analyte of interest. Challenges lie in identifying, obtaining, maintaining, and distinguishing between these analytes. The reactions that produce these compounds occur as a result of complex atmospheric conditions. Some of these compounds can be synthesized using traditional methods, but this solves only half of the problem. This study is designed to synthesize some of these compounds under laboratory conditions for physical characterization. The ultimate objective is to find ways to supply researchers with authentic standards to improve the accuracy of measurements. To achieve this end, compounds with known synthetic procedures, of which few exist, will be synthesized. These compounds will then be studied under various conditions, such as concentration, solvent, exposure to heat, light, and chemical additives. Characteristics pertinent to analytical applications, such as aerosol partitioning, will also be explored. The knowledge gained from these experiments will be used for practical applications, such as determining optimal ways of providing sufficiently stable standards to analytical researchers. This knowledge will also provide useful insight into the nature and interactions of these reactive species. Presentation Details 186 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A23 Christopher Roy Kevin Kittilstved (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, UMass Amherst Iron(II) Speciation and Exchange Kinetics in Small Molecular Analogues of CdS Quantum Dots In recent years, dilute magnetic semiconductor nanocrystals have become a topic of interest due to the coupling of magetic properties of select lattice impurities with the size dependent optoelectronic properties of quantum dots. These materials have potential applications in magnetically coupled photovoltaic devices, laser sources, and as spin qubits in a quantum computer. The syntheses of these materials necessitate the doping of semiconductor nanocrystals, a process which involves the introduction of a specific quantity of impurity into a localized or dispersed region within an otherwise homogeneous crystal lattice. Doping is a process that continues to be a topic of study in materials science. A lack of systematic models for the replicable and effective doping of a broad range of semiconductor materials necessitates further study to gain mechanistic understanding of the chemical mechanisms that drive the doping process. Here, inorganic clusters, small molecules that possess stoichiometries and structures analogous to bulk and nanocrystalline solids of like composition, serve as a useful system to study these processes. Step based speciation of cluster size correlates to completely uniform size distributions and likeness in structure, eliminating variables that would hinder similar studies in larger systems. In this study, discrete step-based size progressions of cadmium(II) thiophenolate clusters are doped with iron(II) and characterized. Size dependent phenomena observed within these systems are characterized to extrapolate trends to larger systems that are more difficult to characterize, revealing mechanistic properties that can be harnessed for the more effective syntheses of novel doped nanocrystal systems. Presentation Details 167 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A17 Jem Sibbick Patrick L. Moquin Katrina Nguyen Julian Tyson (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, UMass Amherst Determination of Arsenic in Rice: Investigation of Inconsistent Results in the Literature Despite the considerable efforts of researchers round the world, there are still problems with both the accuracy and precision of methods for the measurement of various arsenic compounds in rice. We are investigating two possibilities: (1) a volatile arsenic compound is lost on drying (arsenic contents are reported on a dry weight basis), and (2) there is considerable variation in the concentration in individual grains from the same bag. We have developed a method for the determination of arsenic compounds in white rice in which the ground rice was microwave digested with nitric acid. The acidity was adjusted and L-cysteine was added to reduce arsenate to arsenite, which was quantified by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry. Our preliminary results show, on the basis of a one-sided t-test, that a dried sample contained a significantly lower arsenic concentration than a portion that was analyzed as received. We have also applied the method to the analysis of individual rice grains, and preliminary results show that some grains contain arsenic concentrations hundreds of times higher than the average, potentially causing a significant sampling error. As rice contains both inorganic and dimethyl arsenic, we are working on methods for total arsenic and the two arsenic species. Results for the optimization and validation of the methods, based on microwave digestion of individual rice grains with various reagents, will be presented. Currently the method for total arsenic, involving dissolution in a mixture of nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide, has a limit of quantification of 0.5 μg L-1, corresponding to about 5 µg kg-1 in the solid rice (well below the concentrations that are typically encountered). Presentation Details 170 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A29 Matthew Joseph Stasio Christine MacTaylor (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, Salem State University Endophytic Microbes of the Dandelion Endophytic microorganisms of the dandelion, (Taraxacum officinal), were isolated and investigated for their medicinal and degradative abilities. Dandelions were collected from Inverness Public Beach and Cape Dauphin (Nova Scotia). Medicinal abilities of the endophyte were determined by bioactivity tests against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermis, and Escherichia coli. Endophytes were first inoculated with these pathogens in potato dextrose broth. Extractions from the inoculated broth samples were then tested against the growth of the pathogens on potato dextrose plates. Signs of inhibition of the pathogens indicate bioactivity. Secondary metabolites were further investigated using the LCMS. The LCMS is capable of determining the presence any vitamins, oils, antibiotic and anticancer compounds within the metabolites. The degradative ability of the dandelion endophytes were determined by recording the change of mass of a plastic left in the endophytic metabolites for a predetermined amount of time. Presentation Details 181 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A46 Alexander J. Zielinski Joseph Quattrucci (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, Worcester State University Dissociative Spillover Mechanism of Molecular Hydrogen on Nickel Decorated Graphene Hydrogen, a renewable and environmentally sustainable energy source, is seen as a promising alternative to hydrocarbon fuels. Despite the advantages of hydrogen, the limitations of current hydrogen storage technologies have restricted its prominent use as a source of energy. The storage of hydrogen on graphitic materials, such as carbon nanotubes, is an emerging approach with high prospects. A theory known as spillover is hypothesized to account for the increased hydrogen storage capacity on metal decorated graphitic materials. In the spillover mechanism, molecular hydrogen is dissociated over a metal catalyst thus allowing atomic hydrogen to be chemisorbed to the carbon surface. In this study, the spillover mechanism on a nickel decorated graphene surface was investigated computationally. An activation energy of 2.99 eV has been determined for the dissociative chemisorption along the minimum energy path. This value is consistent with research performed by others on a similar system. Data from the three-body minimum energy path and the two-body interaction of the H2 with the Ni/graphene surface has been used to calculate a potential energy surface. With the potential energy surface established, focus has been turned to pursuing quantum dynamics calculations. Dynamics will provide detailed insight into the spillover mechanism. Presentation Details CIVIL ENGINEERING 190 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A24 LeighAnn Margaret D'Andrea Caitlyn Butler (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Civil Engineering, UMass Amherst The Effect of Pharmaceuticals and Personal-Care Products within Urine Composting Applications Permaculture has started to gain considerable attention, particularly regarding sustainable food production. While research has examined the use of urine as fertilizer on plant growth, the question of how pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in human urine effect the food we eat should also be considered. As such, we are working in conjunction with Grow Food Northampton to explore the presence of PPCPs. The experiment was setup to examine both a hydrodynamic system and a hydrostatic system. There were four combinations of urine compost and soil each run in duplicate in column or batch reactors. The hydrodynamic set up used a pump that delivered a constant stream of water at 0.05 mL per minute for 21 days. The water was delivered to the top of the column reactors, allowing it to percolate through the compost and soil mixture into collection jars. The hydrostatic set up incubated in batch reactor for 21 days. Liquid samples from each experimental condition were stored in a constant temperature room at 4˚ C until they were analyzed. Samples were filtered. The PPCP isolated with Solid Phase Extraction and mass profiles of the PPCPs will be identified with Xevo G2-XS QT. The mass profiles will be used to focus ultra-performance liquid chromatography protocol and concentrations of a suite of PPCPs will be measured; beta-blockers, analgesics, synthetic hormones, antibiotics, and bug repellents. Urine compost provides a sustainable alternative to chemical fertilizers. This study aims to add to the literature addressing the safety of urine composting applications. Presentation Details 191 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A25 Leigh Hamlet Boris Lau (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Civil Engineering, UMass Amherst Temperature Effects on Sorption of Soil Organic Matter onto Hematite Micro and Nanoparticles Carbon cycling between soil organic matter (SOM) and the atmosphere is a crucial mechanism in climate regulation. The extent of CO2 respiration from the soil carbon reservoir depends upon the type and degree of SOM interaction with mineral surfaces. An increasingly changing climate could affect soil carbon cycling. This study explores the availability of protected carbon as a function of temperature. Current literature suggests a decrease in carbon loading onto mineral surfaces with warming, as adsorption is an exothermic reaction and warming should therefore impede loading. The temperature effects on sorption dynamics between Elliott soil humic acid (HA) and hematite (α-Fe2O3) micro- and nanoparticles were examined. Carbon loading onto hematite was observed to be a function of temperature, particle size, and HA concentration. For both the nano- and microscale hematite, there was a quadratic relationship between temperature and loading, suggesting no significant change in mineral-protected SOM with warming. Upon normalizing for particle size difference, nanoparticles demonstrated 1) 1-6 times greater adsorption of HA and 2) 1-4 times greater loss of HA (15°C-25°C) and 8-57 times greater gain of HA (25°C-35°C) than the microparticles. Smaller factorial differences in adsorption between the nano- and microfractions were observed at higher HA concentration (1-2 versus 3-6 times greater). HA concentration held a larger role in determining adsorption for microparticles, while temperature exerted a greater influence on the adsorption for nanoparticles. Relative to the effects of particle size and HA concentration, the availability and protection of soil carbon may be less impacted by warming. Presentation Details 188 Room 162 8:30-9:15 Panel 1 Michael J. Hanley Yi-Chen Ethan Yang (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Civil Engineering, UMass Amherst Evaluating Effects of Flood Mitigation Measures with Agent-Based Modeling The frequency and severity of extreme flooding events are expected to rise in the near future due to the impacts of climate change, potentially resulting in significant and costly damages to communities around the world. To reduce impact from these floods, many communities have implemented flood management strategies in which individuals decide to what extent they are willing to protect their property from flood damages. Since human behaviors are involved in these strategies, it is difficult to create a pure process-based hydrologic model to evaluate hydrologic patterns that could affected human. Agent-based models address this complexity by explicitly connecting physical processes with human decision making in a single modeling framework. These types of models have been successfully applied to disaster mitigation and emergency response scenarios, but very few have been used to model the effect of collective flood mitigation practices. This thesis addresses this gap by developing a conceptual agent-based modeling framework that will quantify the reduction in flood damage across a watershed resulting from the collective interactions, mitigation decisions, and sociological behaviors of different agents defined at sub-basin scale. In this model, agent behaviors and interactions are characterized using empirical rule-based functions, and the resultant effect on the system is measured using empirical flood damage functions. The complete development and utilization of this model could improve our understanding of complex human-natural systems and help communities develop adequate flood management strategies. Presentation Details 189 Room 911 8:30-9:15 Panel 1 Brendan Thomas Knickle Simos Gerasimidis (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Civil Engineering, UMass Amherst Stiffness-Based Optimized Design of Steel Diagonal Members of a Diagrid-Structural System for High-Rise Buildings The evolution of structural engineering over the last 100 years has led to some of the most astonishing building designs the world has ever seen. However, as buildings progress higher into the sky, the need for safer and more effective structural systems is emerging, leading to the evolution of the diagrid structural system. The diagrid structural system is being implemented into tall building design for its unique ability to combine structural efficiency and architectural appearance. This paper seeks to present a simple approach to optimizing the geometry of steel diagonal members in the diagrid system. The optimizing method is based on a virtual work approach in which the volume of the steel tubes are minimized. Constraints come from a stiffness design, where tip deflection is restricted to current regulative limits. Furthermore, this paper pursues to open the discussion of optimization and constructability for high-rise buildings. Presentation Details 192 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A26 Annabel Li Eric J. Gonzales (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Civil Engineering, UMass Amherst Analysis of Yellow Taxi, Green Taxi, and Uber in New York City Uber, an online transportation network company, launched it’s app in 2011 and started competing with taxicabs to provide on-demand mobility. The app allows users to submit a trip request via their smartphone. This study was conducted to analyze the patterns of taxi usage in New York City since the emergence of Uber. The New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission has released data on over 1.1 billion individual taxi trips from January 2009 through June 2015. Uber also released data on 19 million Uber rides from 2014 and 2015. The data displaying the demand patterns in the city was analyzed through ArcGIS. This mapping software allows for a visual representation of the pick-up locations of yellow cabs, green cabs, and Uber pickups. Green cabs are those that can only pick up passengers north of Manhattan and the outer boroughs (excluding airports). Yellow cabs can pick up passengers anywhere. The data in ArcGIS was joined through NYC Neighborhood Tabulation Areas (NTAs). A question that came up while analyzing the data was whether or not certain factors such as demographic profiles play a role in which mode of transportation passengers choose to take. Also, where are Uber pickups most concentrated in NYC? The data set along with the mapping software address these questions to provide insights about the role that Uber is playing in competing with or complementing conventional taxis. Presentation Details 193 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A27 James T. McCarthy Eric J. Gonzales (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Civil Engineering, UMass Amherst Traffic Emission Study Vehicles operating in traffic emit pollutants such as particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide (CO), and carbon dioxide (CO2). In urban traffic networks, pedestrians and cyclists passing alongside streets and crossing at intersections are exposed to the vehicular emissions. This pilot study demonstrates how vehicle operations at a roundabout relate to measurable pollutant emissions and establishes a method for future studies to compare different intersection designs. Quantifying the link between traffic management decisions and the potential human exposure that results is especially important for designing intersections and controlling traffic in urban or campus environments where there are many pedestrians and cyclists exposed to pollutants in the vicinity of traffic facilities. Three sources are used in order to collect data results: various air monitors, video cameras, and a traffic radar. Data from the three source materials are all in the form of time series of emission and traffic data. Analysis of data from the pilot experiment shows how the passage of different vehicle types (e.g., passenger car, truck, diesel bus, hybrid bus) are related to observed spikes in pollutant emissions by the roadside. Presentation Details COMMUNICATION 194 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A18 Paige Bari Abramson Gwyneth Campbell Rost (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication Disorders, UMass Amherst The Law and Order Effect: The Effect of Crime Television and Movies on Miranda Rights Comprehension In this study, we ask if young adults’ comprehension of Miranda Warnings and their confidence in that comprehension are affected by their television-watching habits or their oral and written language abilities. Specifically, do young adults who watch a lot of crime television or movies have better or poorer understanding of the purpose of Miranda Warnings than those who do not? Are young adults with poorer language skills more susceptible to being swayed by television-watching habits than those with good language skills? 30 young adults will complete standardized language testing using the Test of Adolescent and Adult Language – 4th Edition (TOAL-4) and non-standardized assessments of television/movie watching habits and Miranda Rights comprehension. The Miranda comprehension measure has 38 true-false questions, each followed by participants ranking of their self-confidence in their answer. It was developed to measure participants’ misperceptions of Miranda rights and contains questions used in Rogers et al. (2010), Payne, Time, and Gainey (2006), and new questions generated by the experimenter. We hypothesize that participants who watch more crime television will be more confident in their responses, but less accurate, following work by Mann, 2006, who reported that juries who watch crime television make more confident decisions based on untrue assumptions about evidence. Presentation Details 207 Room 905 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Kaitlyn Amuso Shirley Acquah (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, Westfield State University Intercultural Communication in Higher Education: A Case Study of Faculty and Staff Interactions at Westfield State University Neuliep (2017) posits that the likelihood of having daily intercultural interactions has greatly increased in all contexts of life, but especially in the workplace and in education. Intercultural communication competency skills are becoming vital for faculty and staff due to the growing diversity of most higher education institutions in the United States. This study sought to understand the intercultural communication practices among faculty and staff at Westfield State University (WSU), Massachusetts. The research questions included (a) how do the faculty and staff at WSU perceive their level of comfort with intercultural communication and interactions, (b) how do the faculty and staff at WSU perceive the quality of their intercultural communication and interactions, and (c) what is WSU doing, if anything, to facilitate intercultural communication. Data was collected through semi-structured qualitative interviews and purposeful sampling. A total of 21 faculty and staff participated in the study. Data analysis is on-going and the findings will highlight the nature of intercultural communication competency between faculty and staff, and how this is reflected at the institutional level. Presentation Details 218 Room 917 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Charles David Barbera Robert Carr (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, Fitchburg State University Dragon Egg: A Study in Character Archetypes Dragon Egg is a fictional, young adult novel that takes place both in the real world and in a fantasy realm called Vyrena and is based around the classic concept of the Hero’s Journey and how this affects the typical character archetypes that are often seen in this genre. The protagonist is a young man named Gillian who, like the classic character, has lost his parents and is an orphan. However unlike the typical protagonist who is typically a common, relatable and typically socially outcast character, Gillian is a confident, attractive, athletic individual whose sheer overconfidence leads his character to resemble what would more aptly be described as a bully. The arc of his character therefore is vastly different from the typical protagonist and is less an evolution of becoming a hero and much more an evolution of becoming a good person. These character archetypes become much less of what they are in a typical hero’s journey, because in this story the characters arc is much more essential than the incredible quests and adventures that occur. This novel is an ideal way to show a world in a deeply troubled time that it is only by remembering that those who bully and do terrible things may have no idea of how deeply hurtful the things they have done are. With a protagonist like Gillian it’s much easier to see just how quickly one can become the villain. Presentation Details 217 Room 168 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Dominic Boisvert Robert Carr (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, Fitchburg State University Film of Tomorrow (or: There's an Elephant in the Screening Room) (or: The Old Dogs and New Tricks of Cinema) In my research, I seek to explore how new technological developments in digital cinematography will effect independent filmmaking in the years to come. The development of my study mainly comes from the perspectives and philosophies of filmmakers from various experiential backgrounds. Engaged in a discussion about where independent film stands today, it is my goal to now direct the conversation towards what we can expect in years to come. To accompany my research, I have prepared a “Cinematic Tour”, which showcases the evolution of filmmaking technology within the last century, using bits of American Cinema as examples. My research has made it apparent that new developments in digital photography have made cinema quality video increasingly easier to achieve. Considering this, I am inclined to think that there is a wave of bold American independent cinema around the corner. Over the life of my study, I hope to have instilled a hopeful curiosity in the future of filmmaking, and encourage everyone, not just film buffs, to consider the effect cinema has in society, and in our personal lives. Presentation Details 209 Room 168 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Zachary Britten Robert Carr (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, Fitchburg State University Communication in Podcasts Many podcasts challenge the perception of traditional media by being informal and conversational. Through this aesthetic, listeners establish a connection; not only to the podcast host(s) but to each other. I looked at popular podcasts that fall under this category and explored their methods of communication, impact on their audience, and the general personality of said audience. I looked at host behavior, creative tactics, and audience interaction; more specifically I analyzed the effect audience engagement has on a podcasts performance as well as audience interaction outside of the podcast. My research in the merits of informal conversation in podcasting brought me to a whole new understanding of listener engagement: community. The idea of being friendly in a podcast sets the stage for listeners to keep the same tone when interacting with each other, creating a community many podcasters did not realize they could make. I applied my research regarding creative strategies and community building to focus groups and one on one interviews. I focused on individuals ages 18 to 30 because I believed they make up the bulk of “podcasting communities.” I wanted to understand what a prospective audience responds to and how that can lead to the formation of a communal audience. To do so I provided clips of several podcasts and asked questions regarding their disposition and listener involvement. These participants responded positively to podcasts that featured friendly conversation and active listeners, many even wanted to get involved themselves. The participants felt it was so accessible because there were no walls up; the open style of the podcasts encouraged listeners to take part, both on and off the show. Through my research, I discovered the potential a podcast has outside of standard entertainment; podcasts have the ability to create a strong community. Presentation Details 212 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A48 Jaclynn Rose Brown Robert Carr (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, Fitchburg State University Defining American Modern Culture: How Civil Disobedience Has Been Enforced in Massachusetts College Communities Civil disobedience has been a proactive approach to movements throughout history. In modern culture, we see movements like The Women’s March and Black Lives Matter making impacts across the nation. Our generation is experiencing a major cultural shift and with the recent election there has been mixed emotions and opinions. This recent motion has left people scared, angry, sad and some satisfied. We know that these reactions exist because we are exposed to media constantly covering topics that regard recent events, and we experience the behavior of society in our daily lives. We may not all agree that there is one particular reaction that is most effective, but we can notice social movements with the most publicity. Civil disobedience has been incorporated into cultural movements more and more, and they are impacting people everywhere. We want to study our own generation’s reactions to modern culture. By focusing on college communities across Massachusetts, we can observe this shift to our culture and how movements are affecting it. Many people talk about it, most post about it, and some act for it. We want to know what our generation’s opinion is, if it’s being enforced, and how. Why? We are the future, and our opinion matters. After we gather our research, we will enforce a promotional movement in our own college community. This project will help us gain more knowledge of the way people react, with participant observation. We will prove our generation's power. Presentation Details 200 Room 162 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Jacquelyn Diane Collins Leda Cooks (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, UMass Amherst A Case Study of the Springfield Thunderbirds: How Sports Teams Can Effectively Use Social Media to Promote Their Brand Social media has become an important communication tool for sports teams to connect with their fans. It gives fans instant access to information about their favorite teams, and gives teams the opportunity to build a deeper connection with their fan base. The Springfield Thunderbirds are an American Hockey League team located in Springfield, Massachusetts that recently moved to their new location in 2016. The 2016-17 season is the first for the Thunderbirds, formerly called the Portland Pirates and formally located in Portland, Oregon. The Thunderbirds had to reach out to their new community in Springfield to create a fan base in order to sell tickets. This thesis project is a case study of the Springfield Thunderbirds and how they are using social media to relate to and communicate with their fans. The goal of this study is to learn what makes the most effective social media strategies, specifically applied to the Springfield Thunderbirds. The results of this research can be applied to teams at any level. Presentation Details 221 Room 805 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Christine Elena Coutts Robert Harris (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communications Media, Fitchburg State University I'm Not Racist, But . . . A Documentary This documentary will explore racial prejudice through the experiences of six different people, one of those being myself. This small group of people varies in race, culture, gender, and interest. As the filmmaker, I will be seen and heard on screen as a participant in the interviews in order to establish inclusivity between the film and the audience. I believe that I qualify as the narrator of the film as my role as producer and director as well as a woman from a bi-racial family. In addition to interviewing this group, I will also be talking to other groups and individuals that encounter prejudice in their everyday lives. Through in-depth group and one-on-one discussions, viewers will be able to understand participants’ experiences as it relates to the nation’s climate. The final edit of the piece will delve into themes of identity, racism, and culture and throw light on issues that Americans today may be hesitant to talk about. Presentation Details 203 Room 903 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Melanie Elizabeth de Souza Donald J. Tarallo (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communications Media, Fitchburg State University Transience: The Illusion of Stability Ideas, beliefs, and philosophies do not exist in tangible forms because they are purely conceptual. However, through experimental art, it becomes possible to express these concepts by manifesting them physically. This project will explore the concept of transience and humanity through the medium of image making. Although meaning ultimately resides in the eyes of the beholder, my work seeks to emote the notion of transience and its bearing on humanity. I will be presenting a series of small warm-up studies where I have searched to find the right visual style for my images. This will involve gathering and experimenting with different visuals as they pertain to meaning and representation. These images will later be made into my final thesis book. Presentation Details 205 Room 904 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Anne N. Dooley Erica Scharrer (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, UMass Amherst Letting Women Press Start: Researching and Creating a Feminist Video Game In the gaming community, it is easy not only to find hostility, but also sexism. These kinds of negative comments are vastly popular when discussing the plots of singleplayer plot-based games such as Uncharted or God of War. This project not only delves into the research of how sexism affects the larger gaming community, but also uses this as a springboard to create a feminist-friendly video game script. This script features a woman main character and her journey to discovering herself. This project aims to provide themes to which anyone, no matter who they are, can relate. The script was derived from studies conducted on the effects of sexism in video games as well as some original research. Presentation Details 206 Room 904 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Isaiah Jeremie Fanfan Robert Carr (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, Fitchburg State University Marriage in the Millennial Generation This research was conducted to explore the social construct of marriage, its evolution and the current view of marriage in the millennial generation. According to Meg Murphy a writer says. In 1960 it was recorded that women married at age 20 and men married at age 23. In 2017 the average age for women to marry was 27 and the average age for men to marry was 29. Research indicates that not only is there a change in the age that people marry, but also amongst millennials that marry at all. With that being said the millennial generation want to seek independence and wealth before settling down or marrying at all. But with economic and societal conditions playing a part in the decrease of marriage amongst millennials. Does this really have anything to do with waiting until the millennial are established or are the millennial shutting out the idea of marriage because they cannot fathom the idea of making the decision to get married due to being known as the trophy generation. Being coddled, you were told you can do anything and never having the opportunity to fail. The issue is important because marriage has been looked as something to obtain, because of its value. That is not the case anymore through analysis using data from research, interviews and examining online outlets such as twitter, instagram and through memes on how millennial are viewing marriage. My research will provide a different perspective to the way millennial think about marriage. Presentation Details 213 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A50 Haylie Kay Hier Robert Carr (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, Fitchburg State University The Selfie Epidemic There is no question that in our generation there is a massive overload of selfies being taken. And the big question is why? On average a person will take 25,700 selfies in their life time, and a female aged 16-25 spends about five hours a week taking selfies. My research examines 10 individuals, some high number selfie takers and some not. I have gained access to not only every selfie they have taken in a week, but also have captured the feelings and thoughts in their head while they were taking them. I have conducted a prior interview before the week of selfies and also an interview afterwards. This gives me the information into why we take so many selfies and what selfies do for us. I have looked into the means of repetition and repetitiveness in the selfie process, and why in this generation it is so time consuming. The cultivation theory states that the more time people spend “living” in television world, the more likely they are to believe social reality portrayed on television. My research helps to compare the selfie epidemic and the time we give to such social media and activities. Why do we take so many selfies? And how does it benefit us? In my study I will to bring light to why selfies are such an epidemic in this generation. Presentation Details 198 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A30 Jordan Anthony Hill Amy Smith (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, Salem State University Basic Blackness Is Not Basic Identifying as Black has more to do with just the skin tone of an individual. Not only is color important, but so are factors like experience, location, and wealth; to name a few. The purpose of this project is to address the concept of identity and belonging within the Black community. The goal is to show how the stereotypes of race, as well as the separation of class within the Black community creates divisions among community members. This has been done by applying a discourse analysis to “The Nod,” an episode of ABC’s hit series Blackish. Using O'Shaughnessy's discourse analysis reveals that something as small and regular as a nod has deeper meaning. Analyzing “The Nod,” allows entry into issues that pertain to identifying as black within a broad national community. The analysis examines the concept of a single Black identity: Basic Blackness, and addresses how this concept may not in fact be accurate. Presentation Details 210 Room 168 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 James Taylor Lalli Robert Carr (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, Fitchburg State University Has There Ever Been a Truth?: Click-Bait and the Lies We Tell Ourselves I have observed that news media outlets such as internet presence of major newspapers and social media integration of current events, have recently come under fire as source of untrustworthy information, citing "fake news" and "alternative facts". Some phenomena of distrust between consumer and news media could be attributed to clickbait and a supposed "post-truth" world. Studying specific psychoanalytical theories of selective exposure and perception, one can observe major trends in how news media and technology has changed our world. The relationship between news media and fact can be used to support these theories of cognitive dissonance in public psychology, and explain niche tribalism forming "alternate realities". My research is centered on consequences of unknowingly large portions of society having alternate perspectives of reality. After outlining these reasons for distrust and misinformation between society and news media I will introduce a potential alpha build or concept website that pulls news media out of social platforms of Twitter and Facebook. A website or application that allows for established news outlets and networks to reach wider audiences, maintain a subscription base, and provide consumers a "related news" section comparing sources with alternate views of current events. The main intention of this platform is to provide easy opportunities for comparison of news sources, theorizing that more sources brings a stronger relationship to truth and collective intelligence. Accomplishing this by contributing to passive fact checking and showing people related news from sources with different world perspectives. Presentation Details 199 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A31 Keith Douglas Littles Amy Smith (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, Salem State University Finding Wonder Woman: A Search 75 Years in the Making Wonder Woman is an American icon and comic book superhero worthy of her own feature film. Wonder Woman was created for DC Comics by an avowed feminist, psychiatrist William Moulton Marston during the height of WWII. Marston described his ground-breaking character as, “the new type of woman who should, I believe, rule the world.” Wonder Woman, AKA Diana, princess of the Amazons is adorned with several gifts from the Greek Gods; superhuman strength, the power of flight, and the lasso of truth; formed from Aphrodite’s girdle. Hollywood has a notorious reputation for its disrespectful and sexist treatment of women, especially the highest paid, awarddecorated actresses. Women represent sex fantasies of adolescent boys with little or no experience with women. Females make up 51 % of the world’s population and have increased to 30% of comic book fans. Wonder Woman stole the spotlight in the film Batman vs. Superman with her fierce fighting in the climactic battle scene. Gal Gadot, who plays Wonder Woman, says, “I’ve got the opportunity to portray a great role model for girls to look up to – a strong, active, compassionate, loving woman.” Gadot, a former Israeli soldier, is trained in Kung Fu, kickboxing, swords, dance and gymnastics. She is the right choice to play the most powerful princess EVER. Wonder Woman is not your average cookie cutter version of a princess. She does not need saving from any man. Best of all, she is a savior to men and women alike. Presentation Details 219 Room 803 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Emma Martin Leda Cooks (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, UMass Amherst Food Waste in American Households Each year, American households waste up to half of the food that is produced in the country. Americans know that wasting food is “bad” (for various reasons), yet little to no improvements are being made in limiting the egregious amounts of waste. This study was conducted to gain a more thorough understanding of the American mentality concerning food waste and its effects. Consumers' grocery shopping habits, food storage habits, food disposal habits, and beliefs concerning environmental impacts of food waste were investigated through a series of interviews and written questionnaires by residents of Massachusetts. Ten people were interviewed from a range of ages, disposable incomes, and levels of education, yet all interviewees held a significant responsibility in their household for the provision of food. A limitation of this study is that all participants were white and came from a middle class background, although some of the literature reviewed discusses food waste in low income and non-white communities. This study found that consumers do, in fact, care about wasting food, but they tend to view it as a necessary evil of purchasing perishable food items. They are more influenced by the thought of wasting money on food that is thrown out instead of, for example, the environmental impact of decomposing food in landfills. Participants had not encountered any formal education on food waste (on a high school or college level), and food waste was not a significant factor taken into consideration when voting for public office or legislation. Understanding consumers' mentality and beliefs concerning food waste is essential to any efforts being made to reduce the amount of food waste in the United States. Presentation Details 208 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A49 Mikayla Patricia-Grace Matheson David W. Copeland (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communications Media, Bridgewater State University A New Dialogue: How Social Media Has Changed Public Response to Natural Disasters Rather than officials solely keeping the public connected and well informed in real-time during disasters, the emergence of social media has enabled the public to respond and rally their own dialogue amongst each other when horrific events strike. This project compares some of the greatest natural disasters from before the advent of social media to those after the digital platforms became integrated into our daily lives, illustrating this new dialogue amongst the public and a new way of sharing global information. Focusing on statistical data, academic journals, news reports, and social media consumption during the time of the Galveston Hurricane (1900), Hurricane Katrina (2005), and Hurricane Matthew (2016) this project aims to compare how information was received by the public, determine social media’s positive impact in times of natural disaster including safety assurance and relief support, and identify the negative aspects of realtime social media response during these turbulent times such as economic exploitation and false content. Presentation Details 214 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A52 Madeline Claire Mitchell Robert Carr (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, Fitchburg State University Aesthetic or Artistic? Since the 1800’s when Joseph Niépce and Louis Daguerre first invented photography, its interpretation has evolved significantly from classifying as documentary, artistic, and now a substantial part of everyday media intake. In my research, I examine the evolution of photography’s role and how social media platforms are now changing how it is interpreted. In social media aesthetics in photography are so crucial to consumerism that we now depend on them to verify reality, or allow us to imagine ourselves and others with certain lifestyles. Images constantly placed in our daily media platform browsing−whether they are marketing a product, or someone marketing their own lifestyle–are changing the way we construe photography. How is it affecting the way we interpret what we’re exposed to, and more importantly, does it affect the way we market ourselves? I’ve found that we now live in a world where photographs are evidence of lifestyle. Companies now pay thousands of dollars for product-placement in social media so consumers can envision it in their own lives. I gained insight to why people use photographs to place themselves within a certain aesthetic through extensive interviews, surveys, and photographs. I’ve accompanied an essay with a visual project showcasing trends and examples of how aesthetics now function to mold a persona. This examination of the history of photography in conjunction with a look at today’s practice of using it to place ourselves in an “ideal world” provides introspection to how photography is now a tool to confirm and mold reality. Presentation Details 197 Room 801 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Vanessa O'Donnell Emanuel Nneji (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, Worcester State University Fashion Magazines Reflection of the Changing Attitudes and Opinions of Women in America Magazines aimed at women have often questioned women’s intellect and integrity, making them appear more as objects than normal human beings. As magazines strive to convince women of the true necessity of a product, man or lifestyle, women seem to be presented with images of their inadequacy. By showing only certain characteristics of women, both physical and non-physical, though photographs and stories, the risk is the public will assume that the media portray an unachievable ideal. What influence do magazines really hold over women’s sense of self as well as the attitudes of the American people? This research will seek to answer this question and investigate whether the objectification of women in magazines is in any way changing. This study will explore several magazines in the media to answer this question. A content analysis of three major women oriented magazines (Cosmopolitan, Glamour, and Seventeen) will be sampled and analyzed for positive and negative elements through front cover photos and stories in order to analyze women objectification. The content analysis will include the front covers of magazines that includes a systematic and convenience sampling of the past twenty-five years. The analysis is centered on women in the media, specifically magazines, and how they have been scrutinized for what they look like. This is a reflection of the American public and what they value. In the past twenty-five years the content has changed as Americans progress into the future, our ideals about women alter to be a representation of how women are viewed. Presentation Details 215 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A54 Trevor Robert Pendleton Robert Carr (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, Fitchburg State University Stanley Kubrick's Investigation into the Human Soul Using Visual Mediums Film is an incredibly powerful artistic medium, and the mirror it places on our society causes us to look at ourselves in a way unlike anything else. There is no one that used this medium greater for that exact purpose and more poignantly than Stanley Kubrick. For my project I examined Kubrick's use of visual imagery to give his films greater meaning far below the surface, and deep within ourselves. For my method I studied his compositions from his early days as a photographer at Look magazine (1945-1950) as well as particular stills from three of Kubrick's films to better understand how he uses photographic compositions to add deeper meaning to his art. The three films I chose were Barry Lyndon, Eyes Wide Shut, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. In addition I also read vast amounts of interviews with Kubrick himself to better understand his work, and to supplement my own research. In studying, I paid particular attention to the lighting, placement of the camera, as well as the use of the mise en scène in both his early photographs, as well as his films. Looking at each frame in extreme detail revealed Kubrick’s extraordinary use of the medium he mastered, as well as how he accomplishes the difficult task of shedding light on the human soul through visual methods. Presentation Details 201 Room 168 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Kacie Helen Quinn Lynn M. Phillips (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, UMass Amherst Effects of the Media on Youth Over the course of my three years at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, I have studied film, education, media literacy, and communication. I have combined these fields into my Bachelor’s Degree with an Individual Concentration (BDIC) major: Media for Children and Young Adults. I have researched the effects that the media has on young people when it comes to their social, emotional, and intellectual development. Despite common perceptions about the negative effects of the media on children, I will also be pointing out the benefits that the media has, drawing from sources such as Dafna Lemish (2015), Ellen Seiter (1995) and the late Fred Rogers, of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood fame. Finally, I will also be talking briefly about my own creative work on an animated children’s television program “Partners In Time,” which received an honorable mention in the Michael S. Roif Award Ceremony. This award is presented to an undergraduate Film Certificate student for “exceptional creativity and accomplishment.” The series is made up a cast of diverse characters, with a variety of races, cultures, and body types being represented. Additionally, the show is educational, teaching young viewers about the cultures of the past as the characters travel back in time together. Due to my research within as well as outside of the classroom, I will be able to connect my knowledge about children’s media to my own creative project, weaving together my research with my creative project. Presentation Details 202 Room 801 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Stephanie Saba Robert Carr (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, Fitchburg State University Culture of Fast Fashion In our current society, the price and quality of clothing have gone down significantly leading to a more wasteful and throwaway industry. This kind of “Fast Fashion” consumerism increases textile waste and the use of synthetic fibers, leading to more pollution in our environment. What does it say about the values of consumers if they are allowing this kind of pollution to continue just to keep up with the latest spring trend? Fast Fashion has become a specific culture within our society and reflects our values of buying, wearing and discarding clothing. It has also posed the question of what the fashion culture is like in other societies and how we interact with fashion consumption differently than others. Fashion in 1940’s U.S and fashion in the Amish community provide huge contrast to present day fashion in style, quality, trends, and selfexpression. Studying these fashion cultures presents ways that we can look at our own fashion values and shift them to promote a cleaner industry. Through interviews with actual consumers I was able to understand what draws to participate in the industry. Looking at chain clothing stores also gave insight on how they enable fast fashion consumerism. With all of this research, my goal is to compare the different cultures and see what social ideologies we can learn from in order to step away from Fast Fashion. As a way of displaying my results I have created a poster series that expresses our values and the clothing that represents them. Presentation Details 216 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A56 Nicholas Joseph Santo Robert Carr (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, Fitchburg State University The Bridge between Two The research I am here to present to you is a story about intercultural relationships and different perspectives of a Syrian Boy and his family to a middle aged man in the United States during the refugee crisis. Through interviews, live action footage, and speeches as the most interpersonal research methods my story depicts and analyzes the assimilation of the different perspectives and cultures. Both cultures are seen as stand alone perspectives as well conjoined into a mutual understanding. I am using the dialogue in the story as “thought provoking experiments” based on the research to identify the linguistic differences and then trying to bridge those differences through music as a universal medium. The purpose behind the universal medium is to be able to base a starting point of understanding and companionship amongst equal but opposite sides. The reason behind the story is to answer the question of ‘why we hate each other without even knowing one another’. Which is where the thought experiments help to provide clarity on their interactions amongst the Syrian family and the middle aged man. The purpose underlying my research is for everyone to understand that we are a country built on sub-cultures and denying cultures access than we are destroying the one thing that built the United States. Presentation Details 211 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A17 Danielle Beth Solomon Jonathan Amakawa (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, Fitchburg State University Creating a Game's Art Bible For my thesis, I chose to create an Art Bible and Narrative for an original video game concept. I chose this because I am aiming to go into the field of video game concept art and character design when I graduate and I wanted to learn what it is like to create an Art Bible. An Art Bible is a book or digital collection of concept art for a video game that includes sketches and final concepts for character designs and other game elements such as game props and environments assets. The Art Bible also included some pictures from a Mood Board that I created for the game. A Mood Board is a physical board or digital folder that consists of a collection of pictures that are assembled from multiple sources to be used as guiding inspiration for the look and feel of a game. For the written part of this creative thesis, I wrote about the creative process that occurred for the narrative and Art Bible. This included what I researched, how I found sources to use, why I made certain choices, when I completed certain steps, and how it felt overall to create the Art Bible. I have also written about the narrative in the thesis so as to tell the premise of the game's story and introduce some of the characters that will be present in the game. This presentation will feature original game art as well as samples from various artistic media that inspired my designs. Presentation Details 220 Room 803 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Ruijia (Rose) Wang Leda Cooks (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, UMass Amherst Reducing UMass Dining Hall Food Waste and Combating Hunger Using Food Trucks In the United States, 40% of all the food produced goes to waste. More than 22 million pounds of uneaten food is thrown away each year on college campuses. However, college dining operations can serve as an educational tool to cultivate awareness around food waste reduction. At UMass Amherst, the pre-consumer food wasted during the production process in the kitchens accounts for 25 percent of total compostable waste. Therefore, UMass Amherst should strive to reduce the amount of food “overproduced” and expand the surplus food donation to the low-income local communities. This project proposes a strategic plan to cope with the oversupply of food at UMass Dining by using food trucks. These trucks would serve as a mobile food rescue platform to save otherwise wasted food from composting and landfills. Food trucks have the potential to play an important role in redistributing the overproduction of cooked meals from the dining halls to low-income families who are in need in the community. The intended outcome is to create mobile kitchens to facilitate access to healthy foods, divert food waste from composting and landfills, and reallocate pre-consumer food waste to the local communities in western Massachusetts. Presentation Details 195 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C57 Rachel Marie Yox Leda Cooks (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, UMass Amherst Breakfast in the Classroom: An Evaluation of the New Federal Breakfast Program in Schools Traditionally, school breakfast programs have provided low-income students with an opportunity to begin the day with a good breakfast, but at the cost of setting these students apart from their peers. The stigma of being singled out manifests in the behaviors of students during the meal time – students may choose not to eat breakfast so they remain part of their peer group or they may choose to eat a minimal amount of food quickly, leading to high levels of waste, and consequently, poor nutrition. Beginning in the 2010-2011 school year, a new program called Breakfast in the Classroom has been implemented in schools throughout the country. This program provides breakfast to all students, regardless of income level, in their classroom to eliminate the stigma of a free breakfast, thereby reducing waste and ensuring that all students feel included in their peer groups. This study aims to observe student behavior and food waste during breakfast in both schools that have traditional breakfast programs and schools that have implemented Breakfast in the Classroom programs. It is expected that students who participate in a Breakfast in the Classroom will be more conversational, more engaged, and eat more slowly as well as waste less food than their peers in traditional breakfast programs. If this is true, then this study could encourage all schools to change their breakfast model to Breakfast in the Classroom in order to reduce costs and increase student well-being. Presentation Details 196 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C58 Marissa S. Zaritsky Gwyneth Campbell Rost (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication Disorders, UMass Amherst Confidence and Competence in Young Adults at Risk for TBI In this study, we asked if individuals at risk for sports-related traumatic brain injuries have different confidence in their accuracy when answering questions when compared to non-injured peers. We sampled from undergraduates in the five-college consortium, using players of rugby as a group at risk for traumatic brain injury, and those who do not play rugby as a control group. All participants completed standardized testing using the Test of Adolescent and Adult Language – 4th Edition (TOAL-4) and the Ohio State Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Identification Survey. They also completed two questionnaires, one about Miranda Rights and the other about art history, each with 38 true/false questions. Participants answered true or false and ranked their confidence in their responses. It is hypothesized that those with traumatic brain injuries will have altered confidence in their accuracy when compared to controls. Presentation Details 204 Room 903 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Emily Zollo Robert Carr (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, Fitchburg State University My Lens, Her Mirror There is no debate that photography has been proven to be an impactful tool, contributing to education, art, advertisement and propaganda. However, I am here to prove it can be used as a tool to empower. To demonstrate, I have taken dozens of boudoir-styled photo shoots with young women. Each volunteer has spent some time with me in a studio or on location, creating photographs in a seductive, yet empowering way. I have collected my data through means of surveys, interviews and photographs. This data has shown that each subject has reached a greater level of confidence and self-love following the experience. Being able to see themselves in a way that they often not, or maybe even ever, see themselves, can be extremely powerful to the individual’s self image. This experience was crafted to be light-hearted and fun, while showing, physically, how beautiful they really are, from an outside perspective. Cooley’s “looking glass self” theory states that individuals use the perceptions and opinions of those surrounding them to create their own self-identity and I am using my photographs to create an additional, positive, and impactful reflection in which they use to create a selfimage.To exhibit my outcome I will showcase “before and after” photographs of a few subjects, alongside a video that will give insight to the subjects’ thoughts and feelings: before, during and after the experience. Today’s society gives women many reasons to think negatively on her looks, including the media, Internet and current social issues, which can be detrimental to self-confidence. My experience and research is made to challenge some of these thoughts. Presentation Details COMMUNITY/PUBLIC SERVICE 231 Room 805 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Zoe Arnold George W. Layng (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Westfield State University Limited Development of Minority Owned Businesses in Boston Despite Diverse Population Demographics In “Limited Development of Minority Owned Businesses in Boston Despite Diverse Population Demographics,” historical data of both population and economic demographics in Boston is analyzed. The main conclusion of this analysis reveals that despite Boston’s historical trend of demographic diversification, the development of minority-owned businesses remains hindered by the inability of minority groups to attain adequate income and wealth. In this analysis, statistical and demographic data from Boston Redevelopment Authority, the U.S. Small Business Association, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, The Mayor's Office of New Bostonians, and the Boston Small Business Plan was obtained. This research reveals that Boston’s increase in overall business creation does not correlate with the limited expansion of minorityowned businesses. More specifically, as of 2016 sole proprietorships represent 95% of Boston’s 40,000 businesses. However, only 32% of these small businesses are minority owned. The answer to why fewer minorities own businesses lies in statistical economic data revealing that nonwhite minorities proportionally hold far fewer assets and far less wealth than their white counterparts. Liquid assets, which are easily converted into cash, include money in savings accounts, checking accounts, stocks, money market, and government bonds. Helping explain the correlation between race and business creation, nearly all whites –96%– owned liquid assets. However, only 85% of Caribbean blacks and Cape Verdeans, and only 83% of blacks born in the U.S. at least held a liquid asset. Subsequently, nonwhite people are far more disadvantaged in their attempts to construct and operate businesses. Presentation Details 226 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C62 Madison Claire Babula Rachel M. Grebber Bethanie C. Johnson Melissa MacWilliam Rachel Elizabeth Nicholson Ken Magarian (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, Westfield State University Circle K International and the New England District The New England District of Cirlce K and Circle K International will feature a presentation for the Umass Undergraduate Research Conference that will inform the audience on what the Circle K District and International organizations are, how clubs functions on a day to day basis, and how it connects to larger organizations such as their parent club, Kiwanis International. This information is important for students who might be interested in starting a Circle K club at their own school, or is interested in the dynamics of this group specifically. The information presented in this presentation allows students to take a glimpse at the serious work and efforts of the District Board, International Board, and Circle K clubs in New England and across the nation. Students who do not have Circle K clubs at their school can also get fundamental information on the five positions of the District E-board, whereas this can be critical when starting Circle K clubs at their own schools. Presentation Details 227 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C64 Sara Anne Clark Jessica Thelen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Westfield State University Fresh Food for Everyone Being able to provide fresh and locally grown food for everyone in the community is very important. Will Allen, the author of The Good Food Revolution, started to work toward this goal. He created a company called Growing Power in 1993. This company took kids from different parts of the community to help him grow and pick crops. The kids that helped him usually lived in troubled parts of the community. Allen knew that helping them would prevent them from making negative choices. The way Allen chose where he would place his companies depended on the availability of fresh food to people in the community prior to him building one. He would place his companies where there was not an easy, accessible place for people in the community to purchase fresh food. This is important because everyone deserves to have the opportunity to eat healthy food. When people eat healthy, it makes them healthier because they are getting the proper nutrients that they need and would not be getting. For this project, I researched how many places do have fresh food and how accessible it is for the people in the United States. Once that was done, organizations were researched. These articles focused on if anyone is trying to make a difference with this problem and people are. Will Allen is just one person who is trying to make a difference in these communities. With everyone joining together, people can eat healthy food and this will make everyones' lives better. Presentation Details 228 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C66 Caroline Hope Bider Gendron Ariabel Virginia Adames Brianna L. Beninati Emma Louise Houston Alissa Katelyn Smith Ken Magarian (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, Westfield State University Circle K International at Westfield State University Circle K International at Westfield State University will feature a presentation that will inform the audience on what Circle K is, and how it relates to the university and community. The information provided is important for students who are interested in joining the Circle K International club at Westfield State University, and for those who are interested in the concept of this group; which is SERVICE. This presentation allows the students to peek into the lives of an everyday club member who participates in the various activities and events that are held. For students who do not have a Circle K club at their college, they are presented with the ideas and fundamentals of what the club is involved in and how it affects not only the school, but as well as the community - and as important, how to organize and start a Circle K club at their school. Presentation Details 229 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C68 Daniel R. Hartmann Brian W. Conz (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Geography, Westfield State University Documenting Food (In)-Justice in Springfield, MA Recent research has shown that there is a plethora of side effects that arise from structural racism in the food system and the impoverished food environments it creates. There is a clear injustice in the food system and this has led to a diabetes and obesity epidemic. Food deserts—neighborhoods vapid of fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthy foods—have been shown to influence these unhealthy outcomes. Such areas lack full-service grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and other healthy food providers. The inner-city neighborhoods of Springfield, Massachusetts exhibit these patterns of food injustice. In the city's Six Corners neighborhood, poverty, unemployment, and crime combine with high obesity and diabetes rates, negatively impacting the quality of life. Food justice activists have been working in the Six Corners neighborhood to provide solutions. In order to contribute to this work, students from a Food Systems Planning class at Westfield State University conducted research on a section of the local food environment. Students prepared a food outlet survey based on the USDA Thrifty Food Plan which included four different categories: dairy and cheese, meats and proteins, grains and whole breads, fruits and vegetables. Five food outlets were surveyed. After analyzing the data, it was found that the stores consisted mostly of processed, high fat, high sodium foods as well as a severe lack of fresh fruits and vegetables. Our findings confirm the importance of Springfield’s food justice activists, and their efforts to educate, empower and increase access to fruits and vegetables for the community. Presentation Details 224 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A08 Sarah Hilow Khallady Jay Mahoney (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Business and Economics, Worcester State University Reyes House Access to Healthcare Reyes House is a post-detox residential facility for Hispanic males recovering from substance abuse. Healthy living is generally a new concept for the gentlemen, and while they have been users of the health care system, most do not have a clear understanding of the availability and purposes of insurance, the necessity of securing a primary care physician or the benefits of physically preparing to re-enter the workforce. This project focused on a basic, high-quality educational workshop focusing on those topics and relating them back to their own health goals. With an aim to build confidence in their ability to self-advocate for their own health, we developed an interactive, three module program, solicited the services of a bi-lingual resident of the house, and presented this material to the gentlemen. In addition, we partnered with the Worcester Lions Club and arranged for a dedicated visit to Reyes House by the Sightmobile. Ten men were screened for vision, hearing, blood pressure and blood sugar. Half were found to need additional testing to more fully understand their needs and ascertain a diagnosis. While the Sightmobile was providing initial screenings, we were visited by a number of elderly neighbors requesting they, too, be included. We have arranged for a second visit, partnered with the Residence at Ascension Heights, and will be expanding our screenings to include this population. Metrics on workshop efficacy and medical screenings will be provided during the presentation. Presentation Details 223 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A06 Fernanda Casami Macedo Clarice Otero Ester Shapiro (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Psychology, UMass Boston Women-Run Brazilian Small Businesses as Resources for Personal and Community Development The Massachusetts/greater Boston area has among the U.S.’s largest Brazilian population, yet this major group has not been well studied. Brazilian immigrant women are highly likely to work outside the home, both preserving culturally meaningful family and community practices while also taking important roles as workers, small business owners and entrepreneurs (deSa et al, 2011). Delgado (2011) argues that Latino immigrant small businesses contribute significantly to community economic development, improving community well-being. Recent work (Vilain, 2014) suggests that immigrant women entrepreneurs from Latin America gain benefits beyond their earned income, to develop community roles that enhance gender equality and social capital. Further, Brazilian women in Brazil are turning to a "solidarity economy" to support flexible work/family arrangements while increasing economic access, particularly during a time of economic crisis in Brazil. Finally, Brazilian immigrants are highly transnational and maintain ties to home country (Lucchese, 2016). This mixed methods project considers gender and social entrepeneurship to explore Brazilian immigrant women's small businesses as resources for social justice in gender equity and community economic development. The study will conduct community based ethnographic observation, interviews with Brazilian women entrepreneurs working in the Greater Boston area, along with academics and experts in community economic development and social entrepeneurship in the Brazilian community, to explore a gender perspective on the contributions and challenges for women small business owners. The project will discuss themes such as gender sensitive economic and workforce development through participation in work in the beauty industry, and enduring challenges due to gender inequalities. Presentation Details 225 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A09 Page Marie Maryyanek Jay Mahoney (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Business and Economics, Worcester State University Worcester State University Food Pantry Food insecurity is huge problem around the world. The latest U.S. government surveys indicate that one in six Americans suffer from food insecurity. In 2014 an estimated 46.5 million people were supported by Feeding America, and of those, 31% reported having to choose between paying for their food and paying for their education. Food banks mainly operate on donations and volunteers; $25 donated brings in 56 lbs. of food. Three hundred schools around the nation have recently added food pantries to their campuses. Many people think that those who can afford college would not have trouble in affording food. However, society’s push for young people to get at least an undergraduate degree while becoming financially stable on their own can cause some sacrifices to be made, including a regular diet. On campus pantries have also shown an increase in a sense of community on and off campus. 318 participants of a WSU survey have confirmed the need for an on campus food pantry. Approximately 44% have experienced food insecurity in the past thirty days. When asked if they would be willing to volunteer their time or donate supplies to the food pantry, only 9% of participants said they would not volunteer their time and only 7% said they would not be able donate. The purpose of the pantry on campus is to help those in need in our educational community so that they may continue and finish their educations without sacrificing basic human needs, like a regular and healthy diet. Presentation Details 232 Room 917 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 Corey John Pooler Katheryn L. Bradford (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Education, Westfield State University Service Learning in Nicaragua Our trip to Nicaragua was designed as a Global Service Learning Project. Service learning can be defined as a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities. This form of learning differs from any other due to one critical characteristic. Unlike a typical learning environment, service learning focuses on a balance between both student learning and addressing real-life needs within a community. Learning objectives zero in on giving back in many ways, including human, safety, educational, and environmental needs. We spent our trip building a storage room and teacher office for a school and community in need. Not only will this new addition to the school benefit the students of today, it will benefit the students for years to come. It will help to continue giving opportunities to those who may not have otherwise had them. At the same time, helping this community also taught our class some valuable lessons along the way. To be appreciative of what we have in life, to be thankful for the opportunity to give back, and to be able to experience such an amazing culture. We were able to enhance our commitment to global awareness, and deepen our appreciation for the diverse culture of Nicaragua and other countries that may be similar. I know this trip was truly inspiring for me, and has lead me to want to participate in service learning trips in the future. Presentation Details 230 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C70 Emily A. Slote Lillian Brooke Bruffee Hanna Jo Ciepiela Vanessa Holford Diana (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Westfield State University Designing a Universal Westfield through a City-as-Text Learning Community In an effort to promote civic engagement, forge town-gown connections, and bridge the gap between two educational disciplines, first-year honors program students at Westfield State University participated in a newly-developed learning community, immersing them into the downtown area of Westfield, Massachusetts, the site of their new home away from home. Combining English Composition l and Introduction to Community Planning, the course provides students with applied classroom knowledge that can be used in real world experiences. This poster will highlight the benefits of first year involvement in civic engagement learning communities, through research-based community redesign. The learning community went on numerous class visits to the streets of Westfield, using the city as a classroom, and its memorials, burial grounds, rusty bridges, history and development plans as the tools for learning. In addition, visiting the shops that are intriguing to young adults increases the likelihood that students will venture downtown on their own time, further acclimating them to their new home and to each other. Then, going beyond the classroom walls, students collaborated with city leaders to envision plans for a future community. This poster will encourage the exchange of ideas about learning communities, city as text courses and models for how academic communities can partner with their local communities. This poster offers other collegiate programs one successful model for civic engagement and interdisciplinary studies. Presentation Details 222 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A03 Yumou Zhang Elizabeth Sharpe (Faculty Sponsor) Commonwealth Honors College, UMass Amherst Developing Interactive Exhibit Elements for the Dr. Seuss Museum The Seuss Project has been a mutually beneficial collaboration between the Springfield Museums and the CHC. As members of the project, UMASS Engineering and Computer Science Majors work together to research the creative and artistic capabilities of the latest advancements in technology. These findings work to benefit the development of creating interactive parts of the Dr.Seuss Museum. Using various technological devices, we work to integrate these elements into the museum to enhance the overall visitor experience. Presentation Details COMPUTER SCIENCE 250 Room 165 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Michael Anthony Ascenzi Komalpreet Kaur (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Computer Science, Salem State University Controlled Learning for Autonomous Flight By exploiting the close relationship between a labyrinth board and a quadcopter, this project is a proof of concept for a device and software that tests autonomous quadcopter flight through the utilization of aerial/satellite photography in a controlled environment. The project aims to replicate flight through geographic areas with obstructions that form maze-like pathways. Using the four corners of the labyrinth board as reference points, mimicked from a quadcopter, there is a direct correlation between the movement of the marble on the board and the flight motion of a quadcopter. With this relationship in mind, autonomous flight is tested using the labyrinth board design built into a mechanism that allows for viewing the maze from above by a camera. Strategically-placed motors and a gyroscope manipulate the board. Feedback signals are applied to maze recognition, maze solving, object recognition, and motion tracking algorithms used by the Matlab programming language and various OpenCV libraries to generate control signals for manipulating the motors. Through the integration of hardware and software, the ability to replicate drone flight in a controlled environment using aerial/satellite imagery is mirrored in the labyrinth board concept. Through image recognition, both the maze and the marble are recognized. Based on the results of applying maze-solving algorithms, the motors are affected to manipulate the marble through the maze to its ultimate exit at its end position. Presentation Details 237 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A23 Eric Belisle Gregory Riscolo Karen Druffel (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Business, Framingham State University Autonomous Vehicles: An Overview of Liability in Accidents Big corporations like Google, Tesla, and Uber are currently developing and testing autonomous cars in hopes to be the first on the market with the technology ready for consumers. Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are already being used in cars today that help drivers avoid collisions and assist them with parallel parking. But what about driver-less cars, where the vehicle has full control? This makes us question the existing ethical and legal liability of operating an autonomous vehicle that is involved in an accident. We look at the legality and ethics of this question and whether the manufacturer of the autonomous vehicle, or the driver, should be held responsible. To answer this question, we conducted a small-n case study using selected academic articles about autonomous vehicles from an ethical and legal standpoint to come to a conclusion to the question; “Who’s responsible in an accident with an autonomous vehicle? The vehicle or the human supervising it?” Presentation Details 239 Room 917 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Hilton N. Carboo Muhamamd Sohaib Muneeb Hao Loi (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Computer Science, Quinsigamond Community College Implementing a Template-Driven Programming Palette Tool Bearing in mind the difficulty of building the Programming Palette Tool, as well as the long and painful process programmers experience in adding palette items, amends are made by using Template Metaprogramming. While most of the problems come from having to recreate major files, a Graphical User Interface (GUI) is built and used in an automated process to create these files. Thus, the palette items are generated. The GUI regenerates the files needed, reducing the pain of the creation process. This procedure allows programming individuals to create their own palette tools for any programming language through generating a temporary source code. Files that are needed to be created in the first method, are automated in the second—cutting the necessary efforts by a considerable amount. Our tool can be used in commonly-used programming languages, such as C++, Python, and Ruby, and many others. Providing such a tool to advanced programming students will allow them to create palette tools for themselves. We conducted a user study on the effectiveness of our tool. The user survey furthers the view that the earlier method of creating items for the palette was largely tiresome. Presentation Details 244 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A32 David Eric Dew Jeanie M. Tietjen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Massachusetts Bay Community College The Effectiveness of Open-Source Resources in Education Traditional education can be defined as an instructor-centric delivery of core academic subjects, according to Paolo Freire, to classes of students acting as the receivers of information. This form of pedagogy operates in a unidirectional flow of information that defines the student-teacher relation, promoting standardized testing methods and a competitive grading system. This framework, especially in higher education, regards educational resources as intellectual property restricted to privileged students and professors with the economic means to obtain said resources. This restriction of information directly contrasts today's network connected society. Since the emergence of the Internet, individuals and institutions have adopted a new pedagogy, one that is redefining the student-teacher relation, Open Source Education. Open Source Education and Open Source Resources allows open and free access of information to the public domain, promoting participation, collaboration, sharing, and innovation. However, the political landscape of today poses a threat to Open Source Resources, and the Internet as a whole. Special interest groups desire to abolish Net Neutrality, the principle that the Internet and Internet Service Providers should enable equal access to all regardless of the source, and lobbyists continue to push for more restrictive Internet laws that could deeply effect future education. This research aims to compare the effectiveness of open source education to traditional education, identifying each ideology’s benefit to societal innovation and general public good. Presentation Details 235 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A03 Jonathan A. Ebersold Catherine Johansen Eryn Perez Karen Druffel (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Business, Framingham State University Perceived Risk of A.I. Adoption The mode of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) the public is most likely to encounter is applied A.I., which is the development of decision-making technologies to solve practical problems. The advantages and concerns about the technology have been at conflict with one another throughout the A.I. community, legislatures, and the public. Our research identifies which expert-posed risks are perceived as the highest concern by non-expert users. We review qualitative data to gauge people’s willingness to adopt the technology, with or without direct interaction with certain automation products via a survey sampling. The surveys collect individual’s perceptions about self-driving cars, automated voice response systems and personal digital assistants. These three examples of A.I. have more common public interaction to date. People have been able to formulate an initial impression of what these technologies represent to themselves and society. The surveys include multiple questions analyzing these three A.I.s within certain scenarios. For our concluding results, we will identify correlations between a particular risk and the willingness to adopt an applied A.I. technology. Presentation Details 242 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A05 Jenna Rose Fulford Bo Jin Hatfield (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Computer Science, Salem State University Affordable Moving Co. Affordable Moving Co. is a web application that allows potential customers to learn about the business and the services it offers. Customers can obtain a free quote and contact the business owners. A privileged user can manage quote requests, schedule jobs on a calendar and keep track of completed jobs. Presentation Details 234 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C97 Blake Matthew Geraci Ileana Vasu (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Holyoke Community College Broadening the Accessibility of Linear Algebra through Modern Programming Techniques The purpose of this project is to develop programming algorithms for linear algebra concepts in order to make the field more accessible. The algorithms themselves are written in JavaScript and mirror techniques taught in the course itself. These techniques include but are not limited to matrix reduction to both upper triangular (U) and reduced row echelon form (R), finding the the four subspaces, calculating the determinant, and calculating eigenvalues (as well as some of their implications), etc. The core of the project, however, is found not in what it itself can do, but in its ability to make these techniques more digestible as well as more easily leveraged for those who have not studied the topic. For this, Facebook’s React framework is used to built the application with Redux being the primary state container. The interleaving of form and function is what enables the project to be both an engaging and user friendly application, while the project itself connects users to have a more exploratory experience with linear algebra. Linear Algebra itself has applications in numerous fields as linear equations are used for mathematical modeling of both the natural and social sciences, as well as in engineering disciplines. The project as such bridges students of different disciplines and the applications of linear algebra’s more complex concepts. Presentation Details 245 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A33 Ralph Ghannam Jeanie M. Tietjen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Massachusetts Bay Community College Holes in the Cloud Cloud computing is one of the latest innovations in the field of information technology allowing users to easily store and access their data at low cost from any point on the planet. Ever since it has been created, it has attracted businesses and organizations due to its unique features. However, as noted in Patrick Cunningham’s Information Management Journal 2016 article “Another Walk in the Cloud”, in addition to its numerous benefits related to its ease of access and connectivity, the cloud still presents a variety of concerns regarding its security, privacy, and distribution. In this research, the different weaknesses the cloud presents nowadays will be analyzed, and the barriers between the cloud and multiple organizations will be focalized on in order to define solutions for a more effective and efficient use of this exclusive technology. The architecture of the cloud must adapt to the needs and expectations of the businesses it serves. The security and privacy issues the cloud poses, representing the majority of the problems between the cloud and its users, should be addressed with ways to preserve the integrity and confidentiality of the data: this is where the work of Yesilyurt, Murat, and Yildiray Yalman on “Using data hiding methods” offers productive insight. The client/provider relation must also be improved through better understanding both the provider’s and the client’s needs, leading to friendlier contracts that benefit both parties. Presentation Details 247 Room 917 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Charles John Harwood Hao Loi (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Computer Science, Quinsigamond Community College Using Raspberry Pi to Track Wi-Fi Devices Utilizing the basic structure of a Raspberry Pi computer allows for simple programming to create complex projects. Raspberry Pi computers can use a variety of different languages. This allows for multi-platform programming. By linking multiple raspberry pi computers, it is possible to create field in a building that can track objects that use a WiFi signal. Using Wi-Fi extenders at different positions in the selected area create a tracking field. The tracking field can be expanded or condensed depending on the location of the Wi-Fi extenders. The purpose of this, is to allow for the locating of Wi-Fi enabled devices in a localized field. Some grocery stores already use this technology. These stores rely on cellphones that have their Wi-Fi enabled. The Raspberry Pi will have a program that will store a variable assigned to each Wi-Fi enabled device that enters the field. When the Wi-Fi is enabled the signal pings off multiple extenders. The cellphones can be located by checking the amount of time it takes for the ping to go between each extender. After a set amount of time, the data will be moved to a new storage area, that will analyze the data for basic patterns. These patterns will change the amount of processing power that will be used by lesser used area. Presentation Details 246 Room 168 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Abdillahi Shakur Hussein Jessica Thelen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Westfield State University Humans and Machines Negativity Humans have reached a generation full of technology. Men’s fixation with tablets, smartphones, and iPods, has not only changed the way they spend time, but the way they think and feel. There is no doubt that machines have made changes for the better, however, the changes are not so great for society. Despite the overall positive feedback from people, the risk of its dependability is far more vulnerable, due to their excessive interactions with such technologies. The use of machines affects people's mentalities and interpersonal behaviors in negative ways. Men may struggle having a normal conversation due to feeling awkward. In some occasions, men have benefited from the use of machines, which begs the question of how its use is affecting men mentally, physically, emotionally, and their interpersonal behaviors. Communicating through machines is argued to be very addictive. Therefore, the interpersonal communication of human interaction is being challenged. Machines appear to be destroying the quality of human interactions. Currently, men struggle to find someone to talk to in person; they depend on machines, ignore one’s emotions, and easily jump onto tech equipment to find someone whom shares the same interests. Are men affected by machines, and, if so, how? This paper will discuss the affects machines have on men throughout their daily life and how their interaction with it is causing affects, as well as outlining possible solutions to avoid the constant use of technology and improve interpersonal communications. This information can be presented using PowerPoint and visual demonstrations. Presentation Details 240 Room 917 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Kyle N. LaPointe Hao Loi (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Computer Science, Quinsigamond Community College Polygon Filling Using Triangulation versus Quadtree My project involves algorithms that relate to filling polygons with many vertices. For a given polygon, a path is drawn from inside the polygon that exits and reenters the polygon without crossing itself. The closed region is added onto the polygon, replacing the border between the edges it intersects. It needs to be able to determine whether any point is inside the polygon and find the edges that the path intersects. Filling in the polygon is the most computationally intensive problem. I will compare the complexity of two methods for filling in the polygon, one involving polygon triangulation, and the other using a quadtree data structure to fill using squares. When the polygon's area changes, the process of filling it in should only involve redrawing the areas that change, rather than redrawing the entire area every time it changes. I will prove through induction that quadtree is more efficient than triangulation. I will demonstrate these algorithms by creating a game where players walk around and begin drawing a path once they exit their area, adding the enclosed space to their area once they reenter. If a player draws a path that goes inside of another player's area and captures that space, the edges of both polygons need to be redrawn. If another player crosses the path they have drawn before they close it, the first player loses and has to start over. The aim of the players is to have the largest area. Presentation Details 252 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A28 Xin Liu Sunghoon Ivan Lee (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Computer Science, UMass Amherst A Novel Method for Quantifying Fine Hand Movements in Stroke Survivors Continuous remote monitoring of upper-limb movements in stroke survivors allows understanding of individuals’ motor behaviors outside of the clinical setting, improving clinical outcomes of rehabilitation interventions. The use of wearable sensors, such as wrist-worn sensors, have recently emerged as an objective monitoring tool. However, wrist-worn sensors do not capture fine hand movement (FHM), which is most relevant to the performance of activities of daily living (ADL) and quality of life. The ultimate goal of this project is to investigate the use of our novel finger-worn sensor, combined with a worst-worn sensor, to quantify the amount of FHM in the ambulatory setting. Validating the efficacy of our sensor requires a comparative ground-truth measure of the FHM. However, it has not yet been investigated in the related field of study. This abstract introduces a new benchmark measure of FHM using an motion capture system, a gold standard method to quantify human movement. We recruited four healthy subjects to perform a set of ADL with various levels of FHM. Two reflective markers were placed on their index finger and wrist of the dominant limb. We quantified the amount of FHM by computing the mean of the difference in the Euclidean distance between the finger and wrist over a sliding window of 1s. The test-retest reliability of this new measure obtained over two repetitions of ADL was investigated using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). The results showed an ICC of 0.99 (out of 1), which validates the reliability of our new measure. Our future studies will investigate the responsiveness of this measure and the use of finger-worn sensor to estimate this measure. Presentation Details 233 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A04 Ao Liu Andrew McCallum (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Computer Science, UMass Amherst Entity Extraction in Material Science Paper There are many tasks in natural language processing (NLP). Tagging is one of the intermediate tasks that make some sense of the structure inherent in language without requiring complete understanding of the text. Part-of-speech (POS) tagging and namedentity-recognition (NER) tagging are two commonly used techniques of tagging. We want to apply tagging techniques to automatically extract scientific entities from academic material-science papers. There are hundreds of material science papers that mention “recipes” with such entities, so that it is very difficult for any single researcher to know about the entire body of literature, and also to identify complex patterns and relationships therein. Currently this is the job of the researcher, but it would likely be more efficient if we could aid the human researcher with a system that can automatically predict new recipes or materials by synthesizing the knowledge residing in this large corpus of work. We would like to perform this synthesis using the power of tagging techniques on a large corpus of material science research papers. Traditional Named Entity Recognition (NER) tagging systems are based on newswire training data, so that it is difficult for them to locate chemical entities. There are some NER systems on chemical entities, but most of them are using hard code manual rules to extract the chemical entities. Thus, these existed chemical entity extraction systems are domain specific and lack of generalization. We aim to build a machine-learning-based chemical entity extraction system to automatically extract these scientific entities to facilitate the chemical “recipe” extraction system and maintain the performance of systems based on manual rules. Presentation Details 251 Room 165 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Shane Colton Murphy Komalpreet Kaur (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Computer Science, Salem State University XLA Calculator Visual aids are often used to abstract complex systems into a form that is more immediately familiar to the viewer. In the context of Computer Science, and more specifically Boolean Algebra, the student familiar with propositional calculus will find few barriers to entry, while the student with no formal background in mathematics may immediately find themselves struggling with basic notation. The “X-Stem Logical Alphabet” notation (Developed by Dr. Shea Zellweger) is visually consistent and uses familiar Latin characters to represent each of the 16 binary truth operations found in Boolean logic. There are sparse resources for utilizing this notation despite its potential in acting as a learning supplement to those who respond well to visual aids, or to those who experience a learning difference. I have built an “XLA Calculator” Hardware/Software package that provides the user with both visual feedback and physical interaction. The hardware’s design acts as an input keypad for interaction with the Software application in addition to an XLA notation reference. The Software allows the user to view the output of all 16 operations in real-time as they enter input from the device. The user can build more complex expressions by saving previously generated expressions into variables and using them as input for the next operation. The software provides the user with equivalent expression syntax in multiple programming languages for practical application in a programming environment. Presentation Details 236 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A10 Siyu Peng Lori Clarke (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Computer Science, UMass Amherst Eliciting and Evaluating Process Models for Cardiac Surgical Procedures Medical processes are often complicated and prone to various kinds of errors, which have been estimated to lead to approximately 98,000 avoidable patient deaths each year (Institute of Medicine, 1999). One major source of such errors is attributed to mistakes made during medical procedures. In an effort to minimize these kinds of errors and improve medical safety, the LASER (Laboratory for Advanced Software Engineering Research) team at UMass Amherst has been developing a “Smart Checklist” software system. This system provides a detailed list of steps in a given medical procedure that can guide healthcare workers through that procedure. In addition, it is able to handle exceptional situations and help users to recover from deviations from the normative path. My project aims to develop the Smart Checklist capabilities to improve error-prone aspects of cardiac surgery. Since cardiac surgery involves four teams composed of surgeons, anesthesiologists, perfusionists, and nurses, the focus is on how we can use the Smart Checklist system to enhance efficient communication and cooperation among interacting teams during a procedure. To evaluate this approach, I have elicited and improved the definition of the surgical process for two common critical procedures in cardiac surgery, aortic valve replacement (AVR) and coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). Then I developed AVR- and CABGspecific surgical process models using the Little-JIL process modeling language. After that, safety properties will be defined using the PROPEL (Property Elucidator) system and the processes will be analyzed for consistency with these properties using the FLAVERS model checker. Presentation Details 248 Room 917 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Anthony Ramos Hao Loi (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Computer Science, Quinsigamond Community College Immersing into a Robot’s Perspective in Virtual Reality Using the Oculus Rift The human eye and brain combination has immense capabilities of surveying the environment. Artificial intelligence and computer vision is not advanced enough to make critical decisions for us. My project ChiisaNAO allows us to immerse our mind to the eyes of a robot using virtual reality. With the Oculus Rift and the robot’s camera lens, the user is able to view what the NAO robot can see. While wearing the headset, the user would be able to analyze an area without physically being there. This comes in handy for situations where it is difficult for a person to be there themselves such as dangerous places or spots that are too cramped for a human to fit. I have developed a software interface that creates a simple server for the NAO robot and Oculus Rift to communicate with each other. The interface is written in C++. Using the open source Robot Operating System (ROS), the project transmits a video stream from NAO’s camera to the Rift over a local network. The ROS runs on an Ubuntu virtual machine which is hosted on a Windows PC. Using the Oculus Rift’s SDK, I have created a virtual world in which the video is broadcasted for the user to view. A user study was conducted to get feedback on the user’s perception. Overall I’ve received positive feedback from the user’s wearing the Rift headset to see through the NAO robot’s cameras. Presentation Details 241 Room 917 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 John Adam Roman Bradley Pudsey Hao Loi (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Computer Science, Quinsigamond Community College Creating a Multi-platform Controller in Java to Improve Ease-of-Use for NAO Robots Creating an application can be difficult, especially having to write that application in multiple languages just to make it work on multiple platforms. Currently, NAO robots use the C++ programming language as an interface for developing applications, which is not as flexible as other languages. To get around this problem we made a Java application for NAO robots. We installed a JVM onto the NAO robot and built an application using the Java programming language to run on multiple platforms. The reason we used Java instead of C++ is because Java is more portable, allowing our application to be run on multiple platforms, and because there is less Java code around for NAO robots. In our application, users are able to connect to their NAO robot wirelessly and select a series of commands for the robot to execute. This tool was presented to our local high school robotics club, which is comprised of students with varying degrees of experience in robotics. To measure the intuitiveness and effectiveness of our application, we had them use the application with the NAO robot and surveyed them afterwards. To get a better understanding of who benefited the most from our application, our survey asked them about previous experience in robotics and using NAO robots. Our survey also asked about the layout and ease of use of my application on both a PC and android. Presentation Details 249 Room 917 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Brendan Lee Russell Hao Loi (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Computer Science, Quinsigamond Community College Autonomous Room Mapping Robot I have come up with an idea for a relatively cheap autonomous room mapping robot (ARMR) that will send live mapping data to a cell phone over bluetooth. The initial prototype of ARMR will have a 360 degree rotating LIDAR sensor, an accelerometer, and a bluetooth module. These will all be mounted on a 3D printed chassis similar to a remote controlled car. The ARMR will be controlled by an Arduino with code written in C++ (or later a single board computer if the Arduino lacks computational power). The companion app that will be used with the ARMR will be developed for Android using Android Studio and the Java language. ARMR will generate a 2D overhead map of the ground floor of a building along with objects inside while autonomously driving through each room and will send the map to an Android app. While generating the map ARMR will simultaneously use the data from the LIDAR sensor to drive to unexplored areas of the room and avoid obstacles. My initial plan for tracking the ARMR’s position in the room will be based off of the data from the accelerometer, along with the signals sent to the servos and motors. Using this data ARMR will estimate the distance, and direction traveled. My plan is that ARMR will be able to do this with great speed and agility. The app side of ARMR’s interface will display the map being drawn out and will be pinch zoom-able. Presentation Details 243 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A06 Dexin Wang Yuhang Ding Dechun Wang Bo Jin Hatfield (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Computer Science, Salem State University Traekle Traekle is a database supported, cross platform mobile application for Salem State University community. It allows Salem State University personals to trade used items. Users can submit items to trade, browse trade items, and obtain contact information in regard to a trade item. It also provides necessary functions for privileged users, such as an administrator, to monitor item details as well as users’ behaviors. When necessary, a privileged user has the ability to use his/her ban-hammer. The project work involves front-end/client-side development in both Android platform and iOS platform, as well as the back-end/server-side development. In the process of developing this application, we applied and deepened many skill sets in the mobile application development, database design & implementation and software development. Various security issues as well as performance were addressed in this work. Presentation Details 238 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A24 Matthew Yee Karen Druffel (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Business, Framingham State University The Importance of the Knowledge Gap in A.I. between College Students In a short time period, artificial intelligence has gone from a futuristic concept to a technology many people use in their daily lives. With products like Amazon Alexa, consumers have access to many basic forms of artificial intelligence readily available for home use. Even with these products readily available, many people still lack knowledge regarding the current state of artificial intelligence. The type of education an individual is pursuing might affect the level of knowledge. A person whose college education has them learning about humanities and social sciences may not be as knowledgeable as someone whose studies focus on physical sciences. Less knowledge can result in fear or uncertainty about further developments of a technology; therefore, identifying if there is a significant knowledge gap is important. People with less knowledge on the current state of artificial intelligence and how its developing would have no understanding of how it could affect future jobs and other important aspects of life. In this study, we focused on the education of college students who are currently attending a four-year public university. We researched and gathered information from several academic articles, as well as surveyed a random grouping of students from each of the three educational traditional disciplines to find out if a field of study correlates with knowledge gap relating to information on artificial intelligence. Presentation Details CRIMINAL JUSTICE 255 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A18 Breanna Lyn Hadley Randall Grometstein (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Criminal Justice, Fitchburg State University Women in Policing The purpose of this research is to better understand what women in the law enforcement field have to deal with in their everyday lives. This could include and positives or negatives. I chose to research this topic because I am interested in joining this field and thought it would be helpful to understand what I was getting myself into. The research is not only significant to me, but all women in this field or interested in this field. Looking up different forms of literature on this topic was used, as well as one on one interviews with female officers of all ages. My results have shown that women in policing have come a long way from their beginning. The idea of feminism has influenced women working in these jobs, just as it influenced women working in any job. Ideas have changed, but all women in policing still have to fight to be heard and seen in order to rise in the ranks. After learning of these results, I have come to the conclusion that although the police field is a turbulent one, it is extremely fulfilling for women. Not only does the idea of serving the community and helping others appeal to many, but also the determination needed to succeed. Presentation Details 254 Room 163 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Elyce Celine Hall Jennifer Hartsfield (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Criminal Justice, Bridgewater State University Rehabilitation or Social Isolation? The States' Struggles with Juvenile Sex Offender Laws In 2006, the Adam Walsh Act (AWA) was signed by then President George W. Bush, ushering in a new set of federal standards on how states were to deal with convicted sex offenders. One of the most controversial measures in the AWA required that a subset of juveniles register as sex offenders. Prior to this law, states were left to use their discretion to decide if this was appropriate, with many states excluding children from their sex offender registration program. The new federal mandate contradicted several other public safety measures (such as the shielding of juvenile court records), and the purpose of the juvenile justice court, which focuses on rehabilitation. This mandate left states confused as to whether or not to comply and if so how. This undergraduate study seeks to determine if they are any common patterns in how states handled the registration of juvenile sex offenders. Presentation Details 256 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C72 Bryan Jesus Pimentel Vanessa Holford Diana (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Westfield State University Land of the Somewhat Free Many people tend to rely on the criminal justice system for a sense of protection. However, the criminal justice system does not protect all races equally and discriminates against minorities. The disproportion between whites and blacks and civil actions against the two within the criminal justice system helps to demonstrate why it is racist. This poster will explore possible causes and effects of racial policing. Many police officers tend to pull over people because of their skin color. During the stops, blacks are more likely to be searched and arrested. Also, police officers tend to shoot unarmed black people in a way that most people consider murder. This has been seen in cases such as Philando Castile, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice and others. The ability to get away with murdering blacks has not truly changed since the days of the civil rights movement. Finally, the court system also tends to discriminate in trials and give blacks an unfair trial since they are more likely to serve more and longer sentences. Despite all of this, people argue that there is nothing wrong with the criminal justice system and the true problem comes from things such as poverty and police protecting themselves. Because of all of the issues occurring, a sense of distrust in the minority communities exist against police. The antipathetic relations between minorities and police create problems in society and this disparity can be repaired by forming an amiable relationship between the two parties. Presentation Details 253 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A10 Nicole Tardanico Nancy Ann Santopadre (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Criminal Justice, Bristol Community College The Making of a Serial Killer: Neuroimaging Reveals Low Orbitofrontal Cortex Activity as Part of the Formula Although neuroactivity of serial killers has been studied for years, a newer area of this study has recently emerged: the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). This is one of the least understood regions of the brain, linked to emotions, rational thought, and decision making. Researchers agree the OFC is a common factor, though various neuropsychological theories suggest different components contribute to the making of a serial killer. In addition, I will briefly explore the presentation of neuroscience as a criminal defense at trials. The interdisciplinary methodology I expect to use includes, scholarly literature, library databases, as well as interviews with researchers in various fields, including a law enforcement agent, abnormal psychology professor, and neuroscientist. This research will examine three theories: Neuroscientist James Fallon believes the MAO-A gene (warrior gene), childhood violence/abuse, and the inactivity in the OFC are the three key components. Psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen argues a normal brain that sustains injury to the frontal cortex is the main component, and criminologist Cesare Lombroso theorized that atavism is the key component. I will examine variables of each theory while exploring potential commonalities between them. In addition, I will analyze neuroimages of known serial killers and visually observe how each theory reached its respective conclusion. I expect the results to reveal that, although there are similar components, it is not one theory that fully defines the making of a serial killer. I believe there will be one striking similarity however, that each unique theory will include some degree of inactivity in the OFC, suggesting the frontal lobe of the cerebrum is the key component regardless of pre-existing neuroactive abnormalities. Presentation Details DECISION SCIENCE 257 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A12 Jason Thomas Girouard Anurag Sharma (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Management, UMass Amherst Incumbent versus Startup: Who is Best Positioned to Win the Race of Autonomous Driving? Emerging technologies that disrupt established industries share a common trait: they drastically reduce one or more of the production costs to nearly zero. Steam, for example, reduced the cost of energy. Computers reduced the cost of reducing. Autonomous driving will reduce the cost of transportation to nearly zero. With monumental changes facing the automotive industry, it is advantageous for automakers to align themselves with the autonomous future, but also pertinent for other companies and executives to stay aware of the changes and adjust themselves accordingly. Reverberations will be felt across every industry. Our goal is to determine which companies are best positioned to take the largest foothold in autonomous driving. We will examine how an incumbent is adapting to the entrance of the market and how an energetic newcomer hopes to use this movement as leverage to gain a foothold. From a consumer's point of view, autonomous driving will change our daily lives. Traffic, car ownership, cityscapes, and parking will be changed forever. Consumer preferences in cars will also change, and if you are the one to know what this future will look like before others, you will prosper. By understanding the landscape of the infrastructure supported by autonomous cars and working backwards to determine what strategic moves companies need to make to best meet the landscape demanded, we will be able to define who is best positioned to win the race of autonomous driving. Presentation Details 258 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A29 Karen Li Anna Nagurney (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Operations and Information Management, UMass Amherst Hospital Competition in Prices and Quality: A Variational Inequality Framework Hospitals are essential institutions for the provision of healthcare to society, providing medical diagnostics, surgeries, treatments, deliveries of babies, and emergency care. They are complex ecosystems, whose existence depends on quality care and value given to their patients. Driven in part by needs to reduce costs, and to being perceived as value-based (see Commins (2016)), hospitals are under increasing pressure and stresses to remain profit maximizing, resulting in consolidations and capacity decreases to ensure continuous demand of services by patients (Handel et al. (2010)). Given the importance of competition as a salient feature of hospitals today, there is substantial empirical literature focused on the relationship between quality and hospital competition (Gaynor and Town (2011) and Gravelle, Santos, and Siciliani (2014)). The approach in literature to the analysis of competition currently only provides a single estimation of costs, price, or price-cost mark up, resulting in biased outcomes (Propper et al. (2004)). Our model differs by reflecting the strategic decision-making of hospitals by considering both the cost and quality of varying procedures. Given the major concern of quality in healthcare, the prices and quality levels are also subject to lower and upper bounds in order to capture policy regulations, such as minimum quality standards. The utility function of each hospital in our model also consists of a revenue and altruism component to capture the unintended benefits made by decision-makers in healthcare. We present the variational inequality formulation of the Nash equilibrium governing the noncooperative game among the hospitals. Presentation Details ECONOMICS 275 Room 165 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Shailja Agarwal Diane Flaherty (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Economics, UMass Amherst A Comparative Analysis of the Impacts of Globalization on Poverty across Developing and Developed Countries While it is a common belief that globalization has had a positive impact, especially in developing countries, by improving standards of living, there still remain many international challenges such as poverty reduction. Through increased foreign investment and openness of economies, many countries have worked towards reducing their poverty levels but some have benefitted through globalization more significantly than others. This thesis examines the differences in impacts of globalization on poverty levels across six developing and developed countries, through a comparative analysis of openness, foreign direct investment (FDI), poverty levels, and development indicators. The thesis hypothesizes that globalization, indicated by increased openness and increased FDI, results in a reduction in poverty. The thesis compares import and export levels and FDI for India, Bangladesh, South Africa, Czech Republic, Australia and Israel from 1980-2014. By comparing Human Development Indices for each country, the thesis also aims to correlate the extent of development in the country with its corresponding decline in poverty. Preliminary results indicate that developing countries have seen a larger change in their development and poverty levels, but these levels still remain much lower than those of developed countries. Presentation Details 264 Room 165 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Zachary James Andersen Leonce Ndikumana (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Economics, UMass Amherst Capital Flight from Africa in the Development Financing Discourse The project aims at investigating the evolution of capital flight and its influence on development financing in Africa. The objective is to assess the attention and importance accorded to capital flight by policy makers and the general public, specifically regarding its adverse effects on financing for development in Africa. This will help assess the opportunities and challenges faced by policy makers and civil society in their efforts to combat capital flight from Africa. The study will identify the milestones achieved in documenting and raising awareness on the problem of capital flight as well as the challenges faced in generating knowledge on the issue. The study will also address opportunities available regarding research and advocacy to advance the fight against capital flight. It will identify the key players (actors, facilitators, beneficiaries), the associated costs and losses (and who are the losers) from capital flight from Africa. This will be accomplished through the investigation of key issues surrounding capital flight including, tax evasion, financial secrecy, and trade mis-invoicing. The project will be focused specifically on Angola, South Africa, and Cote d’Ivoire and the ways in which their development has been disrupted capital flight. Presentation Details 273 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A30 Lucy Hoag Armstrong Sheila Mammen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Resource Economics, UMass Amherst Instagram and Fashion Marketing and the Effects on the Consumer-Company Relationship Social media has revolutionized interaction, information exchange, and business communication. Social networking sites have allowed brands and companies to communicate directly with consumers and have given rise to entirely new methods of marketing and public relations techniques. Instagram accounts have become a necessity for marketers. Millennials and teenagers, the most avid Instagram account holders and users, are especially educated and aware when it comes to purchasing products, and they have become accustomed to e-commerce and Instagram shopping. Instagram has revolutionized fashion marketing, and although there has been a greater shift towards a more horizontal model of marketing, in which consumers have greater power to influence marketing decisions, marketers themselves still hold more influential power on Instagram. Instagram, with its inherent visual storytelling features presents a gold mine of opportunity for fashion marketers. Success in the industry, as online shopping and e-commerce are now more apparent than ever, is heavily dependent on Instagram, and the ability to influence and engage consumers. In this thesis, I have investigated the changes in customer/company interaction on Instagram and what this means for marketers in the fashion industry. I have also analyzed the specific techniques and tactics that allow brands, companies, and fashion bloggers to successfully create a visual story that sells and influences users on Instagram. This thesis summarizes which types of Instagram posts instigate the highest levels of consumer engagement, and I have introduced different theories as to why different brands, companies, and lifestyle bloggers in the fashion industry provoke and influence consumers. Presentation Details 265 Room 165 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Marvin Balan Diane Flaherty (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Economics, UMass Amherst Global Currency: Future of Trade? In July of 1944 a conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, established the Bretton Woods system of monetary and exchange rate management. Forty-four nations gathered to create a new international monetary system focused on international cooperation instead of isolation. There were two main arguments. First was Harry Dexter White’s plan for an inconvertible paper money made legal tender by a government decree known as fiat money. The second was John Maynard Keynes’ plan for the establishment of a supranational currency known as the Bancor. In the end the conference decided to follow White’s plan to create the current fiat money system along with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze whether Keynes’ rejected proposal for the establishment of a new international currency and a global central bank would have been the better decision for international economic stability. The methodology used incorporates historical analysis and empirical analysis applying correlation and regression techniques to determine if the right choice was made. The historical analysis will track the history of money and trading and identify the costs and benefits of successive systems. The empirical analysis will track the volatility of a national currency vs. a regional currency, specifically the US dollar and the Euro. Measuring volatility from the establishment of the Euro to the present, will help assess which currency is more stable and how much of an economic effect there is on the respective nation or region. The correlation and regression analysis estimates the effects of volatility and uncertainty in the exchange rate system. The expected result of the investigation is that if a global currency is adopted it will lead to an increase in trade, an increase in foreign direct investment and a reduction in inflation. This would lead to more cooperation among nations and the creation of institutions such as the International Clearing Union to prevent a financial crisis on a global scale from occurring again. Presentation Details 259 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A12 Joseph T. Chernak James K. Boyce (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Economics, UMass Amherst Massachusetts and Natural Gas Pipelines: An Economic and Enviromental Analysis Proposed in 2015, Spectra’s Access Northeast Pipeline Project aims to expand on the Algonquin Gas Transmission system through the construction of the Q-1 loop and the West Boylston Lateral. The motivation behind this project, according to Spectra, is to meet the growing demand for natural gas at peak periods within the Northeast. The project’s website claims that the expansion will “save electric customers an average of $1 billion a year during normal weather conditions and even more during severe cold weather." Advocates of the project maintain any detrimental effects the pipeline would have on the environment or public safety would be minimal to non-existent. Opponents of this project strongly disagree with this overall assessment. They believe that the primary objective of the expansion is to export natural gas to Canada. Furthermore, these adversaries believe there would large negative externalities imposed on Northeast residents in the form of harmful pollutants and potential explosions, as well as exacerbation of climate change. The goal of this paper is to analyze the economic impact of such a pipeline, discuss the environmental impact of this development, and present a possible alternative to Access Northeast. Presentation Details 274 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A31 Colleen Helen Dehais Mwangi wa Githinji (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Economics, UMass Amherst Post-Colonial Latin American Development: The Impacts of the Positive Price Shock in the Global Market for Quinoa on Producing Communities in Bolivia and Peru Although quinoa has occupied a space in Western markets since the 1980s, the amount of the Andean grain produced and then exported has increased enough during the period 2004-2013 for “[t]he revenue of quinoa sellers [to] gr[o]w almost sevenfold” (Bellemare, Fajardo-Gonzales, Gitter 10). Popular accounts in journalism have claimed that the impacts of this increased demand and corresponding price increase in the quinoa market have made the crop much less accessible in small producing communities in Peru and Bolivia. The reasoning behind this is that due to higher export prices, less quinoa is available for local consumption. The situation is more complex than the one detailed in the media. This project gives consideration to the ways in which the traditions and social structures of quinoa-producing communities have evolved as a result of this opportunity for increased income and whether there have been detrimental changes within that process of development. In order to evaluate the degree of freedom that Bolivians and Peruvians have in their production and sale of quinoa, this research will consider the economic, cultural, nutritional, and environmental impacts of the positive price shock in the global market for quinoa through a lens that acknowledges the ongoing influences of colonial history. Presentation Details 276 Room 165 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Jiayi Dong Diane Flaherty (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Economics, UMass Amherst The Relationship between the Volatility of Exchange Rate and Foreign Direct Investment Inflows in Developing Countries This thesis investigates the relationship between the volatility of exchange rate and Foreign Direct Investment(FDI) inflows in developing countries. Foreign Direct Investment(FDI) has become an important component in development, especially for developing countries which have continued to attract significant FDI inflows. These inflows contribute to improving domestic economic growth, exports, employment opportunities and international competitiveness. The research hypothesis of this thesis is that exchange rate movements and volatility are determinants of decisions to invest abroad through FDI. Most theories of the relationship between the fluctuation of the exchange rate and foreign direct investment are either controversial or inconclusive. This research is based on empirical data analysis from 2007 to 2014 for nine countries in three different developing regions, Asia, Latin America and Africa. This study employs both regression analysis and correlation analysis to examine the impact of exchange rate movements on the level of inward FDI. Variables including the real exchange rate, gross domestic product(GDP), corruption index, openness, fiscal policy will be introduced in the economic model. The expected result is a negative relationship between the volatility of exchange rate and foreign investment inflows, and the depreciation of exchange rate in developing country positively affects foreign direct investment inflows. Presentation Details 261 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A34 Michael Kenneth Ferris Laura Lamontagne (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Economics, Framingham State University Is Profitability Driving the Severity of Punishment of Professional Athletes? Athletes and coaches both in professional sports and the NCAA often find themselves in legal trouble. Some coaches and players suffer extreme consequences, including banishment from their respective leagues, while others bear no burden. The question that emerges is what allows management to appropriate varying degrees of punishment in comparable offenses. The answer can be found by examining viewership and consumer demand for professional athletics. The more talented the player or coach, the more valuable he is to his respective team and league. Value here refers to how profitable the player makes his/her organization or program. Management seems increasing likely to turn a blind eye to past offenses if profit potential outweighs the backlash. While this is morally wrong of the management, the viewer is ultimately driving demand and ignoring the actions of players and coaches. It is known that some players and coaches suffer less severe consequences for comparable offenses. It appears management acts in this way because some players are quite frankly just more profitable than others. Presentation Details 266 Room 165 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Daniel Gould Michael J. Harrison (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Business, Framingham State University The Economic Impact of the Olympics on Host Cities This paper examines past Olympic Games to determine what factors successful or unsuccessful financial outcome. Using this evidence the paper develops specific criteria to more accurately predict the potential of a bid city hosting a financially successful Olympic Games. Additionally, the paper retrospectively analyzes whether or not Boston should have bid for the 2024 Olympics. The ability to pin point the aspects that make for successful Olympic Games will help future bid cities to be able to more accurately predict whether or not they will have a successful Olympics before even putting in a bid. In order to solve this problem we use economic analysis to identify the main factors in having a successful Olympic Games. Using economic analysis we are able to take into account the opportunity cost of resources as well as measure the costs and benefits for Boston to host the Olympics in 2024. Analysis of past Olympic Games using an economic model indicates that hosting the 2024 games would result in Boston incurring costs in excess of projected benefits. Presentation Details 280 Room 165 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 Alianza Jade Hagenburg Diane Flaherty (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Economics, UMass Amherst The Effects of Globalization on Economic and Political Risk in Saudi Arabia and China Globalization has changed the political and the economic climates in the different regions of the world. Operating under the assumption risk has globalized since the 1990s, this thesis compares the risks in two countries, Saudi Arabia and China. The hypothesis is that risk varies between the two countries due to their differential exposure to various elements of risk, including political, economic, country, banking, currency, sovereign, and business climate risk. Specifically, the thesis will examine whether increased globalization increases the political risk levels in Saudi Arabia due to simultaneous globalized terrorism in the geopolitical region, and increases the political risk levels in China but to a lesser extent. In addition, it is hypothesized that the economic risk levels will increase in both countries as well, but also to a lesser extent in China because of its flourishing economy, stable government, and strong national currency. The methodology used will be quantitative and qualitative research. Quantitative analyses are based on data over the time period of 1970 to the present, where this time period acts as the bounds of a period of increased globalization. The statistical analyses will be used to identify patterns and connections between different economic and political indicators measured by variables including GDP per capita, government systems, and representation in government. From previous literature, the expected results are that both China and Saudi Arabia maintain average levels of both political and economic risk, but Saudi Arabia’s risk is more elastic and dependent on its oil economy and its geopolitical conditions. Presentation Details 278 Room 801 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Jon Anton Johannesson Christa Michelle Marr (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Economics, Fitchburg State University Interest Rates and Demographics The United States is in the midst of an unprecedented decline in labor force participation as compared the total population. This occurs as "baby boomers" are retiring from the workforce in an era where life expectancy is at an all-time high. This has led to changes in saving behaviors which in turn affects the short and long term interest rate of the country. This paper seeks to explore how the declining relative workforce impacts not only interest rates but also monetary policy in the U.S. I will do this by examining the working age population as a percentage of the total population against short and long term interest rates, as well as 10-year bond yields. I will control for fluctuations in the interest rates through monetary policy variables, GDP, non farm payroll growth, and the CPI. Further, I compare the results in the U.S. to Japan, who is reacting to a similarly changing demographic, to further understand the determination of interest rates significance of monetary policy and the global macroeconomic effect of secular growth in the population on the interest rate. Presentation Details 269 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A13 Lindsey Elyza Kelley Hillary May Sackett (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Economics, Westfield State University Auction Bidding and Sensitivity to Social Norms Previous research finds that, in a laboratory setting, willingness to pay elicited in auctions consistently and predictably diminishes after a negative information treatment. However, there is reason to believe that preferences elicited in experiments might be correlated with participant characteristics imported into the laboratory setting. The purpose of my research was to empirically test for correlation between proclivity towards following social norms and a decrease in bids associated with a negative information treatment. Specifically, I hypothesize that participants with a greater degree of sensitivity to social norms will exhibit larger bid decreases as a result of the negative information treatment than those less sensitive to norming. I ran a series of experiments in which I exposed participants to a negative information treatment about animal welfare standards in the dairy industry to influence consumer preferences for ice cream. Participants completed a survey about perceptions of dairy industry practices, engaged in a rule-following activity, and submitted bids in two rounds of second-price auctions. Analyzing the data, participants were sorted by their rule-following proclivity into four groups based on the total amount of time spent waiting at each cross-walk. “Total rulefollowers” exhibited a larger decrease in WTP after the information treatment than “Mostly rule-followers” and “Mostly rule-breakers”. This supports our hypothesis that higher sensitivity to social norms is associated with greater bid decreases as a result of a negative information treatment. However, “Total rule-breakers” exhibited the largest decrease in WTP across all four groups, which can be explained by the “moral compensation effect”. Presentation Details 270 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C73 Patricia Lorenzo Landaeta David M. Kalivas (Faculty Sponsor) Honors Program, Middlesex Community College Venezuela's Economic Crisis Venezuela is experiencing an extremely severe economic crisis. The Venezuelan government has been in power for 17 years. Under Hugo Rafael Chavez Frías, 19992013, followed by Nicolas Maduro who has been working to maintain Chavez’s legacy. Maduro has been unable to accomplish either; Chavez’s legacy is in tatters and the stability of the country is threatened. Venezuela’s economic crisis is caused mainly due to the lack of knowledge on economics. Inflation, hunger of power, hunger of money, oil mismanaged, and more than one exchange market at the same time are major factors for the current economic crisis. Venezuela needs political reform and move toward a non-oil-dependent economy, eliminate price controls, unify the exchange market, and sell assets to pay the debt and free float the economy. This poster presents the problems and needed reforms to begin resolving the crisis. Presentation Details 279 Room 903 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Olivia Erin Love Robert Paul Musgrave (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Political Science, UMass Amherst Massachusetts Community Shared Solar Massachusetts is a leading state in progressive solar energy implementation. Community Shared Solar farms have become popular among Massachusetts residents who do not have suitable rooftops for solar arrays or do not want to make a large investment for a long run return on investments. Community Shared Solar farms provide benefits for many stakeholders due to federal and state incentive policies. It would be expected that with community solar farms providing large monetary benefits along with environmental benefits, a new community solar farm would be in the pipeline each day with construction starting immediately for the towns within Massachusetts. This is not the case: only about a third of towns in Massachusetts have implemented Community Shared Solar farms. This paper will examine the ease of constructing a Community Shared Solar farm from a developer’s standpoint due to: differences in towns regarding zoning bylaws, demographic features, political structures, financial models of solar farms, and location of the solar farm. This paper will offer policy and incentive design suggestions for other states who are looking to develop and further the success of Community Shared Solar farms for their residents. Presentation Details 260 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A13 Joseph Walker Merrill Diane Flaherty (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Economics, UMass Amherst A Comparative Analysis of Educational Structures of Japan, Germany and the United States This thesis examines the impact that educational structure has on three nations in a globalizing world. Globalization is a process that encompasses the causes, courses and consequences of transnational integration, that can include economic and political factors. While the two terms are not coined together often, the significance of the two could be critical to a countries growth. This research uses a comparative analysis of three nations, Japan, Germany and the United States to assess how the structure of education mediates the effect of globalization the named countries. The thesis hypothesis states that countries will benefit from organizing their educational systems around the most effective ways to integrate into the global economy. The methodology involves a combination of (!): qualitative data that includes historical analysis of education structures and a rich description of current educational status of each nation and (2) basic statistical quantitative data that includes outcome measures of the educational structure. Those mechanisms include payments of teachers, high tech exports as a share of exports, labor source and level of education, teacher pupil ratio and completion rates among different levels of education. The goal of this thesis is to analyze how countries can use education to derive maximum benefit from globalization, and to assess whether countries should continue to align educational structures to available jobs in varying nations to enhance human well-being. Presentation Details 271 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C75 Andrea Miles David M. Kalivas (Faculty Sponsor) Honors Program, Middlesex Community College Venezuela’s Oil Curse: A Mismanaged Economy Under Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's economy began a downward spiral that continues to the present producing one of the most depressed economies on the planet. Oil is the primary resource for the country’s revenues, and it accounts for 25% of Venezuela’s GDP. The project will examine the many things that can be done to improve oil extraction so that the country can export it again and develop strategies to find a road back to stability. This project will also examine the problems facing Venezuela and report on solutions being offered to resolve the current crisis. It is so difficult to predict if the country will recover, but many researchers have been studying how changes in oil prices affect Venezuela’s economy and suggesting possible solutions. Presentation Details 262 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A11 Halle Monte Rosario Basay (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Economics, Bristol Community College The Consequences of Student Aid Options in Higher Education While primary and secondary education in the United States include tuition-free options for students, the cost of higher education vary greatly according to school choice, family finances, academic merit, and the accessibility of federal and state government subsidies. The heterogeneity of direct costs mirrors the heterogeneity of consequences of such school choices in terms of attendance, retention, graduation rates, and in terms of their effect on low-income students compared to higher income ones. The literature on the economics of student aid also questions if financial aid in our country really promotes students’ equal opportunity of college choice regardless of racial differences (Kim, 2004). The main goal of this research project is to identify the main consequences of student aid options offered in the United States, examining case studies within the country. The case studies include: a) the free college tuition experiment in Georgia (the HOPE Georgia Scholarship of 1993 allowed free attendance at Georgia's public colleges for state residents with at least a B average in high school), veterans’ educational benefits (post World War II GI Bills), and the use of Pell Grants, one of the largest sources of federal grants in the country. As part of the conclusions, the study will take lessons from the experience of countries that have embraced free college tuition offers, such as Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Presentation Details 268 Room 801 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Kevin O'Rourke Katherine Jewell (Faculty Sponsor) Department of History, Fitchburg State University Economic Culture This work will highlight major effects of The Great Recession and seek to identify trends amongst millennials in the years following. It will then examine mass culture and determine whether or not these trends are reflected in it, and, if so, how well those narratives align with the facts. Primary research will consist of economic and behavioral data, especially data generated by field studies conducted in the years since 2008. There will also be some examination of primary source material via news and userdriven content (i.e. YouTube, Reddit, etc.) to reinforce the accuracy of survey data. Having established major threads or themes in said data, a critical analysis of cultural sources including television, movies, and other mass culture will establish examples of those themes (or lack thereof), and offer a discussion about the accuracy of those themes’ portrayal. At a basic level it appears that a good deal of influence is being exerted on mass culture by economic events and trends, creating new character arcs, settings, and conflicts in the media we consumer for entertainment. Presentation Details 277 Room 177 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Elsa Pikulik Nikolaos Artavanis (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Finance, UMass Amherst An Analysis of Incentives and Sectoral Repercussions of British Exit from the European Union The objective of this paper is to analyze the possible economic implications of Britain exiting the European Union, especially for the labor market, international trade, the financial service sector, and the knowledge economy. It is shown that in each of these sectors, the impacts for Britain will depend on the exit conditions that are negotiated. Using the model of Alesina et. al. (2001) for the equilibrium size of an international union, the paper evaluates the incentives of Great Britain and other key European players in exit negotiations. Consistent with the views of leading economists, the study offers a framework for the negotiation of possible conditions and their effects on topics of primary importance. Presentation Details 267 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A50 Mucio S. Pires Kim M. Frashure (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Bunker Hill Community College Engineering Sustainable Resiliency into Mega-sporting Events When a city in a developing country hosts a mega-sporting event (MSE), such as the Olympics or the World Cup, it constructs many large stadiums and other buildings. But what happens to these buildings after the MSE is over? The structures built in Brazil for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro are now vacant and underutilized; the same is true for many of the stadiums built when Brazil hosted the 2014 World Cup, and this is true for many structures built for sporting events of a similar scale in cities in many developing countries. The host cities often hope that hosting an MSE will improve the city's resiliency. While it might sometimes improve the city's welfare during the event itself, if the stadiums and other structures are left vacant and underutilized after the event, the improvements will not be sustained. This project considers ways to engineer structures created for MSEs in cities in developing countries with an eye toward sustainability and resilience. Questions to be considered include: how can green building design and energy efficiency principles inform the construction of stadiums for MSEs in developing countries? How could structures be repurposed after the MSE for productive use by the people of the host city? In short, how can the stadiums and structures be used to support and increase the city's resiliency even after the MSE is over? My research will contribute to enhanced long-term planning efforts for developing countries that may be considering hosting future MSEs. Presentation Details 272 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C77 Cristian Robles Susan McPherson (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Quinsigamond Community College The Paradigm of Conservative Pupulism The past decade has seen a paradigm shift to a conservative populism movement that has been very apparent through Brexit and Donald Trump due to a globalized economy. This shift in paradigm has been forthcoming from the time of the early 2000s when millions of manufacturing jobs were lost to a better globalized economy created through the internet revolution. Another key event that contributed to the paradigm was the 2008 world recession in which millions of jobs were lost as well as billions of dollars from people’s retirement funds. This was the beginning of the revolt against the standing government and the elites who controlled those countries which let this events happen. Which came in the way of Britain voting to secede from the EU over their differences in immigration, the flow of other European nationalist taking British jobs, and the lack of decision making. At the same time in the US, millions of Americans voted for an individual who had never been in the military or had any political experience in Donald Trump. This was the outsider coming in and shaking up the government and constantly campaigning on the "America first" message. These two countries now have the outsiders telling them that the reason many people lost their jobs or living standards were because of the globalized economy which let other countries steal their manufacturing jobs or had immigrants come in and steal them. They both have lead to scapegoating on what has made our planet so technologically advanced in globalization by blaming every other country that benefits from it. This paradigm shift is something we have never seen before, which is seeming to become a danger to democracies, but hopefully it ends up being just a missed step. My research explores many of the reasons of how we got to this point, but also gives a picture to the paradigm and its dangers we might possibly face. Presentation Details 263 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A12 Anabel Santiago Patricio V. Jorge (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Social Sciences, Bristol Community College Examining Existing Poverty in Developing Nations In the global community, it is a fact that there are nations that are much further developed than others. Many nations around the world have access to new technologies and information and yet have a stagnant economy and remain poor. There are specific historical events that have contributed to the advantage that nations like the United States, United Kingdom, and other European nations hold over current developing nations. There are also ways in which these developed countries are limiting the advancements and economic growth of developing or poor countries. This research paper will lay out the historical events that have contributed to current circumstances of developing nations. The project will examine books, articles, newspapers, magazine, and government reports to gather information. With this information, it will also take into consideration the global and internal actions that can be taken to enhance the stagnant economies and advancement of developing countries. Presentation Details 281 Room 801 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 Jonel Christine Thebeau Christa Michelle Marr (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Economics, Fitchburg State University Determinants of Political Polarization Political polarization and income inequality are growing issues within the United States, and data shows that they have been rapidly increasing. McCarty, Poole, and Rosenthal (2006), for instance, show that increases in income inequality at the national level is strongly positively correlated with increases in the divergence between political parties since the 1970s. On the heels of a particularly polarizing election, I seek to explore how increases in income inequality over time affect the polarization of our representatives. I further consider the source of the polarization as demand-side, or coming from the electorate, as compared to supply-side, or stemming from the emergence of extreme candidates. Following Garand (2010), I explore how changes in state-level income inequality, constituency ideology, and demographics impact changes in senators’ partisanship from the 91st Congress to the 114th Congress. I measure income inequality using state-level GINI coefficients and political polarization using DW Nominate Scores from McCarty et. al. (2006). I hypothesize that states who not only experience higher income inequality but also inequality that increases over time are represented by (increasingly) more partisan senators than those who do not. Presentation Details EDUCATION 286 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C79 Haley Sharon Bernier Paige Marie Hermansen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Westfield State University Yoga Inclusion in the Classroom for Students with Disabilities The health benefits of practicing yoga, mindfulness, and meditation have been welldocumented. Despite the popular belief that yoga is a hobby reserved for only healthy adults, it can be effective for all body types and ages, and can be very useful for grade school students to calm and reconnect these children with the classroom. Research indicates that yoga may be particularly helpful for students with conditions like ADHD and other disabilities. Based on research in the area of behavioral psychology and the researcher’s personal experiences as a yoga instructor of various age groups, including kindergarten students, this project explores the possible benefits of including yoga as part of regular classroom activities in kindergarten and beyond. As children become more and more anxious and have more issues with self-worth and being incapable of being in control, using yoga in the classroom might help so many children as they develop to aid them later on in life. Presentation Details 287 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C81 Lindsay Nicole DeLorme Joann B. Nichols (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Education, Fitchburg State University The Ideal Early Childhood Approach This study involves observation and research on multiple school models including Montessori, Reggio Emilia, Waldorf, Head Start Programs, and typically designed classrooms with the goal being to use elements of the various models to create and propose an ideal school model. This process includes finding a balance between implementation of elements such as physical environment, curriculum, school-wide goals, start and end times, organization, values, classroom community, etc. The goal of the proposed ideal model would be to provide greater access and compatibility for more students with differentiation of instruction for students who need a different approach to learning. Observations and anecdotal notes from school visits will couple with scholarly research sources and a descriptive survey study of teachers’ insights into the characteristics and applicability of the various models and proposed ideal setting and practice methods in the resultant paper. Presentation Details 288 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C83 Carolynn R. DeWitt Joann B. Nichols (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Education, Fitchburg State University Empathy in Early-Elementary Aged Children This project incorporates observation and research on the presence of empathy in students’ behavior in the early elementary level classroom. The goal is to use authentic insight gathered from research and the study to create an instructional tool for teachers to facilitate conversations with children about disabilities. Various skills are involved in the project including increasing knowledge of the children’s empathic behavior, lesson development, instructional strategy, observation, inquiry promotion, and writing directed toward nonfiction experience for children. A literature review will be followed by lessons using “Persona Dolls” (child-size ragdolls with visible and/or non-visible disability) in a first-grade classroom, with observational notes leading to the book creation. Presentation Details 289 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C85 Erin J. Doyle Paige Marie Hermansen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Westfield State University Creating an Exceptional Learning Environment for Students with Neuromuscular Disorders In the United States, over one million people are affected by neuromuscular disorders, and about 40% of those affected individuals are under the age of 18. Neuromuscular disorders, caused by genetic mutations, affect the peripheral nervous system and the muscular system. Although neuromuscular disorders typically do not cause cognitive incompetencies, they can clearly affect a child’s ability to attend, participate and learn in school. The biggest battle for students with neuromuscular disorders is keeping up with the demands of writing and completing assignments. My project explores how Physical Education programs can be adapted to include students with neuromuscular disorders, and if the presence of an on-site physical therapist would increase the effectiveness of the child’s learning environment. Based on research in the field of movement science and physical education, and interviews with a school-based physical therapist, this project explores the current accommodations available to students with neuromuscular disorders in the Massachusetts public schools and the possibility of incorporating a program that offers on-site physical therapy and a physical education program that offers a range of activities. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, children with neuromuscular disorders are ensured to be given free, public educational services, but this project explores the abilities of schools to exceed the law and offer an exceptional program that will benefit these student’s education. Presentation Details 290 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C87 Jenna Mae Eckstrom Rachel E. Gibson (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Music, Westfield State University Music in the Classroom: Notes about Its Importance My research focuses on the importance of music in the classroom at an early age. Through my qualitative research, I observe, collect, and analyze the professional reflections and experiences of elementary school teachers about how involvement of music in the classroom can be beneficial to students. The methods used for this research consist of interviews with teachers and observations of various classroom settings, as well as discussion of current research and literature. The purpose of this research is to examine the advantages of using music in elementary classrooms. I theorize that music is indeed important to one’s learning at an early age; however results will be reported after all data has been collected and evaluated. Presentation Details 293 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A32 Meghan Brittany Henningson Genia M. Bettencourt (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Education, UMass Amherst The Cost of Attending a Post Secondary Institution for Students with Disabilities This qualitative research study aims to determine the cost of having a disability in a postsecondary institutional setting. The term cost is defined from three perspectives: the financial burden on the student, the time students have to dedicate to using their disability services, and the effects of the stigma surrounding a disability on the student. Participants will be contacted through a campus wide email that asks for students who are registered with a disability to participate in an intensive interview in which the students will be asked to share experiences and benefits and challenges that come with having a disability in higher education. Our goal is to help find data that can determine new strategies for helping students with disabilities in higher education. Presentation Details 294 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A33 Reilly Kopp Genia M. Bettencourt (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Education, UMass Amherst Center for Student Success Research: The Cost of Disability in Higher Education This qualitative research study aims to determine the cost of having a disability in a postsecondary institutional setting. The term cost is defined from three perspectives: the financial burden on the student, the time students have to dedicate to using their disability services, and the effects of the stigma surrounding a disability on the student. Participants will be selected through a random sample of undergraduate students at a large public research institution in the Northeast to encompass both students registered and not registered with the disabilities support services on campus. Participants will be interviewed and asked to share experiences and challenges that come with having a disability as a participant in higher education. Our goal is to help find data that can determine new strategies and shape future practices for assisting students with disabilities in higher education. Presentation Details 291 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C89 Olivia Cory Marques Paige Marie Hermansen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Westfield State University Competitive Beauty: Women in Pageantry and Its Effects on their Education When most Americans think of beauty pageants, they think of girls strutting across stages in swimsuits or waving to audiences with their shiny crowns. What the general public does not know is how much time is devoted to the art of being a queen, and how pageants prepare young women for academic success. I have been a participant in the Miss America system for six years and am also aware that this system is the number one supplier of scholarship dollars to young women in the United States. This project explores the academic performance of pageant competitors and how preparation such as college interviews, scholarships, steps to pursue careers and experience as a titleholder has paved the way for their success. Drawing from first hand sources, information from the official local, state, and national level pageant websites, and blog posts/media publications, this project will inform women who hold positions in educational administration, mothers of daughters interested in future competition, and potential participants about the benefits of being involved with the organization. Presentation Details 285 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A10 Travis Earl Nichols Alan Ira Gordon (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Urban Studies, Worcester State University Opportunity Awaits: University to Community Partnerships The City of Worcester has been a hub of creativity for university to community collaborations, but there is still a hunger from communities around the country and world to harness the potential of college faculty and students. Entire roads, neighborhoods, and cities have been completely transformed by partnerships between universities and local organizations. College communities including student organizations are on the front lines in this realm, but the real opportunity is to link the surrounding area to the university, with access to more capital – both financial and human, to support any type of local project or organization. The goal is to discover new possibilities, recreate successes, adapt them for Worcester, and develop a range of university partnership implementation recommendations to the local university systems. Presentation Details 283 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A34 Constantinos Demetrios Papadimoulis George Joseph Abboud (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Sport and Movement Science, Salem State University The Influence of Model-Building on Learning of the Sliding Filament Theory of Muscle Contraction The sliding filament theory of muscle contraction is a classroom topic that many students find difficult fully grasping. Normally it is taught through lectures and reading assignments. The purpose of this study is to test whether building a three-dimensional model will enhance learning and retention of this theory compared to a control condition when participants will draw concepts on paper. It is hypothesized that constructing a physical model will improve learning compared to a control condition. Thirty-two participants will receive a standardized lecture and reading. Each participant in the model building condition (n=16, MB) will be instructed to build a physical model with provided materials. Participants in the control condition (n=16, CON) will draw a schematic of the concepts. Multiple choice questions will assess learning before and after the activity, and a learning retention test will be given one week thereafter. The percentage change in correct answers from pre/post assessments, and between pre/retention assessments will be compared between CON and MB using an independent t-test, whilst the Chi square test will assess the frequency of correct answers. The alpha level will be 0.05. The outcome of this project will help educators in the allied health sciences choose the optimal pedagogical strategy to aid learning of this complex concept. Pilot testing has been completed and participant recruitment is underway (February). Data collection will be completed in March, followed by data analysis in April. Interpretation and conclusion will be drawn in time for the UMass Amherst Conference in April. Presentation Details 295 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A34 Nicole Elizabeth Reed Dan Clawson (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Sociology, UMass Amherst Combating Poverty in Middle Class Schools: School Initiatives, Student Resources, and Implications for the Future Most of the research on education and poverty, and most of the attention on the issue, focuses on schools with high concentrations of poverty. However, poverty is an issue that is prevalent in all communities and is not exclusive to large cities. For middle class communities in particular, it can go undetected because the stigma around it makes people too proud to seek help. The current study will evaluate what is being done by middle class elementary and preschools to help their students break free from the constraints of poverty. It also examines how successful they are in assisting these students in comparison to what is being done in high poverty, urban communities. It uses a qualitative, case study approach and examines elementary and preschools in "Rivington", a predominantly middle class community in the Northeast. The data consists of interviews from teachers, principals, behavioral specialists, and other faculty from "Rivington". The paper argues that middle class schools have more advantages than urban schools in combating poverty due to the fact that they have a smaller number of students dealing with poverty and more resources to provide for them. The goal of this study is to help further the conversation on poverty in middle class schools and use the data to explore new ways to help low income students. Presentation Details 296 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A35 Jillian Emma Sylvester Timothy Lang (Faculty Sponsor) Commonwealth Honors College, UMass Amherst Factors that Hinder Study Abroad Students from Integrating into Their Host Country's Culture This research project identifies the factors that hinder study abroad students from integrating into their host country’s culture. Academic literature on education abroad for American university students currently concludes that insufficient pre-departure preparation along with the language barriers that students face in their non-English speaking host countries accounts for their failure to integrate. Additionally, academic literature suggests that when faced with culture shock, study abroad students cope by clinging to their fellow Americans. My research, however, concludes that pre-departure preparation is insufficient to guarantee cultural integration. Other factors, such as language barriers, feelings of isolation, lack of friendships with host country students, not living with or taking classes with host country students, and frequent travel outside the host country pose obstacles to cultural integration that pre-departure preparation, no matter how good, is unlikely to overcome. I base my conclusions on the results of a survey administered to a group of study abroad students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a series of focus groups that added depth to the survey results. Keywords: study abroad, higher education abroad, cultural integration, predeparture preparation, language barriers, culture shock Presentation Details 282 Room 165 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Carlos Armando Vizcardo Benites Katherine Nunez Aileen Ortiz Ester Shapiro (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Psychology, UMass Boston Understanding Pathways for Latino Student Success at an Urban Public Institution: Organizational and Student-Centered Perspectives This research examines academic experiences of Latino students enrolled at an urban public institution, to identify resources for success and how to improve points of access at both institutional/organizational levels. The study uses a multi-contextual model for diverse learning environments in broad access institutions (Hurtado, 2013), which argues for attention to the organizational/institutional environment as providing resources or barriers as well as a student-centered perspective on navigating educational, family workplace and community settings and obligations. Additionally, the research applies an intersectional perspective on culture as multi-faceted (Villaruel & Fuentes, 2012); and culturally specific approaches to understanding Latino student strengths and contextual challenges along educational pathways during key transitions, to explore how institutional programs can incorporate culturally sensitive/high-impact educational practices (student-family engagement, holistic health promotion practices, culturally-sensitive career development and research opportunities addressing lived experiences of inequalities) can better support student success by mobilizing strengths (Nunez et al, 2013; Rendon et al, 2014). The mixed-methods study will conduct individual interviews and 2 focus groups with diverse Latino students at different stages of their education. Lastly, interviews will be conducted with key faculty, staff, and community experts in Latino educational success policies. What challenges/barriers do Latino students identify in their UMB studies, and how are some of these challenges gendered and/or culturally specific? Life experiences including national origin/immigration status, disability, or mixed-race status? What are the personal, familial, academic and non-academic resources Latino students utilize? What do Latino students recommend to improve their access and utilization of these resources? Presentation Details 292 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C91 Gregory Thomas Wilcox Paige Marie Hermansen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Westfield State University Tech Schools: Why They Are Important and Why We Should Fund Them Given the rising costs of tuition at four-year colleges and universities, many students are choosing to attend community colleges and vocational schools after graduating from high school. However, many people are not aware that there are opportunities for career and technical education (CTE) at the high school level in vocational and technical high schools. These schools offer career preparation, certification programs like CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) and cosmetology licenses, and an opportunity to develop workplace skills. These schools are in high demand, but they lack the support of states and communities. This research project explores the economic, social, and academic benefits that technical high schools offer students and communities. This project focuses on Massachusetts and Connecticut, but the research findings are applicable across the country. I also look into the benefits of programs like SkillsUSA, which hosts competitions and encourages students to develop workplace skills. I attended a technical high school in Connecticut, and discuss the benefits I gained from that school. These technical high schools are somewhat underfunded, and they are under great scrutiny by the state government, and I think there need to be fewer restrictions, and more of these schools. Presentation Details 284 Room 905 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 David Michael Youngerman Paige Marie Hermansen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Westfield State University University Academic Centers to Help Students Succeed Banacos Academic Center at Westfield State University offers academic support, tutoring, and technology services for students with disabilities. The Banacos Center and on-campus support services for students with learning disabilities at other colleges and universities provide valuable and necessary accommodations to help students succeed. Based on research about on-campus disability accommodations and first-hand observations and interviews with Banacos Center staff and students, this project explores how such centers prepare students for success after college. The project also considers how Banacos teaches students how to receive the skills that helps them to prepare themselves for the real-world jobs. I need to know what the goal of the Banacos program is and how they help students develop skills for the real world in attaining a good job and a secure life. Presentation Details ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING 298 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A35 Christopher Pepi Jeanie M. Tietjen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Massachusetts Bay Community College The Viability of Shared Green Power across Nations Green Energy is difficult and expensive to gather. It is inconsistent, but on sunny and windy days more than a country's worth of energy needs can be gathered. However, when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow those same countries need to find other means of providing energy. With the latest technologies in energy transfer and storage, it is possible for one country to provide energy for itself and its neighbors when the weather permits. This greatly increases the usability of collected green power and reduces the need for coal and natural gas power plants. Unfortunately, while it is possible to increase green energy collection and use, not every country is incentivized to do so. Many nations have their economy closely tied to another form of energy production and would be loath to change. In addition, each nation involved in these plans would need to depend on each other for its energy. Countries close to the equator get more than enough sunshine to power their needs and would be able to send excess power to their northern neighbors. But given the lack of stability in many nations in that region, it would be hard to guarantee a constant energy supply. Backup power plants would still need to exist, but the majority of the power a country would use would come from a neighbor. Whether or not each nation can trust its neighbors and work together is crucial in forming a clean, efficient future for the world's power. Presentation Details 297 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A13 Daniel Luis Soltren Dr. Michael Meyers (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Engineering, Bristol Community College The Renaissance Engineer: Philosophy's Influence on the Transition from STEM to STEAM The engineering discipline is slowly merging with fields not usually associated with product design. In the 21st century, it is no longer sufficient for the engineer to remain rooted in rigid, modernist views while designing the technologies of the future. This paper identifies trends that have created the need for engineers to incorporate a broad academic knowledge and awareness. An analysis of the milestones of engineering innovation are associated with the existing philosophical ideas of the time. In particular, an attempt is made to identify a connection between philosophy and the thought process of the engineer. A focus is placed on the ideology behind the design rather than the design itself. Scholarly research of key developments in philosophy and engineering is used to determine the nature and extent of this possible connection. The findings of such research are anticipated to support the hypothesis that philosophy has influenced and continues to serve as a guiding compass for the transition from STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) to STEAM (science, technology, art, engineering, and math). The renaissance engineer is the end result of this shift, the artist-philosopher who applies knowledge from any or all disciplines to create. Presentation Details ENGLISH 305 Room 177 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Kelley Elizabeth Barrett Kathryn Evans (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Bridgewater State University "How Do You Squash a Cricket?": A Collection of Essays This is a compilation of creative non-fiction essays that utilizes humor to illuminate particular topics that I have deemed worthy of discussion and perhaps even further inspection. Each essay is seen through the lens of my own experience as a collegeaged female, while simultaneously delving back into the past, highlighting the persistent and often cyclical nature of certain phenomena. Each essay subtly evokes a different message on a variety of topics, including: body image, religion, anxiety, gender norms, and others. I have pinpointed certain instances ranging from childhood to adulthood, and expanded on these particular moments to illustrate a greater meaning that I feel readers are able to relate to. Presentation Details 317 Room 801 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Nicolas Blaisdell Joselyn Almeida-Beveridge (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, UMass Amherst A Continuum of Free and Unfree Labor: The Condition of Laborers across the Atlantic in the Nineteenth Century The undeniable legacy of genocide, murder, slavery, capitalism, and colonialism perpetuated by the British ruling elite in the nineteenth century through their reliance on concomitant and complementary economic infrastructures, such as merchant, industrial, and financial capitalism, the transatlantic slave trade, and plantation slavery, consequentially produced an intersectional component to the capitalist exploitation of enslaved people, agrarian peasants, and wage-laborers. In analyzing the historiographical development of the ‘rise’ of capitalism, the bourgeoisie, the proletariat, the enslaved, and private property, the principal inquiry of this research project has been to uncover how free and unfree laborers both suffered from an extractive form of exploitation that directly resulted from a capitalist mode of production. The conclusion to this research seems to suggest that both free and unfree laborers were jointly essential to the development of capitalism and shared in an oppressive and dehumanized relationship to the bourgeoisie and private property, as the products of both of their labor were wrongfully expropriated and converted into profits for the same ruling class. With the binary opposition between free and unfree labor dissipated, an exploration of the degrees of exploitation occurring on the same spectrum yields a more substantive analysis of the consequences of capitalism as an economic system overall. Disrupting the romanticized narrative of capitalism explicitly relying on “free labor” through the incorporation of enslaved laborers into such paradigm still reverberates today, as it remains the predominant system governing our global economy. Presentation Details 299 Room 165 8:30-9:15 Panel 1 Catherine A. Bulikowski Henry C. Theriault (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Philosophy, Worcester State University Non-Native English Writers in College Communities Despite being described as a “melting pot” of different cultures, identities, and languages, US universities do not accommodate non-native English speaking students as well as they do native English speakers. My presentation will be discussing the challenges faced by non-native English speakers face with typical college-level writing assignments. My specific focus is on how writing support facilities and programs on campus, such as the Writing Center at Worcester State University, work with non-native English speaking clients. I will argue that the key to success is recognizing the special potentials and unique linguistic strengths multilingual students can bring to writing in English even as they are developing English fluency. I will approach this issue through certain key philosophical concepts of language use from phenomenology and postmodernism, especially Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari's Kafka: Toward a Minor Literature. I conclude that multilingualism is a valuable asset in college communities. Presentation Details 302 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A36 Sarah Anne Casey Jeanie M. Tietjen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Massachusetts Bay Community College Food Insecurity on College Campuses The purpose of my research is to examine the food insecurity on college campuses and to explore changes being implemented to create more accessible resources for the students that need it. Food insecurity on college campuses has been linked to the increase in tuition and the loans taken out to cover the increasing cost of tuition. College degrees are critical in the 21st century workplace yet many low income families are doing whatever it takes to get through the four years with hopes of a better future for their kids. Food insecurity affects the physical and mental abilities preventing students from performing at their best. Colleges and communities are coming together to put an end to food insecurity through the use of food banks and food pantries. Presentation Details 306 Room 904 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Ruben Manuel Circelli Sarah Hamblin (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, UMass Boston Sexual Violence, Gender, and Sexuality in HBO's Game of Thrones Game of Thrones has become a landmark in both fantasy and larger culture over the past two decades from its original (and ongoing) book series to the massively successful HBO show to the world of Westeros’ legions of fans and critics. The HBO show has earned special ire from many with its graphic portrayals of violence and particularly sexual violence, the show being known for its many depictions of rape. However, for as popular as it is, the HBO show has relatively few instances of critical engagement, allowing for the almost uncontested popular categorization of the show as simply ‘feminist’ or ‘anti-feminist.’ In this paper I will seek to engage critically with the HBO show as a standalone piece of content and complicate traditional interpretation, examining choice instances of sexual violence (between Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo, Jamie and Cersei Lannister, and Sansa Stark and Ramsay Bolton) and looking to discover the ways in which the show approaches larger issues of not only sexual violence, but gender and sexuality as well. Feminist film theory and examinations of the many portrayals of rape and sexual violence in film and on television will be my critical entry point to the project. Not only will I seek to better understand the show’s portrayals of sexual violence, gender, and sexuality, but I will look deeper into the ‘culture of HBO’ as a specialty network and examine how Game of Thrones’ status as a 2011 HBO show influences the show’s ability to handle these portrayals. Presentation Details 315 Room 903 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Hadley Anna Cook Kelly Matthews (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Framingham State University Contemporary Irish Poetry: "Elegies for Northern Ireland" by Seamus Heaney, Michael Longley, and Frank Ormsby Northern Ireland has long been a victim of violence stemming from conflicts of national identity as well as internal struggles of communities riven with political and religious tensions. Not long after the twentieth century battle for independence from England, Northern Ireland became caught in the violent division of communities and families living through the bloody reality of The Troubles. Though the violent beginnings emerged early in the 1960’s, The Troubles continued to affect the lives of countrymen and women alike throughout the 80’s and 90’s, creating a ripple effect that has continued even into today. As W.B. Yeats, among other Irish poets, did throughout the intensity of the Irish fight for independence, so have contemporary northern Irish poets worked to subtly portray the harsh realities of The Troubles in their work. Though many poets have suggested that their work has largely remained apolitical, the reality of poetry is that it inevitably becomes infused with a mixture of imagination and reality. This paper will explore the elegies of contemporary Irish poets Seamus Heaney, Michael Longley, and Frank Ormsby, identifying the interconnectivity of their often similar themes of paternity, war and proleptic imagination, which all work similarly to convey the tangible feeling of a country lost. While their elegies often hinge on the death of the father, soldiers and masculinity, the collective works of Heaney, Longley and Ormsby truly elegize the loss of their Northern Ireland. Presentation Details 308 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A51 Samantha Hope Correia Ellen Scheible (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Bridgewater State University Divided, Yet Unified: Violence and Transgender Identity in Breakfast on Pluto Through the analysis of Patrick McCabe’s novel Breakfast on Pluto, I researched female sexuality and LGBT identity in Ireland during the 1970s, a time in Ireland’s history wrought with political turmoil and violence. The main character, Patrick “Pussy” Braden, is a transgender prostitute working in both Ireland and England. Transgender identity becomes a metaphor for Ireland’s own divided nation, not just geographically, but culturally as well. Ireland’s revolution mirrors Pussy’s own acceptance of her identity, which is one that understands both the masculine and feminine aspects of herself. She comes to her own personal freedom, not just for herself, but for the queer community. As part of my research, I also considered how the Catholic Church plays a role in both the novel and Irish society. Pussy represents a united Ireland; not necessarily united politically, but accepting of the divergent facets of Ireland’s culture and population, living in a way that lets two opposite sides of a binary exist as one. By evaluating reviews and psychoanalytical papers about the novel, I used a literary lens to observe the acceptance of queer people and the possibility of peace, and created a poster with my findings. I believe my research will encourage the open discussion of gender identity and the possibility of merging history with modernity. I could further my research by comparing statistics on LGBT people in Ireland during the 1970s to current data, as well as contrast the differences in legal rights and lifestyles for transgender people. Presentation Details 303 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A37 Colin Phillips English Jeanie M. Tietjen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Massachusetts Bay Community College The Social, Scientific and Political Implications of the Maritime Industry This study will investigate the extent to which marine engineering and naval architecture have been influenced by the forces of imperialism. This research examines great engineers who helped shape the maritime industry while at the same time fueled the imperial powers to spread ideas, change nation's political, and social structures and establish a global market. I will be exploring the discoveries of Archimedes, Robert Fulton, Barnes Wallis, John Elder and Anatoly Alexandrov. As I detail their inventions I will also cite how they affected the global market as well as helped nations become imperial powers, such as how Robert Fulton’s invention of the steamboat allowed Great Britain to move inland in Africa starting the “Scramble for Africa”. This scramble not only created many new countries in Africa, but also made England the largest global superpower in the world and eventually was one of the many causes of the First World War. The end goal of this study is to give perspective to the way western imperialism was shaped by the maritime industry as well as how the imperialism shaped world history. Presentation Details 300 Room 162 10:45-11:30 James Flynn Jason Roush (Faculty Sponsor) Honors College, UMass Boston Racial Roots of Romanticism Panel 2 Using a Trans-Atlantic critical lens, this project will uncover the latent racial thinking in the Romantic narratives of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “Ligeia” and Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem “Christabel”. The short story “Ligeia” depicts a man’s interactions with an intelligent, mysterious woman named Ligeia, a woman whose mental prowess and other-worldliness go beyond her death to possess the narrator’s thinking and life. “Christabel” is set during an indistinct medieval period and depicts a maiden named Christabel’s strange encounter with the mysterious and subtly malevolent Geraldine. I will examine the latent racial thinking in these two texts to prove that Coleridge and Poe shared a process of depicting feared racial others in their Romantic texts. Neither “Ligeia” nor “Christabel” explicitly discuss race, but both texts contain strange otherworldly women with foreign traits that prove both alluring and destructive. My thesis’ point is to propose that the American Romantic concepts of whiteness and black others, discussed by Toni Morrison in Playing in the Dark, have counterparts in English Romantic work. To establish this connection I will explore what others have written about the influence that English Romantic authors, such as Coleridge, had on American Romantic authors, like Poe. To further strengthen this connection I will place the authors firmly within the social context of their days through an examination of their biographical information and its relevance to their work. Michel Foucault’s ideas on bio-ethics will be used to reveal the greater historical racial mechanisms that influenced the writing of these texts. Presentation Details 301 Room 801 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Jessen Nicole Foster Joselyn Almeida-Beveridge (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, UMass Amherst "Woman on the Field of Battle": Retaining Agency and Femininity in a British Romantic Warzone The transformative politics during the age of revolutions created questions about the place of women in society, specifically when it came to females in and around a war zone. Literary examples of these women provide a starting point in order to discuss this changing attitude. This paper is part of a larger project focusing on changing perceptions of women in a military setting during this change in political and social ideologies. My presentation will be centered on the depictions Agustina de Aragón during the Peninsular War in Spain, and how she subverts the meditation on the warrior woman as a fictional character, or in fictionalized accounts. Two notable representations of Agustina are Lord Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage and Francisco de Goya's Los Desastres de la Guerra, which reject the images of past warlike women and present Agustina as a woman fierce enough to defend herself and her family if need be. At the same time, they allow her to retain their femininity and identity. By engaging specifically with Byron and Goya, this paper will take two very different narratives of a specific example of female participation in war and use them to prove the idea that women on the battlefield had become far less taboo during and after the age of revolutions. By engaging with the scholarship of Diego Saglia, Simon Bainbridge, Charles Esdaile, and Adrian Shubert, I argue that the participation of women in battle exceeds patriarchal regulation and becomes transformed into an act of female agency. Presentation Details 307 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A07 Nathan Daniel Goudreault Matthew Davis (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, UMass Boston Self-in-Text: Cross-Examining Composition and Identity This project critically examines how identity work happens in the writing classroom. It looks at how the “writerly identity” surfaces when writers engage in a performance of self in text. I will examine how this performative action happens in order to argue that knowledge of composition is a form of self-knowledge. To do so, I aim to make some foundational theoretical claims by drawing on my secondary sources and back up these claims through my analysis of student writing. These theoretical claims aim to construct a lens of interpretation bolstered by multiple concepts: reflection, writing as performance, identity, transfer, process, and rhetorical challenge. These terms work together to make the primary synthetic claim that will serve as a guiding principle: writing is a reflective performance that expresses self-knowledge and allows us to highlight moments of transfer and rhetorical challenge. The student writing I am analyzing comes from the ENGL 203 course at UMass Boston: “Writing: Craft, Context, Design” taught by my research mentor Prof. Matthew Davis. I will examine the blog posts, post-project reflections, and “theories of writing” written by students in the course. These include but are not limited to moments of transfer, boundary-crossing, evoking prior knowledge, dispositions, articulations of self, revisions of self, text, and ideas, perspective on challenge, and reflection. These concerns point us to a rough outline of the “writerly identity”, allowing me to illustrate how identity and writing are thought of, constructed, and performed together. This work aims to make claims in compositional and interdisciplinary spheres. Presentation Details 310 Room 174 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Amanda J. Harfst George W. Layng (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Westfield State University Confessions of Lowly Home Health Aide: Instructions Not Included For many years, caregiving has been a profession that has often been depreciated and spoken about condescendingly in conversations regarding goals or career aspirations. To some, it is thought of with disgust or arrogance rather than with the positive credit it deserves. What people do not see is that it is much more involved and complicated than one could imagine. Being a home health aide is a careful balance between compassion, patience, assertiveness, and ability to do the tasks required of you correctly in a safe and calm manner. In this first chapter of my second memoir, Confessions of a Lowly Home Health Aide, I will uncover the true nature and the struggle that those in my profession go through. It is a narrative of my first week ever working as a home health aide at the age of twenty-one fresh out of training, as I am just realizing the complexities of the work and discovering that the work is very different than reading things out of a manual. The chapter uses a mixture of compelling recollections of the challenges I faced with clients ranging from simple dilemmas such as burning somebody’s breakfast by accident to watching a woman I had grown to deeply care for die right before my eyes. The ups and downs of this piece will leave readers both laughing and crying over the emotional depth of the situations but also over the complex relationships. This first chapter, “Instructions Not Included,” is both heart-felt and entertaining. Presentation Details 312 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C57 Ariella D. Hensen David M. Kalivas (Faculty Sponsor) Honors Program, Middlesex Community College Lewis Carroll, His Characters, and the Psychology behind Them Since the publication of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in 1865, theories have swirled about author Lewis Carroll’s own psychological health and his strange relationship with his many female children friends. Many of these theories are unfounded, or have little to no proof, and those who study Carroll and his text remain divided on the validity of these claims. The huge impression that Alice has had on the collective unconscious is in no doubt due to the ever present psychoanalysis of the book and its author. When delving into the many unique and colorful characters that permeate Carroll's book, it becomes apparent that Carroll's choices were rooted far more in reality than fantasy. Carroll's own supposed psychology and life experiences influenced Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in an undeniable way. The impact of the relationships between Alice and Carroll and its subsequent effect on literary and cinematic culture can best be understood by examining Carroll’s life, relationship, and literature through a psychological lens. Presentation Details 316 Room 903 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Brianna Leigh Hynes Ellen Scheible (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Bridgewater State University The Celtic Tiger and Ireland's Cultural Identity This thesis explores the relationship between the Celtic Tiger in Ireland and the ongoing struggle to define and develop an Irish identity. The main question of this thesis is to examine the relationship between economic success and the harmful effect it had on cultural memory. Tana French’s novel In the Woods, and Paul Murray’s novel Skippy Dies, are important to examine the relationship between economy and identity, because the novels take place in Celtic Tiger and Post-Celtic Tiger Ireland, respectively. In French’s novel, there is both personal and cultural tension between history and modernity, and the investigative process demonstrates the difficulty in attaining a balance between preserving history and progression. In Murray’s novel, Ireland’s focus on attaining economic success causes blindness and repression of the past. Attempts to recover from the economic recession following the Celtic Tiger result in an obsession with economics, and the commodification of areas of life that should remain separate from the economic sphere. Both French and Murray suggest that Post-Celtic Tiger Ireland is facing an internal problem that is halting their progression towards modernity. The Irish have constructed a large part of their identity as an independent nation around the success of the economy during the Celtic Tiger. Instead of trying to rebuild the economy with the rapidness of the Celtic Tiger, a new identity should be created that is not dominated by economics. Presentation Details 313 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C93 Ashley Katherine Linnehan Emily Todd (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Westfield State University Cautioning against a Patriarchal Society Susanna Rowson’s novel Charlotte Temple (1791; 1794) and Harriet Jacobs’ slave narrative Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861) both fall under the category of a cautionary tale as they both chronicle the downfall of a female due to sin she allegedly commits, and they both attribute the woman’s downfall to her previous choices. However, by writing their stories as a way to hopefully prevent others from suffering the same fate, both authors assume that their protagonists had choices in their perceived sins, and that if a young woman is simply smarter and does not give in to her weak impulses, she will not endure the same ruin as Charlotte and Linda do. That optimistic outcome was simply not possible for the time period in which these works were written, contrary to both author’s beliefs. Both girls actively tried not to sin; neither of them embarked on their downfall willingly, they were coerced by influential people in their lives. Charlotte’s and Linda’s fates are an unfortunate byproduct of the patriarchal societies they lived in, not their own faults. Neither girl had any tangible autonomy; therefore, neither character is primarily responsible for the disgraced state they both experience in their respective works. Rowson and Jacobs intended to caution their readers against the folly of young girls, but they actually end up warning their readers about the institutions that can prey on young girls and sully their virtue no matter how hard one tries to resist. Presentation Details 314 Room 163 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Tori McCandless Holly Jackson (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, UMass Boston A Queer Sense of Place: Elizabeth Bishop's Poetic Cartography and the Resignification of Environments My project explores what it means to have a queer sense of place and how queer authored poetry can provide us with an interstitial, textual landscape through which we can resignify environments imbued with heteronormative ideologies. To question one’s relationship to a landscape, to understand it differently, relies on the idea that one does not have a seamless, congruent relationship with the place to begin with. To have a queer sense of place, perhaps, depends on feeling out of place. As a foundation to my study on a queer poetic cartography; on how queers feel at home, out of place, orient themselves, and turn through space, I turn to Elizabeth Bishop’s poetry. Bishop is a poet of place, not merely a traveling poet as she is so often described. Her motifs of geographical displacement, coupled with a strong and insistent attachment to landscape exemplify what it means to queer environments. Subsequently, by incorporating queer theory and ecocriticism into Bishop’s work, this paper explores how queer bodies throughout the majority of historic and scientific discourse have been written off as transgressive, out of place, and against nature. Ideologies, specifically heteropatriarchal ones, physically manifest themselves onto landscapes. However, I argue that Bishop’s poetry of place, in conversation with others such as Adrienne Rich, can provide us with the tools necessary to reappropriate landscape and can alternately resexualize constructs of the environment against heteronormativity. Presentation Details 311 Room 903 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Erin Elizabeth O'Brien Jessica Thelen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Westfield State University Public versus Private School Many parents encounter the struggle of deciding what is in their kid’s best interest, school being the main topic. Parents, if they are able, try to figure out if public or private schools will benefit their kid’s lives for the future. Studies show that many parents have their own opinions on schools, but either type of school will give them the education they need to succeed. Statistics show that 37% of charter schools do worse than public, 17% do better than public schools, and everyone else, 46%, does about the same. Both public and private schools receive kids that struggle academically, which seems to stem back to the life they have at home, not the education they are receiving. Some may argue that a smaller private school allows for a better learning environment, but the material kids are learning is the same. It has to do with how motivated the kid is to want to succeed improving their education. Learning this through recent articles and experts like John S. Kiernan makes me, as an education major, evaluate the decision of where I would want to teach someday. Some benefits of public schools are the cheaper cost, availability, diversity, and extracurricular opportunities, while the advantages of private schools are parental involvement, resources, and smaller classes. Both schools have their benefits and disadvantages, but as long as kids are getting the education they need, I do not see why there is such a controversy over the topic. Presentation Details 304 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A38 Devin Rose Rutter Scott Nowka (Faculty Sponsor) Honors Program, Salem State University "Bad Blood Will Out": Racial Purity in Harry Potter and Parallels to World War II Since the publication of the first installment in 1997, JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series has endured in popular culture as nothing less than a phenomenon. Thanks in part to its charming cast of complex characters, heroic adventures, and entertaining litany of magical spells, the series has attained a sort of immortality. Beyond entertainment, however, Rowling’s novels also contain a spectrum of compelling cultural issues that everyone eventually grapples with as their rose-tinted view of the world is compromised. Chief among these issues are the concepts of prejudice and racism, which are embodied in the series through the dispute over blood purity, specifically between those with entirely magical ancestry and those with mixed or non-magical ancestry. Racial purity has been a cornerstone of numerous historical regimes and conflicts and as such, many comparisons can be drawn from the Pureblood-Muggleborn struggle; however, given the lack of emphasis on physical appearance, as well as a number of additional parallels among characters and events, one historical conflict stands out from the rest: Nazi Germany’s anti-Semitism during the World War II era. Much of the existing criticism of the novels notes these parallels, but this paper seeks to deepen the examination of the overall theme of racial purity and its relations to WWII, primarily by engaging the mythology of the series and drawing comparisons between fiction and history. The paper also seeks to examine how these parallels help further understanding and tolerance on the part of young readers as they navigate modern society at large. Presentation Details 309 Concourse 1:30-2:15 Board C94 Alissa Katelyn Smith Rebecca Olander (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Westfield State University An Insider’s Research on Food and Society: Exploring the Food Culture of Westfield State University’s Dining Commons Though cultures and subcultures may vary widely in ways of expression and language, food is something that connects different groups of people across cultures. This study was conducted in an effort to determine how one particular cohort’s food culture functioned and what that meant in terms of the larger surrounding community; in this case, that meant Westfield State University’s Dining Commons. As a residential student at the university, it was important to me not only to determine how I relate to the place I go to eat most meals, but also how other first-year students felt connected to the space and how it has played a role in their transition from living at home to being independent at college. Using qualitative data collected through numerous observational trips to the Dining Commons, interviews with other first-year students, and taking an intrapersonal perspective into my own views, I was able to draw conclusions about the habits and culture belonging to that location. Unfortunately, this was a short-term project that did not permit me to do more extensive research on the topic such as more interviews, polls, or an expansion of research to upper-level students. Through the research I was able to complete within my time constraint, I concluded that the students at Westfield State are creatures of habit with on-the-go mindsets. On a much smaller scale, the Dining Commons at Westfield State University reflects the first of many transitions that my peers and I will continue to undergo throughout our life stages. Presentation Details 318 Room 805 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Morgan Alyse Stabile Shirley Lau Wong (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Westfield State University Coming Out of the Cannabis Closet: Stopping the White Washing of Weed Culture While marijuana has been recently legalized in Massachusetts and several other states, the consumption and growing of marijuana is still stigmatized--particularly for women and people of color. It is well known that arrest rate for marijuana possession is highly racialized. Moreover, because "stoner culture" is highly masculinized, women of color are especially marginalized. This paper examines women's changing roles in both weed culture and business and also the representation of women and weed culture in popular media such as Broad City, Weeds, and Mary + Jane. I argue that while gender barriers in weed culture are breaking down, there is still a lack of representation of women of color in weed culture. This prevents the newly legalized marijuana industry from being fully accessible to women of color, who have been disproportionately targeted by the war on drugs. Presentation Details 319 Room 911 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Nicholas A. Trieber Malcolm Sen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, UMass Amherst Social Justice and Hip Hop Hip hop, a culture built around beats and raps, influences popular culture in a very peculiar way. While many people consider hip hop nothing more than a genre defined by vulgarity, masculinism, and tales of sexual prowess, several scholars argue that it is actually the musical companion to a larger social movement: the hip hop movement. Currently, the hip hop movement is ill-defined as there is no national platform on which constituents of the movement may speak. To further complicate matters, neither scholars nor critics can decide exactly who makes up the hip hop movement. This paper aims to define the hip hop movement and identify its members by analyzing black popular movements and music from the mid-nineteenth century through to the present. One major facet of hip hop is its ability to include participants of all races, genders, and sexual identities. The current hip hop landscape is dominated by straight black men and appears homophobic and misogynistic. This thesis will explore how such hypermasculinism and homophobia crept into hip hop, which was otherwise extremely progressive and accepting during its foundation in the 1970s and 1980s. It will also argue that hip hop is becoming more progressive with feminism becoming a popular subject in songs and gender pronouns becoming a way to express one’s own sexual identity in music. This increasing acceptance of all people, which still has much room to improve, is creating a path that the hip hop movement can follow to become a multicultural and multi-issue movement. Presentation Details ENGLISH LITERATURE 325 Room 162 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Daniel Law Bazarian Todd Tietchen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, UMass Lowell The Corrosion of the Individual in a Postmodern Culture: David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest The concept of the “self” in postmodern thought is that of a fractured being, an incoherent and contradictory collection of assumed personae which alternate unnoticed under the guise of a “whole” individual. For David Foster Wallace, though, this notion was erroneous in that it posited the interior experience of being human as subordinate to theoretical concerns. Much of Wallace’s fiction, especially his novel Infinite Jest, attempts to find a way of moving beyond this conception of the self to a more centered and experiential one. Most of the scholarship dealing with Infinite Jest acknowledges that the major thematic stakes of the book involve the tension between these two ideas. However, the novel’s use of social criticism, especially in its engagement with "dystopia" fiction, often goes unaddressed in favor of examining its attempt to construct what Lee Konstantinou terms a "Postironic ethos." In a book that takes pains to depict a transnationalist consumer culture pushed to its absurd conclusions, this seems to me to be a glaring oversight. In my paper, I argue that Infinite Jest, taken in relationship to both dystopic fiction and to theories of multinational capitalism, is really a novel not so much about two competing theories of the human self as about how society writ large is capable of perpetuating a certain notion of the self, and how (or whether) it is possible to carve out space in such a society to live positively as an individual, or if that notion proves to be a destructive one. Presentation Details 320 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A26 Jackie Carlson Evelyn Perry (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Framingham State University Choice as a Thematic Motivator in Middle Grade Reading The purpose of this project is to examine middle grade novels that celebrate choice as a thematic motivator for lifelong readership. By using novels that encourage choice, teachers can pass the literary torch onto students rather than expecting one flame, or one book, to illumine all. Middle grade novels have been valued by teachers for their relatable voices and accessibility, and prized for their role as a vehicle to classic literature. Using middle grade novels solely as a bridge ignores the capabilities of the literary art and the reader. By providing middle grade novels as a first step, students might reach the predetermined canonical destination: adult reading, the classics. However, since authorities are still choosing the destination and the path, students merely walk the same line as their classmates and generations before them. By sticking to one path, educators favor safety over individuality and authentic textual engagement. Instead, as a lead to independent reading, teachers can use middle grade novels to examine the value and weight that choices have. This project calls for a re-examination of young reading as a bridge. By studying agency and choice in middle grade novels as an art form rather than a vehicle, students can find empowerment in not only their role as a reader, but their role in the world, where people do not genuinely succeed when they cross a structure that's already been built, but when they actively and thoughtfully build something of their own. Presentation Details 321 Room 162 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Sarah Dianne Fender Matt Bell (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Bridgewater State University Race Impulses and Their Degenerative Effect on Trina in McTeague This essay places Frank Norris’s 1899 novel McTeague in historical context by paralleling its depictions of ethnic types to portrayals of those same ethnicities in progressive journalist Jacob Riis’s 1890 How the Other Half Lives. When it was released, Norris’s novel was declared vulgar and ultrarealistic which to some made it groundbreaking but to others made it demoralizing. Recent scholars have reviewed it and analyzed the blatant racist stereotypes involved in the novel. Through character analysis, plot breakdown and an examination of significant symbols in the novel, paired with a close reading of Riis’s text, I find that both authors subscribed to a theory on race that degraded non-Anglo Americans and accused Jews of corrupting communities. In Norris’s novel, the main female character Trina experiences depravity that is marked by her German-Swiss heritage, her marrying an Irishman, and her exposure to a Jew. Ultimately I show that by the end of the novel Trina assumes the corrupting, selfish, destructive characteristics both Norris and Riis associate with Jews. I show that in doing this Norris asserts that not only do certain ethnicities inherently possess specific characteristics, but that these qualities contaminate and pervert susceptible persons. Meanwhile, Riis claims to blame the horrendous living conditions of the immigrants on the tenements themselves, but also maintains that Jews are the irresponsible owners of those tenements, indirectly faulting them for these repulsive neighborhoods. Presentation Details 326 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C58 Hayden Frances Latimer-Ireland David M. Kalivas (Faculty Sponsor) Honors Program, Middlesex Community College Jealousy: The Green-Eyed Monster Jealousy is a common and universally relevant feeling across cultures, time periods, and literary genres; however, the reaction to the feeling can range in severity from a mere angry thought to drastic and murderous actions. Due to the relatability of the feeling, which is regularly experienced in our everyday lives, jealousy is frequently used as theme in literature. Just as in real life, the level of jealousy a person or character feels can range from a very small amount to a murderous, jealous rage; this wide spectrum of feelings and reactions encompasses a broad audience and contributes to the theme’s ongoing relevance. In this presentation, jealousy is defined and explored through multiple examples in short fiction, drama, and poetry. The examples are given in the forms of quotes, short passages, and character analyses from the different forms of literature with the intent of highlighting the varying ways an individual can react to jealousy. The examples of jealousy from literature are also examined alongside samples from today’s modern culture, such as music, television, and movie clips. Through these examples, jealousy is shown to be a universally relevant feeling that influences literature and the actions of characters greatly; ultimately, reactions to one’s jealousy, either on a large scale or with a small response, can greatly impact the lives of the characters and the people around them. Presentation Details 324 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A52 Madison Alexis O'Connor Laurel V. Hankins (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, UMass Dartmouth Of the Same Roots: An Analysis of the Work of Walt Whitman The purpose of this research is to determine the connection between author Walt Whitman’s life and his written works. It will also endeavor to explain the relationship between the seemingly incompatible styles and personas which Whitman presented as well as understand how cultural phenomenon influenced his audience’s perceptions of his work. This thesis will analyze select works of Walt Whitman as well as the interpretations of literary scholars and historians. The poems which will be at the forefront of this research are “Song of Myself” from Leaves of Grass written in 1855 and “Live Oak, With Moss” from the Calamus series which was written in 1859. While the narrator of “Song of Myself” suggests that they are one with the audience and serve as a representative of the masses with an omnipotent sense of understanding, the speaker of “Live Oak, With Moss” provides a more personal, anecdotal, and intimate narrative. This paper will argue that while the style and voice which are employed in these works are different, these poems share common roots. By analyzing the effects that religious reformations, political movements, and scientific/medical findings had on America as well as on Whitman himself, researchers can begin to understand the connections between his written works. His works were not as different as we may have believed, and may have been less shocking to his audience than we have imagined. Presentation Details 322 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A39 Jacob Andrew Savoie William Frank Berry (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Cape Cod Community College The Experience of Deconstructing Postmodern Texts Postmodernism is largely a reaction to the assumed certainty of scientific, or objective, efforts to explain reality. It is a term designated for multiple forms of art—literature, painting, and film—that go against the traditional narratives. Traditional narratives focus on chronological order; it is event-driven and tends to center upon individuals, action, and intention. Postmodern narrative tends to be characterized by reliance on narrative techniques such as fragmentation (the “broken narrative”), paradox, the unreliable narrator or multiple narrators, and the act of shifting through points of view and time as well. By going against these traditional narratives, postmodern texts open a unique area of criticism. This research will examine the works of David Foster Wallace, Thomas Pynchon, David Lynch—and juxtaposing these texts with critical works by Jacques Derrida that specifically define what Deconstruction is and its relationship between text and meaning—to explore what they deconstruct and how they deconstruct it. Deconstruction, for the purpose of this research, is defined as a form of literary analysis that questions the fundamental conceptual distinctions in narrative through a close examination of language. By exploring how postmodern texts disrupt narrative, this research will answer the question: What is the experience of disruption in post-modern texts? Presentation Details 323 Room 177 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Quinn Elizabeth Staley Robert Carr (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, Fitchburg State University Feminist Literature: From the 19th Century to the 21st Women have a long history of voicing their concerns regarding the inequality they face, often expressing this inequality through feminist literature which reflects the struggle of women during the time in which it was written. My research analyzes The Awakening by Kate Chopin, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, and The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis. Each work follows female protagonists and how being a woman during their time shaped the way they view female sexuality. This analysis advances from 19th century literature, where the sexual desires of women are beaten down by societal pressures, to 21st century literature where women embrace their sexuality and are praised for fighting back against sexual misconduct. These shifts in literature uncover the real life feminist issues surrounding society, from the limited options women have, to the stigmas they face in 21st century rape culture. Using multimodal rhetoric to compare and contrast feminist literature from three different centuries reveals how female sexuality is treated in feminist literature, and also how this shift in literature mirrors the struggles and changes facing society. Multimodal rhetoric was also used to create a blog based on my findings. This blog opens a dialogue about issues surrounding female sexuality and serves as a catalyst for progressive change, much like the works of feminist literature that I examined. This research is important in understanding how attitudes towards female sexuality are changing and how literature inspires women to act on or fight against these sexual revelations. Presentation Details 327 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C59 William Allen Wright David M. Kalivas (Faculty Sponsor) Commonwealth Honors Program, Middlesex Community College The Quest for Authentic Life in Western Literature In Western literature, authors and philosophers have debated the tension between humanity’s individual internal voices and surrounding social pressures. The idea of a “true” internal self has evolved into the literary theme of an Authentic Life, in which we follow our inner voice regardless of social temptations and pressures. Using three criteria drawn from Existential Philosophy, this presentation examines ten works of fiction, poetry, and drama and sixteen characters that supports the theory that authors portray humans as succeeding when they are free to align their genuine self with society and failing when they reject that alignment. Presentation Details ENTOMOLOGY 329 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A14 Thomas Irving Guiney John Stoffolano (Faculty Sponsor) Stockbridge School of Agriculture, UMass Amherst Effect of Juvenile Hormone Analogs on Ovary Development in Adult House Flies Insecticides in the past came in many different forms and styles. Often there are just as many off-target organisms affected as those the insecticides were meant for. This is what led to the production of insecticides like Methoprene, a Juvenile Hormone Analog (JHA). Insect growth regulators or IGRs are special hormones found within insects that indicate and respond to the insect’s current state between larval, pupal, and adult forms. Growing and metamorphosing between these states are controlled by the main two hormones ecdysone and Juvenile Hormone. Under control of brain hormones, the corpus allatum produces Juvenile Hormone, while the corpus cardiacum produces ecdysone. In adults, Juvenile Hormone's growing effect is not well understood. In the model organism, Musca domestica, the presence of a virus called Salivary Gland Hypertrophy Virus has many effects, including inhibiting the production of Juvenile Hormone. This inhibition prevents ovary development in adult females. The cells that make up each eggs endothelium require Juvenile Hormone to open and develop patency. Patency requires the ovaries to allow proteins such as yolk precursors into the eggs. Because of this, it is hypothesized that after the injection of SGHV into the thorax cuticle of the fly and the fly’s development is inhibited, regular treatments of Methoprene, as a JHA, will force the epithelial cells of the ovary to open and develop patency despite the presence of SGHV. To test this, flies all given SGHV can be separated and given varying concentrations of Methoprene. Presentation Details 328 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C69 Emily Mooshian Elkinton Joseph (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Environmental Conservation, UMass Amherst iCons: Impact of Climate Change on Cold Tolerance and Overwintering Mortality of a Gall Wasp Pest, Zapatella davisae Climate change’s effect on the world has taken many forms. Most people recognize them as more extreme weather patterns, melting icecaps, and a rising ocean. A lesserknown change is that rising temperatures have led to an increased ability for native and non-native insect pests to expand their natural ranges northward. These expansions can have detrimental effects on areas unfit for the insect, and one of the only ways to help preserve these areas is to be proactive and know that it is going to happen before it does. This could eventually be the case with the black oak gall wasp, Zapatella davisae, a native pest of the Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard areas. The wasp has invaded and damaged the black oak tree population in an environment where black oaks are one of the primary species of the landscape. I am looking to determine the supercooling point, or the temperature at which the species can no longer tolerate the cold, of Z. davisae over the duration of the winter. Using that information along with local weather data and GIS mapping software, I will determine locations in the New England region where the insect could potentially expand to in the near future. Presentation Details 330 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A15 Puneet Kaur Singh Aline Mweze John Stoffolano (Faculty Sponsor) Stockbridge School of Agriculture, UMass Amherst Characterization of Induced Antimicrobial Peptides in Salivary Glands of Adult Musca domestica upon Exposure to Fusarium oxysporum Spores The common housefly, Musca domestica, is a vector of various pathogens and it contributes to disease infection and pathogen transmission throughout clinical settings. They thrive in pathogen ridden environments, such as feces and garbage, and despite residing in these congested areas, they are not infected by these pathogens. Previous studies have indicated that a mechanism has evolved to prevent infection within the housefly during food intake, which involves the foregut including the crop and salivary glands. Destruction of pathogens within the crop by secretions of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from the salivary glands would destroy many pathogens prior to entrance into the midgut. My hypothesis is that the AMPs present in the crop are secreted via salivary glands in adult flies. I focus on the barrier epithelial pathway, and specifically on the antifungal peptides, in adult Musca. For a minimally invasive procedure, flies are exposed to Fusarium oxysporum spores. Upon salivary gland extraction and analysis, the generated data is then compared to a negative control group, in which the flies are exposed to water. I observed differences indicating altered gene expression for key peptides between the experimental and control groups. My goal is to characterize the AMPs, contribute to the production of analogues, similar to the AMPs produced in M. domestica. New analogues may provide a line of antibiotics to fight pathogens that humans are in constant contact with. It may also aid in the control of universal human/domestic pest that transmits infectious disease agents. Presentation Details ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES 335 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A16 Kate Amber Krystal J. Pollitt (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Environmental Health Sciences, UMass Amherst Soil Pollution in Urban Agriculture Green roofs are becoming increasingly prevalent in urban centers as an approach to enhance sustainability by improving building energy efficiency, decreasing the urban heat island effect, retaining storm water runoff and serving as a local agricultural source. Despite numerous environmental and social benefits, concerns have been raised regarding the safety of crops grown on urban roof-top farms as vegetation and soils may act as a sink for air pollutants. Emissions from vehicle exhausts, construction activity, and other industrial sources contribute to polluted soils. By evaluating environmental pollutant samples taken from the two largest rooftop farms in the world (Brooklyn Grange), as well as one ground-level rural farm in New Hampshire, the effects of elevation on soil contamination can be determined. Concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, and zinc, were evaluated in soil samples using acid/microwave digestion and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for analysis. Results will be presented contrasting environmental trace metals in soil across the three farm sites. Parameters influencing trace metal levels in soil, including elevation and proximity to primary emission sources will also be discussed. Conclusions of this study will promote clean urban soils, improving the health of both farmer and consumer. Presentation Details 345 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A53 Lauren A. Anderson John A. Duff (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Environmental Science, UMass Boston No Impact? No Way! The Aspirational Challenge of Characterizing a No-Impact Marine Protected Area The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has identified three Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) as no impact zones. These areas are Maui's Ahihi Kinau Reserve, O'ahu's Hanauma Bay Marine Life Conservation District, and New York's Conscience Point National Wildlife Refuge. This paper will examine what is meant by no impact zone, assess whether or not these MPAs meet these standards, and lastly will determine if it is appropriate to use the term "no impact" when addressing MPAs. This will be accomplished by establishing a state of understanding about the purpose and history of MPAs, as well as the level of difficulty associated with protecting the ocean due to its interconnectedness. This will be followed by three mini case studies of the aforementioned sites, in order to answer the central question “Is this site a no impact MPA?” Lastly, upon concluding, this paper will make a suggestion on how to categorize the three areas. Presentation Details 331 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C70 Meghan Elizabeth Bowe Deborah Henson (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Environmental Science, UMass Amherst iCons: The Importance of Soil Science in Secondary Education With a changing global environment, integrated STEM education is paramount to better prepare tomorrow’s students to approach and solve real-world global environmental problems. Soil science is an interdisciplinary subject with application to many critical global issues, and yet it is absent from most secondary education curricula. An understanding of soil processes can aid in understanding the future of global food security, global climate change through carbon sequestration and release, and understanding ecosystem health worldwide. The intent of this project is to create the foundation of a secondary education soil science curriculum. Secondary science curricula would be greatly enhanced with age appropriate soil materials to help explore current topics and develop skills to approach global problems. The majority of the research of this project is to compile a comprehensive soil science curriculum plan consisting of five modules that can be easily implemented and integrated into a high school science program. Incorporating basic soil science subject matter into a secondary curriculum will better prepare students to understand ecosystem interactions, and better prepare them to solve interdisciplinary problems related to food security, climate change, clean water, and over-all ecosystem health. Soil science is an evolving field that needs to be integrated into a secondary education for students to be better able to approach global problems. Presentation Details 349 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A27 Jordyn Renee Chartier Jessica Thelen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Westfield State University Westfield State University Composting Composting systems are beneficial programs to have on college campuses. Westfield State University has one, but it is very under used and unacknowledged by students and staff alike. The system is meant to take food waste and break it down into something more useful, such as fertilizer. According to research on composting at universities, there are many benefits to a large functional system, including saving money, strengthening the campus and surrounding community, educating people by forming clubs that involve after school programs or workshops, as well as reducing greenhouse gasses produced when food is sent to landfills instead of compost systems. However, in order to gain from these benefits, Westfield State University needs to make their system more accessible and increase awareness. Goshen College provides a great model for how Westfield State University could integrate an easy system for disposing food waste in the dining hall and around campus. The current system is completely misused compared to the amount of good it is capable of bringing to the campus if they put in the effort to make it the large functional system it should be. Presentation Details 354 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A36 Julia Criscione Kristina A. Stinson (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Environmental Conservation, UMass Amherst The Effects of Nitrogen Levels on Pollen Production of Phleum pretense Crops greatly benefit from increased levels of nitrogen, but it is important to consider how surrounding plants respond to nitrogen application to crops. Timothy grass (Phleum pretense) is a highly allergenic plant that can be found across North America. This study investigates the impact of various nitrogen levels on the allergenicity of Timothy grass. We grew several specimens of Timothy grass in a greenhouse and applied different levels of nitrogen fertilizer to them throughout their life cycle. Once they flowered, we collected the pollen from each plant and weighed the dried vegetation and roots. Then, we extracted the pollen and processed each sample in a centrifuge. We are currently in the process of counting the pollen that has been processed. Once we have these values, we will use regressions and ANOVA to analyze the data. With increased research on this topic, we can gain more information about which factors impact allergenicity to prepare for these changes and possible public health concerns. Presentation Details 350 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A29 Sarah Currier Holly Walsh John McDonald (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Environmental Science, Westfield State University An Evaluation of Mammal Abundance in Relation to Roads Our poster will present research on how roads affect mammal abundance in Westfield and Belchertown Massachusetts. Cameras allow scientists to collect data without disturbing wildlife and reduce the amount of field work. We will be using Bushnell Trophy cameras that use a passive infra-red motion sensor to detect wildlife during winter and early spring 2017. We will have three cameras set up by roads and three set up in a rural area. Our study is to show how wildlife may be affected by the high road density in Massachusetts. Massachusetts has over 36,000 miles of roads and a population of 6.5 million people. We expect to detect fewer medium and large mammals near busy roads than in a more rural setting. These data can be used to help assess wildlife distributions, potential road crossings, and potential areas for conflicts with people. Presentation Details 361 Room 168 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 Anthony Dangora Forrest Joseph Bowlick (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Geosciences, UMass Amherst Exploring Environmental Conservation Research through Interactive Mapping Engaging citizens with scientific efforts allows community exploration of research, an important aspect of today’s current status of science in society. This project explores the different platforms to host an interactive map, collect spatially-enabled research data, and build a database of easily accessible information. Currently, few interactive maps exist that highlight such research. The goal of this project is to highlight environmental conservation research and share it with interested parties inside and outside of the university. The product will be applicable for academia, connecting researchers and citizens, to those eager to explore what research has been done in their region. Research was carried out through exploring different platforms to host, gather, and map the data. Then, a community geo-tagging effort of identifying research articles to both the affiliated school/research facility and to the exact location of the study area was executed. The challenge of platforms was a big factor in the project along with data extraction/collection. This project was highlighted by a proof of concept, mapping research of the UMass Amherst Environmental Conservation department. Although, there is a need for automation of several steps. The project serves as an important connection of environmental research to citizens. The map can have an array of implications to society and academia. Presentation Details 355 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A37 Justin Eric Esiason Brian Kane (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Environmental Conservation, UMass Amherst A Survey of the Growth Patterns of UMass' Red Oaks and White Pines This project quantifies growth rates of the red oaks (Quercus rubra) and white pines (Pinus strobus) growing on the UMass campus, and examines correlations between their growth rate (or annual radial increment), age, and proximity to engineered structures like pavement and buildings. Through regression analysis, our data shows no convincing correlation between proximity to engineered structures and annual radial increment. However, a strong correlation is shown between tree age and annual radial increment. Urban trees are a valuable resource whose growth patterns are not fully understood, and through this research we provide information to the end of a deeper understanding of these patterns. This research is necessary for effective management of these trees with the goal of maximizing their health and longevity. Presentation Details 332 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C71 Walter Fernandez-Pereira Baoshan Xing (Faculty Sponsor) Stockbridge School of Agriculture, UMass Amherst iCons: Using Foam to Provide Highly Accessible Water Monitoring In order to protect waterways, there must be an ability to monitor them. Contaminants can emerge as run-off from agricultural, pharmaceutical, and personal care products; these contaminants include endocrine disruptors, which affect the developmental and reproductive systems of humans. Passive water sampling is the use of sorption media to uptake contaminants present in aquatic environments. Due to low material and implementation costs, passive water sampling devices can be useful for large-scale monitoring projects while being accessible to many entities. The researched conducted is for the feasibility of foam as a passive water sampling device. Foam has shown an exceptional ability to uptake contaminants, especially when compared to other low-cost sampler material. Foam samples were allowed to equilibrate with solutions, which have fixed concentrations of target compounds, and through the use of High Performance Liquid Chromatography, partition coefficients were determined to measure sorption capabilities. The acquisition of this data will allow a better understanding of how to best implement foam as a passive water sampling device. Presentation Details 336 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A17 Riley Dean Frackleton Todd Fuller (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Environmental Conservation, UMass Amherst An Economic Assessment of the Viability of Fish and Crocodile Aquaculture in Kampong Prohok, Cambodia Fish farming and crocodile farming in Cambodia have been on the rise in the last few decades, but it is crocodile farming that carries the most economic risk, given that Cambodia is not directly integrated into the market -- Cambodian farms strictly sell hatchlings and juveniles to neighboring Asian countries. A structured interview-based method was used to gather economic data on both fish aquaculture and crocodile aquaculture in Cambodia and because there are differing perceptions on what constitutes an expense for aquaculture feed, different economic scenarios were calculated. The return on investment for fish and crocodile aquaculture are proportionally very similar, but it is the expenses and profit where they differ the greatest. Because expenses are so high and return on investment (with all expenses considered) is on average so low, adjustments need to be made as to how resources are allocated for aquaculture. Presentation Details 356 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A38 Tooba Gilani Baoshan Xing (Faculty Sponsor) Stockbridge School of Agriculture, UMass Amherst Laboratory Study on Flexible Polyurethane Foams as Passive Sampling Media The goal of this research is to study the use of polyurethane foams as passive sampler materials for endocrine disrupting chemicals in aqueous media. This study aims to compare and contrast the effectiveness of polyurethane foams to mainstream reference materials (i.e. low-density polyethylene, polyoxymethylene, and silicone rubber) by targeting 10 emerging organic contaminants. This work contributes to a current project to establish the first experimental database on using foams as passive sampler materials targeting 40-50 priority endocrine disrupting chemicals reported in environmental surveys. This research was done through isotherm experiments using the polyurethane foams, starting with the preparation of standard and stock solutions for each compound to sample extractions and analysis by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) after a 24-hour equilibrium period by constant platform shaker agitation. Data obtained from the HPLC were plotted to establish partitioning isotherm curves and further determine equilibrium partitioning coefficients. As a comparative study these methods were applied to the testing of the reference materials on the same group of target compounds. The study also aims to discover new mechanisms of interactions between the foams and target chemicals which lead to such effectiveness, while gathering data to aid the development of a new class of high-performance passive sampler media. Presentation Details 352 Room 803 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Stephanie Persilla Gill Derek R. Lovley (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Microbiology, UMass Amherst The Effect of Geobacter sulfurreducens on Juvenile Lampsilis radiata Growth and Survival Bacteria are some of the most extensive and important organisms on Earth, living in relatively high densities within the aquatic ecosystem, yet their influence on juvenile freshwater mussel growth and survival is largely unknown. In the wild microbes are important food sources for freshwater mussels, however most aquaculture facilities propagate mussels with an algae-based diet. The objective of this study is to determine the importance of bacteria in the diet of juvenile Lampsilis radiata by measuring growth and survival rates over a period of 4-6 weeks. Freshwater mussels can selectively digest food, preferring smaller organisms, not too spherical or spiny, that have a negative electrostatic charge. Genetic sequencing of gut bacteria from wild mussels using the 16S Diversity tool in Geneious© 2005 revealed an array of genera, with Geobacter in a majority of them. A comparison of the size, shape, and electrostatic charge of various Geobacter species resulted in selection of Geobacter sulfurreducens as an experimental food source. Downwelling rearing chambers containing 300 juvenile Lampsilis radiata (Bivalvia:Unionidae) mussels were assembled. Differences in mussel survival and growth were tested amongst four diets: high density bacteria, low density bacteria, Instant Algae® feed (Instant Algae®Shellfish Diet 1800™, and Nanno 3600™, Reed Mariculture, Campbell, CA, USA) and a mixture of bacteria with Instant Algae® feed. The results will provide a better understanding of the importance of bacteria as a food source for early juvenile Lampsilis radiata, and whether the high mortality often observed in juvenile mussels can be reduced through dietary changes. Presentation Details 362 Room 168 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 Andrew Martin Grant Allison H. Roy (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Environmental Conservation, UMass Amherst Investigating the Effects of Interannual Differences in Streamflow and Temperature on Macroinvertebrate Assemblages Climate change has the potential to alter patterns of precipitation and temperature, which in turn could have effects on benthic macroinvertebrates. Benthic macroinvertebrates are aquatic or semiaquatic organisms that spend all or part of their life cycle in water and are important components of aquatic food webs. Many studies have compared macroinvertebrate assemblages among streams with different flow and thermal regimes, but few studies have examined changes in macroinvertebrate assemblages over long periods of time. We seek to quantify the effects of stream temperature and flow on benthic macroinvertebrates over a 13-year period at West Brook in Whately, MA. Macroinvertebrates have been collected annually in late June since 2003, from three sections (approximately 300-400 m apart). We calculated several streamflow and temperature metrics related to frequency, duration, magnitude, timing, and variation of events. Macroinvertebrates were identified to genus (except Chironimidae), where possible, and used to calculate metrics including taxa richness, Shannon diversity index, abundance, and % abundance of EPT (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera) taxa. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine the strength of the relationships between macroinvertebrate assemblages, streamflow, and temperature. We expect that in years of low flows and high temperatures, macroinvertebrates will have lower richness, Shannon diversity indices, abundance, and % abundance of EPT taxa, and that by altering patterns of precipitation and temperature, climate change could have direct effects on macroinvertebrates. Presentation Details 358 Room 168 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Kyle D. Grasso Adrian Jordaan (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Environmental Conservation, UMass Amherst Testing for Differences in Juvenile Growth Rates between Anadromous Alewife and Blueback Herring Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis), collectively known as river herring, are important, anadromous, forage fish distributed along the northeast coast of the United States. Currently, both species are managed together due to geographic overlap in range and difficulty in identification to species level. Until now, most species level divergence is equated to small differences in preferred temperature and migration timing, although there is substantial overlap in these characteristics and both species co-occur during the period of freshwater habitat use. Little is known about differences in growth rates of juvenile alewife and blueback herring. This study aims to fill these data gaps by investigating individual growth rates for the two species. Fish were collected from four coastal lakes (Great Herring Pond, Upper Mill/Walkers Pond, Santuit Pond, and Coonamessett Pond) in Massachusetts. Individual fish of approximately the same length were genetically identified to species and their sagittal otoliths were imaged and aged using ImagePro Software. Age and total length were used to calculate growth rates. Preliminary results show no differences in growth for two ponds (Coonamessett Pond and Upper Mill/Walkers Pond) and differences in growth for one pond (Great Herring Pond). Species-specific assessments of growth are critical for developing appropriate management targets for mortality and understanding the variation in responses to environmental conditions. The results of this study will contribute to our understanding of life history traits that are selected for through evolution, may help predict early life history responses to climate change, and facilitate development of restoration strategies. Presentation Details 351 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A31 Melissa Higley Ariana Paul Becker Tim Parshall (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, Westfield State University Exploring the Effectiveness of Oriental Bittersweet Removal Treatments The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of chemical and mechanical treatments of Oriental bittersweet on trees of varying size, age, and type in Westfield State University’s Experimental Forest. Trees were assessed in terms of health, percent bittersweet coverage in their canopy, diameter at breast height, the number of vines alive on the tree, and the number of roots that had resprouted after previous treatment. The results were then compared with measurements from previous projects. It was determined that tree health increases over time with repeated mechanical treatment, that bittersweet coverage will decrease over time with repeated mechanical treatment, and that mechanical treatment was more effective over time than chemical treatment. On average, bittersweet coverage decreased more after one year with mechanical treatment than chemical treatment. It was also found that root sprouts were more prevalent in chemically treated trees than mechanically treated trees. For these reasons, we recommend the repetition of mechanical treatment to remove Oriental bittersweet most effectively and to prevent sprouting. Presentation Details 341 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A40 Clayton Donald James Jeanie M. Tietjen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Massachusetts Bay Community College The Risks with Using Broad Algorithm-Based Surveillance Techniques to Combat Domestic Terrorism My research seeks to explore the efficacy of computer algorithm-based surveillance and threat analysis techniques used by the FBI in regard to domestic terrorism, while also investigating negative externalities that can come into play as a result of algorithmic biases toward particular types of people based on broad characteristics such as introversion and religious beliefs. This topic is of considerable significance to civil rights experts, psychologists, law enforcement, military, and sociologists. The impact of largescale, broadly reaching surveillance extends far beyond a mere invasion of privacy or concerns about its effectiveness in preventing crime; mass surveillance has been shown to profoundly impact free speech, the ability to organize and protest effectively, and can significantly impact society’s capacity as a whole to stand up for what is right when it is not popular opinion or what the law dictates. The FBI’s focus on monitoring particular social groups based on very broad categories can act as a radicalizing agent for some potential terrorists because upon learning about this many individuals feel alienated provoking them into embodying the suspicions placed upon them (which likely would not happen had they not been under surveillance based on such biased categorization). Wide scale surveillance techniques of this kind also make it drastically harder to single out those who would actually move on to commit terrorist acts because these strategies produce such a massive quantity of results that it can be a challenge for federal agents to find the real threats among all the “potential threats”. Presentation Details 337 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A18 Madison Kremer Andrea Kay Murray Theodore Stephen Eisenman (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Landscape Architecture, UMass Amherst Urban Greening in Mexico City Our research analyzes the history of urban greening – the planning, planting, and maintenance of urban trees and greenspace – in Mexico City. While the study of urban forestry and urban greening in the United States and Europe has been well documented in the past several decades, this discourse largely excludes Latin American cities. We posit, through the example of Mexico City, that urban greening has been a vibrant practice in Latin American cities for centuries. Furthermore, we argue that Mexico City’s urban landscape is a product of the city’s history of colonization, political ideologies, and pollution. For these reasons, we believe that the case of Mexico City offers valuable insight into the challenges and mechanisms of urban greening that the current discourse lacks. In this two-part project, we first depict the history of urban greening via major political ideologies and the cultural influences of the indigenous Aztecs and the Spanish and French colonizers. As a city with a rich legacy of urban agriculture stemming from its famous chinampa farming practices, we explore the process of relegating greenspaces to parks and draining water sources to accommodate rapid population growth and urbanization. In the second part, we investigate how the city is grappling with the effects of urbanization and prioritizing natural systems both today and in its plans for the future. We discuss several current greening initiatives and conclude by looking at Mexico City’s plans for combating climate change, negative effects of growth, and environmental and social issues. Presentation Details 357 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A39 Kallin A. Lang Paige Warren (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Environmental Conservation, UMass Amherst Bugs on Birds Over the past few decades, migrant songbird populations have been steadily shrinking. This trend is exemplified well in Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina), whose populations have dropped over 50% in the past 40 years. However despite these drastic declines, no single cause has been pinpointed. Possible sources for this decrease range from habitat destruction to pesticide use. For the Wood Thrush, one important and understudied aspect of this decline is nest ectoparasitism. Parasites, such as blowflies, that feed on nestlings steal nutrients needed by the chicks to grow and perform vital behaviors, ultimately hindering these birds’ chances of survival. In order to calculate the effects of ectoparasites on baby Wood Thrushes, blowfly numbers and nestling body conditions were measured for a group of 25 nests. Overall, I found that broods more heavily parasitized by blowflies produced birds with significantly larger wings relative to their mass. This finding suggests Wood Thrush chicks are able to adjust their growth patterns in response to nest parasitism. By prioritizing wing growth, chicks may be able to fledge faster and escape their parasitized nest earlier than with regular development. Currently, more research is needed to determine whether increased wing length corresponds to earlier fledging. It is also unknown whether ectoparasitism and the corresponding shift in growth have any influence on long-term survival outcomes of Wood Thrush populations. Likely, instead of just one factor leading to Wood Thrushes’ dropping numbers, there is a complex interplay between variables that all contribute to the observed songbird population declines. Presentation Details 338 Concourse 10:45-11:30 Board C57 Elizabeth Ziying Lin Krystal J. Pollitt (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Environmental Health Sciences, UMass Amherst Development of a Novel Low-Cost Wearable Passive Air Sampling Sensor Air pollution is a major public health concern due to the strong evidence from epidemiological and experimental studies demonstrating adverse health effects. Specific groups of pollutants have been associated with enhanced adverse health, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Current laboratories methods for assessing exposure to these panels of compounds are tedious, limiting the feasibility of evaluating personal exposure on a larger scale. With the aim of enhancing sample analysis throughput, we designed a novel low-cost wearable passive sampler for measuring personal VOC and PAH exposures. Our sampler uses a glass-encased magnetic bar coated with a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film to sequester and concentrate a wide range of organic compounds. This small PDMS coated bar (1 cm length, 0.5 cm diameter) has been housed in silicone wristbands to promote wearability, providing an improved representation of an individual’s exposure. To further streamline the analysis process, VOC and PAH compounds collected on the PDMS film are thermally desorbed directly into a gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometer for separation and quantification. Results profiling personal exposures to 34 to 37 targeted compounds collected over 24-hour exposure periods from a range of rural, suburban and urban microenvironments will be presented. The low-cost and easy-to-wear design of this sampler will enable environmental exposure assessment across large cohorts of children to patient populations. Presentation Details 359 Room 168 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Ana V. Maroldi Rafael Fissore (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Animal Sciences, UMass Amherst Large Mammal Distribution and Density in Yaeda Valley, Tanzania In this study, we evaluated the status of wildlife populations in the Yaeda Valley of northern Tanzania. To assess wildlife densities, we conducted line transect surveys over two short rain seasons of 2015 and 2016 in the area. As part of a line distance sampling design, we walked 115 transects in four distinct strata – Endanaishi plains, Kideru plains, Southern woodlands and Western woodlands. Density estimates were based mostly on animal signs because direct sightings of wildlife were less frequent. To estimate densities, the five most frequent animal sightings – cattle, donkey, sheep and goat (grouped for analysis as “Shoat”) Thomson’s gazelle (Gazella rufifrons) and Kirk’s dik dik (Madoqua kirkii) – and twelve signs were chosen. Data was fit to four detection functions – Half-normal, Uniform, Hazard-rate and Negative exponential. Density estimations per stratum were chosen from the best fit detection function and plotted. Ztests were run to establish significant changes between the two monetary years. Livestock densities continued to stay above wildlife densities in the area, which remained low over both years. Woodland habitats contained the highest densities of wildlife but livestock densities out competed wildlife in the plains. Based on the high species richness present in Yaeda Valley, the area holds high conservation value. Nevertheless, several measures should be taken to maintain its conservational value and potentially increase wildlife densities in this area. For example, increased community involvement in conservation, reduced livestock densities, more effective anti-poaching measures and no-hunting zones should be implemented along with continued wildlife monitoring. Presentation Details 363 Room 168 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 Tara M. McElhinney Rick W. Harper (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Environmental Conservation, UMass Amherst The American Elm in Massachusetts: Restoring the Official Tree of the Commonwealth Ulmus americana (American elm) has long been an important cultural and historic symbol in forest and urban environments of the Northeast. It’s graceful form, wood strength and resilience against harsh growing conditions made it ideal for widespread planting as a suburban and urban street tree. However, with the introduction of Dutch elm disease (DED) in the mid-20th century, caused by the non-native fungal pathogen Ophiostoma novo-ulmi, U. americana populations drastically declined. Due to the destructive effects of DED, urban foresters have struggled to find resistant varieties of U. americana capable of withstanding the disease. Recent research using diseaseresistant genotypes has created optimism that this iconic tree species can once again be restored to the landscape. In January 2016, U. americana seed obtained from the USDA Forest Service research station in Delaware, OH, was germinated in the UMass-Amherst CNS greenhouses by undergraduate students in the UMass Arboriculture/Urban Forestry program. These saplings were then transplanted to the Dakin Field at the UMass Agricultural Learning Center in Autumn 2016. These elms represent crosses of U. americana varieties (‘Valley Forge’ x ‘R18-2’) that have demonstrated high resistance to DED in previous inoculation trials. As part of this longterm research endeavor, we will collect initial growth and survival data during their first season of establishment in the Northeast (Spring - Fall 2017). Presentation Details 346 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A54 Jennifer Oliveira Kim M. Frashure (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Bunker Hill Community College Developing a Mitigation Plan for Sao Paulo’s Water Crisis Sao Paulo, Brazil, is a megacity with a population in excess of 21 million people. Beginning in 2014, Sao Paulo has experienced severe droughts resulting in major water crisis for the city. Droughts have led to the following: the shutdown of the Cantareira water supply system to 6% of its total capacity; power outages due to lack of hydropower; losses to agricultural crops, closures of hospitals and schools; increases to electricity and water bills; severe shortages of drinking water; and impacts to the health and well-being of Sao Paulo’s residents. Spring rain events during 2016, replenished Sao Paulo’s water reservoirs for now, but what about future droughts? The deforestation of the Amazon is one of the main factors for the change in Brazil’s regional climate. My research will investigate other reasons contributing to the drought and water crisis in Sao Paulo. Furthermore, I will recommend cutting-edge water protection strategies, water capture techniques, and mitigation measures. Sao Paulo's state water managers need to take action in order to prevent any future water crisis and to be more resilient during times of drought. Presentation Details 342 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A41 Petros Papastavrou Justin Michael Bozeman Gabriela Duran Marguerite White-Jeanneau (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Laboratory Science, Northern Essex Community College A Study of E. coli Levels and Antibiotic Resistance in the Merrimack River The goal for this experiment is to determine E. coli levels in the tributaries of the Merrimack River. These water samples will be tested for the presence of antibiotic resistant organisms. E. coli is an indicator of sewage overflow pollution. According to the Merrimack River watershed council, combined sewage overflow is one of the main contributors to water pollution in the Merrimack River today. Unused drugs are sometimes disposed of into the sewage system where they can make their way into the surface water. This is a problem because when bacteria come in contact with antibiotics, they produce β-lactamase. As a result bacteria can develop resistance to βlactam antibiotics. We will sample tributaries to the Merrimack River that have shown high E. coli levels in the past. We will use a membrane filtration method to separate the E.coli for examination. We will also plate filtered bacteria onto plates containing ampicillin, to identify betalactam resistant E. coli. The ampicillin resistant E. coli will be screened further using a disc diffusion assay to determine antibiotic resistance patterns against antibiotics including Amoxicillin/clavulonic acid, Ceftazadime, Cefotaxime, Cefotixin, and Gentamicin. This will help us determine if any of the E.coli contain extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs). Presentation Details 343 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A42 Maximilian D. Pavlov Jeanie M. Tietjen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Massachusetts Bay Community College Fusion Power versus Fossil Giants While many nations have been able to create clean renewable energy, replacing the harmful fossil fuels, the U.S. fails to comply. In recent years, physicists from Europe have researched and experimented with a new source of clean energy called Nuclear Fusion. With further development, Nuclear Fusion will be an unlimited source of clean energy that will only need to use a teaspoon of water to generate power for New York City. Fossil fuel is still taking control over the energy market in major countries in the world including the U.S. and China as the biggest polluters to date. However, unlike the U.S., China admits it is a big contributor in damaging the planet's climate and is beginning to strive to clean energy. Environmentalists and Ecologists over the years have been trying to persuade the Federal Government to do everything it can to preserve the environment. But oil lobbyist such as Exxon, Koch, Shell and other companies from natural gas and coal mining do everything in their power to go against any law/regulation preventing them from mining and generating profit. This research will focus on the lack in development of clean energy in the U.S. with Fusion Tech with how it competes with the fossil fuel industry. Presentation Details 360 Room 903 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Dominik N. Raczka Francisco Vivoni (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Sociology, Worcester State University How Anarchism and Syndicalism Can Save the Environment As the world begins to move at an ever-changing rate of social change, the environment is often suffering the effects of devastation thanks to human mismanagement of natural resources. However, a complex web of social problems have arisen like environmental racism damaging families in polluted areas (many of whom are single mothers), political backlash from corporations, hierarchical economics, and anti-environmentalism. Much of the research shows that corporate policies towards the environment displaces much of the natural world, but also affects the people who are unable to leave polluted neighbourhoods or who depend on the environment as their only source of living. As the public deals with the mistakes of the corporate community, there is a way to remedy this situation; we have to change the way the economy and the political system is structured. A growing movement to create a more democratic and sustainable future is slowly gaining ground; utilising Anarchism and Syndicalism as a way to decentralise the economy and make it work for both nature and the proletariat. While the developed world has its resources, the developing continents of Asia, Latin America, and Africa face a greater challenge of having less technology at their disposal but also, how to create a participatory economy when much of their infrastructure is held under corporate or foreign control. Eventually, these mass movements of decentralised workers' self-management allows global society and the environment to create a sustainable future and an equal economy without the need for a political state. Presentation Details 344 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A43 Andresa Riseberg Jeanie M. Tietjen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Massachusetts Bay Community College Renewable Energy Massachusetts is not the state with the most sun, but it has more solar power than most. One factor is how Massachusetts’s legislation has included “net metering” which allowing owners of solar panels to feed back excess electricity into the electrical grid, selling back the electricity to the utilities at the same price as when they buy. In effect it runs the electricity meter backwards. Developers of solar projects have benefited from this and created many jobs. However, utilities have found net metering to be unfair, and they have successfully pushed legislation eliminating net metering in Massachusetts. Clearly there are clashing interests. This research outlines the history of renewable energy legislation in Massachusetts, and the attitudes to it, and it compares and contrasts with selected other states. It describes the development of solar technology and especially the dramatic drop in the cost of solar panels. It discusses the politics of renewable energy in Massachusetts, discussing the various sides involved in lobbying at the State House and their arguments. Finally, it outlines the future developments of solar, which promise to not only become even more financially attractive, but also to change the entire nature of the electrical grid. The main development seems to be the combination of solar with electrical storage. If renewable energy generated locally, for example in residential homes, can be stored there for future use, it reduces the need for a grid as we know it, and it also changes the role of the utilities. Presentation Details 353 Room 803 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Czarina Alexandra Shartle Jennifer Rivers Cole (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Liberal Arts, Massachusetts College of Art and Design Dine, Design, and Disposal In the Nineteenth Century, Americans made decisions about food based on visual cues. We looked at texture and color to see if the meal would give us pleasure or pain. For example, we knew the smooth, bright, colorful fruit would be fresh and nourishing. Today, we still follow similar visual cues, but they are hurting more than helping. When you walk through the average American grocery store, you are welcomed by aisles of shiny, appetizing plastic. Processed “food-like” products now overwhelm our fridges and pantries. Our hungry eyes are tantalized by the bright, fruitful colors and gorgeous design. In fact, Packaging makes up one third of consumer decision making. And every time we return home with our colorful bounty, we take these beautiful objects into our home, and into our garbage cans. Containers and packaging alone contribute over 23% of the material reaching landfills in the U.S. If you think the designers don’t know what they are doing, you are wrong. I should know, because I am one of them. As designers, we are spending years decoding the human brain and how it responds to color, shape, and composition. We know what will make you happy, what will make you anxious, and what will make you hungry. In this presentation, I will show how these "food-like" products mimic natural food, and will show how to return to more natural food as the center of food consumption. Presentation Details 333 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C72 Timothy C. Shea Lena Fletcher (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Environmental Conservation, UMass Amherst iCons: Adaptability of the Composting Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Food waste and other organic matter can be diverted from landfills and made into fertilizer through the process of composting. According to Sustainable UMass, the university composts over 1,400 tons of waste each year, but this figure only accounts for items that are placed in the correct bins. The goal of this project is to reduce the amount of organic waste in landfills by suggesting strategies to improve the university’s composting rate, and by applying these techniques to a potential pilot program at Muddy Brook Regional Elementary School in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Surveys were distributed to campus members to assess their knowledge of composting practices and to understand the accessibility of the program. Comparative studies of other largescale waste disposal systems were analyzed to gain insight from different perspectives, and cost-benefit analyses of Muddy Brook’s pilot program were conducted to determine the feasibility of implementation. Refining the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s composting program will lead to a more sustainable campus and provide a model for other initiatives. Presentation Details 340 Room 168 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Virginia Sowers Allison H. Roy (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Environmental Conservation, UMass Amherst The Effect of Calcium Supplementation on the Growth and Survival of a Freshwater Mussel As of 2013, over 65% of freshwater mussel species were considered endangered, threatened, or vulnerable. Where dispersal limits freshwater mussel populations, reintroduction and augmentation using propagated mussels has been considered an ideal conservation strategy. Mussel propagation has been successful at multiple culturing facilities; however, methods are still being refined to develop best practices. Our study assessed the effect of increased calcium on the growth and survival of a common freshwater mussel. Freshwater mussels require calcium to grow shells, yet field studies indicate that freshwater mussels occur across wide ranges of calcium carbonate. Although lab studies have linked decreased calcium availability to impaired growth and survival of numerous freshwater fauna such as crustaceans, amphipods, and gastropods, to date only one study has experimentally examined the role of calcium carbonate in mussel development. To our knowledge, our study is the first to experimentally test the effects of calcium on juvenile development. We had 5 treatments: 2 levels of calcium created using a coral media calcium reactor, 2 similar levels of calcium chloride, and a control treatment with natural levels of calcium. Each treatment had four replicate chambers of 750 juvenile mussels that were housed for 8 weeks in downweller chambers. Live mussels were counted and measured weekly to calculate growth and survival rates. If calcium supplementation is related to increased growth rates, calcium may be used to decrease culturing time in a laboratory setting, leading to reduced expenses and increased production. Presentation Details 334 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C73 Molly Travers Alison Bates (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Environmental Conservation, UMass Amherst iCons: Public Perceptions of Renewable Energy Global warming of Earth’s atmosphere is an increasing problem in our society today. The burning of fossil fuels is releasing greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, which has led to global temperature increases and negative environmental impacts. Yet, fossil fuels still compose about 88% of our total energy use. However, renewable forms of energy such as wind power, solar power, and tidal power are available. This is a turning point for society, but outside factors such as public opinion must be considered before renewable energy projects are implemented. Public opposition already affects areas of renewable energy like tidal power. This project will focus on a proposed tidal project in Maine that is in conflict with a local Native American tribe. Tribe leaders are concerned about the effect on local fisheries and have said that the project would cause “unacceptable destruction” to their resources. The tidal project has not yet been implemented partly due to the economic and social concerns of local citizens. The focus of this project is to investigate the effect of public opinion on renewable energy projects, using the Maine tidal project as a case study. Research will be conducted through telephone interviews. This work is essential to the scientific community because developers need to know whether or not a project in a given area will be feasible. This project aims to determine the cause and effect of local public perceptions of renewable energy, so that developers can take this information into account when planning new projects. Presentation Details 347 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A55 Tatyana Tyushina Kim M. Frashure (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Bunker Hill Community College Using Household Waste to Power Your Home Resilience and renewable energy go side by side especially in the era of increasing global energy demand. There is an increasing trend for American families to utilize more environmentally friendly energy sources in order to become more resilient and to reduce energy costs. Yet, beyond energy efficiency measures and solar panels, little is available for the residential sector. My project will evaluate the feasibility of adapting biomass gasifier technology at the residential level in the Boston area. Biomass gasification is a process of converting solid biomass into a combustible gas (called producer gas) through a sequence of thermo-chemical reactions. The benchmark of a gasifier is that it allows for the effective energy production while utilizing household waste products including food, wood and plastics, thus eliminating the expense of household waste disposal. Furhermore, gasifiers will reduce the waste disposal going into landfills; an environmentally unsound practice. The purpose of this project is to identify whether a family size gasifier unit is an efficient way of energy production for a household, waste management and its potential safety risks. The focus of my research will include cost analysis, manageability, and safety hazards. Resilience is ability to adapt to and sustain life in effective manner. If the family becomes less susceptible to external power disruptions from the local electricity and gas authority all while converting waste products into environmentally friendly energy – it becomes resilient. Presentation Details 348 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A56 Mariah Rain Whipple Libby Dunphy (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Science and Engineering, Bunker Hill Community College Repurposing Fish Biowaste How do fish affect us? What are we taking for granted, when it comes to fish in our ecosystem? Overfishing and ocean pollution continue to be complex issues for the global community. We eat fish as a protein source, we use them in research to help our health, and we keep them as pet companions. Now we are learning to recycle fish remains for things such as clothing leather, green energy, and even self charging battery sources. In this research, I will be an advocate for fish to bring awareness to their decline and the real importance they have to humans and the environment. I am hoping to help educate on new and innovative ways to use fish remains so they don’t become harmful waste. I will present uses for fish in the medical sciences, mental health fields, and cutting edge research on uses for fish bio-waste. Fish population decline affects the whole world. With a better understanding of how much we actually rely on marine life, we will be better informed on making decisions that will sustain fish populations and communities. Animals populations that are as important as fish need to be understood to bring out their fullest potential. Presentation Details 339 Concourse 10:45-11:30 Board C58 Tracie Winn Diane Flaherty (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Economics, UMass Amherst Making Environmental Policy Sustainable: Cost and Benefits of REDD+ in Brazil, Indonesia, and Mexico High global GHG emission levels increase the pace of climate change and deterioration of the environment. Politicians and environmentalist have long debated how to respond to these rising GHG emission levels. The Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) program provides monetary incentives for developing countries’ carbon sequestration initiatives to maintain carbon stock and reforestation efforts. The program’s importance stems from the forestry and land-use change sector's status as the second largest emitter of GHG. This study examines the cost and benefits of REDD+ on indigenous and forest based communities in Brazil, Indonesia, and Mexico. The analysis assesses the socio-economic and environmental impact in these designated communities by examining several sources of evidence concerning the consequences of the program. These include the perceptions of stakeholders through data from secondary sources and review of evaluations of REDD+ and forest carbon projects, documents on the initial project proposals, information on the extent of implementation, and social impact. In addition, the analysis considers the role played by local participants and nonparticipants. Indigenous and forest based communities rely on forests as a resource, so climate change can not only compromise their livelihoods, but also can make the people vulnerable to international climate mitigations. The research will be conducted through a case-oriented mixed comparative methodology using both qualitative and quantitative data. Using this data, the thesis examines specifically the carbon market and the impact of GHG reduction policies in Brazil, Indonesia, and Mexico, which requires analysis of various policy documents, reports, case studies, and other secondary sources. Multiple sources of evidence tend to support the conclusion that the costs of carbon markets in developing nations outweigh the potential environmental benefits, a strong example of why climate change initiatives need to be socially sustainable. Presentation Details FINANCE 367 Room 163 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Rachael Lynne Dooley Catherine Gardner (Faculty Sponsor) Honors Program, UMass Dartmouth The Importance of Professional Equality LGBTQ+ equality and acceptance are increasingly prevalent societal issues. Through compilation and analysis of the LGBTQ+ equality ratings and return on assets of Fortune 500 companies, my research aims to show whether gender diversity and LGBTQ+ inclusion and acceptance lead to better financial performance. In order to quantify the effects of workplace equality on firm performance, I analyze the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index and measure it against the profitability of firms in the Fortune 500. The Corporate Equality Index provides a thorough report detailing the LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination policies and overall attitude toward LGBTQ+ issues among Fortune 500 companies. After collecting data spanning the past decade, it was concluded that there is not a strong correlation between return on assets and a company’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI) rating, as provided by the Human Rights Campaign’s CEI Report. Despite this, the ten-year span of corporate LGBTQ+ equality data is a valuable tool for future research on the financial effects of LGBTQ+ equality. Presentation Details 373 Room 177 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 Odin Enzmann Nikolaos Artavanis (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Finance, UMass Amherst The Evolution of Credit Default Swaps This essay seeks to examines the evolution of the Credit Default Swaps markets and trading patterns over the past few decades, with emphasis on the 2008 Financial Crisis, and the Dodd-Frank Act. Here the paper evaluates the effects of imposed regulations and the role of Credit Default Swap markets on efficiency, transparency, spreads, and how they trigger financial crises. This study compares pre- and post-crisis Credit Default Swap market framework to determine what type of settings are susceptible to morally hazardous behavior, and were more likely to generate another event of global contagion. Presentation Details 366 Concourse 1:30-2:15 Board C61 Lucas Fernandes Michael Dubson (Faculty Sponsor) Honors Program, Bunker Hill Community College Resilience: The Empowerment of Fans within a Sports Organization Traditionally, football clubs are funded through corporate sponsorship. Out of ninety-two top flight clubs in England, only five are fan owned. This research will highlight how one football club succeeded by empowering their original fan base in times of bereavement and will highlight AFC Wimbledon as a case study for resilience; the ability to recover from setbacks, adapt well to change, and keep going in the face of adversity. Founded in 1899, it took the club ninety-seven years to move up to first division football where they won their first top-tier trophy. While planning the construction of a new stadium the owners sold the club, and under new management, the team fell from grace and were relegated to the second division in 1999. The new owners sought to rebrand the team as “Milton Keynes Dons” and proposed to relocate the club forty-six miles away from Wimbledon. The large majority of Wimbledon F.C. fans strongly opposed the idea and believed that the team would no longer represent Wimbledon F.C.'s legacy and traditions. As such, the fans who opposed this transition founded AFC Wimbledon under "The Don’s Trust", a democratic non-profit organization which in which the fans own 90% of the club. Starting in the 9th division, AFC Wimbledon made their way to the 3rd division in only thirteen years and now competes in the same division as the Milton Keynes Dons. Through fan empowerment, Wimbledon is now a more resilient team than any club in English history. Presentation Details 368 Room 801 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Zachary Steven Golub Zaur Rzakhanov (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Accounting and Finance, UMass Boston California Dreamin' According to a 2016 survey conducted by Bloomberg, 56% of all startup companies that received at least $20 million in venture capital funding between 2009-2015, decided to base their company in California (Busso et al., 2016). Despite high business taxes, strict environmental regulations, and high cost of living, California continues to play a central role as the hub of the venture capital economy. In an investment environment where the average deal for a U.S.-based IPO since 2010 is a staggering $198.5 million (Busso et al., 2016), it is imperative that investors and founders alike be able to identify the various factors that can impact a VC investment’s probability of success. As the forces of globalization and technological advancement reduce the impact of geographic distance within the business world, our research looks at whether the choice to locate a startup company in California increases the odds of reaching a successful exit. Using instrumental variable analyses, we find a causal effect of California location on successful outcomes. Overall, the results indicate that it is important to consider the high number of venture capital firms, and seasoned expertise found in California when choosing a location for your startup firm. Presentation Details 370 Room 177 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Brendan Francis Hastings Nikolaos Artavanis (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Finance, UMass Amherst Government Debt and Agency Costs This paper aims to explore the accumulation and effects of debt around the world. The agency costs associated with representative democracy contribute significantly to the accumulation of national debts. As the debt held by the public increases and long-term liabilities mount, it is important to examine the underlying causes of debt accumulation and the impacts they have on the overall economy. These results can be used as the basis for creating a budgetary framework that promotes long-term debt reconciliation and economic growth. Presentation Details 374 Room 177 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 Soumya Karra Nikolaos Artavanis (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Finance, UMass Amherst Financial Literacy, Optimism Bias, and Student Over-Indebtedness This paper examines the role of financial literacy and optimism biases among college students on outstanding student over-indebtedness. I extend the findings of previous literature, that indicate lack of financial literacy among college students and overoptimism regarding post-graduate events, by surveying a large number of college students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. I evaluate the financial literacy of the participants and test how it relates to over-indebtedness in conjunction to two biases; the overestimation of expected starting salary and the underestimation of future loan payments. Overall, the paper underlines the importance of financial literacy in helping students make sound financial decisions. Presentation Details 371 Room 801 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Kimberly Liu Nikolaos Artavanis (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Finance, UMass Amherst The Impact of Brain Drain on Countries Recovering from Economic Crises International migration has been a growing trend for many decades and the aim of this paper is to study the forces driving the movement of high skilled migrants and the impacts such migration may have on sending and receiving countries that are recovering from economic crises. Tracking economic indicators, such as employment rates, GDP growth, productivity growth, and FDI as well as social indicators, which include education and inequality among others, in sending and receiving countries during periods of economic recovery will provide insight as to how high skilled migration may contribute to the varying paths to recovery that countries experience. I hope to analyze the previously mentioned short and long term indicators following periods of economic crisis; and expect to find that receiving countries will display stronger indicators both socially and economically as compared to sending countries. Understanding the economic and social impacts of high skilled migrations carries many implications as the trend of international migration continues and findings will impact the ability of future migration policies to maximize the benefits of all countries involved. Presentation Details 364 Room 803 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Justin Lordito Marcelino Raminder Luther (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Finance, Salem State University Academic Performance of Student Athletes Numerous studies have been conducted over the years to find out exactly what factors play a primary role in determining the academic success of student-athletes in college. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a survey on existing writings and literature pertaining to this relationship. Using secondary data from the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and various academic journals, this paper examines the factors and conditions that affect academic performance as well as their level of impact. One would generally expect that participation in collegiate athletics will lead to better academic performance because the learning from organized regimen of the competitive season may carry over into the student-athlete’s academic life. However, research findings show that this is not always the case. Studies have shown that student-athletes participating in a high-profile sport with high time demands such as basketball and football are found to perform better academically in the off-season despite taking fewer courses during the season. Although the NCAA reported that graduation rates of Division I student-athletes had gone up considerably over the last 15 years, a closer look at the report indicates that the rates differ based on other factors. Based on the literature, factors that may impact academic performance are type of sport, high school GPA, race, gender, and university ranking on U.S. News’ “Best Colleges.” Presentation Details 372 Room 165 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 Hanyu Xiao Nikolaos Artavanis (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Finance, UMass Amherst Financial Liberalization and Transparency as Determinants of Economic Growth in South East Asia This paper examines the role of financial liberalization and transparency on economic growth for South East Asian economies. Consistent with the previous literature, I find that both liberalization and transparency have a positive effect on future growth. However, economies can effectively weather financial crises and exhibit accelerated recovery only if both elements exist. Liberalization without transparency exposes the economy to additional risks, during turmoil periods, while transparency without liberalization undercuts the growth potential of the economy. I use regression to analysis to show the relationship between financial liberalization, transparency and economic growthin nine South East Asian countries over the past three decades. Presentation Details 369 Room 801 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Wenyan Yang Zaur Rzakhanov (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Accounting and Finance, UMass Boston Does Waste Management Affect Firms’ Financial Performance Per previous research, bad environmental performance which could be attributed to legally emitted toxic chemicals, is negatively correlated with the intangible asset value of firms (Konar and Cohen, 2001). As a result, many regulations and standards, for instance, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, have come into effect to reduce toxic waste emissions. However, not much research has been done focusing on the impact of environmental performance in waste management of non-toxic packaging material waste on a firm’s financial performance. Thus, this thesis would focus on how company’s management of non-toxic packaging waste relates to company’ financial market value. If penalties imposed by regulatory agencies are sufficient or if investors value non-toxic waste management programs, then markets award greater value to firms that effectively manage non-toxic waste. Presentation Details 365 Room 911 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Kexin Yu Zaur Rzakhanov (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Accounting and Finance, UMass Boston Ownership Structure and Fund Performance – Evidence from China This research will examine the relationship between the ownership structure of fund management companies and fund performance in China. It will do so by evaluating the return of equity funds, and using a multiple regression to find the relationship between fund performance and concentration of ownership. The question to be investigated is whether the concentration have a direct relation with the fund performance; that is does high concentration of ownership structure has a positive, negative, or no effect on fund performance? Presentation Details GEOGRAPHY 375 Room 905 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Daniel Riecker Timothy Lang (Faculty Sponsor) Commonwealth Honors College, UMass Amherst France's Vulnerability to Terrorism In the past two years, dozens of terrorist attacks have occurred on French soil, claiming hundreds of lives. My thesis aims to explain why France has become such a vulnerable target. Extensive literature exists on the subjects of decolonization, French integration models, and its geopolitical positioning in the world today. I draw from each of these fields in order to argue my case. I find that news-making controversies like headscarf bans and military air strikes wrongfully dominate the discussion on France and terrorism. I argue to the contrary that these are not causes of attacks, but rather unsurprising developments in a story that has been unfolding for decades. I find the Algerian War of Independence to be the critical starting point, as it fractured the society into many parts that each maintain their own often mutually exclusive memories, thus making the events impossible to process. I consider moments of civil unrest, notably the October 1961 protests in Paris and the 2005 riots in the banlieue, while also analyzing France’s perspectives on diversity and integration. I survey France’s contemporary geopolitical maneuvers in order to understand its relationship with its former colonies and its apparent stance as a war hawk. I synthesize all of this under the hypothesis that processes of memory and exclusion involve many constituents each with their own agency. Only in understanding the deep and complex undercurrents of French society and their roots in recent history can its vulnerability to terrorism be fully grasped. Presentation Details GEOLOGY 377 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A01 Autumn Alexis Burrell Michael A. Krol (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Geology, Bridgewater State University Geochemical Analysis of the Basaltic Rocks from Volcanoes of the Hawaiian Island: Implications for their Evolutionary Stage of Development Geochemical analyses of basaltic rocks were performed from five volcanoes on the Big Island of Hawaii. From north to south these volcanoes include: Kohala; Hualalai; Mauna Kea; Mauna Loa; and Kilauea. These volcanoes have formed through several distinct stages of volcanic growth and development. During each of these stages, the lavas extruded will be composed of a distinctive geochemical signature which corresponds to each of the 4 main phases of development. These include a 1) preshield building; 2) main shield building; 3) post-shield building; and 4) a rejuvenated stage. The geochemical results are used to establish the evolutionary stage each volcano is in and provide insight on the sources of the magma driving these eruptions. Samples were collected from a variety of prehistoric and historic lava flows on Hawaii and prepared in the Department of Geological Sciences. Samples were analyzed for major oxides and trace elements geochemistry using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) techniques. In addition, a detailed petrographic analysis of thin sections will be performed on each of the samples, allowing the mineralogy and textures of these lava flows to be identified. Petrographic results will be combined with geochemical results to develop a model for the source of the magma and how it has changed over time. Presentation Details 378 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A40 Anna C. Campbell David Boutt (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Geosciences, UMass Amherst Hydrologic Response of the Salar de Atacam Transition Zone to the Extreme March 2015 Pluvial Flood The Salar de Atacama (SdA) is a 3,000 km2 salt playa on the western side of the Central Andes in northern Chile. The Transition Zone (TZ) is located on the southeastern edge of the halite nucleus of the SdA, at 2300 m.s.l. The TZ hosts lagoon complexes and open pools that are fed by internal, down-gradient drainage of high elevation precipitation on the adjacent Andean plateau (Boutt et al. 2014). In March 2015, rare atmospheric conditions produced direct precipitation on the salar surface that resulted in extreme flooding and mudflows that devastated nearby cities, and significantly impacted the hydrologic system of the SdA. The basis for this study includes the hourly water level, temperature, and fluid conductivity data collected by 25 pressure transducers across the TZ. Critical appraisal of the geology, topography, and environment of the pressure transducers facilitates logical comparison of different locations with similar attributes, and maintains the physical context of the transducers’ locations relative to each other and within the TZ as a whole. The amassed data is analyzed for the rate and magnitude of change in temperature, conductivity, and water level during and after the event, as measured against antecedent conditions of the particular transducer on March 1st, 2015. Preliminary hydrographs show a spatiotemporally heterogeneous response to the event. The most detailed inspection pertains to the transducers closest to surficial water bodies and their response to the March 2015 Pluvial Flood synthesized in respect to surface water extent observed from satellite imagery. Presentation Details 382 Room 911 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 Kayla Cox David Boutt (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Geosciences, UMass Amherst Using Heat as a Groundwater Tracer to Constrain Evapotranspiration in the Salar de Atacama, Chile The Salar de Atacama (SdA) is a topographically-closed, hyper-arid basin located in northern Chile. The watershed of the salar is recharged by the adjacent Andean Plateau. A thick evaporitic crust on the basin floor provides the world’s largest lithium mineral reserve. As the global demand for lithium increases, it becomes more critical to understand groundwater flow, evapotranspiration and solute transport in this region. The massive evaporite deposits suggest high rates of evapotranspiration, however at the Transition Zone (freshwater-brine interface), lagoon complexes remain preserved and indicate varying rates of evaporation. This study uses heat as a groundwater tracer at shallow depths to constrain evaporation. In January 2015, eight temperature rods were installed for a six-day period. Each rod contains five sensors which record temperature profiles at different depths. At shallow depths, the time series should reflect the diurnal temperature signal, however this signal may be dampened with a upward groundwater flux. Four rods were installed in locations where the water table was below the ground surface, and four were installed where the water table was at or above the surface. Vertical Fluid Heat Transfer Solver (VFLUX) extracted phase shift and amplitude differences in the time series and employed heat transport processes to produce estimates of evapotranspiration. Results reveal that evaporation is not homogeneous throughout the Transition Zone, and that the lagoon complexes experience high evapotranspiration rates. Using heat as a tracer is an effective tool for constraining evapotranspiration in other regions of SdA and similar hyper-arid environments. Presentation Details 379 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A41 Nadine Doiron David Boutt (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Geosciences, UMass Amherst Late Pleistocene and Holocene Stratigraphic Architecture of the Subsurface of Tidmarsh East Tidmarsh farms is a retired cranberry bog in Plymouth Massachusetts, that is the focus of the Living Observatory (LO) project. The LO project aims to tell the extended story of the Tidmarsh Farms Wetland Restoration and to advance scientific knowledge and public understanding of wetland ecology. This research will contribute to the project by creating a detailed understanding of the subsurface stratigraphy of the bog to determine the timing of the development of the modern bog system. To do this three 6 meter vibracores, taken from the bog in 2013 are being utilized. First, the stratigraphy of each core was recorded in detail and digital stratigraphic columns were created to allow for easier correlations between the cores. Loss on ignition testing has been conducted to determine the concentration of organics through the cores. Preliminary results suggest that after the retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet from southern Massachusetts, melting and collapse of an ice filled depression, a lacustrine environment dominated followed by a gradual transition to an anoxic environment conducive to the accumulation and preservation of organic matter. GPR data shows ~5 meters of post-glacial sediment in the basin, our new observations suggest that only 1.5 meters of this is organic rich sediments. This transition will be dated using 14C of organic matter in the core. Once completed this research will be on display at the bog sight, as part of the LO exhibit and will provide visitors and scientists with insight into the formation of the modern bog system. Presentation Details 380 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A42 Julia Mary Ann Hathaway Julie Brigham-Grette (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Geosciences, UMass Amherst Reconsrtucting Kame Terrace Deposits of the Laurentide Ice Sheet in the Central Connecticut Valley, Massachusetts Throughout parts of the Quaternary, the Laurentide Ice Sheet covered much of Canada and extended across most of the northern United States. The retreat of the Laurentide ice sheet from the last glacial maximum, 20,000 years ago created much of the surficial geology seen in New England today. While the nature and style of deglaciation in New England is already known, glacial landforms in the highlands either side of the Connecticut Valley have not been placed in a geochronological framework. Kame terraces formed along the ice margin define the height and slope of the ice margin as it became topographically controlled during retreat. Using GIS, kame terraces in the Pelham and Leverett highlands were mapped using LIDAR (Light imaging Detection and Ranging) and USGS surficial maps. 2-dimensional ice sheet modeling was then used to develop a profile of the ice lobe in the valley. Employing the Antevs varve chronology updated by Ridge et al (2013), the position of the ice terminus was placed in the same relative time frame as the time of kame terrace formation. Rates of ice down wasting in the Amherst – Northampton area are placed within the story of New England deglaciation. Presentation Details 381 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A43 Jacob William Light Jonathan Woodruff (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Geosciences, UMass Amherst Investigating Wildfire Behavior and Hurricane Interactions: Mullet Pond Revisited Hurricane and wildfire interactions for the southern United States, Mexico, and Central America have received relatively little research attention. Here we present a 4500 year high-resolution macro charcoal wildfire record from the late Holocene. This record was compiled from sediment cores obtained from Mullet Pond, a coastal sinkhole in the central panhandle region of Florida. These cores were the basis for a previously published paleo-hurricane record by Lane et al. 2011. This new record was developed using the same sediment cores, and both records reconciled with a Bayesian age model. Active hurricane intervals identified by Lane et al. occur between 1700 to 600 years before present (YBP) as well as 3000 to 2300 YBP. Fire frequency does not appear to vary throughout the entirety of the record. The intensity of wildfires, based on the magnitude of the charcoal peaks, does vary throughout the record, indicating two intervals of heightened wildfire intensity. The oldest segment of high intensity fires takes place from 3100 to 2300 YBP; 100 years before the corresponding hurricane interval and ending the same time as the active hurricane interval. The second high intensity fire interval occurs from 2100 to 1050 YBP; beginning 400 years before the onset of the analogous active hurricane period and ending 450 years prior to the end of the active hurricane interval. In this study, it appears that intervals of increased hurricane activity do not influence fire frequency. However, in the majority of two periods of hurricane activity, increased wildfire intensities are observed. Presentation Details 376 Room 162 8:30-9:15 Panel 1 Stephen Clark Lukas John Gartner (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Geosciences, UMass Amherst Flooding, Channelization, and Restoration: Predicting Geomorphic Responses and Channel Stability at the Chickley River, MA River restoration projects are seldom analyzed rigorously and quantitatively after completion. Here, I test a quantitative method to characterize a standard goal in river restoration projects: channel stability. Channel stability is the ability of a stream to transport flows and sediment such that the channel dimensions and profile are maintained without severe erosion or deposition. Established geomorphic theory shows that stable channels have a Shields parameter (θ) of ≈ 0.05 and may adjust slope, grain size, and depth to meet this value. However, θ has seldom been used to predict channel stability, based on a corollary hypothesis that if θ ≠ 0.05 then the channel is unstable. The Chickley River (Hawley, MA) provides a natural laboratory to test this hypothesis, with a series of events that altered geomorphic conditions, including Tropical Storm Irene (2011), subsequent channelization (2011), and restoration (2012) with a series of repeated channel surveys (2011, 2012, 2016). I use 1-dimensional HEC-RAS modeling to calculate θ at 15 survey cross sections at three different timeframes: channelized pre-restoration (2011), post-restoration (2012), and subsequent post-restoration (2016). Results show θ = 0.08 ± 0.03 in channelized conditions (2011), and field observations indicate unstable conditions with knickpoints and bed erosion. Post restoration (2012), θ = 0.06 ± 0.02, and field observations plus repeat surveys indicate channel stability with minimal adjustments in channel dimensions between 2012 and 2015. This research contributes to recent paradigm shifts in river management to restore river systems to natural states and tests technical approaches to predict channel stability. Presentation Details 383 Room 911 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 Megan Elizabeth Thompson-Munson Isla S. Castaneda (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Geosciences, UMass Amherst Understanding the Environments in which Early Humans Lived: Insights from Organic Geochemical Analyses of East African Rift Valley Paleolakes The idea of climate as a driver of human evolution has become significant in recent scientific studies. However, many different hypotheses about human evolution drivers exist, and there is much debate surrounding this issue. Our knowledge of climate and environmental conditions at the times that our ancestors lived is poorly constrained, and often the nearest paleoclimate records are located thousands of kilometers away from fossil hominin and artifact sites. The Hominin Sites and Paleolakes Drilling Project (HSPDP) aims to resolve these outstanding issues by reconstructing past environments through examining sedimentary archives located near key hominin archaeological sites. In this study, we use organic geochemical techniques to reconstruct the vegetation and temperature from two lake basins in the East African Rift Valley. We reconstruct temperature from bacterial membrane lipids, and vegetation from ancient plant leaf waxes preserved in lake sediments. These sediments come from the West Turkana (Kenya) and Northern Awash (Ethiopia) Basins, which are areas of great anthropological significance. The West Turkana Basin spans from ~1.9 to ~1.45 Ma and has yielded some of the most complete Homo habilis/rudolfis and H. ergaster fossils. The Northern Awash Basin spans from ~3.6 to ~2.9 Ma and has one of the greatest abundances of Australopithecus afarensis fossils. Our study provides new constraints on temperature and vegetation at these critical intervals in human evolution. Presentation Details GERONTOLOGY 384 Concourse 1:30-2:15 Board C62 Brenda Atchison Lisa A. Jones Nina M. Silverstein (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Gerontology, UMass Boston Sharing Healthy Aging Community-Level Data with Local Stakeholders: A Call-toAction Students in an online research seminar explored healthy aging in their own communities in Massachusetts, Colorado, Texas and New Jersey through a case study approach. Healthy aging is defined by the World Health Organization as the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables well-being in older age. The domains we included were: nutrition, social engagement, physical activity, meaningful lives, health, safety and security. For the Massachusetts communities, secondary data were extracted from the 2014 and 2015 community profiles of 351 cities and towns and 16 Boston neighborhoods. The community profiles, created by the Gerontology Institute at UMass Boston, are in the public domain on the Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative website supported by the Tufts Health Plan Foundation. Each profile contains over 100 indicators of healthy aging and compares communitylevel estimates to state rates. For the other states, indicators were drawn from census, county-level data, and local data where available. Primary data were collected via key informant interviews designed to facilitate an examination of the community profiles, help identify any challenges and/or strengths, and highlight what community resources are available and needed. Recommendations were shared to help stakeholders build on strengths and address challenges observed in the selected communities. An outcome of this study is a healthy aging strategic planning worksheet to assist community stakeholders in their short and long term efforts to address the challenges identified through this research. Presentation Details HISTORY 396 Concourse 1:30-2:15 Board C63 Jennifer Badji Monica Poole (Faculty Sponsor) Department of History and Social Sciences, Bunker Hill Community College Decolonizing Disease: Synthesizing Traditional Medicine and Western Medicine for Global Resilience In developing countries, since antiquity many traditional medical techniques have been used to fight diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, and even cancer. Often these techniques are discarded when Western medicine becomes more accessible to that country. The developing world understands that Western medicine has some effective techniques for fighting diseases, and adopts them eagerly. Yet, perhaps due to what some scholars have termed the colonization of medical knowledge, the Western world has not participated in an equal exchange: it has denied itself the opportunity to learn from traditional medical techniques in the developing world. In parallel, medical practitioners in the developing world sometimes discard marginalized traditional medical practices in favor of new Western medical practices, sometimes to their patients’ detriment. My research explores the efficacy of traditional medicine from GuineaBissau and its possible applications in a global world. I will consider both the ways traditional medicine and Western medicine could be synthesized productively in GuineaBissau, and I will also consider how Western medical practitioners could adopt some techniques from Guinea-Bissau for applications in Europe and North America. Drawing on all our global medical resources--traditional and Western alike--will help the developing world and the Western world both to develop greater capacities to withstand threats to health. Presentation Details 391 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A44 Jonathan Michael Bevis Maureen M. Sowa (Faculty Sponsor) Department of History and Social Sciences, Bristol Community College The Homes and Lives of the American Victorian Era Elite A few of the homes of the Victorian Era elite - such as those found in Newport, RI or the Ames Mansion at Borderland in Easton, MA - are preserved as museums that capture the imaginations of visitors. People come to catch a glimpse into the lives of an elite class that was marked by great opulence and excess. Through research and hands on work in one of these mansions - namely the Ames mansion at Borderland, a better picture is made of their lives and how it compares to the lives of the other classes of their time. What were their lives like as they carried on in their beautiful homes? Has anything changed? Events such as World War and the depression would alter many of the elite’s lives. Through learning about the Victorian elites, their homes and the changes of the 20th century a better appreciation of the landmark homes is achieved. Presentation Details 390 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A15 Danielle E. Cabral Howard Tinberg (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Bristol Community College The Media Coverage of the Lizzie Borden Trial of 1892-1893 and Its Impact What effects, if any, did the media have on society during the Lizzie Borden trial from 1892-1893. The findings will be based on research from Newspaper clippings, telegraphs, lawyers' papers, personal and private, any correspondence that society and the accused had with the lawyers and friends that are available. Law reviews will also be used to determine the effects of the media. Due to the lack of professionalism, yellow journalism, gag orders, ineffectual police work and conflicts of interest back in that time, the media had the town in an uproar. By revealing the effects that the media had on society and the effects that society had on the lawyers, this could potentially serve as a learning experience for future journalists and the ability to determine "fake news" from actual events. Presentation Details 385 Room 803 8:30-9:15 Panel 1 Jessica Campaniello Tona Hangen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of History and Political Science, Worcester State University The Life of Children at Manzanar: Education and Recreation The purpose of my research paper, “The Life of Children at Manzanar: Education and Recreation,” was to gather information on the educational and recreational experiences of the young Japanese American citizens that were interned at the Manzanar War Relocation Center during World War II. I was originally drawn to the topic of Japanese American internment during World War II, because it is a piece of the history of the United States that I feel is neglected in our traditional educational experiences. However, I knew that there was a story within the history that I wanted to explore some more. While we may be familiar with why over 110,000 people were forced into these camps, and why it was wrong for this to happen – we don’t typically learn much about their experiences while there. Manzanar is the most well-known of the ten War Relocation Centers, therefore, I decided to focus my research on the youth that were at Manzanar. How were they able to continue their education, while interned. What activities were they involved with? What did they experience? What were their concerns? As seen through an an analysis of the camp newspaper, The Manzanar Free Press, Manzanar's young people tried to achieve lives of normalcy despite their unique circumstances as Japanese-Americans in a War Relocation Center, in California, during World War II. Presentation Details 399 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A33 Zoe Kathleen Cheek Mara L. Dodge (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Humanities, Westfield State University The Lavender Scare: The People, the Pain, the Panic In 1951, President Eisenhower signed Executive Order 10450 barring homosexual men and women from federal employment. In doing so he officially sanctioned systematic persecution of gay and lesbian people in the workplace, the military, and daily life to a degree not yet seen in America. Scholars have labelled this era the Lavender Scare and attributed its rise to the xenophobic and frenzied politics of Senator Joseph McCarthy. The move against homosexuals destroyed the burgeoning gay and lesbian communities formed during and after World War II. Using primary sources such as letters from victims, flyers, photos, and declassified government documents, in addition to the work of noted historians, this paper examines the lives of its victims. Specifically, this paper argues that those persecuted during the Scare were not passive victims. Instead they fought back and created the politically motivated activist groups that rose to prominence in the 1960s gay rights movements, including the the Gay Liberation Front. The anger and despair felt by the Scare victims, including Franklin Kameny and Buell Dwight Huggins, directly shaped the earliest gay activist groups like the Mattachine Society. In turn these organizations created the structure of LGBTQ activism used by the movement today. Understanding the early origins of the gay rights movements recognizes that the tensions that erupted at the 1969 Stonewall Riots did not arise from nothing. Rather this paper demonstrates that these tensions began with the fear and pain of the Lavender Scare victims, who used their anger to start a movement. Presentation Details 405 Room 905 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 Miles Cipriano Mara L. Dodge (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Humanities, Westfield State University Khomeini's Establishment and Consolidation of Power in Post-Revolutionary Iran, 19791989 This paper describes the methods and tactics used by Ayatollah Khomeini to establish and consolidate power in the first decade following the revolution, 1979-1989. The research focuses on the perspectives of Iranians in revolutionary and post-revolutionary Iran and the obstacles Khomeini had to overcome to establish and consolidate power, as well as his attempts to curb economic and political exploitation by Westerners. The sources researched include scholarly journals, vetted surveys from historians, and Khomeini’s speeches and lectures during his 14 year exile from Iran. Through examination of these texts it becomes clear that Khomeini had a well-thought out plan to seek and garner popular support to help him overthrow a powerful monarchy and operationalize the country’s transition into an Islamic State. Khomeini was able to harness the Muslim faith to rid Iran of a long-standing system of monarchy and to establish a governing structure and system that is still functioning after 38 years despite harsh sanctions from the West as well as internal discontent. Khomeini’s treatment of his opposition was harsh and unforgiving. In the end the revolution and Khomeini’s consolidation of power came at a great cost to the people Iran and their way of life. Presentation Details 404 Room 804 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Hallie Helm Dunlap Jennifer Fronc (Faculty Sponsor) Department of History, UMass Amherst The Evolving Carceral State: The New Faces of Mass Incarceration This thesis examines the replicating political and carceral trajectories of the War on Drugs in the criminalization of immigration. By analyzing political rhetoric and policies, I argue that the United States’ penal response to drug use after the 1960s was not an isolated reaction to a racialized social issue but the beginning of a trend in which politicians’ attract voters using “tough on crime” rhetoric to suggest that the United States can incarcerate its way out of various complex social problems by incapacitating minorities. In the course of my research I will use political speeches, election data, public opinion polls, and reports by government agencies and NGOs. This presentation will demonstrate that the United States’ response to nonviolent drug and immigration offenses are related. Politicians pursue incarceration and prison privatization despite its fiscal and human costs because voters favor ineffective punitive measures over confronting collective responsibility for poverty, racial inequality, and exploitative foreign policies. Presentation Details 393 Room 801 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Ashley Ann Fongeallaz Sarah Wiggins (Faculty Sponsor) Department of History, Bridgewater State University Accessorizing Agency: Nineteenth-Century Women's Fashion Adornments The parasol, the fan, the gloves, and the chatelaine were popular staples of nineteenthcentury women’s fashion. Women used these items in numerous ways—from intentional uses such as covering their fair skin to the unintended, using subtle romantic and flirtation language by direction and movement of their accessories. Even the materials of these accessories were stimulating to the senses. Fashion embellishments bestowed women sensual agency within the public sphere. The accessories allowed women to play with their sensuality in ways that challenged Victorian society’s perception of women’s sexuality. Unfortunately, there was often a backlash from male peers. Newspapers and Punch cartoons mocked women’s fashion accessories with biting words and demeaning visual depictions. However, men simultaneously had their own hands in the business of women’s accessories; they were the creators and producers of many of these vilified items. Femininity was seen as inferior, and the more women sought autonomy, the more their material culture was criticized. With the compartmental and gendered ideology of Victorians being pushed and challenged, much of the patriarchy fought to control and uphold the ideas ingrained within society, because they were less complex and easier to understand than the changes women pursued, especially in regards to sexuality. Presentation Details 387 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A28 Patrick Gould Sarah Mulhall Adelman (Faculty Sponsor) Department of History, Framingham State University Communication and Family Roles: An Analysis of Massachusetts Civil War Soldiers' Letters Communication during the Civil War for soldiers was limited to a couple of mediums, the most famous of those being letter writing. Another prominent form of communication during the Civil War era was newspapers, as they were the national medium for describing major events in the war. This paper analyzes the letters of Civil War soldiers from Massachusetts and analyzes what these letters tell historians about familial relationships and modes of communication in the Civil War era. This paper argues that the letters of Massachusetts Civil War soldiers entail a personal nature because the newspapers stuck to reporting the major movements and battles of the war. The article further develops to argue specifically that the letters demonstrate the different relationships between family members, i.e. the father-son relationship varied from the mother-son relationship. From this argument, scholars can understand the vast difference in familial relationships in the mid nineteenth century as well as the popular modes of communication during the Civil War, most significantly the differences in use of letters compared to newspapers. Presentation Details 400 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A35 Tameika Elizabeth Heathman Marijoan Bull (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Geography, Westfield State University The Woronake Tribe of the Algonquian Nation An account of the history of Native Americans before settlers is sparse, and thus must be pieced together like a puzzle from various sources including archaeological finds, the biased accounts by colonists, and familial knowledge of indigenous descendants. This research uses archival materials from the Springfield Museum, local histories, land treaties, and a report from the Massachusetts Historical Commission, to piece together the history of the Woronoake, the tribal nation that owned and inhabited the land between the Westfield and Little Rivers. This poster succinctly tells the story of the Woronoake people before the land was acquired by European settlers through what little is known, and has been discovered. The Woronoake people belonged to the Pocumtuck Confederation of the Algonquian Nation. Algonquian society was primarily hunting based, but also harvested the “Three Sister” crops, corn, beans, and squash. Their location also allowed them to trade with other tribes as far as the Hudson River in New York via a network of foot trails that extended west of the river. Through treaty, this land would be acquired by John Pynchon from Sachem Alquat and come to be known as Westfield. The Woronoake continued trade with settlers, but disease and political intrusion by the settlers caused the tribe to suffer. By the conclusion of King Philip’s War, the remaining Woronoake dispersed to Vermont, Canada, and west of the Hudson River. From this research audience members will learn about the original inhabitants of Westfield and gain a greater insight into the remnants of the culture that still exist today. Presentation Details 392 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A45 Nicole Maib Alexandros K. Kyrou (Faculty Sponsor) Department of History, Salem State University An Analysis of the Motives of the British Parliamentary Members, Edmund Burke, Isaac Barré, and Charles James Fox, Who Supported the American Colonists During the American Revolution When most people think of the American Revolution, they think of the rebellion by the American colonies to break away from the Parliamentary tyranny happening in the British Government through the taxation policies enforced without the colonists’ representation in Parliament. Many people do not realize that across the sea where the tyranny was coming from, there were also members in Parliament fighting against the taxation policies. These members, called the “Americanists,” were mostly members of the House of Commons. Among their most eminent members were Edmund Burke, Isaac Barré, and Charles James Fox. This thesis analyzed Burke, Barré, and Fox’s motivations and role in Parliament using a variety of both primary and secondary sources including Parliamentary debates, letters, and research by other scholars. The main finding was that each member focused on the principle of the tax and the illegal actions Parliament was taking against the colonies. Each member wanted to bring peace between the Empire and colonies again, restoring the balance that revolved around trade and economic purposes. Parliament was warned by these members that the colonies would keep rebelling and eventually try to break away from the Empire, something the Empire could not afford to lose. Overall, The Americanists, not widely recognized, were essentially proponents of the American Revolution across the sea where the tyranny was coming from, contributing to the overall fight for American liberties and freedom. Presentation Details 394 Room 803 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Morgan Lin McDonough Emily Redman (Faculty Sponsor) Department of History, UMass Amherst An Imperfect System: Policy, Pensions, PTSD, and the US Civil War While the Civil War is one of the most well studied subjects in United States history, the topic of mental illness among soldiers during this time period has not been widely researched. Drawing on extensive research on pension and census records, contemporary publications, and records from the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C., this paper describes the process by which individuals, interest groups, and politicians pushed the federal government to expand its medico-legal responsibilities to include soldiers who had suffered mental illnesses in the line of duty. This effort began with reformers pushing the government to create the Government Hospital for the Insane for the treatment of soldiers, continuing throughout the war with civilian asylum directors demanding that the army and the government take responsibility for the soldiers the Government Hospital and other like institutions had been forced to treat. It continued after the war had ended, with the massive expansion of the Civil War pension system and court cases that acknowledged and codified the government’s responsibility to “insane” soldiers. While the army’s system was flawed, it was a step forward in the government’s acceptance of the responsibility of care for mentally ill soldiers. These early improvements in the military’s mental health system would lay the foundation for modern policies in military mental health. Presentation Details 403 Room 905 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Justin Patrick McKinney Brian Williams (Faculty Sponsor) Department of History, UMass Dartmouth Tarek Mehanna and the Evolution of Cyber-Jihad As countless news outlets around the world document the growing threat of ISIS attacks, it is impossible to not ask ourselves how this can be happening. How can thousands of bright young people, from both western and eastern nations, be throwing their lives away in order to wage jihad against the world? To put it simply, using the technological advancements of the past decade or so as catalyst, ISIS has created a terror global terror network beyond comprehension. However, their methods in waging what many experts have dubbed “cyber-jihad” are nothing new for Islamic terrorism. As early as 2004 a young man from Salisbury, Massachusetts named Terek Mehanna was responsible for establishing a New England based terror network, with purpose of recruiting and possibly committing acts of terror in the name of Al-Qaeda. This study examines the eerie similarities between Mehanna’s cyber-jihad from 2004 until his capture in 2008 and the current one being waged by ISIS. It also dives into the ways, in which ISIS has taken Mehanna’s method of cyber-jihad and evolved it into something far more sinister with the use of modern technology. The study grounds itself in FBI evidence from Mehanna’s cases, firsthand accounts from Mehanna’s confidants, propaganda produced by ISIS, as well as countless studies conducted by groups such as the FBI. While the study sheds light on the evolution and possible future of cyberjihad, it offers solutions on how western governments can combat the growing threat of cyber-jihad. Presentation Details 401 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A37 Gregory James McMillan Mara L. Dodge (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Humanities, Westfield State University On the Edge: American Responses to the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 Occurring at the height of the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis is one of the most prominent events in our nation’s history. Much has been documented about the situation in general; its inner workings, the players involved, and their debatable intentions. It is considered Kennedy’s finest hour in his tragically abbreviated time as our nation’s leader. Most Americans perceive him as the hero who stood eye to eye with Premier Khrushchev, and made him blink. But what has not been investigated nearly enough is how the general public perceived the actions of their government during this time of great crisis. Scant attention has been given to the influence this event had on the mindset of the everyday American. My research aims to discover how the American people felt during this thirteen-day standoff in October of 1962. Using personally conducted interviews with people who lived through the crisis, along with government reports and public opinion polls, I examine the impact that the Cuban Missile Crisis had on the American people. Through my work, I concluded that most Americans were incredibly tense and anxious during this moment of chaos. Bomb shelters were built, stores were cleared out, and practice drills were an everyday occurrence in schools. From Boston to Seattle the American people were afraid of what could happen next. We were on the edge; this was the closest the world has ever come to a full scale thermonuclear war. Presentation Details 402 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A39 Emily Maria Mikson Mara L. Dodge (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Humanities, Westfield State University Eleanor Roosevelt’s Impact on Women’s Rights and Civil Rights during the 1930's While the 1930s are often remembered as a time of economic crisis and presidential leadership, the decade also witnessed extensive social, cultural, and political reforms for several marginalized groups of Americans. Some of the loudest demands for reform during this critical time came from the voices of women and African Americans. As the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt implemented New Deal programs to provide economic relief to American citizens, dedicated activists campaigned for more rights for women and African Americans. However, the majority of these strides were carried out under the leadership of the First Lady, rather than the President. Mrs. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt repeatedly used her position to impact women’s rights and civil rights during the Great Depression, even influencing the decisions of her husband in these controversial subjects. Using both primary and secondary resources, including Mrs. Roosevelt’s newspaper column, autobiography, dairy entries, and personal notes, along with memoirs written by close companions, this paper demonstrates her singular contributions. Mrs. Roosevelt worked for more female and African American employment opportunities, greater representation of women and minorities in government positions, greater aid to impoverished mothers and widows, and antilynching campaigns, and set an outstanding feminist example for American women of that era and beyond. Presentation Details 397 Room 163 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Brooke C. Parziale Timothy Lang (Faculty Sponsor) Commonwealth Honors College, UMass Amherst Transnational Desires: Globalization and the Evolution of Sex Work in Modern Korea This thesis examines how globalization has shaped Korea’s sex industry through three phases: the Japanese colonial period, the US military occupation, and post-1988 Olympics. Scholars of Korea have usually focused on military occupation as the main context in which prostitution flourished during the period from 1910 to 1980. Following the Seoul Olympics, Korea loosened its migration policy, causing an influx of Southeast Asian migrants to fill labor gaps in the manufacturing sector. Filipina women also migrated to Korea, eventually settling in US camptowns, where they were employed as sex workers in local bars. While previous scholarship focuses on sex work from a colonial perspective, scholars have not linked the military periods to a larger process of globalization. My thesis seeks to fill in the gaps. Drawing on historical monographs, newspaper articles, government reports, and current policies, I place these separate narratives into an overarching theory about the process of globalization. While most scholarship locates the start of Korea’s globalization around 1988, I pinpoint it to the beginning of the Japanese colonial period in 1910. I show that sex work in Korea has developed through three phases. First, the Japanese military government transformed the previously pseudo-feudalist sex worker system into a commercialized industry. With the United States military presence in Korea, the sex industry consolidated and moved to surrounding camptowns near US bases. After migration policies were relaxed in the early 1990s, Russian and Filipina migrants made up the majority of camptown women. Keywords: Globalization, Korea, US Military, Japan, Prostitution, Sex Workers, Migration, Philippines, Russia, camptowns Presentation Details 398 Room 905 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Christina Mary Price Annette Renee Chapman-Adisho (Faculty Sponsor) Department of History, Salem State University And All That Jazz It is the 1920s in America; you want NOTHING more than to pursue what you love which is performing on stage. However, you are an African American girl living in the south, which makes that dream a little (immensely) difficult to achieve. Let us travel across the world for a second to 1920s France; you are living in a slum outside of Paris and your mother is trying to make it big as a singer.However, the public hears you sing and immediately falls in love with your mystery. In order to make it big, you assume you must sleep your way to the top. Josephine Baker, an African American woman, and Edith Piaf, a greasy poor girl living in the streets, lived these two dreams. They were two very different women who shared a lot in common throughout their lives as entertainers. Despite the fact both women never met, Baker and Piaf are two woman that demonstrate fighting for what you believe in and accepting your whole life and regretting nothing will get you to your dreams and goals. Presentation Details 388 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A30 Craig J. Reynolds Maria Alessandra Bollettino (Faculty Sponsor) Department of History, Framingham State University Revolutionary Legacy: The Politics of Western Massachusetts and Shays’ Rebellion This research project contends that the underlying political differences present within Massachusetts during the eighteenth century played an important role in the outbreak of Shays' Rebellion. This work demonstrates how longstanding political differences between the regions of western Massachusetts and the Boston area were amplified by a series of factors in the post-American Revolutionary era, among them an economic depression, westerner's feelings of alienation from the political decision-making process, and, perhaps most importantly, the experiences and rhetoric that many in western Massachusetts had taken from the Revolution. These divergent political viewpoints and the amplifying factors present in the state at the time made violent and armed resistance seem a logical, and the only, solution to the rebels' problems. Presentation Details 395 Room 803 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Kieran Gianni Shakeshaft Maria Alessandra Bollettino (Faculty Sponsor) Department of History, Framingham State University The Ill-Fated City on a Hill: Civilian Identity and the Siege of Boston This paper investigates the impact of the Siege of Boston (1775-76) on the personal identities of those civilians who endured the siege. Analysis of correspondence, diary entries, and other sources written by civilians reveals that their experience of the siege crystallized and affirmed their communal, provincial, and political identities. Confronted with the horrors of war, civilians were prompted to make definitive statements about who they were as individuals. Whether the siege pushed civilians to stand by their communities or to become more active politically, the opening chapter of the American War for Independence was a significant event in the lives of Bostonians and played a decisive role in shaping how they saw themselves. Though military historians have examined the Siege of Boston, the plight of civilians has not been the focus of their attention. Likewise, historians of identity have been predominately focused on the development of national identity, instead of the maturation of more local and personal identities among revolutionary era civilians. This paper offers a fresh perspective on the siege and on the effect of the American Revolutionary War on the evolution of personal identity. Presentation Details 386 Room 803 8:30-9:15 Panel 1 Graham Steele-Perkins Kevin A. Young (Faculty Sponsor) Department of History, UMass Amherst The Phoenix Program: Tracing the Origins The Phoenix Program was created during the Vietnam War in 1967 in response to the recognition by American military leaders that they needed a counterinsurgency plan to defeat the Viet Cong. It was becoming clear that conventional warfare was unable to win the “hearts and minds” of the Vietnamese rural population, which was to be crucial if there was any hope of the South Vietnamese government surviving without American assistance. The Phoenix program hoped to accomplish this goal by targeting and eliminating suspected civilian supporters of the Viet Cong (VC), known as the “Viet Cong Infrastructure” (VCI). This paper will examine the two main factors that played a role in the creation of the Phoenix program. The first is the failure of previous pacification efforts by the U.S. and the Government of South Vietnam (GVN) such as the strategic hamlet program. The second factor is the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and how their expertise in paramilitary operations led the agency to focus on counterinsurgency, rather than intelligence gathering. This paper will argue that the CIA’s failure to accurately assess the motivations and level of commitment of the Viet Cong fighters was directly responsible for the agency’s decision to implement the Phoenix Program as a drastic solution to the insurgency created by a series of blunders committed by the American military, the CIA, the Johnson Administration, and the United States’ GVN allies. Presentation Details 389 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A32 Suzanne Rachel Wright Maria Alessandra Bollettino (Faculty Sponsor) Department of History, Framingham State University Americans’ Positions on Ireland’s Simultaneous Cause for Self-Rule from Great Britain Irishmen, like Americans, sought independence from Great Britain during the late eighteenth century. After the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, Americans owed their newly gained independence, in part, to the Irishmen who fought alongside them. Scholars have tended to focus on Irishmen’s involvement in and opinion of the Revolutionary War. Instead, largely through an analysis of primary sources including letters, newspaper articles, and speeches, this paper examines the complicated stances American political elites and those without political power took on Irish independence. Political elites never wanted to get involved in Ireland’s cause for self-rule. At first, this was because government officials prioritized America’s own war for independence. By the 1790s, Federalists’ unfounded fears about Irish independence and ethnocentrism led to the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts to prevent Irish immigration and participation in politics. While Republicans maintained amiable relationships with Irishmen, they did so merely for their own political gain. Americans without political power who identified as Patriots during the Revolutionary War encouraged Ireland to pursue independence once America’s was secured. Later, ordinary Americans' stance on Irish independence was shaped by party affiliation or their ability to empathize with Irish emigrants. Ultimately, this paper reveals that Americans failed to reciprocate the support Irishmen gave to America during their cause for self-rule, and in so doing, in the words of the anonymous American author of the 1799 address “To the Friends of Freedom and Public Faith,” covered “the honest countenance of America with the odious Mask of faithless Ingratitude.” Presentation Details HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM MANAGEMENT 406 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A46 Abigail Lynne Swass Emily Z. Brown (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Library, Bristol Community College Being Home Schooled on a College Campus In many ways home schooled students are just like students who have gone to public or privates schools. Although the two approaches to learning are very different, but in the end the student graduates with a well rounded, full education and a diploma. In this project, what will be looked at is how a home schooled student goes about choosing a college, and attending without any past knowledge of enrolling for classes, attending lectures, and functioning in a classroom. As a result of this comparison, this research project will cover how the former home schooled student functions on a community college campus, and what were their adjustments and challenges were. Furthermore, looking into what their reasoning behind choosing a community college over a four year university. Research will be done via email questionnaires/surveys and one-on-one interviews. Presentation Details INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES/BDIC 411 Room 905 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Emilia Dora Beuger Audrey L. Altstadt (Faculty Sponsor) Department of History, UMass Amherst Counter-Terrorism in the East and West Islamic terrorism has been at the forefront of world news with attacks in Europe and all over the world. The purpose of this research is to examine how states respond to extremism and the degree of effectiveness of these measures. Counter-terrorism efforts are due to widespread fear of radical Islamic terrorism. Using scholarly sources about terrorism and the universality of human rights, as well as independent reports from human rights organizations, this paper seeks to compare counter-terrorism efforts in Germany and Uzbekistan. At the heart of the research is the Security concerns in counter-terrorism versus individual rights, which is crucial to studying counter-terrorism around the world. My goal is to examine the motivations, punishments, and implications of the counter-terrorism efforts of democratic Germany and authoritarian Uzbekistan. Legal and political structures are implicated in these counter-terrorism policies. The judiciary strive to act as an independent body to keep the government in check, but it can also act as an ally to the government in allowing these policies to continue. The implications of counter-terrorism laws do not only apply to the individual citizen, but apply, and alienate, Muslim populations in Germany and Uzbekistan. How will these counter-terrorism measures change in response to the perceived threat of radical Islam? How will Islam and personal freedoms fare as countries adopt these policies? Presentation Details 414 Room 174 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Nicholas M. Blauch Michael Tarr (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Psychology, UMass Amherst On the Modularity of Mind and Brain: Insight from Simulations of Deep, Convolutional Neural Networks Dating back to Fodor’s Modularity of Mind (1983), many scientists and philosophers have proposed the existence of mental modules, devices of the mind dedicated to automatic processing of a certain restricted class of information. In cognitive neuroscience, mental modules have been reframed as cortical modules, in order to account for preferential activation of a certain expanse of cortex by a certain class of stimuli. The most influential example of a theorized cortical module is one for the processing of visual faces, located in a sub-region of the brain’s fusiform gyrus, termed the Fusiform Face Area (FFA) (e.g. Kanwisher et. al, 1997). Others have argued that the FFA is not a face module but instead is part of a distributed, topographical representation of visual information (e.g. Haxby et. al, 2001). These authors have demonstrated that, for example, activation patterns across the FFA allow for decoding whether a participant is viewing one of two non-face visual categories, suggesting that non-face stimuli may be processed in the FFA (Haxby et. al, 2001; Hanson et. al, 2011). Here, we define two levels of modularity to determine whether cortical modules should produce the type of evidence used to argue against modularity: 1) localized object category representations in a neural network trained for 1000-way object categorization, and 2) a deep layer within a neural network trained exclusively for expert facial recognition. Both types of modules produce decodable information about non-preferred categories. Thus, current evidence in neuroimaging can not rule out the presence of cortical modules. Presentation Details 412 Room 917 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Jacob C. Cohen Yehudit Heller (Faculty Sponsor) Commonwealth Honors College, UMass Amherst The Downfall and Redemption of Anakin Skywalker: Star Wars Episodes I-VI Understood as Tragedy My interdisciplinary honors thesis presents a new conception of the literary genre of Tragedy, involving the concepts of loss and sacrifice, the ennoblement of the Tragic Hero, and the improvement of society. I argue that the highest function of Tragedy lies in offering us the hope, tempered by sorrow and wonder, that the great depths of human suffering are meaningful. In my literature review, I analyze and build on key theoretical works, including Aristotle’s Poetics, G.F.W. Hegel’s lectures on Tragedy in the Aesthetics, Normand Berlin’s The Secret Cause: A Discussion of Tragedy, and Joseph Campbell’s The Power of Myth. In my fiction analysis section, I examine four Tragedies from different time periods and cultures to defend my claims, including Sophocles’ play Oedipus at Colonus, Albert Camus’ novel The Plague, George Lucas’ film series Star Wars: Ep. (I - VI), and the anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica by the Magica Quartet. In my presentation, I will first establish a vocabulary of some of the most important theoretical concepts in Tragedy, including Aristotle’s hamartia and katharsis, Hegel’s emphasis on ethical conflict and reconcilliation, Berlin’s discussion of mystery, and Campbell’s understanding of hero’s journey. With that foundation, I will focus specifically on the core narrative of the Star Wars Saga: how the good Anakin Skywalker becomes the evil Darth Vader, and how Vader regains his humanity and fulfills his role as the “Chosen One.” Through Anakin’s painful journey, I hope to illustrate my thesis on Tragedy and highlight the genre’s modern relevance. Presentation Details 407 Room 177 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Stephanie Marie Teixeira Collins Amy Beaudry (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Quinsigamond Community College The Domestication and Devaluation of Women Captured in Dystopian Literature This presentation will connect ideas from a work of dystopian literature, Wither, with historical facts. A mysterious “virus” is killing the population, an internal self-destruct that causes them to have a lifespan of twenty years for females and twenty-five for males. Wither shows the reader the necessity of feminism within a patriarchal society. Written from the perspective of a young woman named Rhine, the reader is offered insight into the treatment of women and the expectations placed upon them in this society. Rose and her sister wives, Jenna, Rhine, and Cecily all exemplify different facets of feminism and the expectations women face in a patriarchal society. Wither also shows that, despite the progress made in women’s rights in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, circumstances can lead to regression. Progress is a fluid concept. No matter how many steps forward are taken, any lapse in forward momentum can cause progress to be lost. In the case of Wither, the shortened lifespans that everyone faces necessitate a return to a time when the primary purpose for women is to breed the next generation. Due to decreased life expectancy, there is a limited amount of time for women to bear children and thereby preserve the human race. Progress can be unraveled more easily than anyone wants to believe. The impact of patriarchal society on women is captured in Wither by Lauren DeStefano, shown through Rhine’s progression from life as a free woman to life as a captive. Presentation Details 408 Concourse 1:30-2:15 Board C64 Shane Joseph Connolly Abigayle J. Beaumont Christina Lam Qinguo Fan (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Bioengineering, UMass Dartmouth Non-Destructive Measurement of Moisture in Blister-Packaged Drugs Medicine and pharmaceuticals have been around for decades and with one dosage a person can get on their way to getting better from an illness or sickness. Drug blister packets are made in a factory in a controlled environment to assure quality and to keep the moisture content below five percent. This is to protect the drugs from deterioration caused by bacteria. We proposed to develop a non-destructive device, with which the detection of moisture content of blister packages can be made. Our device will make use of the principle of capacitors, where the capacitance is proportional to the dielectric constant of the materials between two parallel plates. Using the packets as dielectric material between two metal plates, we can find the moisture content inside of the blisters. Our device will be capable of measuring the capacitance of the blister packet with the moisture within the blister. Almost all materials have a property known as a dielectric constant, which is an indication of how good they are at storing a charge. The higher the moisture content within the blister, the higher the capacitance will be. A base capacitance will originally be determined from oven-dried drug packaged in a blister. Any increase from this base value will almost certainly be an indication of moisture presence inside of the blisters. The idea of this project is to create a device that can measure the moisture content inside the drug blister package non-destructively using the principle of capacitors. Presentation Details 415 Room 805 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 James Nepenthe Frank Nicholas C. McBride (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Journalism, UMass Amherst Engaging Whiteness through Critical Contemplative Action What is Whiteness and how is it constructed? In this session we will explore the origins and development of White identity construction and the detrimental effects of Whiteness as a racial identity. Through the use of contemplative practices, participants will be encouraged to critically examine the ways in which whiteness as a social identity perpetuates individual and greater systems of oppression. We will work to create an understanding of how contemplative practices can help inform anti-racist activism and provide grounds for radical identity transformation. Presentation Details 409 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A41 Amber Namery David M. Kalivas (Faculty Sponsor) Commonwealth Honors Program, Middlesex Community College Lethal Beauty: Consequential Ethics and the Cosmetics Industry Cosmetics have been in use for over twelve thousand years and has evolved into a massive and profitable industry. The obsession of looking and feeling beautiful fuels a great deal of social behavior. From an ethical standpoint, there are subtle and not-sosubtle undertones of unethical methodologies related to the makeup industry, including the use of potentially lethal ingredients, animal testing, and marketing campaigns that claim to do the unachievable. Cosmetics have many toxic ingredients with damaging medical side effects and the cosmetic industry also engages in questionable animal testing. Many products have been known to cause illness, which is unethical and is one of the worst consequences for consumers. There are two sides to animal testing: ensuring humans don’t have harmful reactions seems to justify testing while harming animals offers a counterpoint to testing. Cosmetic marketing campaigns offer beauty regardless of side effects and the illusive search for lost beauty; a consequence of marketing is that more people will buy the product to feel young, creating profit for the company and perpetuating the current state of affairs in the cosmetic industry. A consequential ethical analysis of the beauty industry showcases its true values as well as its detriment to society. Presentation Details 410 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A43 Lauren Nicole Stornelli Enrique Morales-Diaz (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, Westfield State University Postcolonialism: A Psychological Mindset This presentation will talk about bridging the divide between the United States in relation to Puerto Rico and Cuba. Since 1898, the United States has been the colonizer, establishing an oppressor/oppressed relationship, leaving the oppressed resenting their lack of freedom. Specifically the U.S.'s relationship with Cuba has been on poor terms until 2014, when Raul Castro and Barack Obama opened communication between the countries. Now, the U.S. is trying to reestablish their relationship with Cuba, in addition to trying to aid Puerto Rico in the economic crisis. With this economic crisis, though, arises the awkward limbo status of Puerto Rico, which is a territory of the United States. As a territory, Puerto Rico does not have the same rights as a state of the U.S. does, however Puerto Rico is not independent, thus falling into a division on the island and their relationship with the U.S. Through a postcolonial lens, this project analyses the relationship the United States has with Cuba and Puerto Rico throughout different time periods. Starting in 1898 and progressing forward, this presentation will focus on the development in the relationships between the U.S. and Puerto Rico and Cuba. In understanding the events leading up to the current relationship the U.S. has with Cuba and Puerto Rico, the divide between the U.S. and these countries becomes a pressing matter that demands attention and a solution to bridge the divide between these countries. Presentation Details 413 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A44 Francesca Nicole Walsh Erik Cheries (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, UMass Amherst How do Millennials Make Decisions?: The Relationship between Perceived Instability and Impulsive Behavior Millennials have grown up in one of the most turbulent economic and geopolitical periods since the early twentieth century. The goal of our study is to examine how such uncertainty and instability might affect millennial’s judgement and decision making, particularly regarding how they weigh short term rewards vs. long term benefits. We examine this question in our experiment by assigning undergraduates to one of two conditions, one that primes participants to either feel secure and reassured and one that primes them to feel unsure and anxious. We then test to see whether these participants’ subsequent decisions differ in the degree of impulsive and risk taking tendencies using two classic measurements: the temporal discounting task and a Go NoGo task. In order to explore how such decisions may be mediated by personal biases and individual predispositions towards anxiety and impulsivity, we also compare participants’ baseline measurements of gambling and risk-taking behaviors using standardized survey measures. This project is an important first step for examining the direct effect that high levels of environmental uncertainty has on reasoning and impulsive behavior. Presentation Details INTERNATIONAL STUDIES 417 Room 911 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Stavros Atlamazoglou Michael Dubson (Faculty Sponsor) Honors Program, Bunker Hill Community College China into Angola: A Quest for Oil and Legitimacy Along with China’s stupendous economic growth of the past decades--consistently around 10% in terms of GDP--comes an ever-growing appetite for natural resources and international legitimacy. Angola, a country rich in oil and with a corrupt government, offers China the opportunity to quench to a certain degree both of these goals. The purpose of this research is to observe the methods with which China attains its goals in Angola and their impact on this African country. Employing scholarly articles, books, US, EU, and transnational actors’ reports and data, and international newspaper articles, this research project analyzes the extent of the Sino-Angolan economic, political, and military relationship. Particular attention is paid to the oil-tied loans, where funds are exchanged for barrels of oil, and China’s investment strategies. The results of the research reveal an alarming reliance of Angola’s regime to China, which, in return, ensures that the Chinese goals are met, but to the overall detriment of Angola’s sustainability and the quality of life of the Angolan citizens. Such Chinese initiatives, moreover, are not pertinent to Angola only but indeed widespread throughout the African continent. In conclusion, from all the available evidence, it seems that China has achieved a nearly-complete dependency relationship with Angola. Presentation Details 416 Room 803 8:30-9:15 Panel 1 Shea Elizabeth Kelly Timothy Lang (Faculty Sponsor) Commonwealth Honors College, UMass Amherst Russian Intervention in Ukraine For my thesis, I have researched and analyzed what motivated Russia to invade and annex Crimea in 2014. Russian policy toward Ukraine merits study given that the annexation of Crimea presents a clear threat to regional and international stability. My research also offers insight into Russia’s future foreign policy and suggests that it will become more aggressive as the liberal world order faces internal and external threats. My research draws on scholarly works analyzing the annexation, Russian foreign policy, and realist theory in order to gain a nuanced understanding of Russian actions and to establish a theoretical framework in which to interpret them. Many scholars view the annexation as either premeditated, in which case Russia is an absolute aggressor, or as an act of self-defence after explicit Western provocation. My thesis concludes that the annexation has three tiers of causes: The first includes deep causes, such as NATO expansion and geopolitics. The middle tier includes energy policy and consolidating domestic power. The third tier, or trigger causes, includes the Euromaidan movement and ousting of Yanukovych. I interpret the annexation, using defensive realism, as a rational yet spontaneous calculation by Russia to protect its influence and security interests in the region. I also predict that in the near future, Russia is likely to use military intervention when it perceives a threat to its influence in post-Soviet territories. KEYWORDS: Russia, Ukraine, Crimea, Geopolitics, Annexation, Putin, NATO, Defensive Realism, Military invasion Presentation Details 418 Room 905 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Julia Marie McLaughlin Timothy Lang (Faculty Sponsor) Commonwealth Honors College, UMass Amherst An Investigation into the Psychology of Terrorism For my senior thesis, I researched the overarching and complex issue of terrorism, specifically surrounding the Paris attacks of 13 November 2015. For the world at large, this topic is unfortunately becoming ever more pertinent. Therefore, I used my experiences studying abroad in Paris during the attacks to help shed light on this controversial issue. To tackle this project, I researched the psychology behind the mind of the terrorist. From there, I looked at how individuals and governments respond to terrorism. I have also conducted interviews with Americans, international students, and French friends, all of whom were in Paris at the time, in order to tell their stories and show how they were affected by these horrific events. Finally, I added my own personal reflection in response to the attacks in order to further humanize the problem. The questions I am ultimately trying to answer surround the historical, psychological, and social dimensions of terrorism. Why do terrorists do what they do? What motivates them? How does terrorism then affect individuals on a personal and social level? How does the government respond to terrorism and why? I want to look at the relationship between war and terrorism, how terrorism has evolved over time from attacking political figures to attacking innocent lives, what is actually considered to be terrorism, and what ultimately separates us, everyday typical humans, from them, the terrorists. Presentation Details JAPANESE 419 Room 903 8:30-9:15 Panel 1 Anna Kadinoff Doris Gertrud Bargen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Japanese, UMass Amherst Honorific Deviance: Lady Ichi and the Female Samurai Code This presentation examines honor and self-sacrifice as perceived by Japanese women in Kobayashi Masaki’s Samurai Rebellion (1967). The film is set in the middle of Japan’s Tokugawa period (1603-1868), an era that marked the transition of Japan from warring states to a bureaucratic state with a formidable hierarchy and a peace forced upon the people. I study the expectations for female conduct during this period by referencing Onna daigaku or The Great Learning for Women, a code of morals for women that is sometimes attributed to Kaibara Ekken. This influential work, based on Zhu Xi and Neo-Confucian ethics, notably states that “The Way of the woman is to obey her man.” Although many women followed those guidelines, what about those who found themselves at the center of a conflict that tested their sense of honor? I focus on the female protagonist of Samurai Rebellion, Lady Ichi, and her adherence to and deviance from the expectations of her gender. Presentation Details 420 Room 903 8:30-9:15 Panel 1 Robert J. McCabe Doris Gertrud Bargen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Japanese, UMass Amherst Performance and Ritual Violence in Tokugawa, Japan The rise of the Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan at the turn of the 17th century saw a fundamental restructuring of Japanese society. Chief among the affected were the samurai, a warrior class whose collective identity was built on violence and martial prowess and that was suddenly confronted with the Tokugawa government’s sweeping prohibition on violence. This presentation will interrogate the changing cultural and social contexts that defined the samurai during this transformational period and grapple with the question of how a warrior culture endured under a system in which violence was illegal. Injected into this complex historical landscape are the concepts of ritual violence and performance, which formed the backbone of the samurai identity. Through the interrogation and analysis of contemporary literature featuring samurai legends and eyewitness accounts, as well as secondary scholarship and jidaigeki (period-drama) films, I will examine the unique identity of the samurai as a performer-warrior. I scrutinize these sources for their performative elements and test them for their possible integration into my hypothesis about violence-as-spectacle. Furthermore, the topics of state-sanctioned vendettas and duels during the Tokugawa period reveal a framework built upon the battlefield conduct and military values of samurai of the earlier Heian period. The question is whether the spectacular behavior displayed by some heroic figures represents, influences, or even distorts the cultural consciousness of Tokugawaera samurai. Presentation Details 421 Room 903 8:30-9:15 Panel 1 Neven Santos Recchia Doris Gertrud Bargen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Japanese, UMass Amherst Kenka Ryōseibai: A Double-sided Punishment for the Samurai Throughout the Japanese Warring States (sengoku) period and the Great Peace of the Tokugawa period, samurai accepted the law of kenka ryōseibai which demanded equal punishment to all sides in a quarrel regardless of innocence or guilt. The law appeared at a time when warlords and officials sought to reduce the unauthorized use of violence and the private means of resolution among the samurai while promoting discipline and also furthering absolute authority. My research examines the law of kenka ryōseibai and how its demands clash with the culture of the samurai, in which the exercising of violence was necessary when honor was at stake. Were rebels against the law by definition doomed to lose their honor? In order to answer this question, I dissect recorded historical events and accounts which involved administering kenka ryōseibai that provide crucial details essential to my analysis and understanding of the relationship between lords and vassals and the dynamic between honor, loyalty, and power. I showcase historical conflicts in which samurai desired to address provocations that had damaged their honor, forcing them to defy the local authority and violate the law of kenka ryōseibai. In some cases, violators were forced by the authority to commit seppuku, saving them from public exposure to shame and granting them an honorable death. The analysis of kenka ryōseibai and its effect on samurai culture provides insightful perspectives on samurai honor and loyalty. Presentation Details 422 Room 917 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Patrick T. Spellman Amanda Seaman (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Japanese, UMass Amherst The Past, Present, and Future of Doujinshi Imagine being able to walk into a bookstore in any major city in America and purchase fan fiction - original, fan-made works based on copyrighted properties. This is the reality in Japan, where a popular medium for creative expression in fandom is the doujinshi, which, unlike American fan fiction, is sold for profit. Doujinshi, to be specific, tend to be fan comics produced without permission from the copyright holder of the original work, or are original work, distributed independently. In this presentation, the history of doujinshi will be examined, beginning with the precursors to the medium and the social factors that gave rise to the modern usage of the term. Moving forward to touch on doujinshi-kai (doujinshi fairs), I examine the evolution of the community of both producers and consumers of doujinshi, analyzing some larger trends within Japanese fandom that had an influence on the production of doujinshi. This analysis continues through to the present-day, where special attention will be paid to how the internet has affected the doujinshi, a primarily physical medium, and the medium's unstable relationship with copyright laws. Even as fandom studies becomes a more respected branch of scholarship, doujinshi remain a relatively under-explored topic. The effect they have had on English-speaking fans through translation and 'scanlation' is immediately visible within anime-focused fan communities, and they provide an example to look to for coexistence between fan productions and copyright holders. Presentation Details KINESIOLOGY 438 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A45 Kevin Alex Anton Brian Umberger (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst The Effect of Ankle Bracing on Lower Extremity Kinematics This thesis project consists of a research experiment designed to study the effect of an ankle brace on lower extremity kinematics during gait. After ankle injuries, many athletes will continue to compete but with the support of a commercial brace instead of resting until their injury is fully resolved. Although the brace is designed to aid in return to activity, it might alter the normal gait patterns exhibit by the athlete. In other words, the brace, although designed to allow the athlete to use during physical activity, may not allow the athlete to have the same performance as in their healthy state. If the ankle bracing alters lower limb movement, it could pose a risk to injury about the knee joint. Since the motions of the joints of the lower extremities (ankle, knee, and hip) are coupled, an alteration of one joint will cause alterations in the other joints. College-aged subjects were analyzed during a submaximal sprint running with and without a brace. Using the Qualisys Track Manager, data on body positions marked by retroreflective markers throughout the sprint were collected. Data were analyzed using the Visual 3D software. The kinematic variables of interest were rearfoot eversion and tibial internal rotation. Rearfoot eversion was used as an indicator of ankle motion and tibial internal rotation was used as an indicator of motion about the knee. It is hypothesized that the braced ankle trials will demonstrate equally proportional motion about the ankle and knee as the unbraced trials during stance phase as it is expected that there will be a reduction of peak calcaneal eversion. Due to the coupled relationship between the knee and ankle, the knee is expected to show a reduction in peak tibial internal rotation during stance phase. Presentation Details 439 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A46 Luke David Arney Katherine Boyer (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst The Effect of Tri-hinge Knee Brace on Human Walking and Running, and the Difference in Biomechanical Alterations between Men and Women The purpose of this study is to assess the differences in the changes in 3D Kinematics and 3D Kinetics between healthy men and women when wearing a Meuller wraparound hinged knee brace vs. a no brace condition. It has been shown that women suffer knee injuries at higher rates compared to men, and that women and men display differences in lower body biomechanics. It is hypothesized that in the braced condition there will be alterations in biomechanics, which could possibly improve symptoms of a pathology such as anterior knee pain, and these differences will be greater in women. Participants include 10 healthy men and 10 healthy women. Each participant walked at a speed of 1.3 m/s and ran at a speed of 3.2 m/s across the kinetic force platforms and past motion cameras. Ten trials were recorded at each speed while wearing the brace and without the brace. Peak and average knee, hip, and ankle angles and moments were analyzed over the duration of the trials as well as at specific points during the five phases of gait. Significant differences between the brace and no brace conditions (within the male group) were seen in initial ankle dorsiflexion (no brace: 13.04 +/- 2.95 degrees; brace: 10.83 +/- 4.57 degrees; p-value = 0.042) and knee flexion ROM (no brace: 31.21 +/5.12 degrees; brace: 30.02 +/- 5.22 degrees; p-value = 0.050). These initial results suggest the brace condition results in altered lower limb biomechanics compared to the no brace condition. Presentation Details 423 Concourse 10:45-11:30 Board C59 Abbey E. Barkley Catrine Tudor-Locke (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst Effectiveness of Step Count Display on Physical Activity Level in College Students It is well known that physical activity is highly beneficial to individuals’ overall health and wellness. However, despite this knowledge, only 50% of college students are currently meeting physical activity guidelines. With the use of physical activity monitors on the rise, devices may be used to combat lack of physical activity in college students. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of step count display on physical activity monitors on physical activity level in college students. To accomplish this, participants (n = 6) will wear an ActiGraph GT9X activity monitor for 6 total days during all waking hours. Participants will have access to step count display for 3 days and will not have access to the display for the other 3 days. All participants will be asked to explain their experiences throughout the monitoring process in an exit interview. Future data is predicted to show that participants had a higher mean value of steps on days with access to step count compared to the days without step count. The results will indicate that having access to step count display is associated with higher motivation to increase daily physical activity. Ultimately, the results of this study will indicate that physical activity monitors with step count display are effective at increasing physical activity levels in college students. Presentation Details 429 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A47 Ferry Bissereth Elizabeth Daglio Carlie Tirrell DiMare Morgan Havican Nicole Elizabeth Marshall Jenny Sar George Joseph Abboud (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Sport and Movement Science, Salem State University Effects of Single-Bout High-Intensity Resistance Training and Multiple-Bout HighIntensity Resistance Training on EPOC Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) is a measurement of caloric expenditure following exercise. Investigations have shown EPOC to be elevated for up to 48 hours in subjects after resistance training (RT). The purpose of this study is to determine if multiple bouts of high intensity resistance training (MRT) raises EPOC and resting metabolic rate (RMR) to a greater extent than a single bout high intensity resistance training (SRT). It is hypothesized that multiple high-intensity resistance training bouts will raise EPOC and RMR to a significantly greater extent than a single bout of high-intensity resistance training. Two randomized resistance training groups, consisting of 16 males aged 18-39, will be divided into a single bout or multiple bout RT condition, with the single bout RT sessions conducted at least 72 hours apart. Each resistance training bout consists of 12 whole-body exercises performed at approximately 75% of the subjects pre-determined 1 repetition maximum lift, for 6-12 repetitions. Exercise energy expenditure (kcal), resting metabolic rate (RMR), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), VO2 (mL×kg-1×min-1) and Rating of Perceived Muscle Soreness (RPMS) will be measured for this study. Analysis of variance with repeated measures will be used to analyze dependent variables. Pilot testing will occur in late February and data collection will occur throughout March. We expect to have pilot data collected and analyzed for presentation at UMASS Amherst. Presentation Details 440 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A47 Christopher M. Boussy Catrine Tudor-Locke (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst Objectively Measured Physical Activity of Student First Responders The sedentary behavior of employees during their typical workday may pose potential health risks for certain professions. These occupational health risks can be combated using simple interventions during work and non-work hours. More research is needed to identify occupational physical activity trends since different occupations can have unique physical activity patterns. No data have been obtained for healthcare providers outside of the hospital setting – especially emergency medical technicians working as first responders. The purpose of this study is to objectively measure the physical activity of first responders working on the UMass Amherst campus during work and non-work hours of a typical workday. Participants must be between 18-22 years of age and currently be active members of UMass EMS. These participants are expected to wear a waist-worn accelerometer (ActiGraph GT9X) during waking hours for three separate workdays on which the participants work more than 5 hours. Average total steps per hour during working hours will be compared to recent literature that monitored the occupational physical activity of radiologists, surgeons, and other clinicians. Behavioral trends during work and non-work hours will be observed by calculating the average peak 1 minute and 30-minute cadence for those times. It is expected that first responders will be more active than radiologists, but less active than surgeons and other clinicians during work hours. Also, average peak 1 minute cadence is expected to be lower for work hours and average peak 30-minute cadence is expected to be higher for work hours. Keywords: first responders, cadence Presentation Details 433 Concourse 1:30-2:15 Board C65 Bethanie Patricia Carvin Pamela Russell (Faculty Sponsor) Academic Affairs, Bridgewater State University Causes and Management of Stress Injuries in Geriatric Populations Who Use Wheelchairs as Mobility Aids This work was an introductory investigation of the causes and management of stress injuries (e.g., pressure sores and stiffness) in geriatric patients who use wheelchairs as mobility aids. Variation in type of physical therapy clinics and physiological changes that occur with aging (e.g., balance and muscular strength) were investigated as variables in the cause of aforementioned stress injuries. This research provided specific examples of how biomechanics ties directly into an area of physical therapy. Presentation Details 425 Room 804 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Melody Chalvin Sarah Witkowski (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst The Effects of Physical Activity and Menopause on Quality of Life in Women It is unclear whether quality of life (QOL) differs in peri- and post-menopausal women and whether cardiovascular (CVD) risk factors, including physical activity (PA), are related to QOL in this population. PURPOSE: To determine if there is a difference in QOL in high vs. low-active peri- (PERI) and late post-menopausal (POST) women, and whether CVD risk factors are associated with QOL. METHODS: Participants were healthy PERI (n=19) and late POST (n=15) with different PA (HIGH, n=17, >300min/wk of moderate-vigorous PA; LOW, n=17, <150min/wk of moderate-vigorous PA). PA was assessed with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and QOL with the Utian Quality of Life Questionnaire. CVD risk factors were measured by standard methods. Differences in QOL by group (PERI vs. POST) and PA (HIGH vs. LOW) were assessed with a 2-way ANOVA. Relationships between QOL and CVD risk factors were assessed using Pearson correlations. Data is presented as mean±SEM. RESULTS: QOL differed by PA (HIGH: 95±2 vs. LOW: 79±2, p=<0.001) within both menopausal groups (PERI HIGH: 95±3 vs. LOW: 80±3, p=0.002; POST HIGH: 95±4 vs. LOW: 77±3, p=0.001). Menopausal status was not related to QOL (PERI: 87.6±2 vs. POST: 86.2±2, p=0.661). In all participants, body fat percentage (r=-0.550, p=0.00042) and VO2 peak (r=0.594, p=0.00012) were related to QOL. CONCLUSION: Our data suggests that PA is related to QOL in PERI and POST women, independent of menopausal status. QOL was related to the CVD risk factors, body fat percentage and VO2 peak, providing potential targets to improve QOL in this population. Presentation Details 441 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A48 Mark Lester Chicote Catrine Tudor-Locke (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst Assessing the Validity of Fitbit Surge Heart Rate Monitoring in Elite Runners Commercial heart rate (HR) monitoring devices are becoming prominent as training aids. Recent development of photoplethysmography-based sensors made HR monitoring easier, as such sensors transmit light emitting diodes (LEDs) to irradiate through the skin and estimate HR by the blood volume that is being pumped by the heart. However, with multiple heart rate devices available, it would be helpful for consumers to know about the capability of such devices as consumers can easily be burdened by the amount of choices. Purpose: the study’s purpose is to look at the criterion validity of the Fitbit Surge with the use of a criterion measure in elite endurance athletes to assess the device’s HR measures at vigorous intensity running bouts. Methods: six elite athletes from the University of Massachusetts Amherst Cross Country and Track team will undergo a treadmill protocol of one 43-minute bout of continuous walking and running - 3.0 miles per hour (MPH) as the recovery walking speed; 5.0, 6.0, 6.5, 7.0, and 7.5MPH (5 min at each protocol speed with recovery walking in between for two minutes) with HR digitally recorded at a one-second epoch. Results: It has been documented that some commercial HR devices had reduced ability to detect HR at 5.0MPH and 6.0MPH due to increased upper body movement. If so, it is possible that having elite endurance athletes run at faster speeds will show a decrease HR readout from the Fitbit Surge. Conclusion: The Fitbit Surge may be deemed an accurate HR device for elite athletes. Presentation Details 442 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A49 Jamal Choudhary Mark S. Miller (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst Determination of Myofibrillar Protein and Myosin Heavy Chain Isoform Expression in Avian Skeletal Muscle Migration is an essential journey for the survival of many bird species. During migration, birds lose significant amounts of skeletal muscle mass. This breakdown is not completely understood and may cause altered skeletal muscle protein expression. The focus of my project was to establish gel electrophoresis techniques to determine the expression of a range of myofibrillar proteins, including myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms, in the white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) pectoralis and supracoracoideus muscle samples, the two major flight muscles in birds. Pre-cast gels were successfully used to separate numerous myofibrillar proteins in non-starved control birds and birds starved for 48 hours, which mimics migration. Densitometry protocols were developed to compare protein expression levels between the different muscles and conditions. MHC, a myofilament protein, is fundamental for understanding muscle function as it plays a significant role in dictating single fiber force generation and contractile velocity. Hand poured gels were used to examine MHC isoform expression in both sparrow muscles as well as chicken (pectoralis, gastrocnemius and latissimus dorsi), mouse (soleus and gastrocnemius) and human (vastus lateralis) tissue. Sparrow muscles contained a single isoform, which highlights one of its unique properties as muscles from chicken, mice and human tissue contained 2-4 isoforms. This work established reliable methods for measuring skeletal muscle protein and MHC isoform expression in sparrow flight muscle, which are necessary for investigating migratory induced alterations in muscle structure and function. Presentation Details 443 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A50 Ellen Esme Chow Jane Kent (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst Effects of Sex Difference on Muscle Metabolism during Fatigue in the Knee Extensors Using 31P-MRS Females demonstrate greater fatigue resistance than males during submaximal muscular contractions. Though the molecular mechanisms underlying this difference are not fully understood, one explanation is that males have an augmented reliance on nonoxidative metabolism which leads to greater accumulations of inorganic phosphate (Pi) and protons, two molecules known to impair muscle force production. As such, the purpose of this investigation is to study the molecular mechanisms ofsex-based differences in muscle fatigue by using 31Phosphorus-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-MRS) to measure changes in Pi and proton accumulation, in vivo, during repeated dynamic knee extensions. ixteen young adults (8F) will complete an isokinetic (120 deg/s) ramp contraction protocol inside a Skyra 3T scanner. The protocol will consist of five 2-minute stages, with the workload between stages being adjusted by increasing the contraction frequency, beginning with 1 contraction every 10s and then increasing to one every 8, 5, 4, and 2s. All contractions will be maximal. We expect Pi accumulation will be similar between males and females during all 5 stages, but males will experience greater proton accumulation than females during stages 4 and 5, where the high contraction frequency will elicit greater recruitment of anaerobic metabolism in males. Similarly, we expect males and females will fatigue to a similar degree during stages 13, but that greater acidosis in males during stages 4 and 5 will induce greater fatigue in males than females. Presentation Details 437 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A45 Troy R. Doming Emily M. Mulcahy Tyler Jason Prescott Amy E. Southerland Jason C. Sawyer (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Movement Arts, Health Promotion, and Leisure Studies, Westfield State University The Effects of Variable Resistance Exercise on Lower Body Strength and Power during an Undulating Resistance Training Program in Division III Collegiate Football Players The necessity for methods which effectively develop strength and power over a short period of time is paramount due to the brevity of the NCAA DIII pre-season. Fifty NCAA DIII collegiate football players were randomized into two groups, Control (C; n=25) and Experimental (E; n=25). Participants underwent pre- and post-testing for weight, height, vertical jump, lower body power and one-repetition maximum back squat (1RM-BS). Both groups participated in a 3-week strength training program utilizing an Undulating method in which participants squatted three times per week (total of 9 sessions) using loads as a percentage of each individual’s respective 1RM-BS. C performed sets with weight loaded on the barbell while the E performed sets with 20% of the training load applied by accommodating resistance via resistance bands (EliteFTS Inc.) on the barbell. Vertical jump and lower body power were measured using the Gymaware (Kinetic Performance Technologies) and Vertec (Jump, USA). A 2x2 ANOVA will be run at the conclusion of the study. The E group is expected to have a greater increase in lower body strength and power. The E group is expected to have a greater increase in lower body strength and power compared to the C. The E group is expected to have a greater increase in lower body strength and power because the bands apply force through the entire strength curve leading to a greater training effect. Presentation Details 444 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A51 Erica Doyle Catrine Tudor-Locke (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst The Relationship between Daily Physical Activity and Mood Many people accept the physical health benefits of living an active lifestyle, but the mental health benefits are less established. Exercise has the ability to increase mood in the short-term, but the extent of this relationship is unknown. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between daily physical activity and mood. The GT3X+ accelerometer and the Profile of Mood States questionnaire are being used to measure total active minutes per day and daily mood respectively. Six participants, 3 males and 3 females of college age (18-22 years), will be recruited via email, flyers, and word of mouth. Participants will wear the accelerometer for seven days with no change to their physical activity routine and will visit the lab before and after this free-living period. They will complete a log sheet to determine device wear-time and total sleep. The mood questionnaire will be completed daily at approximately the same time of night to control for fluctuations in mood throughout the day. A correlation will be computed between active minutes per day and mood. Active minutes will be categorized into light, moderate, and vigorous intensity based on established cut-points to determine any possible relation with the various mood categories obtained from the questionnaire. Total mood disturbance and active minutes per day are expected to be negatively correlated while active minutes and vigor are expected to be positively correlated. The results of this study will help reveal how mood functions and whether activity and mood are correlated. Presentation Details 445 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A52 Brian Friscia Katherine Boyer (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst Total Support Moment Contributions in Patients with Osteoarthritis Purpose: To study how change in walking speed and individual joint contributions affect the total support moment in an osteoarthritis (OA) knee. Hip, knee, and ankle joint moments contribution to the overall support moment during gait which may become altered in patients with OA. We hypothesized, patients with OA will rely on the hip and ankle joint to reduce loading on the knee joint. Also, we expect pain to influence the OA knee gait with higher joint contributions from the hip and ankle joints in different walking speeds. Methods: Eighteen participants, six males and twelve females between the ages 53-74 with knee OA were recruited. 3D overground gait analysis was completed using 11 cameras (Oqus, Qualysis), a three-dimensional kinematic motion capture system, and a force plate (AMTI) to record ground reaction forces. The markers were placed on the hip, knee, and ankle joints with the point cluster technique. Subjects walked first at a self-selected speed and then a faster speed. We quantified the percentage of individual joint moment contributions toward the peak total support moment for the ankle, knee, and hip joints. The mean joint contribution percentages in both walking speeds were be evaluated to determine differences in gait mechanics. Results: The results showed an increase in mean ankle joint contribution towards the total support moment in fast walking speed compared to normal speed. Increased mean knee contribution during fast walking was also observed. Presentation Details 446 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A53 Matthew John Golben Catrine Tudor-Locke (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst Meditation and Heart Rate Recovery Heart Rate Recovery (HRR) is an authentic measure of cardiovascular health and is parasympathetically mediated. Meditation has been shown to parasympathetically moderate heart rate via the vagal nerve. Research of vagal heart rate control due to meditation has primarily focused on psychological modalities, leaving the role of meditation in exercise largely unexplored. The purpose of this experiment is to evaluate the effect of habitual meditation practice on HRR after an acute bout of exercise. A convenience sample of participants will be recruited from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, comprising a group of habitual meditators (n = 3) and nonmeditators (n = 3). The exercise habits of meditators and non-meditators are expected to be comparable. Participants will be asked to complete an incremental resistance protocol on a Monarch Ergomedic 828e stationary bicycle in order to standardize the work output and heart rate increase of participant's. Once the participant’s calculated target heart rate (THR) ([220 – age] x 0.75) is reached, they will be instructed to consciously return their heart rate to resting levels. Acute and prolonged differences in HRR time to resting heart rate will be recorded and analyzed. It is hypothesized that the habitual meditator's group will exhibit a faster HRR time than the non-meditator's group. The findings of this study may illuminate a novel use for heart rate monitoring technology in exercise and the inclusion of meditation practices as part of exercise programs. Presentation Details 434 Room 804 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Colleen Suzanne Good Heather Heim Melissa Molloy Anthony D'Amico (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Exercise and Sports Science, Salem State University The Influence of Foam Rolling on Recovery from Exercise Induced Muscle Damage The purpose of this investigation is to assess the physiological effects of foam rolling (FR) on recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage compared to a control condition (CON). Twenty males and females (40 total participants) aged 18-35 years will complete two weeks of testing. Week one will include familiarization. Each participant will come three times to go through the testing battery including hip abduction/hip flexion ROM, vertical jump test, agility (T-test), perception of muscle soreness, heart rate variability, pulse wave velocity, and urinary markers of muscle damage. Monday of week two, each participant will complete a repeated sprinting protocol to induce muscle damage. Participants assigned to FR condition will undergo the FR protocol once/day Monday-Friday. Those assigned to CON will not undergo a recovery intervention. Then, testing battery will be completed by each participant once/day Tuesday-Friday. Everyday, urine samples will be taken from each participant. Participants will be instructed on how to properly ensure euhydration. The urine samples will be analyzed with reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography for quantifying EIMD. All data will be assessed for normality using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Dependent variables will be compared to the baseline-measure within each condition. The area under the curve will be calculated by summing the scores Monday-Friday, and an independent T-test will compare FRvs.CON with an alpha level of 0.05. Data collection will take place February-March. Data analysis and interpretation will be completed in March/April. Data will be available for dissemination by late April. Presentation Details 447 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A54 Jessica-Sophie Horoschak Sarah Witkowski (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst Impairment of Blood Flow Recovery in Response to Pericyte Transplantation in Diabetes is Not Due to Reduced Angiogenesis Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) may decrease the therapeutic potential of stem cell therapies. The purpose of this study was to examine pericyte cell therapy and angiogenesis in a model of PAD in wild type (WT) and T2DM mice. The hypothesis was that diabetes impairs the ability of pericytes to improve angiogenesis and blood flow recovery after limb ischemia. Pericytes were transplanted into ischemic hindlimbs following unilateral femoral artery ligation. Control mice were injected with PBS vehicle control. Blood flow was assessed pre-surgery, post-surgery, and through postoperative day 28 (POD28). Capillaries and myofibers were visualized via immunohistochemistry at POD28 to quantify capillary density and capillary-to-fiber ratio. Linear models were used to determine differences in blood flow recovery. T-tests were used to test for differences in angiogenesis between experimental and control groups. WT mice receiving pericyte transplantation had greater blood flow recovery than controls at POD28 (79.3±5% vs. 61.9±5% for control; p=0.04) but not T2DM mice (48.6±6% vs. 46.3±5% for control, p=0.51). There were no differences in capillary-to-fiber ratio in the pericyte transplanted mice compared to controls in WT (1.26±0.06 vs. 1.18±0.04; p=0.23) or T2DM mice (0.99±0.07 vs. 1.00±0.05; p=0.44). Pericyte transplantation did not increase capillary density compared with vehicle control in WT (453.2±34 capillary/mm2 vs. 508.3±66; p=0.16) or T2DM mice (550.7±47 capillary/mm2 vs. 569.8±105; p=0.46). Pericytes augment blood flow recovery in WT but not T2DM mice, but not through increased angiogenesis. Mechanisms for augmenting blood flow recovery in diabetic mice should be examined. Presentation Details 424 Concourse 10:45-11:30 Board C60 Jagath Jai Kumar John Ronald Sirard (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst The Relationship between User Height and Steps Measured by a Consumer Activity Tracker By 2018, it is estimated that 82 million Americans will use an activity tracker, however it remains unclear if these devices can accurately estimate physical activity (PA) metrics. The natural relationship between height and number of steps taken offers an opportunity to investigate how a person's height modify's the accuracy and precision of consumer activity tracker step estimate. The purpose of this study is to examine how the height of a user affects estimates of steps taken, measured by the Misfit ShineTM (a consumer activity tracker; MS), using a hip-worn ActiGraph GT3X accelerometer (AG) as a measure of concurrent validity for steps. Sixteen participants wore a MS on the right and left wrists, and both an MS and AG on the right hip during three one-hour simulated free-living sessions: a sedentary session (SS), a sedentary plus walking (SW), and a sedentary plus jogging session (SJ). During the SW and SJ sessions, participants sat for 30 minutes, then walked (SW) or jogged (SJ) for 30 minutes at 5.15 or 8.0 kph, respectively. Linear slopes and R2 values were used to assess the relationship between participant height and estimated steps. In all 3 sessions, the AG showed a negative slope, ranging from -13.8 to -0.89. A similar negative slope was observed for the MS during the SJ session. During SS and SW, MS steps showed little relation to height. Although MS step counts showed an inverse association with height during jogging, this relation was not observed during walking. Presentation Details 460 Concourse 4:30-5:15 Board C60 Lazar Jankovic Lia Gizzi Brian Kim Julia T. Choi (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst Retention of Locomotor Learning following Exposure to Sensorimotor Variability Consolidation, the process serving to maintain and strengthen memories, has been associated with motor skill learning. In particular, a motor skill can be strengthened over multiple bouts of practice through re-consolidation. A recent study showed that a previously consolidated motor skill could be modified and enhanced through exposure to increased sensorimotor variability during re-consolidation. In this study, we tested whether changing the task variability could strengthen the retention of a newly learned locomotor skill. In these experiments, we challenged walking control by presenting visual targets to instruct changes in step length (e.g., short, medium, long) from one trial to the next during treadmill walking. Subjects receive a point each time they hit the target accurately. The study design consisted of three testing sessions (acquisition, reconsolidation, retention) and two groups of subjects (variable vs. control). During Session 1, participants acquired a new step length sequence (skill A) by practicing the pattern over 11 blocks of 100 trials. During Session 2 (6-hr later), they retrieved the previously learned step length sequence (skill A) over 1 block of 100 trials, and then they practiced either a variable sequence (Group 1: skill A’) or the original sequence (Group 2: skill A) over 10 more blocks of 100 trials. Participants were randomly assigned between the two groups. During Session 3 (24-hours later), all participants were re-tested on skill A to measure retention. We measured the success rate of hitting the targets in each block. We predict that the group that is exposed to the variable task during the second session will have a better retention of the original task, as compared to the control group, resulting in a higher score during the final session. Presentation Details 430 Room 804 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Tyler Kelleher Steven P. Dion (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Exercise and Sports Science, Salem State University The Functional Movement Screen and Prediction of Injury Risk in CrossFit Athletes The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between scores on a functional movement screening (FMS) assessment, and injury development in CrossFit athletes. The functional movement screen is a series of physical assessments used by trainers and coaches to assess an athlete’s potential for injury. These tests are specifically designed to identify asymmetries and imbalances in an athletes movement patterns. A functional movement screen featuring seven assessments (Deep squat, Hurdle step, Inline lunge, shoulder mobility, active straight leg raise, trunk stability push up, rotary stability) will be administered to 20 participants and the total FMS composite score will be recorded. Participants will then take part in regular training at a local CrossFit gym for a period of two months. During this time Participants will be monitored for injury development both by weekly check-ups with the researcher, as well as self-monitoring. Following two months participants will undergo another FMS test. After the testing period is concluded, composite scores will be compared with those who experienced an injury and those who did not. To compare these data, a Pearson correlation will be drawn. Data collection will begin in Early March and continue through April. Preliminary data will be ready to present at the UMASS Amherst Conference. Presentation Details 448 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A55 Jordan Lapides Catrine Tudor-Locke (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst Validity of Fitbit for Energy Expenditure during Resistance Training Research has shown consumer worn physical activity monitors validly quantify cadence during physical activity and exercise. Yet, there is less knowledge regarding accurate energy expenditure estimation. The aim of this study is to learn whether the Fitbit Alta and Fitbit Zip maintain, gain, or lose validity during resistance training. The researcher hypothesizes the Fitbit Alta will measure energy expenditure more accurately during upper body resistance training and the Fitbit Zip will measure energy expenditure more accurately during lower body resistance training, however, neither device will demonstrate good validity in comparison to the criterion measure. The participants (n = 6) will wear a wrist-worn Fitbit Alta and hip-worn Fitbit Zip during two resistance training sessions (session 1 = upper body; session 2 = lower body) to measure energy expenditure. Their data will be correlated to a Polar Heart Rate monitors heart rate measurements converted to energy expenditure as the criterion measure. Future data is predicted to show a mean absolute percent error (MAPE) greater than 10% between the Polar Heart Rate monitors converted energy expenditure measurements and the Fitbit Alta and Fitbit Zip from session one and session two. The results will demonstrate the Fitbit Alta and Fitbit Zip have poor concurrent and convergent validly when measuring energy expenditure during upper and lower body resistance training. Conclusively, consumers should be aware the Fitbit Alta and Fitbit Zip have invalidly measured energy expenditure in research studies when relying on the two devices to accurately quantify their physical activity and meet desired goals. Presentation Details 449 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A56 Matthew MacLean Katherine Boyer (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst Biomechanical Differences between Higher and Lower Functioning Knee Osteoarthritis Patients Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating joint disease that can result in an increase in joint pain and stiffness, a decrease in joint range of motion, and ultimately leads to a loss of functional independence (Kaufman, Hughes, Morrey, Morrey, & An, 2001). However, patients vary in the amount of functional loss they experience, which can be quantified subjectively through the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) (Roos & Lohmander, 2003). Examining biomechanical differences in patients with varying KOOS scores could lead to a better understanding of how to optimize functional independence after treatment. For this study, 19 participants with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis were recruited. After providing informed consent for an IRB approved research protocol, each participant completed a KOOS Questionnaire. Kinetic and kinematic data were then collected using a motion capture system and force plates. Participants were outfitted with reflective markers, and walked through the motion capture area at their preferred walking speed with their symptomatic leg making contact with a force plate. Data analysis first included the separation of subgroups based on KOOS Questionnaires. Average KOOS scores below 60 were considered lowfunctioning, and average scores above 70 were considered as high-functioning. A significant difference in hip flexion during heel strike was found, with lower-functioning patients adopting a larger angle than higher-functioning patients. This suggests that lower-functioning osteoarthritis patients have weaker hip extensors than their higherfunctioning counterparts. Presentation Details 431 Room 804 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 David P. Manning Jason Gillis (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Exercise Science, Salem State University The Influence of Menthol Dose on Non-shivering Thermogenesis and Energy Expenditure in Humans In the United States, one in three adults and one in six children is obese. Although obesity and its related diseases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality, and represent a large economic burden, positive progress can be made. Recent research supports the hypothesis that both single and repeated skin applications of menthol, a cold receptor TRPM8 agonist, may influence non-shivering thermogenesis (NST) and energy balance in humans through the activation of brown adipose tissue; however, this requires confirmation. Ten participants will be recruited and complete four conditions in a balanced order; placebo control (CON), high dose menthol (MH), medium dose menthol (MM), and low dose menthol (ML). During each exposure, participants will rest supine in an environmentally controlled tent (30°C, 50% rh) for 30 minutes before applying the intervention, and 30-minutes thereafter. Perceptual measures include thermal sensation, thermal comfort, and irritation. Thermoregulatory measures include skin blood flow (laser Doppler flowmetry at index finger), rectal temperature, skin temperature (supraclavicular, chest, forearm, thigh, calf), and electromyographic muscle activation of the trapezius, pectoralis major, and sternocleidomastoid as surrogates of shivering. Brown adipose tissue activation will be measured indirectly using supraclavicular skin temperature, oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production. A one-way ANOVA (alpha=0.05) will compare dependent variables between the four conditions to identify acute and chronic effects of menthol on thermoregulation and energy expenditure. As of February, all pilot testing is complete. Data collection will commence from February through March. Data analysis will be complete by early April. Presentation Details 450 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C61 Sadie P. Marciano Richard Van Emmerik (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst Evaluating Proprioceptive Impairments in Multiple Sclerosis: The Human Odometer Task Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disease which commonly results in sensorimotor impairments. Impaired proprioceptive information, location of one’s limbs in space, may lead to an increased risk of falling in MS. The Human Odometer is a full body proprioceptive measurement that evaluates distance perception. Purpose: to examine whether MS have proprioceptive impairment compared to healthy agematched controls (Con) at shorter and longer distances. Sixteen participants will be recruited (n=8 MS, n=8 Con). Participants will perform the human odometer task consisting of a blindfolded 6ft and 30ft walk, with 5 trials for each distance. Participants are escorted out the distance, and their ability to walk back the exact distance is measured. Presented here is preliminary data on n=3 MS (52 yrs±9; Expanded Disability Status Score 13.67 ±3.21) and n=2 Con (55 yrs ±1). For the 6ft walk, MS had an average distance error of 2.46 ft ±1.26, while Con had an average distance error of 0.58ft ±.74. For the 30 ft walk, MS had an average distance error of 1.10ft ±2.38, while Con had an average distance error of 1.80ft ±3.36. Preliminary data shows that both MS and Con tended to overshoot the 6ft distance, however Con were more accurate at the 6ft distance. For 30ft, both groups were likely to overshoot, and the error percentage was similar for both groups but higher in Con. More participants will help clarify whether there are proprioceptive differences in MS versus Con, and whether the 6ft distance continues to show a greater difference between the groups. Presentation Details 426 Room 804 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Christopher Carter Moore Catrine Tudor-Locke (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst Sex Differences in the Cadence (Steps/Min) and Intensity Relationship in 21 to 40-YearOld Adults Cadence (steps/min) is strongly correlated with ambulatory physical activity (PA) intensity. A heuristic value of 100 steps/min has emerged for moderate-intensity (3 metabolic equivalents, [METs]) ambulation, inclusive of adults from various demographics. PURPOSE: To examine sex-differences in the cadence-intensity relationship. METHODS: Ten males and 10 females from each 5-year age group between 21-40 years (i.e. 21-25, 26-30, etc.) were recruited, for a total of 40 males (mean age #±# years; BMI #±# kg/m2) and 40 females (mean age #±# years; BMI #±# kg/m2). Participants completed a series of 5-min treadmill bouts from 0.5-6.0mph (in 0.5mph increments), with a 2-min rest between bouts. The test was terminated when participants naturally selected to run, reached 75% of their maximum heart-rate, gave a rating of perceived exertion>13, or by volition. Steps per bout, assessed using direct observation, was divided by 5-min to derive cadence. Intensity was measured using indirect calorimetry. RESULTS: Preliminary analysis demonstrates lower oxygen consumption in males at low cadences (40-80 steps/min) with intensities<2.5 METs. Females demonstrate lower oxygen consumption at high cadences (120+ steps/min) with intensities>4 METs. Males and females have similar oxygen consumptions at normal walking cadences (80-120 steps/min) with a cross-over point at ~100 steps/min and 3 METs. CONCLUSION: This preliminary analysis confirms that 100 steps/min is a reasonable heuristic value for moderate-intensity (3 METs) ambulation for both males and females. However, heuristic values associated with vigorous-intensity (6 METs) may differ for males and females. This may have implications in PA prescription and data processing from PA monitors. Presentation Details 451 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C62 Brienne E. Paradis Richard Van Emmerik (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst Assessment of Upper versus Lower Joint Proprioception in People with Multiple Sclerosis Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a progressive neurological disease resulting from demyelination. Proprioception, the ability to perceive the body’s location in space, is commonly impaired resulting in altered balance and maladaptive motor control. Purpose: evaluate elbow and knee joint reposition accuracy and effect of dominance on reposition accuracy in MS versus Controls (Con). Sixteen participants (8 MS, 8 Con) will perform trials (n=3) of ipsilateral and contralateral repositioning of the elbow and knee joints using a goniometer and motion capture data. The protocol will include positioning of limb at an angle, relaxation of limb, and matching of joint angle. The Nine-Hole Peg Test (9HPT) and Six-Spot Step Test (SSST) will be used to measure hand and leg dominance, as well as dexterity and mobility, respectively. Preliminary data will be presented for n=3 Con and n=3 MS ±±(57.8yrs ±4.44). Ipsilateral repositioning data show that Con (63.7∞ ±8.96; 95% CI 10.1) are less accurate in matching 60∞ at the elbow versus MS (59.7∞ ±6.8; 95% CI 7.70). However, MS (152.3∞ ±6.67; 95% CI 7.54) are less accurate in matching 150∞ at the knee versus Con (156.3∞ ±5.13; 95% CI 5.81). All n=6 were right-dominant with 9HPT dominant hand scores of Con (18.06s ±0.304) and MS (29.12s ±7.16); and SSST dominant leg scores with Con (5.01s ±0.675) and MS (10.96s ±4.535). Preliminary data indicates Con performed faster in 9HPT and SSST suggesting better mobility and dexterity. However, further data collection is required to clarify any group differences in upper and/or lower extremity joint accuracy. Presentation Details 458 Auditorium 4:30-5:15 Board A10 Rose Elizabeth Petrozzino Catrine Tudor-Locke (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst The Effect of Goal Setting on Daily Step Counts Although wearable technologies are popular among consumers as fitness accessories deemed to help in the implementation of healthy exercise habits, research is limited as to the effect of these products in changing user behavior. Specifically, conclusions are mixed regarding the effectiveness of goal-setting features on wearable devices as well as intervention programs in general that focus on goal-setting techniques. The purpose of this study is to determine whether self-set goals based off of minimal information and instruction are more effective than no goal at all for producing short-term healthy behavior change when using wearable technologies. After an initial baseline phase of three days, participants in this study will be randomly divided into control (Group A) and intervention (Group B) groups. Group B will be asked to set a self-selected goal based on minimal information, while Group A will receive no intervention. Daily step counts will be measured throughout the study using a Yamax SW-200 Digi-Walker Step Pedometer (SW-200). This data will be used to calculate daily step count averages for each participant and group during baseline and intervention phases. It is hypothesized that Group B will have higher daily step count averages after receiving the intervention, although the individuals in Group A may also increase their daily step counts as a result of using a wearable device and viewing their step counts regularly. The results of this study can be used to create more effective features in wearable technology as well as better real-world intervention programs. Presentation Details 435 Room 804 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Greg J. Petrucci Jr. John Ronald Sirard (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst A Consumer Activity Tracker is Sensitive to Changes in Steps during Simulated FreeLiving Noted as the top fitness trend for 2016 and 2017, activity trackers are expected to continue to increase in popularity. Forecasts predict that by the end of 2021 over 560 million units will ship, compared with 82 million units that were shipped in 2015. Moreover, there have been inclinations toward adopting consumer activity trackers in intervention research, despite limited validation efforts. The purpose of this study is to determine the sensitivity of a consumer activity tracker (AT) to detect changes in step counts using a research grade accelerometer (RA) to assess concurrent validity. Twenty participants wore the AT and RA, on the right and left wrist, and hip, during three one-hour lab sessions: sedentary session (SS), sedentary plus walking (SW), and sedentary plus jogging (SJ) session. For the SW and SJ sessions, participants performed 30-minutes of sitting and 30 consecutive minutes of walking or jogging at 5.15 and 8.0 kph, respectively. Total step means and 95% CI’s for the 3 sessions and monitor locations were used to assess significant differences in steps. Across all sessions, no significant differences were observed between hip AT and RA estimates of total steps. There were significant changes in total steps across conditions, indicating the AT step measure can detect change as activity dose increased. However, during activity conditions, wrist-worn AT devices yielded significantly greater estimates of steps than the RA. While these results are promising, the sensitivity of the AT in detecting changes in usual physical activity volume should be examined under free-living conditions. Presentation Details 452 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C63 Jacqueline Patricia Reilly Thomas G. St. Laurent (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst The Impact of Yoga on Stress Management and Quality of Life in College Students Anxiety is one of the most common and detrimental diseases of the current collegeaged generation. The objective of this study is to determine whether yoga is an effective method of decreasing levels of stress and improving perceived quality of life in college students. The study involves two groups of college students, one of which will participate in one yoga class per week for 8 weeks, while the second group participates in a single yoga class. Participants volunteered to participate in either the 8-week practice or the one-time bout. All participants were measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the 36-Item Short Form Survey Instrument (SF-36). At the conclusion of the study, it may be possible to determine whether regular yoga practice shows increased benefits compared to one session of yoga. Based on the results of similar studies, it is likely that the results of this study will show a decreased perceived level of stress at the end of the study in students who participated in weekly yoga sessions. In the one-bout of yoga group, it is likely that the perceived level of stress after the class will be lower than before the class; however, the stress reduction will not be as significant as in the consistent yoga group. Presentation Details 428 Room 904 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Lauren Nicole Richardson Sarah Witkowski (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst Blood Flow Shear Stress Patterns in Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Women Menopause is related to adverse changes in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Increased retrograde blood flow shear rate (RSR) and lower antegrade blood flow shear rate (ASR) are related to greater CVD risk. Differences in blood flow patterns in women at different menopausal stages and in response to exercise have not been investigated. The purpose of this study is to evaluate peak RSR and ASR at rest and in response to increased blood flow before and after an acute bout of exercise in perimenopausal (PERI) and postmenopausal (POST) women. Healthy low-active PERI (n=7) and POST (n=8) exercised for 30 min at 60-64% VO2peak. Peak ASR and RSR were measured in the brachial artery twice before and 30 minutes following exercise. ASR and RSR were assessed at rest and in response to an increase in blood flow induced following 5 minutes of forearm blood flow occlusion (200mmHg) and calculated as [(8*velocitymean (mm/s)/artery diameter (mm)]. Data was analyzed using a 3-way ANOVA and Holm-Sidak post-hoc testing and presented as mean±SEM. There were no significant differences in RSR by group (PERI vs. POST, p=0.496), condition (pre- vs. post-exercise, p=0.64), or trial (1 vs. 2, p=0.72). There was a trend for an effect of trial for baseline ASR (trial 1:349.77±24.15s-1 vs. trial 2:285.22±24.08s-1, p=0.065), with lower ASR in trial 2 post-exercise (trial 1:360.71±35.68s-1 vs. trial 2:266.71±35.12s-1, p=0.067). There was a post-exercise trend for lower post-occlusion ASR for POST (preex:1218.86±112.06s-1 vs. post-ex: 955.17±112.06s-1, p=0.10) and a trend for greater post-occlusion ASR for PERI versus POST (PERI:1240.21±117.94s-1 vs. POST:955.17±112.06s-1, p=0.087). We have previously shown reduced vascular function following acute exercise in POST compared to PERI (Serviente et al., 2016). The differences in ASR at baseline and post-occlusion with repeated trials and following acute exercise may contribute to these observed differences, increasing CVD risk in POST. Presentation Details 453 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C64 Margaret Ryan Jane Kent (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst EC Coupling Failure as a Potential Cause for Muscle Fatigue in Young and Older Women Muscle fatigue, defined as a contraction-induced decrease in torque or power is greater in older compared with young women during high-velocity contractions. The mechanisms of this age-difference in muscle fatigue are not known. The purpose of this study is to determine the role of excitation-contraction (EC) coupling failure in agedifferences during muscle fatigue. Young and older women will complete a series of contractions at baseline and immediately after a 4-minute fatigue protocol. This series consists of 2 maximal voluntary dynamic contractions (MVDC) at 240°.s-1, 1 maximal voluntary isometric contraction, and 80Hz and 10Hz stimulated contractions of the knee extensors (KEs). The 10:80 Hz ratio will be calculated to examine the magnitude of EC coupling failure in young and older women. The fatigue protocol consists of 120 MVDCs of the KEs at 240°.s-1, with 1 contraction completed every 2s. Participants will be verbally encouraged throughout the protocol. Our pilot data (n=1, age: 21yrs, BMI: 25.8kg.m2) demonstrates KE power at 240°.s-1 decreased by 46.8% (baseline: 429W, post-fatigue: 228W), isometric torque decreased by 31.0% (baseline: 181N, postfatigue: 125N), and the 10:80Hz ratio declined by 23.4% (baseline: 0.47, post- fatigue: 0.36) following the fatigue protocol. The fatigue protocol induces a similar degree of muscle fatigue to previous studies. The decline in the 10:80Hz ratio indicates EC coupling failure was present. Although muscle fatigue is expected to be greater in older compared with young women, it is unknown if the decline in 10:80Hz ratio is greater in older compared with young women. Presentation Details 454 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C65 Colleen Jean Sands Catrine Tudor-Locke (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst Validity of Wearable Devices at Varying Running Intensities There has been sufficient research into the validity of wearable devices at varying walking speeds, but more research needs to be done for varying running speeds. This research gap needs to be filled because it is important for athletes who use wearable devices during training, recreational runners who use running as a significant form of physical activity, and researchers who want to use wearable devices in studies. The purpose of this study is to examine the validity of the Garmin Forerunner 25 and Fitbit Surge in recording distance and step count at varying running intensities. While wearing the devices, participants will perform three 5-minute intervals of running at 6mph, 7mph, and 8.5mph with 3-minutes of recovery in between. During each interval, a researcher will directly observe and count the number of steps taken using a hand tally counter while their steps are video recorded as backup in case of hand count errors. Immediately after and prior to each interval, step and distance data will be gathered from both devices, distance will be recorded from the treadmill’s digital display, and the researcher will record the hand count of steps. Data collection for this project will run through February and March. Data analysis and interpretation will be completed in March and April. Data will be available for dissemination by late April. Conclusion: These results will help fill the research gap of whether running speed affects the validity of the distance and step count provided by the device. Presentation Details 436 Room 804 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Kavita V. Shah Nency Sangani John Ronald Sirard (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst Analyzing Intra- and Inter-rater Reliability through Direct Observation The purpose of this study was to calculate intra- and inter-rater reliability from direct observation videos of children engaged in physical activity. Determining the intensity and duration of physical activity in children is an active area of investigation. These reliability assessments inform a larger study, the Movement Observation in Children and Adolescents (MOCA) Study. Observations were recorded using the GoPro HERO+LCD™ camera and analyzed using customized software for video coding (Noldus™). This system enables the analysis of video recordings at an accuracy of within 0.1 seconds. Undergraduate Research Assistants (URAs) spent 60 hours training to use the coding scheme to identify activity type, intensity and duration. After training, the URAs independently coded (in duplicate, 1-week apart) the same 30-minute video of a 9 year old child during indoor unstructured free play. The outcome variables from the URAs were compared to their own for intra-rater reliability and to a master coder (criterion measure) for inter-rater reliability. We anticipate high percent agreement (>90%) and intraclass correlation coefficients (> 0.80) for key variables. These results will be very crucial for significant ongoing research in measurement of activity and sedentary time in youth and supporting the reliability of direct observation. Specifically, it will be a very important criterion for the larger MOCA study which will serve to explore new techniques for estimating physical activity in youth. Presentation Details 459 Auditorium 4:30-5:15 Board A11 Jared Matthew Stone Catrine Tudor-Locke (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst Effects of Inducing Sedentary Behavior on Active, Mentally Healthy College-Aged Students Depression is a mood disorder that can have adverse effects on both physical and psycho-social aspects of life. Previous research has shown an inverse correlation: higher levels of depression have been associated with lower levels of physical activity (PA). The mechanisms underlying this relationship and whether depression causes inactivity or if the inverse is true is still not understood. This study will examine whether inducing sedentary behavior in active, mentally healthy college aged students (students between 18-22 years and average >7,500 steps/day) causes an acute increase in feelings of depression. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ9) and a Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI) will be used to measure baseline and subsequent reports of mental health. Participants will wear an ActiGraph GT9X accelerometer for a three-day baseline period to confirm normal PA of >7,500 steps/day. Participants will then complete a seven-day intervention period where they will be asked to limit PA to <5,000 steps/day and finally report their mental health again. We hypothesize an acute increase in feelings of depression associated with reduced steps/day. The results of this study will help us determine how we can potentially use wearable technologies to support increased PA as treatment for mental health issues. Presentation Details 455 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C66 Brianna Thomson Jennifer L. Gordon (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst Usage of Guardian Caps on Concussion Reduction among NCAA College Football Players Concussions have become a popular topic in sports medicine, with football as the leading sport responsible for the majority of sports-related head injuries. Research indicates that concussions alter normal brain function leading to variety of symptoms and abnormal neuropsychological effects as the result of the massive impact on the head. There have been numerous studies which suggest biomechanical evidence supporting the use of specialized headgear or helmets to reduce the impact forces on the brain from a collision, however, these findings have not been directly observed outside of the laboratory. The technology behind the devices is intended to decrease impact by reducing acceleration forces. The purpose of this study was to determine if the Guardian Cap (GC), a soft, light weight shell cap that covers the outside of the football helmet, was capable of reducing the number and severity of concussions among NCAA collegiate football players. The GC was designed to add an additional component to the helmet to reduce head. *The results are estimated to indicate that the overall number of concussions among NCAA universities using GC is lower than those schools not using GC. In addition, the number of concussions among frontline players is also estimated to be fewer among the schools using GC compared to those without GC. The data will provide coaches and athletic trainers with evidence of concussion reduction through the usage of specialized headgear added to a traditional football helmet, and whether the usage of this additional headgear, like GC, is a good investment for the safety of their players. Presentation Details 456 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C67 Kimberly Vermilya Richard Van Emmerik (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst The Effects of a Dual-Task on Postural Stability in People with Multiple Sclerosis Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a progressive disease characterized by neuronal demyelination. Common symptoms, including fatigue, muscular weakness, and impaired plantar sensation, compound to increase falls in people with MS. Elevated fall risk is linked to impaired executive functioning likely due to fewer available attentional resources in people with MS. Purpose: evaluate effects of a dual-task on postural stability in MS versus healthy controls (CON). Sixteen adults will be recruited (n=8 MS, n=8 CON). Plantar vibration sensation is measured with a biothesiometer, as sensation may impact balance. Postural stability is evaluated during quiet or narrow standing with participants playing a simple cell-phone game, ‘Dots’. Higher game score indicates improved ability. Preliminary data comparing n=3 MS (52.3 yrs ±9.1) and n=3 CON (53.0 yrs ±2.6) are presented here. Baseline (seated) game scores were similar for MS (79 pts±23) and CON (80 pts ±22). However game scores were reduced in MS versus CON for quiet stance (MS 79 pts ±22; CON 89 pts ±29), and narrow stance (MS=77 pts ±20; CON=87 pts ±24). CON were more sensitive to vibration (6.9 volts ±2.7) than MS (16.6 volts ±14.6). Preliminary results indicate that MS have impaired vibration sensitivity compared to CON. Baseline performance scores were similar between groups, although MS displayed a decline during quiet and narrow stance, whereas CON showed improved scores. The dual-task activity in this study mimics the actions of standing while using a smartphone. Understanding the impact of dual-tasking on postural stability in MS may inform future fall risk prevention guidelines. Presentation Details 427 Room 804 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Annalisa Webb-Gordon Patty Freedson (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst Validation of the StepWatch Step Count in Free-Living Environments Walking is a daily activity that can be objectively measured by counting steps. The StepWatch (SW) is a research-grade device used for this purpose. Most studies of the SW have been conducted in controlled laboratory settings. Wide variability of movement volume and movement type in free-living environments may affect device step count. The purpose of this study is to examine the accuracy and precision of the SW step count in free-living environments compared to criterion measured steps. Total steps were manually counted (n =8) free-living participants for 2 hours. The directly observed (DO) step count was compared to the SW step count. The SW step count did not differ significantly from DO criterion step count (p=0.74). Although the difference was not significant, the SW underestimated mean two hr step count by 388 steps (mean ±SD=3416 ±2156) compared to DO step count (3803± 2549). There was a strong positive correlation between the DO and SW step counts (r=0.98). These data show that the SW is accurate for estimating steps under free-living conditions. Specifically, there was a strong correlation between the SW and DO step counts but a consistent underestimation by the SW. Variations in walking velocity and multidirectional movements typically performed in free-living settings, may affect the accuracy of the SW. The inaccuracy arising from free-living movement variability may compromise the efficacy of the SW in certain situations where step rate is highly variable. Inaccuracies in device step count may lead to misclassification of step volume that is used to determine achievement of physical activity guidelines or misinterpretation of the effectiveness of a rehabilitation program. Presentation Details 432 Room 804 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Shannon Christine Weisse Kayla Marie Morgan-Pitman Jason Gillis (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Exercise Science, Salem State University The Influence of Menthol on Recovery from Exercise Induced Muscle Damage The purpose of this study is to assess the influence of menthol on muscle soreness and gross measures of physical performance for five days following exercise-induced muscle damage. Two weeks of testing will occur with 55 healthy male participants who will be randomized to one of three interventions: Placebo (n=18), Control (n=19) and a 4.6 % Menthol condition (n=18). Week one features three familiarizations of a testing battery including: vertical jump, agility t-test, hip flexion/abduction, perception of muscle soreness using an algometer and a 0-100 scale for soreness. Week two consists of five consecutive testing days beginning with 40x15m repeated sprinting protocol to induce muscle damage. The testing battery will occur immediately afterwards. Following this, participants will undergo their intervention: P and M gels will be given a syringe of respective intervention and apply 10mL to hamstrings and quadriceps and 5mL onto calves, rubbing into skin until it is absorbed with no excessive rubbing/massaging of gel. Interventions will be applied at time of testing and in the evening on test days. Data will be analyzed using two-way repeated measure ANOVA based upon conditions and time. Data will be compared with baseline values before introduction of menthol interventions. 45 participants completed testing as of February (19 in C, 13 in P and M respectively). 10 participants will be recruited and proceed through testing. Statistical analyses of data will be completed in the months following. All data will be ready for presentation in April. Presentation Details 457 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C68 Jizhou Zhou Catrine Tudor-Locke (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Kinesiology, UMass Amherst The Validity of Wearable Technologies to Estimate Step Counts Advances in wearable technology have made it possible for people to track their health indicators with a small device attached to the body. The purpose of my study is to elucidate factors affecting the validity of activity trackers to estimate step counts. The study will conduct secondary analyses using data from the Cadence-Adults study. The participants were instructed to complete a series of tasks in the lab which simulated free-living situations and normal walking behaviors while concurrently wearing a series of commercial and research-grade activity trackers. Hand-counted steps taken will be the criterion standard. The study will use inferential statistical methods (i.e., ANOVA) to evaluate different factors. Mean absolute percentage error will be calculated to determine agreements between the target devices and the criterion were examined by conducting regression analyses. The data will be compiled and stored using Microsoft Excel. Calculations and analyses will be completed using R Studio. Data analysis and interpretation will be completed with existing data in March. Based on existing studies and data, we hypothesis that factors affecting validity will include walking speed, height of the participant (i.e., waist or wrist device). Each device has its own characteristics. Consumers of activity trackers may consult the results of the study to help them select a device based their own characteristics and use patterns. Commercial device manufacturers can learn about the weakness of the devices and improve the internal algorithms and device sensors accordingly. Presentation Details LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE 461 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C69 Keira Siobhan Lee Carey Clouse (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Architecture, UMass Amherst Public Spaces, Public Art, and Their Importance on College Campuses Public spaces are the foundation of democracy in our society, and are one of the most important aspects of landscape architecture. When we enter a place for public use we enter a space where all are equal, and where people of all backgrounds can relax, socialize, and play. The exposure we gain from these environments reinforces basic understanding about the outdoors and civic society. They also provide many benefits, such as a stronger sense of community, economic success, a healthier population, and improved environmental awareness. The inclusion of public outdoor spaces is essential to diverse and active communities, and that need is even greater on a college campus. Unfortunately, colleges and universities often overlook these spaces, especially in campuses with large acreage and a large student population. In places where public spaces are not successful, the introduction of public art has been found to be an effective solution. By creating an art installation in an outdoor area at the center of the UMass Amherst Campus, I hope to demonstrate real-time improved site functioning. Public spaces are an important part of the commons, and their importance is particularly visible on college campuses. Presentation Details LEGAL STUDIES 463 Room 911 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Kimberly Beaudreau Rebecca Hamlin (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Legal Studies, UMass Amherst Mexico's Programa Frontera Sur: Border Externalization and Decentralization as Deterrence along the Mexico-Guatemala Border This thesis examines border externalization, defined as the systematic engagement between popular immigrant destinations and third countries to apprehend migrants and prevent migration. In particular, the thesis examines Programa Frontera Sur, a Mexican immigration policy created in direct response to the United States’ request for an increase in Mexico-Guatemala border security. This case study reveals how border externalization has transformed policy creation and immigration enforcement within a decentralized federalist government. While many studies focus on border externalization’s effect on migrants’ rights, I focus on the inner workings of the partner state. I attempt to determine what factors explain Mexico’s promise to fulfill the United States’ expectations of border externalization and how that translates to immigration enforcement. I also examine Mexico’s commitment to and motivations behind accepting border externalization. I answer my research question by examining three data sources: Mexico’s public dialogue about Programa Frontera Sur before its implementation including the United States’ response; the policy itself and its implementation model; and Programa Frontera Sur’s implementation and enforcement. Drawing on government documents and scholarship on the Central American migrant experience, I argue that the Mexican government is using its decentralized government and policy to implement border externalization by increasing the discretion of enforcement agents and continuing violence towards migrants as a deterrence factor. I conclude by examining the consequences of these actions, particularly Mexico’s adoption of a new role as an immigration enforcer, the impact of Mexico’s relationship with other Central American countries, and the “trickle-down” effect of border externalization. Presentation Details 464 Room 911 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Cheyevna Beckedorff Duarte Michael Dubson (Faculty Sponsor) Honors Program, Bunker Hill Community College Legalization of Driver's Licenses for Illegal Immigrants in MA The purpose of this research project is to recognize and critically analyze the current situation of illegal immigrants living within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts without basic privileges, specifically without the right to obtain a Driver's License. Those who oppose the legalization of Driver’s Licenses to undocumented immigrants believe that allowing this privilege would be a tacit approval of their illegal immigration status and would provide an incentive to attract illegal aliens to the state. This research presents arguments that challenge the opposing opinions by citing previous judicial decisions from other states based on similar cases, Constitutional rights based on the 14th Amendment in regards to equal protection and liberty to all people before the law, and the correlation of the term “Sanctuary cities” based on the Christian-Judeo values with undocumented communities. Denying a driver’s license to undocumented immigrants restricts them from having a personal identification, liability, access to RMV tests and their duty to pay mandatory fees required by the State. Upon examination of the facts, this research clearly demonstrates that to withhold a driver’s license from undocumented immigrants provides no advantage for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts preventing the State to tax and profit from driver’s license issuances, to improve public safety and other improvements reported. It also shows the importance of standing for the U.S. value system of offering opportunity for everyone willing to work hard and live within the laws, and representing their value and contributions to society since this is the foundation of the United States of America. Presentation Details 466 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C70 Lindsey Marie Cavallaro Paula Stamps (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Public Health, UMass Amherst Ending World War II: A Story of American Heroism, or Terrorism? War and terrorism are two evolving concepts that have been particularly prevalent in American foreign policy since September 11, 2001. This paper aims to explore in what ways the concepts of war and terrorism have changed in order to better understand them in the context of current, and past, events. I applied my findings to actions conducted by the United States during World War II in the hopes that we can reevaluate various misconceptions that surround war and terrorism in light of recent racially and religiously motivated events. To execute this, I began with a study of Just War Theory and Total War Theory in order to develop a set of criteria that attempt to define war. Similarly, I analyzed various theories of terrorism using books, and scholarly articles. Using these two sets of criteria, I determined that conflict is a spectrum with war at one end and terrorism at the other, and that events can be placed at any point on the spectrum by applying the characterization schemes. The second half of the paper focuses on placing the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 somewhere on the conflict spectrum by analyzing scholarly articles and WWII memoranda. Ultimately, I have concluded that, according to current understandings of war and terrorism, and the of criteria that I developed on the conflict spectrum, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki might be considered acts of terrorism committed by the United States during World War II. Presentation Details 465 Room 904 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Hui Chen Shoshanna Ehrlich (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, UMass Boston Amicus Facts: A Friend or Foe of the Court? In 2007, the Supreme Court affirmed the constitutionality of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 in Gonzales v. Carhart. Carhart is one in a series of cases that chipped away at women's abortion right set out in Roe v. Wade (1973). The purpose of this paper is to investigate and analyze the Carhart Court's use of an amicus curiae brief that was filed by a legal advocacy group with a deep-rooted religious and pro-life background. Through a critical analysis of scholarly literature drawn from law reviews and Supreme Court decisions, this paper reveals the flaws in the Court's reliance on this amicus brief. First, as discussed, the Court blindly relied on the brief without a proper procedure to evaluate its credibility. Second, the amicus brief contains neither medical nor scientific facts but rather draws upon stories from women who claimed abortion regret and therefore this paper rejects those stories on the ground of unreliability. Lastly, the Court's citation to the amicus brief constitutes a religious endorsement of this group’s divinely inspired anti-abortion views and thus violates its own establishment clause jurisprudence. In conclusion, this paper suggests there are inherent deficiencies in the current legal structure governing the admission and use of amicus briefs. Scholarship should aim towards a broader and more systemic study to determine if the flaws are prevalent in the legal system, particularly where such important rights are at stake. Presentation Details 462 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A16 Brianna Elizabeth Harris Susan McCourt (Faculty Sponsor) Honors Program, Bristol Community College Civilian Protests throughout Time Due to Elections, Politics, Etc. Civil unrest has shown itself in almost every decade in the United States, some have been more violent than others; some have had lasting effects on the government and its citizens. This presentation will include one particular civil unrest for every decade starting with the 1950's, considering what led up to the civil unrest and the cause, and what effects it had on the citizens and the government. The most recent civil unrest and the increase in violence, the civilians and criminal justice that is used during these types of events will be presented. This presentation consider both sides, final outcomes and how it has affected today's forms of civil unrest/protests. Presentation Details 468 Room 803 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 Arianna Monet Lewis Jim Ben-Aaron (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Political Science, UMass Amherst Run(t) of the Mill While laws are initially crafted as textual pieces of legislation, the true nature of their implications is determined largely by their effect in practice. In light of this fact, I am interested in the relationship between what is technically the law and what is reflected in practice, as well as potential weaknesses/loopholes in either or both. My objective with this assignment is to research the regulations currently in place regarding puppy mills, breeders, and shelters, their intersection, the interconnection thereof, and the ultimate impact - both on the animals, and on the people to whom they will ultimately belong. Upon conducting this research, I intend to represent it in a format tantamount to a graphic novel; my final project should be a piece of graphic nonfiction that reflects a comprehensive demonstration of my arguments and findings. Presentation Details 469 Room 803 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 Amanda Pinto Jim Ben-Aaron (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Political Science, UMass Amherst Legal Decision Making in the United States: Judge versus Jury Juries have always been prevalent in the United States. They are even guaranteed in the Constitution. Despite their long legal history, there has always been concern about the correctness of jury’s legal decision-making. This paper examines the arguments against jury legal decision making to determine the validity of the arguments as well as to propose areas of reform. This has been accomplished using peer-reviewed scholarly articles and journals accessed through the University of Massachusetts Amherst library database to compare juries to judges, the primary legal decision maker. To better determine patterns of decision making behavior studies using different methods of comparison, such as the rates of judge-jury agreements, experimental simulations, and archival analysis, are used. The examination of these studies find that while the decision making process and justification may be different the decisions reached are largely the same. That does not mean however that there is no evidence of difference or that the jury has no issue in fulfilling its duties as a legal decision maker. Many of the studies have shown that jury instructions are often the biggest factor in jury-judge disagreements. To mitigate this issue jury instructions can be rewritten and the mode they are delivered in can be altered. Understanding the differences between judge-jury decisions making reinforce the validity of juries as a legal institution in the U.S. as well as provide insight to the challenges juries face as a decision making body and potential areas of reform to address these challenges. Presentation Details 467 Auditorium 4:30-5:15 Board A12 Brayden Woods Jim Ben-Aaron (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Political Science, UMass Amherst Comparative Anatomy and Neurobiology as a New Basis for Animal Law Reform Currently, federal statutes regarding treatment of animals are severely limited: only humane slaughter methods for livestock and humane containment and treatment methods for research animals are considered; all other considerations for companion animals, wild animals, livestock, and other categories are limited to the state level or below. In all cases, the definition for “animal” is either too exclusive or too broad. For example, the federal Animal Welfare Act only specifies dogs, cats, monkeys, guinea pigs, hamsters, and rabbits under its definition, with a broad inclusion of “other warmblooded animals,” with the specific exceptions of birds, rats, mice, horses, and a general exception for livestock. Conversely, most state statutes define “animal” broadly as any “non-human, animate being which is endowed with the power of voluntary motion.” Such vagaries and ambiguities lead to unnecessary legal confusion. Standardized anticruelty laws should be developed instead on the basis of comparative neurobiology, that is, organisms should be protected based on their physiological capacity for pain processing. One major distinction in pain processing is made between vertebrates and invertebrates, however, new evidence suggests that certain taxa of invertebrates, especially mollusks and crustaceans, may have the same general capacity for nocioception as vertebrates. An additional distinction may be made, within vertebrata, in regard to responses to emotional rather than physical pain, as taxa including chimpanzees, elephants, and dogs have been observed exhibiting complex behavior comparable to human rituals of mourning. A neurobiological basis for law would have the added benefit of global as well as nationwide application. Presentation Details LINGUISTICS 474 Room 163 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Vishal Sunil Arvindam Lyn Frazier (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Linguistics, UMass Amherst Processing Singular They with Discrete Referents: A Study Contrasting GenderNonconforming with Gender-Conforming Individuals This paper reports the results of a study on they, used as a gender-neutral singular pronoun. Previous work has looked at the processing cost of they when used to refer to stereotypically gendered singular antecedents (eg. nurse) but none have looked at they’s behavior when used to refer to stereotypically gendered names (eg. Liam). They has been taken into new grammatical territory by gender nonconforming individuals, who use it as an alternative for he or she (1). (1) Lucy loves their dog. (2) Lucy loves her dog. Although this usage is included in the style guides of the New York Times and Washington Post, (1) sounds unnatural to some but not all speakers. Since they is adopted as the personal pronoun for gender nonconforming individuals, we expect from them a greater acceptance of sentences like (1). A grammaticality rating experiment tested sentences like (1) and (2) contrasting a group of gender nonconforming individuals with a group of gender conforming individuals. The group containing nonconforming individuals treated they and gendered pronouns alike (Mthey=6.5, Mhe/she=6.75). By contrast conforming individuals strongly preferred gendered pronouns (Mthey=3.25, Mhe/she=6.4). (3) Suzy told the band that their guitar was out of tune. To explain the findings, the paper tested whether they activates both genderless singular and plural antecedents for nonconforming individuals. To test this, participants were asked to assign they to an antecedent in a sentence like (3). As predicted, only nonconforming individuals were equally likely to pick the singular and plural antecedents. Presentation Details 475 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C71 Amanda Kaitlin Doucette Joe Pater (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Linguistics, UMass Amherst Inherent Biases of Recurrent Neural Networks for Phonological Assimilation and Dissimilation A recurrent neural network model of phonological pattern learning is proposed. The model is a relatively simple neural network with one recurrent layer, and displays biases in learning that mimic observed biases in human learning. Single-feature patterns are learned faster than two-feature patterns, and vowel or consonant-only patterns are learned faster than patterns involving vowels and consonants, mimicking the results of laboratory learning experiments. In non-recurrent models, capturing these biases requires the use of alpha features or some other representation of repeated features, but with a recurrent neural network, these elaborations are not necessary. Presentation Details 470 Room 165 8:30-9:15 Panel 1 John M. Duff Lyn Frazier (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Linguistics, UMass Amherst That Punk!: An Experiment on Epithets and Perspective Dependence Some phrases in English, like "wow", "damn", and "that idiot", convey expressive information about emotional and attitudinal states. Recent experimental evidence demonstrates that in some utterances, the party whose emotions this expressive content describes can be ambiguous. Sentences like (1) have two possible interpretations, (2) and (3). 1. Speaker: Kate said that Josh, that barbarian, walked by a dog yesterday without petting it. 2. Kate said that Josh walked by a dog yesterday without petting it, and the speaker thinks negatively of Josh. 3. Kate said that Josh walked by a dog yesterday without petting it, and Kate thinks negatively of Josh. Findings from Harris and Potts (2009), Harris (2012), and Kaiser (2015) all suggest that the language processor interprets expressives as displaying the attitudes of the current Perspective Center (PC), which is set using a variety of pragmatic cues. The experiment I will present seeks to identify some of these pragmatic cues. I find that perspective assignment appears to be sensitive to whether a party's mental faculty has been implied in the prior discourse through verbs which necessitate cognitive function (e.g. "look", "notice"). Subjects of such verbs are more frequently adopted as perspective centers than subjects of other verbs. These findings help inform our understanding of the process by which perspective shift occurs in natural language. Presentation Details 471 Room 165 8:30-9:15 Panel 1 Emma Jane Merritt Lyn Frazier (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Linguistics, UMass Amherst How Does the Presence of Shape-Based Classifiers in Mandarin Chinese Influence Speakers’ Object Categorization Compared to Speakers of English? A classifier is a bound morpheme that is inserted between either numerals or demonstratives and a target noun phrase. Classifier languages, such as Chinese, require speakers to be aware of each noun’s specific classifier, whereas non-classifier languages like English have no such requirement. This raises the question, does the presence of unique elements (in this case, classifiers) in some languages affect speakers’ cognition, based on the inherent linguistic properties of each element? In 2007, Jenny Yi-chun Kuo and Maria D. Sera conducted an experiment assessing the degree to which shape-based classifiers in Mandarin might influence native speakers when categorizing objects. Findings supported their original hypothesis that Chinese speakers would rely on object shape more often than English speakers (who sorted primarily based on functional similarity) when asked to determine whether certain objects were similar. Here, in a more open-ended version of Kuo and Sera’s original task, Mandarin- and English-speaking participants were asked to sort twenty different objects into smaller groups, using whatever method they deemed fit to categorize the objects. When they finished, they were asked to label each group. While both Mandarin and English speakers sorted primarily based on object function, Mandarin speakers were considerably more diverse in the methods used to sort when function was not an option. In the end, 9% of Mandarin-speaking subjects and 5.5% of English speakers sorted their objects based on shape, indicating that while shape may not be Chinese speakers’ primary consideration, it may still be relevant to the task of object-sorting. Presentation Details 476 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C72 Sam Rose Sexton Meg Gebhard (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Education, UMass Amherst Cross-Linguistic Analysis of Grammatical Gender: Implications for Critical Language Pedagogy Critical educators have a desire to support queer and trans identified students in the language education classroom. However this desire is often complicated by how gender is grammatically inscribed in linguistic forms. Therefore the purpose of this study twofold. First, the author uses a descriptive approach to analyzing how gender is realized in five world languages. This analysis explores the linguistic gender classification systems of English as “genderless;” Spanish and Arabic with masculinefeminine gender distinctions; Russian with masculine-feminine-neuter; and Swedish with common-neuter. Second, this analysis provides implications for world language educators interested in enacting critically inclusive pedagogical practices. Keywords: grammatical gender, gendered language, transgender/gender nonconforming students, language pedagogy, English, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Swedish Presentation Details 473 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A47 Meghan Faith Tessitore Vanessa Holford Diana (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Westfield State University "I Had You from Hello": The Roles of Linguistic Profiling in Perpetuating Racism Racism still exists in America. Rather than disappear, as we may all wish to believe, racism has only evolved. Most of us are familiar with the term “racial profiling,” or identifying a person’s race or ethnicity based on how they appear to our eyes, but what if you are making racial identifications based on something other than appearance? What if you were to guess a person’s race then proceed to make your own judgments from there after only hearing a person’s voice? Such a practice is what Stanford professor and linguistics expert John Baugh refers to as “linguistic profiling.” Linguistic profiling is a form of “new racism” in our society, a form that is marked by subtlety yet has the potential to cause so much damage. My research focuses on the effects, particularly on non-White minority groups residing in the United States, of linguistic profiling in the legal, housing, and occupational fields. This analysis creates a bridge between language and race. It creates a bridge between linguistics and racism, and between perception and opportunity. The purpose of this project is to bring about awareness of linguistic profiling and the dangers associated with it. This is the essential first step of the daunting yet rewarding task of bringing about an end to linguistic profiling and, by extension, racism itself. Presentation Details 472 Room 911 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Kerin Regina Towne Sandra M. Lygren (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Deaf Studies, Bristol Community College Bridging the Gap: The Case for Increasing Support to Families of Bilingual Deaf Children in Massachusetts Hearing parents of deaf and hard of hearing children face a surprisingly controversial decision very shortly after receiving a diagnosis of hearing loss: what language and modality their child will use to communicate. Though many studies have shown early acquisition of sign language to significantly benefit all children and not to impede the acquisition of listening and spoken language skills, parents are given conflicting information and too few support resources in Massachusetts to help with the uphill battle of learning a second language and finding a way to fit in with the Deaf community. Using scholarly literature accessed through the Bristol Community College library, I will assess existing research regarding bilingualism to show the need for support, then survey parents in Massachusetts regarding services offered and utilized as well as data gathered from state agencies in order to determine gaps in offerings. I will be implementing a monthly program, utilizing an existing model offered through Gallaudet University, at Bristol Community College that will connect hearing parents of Deaf children to volunteer members of the Deaf community to teach them how to read books to their children in ASL and offer social networking time as well. After the initial program meeting I will survey attendees to see if this fills an identified gap in the region and helps parents feel more connected to the Deaf community and supported on their journey to bilingualism. With positive feedback, the program will continue and help to bridge the Deaf/hearing gap. Presentation Details LITERATURE 483 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A49 Melissa Elaine Allard David M. Kalivas (Faculty Sponsor) Honors Program, Middlesex Community College Growth: Fascinating Authors and Captivating Readers throughout Time Throughout history, a source of inspiration for many artists has been that of human growth. Time and again, authors have centered their pieces around the concept of personal evolution, so much so that the concept transcends individual character development and becomes the central theme of the literary work. This theme transcends time period, literary style, and author, presumably because of its universality. There seem to be three major categories of growth that permeate literature: 1) child characters who experience a trial of adulthood that forces them to mature; 2) characters who analyze or question their own identity; 3) times of crisis that force the subject to grow and adjust out of necessity. This project will examine specific artists who have a fascination with the human experience that drives them to explore it through their talent, and there is nothing more uniting than the fact that every person in the world is growing, changing, and adapting. Presentation Details 477 Room 805 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Merrie Margaret Gardner Elizabeth Osborne (Faculty Sponsor) Department of World Languages and Cultures, Worcester State University Los dos lados: Nosotros y ellos en “A Roosevelt” y “Coney Island” / Two Sides: Us and Them in "A Roosevelt" and "Coney Island" En los fines de los años 1800 después del comienzo del imperialismo, los EE.UU se transformó en la nación más poderosa del hemisferio occidental. Esto creó preocupaciones por el porvenir, la prosperidad y la independencia de Latinoamérica. Mediante la investigación escolar de artículos por la base de datos de Worcester State University, este trabajo examina las angustias que aparecen en “A Roosevelt” de Rubén Darío y “Coney Island” de José Martí. Es importante notar que este tema no es ampliamente investigado. Los dos escritores comparan los EE.UU y Latinoamérica a través de perspectivas distintas. Aunque los dos escritores se enfocan en aspectos diferentes los dos llegan a la misma conclusión identificando la fortaleza espiritual de los latinoamericanos, lo que consideraron una flaqueza para los estadounidenses. At the start of American imperialism in the late 1800’s, the United States rapidly became the most powerful nation in the Western Hemisphere. Latin Americans, concerned about the aggressive power of the U.S., feared for their land, prosperity and independence. Using scholarly articles accessed through the Worcester State University library database, this paper examines how Latin Americans felt about the U.S. through the eyes of two Latin American writers: Rubén Darío, author of “A Roosevelt”, and José Martí, author of “Coney Island”. It should be noted here that this topic is a sparsely covered subject. Both writers focus on different aspects of the United States, however, they both arrive at the same conclusion: condemning the spiritual poverty of the U.S. Presentation Details 480 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A48 Brooke Lynne Meservey William Frank Berry (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Cape Cod Community College What Have We as a Society Done to Shape the Identity of Bisexuals? This paper will focus on the issue of the identity of the bisexual being. From self-image to representation in literature, media, politics and so on we will explore bisexuality through a societal lens, as well as through singular human experiences. We are moving forward in terms of representation and public acceptance, even within the LGBT community. Unfortunately, in a 2011 study by Joseph P. Robinson and Dorothy L. Eselage professors of educational psychology in the College of Education at Illinois found that bisexuals experience high rates of suicidal ideation and attempts. Thirteen thousand middle and high school age students in Dane County, Wisconsin were asked eight questions. Robinson and Eselage found the rate for which suicide was contemplated in the last thirty days by bisexual students was considerably higher at 44%, compared to the 7% for straight students and 33% for either gay or lesbian students. Bisexual student also had a high risk for rate for attempting with 21% making at least one attempt in the last year. So, what have we, as a society done to shape the identity of bisexuals? We will explore possible influences on the bisexual identity through use of examples from literature, T.V., cinema and more. Presentation Details 481 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A49 Emma Grace Nee William Frank Berry (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Cape Cod Community College How Were Eastern Asian Myths Inspired Creation myths are figurative narratives created by ancient societies. Within these myths, societies sought to comprehend their place in the universe and their relationship with people, nature, and god(s). As stated in Charles Long's novel, Alpha: The Myths of Creation, creation myths can be categorized five ways; these stories are either created from chaos, nothing (Ex. Nihilo), world-parent, emergence, or earth-diver. Within these classifications, countless creation myths have been produced. Deepening on what myth classification is used, this provides insight into what relationships, morals, and culture these regions found significant. This also provides an understanding of the geography of the region. Since Asia is a large continent, divided by many environmental restraints, creation myths were not commonly shared; making viewpoints of how their world developed uniquely. As societies are just beginning to develop, it is easy to assume that all of Asia would have similar viewpoints on how the universe was created. However, in Eastern Asia, specifically China and Japan, creation myths vary from classification, themes, archetypes, and language. By considering Eastern Asian creation myths, this paper will examine the creation myths of Pangu (China) and Ainu (Japan) to determine how theses myths were inspired by examining myth classification, themes, archetypes, and language. Presentation Details 484 Room 903 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Daniel Rattelle Shirley Lau Wong (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Westfield State University "McNicholl's Pigeons": Seamus Heaney, the Cosmos, and County Derry This paper seeks to understand how the Irish poet Seamus Heaney’s work relates to and is informed by place. I look at a representative sample of his career, focusing primarily on the collections Death of a Naturalist (1966) North (1975) and Human Chain (2010) and test three different ways of reading them. Firstly, I will argue that a reading of Heaney's poetry as "cosmopolitan" fails to take into account the rootedness of Heaney’s work in County Derry. Secondly, a "nationalist" framework of analysis fails because Heaney’s poetry operates on a smaller scale than the nation-state. Lastly, to destabilize the charge of tribalism, I refer to poems such as “Punishment,” and “The Flight Path,” his translation the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf, and other poems that are not set in County Derry or even Ireland; such examples eschew an insular, reactionary worldview. Having found none of the above descriptions adequate, I argue for a new understanding of the relationship between Heaney’s poetry and place, which I refer to as “Poetics of the Body.” Poetics of the Body is rooted in sensory observations of the natural world rather than abstract concepts like “the nation-state.” Presentation Details 478 Room 805 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Erica D. Remillard Elizabeth Osborne (Faculty Sponsor) Department of World Languages and Cultures, Worcester State University El papel activo del lector en los obras de Jorge Luis Borges y Julio Cortázar El propósito central de una obra es diferente según cada autor y su cuento. Por eso, el papel del lector puede ser diferente también. Usando una combinación única y intencional de eventos, ambientes, personajes y técnicas literarias, cada autor crea un cuento que involucra el lector como desea. Mediante el análisis de los textos primarios, "Borges y yo" por Jorge Luis Borges y "Continuidad de los parques" por Julio Cortázar junto con literatura y artículos académicos accede desde la base de datos de la universidad de Worcester State, este trabajo explora cómo ambos Borges y Cortázar escribieron para involucrar el lector en el cuento en una manera specifica con una variedad de técnicas. En "Borges y yo", Borges usa dos formas de una persona, lagunas en la información y el intercambio entre la primera y la tercera persona para mantener un lector activo. Dicho de otra forma, el lector esta pensando a través de todo el cuento. En "Continuidad de los parques", se pueden observar técnicas como cambios intencionados en el tiempo del verbo, descripción del escenario y el lector que sirve de testigo, ya que Cortázar usa para crear un cómplice de los personajes. Tantas cosas afectan qué hacer y piensa el lector y es el autor talentoso que crea la perfecta combinación de eventos, ambientes y personajes hasta el mínimo detalle para formar un cuento que involucra al lector exactamente con la intención original. Presentation Details 479 Room 805 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Crissostomos Constantino Villarreal Elizabeth Osborne (Faculty Sponsor) Department of World Languages and Cultures, Worcester State University Challenging Stereotypes in a Patriarchal World: Clorinda Matto de Turner and Rosario Castellanos / Desafiar Barreras en un Mundo Patriarcal: Clorinda Matto de Turner y Rosario Castellanos Latin American norms have been dominated by patriarchal ideologies concerning women’s roles in society. Historically, women in Latin America have been cornered into traditional roles that patriarchal notions suggest are to exclusively deal with beauty, household, marriage, and childcare. Using scholarly literature from research derived from the Worcester State University library database, this Spanish-language presentation explores how two influential feminist Latin American writers Clorinda Matto de Turner and Rosario Castellanos defy traditional roles placed upon women by the patriarchal paradigms that dominated most of Latin America’s modern history. The work of Matto de Turner and Castellanos provided the impetus for a wave of feminism to start to dismantle the preconceived concepts of women’s roles as they pertain to society in Latin America. Using various literary devices and distinct styles, Matto de Turner and Castellanos approached challenging the barriers women face in different manners. Matto de Turner placed education as the focus of her argument to dispel misogynistic stereotypes to equate women’s roles in society to those of their male counterparts, while still supporting the traditional roles of women as caretakers, wives, and mothers. Castellanos completely renounces traditional roles of women especially in regards to marriage to advocate general gender equality. Taking different standpoints on how women should be viewed amidst a patriarchal culture, Matto de Turner and Castellanos became pioneers of gender equality and women’s rights. Their work empowered Latin American women to take part in roles outside of the traditional roles preconceived by a machismo driven culture. Presentation Details 482 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A50 Eric Andrew Woodbury William Frank Berry (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Cape Cod Community College Is Blind Obedience to Narratives within Religious Texts the Cause for Perpetual Bloodshed? Within religious texts, guidelines for acceptable behavior, and enacting the will of God, are outlined. In this sense, God is the narrator in the story of peoples’ lives. The two religions of Christianity and Islam, theological cousins, have been at war with each other for over a thousand years. Differences in the narratives between the Christian New Testament and the Koran, has led to each religion feeling their own ideals are superior to the other; moreover, each culture believes that they solely understand the true will of God. This study examines the literature of both religions; specifically, passages regarding prophets, highlighting similarities in the narratives that contribute to identity development within individuals that practice either religion, and point to the differences that have led to conflict between members of the opposing ideologies. In each of these religions, most members are indoctrinated at birth; initiating a lifelong development of deep rooted beliefs in a singular viewpoint, each being taught that their beliefs were bestowed upon them by the one true God; therefore, their scripture can be the only truth that exists. Despite common threads in both stories such as: Moral obligation, patriarchal dominance, and key characters; discrepancies in the interpretation of character role, namely Jesus Christ and Muhammed, have led to violent acts committed by both parties for a millennium. Is the perpetual bloodshed an effect of the human desire for power, or is the strife between the two cultures enflamed by blind obedience to the narratives in scripture? Presentation Details MANAGEMENT 486 Room 904 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Christine M. Newcomb Zaur Rzakhanov (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Accounting and Finance, UMass Boston Breaking through the Glass Ceiling: Why Some Female CEO's Fail The purpose of this report is to understand why some female leaders are successful and why others are not in today’s business world. To analyze, I will focus on the leadership of four prominent businesswomen. Two women, Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo., and Irene Rosenfeld, CEO of Kraft Foods, are highly successful CEOs, who have made significant improvements to their companies during their tenure. On the other hand, Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard and former Republican nominee in the 2016 Presidential Election, and Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo!, are two female executives who were not successful during their tenures. I will analyze the similarities and differences between these leaders. Factors that will be considered include education, state of the company prior to their appointment as CEO, leadership style, reactions during moments of controversy and/or crisis, and former mentors, and career paths. I expect to find that the success, or failure, of these women is mainly due to their styles of leadership. Indra Nooyi and Irene Rosenfeld have both exhibited a transformational style of leadership during their tenures, whereas Carly Fiorina and Marissa Mayer did not. Carly Fiorina and Marissa Mayer failed to adapt to the organizational culture of their organization. Presentation Details 487 Room 803 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Andrew Snow Audrey Pereira (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Business, Fitchburg State University Competitive Market Analysis of Niko's Pizza The literature suggests that restaurants smaller in size fail at higher rates than larger sized restaurants, and, similarly, independently owned restaurants fail at significantly higher rates than chain restaurants. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the competitive environment to determine how a small, independently owned pizza shop (Niko’s Pizza) compared to a national pizza chain restaurant and another similarly small local shop, all located in the Worcester, MA area, to help analyze and improve Niko’s Pizza’s competitive advantage. The research methods included gathering data including foot traffic, information from marketing materials, company websites, and customer reviews and feedback. Data was analyzed using multiple models including SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats), Strategic Options, QSPM (Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix), SPACE Matrix (Strategic Position and Action Evaluation), Internal/External SWOT, and Competitive Profile. Preliminary results of the analysis indicate that Niko’s Pizza is in a weak competitive position compared the national chain and the other local, small competitor, and, therefore should implement measures to improve their competitive position. Initial recommendations based on analysis of the collected data, and supported by the literature, suggest that Niko’s Pizza should increase their online presence by updating their website to include online ordering as well as invest in a Google ad to ensure that they are the first result when people within a given radius search for keywords pertaining to ordering pizza (as well as separate themselves from other pizza shops with the same name in other areas). Presentation Details 485 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A51 Samantha Whitney April L. Lynch (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Business, Bristol Community College Revealing the Gender Pay Gap, Exposing the Socioeconomic Effects on Society According to the U.S. Census Bureau, out of about 12 million single parent families in 2015, more than 80% were headed by single mothers who are earning between 77-83% of their male counterparts. Today, 1 in 4 children under the age of 18 – a total of about 17.4 million – are being raised without a father and nearly half (45%) live below the poverty line. This is one of the socioeconomic impacts the gender pay gap has on society in the United States. This project examines how the gender pay gap affects the socioeconomic status of the state of Massachusetts by conducting scholarly research using the Bristol Community College library database, congressional legislation, state legislation, and data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Women have played a vital role in employment and economic growth and their skills and talents are necessary for the economic and social development of our societies. However, this is not reflected in their pay and position in the labor market. This undervaluing and under-utilization of women’s skills and talents is a lost resource for a prosperous society. Research and evaluation of the gender pay gap is limited, but it is a real and pervasive issue, and it affects society. There is no silver bullet to fix the problem. Rather, individuals, employers, and communities need to join the conversation, learn more about it, so that appropriate action can be taken to resolve the issue. Presentation Details 488 Room 803 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 Paul Kenneth Zarrilli Jennifer Merton (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Management, UMass Amherst Arbitration in America: Dispute Resolution Vehicle of the Future or a Relic of the Past? This paper is a study of arbitration, an increasingly common form of alternative dispute resolution that many companies in America are invoking in contracts they enter into with consumers and employees. The goal of this study is to inform the reader what arbitration is, why it came to be, present arguments for and against it, and finally determine its future place in our nation. The first two sections give a detailed definition of arbitration and the Federal Arbitration Act and familiarize the reader with its history and ascension into mainstream use. Section Three covers the pertinent federal cases, focusing on DirecTV v. Imburgia. All other pertinent cases are detailed afterward, chronologically. The fourth section examines empirical evidence about the costs of arbitration versus litigation, and concludes that more studies must be done. Section Five details the inherent dangers of arbitration, and cites an extreme real-life example, where justice may not have been served to people who deserved it the most. Section six presents academic studies which have taken various positions on arbitration, while the seventh section presents the media’s outlook, specifically the New York Times, which has taken a keen interest in the arbitration discussion. The eighth section provides analysis of all the presented information and attempts to find solutions. Section nine examines the latest Supreme Court case that deals with arbitration in employment contracts, using new journal articles and applying concepts developed earlier in this study to predict its outcome this spring. The tenth section provides concluding remarks. Presentation Details MARKETING 489 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A35 Molly Catherine Kelley Michael J. Harrison (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Business, Framingham State University A Comparison of American and British Television Advertising This paper conducts an in depth analysis of the major differences between American and British television advertising. It begins with a look at the major cultural differences between the U.S. and the U.K. that affect advertising. It then discusses a key historical difference in American and British advertising and its importance in today’s advertising. It looks at the major differences in the selling and persuasion techniques used by American and British advertisers in reference to a 1992 study conducted by Terence Nevett. It proceeds to discuss the major events in which advertisers compete with each other for each country. Lastly, it discusses an individual study that was conducted that compared 50 U.K. advertisements and 50 U.S. advertisements. It uses the following criteria to do so: title of advertisement, company name, year, hard sell, soft sell, celebrity endorsement, nationalistic, length, humorous, type of humor, entertaining, and informing. It discusses how the study was conducted, along with some limitations that arose and finally discusses some examples of future studies that could be conducted. Presentation Details 492 Room 162 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Zackery Mitchell Robert Carr (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, Fitchburg State University Marketing eSports to all Generations Esports, or electronic sports, have been around for years but more recently have started to become an integral part of the gaming world. Gaming is now leaking into more people’s lives due to the growing popularity of Esports—but there is a noticeable lack of interest from people older than mid-twenties. I believe this has to do with a continuing stigma around gamers that they are antisocial, lazy, and wasting their time. Finding ways to bridge this generation gap will broaden understanding and appreciation of a major culture and more importantly bring new demographics to the growing Esports community. In my study, I have interviewed people who are aged 40-70 to show the varying personal opinions on Esports, recording responses with a microphone. Using the professional gaming scene of Super Smash Bros. Melee as an example, I have given visual presentations to interviewees and provided a station where they could try the game out themselves. After giving them this tangible connection to the subject, I recorded their new varying opinions. My analysis of the data collected across several age groups could be used to improve Esports marketing toward a wider audience. Presentation Details 495 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A51 Colin Daniel O'Shea Jessica Thelen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Westfield State University Why eMarketing Is So Important How would a business advertise themselves to the general public? Marketing a business is all about how to present the business to the target market and how the business's products and services are positioned in the market. Finding ways to not only advertise a product or service, but ways for a market to see a business’s products, will help to further any business's notoriety. Implementing a business, whether a startup or a large corporation, into internet marketing is a way to interactively publicize the products or services that that business sells. With nearly 200 million Americans owning smartphones; the internet is a great way to promote a business through social media or internet ads. Businesses can easily use social media to sell themselves through a target market, advertisements, and market research. All of these are basic marketing tools used to lure out potential customers and to see what is trending in the market, but how can you use these tools if you’re not exactly sure what they are? In interviews with executives with experience in marketing from a local supermarket chain, Big Y Foods, they were able to explain what these tools of marketing are and how they effectively use them at their place of work. Through these interviews with people familiar with studying marketing, I found that by implementing these basic tools into electronic marketing through promotions, online sales, and user based advertisements, businesses can expand their customer base, overall profit, and knowledge of basic marketing principles. Presentation Details 496 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A53 Maximus Seale Susan McPherson (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Quinsigamond Community College Self Driving Cars: The Future of Transportation and Artificial Intelligence: Computer Consciouness Self-driving cars are going to revolutionize the auto industry and transportation as we know it. Companies like Google and Uber are very close to bringing this technology to consumers and predict that self driving cars will be common place by 2020. In fact, they are currently being tested in cities like Boston and L.A. Imagine a person who is legally blind or too elderly to drive, being transported by their own self driving vehicle. Cars are only the beginning: Imagine self driving trains, and self flying planes. This technology is said to be more precise than the human driver and therefore will reduce accidents and safe lives. However, this is just part of a greater movement towards human dependence on computers. As we become more dependent on them, and they more accurately and precisely complete jobs that were once done by humans, what affect will this have on the employment of humans? Furthermore, as technology advances and computers become super, super computers, will they develop a level of consciousness and truly become "Artificial Intelligence?" Again, what consequences will humans face as a result? Moreover, what moral obligations must we consider as progress towards a more artificial intelligent driven society? This research project will attempt to answer these important questions and more. Presentation Details 490 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A37 Katelyn Sifuentes Brandon Hendrix (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Business, Framingham State University #Ad: Social Media as a Marketing Tool No longer thought of as merely a trend or fad, social media has become an integral part of doing good business. Public relations, customer service, and marketing especially benefit from this immediate means of mass communication. Benefiting from social media as a marketing tool is not limited to simply one industry or the highest grossing corporations; when utilized correctly, can improve brand awareness, customer perceptions and relationships, and help companies of all sizes to reach their marketing and sales goals. The purpose of this study is to analyze the best practices for using social media as a marketing tool for small businesses versus large corporations, personal and celebrity branding purposes, and direct sales companies, along with the honesty, influence, and relevance of paid or sponsored content, and finally, the perceived persuasiveness of social media as a marketing tool when compared to traditional word-of-mouth. Through the use of scholarly sources such as text and best practice guides written on the subject by top minds in the field, I intend to compile a concise recommendation for each of the types of businesses and personalities previously mentioned in an effort to help them reach their desired levels of success. Presentation Details 491 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A39 Charlotte Verity Spiegel Michael J. Harrison (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Business, Framingham State University Are College Students Green? This paper analyzes college student shopping behavior to determine how important buying "green" and sustainable products are to millennials in a college setting. A survey of Framingham State University undergraduates is used to determine product preferences and to determine to what extent “green” products are part of student buying behavior. Results are discussed and recommendations for increasing student “green” purchasing habits are provided. Presentation Details 494 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A11 Amber Elizabeth Suarez Jay Mahoney (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Business and Economics, Worcester State University Foritfying Organizational Culture through Spirit Video Organizational culture is defined as the key values, beliefs and norms shared by members of an organization. In strong cultures, values are deeply embedded and “felt” rather than expressed. Culture is learned via symbols, stories, rituals and language. My project involved the melding of two organizational cultures through the bridging mechanism of a student chapter of an international student organization. Enactus is a world-wide student organization dedicated to making the world a better place through service to others. Employing the three P’s – people, plant, profit, students create and carry out projects to improve the lives of others. The organization is structured with World and Country Divisions (e.g., Enactus USA), and individual university chapters. Worcester State University has supported a chapter since 2004. The entire organization relies upon the active and enthusiastic participation of the individual chapters, therefore motivation, involvement, commitment and dedication are essential at the university level. Colleges and universities across the US have seen a drop in applicants due to demographic changes. Competition for students increases and marketing and recruiting strategies for this pool must emphasize the value-added of that particular institution. The video created for this project emphasized the cultural strengths of the WSU Enactus chapter to feed into both the “value added” aspect of WSU and the cultural expectations of Enactus. The presentation will highlight the assumptions behind both organizations, the creation of a storyboard, script and scene development, and the technical aspects of production. The final project will be displayed. Presentation Details 493 Room 801 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Kevin Joseph Tomasetti Renee Scapparone (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Business, Fitchburg State University Vertical Marketing Strategy of ACT To better help a company achieve sales, a marketing plan has many advantages. To specifically target a niche and apply a definitive strategy, a vertical marketing strategy would be a better tool to utilize. Using a Vertical Marketing Strategy would utilize both long term and short term activities and analyze the business's goals while using information gained from its distributors. This will enable the company to better control the information flow throughout the company, down the distribution channel, and help enable the distributors to have more information to service the customer. Using scholarly articles accessed through the Fitchburg State University library, market research, industry reports, and competitive analysis; this thesis looks at how ACT would be able to capture and lower costs, utilize the information flow back and forth to and from the distributors, and create a partnership to help ACT and its distribution channels better service their customer base, along with examining new markets or achieving more market share in existing markets. Information flow is key to help understand customer relations with the distributor and with the manufacturer. Creating a partnership with the vertical marketing plan between the manufacturer and its distributors, will help establish both with services and products, preferring satisfaction to customers and presentation of a partnership; rather than a maker, buyer, and seller relationship. By creating a vertical marketing plan, it would give direction to the company and its distributors, thus opening the door for more opportunities for growth, and sales. Presentation Details MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS 497 Concourse 1:30-2:15 Board C66 Brian Camara Laura K. Gross (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Bridgewater State University Group Theory Applications to Physics This work explores group theory applications to the world of physics. Physical applications of group theory may include orbital angular momentum and/or crystalline structures. Group theory does not involve only abstract concepts; in this poster I highlight the importance of group theory in applications. Presentation Details 501 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A55 Mary Elizabeth Rose Dignan Anna Rokicki (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Westfield State University History of Pi Today, "pi" is widely used and a generally understood topic, but where did it come from? It may just be something we have all come to memorize but it had to have started somewhere. Pi is a known topic but on different levels, whether it be just a button on a calculator, recognition from an early math class, or something used every day. Our interest was sparked to know why we all understand this irrational, undefinable number and how we were taught it. Pi first started from Ancient Babylonians and has since been adopted several times into what we all know today. Since, it has been adopted and changed through more research, being capable through the advancements in technology and resources over time. By looking at these changes over time, it explains the proof of pi and how it came to be. Presentation Details 503 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C73 William Thomas Dugan Paul Gunnells (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Mathematics and Statistics, UMass Amherst Tiered Trees, Weights, and q-Eulerian Numbers In mathematics, maxmin trees are labeled trees with the property that each vertex is either a local maximum or a local minimum. Such trees were originally introduced by Alexander Postnikov, who gave a formula to count them and different combinatorial interpretations for their number. In this presentation we generalize this construction and define tiered trees by allowing more than two classes of vertices. We will give an overview of the topic, discuss how our research has advanced the field, and pose questions that could be used for further research. Presentation Details 502 Room 805 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Muhamad Haziq Bin Mustapha Ileana Vasu (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Holyoke Community College Exploring Intriguing Mathematical Properties by Using Calculus The purpose of this project is two-fold. First, I wish to write a Math research paper and to explain mathematical ideas clearly to people. The second purpose of my Mathematics project is also to apply methods learned in the courses that I have taken such as integration, series, differentiation, trigonometry identities to several questions in mathematical analysis. In particular, I consider the following Calculus problem: A is a point on the cubic graph y=x^3. The tangent at A crosses the curve at B, and P is the area between the curve and the segment AB. Similarly, the tangent at B meets the curve again at C, and Q is the area between the curve and BC. What is the relationship between the two areas? Can this relationship be generalized to other curves? To accomplish my goal, I will use the property of integral to find the area under the cubic curve and apply ratio division to obtain the relationship in determining the relationship between the geometry of a cubic curve and the calculus, then try to generalize using some linear algebra techniques. A second part of my presentation will focus on deriving properties of the sinc function. This is a function defined as (sin (x)/x). I use properties of limits, continuity, series, etc. to derive these properties. Presentation Details 498 Concourse 1:30-2:15 Board C67 Clifton Paul Robinson Ward A. Heilman (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Bridgewater State University The Comparison of Two Encryption Techniques In this research project, I took two separate elementary encryption techniques and compared them against each other. Encryptions are the main part of Cryptology, the study of codes, or the art of writing and solving them. Cryptology dates back all the way to Ancient Egypt in 1900 BCE and has become more advanced as technology has improved. The research was done to give a better understanding of the basic ideas in Cryptology, as well as start creating my own types of encryptions. For this project, I took basic types of encryption methods and implemented them with extra steps that I personally created myself, whether it was a computer program or adding my own type of step to increase the security. Two encryption methods were created and expanded on so they could be tested on their strength against attacks, but these two methods could also be used and expanded on in future projects. Presentation Details 499 Concourse 1:30-2:15 Board C68 Melanie Marie Tummino Laura K. Gross (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Bridgewater State University The New and Improved Marriage Problem My honors research will address "The Marriage Problem," which focuses on calculating the number of marriages possible, given a group of women and a group of men without emotions playing as a factor. It uses a simple matrix compiled of 1's and 0's, where 1 represents a woman and a man willing to marry, and 0 represents a man and woman unwilling to marry. The question is: can we determine how many marriages are possible? Or in other words can we find a stable matching between two equally sized sets of elements given an ordering of preferences for each element? A full set of n marriages (if possible) is called a complete matching. A shortcoming of the classical Marriage Problem is its focus on the marriage between a male and female from beginning to end. I seek to extend the problem to a generation for whom same-sex marriage is legal in all states. I think it's important for this type of problem to be revised into something bigger. I would like to reconstruct this matrix so that it includes same-sex marriage as well, thus making it a much more inclusive problem. I will construct new variables relative to the ones that already exist and discover whether or not it is possible to determine the calculation of all marriages using this "new" version of the matrix system. Presentation Details 500 Concourse 1:30-2:15 Board C69 Vincent Vascimini John Pike (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Bridgewater State University Random Walk on Turán Graphs Markov chains are random processes in which the next state depends only on the current state, not the entire past. They have a variety of applications throughout the sciences and mathematics, several of which are related to graph theory. One example of a Markov chain is simple random walk on a graph, which can be thought of as a particle jumping around the vertices of a graph so that at each time step it moves from the present vertex to a neighbor chosen uniformly at random. Random walks on graphs can be used in the study of electrical networks, traffic patterns, discrete harmonic analysis, and a variety of other topics. The goal of this project is to explore simple random walk in the setting of a particular family of finite graphs known as Turán graphs. Briefly, a Turán graph with parameters n and r is a complete r-partite graph on n vertices in which the parts are of ‘nearly equal sizes.’ After giving an overview of the relevant background, concepts such as reversibility, ergodicity, and the spectral gap are studied in the context of random walks on Turán graphs. Presentation Details MECHANICAL ENGINEERING 514 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C74 Samuel Berto Bernardon Siby Samuel (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, UMass Amherst Cell Phones and Autonomous Driving This study was aimed at assessing a driver’s ability to anticipate latent threats and detect hazards on the forward roadway while using a hands-free cell phone (simulated by a validated mock cell phone task) during simulated autonomous driving. This driving simulator study had a within-subject design where each participant navigated all the four treatment conditions: a) manual driving without a cell phone, b) manual driving with a cell phone, c) autonomous driving without a cell phone, and d) autonomous driving with a cellphone. As the subjects drove through the simulated scenarios in each of the conditions, vehicle dynamics data, eye movement and accuracy on the mock cell phone task were recorded. The ordering of the conditions was completely counterbalanced across subjects. The results showed that while drivers detected the greatest proportion of hazards (73%) while driving manually without using a cell phone, the use of a cell phone while driving manually lowered the proportion of hazards detected by 33%. Driving in autonomous mode only caused a decrease of 20% in the proportion of hazards detected compared to manual conditions. This result is in part caused by the fact that drivers were not accustomed to autonomous driving and were likely overly alert. Longer times spent in simulator could affect this result. Autonomous driving with a cell phone only provided a 15% decrease in hazards detected compared to autonomous without a cell phone. This could be attributed to the decreased need for driver multitasking, thereby having ample opportunity to scan the road and detect hazards. Presentation Details 515 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C75 Thomas J. Brennan Stephen S. Nonnenmann (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Mechanical Engineering, UMass Amherst Ferromagnetic Alloy Nanowire Fabrication and Analysis As energy and electronic devices grow in complexity yet shrink in size, the demand for smaller, more controllable technology increases as well. The use of nanotechnology opens a variety of options to scientists which could have impacts in a wide variety of fields such as: sensing, nanoelectronics, and drug delivery. The ability to predict the reaction of materials to phenomena at the nanoscale will change the way problems are solved in the world. This research looks to expand the possible materials that may be used in a nanotechnology context. Highly-controllable anodic aluminum oxide templates (AAO) are commonly used as a base for creating devices on a small scale. For example, templates used in conjunction with an applied voltage create controllably sized pores within the sample. These pores are subsequently used as a framework for devices such as nanowires, nanotubes, and other low-dimensional nanostructures. After removing the AAO template, the nanowires are left in an ordered array which may be tested. By using atomic force microscopy to locally probe different alloy nanowire arrays, potential uses for ferromagnetic cobalt-, iron-, and nickel-based alloy nanowires can be identified. Presentation Details 512 Room 805 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Victor Kenneth Champagne III Alejandro Briseno (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, UMass Amherst Cicada-Inspired Antibacterial Organic Nanopillars Grown on Pencil-Drawn Graphene One of the greatest challenges of this century is to cease the over-use of antibiotics which has led to the rise of antibiotic resistant ‘superbugs’ while at the same time reducing hospital acquired infections which kill almost 100,000 people per year in the United States alone. Researchers have identified potential solutions to this problem in nature, namely, insects like cicadas and dragonflies have nanopillar-covered wings that effectively kill some strains of bacteria. Scientists have created surfaces to mimic the antibacterial surfaces found in nature and have found that these surfaces effectively kill gram-negative bacteria (such as E. coli), while gram-positive bacteria (such as S. aureus) which have cell membranes that are 4-5X thicker than gram-negative bacteria cell membranes are more resistant to mechanical rupture and death. We have developed an organic antibacterial coating that is also easy to fabricate and has achieved killing efficiencies of >95% in E. coli. This surface is created by growing a semiconductor material, Zinc phthalocyanine, on pencil-drawn graphene using a physical vapor transport method. This cicada wing mimicking surface is also useful in the field of organic electronics, specifically for sensor applications. Presentation Details 518 Auditorium 4:30-5:15 Board A13 Jared Stephen Detwiler Blair Perot (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, UMass Amherst A Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis of Green Sea Turtles The emergence of digital modeling techniques such as photogrammetry has made creating high resolution digital models easier than ever. This technique is especially useful for application in the realm of macrobiology, where the concept of animal testing has a variety of practical and ethical constraints. With such a model applied to a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study, this work answers questions about the energetics of turtle locomotion. Photographic data of a green sea turtle was used to approximate a digital model in Autodesk® Remake and Meshmixer. This model was used to develop a mesh for the flow domain in ANSYS® ICEM CFD. Using a CFD software package of OpenFOAM, various flow velocities were simulated for the turtle. Post-processing tools were used to evaluate the effects of drag on the turtle. From these results, a unique non-dimensionalized drag profile was created for the green turtle. Theoretical results from simulations with this specimen suggest that green turtles are relatively streamlined. Successful simulations in this context imply that similar CFD studies could be conducted in further detail. Additional study, with more specimens and degrees of freedom, could expand on this analysis in terms of how various ages and species of sea turtles compare. With a paucity of information on the hydrodynamics of marine species, this data is useful for deducing evolutionary pressures on turtle locomotion. The results of this work indicate that photogrammetry projects such as the “Digital Life Project” at UMass are of great use to diverse research applications. Presentation Details 516 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C76 Gabriel Kornilowicz Maureen Lynch (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Mechanical Engineering, UMass Amherst Bone Metastatic Breast Cancer: Characterization of Cell Behavior Response to Perfusion in the Skeleton Breast cancer cells preferentially metastasize to the skeleton and dysregulate the regular bone remodeling process, causing a host of damaging skeletal-related issues (SREs). Bone cells under normal conditions experience compression and fluid flow due to physical activity, yet the response of cancer cells to mechanical stimuli is poorly characterized. Dynamic compression of cancer cells has been shown to inhibit metastasis, but the effect of perfusion on these cells is little understood in 3D. My research focused on validating a multi-modal loading system that recapitulates the bone mechanical environment by combining perfusion and compression in a bone scaffold. The scaffold currently in use was permanently deformed under both 5% and 10% compressive strain; thus compression was eliminated from future studies. Current work focuses on establishing the peristaltic-pump perfusion system. Flowrate operating range and variability will be determined, and then validated via experimentation with human bone metastatic breast cancer cells (MDA-MB231 cells) in scaffolds [poly(lactide-coglycolide) combined with bone mineral crystals]. Future work will determine the range of flowrates in which cancer cells remain viable or die after 1 hour of exposure, determined via live/dead staining and DNA quantification assays. Presentation Details 508 Room 805 8:30-9:15 Panel 1 Ganzhong Ma Yahya Modarres-Sadeghi (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, UMass Amherst Influence of Variable Stiffness on the High Accelerations of Fast Starting Fish An experimental study is conducted to understand the effect of tail stiffness on increased acceleration in mechanisms designed to emulate fast-start fish maneuvers. The maximum acceleration of the Northern Pike fish has been observed to be 250m/s2. The variable stiffness is characterized by the directionality of loading. As load is applied in one direction on the fin the structure is flexible, simulating the preparatory stage of the maneuver, and as load is applied in the opposing direction the fin rigidly maintains its shape during the propulsive stage. A 3D printed fin structure is used to achieve the directional stiffness and is tested dynamically. Thrust is measured at various rates of rotation studying the influence of timing on peak acceleration. Highspeed cameras and flow-visualization techniques are used to capture the videos of the flow. Presentation Details 505 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C74 Dylan Masi Stephen S. Nonnenmann (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Mechanical Engineering, UMass Amherst iCons: Fabrication of Cuprous Oxide Nanowires for Memory Storage Applications There is a demand for electronic devices such as phones, laptops, and computers to run faster and store more memory in a smaller space. However, conventional data storage technologies are nearly at their limits for optimization. Keeping up with the demands of a technology-driven world requires more research into novel methods of memory storage. Desired characteristics of new memory storage devices include low power consumption, high stacking density, fast switching speed, scalability, and simple fabrication. Nanowires made from metal and oxide layers show promise to achieve these characteristics in advanced electronics. Nanowires behave as one-dimensional structures with high surface-to-volume ratios, and often have different electrical and thermal properties than the same three-dimensional material. Metal-oxide nanowires have been shown to possess resistive switching characteristics, which can be used for non-volatile memory. This has implications for the future of data storage, as nonvolatile memory is retrievable even if there is an interruption in the power source. This research focuses on developing an inexpensive, scalable approach to fabricate cuprous oxide nanowires, as well as testing their electrical properties. Presentation Details 513 Room 805 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Duy Nguyen Juan M. Jiménez (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, UMass Amherst Stent Strut Geometry and Hemodynamics Affect Endothelial Cell Migration In order to increase perfusion to distal cardiac tissue, stents are implanted via balloon angioplasty in CAD patients radially compressing and/or displacing atherosclerotic plaques. The process of deploying stents, however, can denude the blood vessel of endothelial cells (ECs). Wound healing via cell migration is especially important in wound healing after stenting in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. Cells migrate under the influence of mechanical, chemical, and biological stimuli. Given that the endothelium serves as an anti-thrombogenic surface, damage to the blood vessel EC lining can lead to thrombogenesis and is a risk factor for stent therapy. Post-stenting injuries to the blood vessels can be healed by ECs that migrate from adjacent sites. While circulating progenitor ECs have been shown to play a role through the use of capture stents, they are not the subject of this study. Through a setup that simulates the blood vessel environment, we have studied the role that stent strut geometry and local hemodynamics play on EC migration by exposing human umbilical-vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to the local flow form present in the coronary artery (pulsatile flow, Reynolds numbers, wall shear stress, etc). Regardless of flow conditions, ECs failed to reendothelialize 150 micron thick stent struts. Streamlining and/or reducing the stent strut height down to 50um significantly improved EC migration onto the stented region. Surprisingly, ECs on the distal side of the stent strut migrated against the flow and populated the stents. Presentation Details 504 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A05 Noah Alexander Paradis-Burnett Ileana Vasu (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Holyoke Community College Designing of User-Friendly Differential Computer Models Using MATLAB Ordinary differential equations (ODEs) have many uses in modeling natural phenomena, physical forces, and other computational systems. Furthermore, technological advancements have dramatically improved modeling capabilities for such situations. MATLAB, a language of technical computation, has grown into a powerful modeling software application. In this project, I will be studying how to model these differential systems through MATLAB scripts. Models for logistic growth and RCL-circuit analysis will be included. In my presentation, I will outline the mathematical process of deriving the general solutions for these models, demonstrate the scripts, and detail the creation process of the scripts. In addition, I will have code for all included models available upon demand. Presentation Details 506 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C75 Emily Joan Pottier Erin Baker (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, UMass Amherst iCons: Comparing the Sustainability of Complex Systems As energy demands increase, policy makers find themselves under strain to meet them as quickly as possible. They need reliable energy now, they don’t have time to consider every sustainable alternative. My research aims to fix this problem by providing a model that calculates the sustainability of complex systems. Klein and Whalley (2015) laid the ground work for comparing the sustainability of different isolated energy technologies, such as solar or natural gas. They compared thirteen technologies based on their technical, economic, environmental, and social sustainability through the use of eight sustainability factors. We extend this work to a portfolio of energy technologies, since all large-scale electricity systems use a number of different technologies simultaneously. These systems are more complex, as they are comprised of more than one type of technology at once. By doing so, renewable systems can be made more reliable by supplementing them with nonrenewable sources, like natural gas. My work involves applying the equations established by Klein and Whalley to portfolio systems. This is done by scaling the sustainability factor for each technology with the percentage of the energy output produces. This represents the contribution that technology has on the entire system. Summing these for each factor yields the sustainability information for the entire portfolio. Through this work, these portfolio systems can have their sustainability compared based on what type of sustainability is desired. This will further increase the number of options policy makers have for including sustainable systems in the community. Presentation Details 519 Auditorium 4:30-5:15 Board A14 Abhishek Ram Bernd F. Schliemann (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, UMass Amherst Using Exothermic Heat from Biomass for Domestic Energy Use The purpose of this project was to develop an efficient and sustainable form of electric energy from biomass, and it was hypothesized that electric energy could be derived from the exothermic decomposition of biomass. The specific method involved the use of a Stirling Engine and in due course, an Alternating Current (AC) Converter. Through rudimentary experimentation (i.e. with a lack of a pressurized container), the project found theoretical success in the way that an average American household could be sustained by a moderately-sized Stirling Engine flywheel and minimal maintenance, making it perfect to be placed in any domestic application. This preliminary research brings in the potential for a whole new field of renewable energy studies that is mostly ignored to date: biomass heat recycling and its application to energy production. This new expansive application cannot come at a better time, as the world begins to experience a decline in the health of our planet and a reducing amount of natural resources. This project is another step in the world’s conversion to renewable energy. In addition and with the declining health of the biosphere, there is a desperate need to develop more efficient forms of energy: current fossil fuel-based electricity production is limited by due to the sheer distance that the energy needs to travel. By placing such a system in every residence or building of residence using materials found in the residence, one is achieving a new level of efficiency. Presentation Details 509 Room 805 8:30-9:15 Panel 1 Nicholas Robinson Yahya Modarres-Sadeghi (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, UMass Amherst Biomimetic Ultrasonic Whistle to Be Used for Bat Deterrence at Wind Farms Wind turbines pose a significant threat to at-risk and endangered bat populations in North America, particularly those threatened by white-nose disease. Past experiments have shown that bats can be deterred from areas with the use of electronically generated ultrasonic pulse signals with a frequency of between 20-55 kHz. These pulses lasted for between 5-10 milliseconds and were emitted at a rate of between 1050 Hz. Due to size and structure of wind turbine blades, it would be impractical to use an electronically-powered speaker to emit this signal. However, a set of whistles mounted directly to the blade of the wind turbine were to be designed in such a way that they produce this ultrasonic signal passively by the air conditions on the surface of the blade. Most species of bats, as well as some species of frogs, are capable of producing these ultrasonic signals naturally using the passage of air through their own vocal folds. This study analyzes the effectiveness of using models of the larynxes of these animals as the basis for the design of this passively-powered ultrasonic whistle. Presentation Details 517 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C77 Yang Shi Jonathan Rothstein (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, UMass Amherst Full Design of Supersonic Ramjet Ramjets are supersonic (>343 meters/second) jet engines primarily used for missiles several feet in diameter. No research has been conducted on ramjets with diameters under an inch, which have possible applications in long range munitions, low cost sounding rockets for space research experiments, and high density power sources. Such research can also (dis)prove numerous published theories in ramjet design. Thus, the design optimization of a supersonic ramjet slightly larger than a .50 caliber has been documented in MATLAB, including the diffuser, combustor, and outlet nozzle. This tool quickly outputs all dimensions of a ramjet for rapid prototyping. Calculations are based on Schlieren, pitot tube, pressure transducer, and force gauge data from testing a fabricated Mach 1.5 ramjet. The tool is also based on theory including modified 1D isentropic flow, the Taylor-Maccoll equation, MacCormack’s method, Method of Characteristics, and CFD for cold flow and 1D elementwise Rayleigh combustion and droplet combustion CFD for hot flow. Results from analytical/numerical calculations closely agree with each other, with CFD, and with both cold and hot flow experiments. Multiple theories for ramjet design have been disproven - notably, the common inlet normal shock assumption. Normal shocks should only appear in the diffuser diverging section. Multiple design aspects have also been discovered – notably, using the diffuser’s flat end as a flameholder, which retains high efficiency based on cold flow static and total pressure ratios. Most importantly, this research supports the construction of fully passive, small scale, liquid fueled ramjets. Presentation Details 510 Room 805 8:30-9:15 Panel 1 Alexander Francis Smith Rune Alexander Percy Juan M. Jiménez (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, UMass Amherst Measuring Potassium Using DNA-Based Sensors to Improve Dialysis Treatment In the USA alone, approximately 661,000 patients suffer from kidney failure (KF) with 117,000 new yearly diagnoses and a 28% mortality rate. More than 71% of KF patients require frequent hemodialysis to filter their blood artificially and without dialysis, the patient will survive at most several weeks. Hemodialysis aims to remove waste from the blood and maintain equilibrium of body fluids, functions naturally performed by the kidneys. In contrast to kidneys, which function and adjust molecule concentrations continuously, hemodialysis protocols are adjusted infrequently due to costs and blood loss associated with blood draws. Infrequent blood tests, about once per month on average, are utilized to adjust hemodialysis protocols and as a result, thousands of patients die yearly nationwide from treatment complications, such as cardiac arrest due to potassium imbalances. Here we show preliminary proof-of-concept results of DNAbased fluorescent probes which were successfully used to measure potassium concentration in a solution. This technology, when combined with a microfluidic device, can be integrated with routine hemodialysis sessions by measuring potassium and eventually other blood contents multiple times throughout a session, enabling protocol adjustment similar to a healthy kidney. Given that hemodialysis can lead to blood loss, additional blood draws to assess kidney function and blood markers are limited. However, sampling multiple drops of blood per session has the potential to reduce costs by limiting medical complications, avoids unnecessary pokes with needles for blood draws, and provides a more comprehensive assessment of the patient’s health. Presentation Details 507 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C76 Gordon Douglas Swain Jonathan Rothstein (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, UMass Amherst iCons: Improving Hydroelectric Power through Repelling Water Hydroelectric power is a staple of the renewable energy industry, providing a large scale, reliable baseline output. However, the constraints of hydroelectric power mean that it is only built on large rivers with big elevation changes, and these huge dams quickly become an environmental issue, disrupting fish migration and flooding ecologies. This means that, in an age of increasing global activism, new hydroelectric dams are not being built to help keep up with global energy demand. So, if new dams cannot be built, how can we continue to utilize our existing hydroelectric dams in a more eco-friendly manner? The answer is to increase the turbine efficiency, allowing the same flow of water to generate more power through advances in technology. My research project focuses on water-repelling surfaces, called “super hydrophobic surfaces”, which have the unique property that the surface will not get when submerged in water. Specifically, I propose to put a water repelling surface on the turbine blade, and thereby increase its efficiency, making current hydroelectric dams more effective and eco-friendly. Presentation Details 511 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C61 Chou Yang Cole Vincent Antalek Christopher Battle Soumitra Basu (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Industrial Technology, Fitchburg State University Design and Manufacturing Processes for Assembling a Functioning Rail-Mounted Solar Tracker The purpose of this study is to design and manufacture a solar tracking device that will power a scaled model of a house. Hold a solar panel and automatically orient the panel to face the source of light. The panel is 6 inches by 8 inches in size, and will sit on a structure that can rotate around two orthogonal axes. The panel does not need to move very fast, so the motor torque needed is relatively small, sufficient to overcome the inertia of the moving parts. The photoelectric sensor used sends information to the Arduino that is interpreted by the microprocessor. Output signals motivate the 2 motors to ensure that the panel always faces the light. A solid model of all the parts was created before 3d printing. Several initial designs were developed, and discussed by the research team. The final designs were 3d printed. The structure is required to house the solar panel, motors, and controller. The microprocessor controller is modeled as an input output system where photo-resistor inputs are routed through a voltage divider circuit to the microprocessor. 4 motors are connected to the output pins, through current amplifiers. Arduino script (c programming language) is employed to implement the logic, that is initially developed as a flowchart. This is a time consuming process, and several iterations may be needed. Presentation Details MERCHANDISING AND TEXTILES 528 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A41 Olivia Aldrich Md. Imranul Islam (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Fashion Design and Retailing, Framingham State University Impact of Textiles on the Environment: Approach towards Eco-friendly Textiles It is known that every textile product purchased by a consumer has an impact on the environment. However, the average consumer likely does not realize how much impact one product has on the environment compared to another. Any textile product, which is made, used or disposed of in a way that is less harmful to the environment could be considered beneficial. The textile product is comprised of both natural (e.g., cotton, wool, silk, flax, and hemp) and manufactured fibers (e.g., polyester, nylon, acrylic, Lyocell, viscose). The objectives of this study are to (1) Identify fibers that are least harmful to the environment, (2) Understand which fibers are most harmful to the environment, (3) Determine what the textile industry can do to lower carbon emissions from textile production. A mixed method of research will be used. Qualitative and quantitative research will require the use of secondary resources. It is expected that the production of synthetic fibers will have more of a harmful impact on the environment than natural fibers. This study will determine which fibers ultimately have the least and the most detrimental impact on the environment. Knowing the most and the least environmental friendly fibers facilitates eco-conscious behavior for both consumers and producers. Presentation Details 522 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A04 Haley Ann Alexson Ruirui Zhang (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Fashion Design and Retailing, Framingham State University Bridging the Divide between Generations of Americans on Domestic Production and Analyzing Its Inherent Value to the Retail Industry In America there is a difference in thinking between older and younger generations on the importance of domestic production and the motivations to purchase products made in America. The purpose of this research is to determine the extent to which generational divides on the importance of domestic production exists and to determine how retailers can best appeal to customers in regards to domestic production across the spectrum of generations in America. Past research indicates that younger generations value domestic production and are more inclined to purchase products that advertise it whereas older generations are less engaged and are not as likely to purchase a domestically made product. However, there is a gap in research in how retailers can best bridge this divide and find commonalities amongst generations in order to target the maximum number of customers possible. This research will be conducted through a survey instrument that is distributed equally amongst five age cohorts. Data will be collected to determine participants' attitudes on domestic production and what their biggest motivation is in choosing to purchase products made in America. The end goal of this research is to determine a way to bridge the gap between the differing viewpoints across generations on domestic production in the retail industry. The findings will be beneficial for retailers that are looking to target customers across generations by promoting fair trade practices that are important to younger generations without alienating older generations that are less concerned about the subject Presentation Details 521 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C100 Emily Ann LaRosa Seunghye Cho (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Fashion Design and Retailing, Framingham State University Adaptive Wear for People with Parkinson's Disease The purpose of this study is to research and develop clothing for non-demented people affected by Stages One through Five of Parkinson’s disease. Currently, rare researches have been completed on this topic, which creates a gap in the study of adaptive wear. Parkinson’s disease affects fine motor skills which can make self dressing difficult or even impossible. This study focused on the issues people with Parkinson's face when dressing themselves. Investigators observed and interviewed twenty-eight participants at the American Parkinson's Disease Association in Ashland, MA during October of 2016. The questionnaire focused on what factors of the clothing needed to be adapted. In this study investigator developed original pattern making for five garments reflected from the interview responses. Garments enhance the functionality of dressing by allowing the wearer to obtain or regain the ability for self-dressing. Presentation Details 523 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A05 Jillian Kathleen Morin Ruirui Zhang (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Fashion Design and Retailing, Framingham State University Sustainable Consumption in the Fashion Industry Many fashion retailers market their styles for continuous consumption, and they primarily produce fast-fashions. Disadvantages of producing fast-fashions are their unsustainability to produce and their typically short lifetime. Fast-fashions, for their inexpensive nature and generally lower quality, typically have an elevated purchase frequency which may increase their disposability and overall waste. Sustainability in the fashion industry is a necessary issue to study, but it seems that a limited number of studies have been done to directly measure consumers, aged 18 – 30, and their knowledge on sustainable methods. The purpose of this study was (a) to understand what qualities are most important to consumers when they want to purchase new garments, and (b) to discover how educated consumers are on the sustainable methods of fashion retailers. A survey was administered via Facebook, E-mail, and Text Message to obtain a sample through the accidental sampling method. The researcher found that most of these college-aged participants were not sure how often they see advertisements for sustainable businesses. Additionally, most participants agree that mass producing clothing has negative environmental effects but almost none of them research manufacturers or retailers prior to buying from them. From this study, consumers, retailers and anyone working in the fashion industry can work to educate their peers on sustainability and they can work to practice more sustainable consumption or secondhand consumption themselves. Fashion retailers should use these results as a motivating factor going forward, and with this information they can work towards a more environmentally friendly business model. Presentation Details 524 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A27 Joy Rhinehart Md. Imranul Islam (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Fashion Design and Retailing, Framingham State University To Improve the US Marine Corps Uniforms during Deployment for Comfort and Safety Standards The United States Marine Corps has a total of three uniforms issued to them upon the successful completion of basic training. The uniform that will be analyzed through this research is the uniform worn during deployment. More specifically the T-shirt worn under the protective gear that is issued to Marines while on a mission. The same T-shirt will melt to skin if exposed to fire. Marines need to carry everything they deem necessary which causes them heavy burden because of gear weight. This burden coupled with the hot climates, these Marines are seeking for a T-shirt that offers both wicking ability and flame retardant properties. The objective of this study is to find a fabric that offers better wicking and flame retardant property necessary for deployed Marines to function properly in hot climate while carrying heavy gear. Multiple knit fabrics will be tested for their wicking ability and flame retardant properties. The results should find a fabric with an acceptable balance of wicking and flame resistant in order to improve both comfort and safety for Marines deployed. To creates a fabric that improves the overall comfort and safety of Marines on deployment by improving wicking and flame-retardant properties in T-shirts they worn. Presentation Details 525 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A29 Lanaeya Spencer-Jones Md. Imranul Islam (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Fashion Design and Retailing, Framingham State University Evaluate the Performance of Thermal and Water Vapor Resistance on Fabrics With athletic apparel booming in popularity throughout the fashion industry, the demand for top quality apparel is at an all-time high. This growing popularity of athletic wear encourages more research to be done, specifically in creating the most durable and practical pieces. Consumers use their athletic apparel during training or as lifestyle clothing in different weather conditions and temperatures. All of which needs to be considered when designing garments, to optimize what consumers are purchasing for longevity and purpose. Objectives are (1) to test thermal resistance, which reduces heat transfer in apparel, and (2) to test water vapor resistance in fabrics, which allows water vapors to pass through clothing freely and then evaporates quickly. The quantitative method will be used to test garments individually to see if they are thermal or water vapor resistant. A qualitative method – consumers’ feedback through surveys and interviews on the effectiveness of garments will also be used; expected findings are to identify the best fabrics and materials to use in athletic attire to optimize the benefits of thermal and water vapor resistance. This study will determine what fabrics and materials will be the most durable for the athletic industry when seeking thermal and water vapor resistance. This experiment will be able to help designers pick the appropriate materials and textiles to use for their athletic attire. The consumers will be satisfied with top quality garments providing comfort in the many situations that will utilize thermal and water vapor resistance. Presentation Details 526 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A31 Athena P. Venetsanakos Md. Imranul Islam (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Fashion Design and Retailing, Framingham State University Finding Effective Detergent on Stained Fabric: A Sustainable Approach Just as there are several different ways to clean a fabric, there are also a large variety of fabric detergents, most of which claim to be “the best”. Many big brand named detergent companies have specific formulas each to remove stains from fabric. One brand may be better at getting grass stains out when another may be better at getting wine stains out of a fabric. The objectives of this study are to (i) identify types of stains and the best ways to remove them and (ii) to create a model in which the researchers can test different fabrics equally to examine which detergent is the most effective and sustainable to clean fabrics. This study will utilize the soil release (AATCC 130) test with different types of big brand detergents on different stained fabrics. By conducting this experiment, it is expected to identify a detergent that is the single best at removing tough stains on fabrics. At the end of the experiment, the researchers hope to find one detergent that works better than any other and apply it to everyday life to removes hard stains while using the least amount of water possible. Selecting the right detergent is conducive to save electricity and water consumption from the apparel care phase through avoiding further wash. Presentation Details 527 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A33 India Rose Anna Ward Md. Imranul Islam (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Fashion Design and Retailing, Framingham State University Determination of How Much Spandex Is Necessary for Long-Lasting Retention Athleisure apparel consists of clothing designed as workout apparel that is often worn in a different setting. The demand for athleisure apparel has significantly increased and is a continually growing industry. Most athleisure apparel items contain some percentage of elastomeric fiber (e.g., spandex). The objectives of this study are to (1) identify varying factors among samples with varying spandex blend (e.g., 95% cotton and 5% spandex, 93% cotton and 7% spandex, 97% Polyester and 3% spandex), (2) assess the best amount of spandex for athleisure apparel, and (3) determine the amount of spandex needed to affect a fabric’s elastic recovery. Quantitative analysis will be used to determine the outcome of elastic recovery. This analysis includes stretching each three-inch swatch of fabric 20 times over a five-inch space. It is expected that the fabric swatch with higher percentage of spandex will have better elastic recovery than the fabric swatch with lower spandex percentage. This study will determine which spandex blend provides better elastic recovery. This study will also help to better understand the properties of spandex. Finally, this study will also determine the ability of a small percentage of spandex to change the properties of other fabrics when blended. Presentation Details 520 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A02 Lucy May White Ruirui Zhang (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Fashion Design and Retailing, Framingham State University Applying the EKB and TAM Theories to Consumer Behavior Found in People with Parkinson’s Disease Parkinson’s Disease limits fine motor skills in hands, fingers, and with hand-eye coordination. Fine motor skills are an important aspect to connecting fastenings such as buttons to button holes and beginning zippers. Other limitations include flexibility which is relevant when putting the second arm into a shirt or blouse, pulling a top over the head, and bending over to put legs through pants. The purpose of this study is to find solutions to these issues to create a small line of clothing that has been adapted to allow the subjects to get dressed quicker and easier than with non-adapted clothing. Data was collected to understand the needs of the target consumer in the design of the clothing and analyze the consumer’s behavior when purchasing clothing. Twenty-eight patients were invited for data collection. Qualitative data was analyzed through a transcription process. The results showed that 88% of participants find trying clothing on before purchasing is very important, 93% of participants are willing to spend more on functional clothing, and that the majority of participants find comfort and ease of dress the most important thing when purchasing clothing. This study is beneficial for discount retailers frequented by the subjects looking to add adaptive clothing to their catalog as it has potential to be a prosperous addition to their repertoire and would bring these companies popularity with both the general public and those that can benefit from the adapted clothing. Presentation Details MICROBIOLOGY 535 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C78 Kriti Badola Wilmore Webley (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Microbiology, UMass Amherst Evaluating the Safety and Immune Efficacy of Beta-glucan in Wound Healing Anal or rectal fissures are tears or cracks in tissues of the anus, which may be caused by a variety of factors. While some tears are minor, others can be deep, causing further complications through increased probability of microbial involvement. Although current treatments are available for fissures, many prove difficult to treat due to awkward locations and can turn chronic. Recent research confirms that beta-glucans, which are carbohydrates found in cell walls of bacteria and fungi have wound-healing properties, accomplished through the activation of macrophage cells and boosting the overall immune response. We seek to determine whether creating suppositories containing a beta-glucan formulation could accelerate the healing process for anal fissures. We hypothesize that a B-glucan based treatment would be safe and would significantly improve the healing process in chronic anal fissures. Human dermal fibroblast, adult cells were treated with varying concentrations of beta-glucan to establish cytotoxic levels through LDH Assay. To assess the ability of beta-glucan to accelerate wound healing in a tissue culture system, we performed scratch assays and observed the rate of wound healing over time through cell proliferation and migration to the wound site microscopically. The data revealed a significant increase in cellular proliferation, survival time and accelerated wound healing in beta-glucan cells compared to controls. Our data therefore suggests that a beta-glucan formulation is an effective choice for creating anal suppositories to improve healing time and that the formulation might be a candidate to treat chronic wounds in general. Presentation Details 533 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A17 Jessica Lee Costa Mario G. García-Ríos (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology and Chemistry, Bristol Community College Is Green Actually Clean? In today’s society there is a huge push for organic and natural products. The harmful chemicals and dyes in common household cleaners have created a growing market for natural alternatives to cleaners with bleach or alcohol bases. Natural cleaners are used because they are believed to be safer around children, pets and are not as harmful to humans. However, are these natural cleaners able to kill and destroy common bacteria that grows on household objects with the same effectiveness as the alcohol based alternatives? To determine if these natural cleaners have the same effectiveness as an alcohol based solvent, two cleaners will be chosen- one with a natural cleaning base and one with an alcohol cleaning base. Both will be used to sanitize a cell phone at three different dilutions (100%, 50% and 25%) over a six week course. After the cleaner has been applied and allowed to dry, the cell phone will be swabbed and cultured on a Tryptic Soy Agar plate which is a rich growth medium and on a Eosin Methylene Blue plate which is a selective medium for coliforms. Both plates will be incubated for 36 hours at 37 degrees Celsius. Post inoculation period, the cultures grown will be compared by counting the number of colonies grown between the two cleaners at the different dilutions. These results will then be calculated into the percentage of bacteria that is still able to grow after the cleaners have been used determining the effectiveness of alcohol vs green cleaners. Presentation Details 536 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C79 Emily Dykstra Geunhwa Jung (Faculty Sponsor) Stockbridge School of Agriculture, UMass Amherst The Use of a Biotransformation Assay in the Search for Novel Antibacterial Compounds Sclerotinia homoeocarpa is a fungal plant pathogen which causes dollar spot, a common and costly disease of cool-season turf grasses. This fungus has developed resistance to multiple classes of fungicidal compounds. It has been discovered through RNA-seq and a genetic transformation that a class of enzymes, Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, or Cyp450s, are essential in the ability of S. homoeocarpa to biotransform a wide range of fungicides. To detoxify these xenobiotic compounds, the Cyp450s are able to hydroxylate the substances, making them more water soluble and thus easier to export out of the cell. This function of Cyp450s makes them of industrial importance, with applications such as pollutant bioremediation. However, the biomodifications which are performed by Cyp450s to alter the compound may not always have neutralizing effects. The hydroxylation performed by the Cyp450s may make the secondary metabolite even more toxic than its parent compound. With increased toxicity, these secondary metabolites may serve as novel antimicrobial compounds which could not otherwise be synthesized by methods of modern chemistry. In this project, the novel secondary metabolites will be analyzed for their antibacterial capabilities against Escherichia coli and Bacillus licheniformis. Using the approach of biotransformation with mutants of S. homoeocarpa which overexpress a variety of Cyp450 proteins, multiple antimicrobial compounds will be analyzed for their effectiveness against bacteria before and after biotransformation with Cyp450 mutants. Harnessing the abilities of S. homoeocarpa Cyp450 proteins as a means of altering antimicrobial compounds holds great potential in the search for novel secondary metabolites relevant to the antimicrobial industry. Presentation Details 532 Room 917 8:30-9:15 Panel 1 Jonah Eric Einson David A. Sela (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nutrition and Food Science, UMass Amherst The In-house Microbiomes of an Industrial Food Production Facility Microbial communities establish themselves on virtually every surface on earth. Massively parallel DNA sequencing has informed the reciprocal interactions between humans and our microbial neighbors. In this project, we investigate the microbiomes in several areas of an industrial food production facility. This facility is unique in that its product is produced solely by natural fermentation. The quality and marketability of the product is determined by how effectively lactic acid bacteria naturally present on vegetable skins can convert the vegetables to pickles and sauerkraut. This process has been used for several thousand years to produce safe and palatable foods. However, the mechanisms by which human activity in an indoor environment influences the fermentation trajectory on an industrial scale remains largely unexplored. Our study seeks correlate the microbiomes of the factory environment, where employees work and raw vegetables pass through, to the beneficial content of the food product itself. Our results indicate that a distinct community of microbiota, dominated by species of lactic acid bacteria, establishes itself in areas of the plant where fermentation is taking place. This community structure is significantly different from that of an environment within the factory where raw vegetables are processed. Structural heterogeneity between factory environments suggests microbial transfer between humans and the food product. This survey method could help food production plants asses the environmental factors affecting their product. Presentation Details 529 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C77 Jacob Ford Dhandapani Venkataraman (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry, UMass Amherst iCons: Bacterial Conversion of Lignin to Bioplastics for Novel Biofuel Applications Lignocellulosic biomass is an abundant renewable resource available for the production of biofuels and other value-added products including polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) bioplastics. Due to the recalcitrant nature of lignin, biomass requires costly pretreatment to free polysaccharides for the enzymatic hydrolysis to fermentable sugars. As a result of their immense environmental adaptability and biochemical versatility, bacteria are being studied for their ability to directly convert lignin into bioplastics. Bacterial consortia derived from soil samples from the Harvard Forest were maintained on media containing lignin as a sole carbon source under anaerobic conditions. The community was screened for PHA production, and bacteria capable of bioplastics production were isolated and identified. Further experiments were conducted to synthesize PHAs directly from lignin or lignin derivatives as the sole carbon source. Such research may allow for future applications of lignin-based biomass processing with the additional advantage of co-product production. Presentation Details 537 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C80 Autumn Gertz Sloan Siegrist (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Microbiology, UMass Amherst Assessing Mycobacterial Growth through DNA Cell Envelope Labeling Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is responsible for over 2 million deaths, worldwide, annually. Mtb, and closely related bacteria like Mycobacterium smegmatis, are known for their complex cell wall. One of the attributes that makes Mtb such a successful pathogen is this complex cell wall. Mtb is notorious for antibiotic resistance, making it more difficult to treat. Cell growth, in the presence of antibiotics, is common for diagnosing antibiotic resistance but current methods are time consuming and limited. This study looks at using DNA-labeling of the cell envelope as a method of evaluating cellular growth. Growing cells were exposed to cell wall probes that incorporate themselves into the cell envelope. Through bioorthogonal chemistry and a CuAAC reaction, a DNA label was added onto the probes. This study first looks at a loss of fluorescence as a means of successful labeling. The reaction described occurs twice; first with DNA, then with a fluorophore. The study then looks at evaluating DNA labeling, and therefore cell growth, through qPCR of the labeled bacterial cells. Initial results of the study revealed that there is indeed of loss of fluorescence when the cells are labeled with DNA and then a fluorophore, suggesting a successful labeling. It is hypothesized that the qPCR should reveal detection of the DNA label in small cell densities. This assessment of cell growth could be utilized as a new way of diagnosing antibiotic resistance in Mtb. Presentation Details 538 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C81 Vincent Giacalone Wilmore Webley (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Microbiology, UMass Amherst The Prevalence of Human Metapneumovirus and Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection in the BAL Fluid of Pediatric Respiratory Disease Patients Viral respiratory infections are the most common causes of wheezing in young children and are common triggers of asthma exacerbations in patients with preexisting asthma1. Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a respiratory pathogen that affects young children, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of infant pneumoniae. The goal of this study was to determine if there was an association between viral respiratory tract infections and asthma prevalence/severity in a pediatric cohort. We obtained bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid from pediatric patients with asthma (average age 8.2 years) undergoing diagnostic bronchoscopy. 54% of patients were males and 82% were Caucasian, 13.6% Asian and 4.5% African American. Cells were isolated for RNA extraction followed by RT-PCR with established primers to amplify viral nucleic acids. We confirmed the presence of hMPV in 41/44 (93%) patient samples, of which 32 (72.7%) were asthmatics. Approximately 75% of hMPV positive patients had a codiagnosis of bacterial/fungal bronchitis. RSV was detected in 12/44 (27%) of patient samples; 9/12 (75%) of which were moderate or severe asthmatics. All RSV positive samples were also hMPV positive. There was no statistical correlation between the presence of hMPV or RSV and patient gender or ethnicity in this cohort. Our findings confirm the presence of hMPV and RSV in the BAL fluid of pediatric patients with various chronic and respiratory diseases. While these viruses are known for infecting the upper respiratory tract, the current findings confirm their presence in the lower airways of pediatric patients diagnosed with moderate to severe asthma. Presentation Details 543 Auditorium 4:30-5:15 Board A15 Grace Ho Yasu S. Morita (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Microbiology, UMass Amherst Exploring Anti-mycobacterial Properties in the Plant Cell Culture Library With the emergence of more multidrug resistant microorganisms, increase in immunocompromised populations, and rise of cross-border travel, the need for new therapeutic methods is more crucial for combating against disease spread than ever before. The past few decades has prioritized the identification of antimicrobials in fungal species, which has led to the discovery of most obvious drug targets. However, little attention has been drawn to the role medical plants, which constantly fight against everevolving microbial pathogens, and could play in the prevention of multidrug resistant microorganisms. Through a series of screening assays such as resazurin-based growth measurement, disk diffusion zone of inhibition, and transwell live plant-pathogen interaction assay, the viability of Mycobacterium smegmatis, a fast-growing nonpathogenic bacteria with similar machinery to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, was determined in the presence of various plant extracts and plant cell cultures from the Plant Cell Culture Library. These plants will be elicited to induce an immune response in two ways: by methyl jasmonate, a general stress hormone, and by direct contact with the bacteria. We have tested plant cell cultures with known antimicrobial activity, and found Eucalyptus calycogona, Buddleja colvilei, and Ficus craterostoma plant extracts with significant anti-mycobacterial activities. We are currently testing if, after elicitation by the bacteria, there is a greater decrease in cell vitality in comparison to when the same plant is elicited by methyl jasmonate. Such a result would indicate that the plant developed a bacterial-specific inhibition strategy. This strategy could later be further analyzed to shed more light on the pivotal roles plants could play within the medical community. Presentation Details 539 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C82 Kiran Khan Alexander Thompson Klaus Nüsslein (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Microbiology, UMass Amherst Altering the Composition of Microbial Genes in the Amazonian Soil Our research focused on the effects of forest-to-pasture conversion on soil microbial communities in soil from the Amazon rainforest. Specifically, we investigated how this land use change affects those soil microorganisms which drive the production and consumption of the the greenhouse gas methane. We used stable isotope probing on soil cores taken in the field, and injected them with the substrates methane, carbon dioxide, and acetate to help enrich the target organisms. Some methanogens are hydrogenotrophic and use hydrogen to reduce carbon dioxide to generate methane, while other methanogens are acetoclastic and split acetate into carbon dioxide and methane. The functional genes for each metabolic process, pmoA and mcrA were quantified using qPCR to show quantitative changes in the genes across and within the different treatments. Based on recently published studies the ratio of methanotroph:methanogen is higher in the primary forest which makes the forest a net sink of methane. But the proportion of methanotrophs decreases in the pasture as shown by the number of pmoA genes, whereas there was no significant change in the methanogens rendering the pasture a net source for methane. We hypothesize that forest-to-pasture conversion in the Amazon alters the quantity and diversity of methanotrophic and methanogenic microorganisms responsible for the methane cycle. Presentation Details 540 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C83 Alexander T. Lyons Ronald Labbe (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Food Science, UMass Amherst Prevalence and Identification of Clostridium perfringens in Processed Meats and Pet Foods Clostridium perfringens is an anaerobic, Gram-positive rod found almost anywhere in the world. It can commonly be found in meat or poultry products in small concentrations as vegetative cells or spores and cause food poisoning in some individuals. Additionally, C. perfringens type B, an epsilon toxin (etx) secreting variant of the species, is speculated to be an unexplored environmental trigger for multiple sclerosis. In this experiment the presence and prevalence of C. perfringens in processed meats such as cold cuts, cured meats, and jerky in addition to a number of intermediate moisture pet foods was determined. C. perfringens was presumptively identified and enumerated using methods provided in the FDA’s Bacterial Analytical Manual. After evaluating 225 processed meat and pet food samples, it was found that 10 samples came back as presumptively positive for C. perfringens in iron-milk media (4.44%). For meats suitable for human consumption, 7 of the 193 samples were presumptively positive (3.63%). For pet food 3 of the 32 samples tested yielded a positive result (9.4%). MPN figures were calculated on the samples. Positive samples were streaked on TSC agar plates and individual colonies were subcultured into Cooked Meat Medium. PCR analysis via gel electrophoresis revealed all isolates to be in possession of the C. perfringens enterotoxin (cpe) gene; all but 2 samples carried the Alpha toxin (cpa) gene, and no samples carried the etx gene. These results revealed C. perfringens was present in some of these ready-to-eat foods, which could be an avenue of infection. Presentation Details 530 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C78 Michael McMillan Sloan Siegrist (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Microbiology, UMass Amherst iCons: Determining the Utility of Cell Envelope Labeling as a Readout for Mycobacterial Growth Tuberculosis presents a growing danger to the world where strains are becoming resistant to some or all antibiotics used to normally treat the sickness. The causative agent of tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is difficult to treat because of its complex cellular envelope. Using Mycobacterium smegmatis as a model organism, we hope to shine light on the complexity of the cell wall using several chemical probes that allow us to label the three distinct parts of the cell wall. We believe that incorporation of the probes either intracellular or extracellular happens when the cell is still dividing, therefore, a cell that isn’t dividing due to antibiotic treatment should have less fluorescence. The fluorescent tags are attached using a Copper Alkyne Azide Cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction, also known as a Copper Click reaction. To get an understanding of how antibiotics effect the incorporation of the probes and fluorescence of the labels, microscopy and flow cytometry were used to allow us to visualize and quantify the results. Analysis of the results show that there was a difference in fluorescence when cells were treated with antibiotics. Cells often lost the polarity of their fluorescence, resulting in fluorescence across the cell when it is usually concentrated at the poles. Several different antibiotics and fluorescent labels were used to determine which is most successful at labeling the cell as a readout for growth for future use in developing an assay to determining strain of tuberculosis at the single cell level. Presentation Details 541 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C84 Anastasia Naritsin Yasu S. Morita (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Microbiology, UMass Amherst The Role of MptA and MptB Mannosyltransferases in Lipomannan and Lipoarabinomannan Biosynthesis in Mycobacterium smegmatis Mycobacteria have a hydrophobic and complex cell envelope, which is composed of peptidoglycan, arabinogalactan, mycolic acids, and glycolipids layered on top of the plasma membrane. The mannose-containing phosphatidylinositols (PI), such as phosphatidylinositol mannosides (PIMs), lipomannan (LM), and lipoarabinomannan (LAM), represent a class of glycolipids embedded in the mycobacterial plasma membrane and outer membrane. These glycolipids are critical for the structural integrity of the cell envelope as well as Mycobacterium tuberculosis pathogenesis. The main forms of PIMs are the triacylated AcPIM2 and AcPIM6, which are formed by the addition of two or six mannoses to the PI, respectively. Although the initial steps of PIMs, LM, and LAM biosynthesis overlap, the biosynthesis of LM/LAM diverges from that of AcPIM6 at the intermediate, AcPIM4. We and others previously observed that the knockdown or deletion of mptA leads to an accumulation of LM intermediate carrying a short mannan chain. While this observation indicated that the MptA mannosyltransferase is involved in the final maturation of the LM/LAM mannan backbone, it also suggested that there is another mannosyltransferase involved in initial elongation of LM/LAM mannan backbone. In this study, we conducted a suppressor mutant screening of ΔpimE to discover additional genes involved in LM/LAM biosynthesis and identified MptB as another mannosyltransferase potentially involved in the initial elongation of the mannan backbone. To determine the role of MptB in LM/LAM biosynthesis, we deleted the mptB gene through homologous recombination and examined its impact on LM/LAM biosynthesis. We first confirmed the deletion of the mptB gene through PCR analysis. We then purified LM/LAM from ΔmptB, separated on SDS-PAGE and visualized using glycan staining. Unexpectedly, the deletion of mptB had little impact on LM/LAM biosynthesis. This observation led us to hypothesize that the function of MptB may be compensated by MptA. Using a previously established approach, we are currently creating a ΔmptB strain, in which the mptA is controlled by the tetracycline-inducible knockdown system. Once the strain is made, we plan on analyzing the impact of mptA knockdown with the mptB deletion background. If we find no accumulation of LM/LAM upon mptA knockdown in the ΔmptB strain, such a result will support our hypothesis that MptB is important for LM/LAM biosynthesis. Presentation Details 542 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C85 Olivia Perlstein John M. Lopes (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Microbiology, UMass Amherst Stability of Growth Phase Regulated Activator Ino2p in Saccharomyces cerevisiae As a eukaryote, Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an important model for understanding gene regulation. Our lab’s research focuses primarily on phospholipid biosynthetic genes such as INO1 that codes for a key enzyme in the production of the membrane phospholipid precursor inositol. In exponential phase under activating conditions, the INO1 activators Ino2p and Ino4p are present within the cell. However, in stationary phase both activators disappear. In order to determine if ubiquitin targeting to the proteasome is directly responsible for the degradation of Ino2p in stationary phase (as suggested by previous research), potential ubiquitylation sites in INO2 are mutated. We expect that when cells containing the mutant Ino2p are grown and analyzed by Western Blot, these mutations may stabilize Ino2p in stationary phase. This would further support that INO1 growth phase regulation in stationary phase is controlled by protein degradation. Presentation Details 534 Concourse 1:30-2:15 Board C70 Victoria I. Quennessen Vanni Bucci (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Dartmouth Modeling the Effects of Bacteriophage on Susceptible and Resistant Biofilm Growth Communities of bacteria often form high-level structures with a spatial and temporal structure, which we call biofilms. Among other biomes, biofilms are the predominant ecosystem present in the human gut. Additionally, bacteriophages are common wherever bacteria are found, but little is known about how phages interact with a developing or established biofilm, including the effects of an already present, or mutating, phage resistance in the biofilm. There is a significant body of research detailing biofilm models and their dynamics, allowing a new framework to be developed in order to examine this interaction with phage. Dynamically, it resembles the classic susceptible, infected, resistant (or SIR) model, and incorporates modeling of the bacteriophage individuals, rather than the infection simply spreading via affected individuals. First, the framework needs to be finished, which primarily involves thorough testing of the individual methods. In order to determine the important parameters of the system, the framework will be deployed on the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center (mghpcc) in massively parallel simulations. Coarse grain simulations will be run first to determine if each parameter significantly affects the biofilmbacteriophage interactions. Once the most influential parameters have been discovered, they will be explored with a fine resolution to determine how important minor changes in their values are. In this way, we will be able to determine how and to what extent different parameters affect the phage infection of biofilms, and learn more about the mechanisms that dictate the interactions between phage, susceptible, and resistant biofilms in the human gut. Presentation Details 531 Concourse 8:30-9:15 Board C79 Rebecca Kim-Hong Toohey David A. Sela (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nutrition and Food Science, UMass Amherst iCons: The Development of Improved Genetic Tools for the Manipulation of Bifidobacteria The human microbiome is a complex and diverse mixture of microorganisms that symbiotically inhabit its human hosts. As infants, the colonization of the gut microbiome plays an important role in infant immunity and health. Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis is demonstrated to be one of the earliest commensal colonizers of the human infant microbiome and while the health benefits of a bifidobacteria-rich microbiome have become increasingly clear, genetic manipulation of bifidobacteria has not seen much success. The development of improved genetic tools to manipulate B. infantis—and Bifidobacteria in general—is indispensable. In the past, efforts have been hindered by the presence of a complex, thick cell wall and a restriction-modification system that degrades unmethylated, exogenous DNA. Our research has led to the development of various different conditions that bypass these hindrances and allow for better transformation efficiencies. Through the use of methylated shuttle vectors constructed from the insertion of an artificial operon containing B. infantis methyltransferases into E. coli, we obtained greater transformation efficiencies. To further increase these efficiencies, we improved electroporation protocols by varying growth conditions, methods of competent cell preparation, and electroporation settings. Once the optimal transformation protocol is identified, it is our goal to perform ssDNA λred recombineering to introduce a mutation into B. infantis. With this research, we will advance the techniques used in microbiome research regarding bifidobacteria genomics and provide a more efficient method of genetically manipulating Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis. Presentation Details MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES 544 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C86 Corinne Curtis Timothy Lang (Faculty Sponsor) Commonwealth Honors College, UMass Amherst Jordan in Jerusalem: The Future of the Holy Places in the Arab-Israeli Conflict My research explores the relationship between Jordanian guardianship of the Jerusalem Holy Places and Jordan’s relations with Israel and the Palestinians since 1987. The project uses content and statistical analysis to examine Hashemite guardianship of Muslim and Christian Holy Sites in Jerusalem in the context of the First and Second Intifadas, as well as the peace process. Using diplomatic documents, beginning with the 1988 Jordanian announcement of disengagement from the West Bank, and news articles from regional sources during the 2012-2016 period, I address the questions of whether Jordanian guardianship of the Jerusalem Holy Places affects the role of Jerusalem in the Arab-Israeli conflict and whether Hashemite guardianship affects Jordanian relations with Israel and the Palestinians. I conclude that while Jordanian guardianship does not seem to have an effect on the role of Jerusalem and the Holy Places in the larger conflict, it does affect Jordanian relations with Israel and the Palestinians. Guardianship of the Holy Places provides Jordan a presence in Jerusalem and increases its regional importance, as evidenced by the inclusion of the Jerusalem Holy Places in the 1994 peace treaty between Jordan and Israel as well as the large amount of coverage of the issue by Jordanian news sources. This is essential as it means Jordan's role in the peace process must be considered when examining the future of negotiations around Jerusalem. Presentation Details 545 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C87 Emily Grace Yorke Timothy Lang (Faculty Sponsor) Commonwealth Honors College, UMass Amherst The Impact of Palestinian Refugees on Current Refugee Policies in Jordan My thesis contrasts the legal condition of Palestinian and Syrian refugees in Jordan today. It analyzes the effect that the history of Palestinian refugees has had on the current Syrian refugee problem. Currently, the major explanation for why Jordan has certain policies toward Syrian refugees is that Jordan fears that terrorist groups might destabilize the country. Jordanians cite this as the reason for stopping the influx of Syrian refugees that have come over the border since the Syrian civil war began. I argue that there is a profound fear on the part of the Jordanian government that having a large number of non-Jordanians within the country could destabilize the Hashemite monarchy. I use the concept of identity as a way to discuss why Jordan is fearful of large non-Jordanian ethnic groups. My argument is based on the history of the Palestinian refugee crisis and the consequent policies that were put into place. I use historical sources as well as regional news sources in order to piece together the history that affects the refugee policies put into place today. Presentation Details MUSIC 547 Room 905 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Lydia Barrett Erinn Knyt (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Music, UMass Amherst Globalism and "Othello in the Seraglio" There has been little written about globalism in music; in fact, because it is a recent trend, there have been almost no scholarly papers written on the subject. Globalism in music is hard to define because it encompasses everything from the use of nonWestern subjects and plots to the allusion to non-Western musical traditions, usually created with extensive research and an emphasis on authenticity. Non-Western born composers can explore non-Western music of their background from a very different place than someone from Europe or the United States. Instead of using a foreign style to evoke globalism, non-Western composers can return to their roots to do this. The globalist music of non-Western composers is much closer to the neoclassical tradition of the early twentieth century, as the methods used by the composers to look back to traditional music of their homelands is strikingly similar to that of German, French, and Italian neoclassicists looking back to past European music to create new work. Mehmet Ali Sanlikol's opera, Othello in the Seraglio (2015), exemplifies globalism with its blend of Western and non-Western styles, but Sanlikol’s identity as a Turkish composer, paired with his use of neoclassical trends such as commedia dell’arte figures and varied instrumentation, also makes the non-Western elements of the piece resemble some neoclassicist traditions of the twentieth century. The synthesis of Sanlikol’s national heritage with older historical elements evokes a synthesis of widely divergent styles. Presentation Details 550 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C63 Stephanie Carvalho Sonya Lawson (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Music, Westfield State University Music Therapy on the Autism Spectrum In the fields of Allied Health, there exist related services that a client or patient can receive to help that person complete their health goals, whether these goals are aimed toward mental or physical health. Music Therapy is one of these services. Unfortunately, not enough people are aware of Music Therapy or are not entirely sure what it entails, since the field is relatively new and up-and-coming. In my research, I investigated how Music Therapy has impacted those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental disorder that impairs a person’s social skills and communication skills. I conducted literary research on ASD, Music Therapy, and the combination of the two, as well as the use of Music Therapy in Special Education classrooms. I also interviewed 3 professionals to research the personal experiences of experts in Music Therapy and/or Special Education. The end result is that I have created a source of reference to educate others and advocate for the field of Music Therapy, using literary and personal evidence. On a grander scale, I have created a unique project that is accessible to those who may no nothing about Music Therapy or ASD. Presentation Details 551 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C65 Michael Patrick Ferrara Sonya Lawson (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Music, Westfield State University Music’s Effect on Cognitive Functions By studying the effect that music has on the brain, it quickly becomes clear how a consistent and dedicated, long term study of music can affect students positively in virtually all areas of life -- both academic and socially. The research shows that every aspect of music can affect our brain in different ways. For example, listening to music affects our default mode network (DMN) (activity in the brain responsible for introspection) while reading and performing music utilizes our creativity and logic skills (both left and right hemisphere, simultaneously) and improvising activates our pre-frontal cortex (part of the brain largely associated with personality). By observing how the study of music manipulates our cognitive functions, we can gain a bigger appreciation and understanding of why music should be an important part of any educational institution, from the early ages of development through adulthood. Presentation Details 548 Room 905 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Christine Mann Erinn Knyt (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Music, UMass Amherst An Overview of 21st Century Cello Pedagogy and Repertoire Art music has constantly evolved over centuries. The 21st century is no exception, in that art music of past two decades has brought about new compositional styles and performance techniques. These changes have in turn affected music pedagogy, as several schools and teachers have sought to modify curricula and pedagogical practices to account for this new repertoire. This study focuses on 21st-century solo and chamber works for cello and how this repertoire is taught in conservatories and universities in the United States. Up to the present very little has been written about this topic. There are books for conductors and composers that provide overviews of contemporary techniques for instruments including the cello but there are no scholarly books that address these techniques for cellists. This dearth does little to support the teaching of this repertoire categorized by extended techniques, which go beyond standard pedagogy, developed in the past two centuries. There are supplemental online resources, but none about current pedagogy in higher education, so this thesis includes an example of how to teach a composition with extended techniques. The research also includes compiling a list of 21st century cello works, as currently there exists no comprehensive catalog of this music. Through a survey of college professors about how they teach 21st century repertoire, my study reveals just how undeveloped pedagogy is in this area. This thesis provides more literature for current and future cellists on 21st century repertoire and extended techniques, as well as easier access to recent musical works. Presentation Details 549 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A14 Joshua M. Ramos Jessica Thelen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Westfield State University Hip Hop in Society Hip-Hop is the fastest growing genre of music in today’s society. It has been for nearly 30 years. Starting from a small neighborhood in the Bronx with DJ Kool Herc experimenting with a turn table, to the Notorious BIG, all the way to performers like Eminem, Tory Lanez, Migos, hip-hop has revolutionized the music industry. Using numerous outside sources, listening to music from various decades, and cultural geography studies, this paper examines how exactly hip-hop began and reached the heights it has today. Ever since the beginning, hip-hop has been about Tupac's message: “No matter how hard it gets, stick your chest out, keep your head up and handle it”, telling the struggle of the reality these talented poets and artists live. In the 1970’s, hip-hop overcame poverty and struggle. At a time when the Civil Rights Movement had come to an end, African Americans were still facing struggles with success and equality. As a result, these people were opposed to the popular disco genre. Songs like “Good Times” by Chic were disliked throughout these communities. They did not believe it represented the life they were actually living. Hip-hop has grown to gain a strong hold of influence on today’s society. Glorified lyrics of violence, drugs and gang-life are being absorbed by today's youth, giving them an altered perception and possibly a negative influence. Presentation Details 546 Auditorium 8:30-9:15 Board A06 Shannon Kayla Richards Catherine Wilcox-Titus (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Visual and Performing Arts, Worcester State University Music Composition for Theatre: Almost, Maine As part of a joint project combining music and theatre, my capstone is comprised of originally composed music that will appear in the production of Almost, Maine by playwright John Cariani. Just over twenty pieces are being used to capture the emotion and mood of multiple intertwining stories revolving around the struggles with love. Moods being expressed through the music for these stories vary from loneliness and isolation to warmth and comfort. The music is all instrumental and piano centered with cello, guitar, and other instruments appearing in many of the pieces. The creation process starts with the writing which takes the most time. All the details that go into a piece, from the key to the melody need to fit a specific mood when put together and figuring out what works takes time. As part of the writing process, notated ideas are written into the software program Finale Notepad. In one-on-one or group production meetings with the director, the files are reviewed, critiqued, accepted, or rejected. After gaining approval by the director and being polished, the files from the program will be exported into Garage Band where the notation will be assigned to the previously decided instruments. Any final adjustments will be made involving volume balance and effects. Finally, the music will be saved as mp3 audio files for the sound designer to use during the shows which begin March 2nd and end on the 5th. Presentation Details NEUROSCIENCE 552 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C88 Michael A. Kelberman Elena Vazey (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Amherst Noradrenergic Signaling Regulates Task-Related Behavior and Motivation in Female Rats Decision making is a critical part of our daily lives. Cortical function during decision processing is heavily influenced by ascending monoamines, including norepinephrine (NE). The locus coeruleus (LC) provides the vast majority of NE to the cortex. We tested systemic administration of two NE targeted compounds, prazosin and propranolol, to identify potential impact of noradrenergic signaling in decision performance in a two-alternative forced-choice (2AFC) task. Prazosin and propranolol are widely used to treat hypertension. Female Long-Evan rats were trained on a 2AFC task in which cue lights (red/green) illuminated on every trial to indicate which of the two laterally-located levers would be rewarded. We found that prazosin (alpha-1 NE antagonist) slowed decision time as reflected in increased reaction speeds and omissions (measures of distractibility). However, the total number of trials (participation), premature presses (impulsivity), or accuracy were not affected by prazosin. Disrupting beta NE signalling with the antagonist S-propranolol increased decision time and reduced discriminability of target stimuli. Despite reducing impulsivity with propranolol we saw increases in reaction times as well as reductions in measures of accuracy and overall participation. During cognitive testing we also recorded neural activity from the secondary motor cortex (M2) which receives strong NE input from LC and is implicated in motor planning and initiation, action selection, timing, and switching. Analysis of pharmacological impact on neural signaling in the M2 during decision making is ongoing. These results have implications for understanding the cognitive impact of widely used drugs and highlight the intricacies of noradrenergic function during optimal decision processing that require further investigation. Presentation Details NURSING 554 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A52 Denise Bedoya Hannah Fraley (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nursing, Salem State University Management Differences among Hispanic Men and Women with Type 2 Diabetes 12.8% of Hispanics in the United States carry a diagnosis of diabetes (ADA, 2016). Diabetes is affecting Hispanic men and women disproportionately than other races. Hispanic men and women can approach disease management and health behaviors differently based on ethnic and cultural practices. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature to explore the differences in disease management and health behaviors between Hispanic male and female adults diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. CINAHL was systematically searched using keywords: Hispanics, diabetes, men, women. Articles published between January 2008 and May 2016 were included in this review. Hispanic men and women face barriers to optimal disease management of Type 2 Diabetes. Men and women approach disease management differently based on gender cultural norms and approaches to health. Themes include family roles and responsibilities, social support, difficulty managing diabetes, and perceptions about diabetes. Findings from this study will inform development of culturally-tailored health care approaches responsive to the different needs of Hispanic men and women with Type 2 Diabetes. Culturally-tailored health care approaches can aid in reducing disease risk among this population. Future study should include development of culturally-tailored education interventions with Hispanic men and women using family approaches to disease management and improving health behaviors. Presentation Details 558 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A19 Olivia R. Bergandy Maryellen Brisbois (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nursing, UMass Dartmouth The Impact of Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia on Body Image among Female Breast Cancer Patients Research that supports alopecia as being the most feared side effect of chemotherapy exists in the literature. Most of the current research has been conducted collectively on male and female cancer patients experiencing alopecia. Although research supports distress amongst males experiencing alopecia, female patients have been more vulnerable to its adverse effects; specifically in respect to body image. While research has shifted its focus on alopecia and body image solely in females, there is little to no research focusing directly on the effects of alopecia and body image in female breast cancer patients. With an understanding of the negative body image women experience as a result of alopecia, research regarding the breast cancer population in women is needed. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of chemotherapy induced alopecia on body image among female breast cancer patients. The researcher hypothesizes that women with breast cancer will report negative reactions or responses to chemotherapy-induced alopecia related to body image. A quantitative approach was utilized to assess the impact of chemotherapy-induced alopecia in 16 breast cancer patients. Participants were selected through a convenience sample and were asked to complete a demographic questionnaire, and a modified Body Image Scale via Survey Monkey that consisted of 8 questions on a Likert scale ranging from ‘not at all’ to ‘very much.’ Institutional Review Board approval was obtained through the university. Sixteen women aged 30-69 participated in the study. Participants reported being ‘quite a bit’ or ‘very much’ self conscious, less physically attractive, and dissatisfied with their appearance as a result of hair loss (56.5%, 50%, 50% respectively). Contrary to anticipated findings, the majority of women reported feeling ‘not at all’ or ‘a little’ impact on femininity, ability to look at themselves naked, sexual attractiveness, avoiding social interactions, and feeling less whole (56.25%, 62.5%, 62.5%, 81.25%, and 68.75% respectively). Participants impacted by chemotherapy-induced alopecia as stated above. Further research is needed to better understand the impact of alopecia in women with breast cancer. The data in this current study are not generalizable, but may encourage the creation of new tools and interventions in women with chemotherapyinduced alopecia in order to improve their body image during and after treatment. Presentation Details 573 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C89 Sherry Dong Cynthia Jacelon (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nursing, UMass Amherst Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Nursing Engineering Project Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has a major impact on physical activity, emotional well-being, and functional impairment in community-dwelling older adults. The purpose of this project was to create a unique assistive device that aids and improves life function for community-dwelling older adults diagnosed with macular degeneration. An interdisciplinary team of one nurse and four mechanical engineers collaborated weekly with a community-dwelling older adult client diagnosed with macular degeneration. The nurse conducted a comprehensive nursing assessment, evaluated the functional needs of the older adult, and assessed any environmental risk factors or safety hazards in the home. The team developed an obstacle-detecting attachment to the client’s walker with an effective non-visual alert mechanism to prevent the client from tripping over unseen objects in her path. Once the prototype was made, the nurse assessed its safety, effectiveness, and reliability with the client, notifying the engineers of any changes that needed to be made. The final product was an assistive walker that can detect obstacles and provide vibrational feedback to alert the client of obstructions in their path. The device effectively improved the client’s mobility by allowing her to avoid obstacles she cannot perceive in her visual fields. This assistive safety device could be an effective intervention for patients with AMD that reduces the fear of falling, encourages going outside, and improves psychological wellbeing. Presentation Details 559 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A20 Bridget Kathleen Donovan Kristen Sethares (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nursing, UMass Dartmouth The Relationship between Cognitive Impairment and Self-Care in Heart Failure Patients Multiple literature sources seek to explain the many reasons why patients suffering from heart failure are unable to maintain self-care techniques related to their diagnosis after they are discharged from the hospital. Because many patients leave the hospital with proper teaching and are still unable to follow the self-care required of them to maintain their health following their heart failure diagnosis, it comes into question whether or not it is cognitive impairment playing a role in poor self-care. The purpose of this study is to describe levels of cognitive impairment; compare self-care maintenance, management, and confidence scores in heart failure patients (< 73 vs 73 years of age) and determine the correlation between self-care and cognitive status. A sample of 116 primarily male (58.6%) HF patients, with intact cognition (66%), and some level of cognitive impairment as demonstrated by the mean clock draw score of 7.8 were interviewed at an urban community hospital. Data on cognition (Clock Draw test, 0-10), Self-Care (Self-care of Heart Failure Index, scores >70 adequate), and demographics were collected by interview and chart review. Close to one-third (32.8%) of the participants presented with some form of cognitive impairment. Although not statistically significant, self-care maintenance scores were lower in those under the age of 73 and self-care confidence and self-care management scores were higher in those under the age of 73. Self-care maintenance (r = .124), management (r = .035) and confidence (r = .128) and cognition had non-significant small positive relationships. Presentation Details 560 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A21 Rachel Giusti Kiley Medeiros (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nursing, UMass Dartmouth Health Literacy Education in Undergraduate Nursing Students at UMass Dartmouth Limited health literacy, a problem that affects up to half of American adults, is a public health problem requiring the attention of all health care providers, including nurses. Limited health literacy impacts an individual's ability to navigate the healthcare system and understand and apply medical information, resulting in less favorable health outcomes (Weiss, 2003). Nursing students need to be educated on this topic so that they are able to provide effective teaching in ways that their patient will understand. The purpose of this study is to assess knowledge of health literacy and experiences with health literacy during the education of undergraduate nursing students at UMass Dartmouth with the goal of improving the College of Nursing curriculum. The data was collected using a the Health Literacy Knowledge and Experience Survey (HL-KES), distributed online using SurveyGizmo to nursing students through email and social media posts. Students displayed a general knowledge and understanding of health literacy, but reported only “sometimes” participating in health literacy-related activities. Nursing course level, healthcare-related work, and frequency of engagement in health literacy-related activities and health literacy knowledge levels had no statistically significant relationship. Undergraduate nursing students at UMass Dartmouth are aware of health literacy, but they do not actively address the problems associated with limited health literacy in their clinical practice. It is recommended that improvements to the curriculum be made to emphasize this public health problem and train these future nurses to care for and educate patients of all health literacy levels before they enter practice. Presentation Details 561 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A22 Brandon David Gomes Catherine Gardner (Faculty Sponsor) Honors Program, UMass Dartmouth Attitudes of Critical Care Nurses regarding Family Witnessed Resuscitation The topic of family witnessed resuscitation (FWR) has been a subject of debate for many years among health care professionals in the literature. Requests from patients’ families to be present during resuscitation are increasing, but the topic remains controversial among care providers. The purpose of this study is to identify the FWR attitudes of American nurses in two community-based hospitals. The study explored differences in attitudes between nurses who have and have not experienced FWR. This study adds to what is known about nurse attitudes on FWR. A cross-sectional, multisite, descriptive design was used to survey a convenience sample of critical care nurses (n=40). The Attitudes toward FWR Questionnaire, a valid and reliable instrument, was used to collect data. The questionnaire is divided into three subscales: (a) Decision Making, (b) Process, and (c) Outcomes and consists of 12 items on aspects of FWR. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 22. There were differences in agreement on FWR between the two nursing groups within the questionnaire subscales but these were not statistically significant. Seventy-five percent (n=30) of the nurses agreed that family members should be present during FWR so they can be involved in decision-making. Eighty-three percent (n=33) agreed that if the family is present that they are more likely to accept treatment decisions or the decision to withdraw treatment. These findings can be used to improve FWR nursing actions at the bedside and to promote acceptance of FWR among all health care professionals. Presentation Details 555 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A53 Michelle Elizabeth Harling Hannah Fraley (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nursing, Salem State University Importance of Animal Assisted Therapy for Patients with Psychiatric Disorders Mental health illnesses can manifest in various ways. According to the CDC (2016), millions are affected. The overwhelming number of people diagnosed with psychological disorders has sparked an increase in studies aiming to treat these conditions. Alternative therapies have gained support as evidence of their benefits gathers. Among these holistic methods, Animal Assisted Therapy and Animal Assisted Interventions focus on the ethical use of animals to promote health and wellness among diverse patient populations, especially benefiting those afflicted with mental health struggles. The aim of this systematic review of the literature was to explore the value of alternative therapies using animals as the therapeutic intervention among patients with mental health illnesses across varying settings. Health care workers and the general public can utilize findings from this study to determine how these therapies can benefit patients across the continuum of care. CINAHL was systematically searched using keywords: mental health, psychiatric care, pet therapy, animal-assisted therapy, and animal-assisted intervention. Articles published from 2005-2016 were included in this review addressing care of patients with mental health diagnoses and use of animals in their care planning. Results include the following themes: building a sense of purpose, coping, improved mood, and reduction of medication use. Findings highlight that use of animals in therapeutically caring for patients with mental health illnesses can enhance rehabilitation and overall well being. Study findings will inform care planning with this patient population. Presentation Details 574 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C90 Katlyn Morgan Hill Elizabeth A. Henneman (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nursing, UMass Amherst Mentorship in Nursing: Influence on Graduate Students’ Decision to Pursue Higher Education A growing appreciation of the need to conduct research to determine best practice and to implement these evidence-based practices has resulted in the demand for nurses with advanced degrees. There are many factors that may influence nurses to seek higher education. Involvement with a mentor is one factor that may influence nurses to seek higher education as a result of the additional support, direction, and an enriched learning experience associated with mentorship. The purpose of this study is to learn about the relationship between having a mentor (structured or unstructured) and the decision to pursue higher education in the nursing profession. Focus groups and surveys on mentorship history will be conducted with graduate nursing students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Data will then be synthesized and compared with findings from current literature. We suspect that engaging in mentoring activities will be associated with pursuing higher education. Regardless of its association with pursuing higher education, mentorship will provide nurses at any stage with direction and guidance. It should therefore be a cornerstone of nursing education. Presentation Details 553 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A07 Heidi Viktoria Holloway Paula Burnett (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nursing, Salem State University Health Benefits of Breastfeeding for Infants, Leading to Developmental Differences between Breast-Fed and Formula-Fed Infants This systematic literature review of health benefits of breastfeeding for infants serves to educate mothers about any potential developmental differences between breast-fed and formula-fed infants. Many factors go into a mother’s decision regarding feeding methods, but there may be gaps in knowledge that are important and significant between feeding methods. Breastfeeding vs. formula feeding has become a controversial social issue in our society. Other literature reviews as well as qualitative and quantitative studies were reviewed in order to clarify which method is better, specifically in terms of infant development and why. Analysis and review of data from these studies may clarify the answer to this question and may support the hypothesis that breastfeeding is more beneficial developmentally for infants than formula feeding. From this review, it could be concluded that the differences in development between breastfed and formula-fed infants are not significant, but there appear to be more benefits and advancements in infants who were breastfed, even for short periods. In yielding these results, it is possible that more mothers will choose breastfeeding and more healthcare providers, particularly nurses, will better educate about the differences and benefits of both methods. This may lead to healthier infant development in the future. Presentation Details 575 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C91 Jennifer Lucia Iannacci Jennifer Costello Michelle Monahan Lisa Chiodo (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nursing, UMass Amherst Can a Functional Outcome Risk Metric Predict Medicated Treatment Success in Opioid Abusing Pregnant Women? Using opioids during pregnancy has detrimental effects on child development (Benke & Smith, 2013). One studied outcome is Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS). NAS presents with low birth weight, pain, and tremors (Pritham, Paul & Hayes, 2012). Reducing fetal opioid exposure is critical. Buprenorphine is the current standard of care for treatment (Jones et al., 2010). Our goal is to explore the impact of buprenorphine on functional outcomes in pregnant women. We will explore the relationship between a functional risk metric and multiple outcomes (medication adherence, drug use, and treatment retention). Data for 102 women were coded on the following dimensions: 1) contact with family/sober partners (risk=no); 2) counseling (risk=no); 3) stable housing (risk=no); 4) criminal activity (risk=yes); 5) stable finances (risk=no); 6) stable employment (risk=no); and 7) lost custody of children (risk=yes). One point is given for each risk response, yielding a risk score of 0-7. Women with a score of ≥ three were identified as “high risk;” < three as “low risk.” Average urine buprenorphine levels were compared by risk group. Although urine buprenorphine level is somewhat unreliable, women in the “low risk” group had higher buprenorphine levels than the “high risk” group (t=2.52, p=0.014). Another 200 records are being coded. Once complete, risk score will be evaluated using medication adherence, drug use, and treatment retention. Preliminary data suggests that buprenorphine compliance results in improved treatment outcomes. Presentation Details 562 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A23 Jocelyn Ann Jefferson Susan M. Hunter Revell (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nursing, UMass Dartmouth Effects of HPV Vaccination Education on Attitudes and Knowledge of College Students The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge and attitudes of college students towards human papillomavirus (HPV) and the HPV vaccine and to assess the effectiveness of an HPV educational session on knowledge and attitudes. Despite the high prevalence of HPV in the United States, in 2013 only 57.3% of girls and 34.6% of boys had started the vaccine (CDC, 2014b). To date, much of the research targets young children (11-12 years) and their parents, since this is the recommended age for vaccination. However, the vaccine is available for college-aged students but there is limited research on how to reach this population. Participants completed a demographics survey and modified CHIAS tool as a pretest. Participants then took part in a twenty-minute educational session about HPV and the HPV vaccine. At the end of the educational intervention, the modified CHIAS post-test was given. Participants had a high level of knowledge regarding HPV and the HPV vaccine before the session began. A Bonferroni post-hoc analysis was performed on the data. Two items from the CHIAS were significant which showed increased knowledge of the participants. Almost all items moved in the positive direction. Improved knowledge in participants suggests the educational session was effective in improving HPV knowledge in college students. However, there was not a significant improvement in attitudes, which may indicate a need for a different teaching approach during the educational session. Presentation Details 576 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C92 Daniel P. Kiely Jr. Annette Wysocki (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nursing, UMass Amherst Chokepoints: Nursing Research Funding in Context Nursing research to advance human health faces multiple chokepoints in funding, potentially blocking innovative, influential crosscutting research. This poster uses data from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) RePORTER database to answer three questions: (1) how does NIH funding compare between schools of nursing, medicine, and dentistry, (2) how does the level of funding by the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) to schools/colleges of nursing compare to funding from other NIH institutes, and (3) how does the dollars allocated by NINR relative to the increase in numbers of doctoral (PhD/DNP) programs affect the capacity to support colleges/schools of nursing. The NIH RePORTER Database indexes grant funding information starting in 1992 to present and was queried using "Grants by Location" and "Organization." Grant award data provides information on direct and indirect funds awarded, principal investigator name, institution, and grant title. Graphs presented in this poster use data exported from RePORTER and compiled using Microsoft Excel. Grants fuel the future and capacity of nurse scientists to publish cutting edge research to advance human health. Researching the current standing of grant allocation creates a platform for nurse researchers and educators to argue for necessary increases to the NINR budget. Graphs on NINR funding relative to the explosive growth in doctoral programs makes a case for the critical increases needed to support the capacity of schools of nursing to conduct research to improve health outcomes. By isolating chokepoints on nursing research, future work can be done to identify strategies to improve conditions. Presentation Details 577 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C93 Avery Elizabeth Klepacki Mary T. Paterno (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nursing, UMass Amherst Substance Use during Pregnancy and Postpartum Contraception Substance use disorder (SUD) during pregnancy in combination with short interpregnancy intervals can potentiate adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes; therefore there is a need for promotion of postpartum contraception use for this population. A community hospital in Western Massachusetts created a nurse-led, community-based intervention program called EMPOWER (Engaging Mothers for Positive Outcomes With Early Referrals) for women with SUD during pregnancy, designed to improve clinical care and community support for this population. This study examines the impact the support from this program has on contraception use in the early postpartum period. Using a retrospective quasi-experimental design, we will collect data from medical records on maternal postpartum contraceptive use for 19 women enrolled in EMPOWER, and 19 women with SUD who received care at the facility prior to the start of the program. Data will first be analyzed using descriptive statistics. Postpartum contraceptive use will be examined using a chi-square test comparing cases and controls. We expect that preliminary data will reflect that pregnant women with SUD who participate in EMPOWER will have higher postpartum contraceptive use compared to women who were not in the program. Based on our findings, we anticipate using the information to further refine aspects of the EMPOWER program to effectively promote contraception use. Presentation Details 563 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A24 Emily Krauch Elizabeth Chin (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nursing, UMass Dartmouth Assessing Knowledge and Beliefs toward Inhaled Tobacco Products in College Students Many students attending a university in Southeastern Massachusetts are from the local community, where the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) prevalence is 4.85% higher than the state average. The primary cause of COPD is tobacco inhalation. The purpose of this study was to describe tobacco usage by students attending a university in Southeastern MA and identify gaps in tobacco inhalation risk knowledge. An exploratory-descriptive study design was used to address the study aims. A sample of 209 university students between the ages of 18 and 24 completed an 84-question electronic survey that assessed their knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors regarding tobacco inhalation. The Psychological Risk Profile Questionnaire and a Primary Investigator developed Hookah Questionnaire were utilized to collect data, which was then entered into SPSS where descriptive and correlational statistics were computed. 140 female and 69 male participants completed the survey. 12.5% of students identified as current daily tobacco users, which was an increase compared to a previous campus survey conducted in 2015. Knowledge disparities were apparent when comparing different tobacco products, with participants believing all tobacco products were equally harmful. Mean scores for perceived illness risk were low. Cigarettes, cigars, and cigarillos scored high on social acceptance. Hookah was found to be the least socially acceptable, although participants believed 47% of their peers had tried it. There were no significant correlations between risk knowledge and tobacco usage. There are still significant knowledge gaps regarding tobacco use in the college population. Targeted education is indicated in this population. Presentation Details 556 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A54 Kelly Jean McElligott Paula Burnett (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nursing, Salem State University The Effects of Maternal Substance Use on Gestational Development and Neonates This paper will focus on the effects of maternal substance use on gestational development and neonates. The research for this paper will be gathered through a systematic review of the literature, which will include both quantitative and qualitative peer-reviewed articles published within the last five years. The articles will be gathered using databases including CINAHL and EBSCO. The research will include many substances that can have an effect on gestational development including alcohol, cannabis, amphetamines and opioids. The articles will not be limited to a specific age range or ethnic or racial background, but rather all of the articles will include women who used substances at any point during their pregnancies. The demographics of the women and their socioeconomic status will be taken into consideration when analyzing the outcomes of the fetuses. For the purposes of this article, there will be a zero tolerance of substance use allowed during pregnancy and any use above zero would be considered abuse. The research will look into the roles of the women, their existing families and the physicians. The research will investigate many substances that can have an effect on gestational development including alcohol, cannabis, amphetamines and opioids. The articles will not be limited to women of a specific age range, ethnic or racial background, but rather all articles will include women who used substances at any point during their pregnancies. The goal of this study is to spread awareness on the effects of substance use during pregnancy and to help not only health care providers, but also women become more educated in the area and therefore make more knowledgeable choices. Presentation Details 564 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A25 Elsa Jean McGilvray Kristen Sethares (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nursing, UMass Dartmouth Blood Pressure Medications and Mild Cognitive Impairment in Heart Failure Patients Heart Failure (HF) is a chronic and progressive condition, which continues to be an increasing problem associated with morbidity and mortality. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an underrecognized predominant complication among individuals with HF. The precise origin of MCI in HF is still unknown, and currently there is no treatment. More research is needed to understand the relationship between HF and MCI and identify any predictors. The purpose of this study is to explore the blood pressure management pharmaceutical profile of HF patients who are admitted to an acute facility with and without MCI. This is an exploratory descriptive study with a convenience sample of eight admitted HF patients (6 HF with MCI/ 2 HF without MCI). The data was collected using a valid and reliable measurement of cognitive status. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) tool was utilized to identify cognitive status in participants. The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was collected as descriptive data in addition to the patient's medication profile and demographics. Eight participants with a mean age of 69.25 years and 62.5% male completed the study. An independent t-test was performed to compare the admission systolic blood pressures (aSBP) of HF patients with and without MCI. There was no significant difference in aSBP for HF with MCI (M=129.2±21.8) when compared to those without MCI (M=164.5±5.0; t (6) =2.155, p=.08). Additionally, an independent t-test was performed to compare the number of blood pressure medications among the two groups. Those with MCI had a mean of 2.67±.8 compared to a mean of 4.5±.7 for those without MCI. There was no significant difference identified (t (6) =2.81, p=.06). Additional research is needed to understand the relationship between HF and MCI and if and how blood pressure management has an effect on cognition. These findings will help us to prescribe a more therapeutic treatment regimen to ultimately reduce the high rate of mortality and morbidity in HF patients. Presentation Details 565 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A26 Olivia Katherine McNelis Monika S. Schuler (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nursing, UMass Dartmouth An Analysis of Health Literacy Education within a BSN Curriculum The concept of health literacy is used in health science literature and discussions as a variable that relates to health outcomes (Speros, 2005). Although most nursing curricula include information on patient teaching process, many do not specifically address health literacy. Work by Owens & Walden (2007) reaffirm that students should be taught how to identify patients with low literacy beginning in introductory nursing courses as part of a basic nursing assessment. The purpose of this study was to determine where and in what ways health literacy content is integrated into and throughout a Baccalaureate Nursing Education Curriculum. This study examined how faculty define health literacy and what strategies were utilized by faculty to integrate health literacy in nursing courses. A descriptive qualitative design was utilized. A convenience sample of eight nursing faculty at a university in the northeast United States were interviewed. Faculty were asked seven open ended health literacy questions and their syllabi were also evaluated for content related to health literacy. The analysis of the data revealed two main themes: the varied definitions of health literacy and the concept of a hidden curriculum. All faculty believed they were integrating the concept of health literacy in their classes. However it was not clearly evident in their exemplars and was only evident in two of the syllabi reviewed. The results of this study affirm that health literacy content is inconsistently and likely inadequately addressed within a nursing curriculum. Presentation Details 570 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C67 Christine Marie Murphy Nancy Duphily (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nursing, Fitchburg State University Adolescent Suicide Prevention This project focuses on preventing adolescent suicide in the community setting. Adolescents, ages 13-17, typically are covert with their emotions. Students spend the greater majority of their time in a community setting, surrounded by teachers, peers, and school nurses. If these individuals were better equipped with recognizing signs of emotional, physical or mental distress in adolescents, this could potentially save a life. The challenge of this project is to identify whether or not specific schools have programs and clinical placement guidelines set in place for when a crisis arises. My sources for this project included both evidence based research, as well as interviews with the nurse leader of the Leominster School Districts. Based on my extensive research, it has come to my attention that the majority of schools do not have protocols for these at risk students. Many schools were reluctant to admit that adolescent suicide was a problem in their community. Other schools stated that they had protocols, but none of these schools were able to provide me with these protocols in writing. This research has confirmed my idea that standardized guidelines need to be put in place in all community settings to help identify those at risk for suicide, and what should be done when someone shows signs of harming themselves. By identifying, and teaching the risk factors for suicide, this could ultimately reduce adolescent suicide rates, and provide better means for helping this at risk group in society. Presentation Details 566 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A27 Melanie Rose Muzyka Kristen Sethares (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nursing, UMass Dartmouth The Relationship between Stress and Alcohol Consumption in College Students Background: Two-thirds of college students participate in the consumption of alcohol (O’Malley & Johnston, 2002). While previous studies have indicated that stressful life events are positively correlated with alcohol use, there is little research done on stress and alcohol consumption in college students specifically. It is important for nurses and the medical community to learn about stress and alcohol consumption in college students in order to better assist their patients that may be at risk for alcohol addiction and/or dependence. Purpose: The study's purpose is to find the relationship between perceived stress and alcohol consumption in college students. Methods: The study design consisted of non-experimental, cross-sectional, correlational surveys. The sample reflected a target population of full-time undergraduate college students. Participants completed a survey packet that included a demographic questionnaire, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Fast Alcohol Screening Test (FAST). The data on the three instruments was analyzed using SPSS 24.0. Results: 90% of the participants surveyed reported that they drink alcohol. An insignificant positive correlation was seen between stress and alcohol consumption. Students with higher levels of stress reported increased frequency of alcohol consumption. Conclusion: The positive correlation between stress and alcohol consumption in college students indicates a further need of education about stress management and coping strategies that do not involve substance abuse. Nurses should be knowledgeable about resources to help students control stress and overcome alcohol dependence or abuse. Presentation Details 571 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A01 MaryKate Nelligan Marissa Galanti Meredith Kohler Tara Jean Palkoski Alexandra Santullo Emma Dundon (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nursing, UMass Amherst Improving Infection Control at Cooley Dickinson Hospital Infection transmission between healthcare providers and patients and an increasing incidence of hospital-acquired infections are major safety concerns for patients and healthcare providers. Observational studies and statistics provided by the Department of Infection Control at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, MA demonstrated staff non-compliance with infection control practices. Although healthcare workers know the importance of correct use of standard precautions, there is evidence in the literature that suggests adherence to these practices are significantly lower than recommended by the Center for Disease Control and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. For these reasons, we created an informational video to increase overall knowledge of infection control and improve compliance with hand hygiene and personal protective equipment (PPE) use among healthcare providers at Cooley Dickinson Hospital. This video will be integrated into orientation for hospital staff. Pre- and posttests will be administered to evaluate the effectiveness of the video. By receiving supplemental education, it is hoped that staff will be able to maintain optimal patient safety and decrease patient and healthcare provider risk of contracting infectious pathogens. A lack of knowledge regarding proper protocol of hand hygiene and personal protective equipment is leading to noncompliance among healthcare workers. In order to protect patients as well as hospital staff against an array of different hospital acquired infections, it is necessary to educate them on infection control protocol. Presentation Details 567 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A28 Michaela Marie Orsino Kristen Sethares (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nursing, UMass Dartmouth Current Nursing Student Knowledge of the Cardiac Effects of Intravenous Drug Abuse Despite the dramatic increase in intravenous drug use and abuse in recent years, there has been little research of the knowledge of current nursing students on the subject. Cardiac effects are one of the most prominent and chronic categories of health issues of intravenous drug users and is therefore important to focus on in this population (WHO, 2015). It is important for new graduates to be both knowledgeable and comfortable with caring for this growing population. The purpose of this study is to determine the knowledge of the cardiac effects of intravenous drug use, as well as the attitudes held towards the users, in a group of junior nursing students. The study will determine the effectiveness a brief educational session on knowledge and attitudes. A junior level nursing class was given a test both prior to and after a brief educational session. The pre and post-test was created based off two valid and reliable instruments. The educational session consisted of a 20-minute information session on commonly abused drugs, the effects of the drugs, and the stigma associated with users. There was a significant increase in both knowledge of the cardiac effects ofintravenous drug abuse (IVDA) and improved attitudes towards this population in nursing students, after a brief educational session. There were no significant gender differences in knowledge and attitudes. Attitudes were significantly better in those who had previous experience with IV drug abusers than those without, however attitudes were not significantly higher among those with close friends or family with IV drug abusers than those without. Presence of a significant change in both knowledge and attitudes supports the efficacy of the educational session on the nursing students. The study adds evidence of the importance of including information about this population and their management into tradition four year nursing programs. Presentation Details 578 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C94 Sarah Ann Rasmussen Lisa Chiodo (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nursing, UMass Amherst Adverse Childhood Experiences in Relation to Perceived Stress and PTSD Varying degrees of trauma, especially endured as a child, can affect the way adults perceive current stress (Wanklyn et. al., 2016). There is also a relationship between childhood trauma and PTSD (Kulkarni et. al., 2013). Understanding the relations between childhood trauma, PTSD, and perception of stress is the aim of this study. The findings may help to develop interventions that will improve resiliency in stress conditions. A total of 237 college students were surveyed online via self-report in a correlational study design. Four self-report measures were obtained: 1) a lab-developed measure of acute stress, 2) Perceived Stress Index (PSI), 3) Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE), and 4) the Clinician Assisted PTSD Index. To understand the impact of trauma and PTSD on perceived stress, student responses were divided into four groups: low trauma/low PTSD, low trauma/high PTSD, high trauma/low PTSD, and high trauma/high PTSD. Using ANOVA, results identified a significant relationship between group membership and perceived stress (F=27.5, p<0.001). Post-hoc analyses (Bonferroni) found that individuals with no PTSD symptoms in either trauma group had significantly lower perceived stress (high trauma group PSI mean=28.8, low trauma group PSI mean=26.3) than individuals with PTSD symptoms (high trauma group PSI mean=34.4, low trauma group PSI mean=30.3) regardless of trauma exposure. Results indicate that some individuals, even with a high trauma load, possess a resilient response to everyday stress. An increased understanding of the relationships between trauma, trauma response (PTSD), and stress perception may assist in the development of better interventions. Presentation Details 579 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C95 Carlie Lynn Riccie Lauren Franklin Briggs (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, UMass Amherst Nurse Under Reporting Child Abuse Nurses are under reporting on child abuse due to a lack of education, communication, and confidence. Presentation Details 557 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A55 Briana Colleen Shutt Charlene Ann Campbell (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nursing, Salem State University Vaccines and the Evolution of Society’s Attitudes toward Them – Implications for Future Nursing Practice The various controversies surrounding vaccines are a pertinent topic in our society today and have increased fear related to immunization. Despite advances in medicine and the development of life-saving vaccines, diseases that were thought to be long gone have crept back into our society and become a public health concern once again. As the anti-vaccination movement gains momentum and parents choose not to vaccinate their children, there are increasing numbers of reported cases of onceeradicated diseases like Pertussis and Measles. A systematic literature review was done to explore immunizations and the evolution of their impact on society as well as to identify vaccine-related fears and their validity. Using Nola Pender’s Health Promotion Model as a theoretical framework, the goal of this review was to discuss implications for future nursing practice and to identify possible interventions for decreasing immunization fears. Presentation Details 572 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A02 Katja Gwendolyn Swartz Annette Wysocki (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nursing, UMass Amherst Leadership Style in Foot Care Nurse Clinical Practice Servant leaders are those who did not seek to lead, but rose to leadership through service to others (Greenleaf, 2015). Servant leadership has been applied to different divisions of nursing before, but a literature review of CINAHL, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library between 2006 and 2016 found no studies connecting this leadership model to foot care nursing. Using servant-leadership theory as a lens of inquiry, the purpose of this study is to explore how foot care nurses in the community describe themselves in their roles as leaders. Three to five foot care nurses will be interviewed about their occupation and leadership experience. These video recorded interviews will be conducted face to face, are expected to be 60 to 120 minutes, and will be compiled into one 15 minute long cohesive video. The interviews will be semi-structured, using standard open ended questions. The research questions asked will be (a) walk me through a typical encounter with a patient, (b) what do you typically teach your patient? (c) what are your strengths as a foot care nurse? (d) what are your weaknesses as a foot care nurse? (e) can you describe your therapeutic communication with your patients? (f) talk to me about your patients, and (g) is there anything else you want to add about patient care? Follow-up questions will be used as needed to direct flow of conversation. The data will be analyzed for common themes and values of servant leadership. Presentation Details 568 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A29 Kayla Cristina Torres Kristen Sethares (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nursing, UMass Dartmouth Awareness of Coronary Artery Disease Risk in Young Adult College Students There is an abundance of research on heart disease in adult populations. Few studies discuss heart disease risk in college-aged adults. Behaviors and lifestyle factors that start in early childhood and throughout life affect heart health in the future. Age, ethnicity, gender, obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, stress, diabetes, and smoking greatly affect heart health starting in youth. Atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease begins in childhood. By teenage years, plaques that are already formed will stay with us for life (American Heart Association, Coronary Artery Disease, 2015). Education and prevention of heart disease during youth may decrease prevalence of atherosclerosis, heart disease, and mortality in older adulthood. The purpose of this project is to determine heart disease risk factors of young adult college students. It will determine if students are aware of their actual or potential heart disease risk and compare risk scores by various factors and level of awareness. The goal of this project is to help students realize heart disease begins in youth, educate ways to prevent heart disease, and provide resources for heart disease education and prevention. Participants were recruited at the campus library. The study was explained and informed consent was obtained. Blood pressure and weight were measured by the key investigator. Participants completed a demographic sheet created by the key investigator. Participants were asked to complete the My Life Check, Life’s Simple 7 Success Plan tool from the American Heart Association to receive a Heart Health score between 0 and 10. Higher scores indicated better heart health. After a Heart Health score is assigned, an individualized progress report was offered to students which described current cardiovascular health, formulated an action plan and set goals to promote heart healthy lifestyles. Eighteen females and seven males completed the study. Mostly junior nursing students (36% of the study) participated. Mean age of participants was 21.4 years old. Mean height was 5 feet 6.2 inches. Mean weight was 156.3 lbs. Mean systolic pressure was 119.4. Mean diastolic pressure was 73.7. Mean heart score was 7.4 out of 10 (range of 2.1 to 10). Six participants had incorrect assumptions about their heart disease risk. Three participants believed they were at risk for heart disease when they were not and three participants believed they were not at risk when they were. The rest of the students’ assumptions about their heart disease risk were correct, therefore 76% of assumptions were correct and 24% were incorrect. Only two participants out of 25 (8% of the study) accepted their score reports. Eighty percent of the participants were not at risk for heart disease at this point in time. The participants were offered an electronic copy of their score reports to view their current cardiovascular health, action plan, and goals after the study. Eight percent of students accepted their educational score reports. Of the twenty percent who did have a current risk for heart disease, none accepted their score reports. This could possibly indicate the lack of interest by young adult college students in preventing heart disease and therefore contribute to the large amount of older adults suffering from heart disease in the United States today. Presentation Details 998 Concourse 3:30-4:15 Board C97 Amy Lynn Wardner Elizabeth A. Henneman (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nursing, UMass Amherst Mentorship in Nursing: Influence on Undergraduate Students’ Decision to Pursue Higher Education In recent years, the opportunity for nurses to continue formal education has increased, and many nursing students are considering pursuing higher degrees in nursing while in their undergraduate program. However, there is little information on how undergraduate students are exposed to nursing research and the effect of this exposure on their desire to further pursue higher degrees. Mentorship among professors, graduate students, and undergraduate students is a concept that could positively impact an undergraduate student’s experience in research and potentially lead them to contemplate higher degrees. The purpose of this study is to determine if undergraduate nursing students who are mentored as part of participating on a research team are more likely to further their education in the nursing profession. Focus groups with nursing students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst will be conducted to gather qualitative data. Surveys on mentorship history will be distributed to gather quantitative data. The data will be synthesized and compared with current literature. Preliminary findings suggest that engaging in mentoring activities with an interdisciplinary team by students is associated with attaining a higher education. We anticipate that the results of the study will also demonstrate that mentorship can positively impact the undergraduate students’ experience in nursing research. Regardless of its association with pursuing higher education, mentorship will provide nurses at any stage with direction and guidance. It should therefore be a cornerstone of nursing education. Presentation Details 569 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A30 Tamsyn Withers Elizabeth Chin (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nursing, UMass Dartmouth Nurses’ Perceptions of their Role in the Do-Not-Resuscitate Decision-Making Process with Non-English Speaking Patients in the Intensive Care Setting Studies of acute-care nurses’ perceptions of the DNR process has revealed that nurses do not necessarily think that patients are truly informed when making this important decision. They also feel that they are not always included in this important process. Clear communication with patients and family members whose first language is not English presents an additional challenge. Non English-speaking patients and their families need to engage in effective, clear conversations about DNR decision-making with healthcare providers so that there is no ambiguity or misunderstandings. Little is known about how nurses initiate and manage DNR decision-making with non-English speaking patients. The purpose of this exploratory-descriptive study was to describe nurses’ knowledge, attitudes and practice experiences regarding DNR decision-making with non-English-speaking patients. A convenience sample of 14 registered nurses in recruited from the ICU at a community hospital completed a modified version of the Thibault-Prevost Nurses’ Perceptions Surrounding DNR Status in the Critical Care Setting Questionnaire. Nurses’ perceived the importance of their role in the DNR process with patients and families to be high. Nurses also reported a high level of knowledge regarding their hospital’s DNR policy, and national DNR standards. However, participant’s reported practice gaps regarding nursing involvement in, and appropriate documentation of, the DNR decision-making process with non-English speaking patients. DNR decision-making with non-English speaking patients is a complex process. Clear and concise communication and documentation of a patientcentered treatment plan regarding the patient’s DNR designation, including the decision maker's rationale, is recommended. Presentation Details NUTRITION 586 Auditorium 4:30-5:15 Board A19 Amy Beth Bessey Zhenhua Liu (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nutrition, UMass Amherst The Efficacy of Nano-encapsulation in Improving Vitamin D3 Bioavailability and Biological Function Vitamin D deficiency and inadequacy is incredibly common in the United States, maintaining a rate of up to 32%. Vitamin D3 deficiency is suggested to be associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), however we still lack an effective means of using vitamin D for CRC prevention. The present study explored using nanobased methods of delivery to improve vitamin D status. We nanoemulsified cholecalciferol (the supplementation form of vitamin D) and examined its in vitro bioaccessibility using a simulated gastrointestinal system. A further animal study was utilized to define its in vivo bioavailability and influences on vitamin D metabolically related genes in intestinal epithelial cells. The oil-in-water nanoemulsion created lipid particles with more negative charges (p < 0.05) and significantly smaller sizes (p < 0.05), and improved the incorporation of cholecalciferol into micelles in vitro by 3.94 folds from 0.45 ug/ml to 1.78 ug/ml (p < 0.05). The in vivo study showed significantly improved vitamin D status in blood, as indicated by the increase of 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 in serum from 16.48 ng/ml to 21.07 ng/mL (p <0.05). The supplementation of vitamin D in conventional emulsion increased the intestinal Cyp27a1 expression by 7.4 folds (p < 0.01), and the nanoemulsion further increased its expression up to 41.8 folds (p < 0.01). Results from both in vitro and in vivo studies suggest that the nano-based delivery systems can be utilized to improve vitamin D status, a critical nutrient whose deficiency is associated with a range of chronic diseases including CRC. Presentation Details 587 Auditorium 4:30-5:15 Board A20 Michael Chen Mary Abigail Lavery John Page Lisa M. Troy (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nutrition, UMass Amherst Innovating the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for the Evolving Needs of the 21st Century In 2015, 43.1 million people were in poverty and 15.8 million households were food insecure. Food insecurity is defined as the inability to consistently access nutritious food necessary for a healthy life. SNAP seeks to address food insecurity by providing financial support and assistance to families and individuals in need. However, there continues to be a debate among the public and policymakers on the effectiveness and necessity of SNAP. To better understand this disagreement, we conducted a literature review using numerous sources (e.g., peer reviewed journals, U.S. government websites, and national surveys). From this research, we have found that SNAP is currently the most effective program that addresses food insecurity in the U.S. It is important to reduce food insecurity because of the increased risks for chronic diseases overwhelming the health care system. SNAP facilitates financial progression and selfsufficiency for participants. Additionally, with the potential to improve health outcomes for the 45 million people who utilize SNAP, the continued support and innovation is vital. Innovations include utilizing technological applications, diversifying food distribution options, and addressing social biases toward SNAP through educational outreach. By allowing past studies and policies to inform the future, a research-led approach to policy-making will allow SNAP to improve the food security and health for millions of individuals in the 21st century. Presentation Details 582 Auditorium 2:30-3:15 Board A15 Patrick Joseph Collins Jessica Thelen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Westfield State University The Obesity Epidemic in America Obesity in America is an epidemic that has been trending upwards over the past few decades, and you have the big corporations to mostly thank for this. In the late 1960’s through the 1970’s, the major supermarkets started to leave the inner-city and started to relocate to the suburbs. The new lack of supermarkets negatively impacted the way that these communities eat. Not even one percent of the food that inner-city people eat come from farmers. Areas where there is a lack of healthy food, are known as a food desert. Food deserts are related to many of the illnesses that plague urban areas, and a healthier diet is a solution to alleviating the health issues that are in these communities. If someone living in a food desert wishes to eat healthy food, then they will either have to pay more money compared to supermarkets located in the suburbs, or travel to where there is a supermarket. Compared to healthy food, fast food is cheaper. The consumer feels like they are getting more for their money. Food deserts are a big problem for these communities, however, there is a way to improve these areas. The first step to improving food deserts is by teaching the community about healthier eating habits. The next step is to make healthy food affordable, so that healthy food can at least compete with the cheap unhealthy food. Having improved access to healthier food in these communities would improve the overall health of the community. Presentation Details 580 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A36 Ann Nicole Dallamora Marvin Clark Jeannette Kennedy (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Food and Nutrition, Framingham State University Effects of Teff and Rice Flours on Quality Characteristics of Gluten-Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Ethiopian teff grain may represent a nutrient-dense option for use in gluten-free baked products that require little or no rising. Researchers have examined sensory characteristics of baked products made with teff flour and found varying results. The purpose of this study was to examine physical properties, sensory characteristics and acceptability of oatmeal raisin cookies baked with two variations of teff and rice flour composites (40/60 and 50/50). The study used height and spread measurements; sensory quality ratings; and acceptability ratings to analyze differences between the test variations and a control cookie baked with wheat flour. Mean height measurements were significantly different (p<0.05). The mean tenderness rating for the teff and rice flour composite containing a 40/60 blend was significantly lower than the control (p<0.05). However, all other mean sensory quality ratings, including the mean overall rating, for the test variations were not significantly different than the control. The study results indicated that teff and rice flour composites may successfully be substituted for wheat flour in an oatmeal raisin cookie recipe; thus, providing a nutritional alternative for those with celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Presentation Details 588 Auditorium 4:30-5:15 Board A21 Madison Jane Hadley Rebecca Howard Montminy M. Jackie Katelyn Lee Loring Lisa M. Troy (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nutrition, UMass Amherst Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Are Current Allotments Meeting Participants Needs? The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) intends to provide economic assistance to food insecure households throughout the United States. The program, however, fails to meet the needs of participants due to inadequate monetary allotments and limited educational resources. SNAP benefits are based on the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) market baskets, calculations of the minimum funds required for different agegender groups to meet USDA nutritional guidelines through the purchase of specific foods. Allotments are designed to alleviate hunger and chronic diseases stemming from imbalanced nutrition. Recently, there have been proposals to switch the basis of SNAP benefits to the Low Cost Food Plan (LCFP), increasing monetary allotments for participants. Through the UMass Library databases and the USDA website, research was found regarding U.S. diet quality, the feasibility of eating on the TFP, and the possibility of switching to the LCFP. Research indicates that it is unrealistic for the average American to follow the TFP market baskets based on time limitations, geographic locations, and the dietary trends of Americans. In order to accomplish the goals of decreasing food insecurity and increasing nutrition, it is necessary but not sufficient to switch to the LCFP. Along with increased benefits, which would allow greater access to nutritious food, more robust SNAP Education programs are essential for significant behavior change among participants. Presentation Details 581 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A38 Victoria L. Hoover Jerusha Nelson-Peterman (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Food and Nutrition, Framingham State University Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of using commercial sugar replacers to decrease sugar content of gluten-free peanut butter cookies. A control and two variations of a gluten-free peanut butter were assessed. The control contained 200g of sucrose. In both variations, 100% of the sugar was replaced with a baking blend that contained both sweetener and sucrose. The first variation contained Truvia® baking blend (48g sucrose). The second contained Splenda® baking blend (80g sucrose). The cookies were evaluated by a semi-trained panel (n=7) and rated (1-5) least to most acceptable for key measures of color, mouthfeel, tenderness and flavor quality. An overall product score was calculated for each variation. Height, diameter and weight were measured. ANOVA with Bonferroni post-hoc adjustments assessed differences between the variations. Nutrient content was determined using ESHA Food Processor software. The control had a lower overall score (4.7+/-0.2) than the Truvia® cookies (5.0+/-0.6, P=0.034). There were no differences between variations for the key measures. The control cookies (5.5+/-0.5mm) were shorter than the Truvia® (9.9+/2.9mm, P<0.001) and Splenda® (8.4+/-1.3mm, P=0.017) cookies and had a lager diameter (84.6+/-2.5mm) than the Truvia® (64.6+/-2.6mm, P>0.001) and Splenda® (69.4+/-1.2mm, P<0.001) cookies. Each control cookie contained 190kcal (14g sugar). Each Truvia® cookie contained 150kcal (3g sugar). Each Splenda® cookie contained 170kcal (5g sugar). Splenda® cookies were the most preferred. No significant differences were found in the quality of independent characteristics between the three variations. Cookies made with Splenda® baking blend produced acceptable products in gluten-free peanut butter cookies. Presentation Details 583 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C69 Lily Howes Vanessa Holford Diana (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Westfield State University The High Cost of Healthy Eating: What Can We Do about It? This poster explores the different challenges and topics surrounding food deserts and food insecurity in today’s world. In this I address the main ideas about slow food, food deserts, mobile food markets, and also how many people in America are affected by food deserts and food insecurity. In my poster I use Will Allen as a source who draws on this topic in his book, The Good Food Revolution. In this, Allen addresses the many issues surrounding food deserts and food insecurity in urban areas. He uses his ancestral history in agriculture to motivate the start up of his eventual company Growing Power, to then establish a new name for farming in today’s urban world. Aside from Will Allen, Eric Holt-Gimenez and Yi Wang also weigh in on the topic in their article, Reform or Transformation: A Pivotal Role of Food Justice in the U.S. Food Movement. The two authors cover a variety of topics involving food justice and food security, but their ideas of possible solutions to mend our broken food system are what speak out through my poster. The main purpose of this poster is to raise awareness about food insecurity across America and to address practical solutions for the future of our challenged food system. Presentation Details 585 Room 917 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Stephen Paul Kheboian Jerusha Nelson-Peterman (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Food and Nutrition, Framingham State University The Paleolithic Diet: A Systematic Review of Its Applications and Most Suitable Implementations The Paleolithic Diet, first introduced in 1985, has gained popularity and support from the theory that human bodies have not evolved enough from the Paleolithic Era to healthily function with a modern diet consisting of agricultural and processed foods. Variations of the diet restrict foods developed or cultivated after the Paleolithic Era, including grain products, dairy products, and domesticated crops such as potatoes and legumes. Studies link the diet to improved weight management and a reduction in the risk and severity of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, various autoimmune disorders, and cancer, among others. This thesis reviews the current literature on different variations of the Paleolithic Diet, and the relationship of Paleolithic dietary patterns with health and disease by using cross-sectional studies, case control studies, and other reviews of Paleolithic Diets. Various cross-sectional studies of Paleolithic dietary patterns found significant links between some markers of diabetes and cardiovascular disease and Paleolithic dietary patterns. Reviews link the Paleolithic Diet to reduction in both dietary risk factors of cancer and exacerbation of multiple sclerosis. However, limited research exists for long-term effectiveness in healthy individuals, and research generally ignores environmental, social, and lifestyle differences between the Paleolithic Era and the present. Paleolithic diet patterns may increase risk of some deficiencies, especially Vitamin D and calcium, due to its restriction of fortified foods succeeding the Paleolithic Era. Presentation Details 584 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C71 Lori Merlo Vanessa Holford Diana (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Westfield State University RED-S: The Relationship between Disordered Eating and Injury in Male and Female Athletes Disordered eating (DE) among athletes is often overlooked or even encouraged, even though it can cause in an energy deficit, resulting in an increased risk of injury. Much research has been conducted on female athletes about this condition, but there is significantly less research on male athletes. The purpose of this study is to reinforce the relationship between DE and injury in both male and female athletes, and identify differences in DE and injury. Division III track and field and soccer athletes completed an injury history questionnaire and the Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire. Males reported more injuries than females overall, but when contact injuries were excluded from analysis, females reported more injuries. Females had significantly higher levels of DE than males, with female track and field athletes exhibiting the highest levels of DE. There were no correlations found between the level of DE and number of injuries or number of overuse injuries (p > 0.05), and there were no significant differences found in the number of injuries reported between the cohorts (p > 0.05). Athletics programs should develop and implement strategies to prevent, identify, and treat athletes exhibiting DE, in order to improve their health and athletic performance. Presentation Details 589 Auditorium 4:30-5:15 Board A22 Marissa E. Wilkinson Elena Carbone (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Nutrition, UMass Amherst Maternal Health Literacy: Exploring Nutrition Implications and Current Measures Little significant maternal health literacy (MHL) research exists because MHL is unrecognized as distinct from health or health-related literacy. MHL enables mothers to use information and services in ways that promote health. Federal initiatives like Healthy People 2020 support health literacy research, however MHL may be more influential in health outcomes. Purposes: to highlight the connection between MHL and nutrition outcomes, and identify a useful measure for MHL. A literature review was completed to inform development of a commentary for publication. Search methods included a PubMed search, reference lists from previously published work, “backward” citation searching, and hand-searching of key journals. Keywords were: preconception care, prenatal care, perinatal care, pregnancy, child health, postnatal care, maternal health, health literacy, health education, and health knowledge, attitudes, and practice. Selected articles were in English, available in full text, and conducted in the US. 15 articles were included in the final review. Preliminary results indicate that MHL has wide-ranging effects on the overall health and nutritional status of children and mothers. Despite this, MHL-related interventions are relatively rare. MHL correlates specifically with feeding children and controlling nutrition-related conditions like diabetes. Limitations included a lack of intervention studies, inadequate study populations, and reliance on inadequate measures. More interventions that develop interactive and critical skills are needed to show that MHL is a significant factor in health outcomes. Measurements like the LSP which accommodate health development over the lifespan should be standardized across MHL research to provide more accurate and meaningful information. Presentation Details NUTRITION AND FOOD SCIENCE 592 Auditorium 4:30-5:15 Board A23 Amanda Lucy Chang Yeonhwa Park (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Food Science, UMass Amherst Effects of Trans-trismethoxy Resveratrol on Lipid Accumulation in Caenorhabditis elegans Trans-resveratrol, a wine phenolic, has been shown to have a number of health benefits, among them antioxidative and anticarcinogenic effects. A growing body of research suggests that trans-resveratrol may also have beneficial effects on health risks associated with obesity by stimulating calorie restriction like pathways in the body. Low bioavailability severely reduces results in human models, though derivatives of transresveratrol have been suggested as a method of increasing bioavailability. This study aims to increase trans-resveratrol bioavailability by investigating both chemical and physical means by testing the effects of the methylated derivative trans-trismethoxy resveratrol and its effect on lipid accumulation in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), and through a literature review of encapsulation methods for trans-resveratrol. Concentrations of 100 and 200 µM trans-trismethoxy resveratrol were used in assays for triglyceride and protein levels, tracking and pumping rates, growth rates, and brood size studies. Based on previous findings from trans-resveratrol, significant differences in lipid accumulation and no effects on tracking and pumping rates, growth rates, and brood sizes are expected. For physical means, nanoemulsionbased systems of delivering trans-resveratrol may be an effective method of increasing bioavailability. Further studies should seek out genetic pathways for these effects through testing on mutant strains of C. elegans. The effectiveness of nanoemulsion systems on increasing bioavailability must also be tested in animal models. In conclusion, trans-resveratrol bioavailability research is promising both chemically, using the derivative trans-trismethoxy resveratrol, and physically, by creating novel delivery systems for trans-resveratrol. Presentation Details 590 Room 917 8:30-9:15 Panel 1 Sydney Garrabrant Jessica Thelen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Westfield State University The Lost Ideals for Food and Health The ideals displayed in Will Allen’s book, The Good Food Revolution, and Michael Pollen’s book, In Defense Of Food, has opened humanity's eyes to consumption and western diseases. In his chapter “The Aborigine In All Of Us”, Pollen shows evidence that the western diet is killing us. Pollen outlines the food we need to consume to live a long and healthy life; he also shows us the food we are wrongfully eating every day. Alongside Pollen, Allen guides society to change their lifestyles from unhealthy to healthy, while bettering the community. He also educates his readers on our corrupt food system, showing Americans that our government is not supporting our health. People have lost their way with food and their health. Pollen found that if humans stop eating the western diet, “all of the metabolic abnormalities of type II diabetes were either greatly or completely improved or completely normalized” (87). Pollen took a group of people and separated them from the western diet. In order to fix the food system, our country needs to start with smaller changes and eventually grow on a larger scale. These smaller changes start with helping your community learn how to farm, especially if you live in a food dessert. Using Allen’s expertise and Pollen’s knowledge of the western diet, society has a perfect road map to fixing the food system. Presentation Details 591 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A40 Samantha Alice Morin Emmanouil Apostolidis (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Chemistry and Food Science, Framingham State University Evaluation of Total Phenolic Contents and Antioxidant Activities of Skin and Pulp for Four Squash Varieties This experiment evaluated four different varieties of squash, Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita moschata, and Cucurbita argyrosperma. Each squash was separated into two parts (skin and flesh). Samples were oven-dried and blended. Skin was extracted using 2.5 or 5.0 grams of ground sample in 50 or 100 mL, respectively, in 90°C water for one hour. The flesh was extracted using 5.0 grams of ground sample in 300 mL of 90°C water for one hour. The resulting flesh water-extracts were subjected to C18 column extraction to remove any interfering sugars and acids and to predominantly extract hydrophobic phenolic compounds with methanol, which was evaporated from the extracts using a rotary-evaporator. Following extraction skin and flesh samples were freeze-dried. The resulting freeze-dried samples were used to prepare solutions (0.01 grams in 10 mL water and 0.249 grams in 10 mL water, respectively). These extracts were analyzed and compared for their total phenolic contents and antioxidant activities. We observed that the flesh of C. pepo had the highest antioxidant activity (50.82%), and the flesh of C. maxima and C. moschata had the highest total phenolic content (41.9 and 42.9 mg/g respectively). Among the skin samples, C. argyrosperma had the highest antioxidant activity (65.89%) and the highest total phenolic content (11.24 mg/g). These findings indicate that the flesh has higher total phenolic content while the skin has higher antioxidant activity. From the knowledge gained through this research, the food industry should consider using squash skin byproduct to create food products with higher antioxidant activity. Presentation Details 593 Auditorium 4:30-5:15 Board A24 Gretchen Marie Mueller Leda Cooks (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, UMass Amherst Microbiologal Safety of Donating Hot Buffet Foods The purpose of this study is to evaluate microbiologic safety of donating buffet style hot foods in the hope of reducing food waste. I analyze the scientific safety and psychological aspects of food waste by examining literature, such as journal articles and government documents and interviews previously conducted with restaurant and large market personnel. Interviews, conducted with professionals in microbiology and food waste, conclude that people have a negative perception on eating donated or “leftover” food. However, I find that with proper holding at food safe temperatures, leftover hot buffet food would be safe to consume. Overall, this paper emphasizes the importance of donating leftover hot food to reduce waste in landfills and provide meals to those in need. Presentation Details PHILOSOPHY 594 Room 903 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Elizabeth Lea Bridleman Henry C. Theriault (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Philosophy, Worcester State University Precisionism: A Brief History and Comparative Application of Kant’s and Collingwood’s Aesthetic Philosophies Precisionism made significant contributions to the establishment of the United States’ cultural identity, yet the art movement is generally unknown. To celebrate and shed more light on this under recognized art movement, the purpose of this research was to explore the historical contexts surrounding Precisionism, identify the main figures and themes belonging to the art form, and apply the contrasting aesthetic philosophies of Immanuel Kant and R.G. Collingwood to interpret the art. The historical context of the 1920s and 1930s provides a look into the movement’s artistic inspirations and motivations, while the philosophies of Kant and Collingwood offer two sharply different ways to interpret the aesthetic value of the art form. Utilizing scholarly resources consisting of journal articles accessed through the Worcester State University database, art history texts, philosophy texts, and the writings of Kant and Collingwood have supplied a variety of viewpoints to illuminate and critique the essence of Precisionism. Historically, the seeds of this movement were planted by Cubists, however the Precisionist’s roots blossomed in North America. These artists captured the glory of Second Industrial Revolution and the Machine Age. Through the application of Kant’s Critique of Judgment, the aesthetic principles enacted by the Precisionists are harmoniously supported and valued. Distinctly contrasting, the application of Collingwood’s The Principles of Art, points to the movement’s flaws and perhaps a reason for its end. While the aesthetic value is open to interpretation, culturally, the Precisionist movement dynamically influenced art in the United States and set the stage the next generation of artists, giving good cause for its celebration. Presentation Details 601 Room 804 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Elijah Grant Henry C. Theriault (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Philosophy, Worcester State University Exploring and Defining Black Identity in America Today How do we distinguish between having a central idea of culture and identity without adhering to stigmatized stereotypes? Does black identity have a tangible description that is pure in its essence or is its essence a sum of external determinations based on public perceptions, societal standards, and socio-economic classism as well as racialist social theories and prejudices? Drawing on black Existentialist theories such as Franz Fanon's as well as other relevant Existentialist and Phenomenological insights, this paper seeks to determine whether there can be claimed to be a genuine essence and root of black identity in America today and, if so, what its key features are. Interpretation of the internal factors of identity and the relationship they share with external determinants of identity is of key importance, as is how cultural development is influenced by both. The research on which this paper is based focuses on these determinants and relationships to as a means of understanding what is to be black in America today. The paper will conclude with a consideration of the ways in which current black culture and external determinants affect discourse and process in black American communities. Presentation Details 595 Room 174 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Karen Huu Henry C. Theriault (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Philosophy, Worcester State University A Business Man's Promises: Donald J. Trump Donald Trump won election to become the 45th President of the United States through what many consider an unconventional campaign. During that campaign, many commentators and others expressed doubt about his ability to run a country without any background in politics. His unconventional campaign rhetoric reinforced these doubts. My paper argues that the form of his rhetoric was crucial to his electoral appeal. Specifically, I contend that Trump's business background, with public relations as an important aspect, was the basis of a kind of communication that appealed to masses of average Americans while at the same time being somewhat nonsensical to journalists and political analysts who were boxed into expectations of standard political discourse. Thus, because his communication approach was not of a form they recognized as political, they failed to understand its potential political impacts and sometimes even dismissed it as politically ineffective. This “tunnel vision” focus on traditional political discourse helps explain not only why candidate Hillary Clinton and her supporters were unable to respond effectively to the impacts of Trump's discourse, but why observers sharing this tunnel vision failed to recognize the full measure of Trump's electoral popularity and likely win before the election. In the paper, I will examine the ways in which Trump's discourse resonated with disaffected voters in a way that Clinton's did not, with a focus in his repetitive use of simple phrases, such as “Make America Great Again” and the nature of his approach as business communication to "consumers" as opposed to communication strategies of a traditional politician. Presentation Details 600 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C74 Amanda Elizabeth LeBeau Susan McPherson (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Quinsigamond Community College Illusion of Death The focus of this research is the illusion of death, meaning, that death is not a reality and therefore we shouldn't have a fear of dying. Included in this presentation will be a discussion of the Schrodinger’s cat “thought” experiment, performed by Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger in 1935. This experiment showed how a cat can be both dead and alive at the same time, also known as quantum superposition. Finally, this research will also detail different faiths and religion including how karma can play a small role in dying. Presentation Details 598 Room 168 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Ryan Porter Lindsay Henry C. Theriault (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Philosophy, Worcester State University Inhibition of Nuance in a ‘Fast-Food Facts’ World There has never been a time in history where information was more accessible and more widely distributed. Information is being rapidly and unapologetically thrust into the palms of our hands on a minute by minute basis. Unfortunately, with this eruption of knowledge production, there has been an oxymoronic affect where people have become increasingly uninformed and misled. Through social media sites like Twitter, ideas are delivered hastily, in short form, lacking room for nuance. We have become a fast-food nation consuming ‘fast-food information,’ wherein the material is delivered in such a concise manner that it allows only for ideological “good” versus “bad” arguments, leaving no room for the context and substance which the issue may demand. In this paper I will discuss the effects of ‘fast-food information’ and the roles it plays on our social consciousness. Presentation Details 597 Room 162 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Sean Christopher MacLean Heike Schotten (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Political Science, UMass Boston The Will to Power This essay examines the confrontation of the living with nothingness. It is this fundamental essence of the tragic—namely, the confrontation of life with death—that underscores Friedrich Nietzsche’s philosophy and the development and consequent conceptualization of his will to power and will to nothingness. I think, that the will to power is the foundation of Nietzsche’s entire philosophy which reciprocates Nietzsche’s central observation and critique, which is of an anti-historical, self-denying, and repressive culture and race; a reciprocity which serves the purpose of saving the European race from its foreseeable demise as it takes the shape of the spirit of the tragic hero par excellence. From an analysis that suggests the value of Equality is but one of the values among the plethora more mobilized in the deployment of the will to nothingness, a value which is the decadence of Life to an ethics which provides a Life affirmative means to the question “Why Man at all?,” this essay offers an interpretation of Nietzsche’s will to power in five separate cases. The first interpretation offered is my own through which I seek to resolve the problem of the nothingness—or, philosophically speaking, Metaphysics—that is improperly attributed to Nietzsche’s fundamental doctrine. The proceeding interpretations, respectively, by Bernard Reginster, Alexander Nehamas, Maudemarie Clark, and Gilles Deleuze are brought into conversation with one another and with my own interpretation so as to invite a plurality of perspectives which might better answer the question: “Is Nietzsche’s entire philosophy undermined by his fundamental doctrine or must this fundamental doctrine necessarily share an intimate connection with that which would undermine the entirety of it?” The former of these two questions, itself, asks the question of the nature of the will to power; if it is that the will to power in fact takes on a metaphysical character, then the will to power does undermine Nietzsche’s position. The latter, however, acts as a safeguard against the affirmative answer to the first of these two questions; that is, that the will to power, in what it fundamentally teaches, may require a metaphysical character, but that the way in which it appropriates and takes on that character shields the body of Nietzsche’s work from destabilization—indeed, destruction. Presentation Details 599 Room 917 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 David Monteserin Narayana Shaman Hatley (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Asian Studies, UMass Boston Metaphorology of Consciousness in Indian Thought This project is an attempt to construct a form of inquiry based upon conceptual metaphors in Indian philosophical discourse. The objective is to understand key themes and ideas in early Indian thought related to the phenomenon of consciousness. For this purpose, this research draws upon the methodology developed by the German philosopher and historian Hans Blumenberg in his work entitled Paradigms for a Metaphorology (1960). Blumenberg intended to rethink the intellectual history of the West by focusing on some of the central metaphors that have guided philosophical discourse over the centuries. It is the aim of this research to adapt this revolutionary way of looking at the history of ideas to the field of Indian philosophy. For this adaptation to take place, first the method and scope of Metaphorology will be laid out, along with a brief introduction to the state of the contemporary study of metaphors in the Humanities as well as in Cognitive Science. Then, this metaphorological approach will be applied to some of the metaphors that early Indian philosophical discourse produced in relation to the subject of consciousness. Special emphasis will be placed on metaphors that occur in the Upaniṣads, for these reappear in different forms in later Sanskrit texts. This project aims to contribute to the study of Indian philosophy by offering an alternative route into the history of ideas by considering the metaphors from which they arise. Keywords: metaphor, Metaphorology, Indian philosophy, consciousness. Presentation Details 596 Room 803 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Madeline Weinreb Maureen Eckert (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Philosophy, UMass Dartmouth The Second Amendment: A Tracing of Its Origin, Influence, and Purpose The United States Constitution through the Second Amendment does not prohibit gun control, which is the limiting of use or ownership of guns by United States citizens. Rather, its place in the Bill of Rights was highly influenced by philosophical ideas of rebellion against the state. Today guns are commonly seen as protecting the individual against others rather than against the state. Paradoxically, guns harm more than then they help. We need more gun control in the United States that protects us from the many dangers of loosely regulated weapons. This paper will examine the founding fathers' intentions behind the Second Amendment. I will discuss the philosophies influencing the written Second Amendment. Next, I analyze how our court system has interpreted the Second Amendment. Finally, I address the polarizing contemporary philosophies regarding gun control and ways our nation can implement a gun control policy. Through tracing the origin, influences, and modern purpose of the Second Amendment, our country can enact proper gun control policy. Presentation Details PHYSICS 605 Auditorium 4:30-5:15 Board A25 Josh Stephen Carey Andrea Pocar (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Physics, UMass Amherst Investigation of Kr-85m Decays in the Darkside-50 TPC Darkside-50 is an experiment using a two-phase argon time projection chamber to search for weakly interactive massive particles (WIMPs), a front-row candidate for dark matter. WIMPs, if they exist, would interact with the argon nuclei causing them to recoil and produce faint, detectable signals. The main background to the search are trace radioactive decays that can mimic the nuclear recoil signal. This poster presents work a study of a specific decay, that of the isotope Kr-85. Kr-85 beta-decays to Rb-85 by emitting an electron and a neutrino with total energy of 687 keV. Once in 200 times, it instead emits an electron-neutrino pair with total energy 173 keV followed by gammaray of 514 keV. We present results on the concentration of Kr-85 in the DS-50 argon, its spatial distribution and pulse timing characteristics. Details of the simulation modeling of this background are also provided. Presentation Details 604 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A03 Aaron Dunbrack Michael Jeffrey Ramsey-Musolf (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Physics, UMass Amherst Collider Phenomenology of the Higgs Triplet Model One of the major open questions in modern physics is "why does the universe have more matter than antimatter?" The Standard Model of Particle Physics (the presently accepted model of particle physics) has no way for this to occur - and yet, observations from astrophysics and cosmology tell as that the visible universe consists primarily of matter rather than antimatter (e.g., our earth, stars, and life itself). There are various additional particles one can suppose exist which would solve this problem, but each one (even assuming it exists) leads to new unknown parameters to measure. This project takes one particular such model, the Higgs Triplet model, and uses a combination of numerical and analytic methods to study, in detail, the phenomenological results of this model; i.e., what we would observe were it true. In particular, it examines the possible means by which one would use high-energy supercolliders, such as the Large Hadron Collider, to measure the parameters within this model which are relevant to solving the aforementioned problem of the matter-antimatter asymmetry. A significant part of this analysis is identifying ways to isolate the new processes occurring as compared with statistical fluctuations (resulting from the much more likely processes from known physics at similar energies). Presentation Details 606 Auditorium 4:30-5:15 Board A26 Edward Alden Gelberg Matthew Charles Burke Andrea Pocar (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Physics, UMass Amherst The Chacterization of Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) in Vacuum and Liquid Xenon Environments Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) are among the most sensitive means of the detection, timing, and quantification of single photon signals in low light environments. Their desirable qualities include low operation voltage and power, high photon detection efficiency, the ability to operate in extreme cold environments, and their compact size. SiPMs are the perfect candidate for installation within the Next Enriched Xenon Observatory (nEXO), a 5-tonne liquid xenon time projection chamber aimed at observing neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) of Xe-136. The UMass branch of the nEXO collaboration is tasked with the characterization of select VUV-sensitive SiPMs, in particular in a liquid xenon environment for use in the nEXO detector. In the lab, we test SiPMs’ properties such as their breakdown voltage and dark count rate, and extract their photo-detection efficiency when illuminated by radioactive sources in liquid xenon. Presentation Details 607 Auditorium 4:30-5:15 Board A27 Robert Edward Johnston Andrea Pocar (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Physics, UMass Amherst The Charged Pion Polarizability Experiment at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility: Developing Muon Chambers and Experiment Simulation The Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has proposed to make a precision measurement of the charged pion polarizability through measurements of γγ → π+π− cross sections using the new GlueX detector. This experiment will have a large muon background which must be filtered out of the pion signal. For this issue we are developing an array of Multi-Wire Proportional Chambers (MWPCs) that will allow the pions to be identified from the muons, permitting a precise measurement of the polarizability. Small (1:8 scale) and medium (1:5 scale) sized prototypes have been constructed and tested, and a full scale prototype is currently being assembled. Electronics were developed and tested to amplify the signal from the detection chamber, and were designed to interface with Jefferson Lab’s existing data acquisition system. In order to construct the detectors, a class 10,000 clean room was assembled specifically for this purpose. Lastly, Geant4 software is being used to run Monte Carlo simulations of the experiment. This allows us to determine the optimal orientation and number of MWPCs needed for proper filtering which will indicate how many more MWPCs must be built before the experiment can be run. Presentation Details 608 Auditorium 4:30-5:15 Board A28 Robert Keane Anthony D. Dinsmore (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Physics, UMass Amherst Stabilization of Emulsions Using Silica Nanoparticles at an Oil-Water Interface Interfaces between two liquids such as oil and water occur everywhere in daily life including in food and biology. Microscopic particles have a strong attraction for liquid interfaces and tend to form layers at them. These particle-coated interfaces are particularly useful for the self-assembly of materials due to their large area, surface mobility, accessibility from both sides, their deformability, and for the chemical reactions that take place across them. In this research, we focus on the interface between oil and water which provides the ideal environment for the formation of emulsions stabilized by particles. Using selective partitioning of certain ionic (charged) compounds, mainly salts, we create an electric field at the oil-water water interface. This electric field is tuned to help drive particles to the interface. In this study, we investigate how the concentration of a salt, tetrabutylammonium perchlorate (TBAP), dissolved in the nonpolar oil 1,2 dichloroethane affects emulsion stability. We use charged silica spheres suspended in a buffer of pH 8 for the water phase. With the results we determine the ideal concentration at which emulsions are formed and remain stable. We find that emulsions utilizing spherical silica particles were stable with TBAP concentrations of 3 x 10-4 M and greater, while those with lower concentrations were not. In addition to ion concentration, we investigate the role of particle shape on emulsion stability. Results from this study can be useful towards improving emulsion application in cosmetics, paints, and printing. Presentation Details 603 Room 801 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Kai Kharpertian Monica Poole (Faculty Sponsor) Department of History and Social Sciences, Bunker Hill Community College The Resiliency Venn Diagram: Science, Economics, and Policy The capacity of a city to be resilient during an economic downturn is dependent upon that city's level of scientific investment, its ability to produce complex outputs, and the ease with which government policy allows the two to coincide. The disruption of a city's economic activities is correlated with how easily those activities can be automated or reproduced elsewhere, thereby driving the need for highly specialized outputs from diverse sectors in order to maintain long-term economic viability. Innovation hubs and innovation-friendly policy centered around scientific investment, (bio)technology, and computational sciences are critical to positioning a city at the "top of the stack," a term which this study’s author has chosen to describe the economic advantages that are captured through scientific innovation. In addition, proactive government policy that fosters the creation of new scientific endeavors and the integration thereof into the local economy is crucial to spurring the investment needed to make a city economically robust. A city's resilience, therefore, lies at the intersection of this confluence of factors — in the Reuleaux of its Resiliency Venn-Diagram. This proposed theory will be applied to four case studies which include: Boston, MA; San Francisco, CA; Frankfurt, Germany; and the city-state of Singapore. This study seeks to provide a set of criteria from which policymakers may draw a more nuanced understanding of their city’s capacity for resilience. Presentation Details 602 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A08 Nash Lochner Jay Wang (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Physics, UMass Dartmouth A Metropolis Approach to the Thomson Atom The Thomson problem is an N-body atomic model in which electrons are bound to the surface of a sphere. The Thomson model played an important role leading to the modern nuclear model of the atom. Finding the lowest potential configuration for N electrons is challenging and remains unsolved for large N. To approach this problem, we use simulated annealing in which electrons are moved at random using a Gaussian probability distribution. After a trial move of an electron is sampled, the new electrostatic potential of the system is calculated, and the move is accepted or rejected by a Metropolis algorithm. If there is a decrease in the electrostatic potential, the step is accepted. Otherwise, the move would be accepted with a probability according to the Boltzmann distribution. The process continues until the results converge to a given accuracy. We report results and efficiency of this method and compare them with available known configurations. Presentation Details 609 Auditorium 4:30-5:15 Board A29 Ian Lawrence Murphy John Robert Blatchford Andrea Pocar (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Physics, UMass Amherst Building a Muon-Tagging Telescope A muon-tagging telescope serves the purpose of detecting muon interactions that cross it. It is usually used in conjunction with other detectors to tag and subtract these interactions from the system data. We are designing a muon telescope with two overlaid plastic scintillator paddles read out by photomultiplier tubes. Muons will be tagged only if they interact with both scintillator paddles and generate a coincidence signal. This approach greatly reduces spurious hits. The scintillator paddles may be oriented to the specifications of the user, and the telescope may be incorporated with various systems. Presentation Details 612 Room 163 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 Liam Christopher O'Brien Narayanan Menon (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Physics, UMass Amherst How Do Rigid Plates Attach to a Fluid-Fluid Interface? We study experimentally the dynamics of a rigid plate settling towards a fluid-fluid interface. We sediment rigid plates at low Reynolds number in silicone oil, toward an interface with a water subphase. For plates made of material that can be wetted by water, sedimentation is followed by a two-step attachment to the interface. The plate first slides along the interface until it becomes nearly parallel to it. Thereafter, instead of squeezing out the remaining fluid, a wetting foot from the water underneath spreads over the plate. We report the time-dependence of both these stages of attachment, as well as the dependence of the time of attachment on the dimensions of the plate. We also show experiments in which the plate is not wetted by water, and a thin layer has to be expelled before attachment can occur. Presentation Details 610 Auditorium 4:30-5:15 Board A30 Anwesha Saha Jeromy Robert Heisterberg Andrea Pocar (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Physics, UMass Amherst Optical Simulation of the Liquid Xenon System to Study and Characterize the Behavior of SiPM Detectors for Use in the nEXO Experiment This project simulates the liquid xenon cell that we have in our lab using a simulation software called Chroma. nEXO is the ‘next Enriched Xenon Observatory’, an experiment designed to search for neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay of Xe-136 using a 5-tonne, enriched Xenon time projection chamber (TPC). The TPC is roughly a right cylinder, 1.3 meters in diameter and length. nEXO plans to use ~4 m^2 SiPMs installed on the cylinder side wall, behind the field cage of the TPC. Efficient light collection is crucial for nEXO to achieve good energy resolution at the double beta decay endpoint, where the 0νββ electron peak is expected. The motivation for this project is to analyze the light collection efficiency of the SiPMs in the liquid xenon environment by comparing experimental data with our simulations. Presentation Details 611 Auditorium 4:30-5:15 Board A31 Kaylee Marie Spitaels Andrea Pocar (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Physics, UMass Amherst Design of Cathode for nEXO Sensor This project reports on the research and development process for a cathode electrode in the nEXO particle detector. nEXO is the ‘next Enriched Xenon Observatory’, an experiment designed to search for neutrinoless double beta decay of Xe-136 using a 5tonne, enriched Xenon time projection chamber (TPC). The TPC is roughly a right cylinder, 1.3 meters in diameter and length. The motivation for this project is to create a cathode that is as light as possible and contains radioactive impurities to a minimum, while being mechanically robust. The nEXO cathode also needs to be highly resistive, an additional, non-conventional requirement meant to mitigate the adverse effects of a break-down in the detector. Testing will include designing a way to appropriately stretch large, circular metal sheets to counter their flexing under their own weight and the operating electrostatic forces, explore full sheets versus perforated sheets, and explore different materials for resistivity, and possibly, VUV reflectivity. Presentation Details PLANT, SOIL, AND INSECT SCIENCES 613 Room 174 8:30-9:15 Panel 1 Nicole Theresa Foley Paul R. O'Connor Daniel R. Cooley (Faculty Sponsor) Stockbridge School of Agriculture, UMass Amherst Precision Plant Disease Management: Image Analysis Software Facilitates Tracking the Maturation of Apple Scab Inoculum Apple scab is a fungal plant disease (caused by Venturia inaequalis) that is particularly devastating to apple trees in temperate regions of the world, including the northeastern US. To efficiently and effectively manage the disease, growers and crop advisors depend on evaluations of ascospore maturity, an estimate of the relative amount of disease inoculum available at key points in the early growing season, which is an indicator of infection risk. The identification of V. inaequalis spores under a microscope for maturity and number is a time consuming and laborious task with significant variability between human observers. The main objective of this research is to improve both the speed and accuracy of the evaluation of ascospore maturity using imaging techniques such as color thresholding, spot detection, and object recognition. The ascospore maturity information with its implications for apple scab management will then be communicated to stakeholders via the Integrated Pest Information Platform for Extension and Education (iPiPE) platform. The iPiPE platform shares data increasing public accessibility to time sensitive information on economically significant crop pests. After deriving data from our image analysis and processing algorithms, we will utilize iPiPE to communicate the infection risk, incidence and severity of apple scab to local growers. Presentation Details 614 Auditorium 4:30-5:15 Board A32 Evan R. Rees Samuel Hazen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Biology, UMass Amherst Luciferase as an In Planta Reporter of Secondary Cell Wall Genes in Brachypodium distachyon The plant secondary cell wall is a major sink of carbon in the form of cellulose, a potent substrate for renewable ethanol production. Recent work has sought to characterize genes involved in secondary wall development (SWD) in the grass Brachypodium distachyon, a model for biofuel feedstocks. Several genes have been implicated in SWD, notably CESA4/7 (cellulose synthesis), CAD1 (lignin synthesis), and GNRF (regulation of CESA4/7 and CAD1). Expression of each is localized to tissues that undergo secondary wall thickening and varies in response to temperature cycles. While established methods for measuring gene expression in B. distachyon (e.g. RT-qPCR of whole-tissue extracts, RNA in situ hybridization) have provided an initial picture of temporal and spatial variation, they are ill-suited for in planta study. Firefly luciferase is a bioluminescent reporter that can provide a high degree of temporospatial resolution in planta, but has not been well described in B. distachyon. Here we have sought to create and evaluate promoter::luciferase constructs for secondary wall genes. Regions approximately 1 kb upstream of the CDS for CESA4/7, CAD1, and GNRF have been cloned from genomic DNA of wild-type accession Bd21-3, sequence-confirmed, and LRrecombined to generate binary expression vectors. Constructs have been introduced into embryogenic Bd21-3 callus via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and will be assayed in planta for luciferase activity following regeneration. Variation in luminescence is predicted to match that of mRNA transcripts. Confirmation of transient reporter activity will be carried out on separate tissue transformed via protoplast transfection or particle bombardment. Presentation Details POLITICAL ECONOMY 618 Room 165 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 Maham Ahmed Jamie Rowen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Legal Studies, UMass Amherst The Politicization of Economic Resources in Transitional States: A Study of Post Arab Spring Tunisia and Egypt After an uprising, when faced with the immediate challenge of instilling stability, transitional governments use policy, particularly economic policy, as a means to establish authority. This paper examines the extensive use of economics as a political tool by the post-Arab Spring Egyptian and Tunisian transitional governments and whether it indicates a larger theme in the motives of the new regimes. Since the Arab Spring, Egypt has undergone two prominent regime changes after Mubarak, with the Morsi and Sisi governments. The case of Tunisia offers important insight in that, prior to the revolutions, it was deemed a model of success in terms of economic development and growth within the MENA region. However, it was 27-year-old street vendor Mohammad Bouazizi’s self-immolation that sparked the series of revolutions that led to the larger Arab Spring. In the case of Egypt, this paper specifically studies the politicization of economic resources through government aid policies and how the government allocates funds towards highly visible infrastructure megaprojects. I also analyze the pressure exerted by the Egyptian government on officials and organizations to support certain economic policies, despite its detriment to the state’s long-term economic growth and development. The Tunisian case study examines the government’s preference for regional aid. Additionally, I look at the long-term economic ramifications of the adoption of short-term appeasement policies regarding minimum wage and public sector expansion. The two case studies reflect patterns of how transitional governments act to restore order and establish authority. Presentation Details 615 Concourse 1:30-2:15 Board C71 Gabriella Esparza Schupchek Monica Poole (Faculty Sponsor) Department of History and Social Sciences, Bunker Hill Community College Protest in the Brazilian Diaspora When former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff raised the public transportation price by 20 cents (equivalent to 7 cents in US dollars), the citizens of São Paulo objected. Thousands of people filled the center of the city to protest against the high prices of public transportation. This demonstration made other cities come alive. In the second week of June 2013, more than 12 cities in Brazil protested, not only against the high rates, but against government corruption. Although it became known as the Manifestações dos 20 centavos (“20 Cents Protests) the protesters said that “it wasn’t just because of the 20 cents." The increase in prices for public transportation was a wake-up call to Brazilians, who realized how much the country needed to be better in different areas such as education and public health. They launched a fight against corruption. Moreover, Brazilians outside the country came together to fight for a better Brazil. Brazilians who had emigrated to cities outside Brazil, watching the situation, wanted to help the country in some way, so they organized protests in the cities where they resided. Paris, Boston, Lisbon, London, and Munich are a few cities that held protests against the Brazilian government. This research will investigate how Brazilians residing outside Brazil organized coordinated protests in solidarity with the 20 Cents Protests, and will assess the effects of the protests on the diasporic Brazilian communities in cities such as Boston and Lisbon. Presentation Details 616 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C76 Rosa Maria Salas Susan McPherson (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Quinsigamond Community College The Future of Business in the Housing Market: How Well Do We Know the Housing Market After the Fall of 2008? As of November 2016, the housing market and interest rates have gone up. Just prior to that time, the economy was starting to pick up from the rescission of 2008. In order to understand what happened we need to know how the mortgage industry works. There are so many intriguing details to the mortgage industry that, once understood, will provide valuable information. The housing market has boomed back to life in the past few years. Times are once again good for big homebuilders. The economic trouble of 2008 can be blamed on the subprime mortgage market. The effects of an imminent crisis, and its spread across different areas of the economy, impacted the mortgage industry. In order to understand the financial lessons from the economic slow-down we will need to understand why it happened. Why did this start and how will it affects home buyers in the long run? These are a few of the topics that are explored in this research on the housing market. Presentation Details 617 Room 165 3:30-4:15 Panel 6 Elizabeth Eve Sullivan-Hasson Kevin L. Young (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Political Science, UMass Amherst The Effects of IMF Programs on Economic, Social, and Political Indicators within Developing Countries Over the past few decades there has been much debate within the academic community about the effect that International Monetary Fund (IMF) programs have on a range of economic, political, and social indicators. While many IMF scholars find a positive relationship between IMF programs and development indicators such as GDP growth and government health expenditure, individuals not affiliated with the IMF or other international financial institutions tend to find more nuanced results. However, much of this literature from both pools of scholars only focuses on one or a few indicators at a time. In this paper I aim to evaluate the effect that IMF programs have on a range of economic, political, and social indicators for developing countries in order to better understand the impact the programs have for a given society as a whole, rather than focus on one sector at a time. Using statistical models, I control for problems of endogenous selection bias into IMF programs and use multivariate multiple regression analysis in order to assess the impact of IMF programs on a range of indicators including GDP growth, inflation, life expectancy, level of political stability, and level of civil conflict for developing nations from 1970-2010. My hypothesis is that IMF programs will have a net neutral effect on the economic and political indicators, yet have a negative impact on many social indicators including life expectancy, poverty head count, and Gini coefficient. Presentation Details POLITICAL SCIENCE 635 Room 904 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Abigail Sophie Alfaro Alexandrina Deschamps (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, UMass Amherst Empathy in Social Movements: Psychological and Theoretical Perspectives Many of the institutions in our society are increasingly focused on privatization and profit, with emphases on productivity and capital over interpersonal relationships. This thesis outlines the importance of empathy as a radical and transformative way of practicing political resistance, and offers possibilities for the growth and development of empathy as essential strategy within activist communities. My approach is both psychological and theoretical, examining implicit biases and biological origins of empathy as well as its impact on interpersonal relationships in relation to outcomes and productivity. I am specifically examining two organizations, Movement for Justice in El Barrio in East Harlem and Carry That Weight out of Columbia University, as case studies, as well as student activism at UMass Amherst. My research is primarily textual and encompasses the research and writings of authors, inter alia, Chantal Mouffe, Audre Lorde, Patricia Hill Collins, and Olga Klimecki, to locate the use of empathy across difference and propose possibilities of embodying empathy in social movements. Presentation Details 638 Auditorium 4:30-5:15 Board A33 Tobin Lee Armstrong Robert Paul Musgrave (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Political Science, UMass Amherst Power Disparities and the Distribution of Environmental Burdens in Pennsylvania Fracking Country Hydraulic fracturing has boomed in recent years, growing from 7% of domestic production in 2000 to 67% in 2015, with over six thousand wells drilled in Pennsylvania alone. The industry brings promises of riches, but at the risk of environmental hazards like water and air pollution. Existing literature reveals that fracking wells are sited disproportionately in poorer areas of Pennsylvania. This outcome could be due to a number of mechanisms. Geographic and zoning constraints could result in development primarily in poorer rural areas. The economic lure of industry could create greater acceptance of environmental risks by poorer areas that have more to gain from production royalties. Lastly, the diminished power of impoverished communities could reduce government enforcement of regulation and individual’s ability to seek legal reparation for damages, lowering the cost of operating as industry foregoes costly pollution prevention measures with little consequence. Depending on which factors are pulling the most weight, the industry could be seen as neutral, a blessing, or predatory. I theorize that while geography and economics play a role, the power of a community is relevant in terms of shaping industry practice and government protection. Research is conducted using multivariate regression to compare differences across regions using a variety of metrics for industry performance and quality of government enforcement. This work could inform the need for more regulation, or enforcement of regulation. Additionally, it could provide insight into the mechanisms that allow power disparities to translate into unequal environmental burdens. Presentation Details 631 Room 903 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 George Chay Atupem Melinda Rae Tarsi (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Political Science, Bridgewater State University Applying John Kingdon’s Three Stream Theory to the Policy Idea of Universal Preschool The aim of this project was to use to create a policy matrix to compare Florida, Oklahoma, and Georgia the three states that already have universal preschool programs. Providing every child with a quality preschool education is an issue which should have a prominent place on Massachusetts political agenda. This project is part of a larger thesis which uses John Kingdons’ theoretical framework of agenda access to determine if the idea of universal preschool will find its way onto the agenda in Massachusetts. Kingdon claims that for a policy to be placed onto the agenda, there are three streams which must be flowing. The streams are the problem, the politics and the policy each stream flows independently from the other, but all must converge at the same time for a window of opportunity to form. For the policy stream to be flowing there needs to be a policy that has been tried and tested which policy makers can replicate. The results from the policy matrix in this project show that there are viable policy solutions to this problem; the matrix also provides a comprehensive overview of each program along with a comparison so Massachusetts policy makers can take the best parts from each program. The overall goal of the thesis is to assess the final two streams, and provide proponents of the idea a roadmap of what needs to occur before a universal preschool program is available for every child in the state of Massachusetts. Presentation Details 627 Room 168 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Aaron Edward Beaulieu Robert Carr (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, Fitchburg State University Effects of Social Media News My research examines the effects of getting news exclusively from social media. My theory is that social media websites are creating “information bubbles” where users are only exposed to information that confirms their beliefs. These websites, are notorious for tailoring the feeds to their users, based on the interests, and believes of the user. What I’ve noticed from the feeds of friends and family members, is that feeds will eventually become echo chambers. Liberal users only become exposed to left wing sources and stories, and conservatives only become to right wing ones. The danger comes from not becoming exposed to all the information out there, most right wing outlets don’t talk about the backgrounds of Present Trump’s cabinet picks, or the details of his Trump University Scandal, what gets shared instead, is often misinformation, such as the “3 million undocumented voters” story. The misinformation often gets circulated around inner circles, while outside information can’t penetrate that bubble. Because of this, liberals and conservatives see reality itself very differently, because the information they receive is so different. To demonstrate this theory, I have made two Facebook accounts, one made for someone with left leaning ideas, and another one that is right wing, and study the feeds over time, including content of followers, recommended followers, and advertisements. Not only that but I will couple that researching studies on social media, and fact checking sites on the reliability of the stories in the feed. Presentation Details 642 Room 903 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 Brian Joseph Bushard Robert Paul Musgrave (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Political Science, UMass Amherst When Oil Runs Out: A Counterfactual Analysis of Economic Diversification in 1986 and Today Oil windfalls have been accredited to having profound effects on citizens’ political actions (Paler, 2013), on dutch disease, through currency appreciation, making the country's other products less price competitive on the export market (Ross, 2012), and on either fueling authoritarianism or representing a blessing toward democracy (Ross, 2012; Haber & Menaldo, 2011). Oil has undoubtedly had a nontrivial effect in the states that extract it; however, what will happen when oil runs out? Furthermore, which states will be better prepared for life after oil? Have states already begun making preparations to protect themselves, if so which ones, why, and how? Although there is extensive research on the effects of oil on the Gulf States, there is little research on its future. This article develops a theory saying that states that have already begun to prepare themselves for this future without oil will be more politically and economically stable than those who have not. To test this theory, I will look for a relationship between a country’s natural resource dependence as a percentage of total exports as well as a metric for economic diversification, and its GDP, likelihood of bankruptcy, and military expenditure. Furthermore, I will analyze this relationship as it exists today and in 1986, following the collapse in the price of oil. The latter approach allows me to see which countries handled the crash poorly, and determine if a lack of preparation via economic diversification was at fault. Presentation Details 624 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A18 Aidan Comerford Susan McCourt (Faculty Sponsor) Honors Program, Bristol Community College Exiled Children in America: An Examination of the Irish Diaspora in the United States: Nineteenth Century to Present Because of a series of immigration waves, the past century of American culture has been defined by foreign groups, such as the Irish. In the United States, over 33 million people claim Irish heritage, around 5 times more the population of the island of Ireland. Given the current immigration crisis in our country, it is appropriate to re-examine the successes, failures, and treatment of the Irish Diaspora in America upon its arrival. Examining the historical and political motivations for immigration, a comparison will be made to those fleeing the war-torn Middle East and Maghreb regions, and the Irish people during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Considering the contemporary political climate, an analysis of the cultural differences and potential security threats posed by Middle Eastern/ Maghreb refugees will also be included. In the end, a parallel will be drawn that suggests the refugees of today are remarkably similar to the immigrants of yesterday. Presentation Details 628 Room 174 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Katie Marie Commerford Henry C. Theriault (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Philosophy, Worcester State University Is the Electoral College Ethical? This past election was determined in part by the U.S. Electoral College as Donald Trump lost the majority vote but won the presidency. Is the Electoral College ethical, or could it be defined as a system of gerrymandering? Should each vote count as just that, one vote? Or would this misrepresent the desires of each individual district? Should the votes be tallied throughout districts and then brought to the state level? Should presidential winners be decided by a state plurality rather than numerous district pluralities? Or does a statewide election improperly represent the people? If each citizen has the power of one single vote, as in a national popular election, would largely populated states, such as California, hold too much power over the needs of states less populated? On the other hand, as long as smaller states have their own state governments and district representatives, are they not still properly represented and cared for? If each American vote held equal weight, Hillary Clinton would have been elected 2016 president by nearly 3 million votes. Consequently, how ethical is it that the candidate who lost the popular vote won the presidency? Does the Electoral College properly represent the needs of the people? Based on the view that fairness determines what is ethical in politics, after defining the nature of electoral fairness, I will argue that reliance on the Electoral College to determine the presidential election results is in fact unfair. In doing this, I will consider the various questions posed here and examine possible revisions of the electoral process, including complex proportionality approaches. Presentation Details 625 Concourse 11:45-12:30 Board C60 Gia D. D'Orazio Paul Cavan (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Criminal Justice, Northern Essex Community College Body-Worn Cameras This research paper is an analysis assessing body-worn cameras utilized by law enforcement in the state of Massachusetts. Controversy exposed by media outlets and citizens throughout the United States has propelled concern for the lack of accountability from police officers. My focus on body-worn cameras provides a summation of four categorical issues: 1) The ACLU’s (American Civil Liberties Union) recommendations for policy and procedures requiring consent from the subject being recorded for the use of these cameras worn by officers; 2) House, bill No.2170, which highlights procedural guidelines and a set Law Enforcement Data Review Committee representing 13 members from various state and community positions; 3) Implementation of pilot programs and the cost and storage of these body-worn cameras for police departments; 4) The launch for law enforcement for these cameras in a new technological era that focuses on a view that a car-mounted camera does not reveal. The principal issues of cameras worn by Massachusetts law enforcement include trepidations, the cost of running and stabilizing their usage, and protecting civil liberties of the subjects that come into contact with these cameras. My final synopsis, whether or not Massachusetts should sanction body cameras worn by law enforcement, echoes Sir Robert Peel’s statement of ethics, accountability and professionalism that police officers must adhere to. Presentation Details 632 Concourse 2:30-3:15 Board C78 Rachel Ferdinand Susan McPherson (Faculty Sponsor) Department of English, Quinsigamond Community College My Presentation This project is in depth analysis of the future of American ideology and will detail how ideology has changed over time, the role that liberalism and conservatism has played, and how polarization is changing the country. It will look at the future of the two party system that has existed in the United States and how it is being affected by globalization and the resulting move of populist nationalism. The role of the wide array of ethnic groups and identities will also be considered when looking at the formation of identities. How media is affecting ideology in the US will also be looked at closely. Presentation Details 643 Room 903 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 Laura Margaret Handly Robert Paul Musgrave (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Political Science, UMass Amherst Ownership Structure and Development in Resource-Rich States Though we might expect oil wealth to unify countries by providing a massive budget for development projects, we find instead that oil rich developing countries spend their wealth in starkly different ways, with some investing in industries like manufacturing and others focusing largely on the oil industry. Many scholars propose that oil-rich countries suffer from a “resource curse”, in which an abundance of natural resources stifles development and democracy. This theory is widespread but flawed, generalizing oil rich developing countries and ignoring differences in the economies and policies of these states. Recent research proposes that oil ownership structure is partially responsible for disparate outcomes in these states, as the form of ownership influences the types of institutions that emerge in resource-rich states. However, that research misidentifies state ownership with control as the form worst for development outcomes. Using economic diversification as a dependent variable, this research seeks to determine which factors influence oil rich developing nations’ diversification choices. This research employs oil ownership structure and levels of foreign direct investment as its independent variables of interest, and finds that on average, states with private foreign ownership and higher levels of foreign direct investment have less diversified economies. This is meaningful to respond to the popular and inaccurate notion of oil wealth as a “curse” and to understand the causes of unequal economic outcomes in resource-rich states. Presentation Details 636 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A04 Arthur Weber Hayden Robert Paul Musgrave (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Political Science, UMass Amherst Is Trinidad and Tobago a Victim of the Resource Curse? Does reliance on natural resources like oil and natural gas set a country on a path to slower growth and authoritarianism? Many researchers argue yes. Trinidad & Tobago, however, has an economy heavily dependent on oil and natural gas and continues to rank among the most democratic nations in the world. Nevertheless, there is not a clear consensus on whether or not Trinidad & Tobago has been negatively affected by this dependency. This research seeks to analyze how oil and natural gas reliance has impacted Trinidad & Tobago from economic and sociological viewpoints. Statistical evidence is presented to analyze the multiple alleged effects of "the resource curse" and whether or not they are manifested in Trinidad & Tobago. Conclusions are achieved mainly through modeling statistical regressions where oil and natural gas income per capita is the main independent variable. This research looks at the relationship between this figure and relevant economic and societal variables such as unemployment rate, several different corruption indices, and percentage of women in the workforce. Despite some evidence suggesting that the oil and natural gas industry crowds out other sectors like agriculture and manufacturing, this research generally leads to the conclusion that the impact of oil and natural gas in Trinidad & Tobago is positive. Presentation Details 619 Auditorium 10:45-11:30 Board A42 Logan Hennessy Joseph Coelho (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Political Science, Framingham State University The Rise of Authoritarian Populism in Europe: A Comparative Analysis In the aftermath of the “Brexit” vote, terrorist attacks across France and Germany, and economic stagnation across Europe, right-wing movements have gained political momentum throughout the European political landscape. To compound matters, the recent US presidential victory of Donald Trump has raised the idea of a so-called “Trump effect” in European politics. These events raise concerns over the possible resurgence of right-wing populism in Europe. In this paper, I will examine how the current immigration flow from Syria and other war-torn Middle Eastern countries and economic anxiety have contributed to rise of political parties and movements that espouse values and policies that are antithetical to European norms and values. This “euro-skepticism” challenges the post-war liberal world order that has stabilized European politics for the past 60 years. In the UK, the far-right party,UKIP, was able to defy odds and convince many in the UK to leave the Europe Union. In the string of terrorist attacks that have occurred in France, Marine Le Pen and the National Front's nationalist policies have gained more ground in the country. Geert Wilders in the Netherlands has gained popularity with his Islamophobic rhetoric. Along with Germany seeing an increase in terrorism, Chancellor Angela Merkel is contending with a surging tide of right wing parties. Greece, suffering difficult economic hardships since the 2008 recession, have seen numerous right wing parties gain seats in the Greek parliament. These factors, along with others, can help explain the resurgence of “authoritarian populism” in Europe. Presentation Details 634 Room 162 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Angelika Katsinis Paul Kowert (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Political Science, UMass Boston The Massachusetts Opioid Epidemic Opioid usage in Massachusetts as well as the U.S. as a whole has drastically increased in the past decade. The alarming increase has led to attempts by legislators to act and try to find solutions on how this epidemic may be lessened if not stopped. The goal of this thesis is to explore whether current and past legislation in Massachusetts as well as the U.S. has been able to help those who are unaware of the potential dangers of opioid addiction and those who are already facing those dangers. Legislation has allowed for regulations and laws to be implemented to the general public in an effort to decrease usage and give governmental assistance to those who cannot afford addiction treatment. Certain laws and acts that will be mentioned throughout this thesis were created solely to help the public. The question that always remains is whether or not legislation alone is enough to stop the epidemic indefinitely. This thesis will also explore the history of the emergence of opioids in Massachusetts and the U.S., how heroin, fentanyl, and prescription pain medications continue to be the most popular opioids; data on where Massachusetts stands in regards to other states, and on the importance of the media in broadcasting the alarming reality of the epidemic. Presentation Details 639 Auditorium 4:30-5:15 Board A34 Audrey Anne Kearney Robert Paul Musgrave (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Political Science, UMass Amherst The Development of Climate Change as a Partisan Issue Despite overwhelming scientific consensus on the detrimental effects of human activity on the environment, the polarization over the acceptance of this fact has prevented comprehensive environmental protection policy. Climate change denial, or at least minimization, has become a core component of the Republican party and conservative movements. Why have climate change and climate policy become such polarizing issues in United States? In this paper, I explore the political and social mechanisms that have led to climate change's status as a polarizing issue among elites and the the American electorate. Through the development of political and psychological theory and quantitative analysis, I will shed light and add to the conversation of the intersections between political polarization, and social divisions in the United States. Presentation Details 637 Auditorium 3:30-4:15 Board A05 Rebecca Levin Dean E. Robinson (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Political Science, UMass Amherst The Health Disadvantage of the United States versus Canada: The Role of Health and Other Social Policies Although the U.S. spends roughly 17% of the GDP toward health expenditures (the highest out of the top 10 richest countries), American health outcomes fall at the bottom, with for example highest infant mortality rates. Through a historical comparative analysis of the United States and Canada, this thesis delineates the sources of the U.S health disadvantage. Canada moved to a universal public insurance system in the 1960s; and, while Medicare explains some of the Canadian health advantage, other social welfare policies mitigate economic inequality, and therefore are key to a fuller explanation of Canada’s health advantage, particularly for the poor and working classes. Presentation Details 630 Room 803 1:30-2:15 Panel 4 Amanda Mae Mark Daniel Mulcare (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Political Science, Salem State University Donald J. Trump: A Voter Case Study The purpose of this research is to determine whether the recent literature on the Trump phenomena explains the motivation behind college student Trump supporters. Between October 2016 and January 2017, ten college students were interviewed and asked to provide the main reasons why they supported Donald Trump. The information gleaned from these interviews show overlaps that further support the scholarly and journalistic conclusions of why people voted for Trump. Additionally, as the scholarship had not focused on younger voters, this study adds new information to help determine the driving force behind Trump support. Presentation Details 644 Room 903 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 Elizabeth Rose McDermott Robert Paul Musgrave (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Political Science, UMass Amherst Female Employment and Oil Revenue: A Study of Women's Education and Career Prospects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia By Western standards, Saudi Arabian women live under some of the most gendersegregated conditions in the world today. Despite this, they surpass Saudi men in education attainment at all levels. Though currently far less integrated into the Saudi labor force than men, women attain university degrees in fields ranging from engineering to law. Some contend that the general limits placed upon Saudi women are purely cultural or historical phenomena, others argue that this patriarchal dynamic comes from oil wealth. I theorize that, although oil has made it possible to maintain authoritarian governance and has perpetuated traditional standards within the public sector, the modernization that accompanied this extreme wealth has not precluded women from advancement within other arenas. In this paradigm, women are permitted to attain education because, unlike employment, schooling is viewed as non-threatening by those in power. In order to test this, I analyze women’s representation in both public and private sector jobs in Saudi Arabia. Within these two categories, I also analyze the numbers of women entering careers that require an upper-level university degree versus more traditionally-accepted “female” occupations that typically require less education. I will compare these statistics with nations which do not derive a significant portion of income from natural resource extraction. This project will shed important light upon the ways that government funding impact the rights of historically oppressed groups within a nation. Additionally, it will provide insight upon the links between different societal entities, including academia, the labor market, and large-scale resource trade. Presentation Details 622 Room 911 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Philip McLaughlin Paul Kowert (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Political Science, UMass Boston Exploring the Legal Claims of China and Japan to the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands In the East China Sea, disputes over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands by Japan and China have the potential to develop into armed conflict. Much of the world’s focus is on the South China Sea, where China and a list of other nations claim various parts of the ocean and islets. This oft-overlooked dispute in the East China Sea however is hardly understood by many people, including even many foreign policy experts. By utilizing treaties, diplomatic documents, internal government documents, scholarly works on international law, and secondary scholarly research, this paper examines the legal claims of China and Japan to the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. Much of the facts of the dispute are themselves disputed, and this paper aims to sift through the clutter to get at the underlying legal claims of China and Japan. It looks at the foundational ideas and rules of international law, including agreements by China and Japan. This paper also looks at the historical narrative to explain both sides’ legal claims., and seeks to incorporate the perspectives of legal scholars to further explain the dispute. This paper aims to fill a gap in the scholarly literature by incorporating multiple perspectives and ideas to explain the legal claims of the respective sides. As the dispute has flared up recently, with the militaries of China and Japan coming into contact, this literature comes at a time where more people should be aware of the dispute. Presentation Details 640 Auditorium 4:30-5:15 Board A35 Maria Meletlidis Robert Paul Musgrave (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Political Science, UMass Amherst Women's Access to Resources in Oil-Rich States Resource rich countries across the globe have proven to be patriarchal societies whose policies stifle the rights of women and limit their access to resources. Access to labor and wages is an important resource that is lessened in resource states due to the gender-biased nature of the industry. In today’s globalized society labor immigration is common, and it consumes much of the labor force, just as oil rents lessen the need for more than one wage earner per household. As a result, women in resource states are earning high degrees, but remain in a stagnant labor market. Furthermore, oil rents allow policy makers to legitimize discriminatory campaigns and traditions and uphold gender inequality. Therefore, despite a woman’s access to resources in resource rich states, women do not have autonomy. A woman’s autonomy can be defined as having the opportunity and power to make a decision for herself or her family, free of any intervention or consequences from the government or society. Through theoretical and quantitative analysis I will discuss how women cannot exercise autonomy in resource rich nation states. Presentation Details 629 Room 174 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Alexandria Rita Murphy Tona Hangen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of History and Political Science, Worcester State University The Era of the Political Woman: The Overdue Demand of an Equitably Represented Government Now, more than ever, there is a need for qualified and motivated women to campaign for elected office in the United States of America. For a nation, which claims to be the free world, the U.S. is severely lacking in the equitable representation it so dearly claims it has. Women have been historically underrepresented in the U.S. as long as this country has existed. While women make up the majority of the country's citizens, only an appalling twenty percent of the 115th Congress is made up of women. This presentation will delve into the social, racial, and economic issues and events that transpired throughout the nation's history to discover just how women have been disadvantaged in achieving true equality in the representation of their government. The presentation will explore not only why this has happened in the past, but will further discuss why it is essential that women use their knowledge and experience and campaign for elected office themselves in this new age, and the impact that this will have on future generations. The findings of this presentation will also trace the increased number of women running for office over time. Presentation Details 645 Room 917 4:30-5:15 Panel 7 Matthew Davis O'Keefe Jamie Rowen (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Legal Studies, UMass Amherst The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia: A Case Study on the Future of International Law Following its four-year long genocide in the late 1970s, the Kingdom of Cambodia is now in the process of reconciliation, a process that includes a specially designated tribunal to investigate and prosecute violations of international law. The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) is a hybrid tribunal, established within the framework of Cambodian law but which specifically calls for support and participation by the United Nations. This model, the result of years of negotiation between the Cambodian government and the U.N., is largely experimental, as past U.N.-established tribunals have typically been independent of domestic government involvement and taken place outside of the countries themselves. My research attempts to determine what effects the ECCC may have on the future of international law, and more specifically, what role the U.N. is likely to play in its enforcement. In order to answer this question, I have reviewed and considered extensive historical and theoretical literature with respect to Cambodia, international law, and the U.N. Additionally, I have conducted interviews with multiple stakeholders in the tribunal over the course of two trips to Phnom Penh. I discuss this research and the conclusions that I've drawn throughout this paper, concluding with my predictions about where the field of international law will go next, as well as my recommendations for further research on this topic. Presentation Details 620 Concourse 10:45-11:30 Board C97 Ashley Pierre-Louis Caroline L. Coscia (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Political Science, UMass Boston Resurgence in the “City of Champions”: The Effects of Urban Development Policy on Lower Class Mobility in Brockton, MA Over the past two decades, Brockton, Massachusetts has undergone significant physical and cultural transformations that have resulted in both positive and negative outcomes across the community. Downtown redevelopment, transportation upgrades, and the opening of upscale national establishments have all taken place but at what costs to the social and economic life of the city and its residents. I will focus on urban development changes by examining the relationship between community planning initiatives and the impact these initiatives have had and continue to have on Brockton’s lower and working class residents. Using data from city, regional, and state planning agencies this project will examine if any community groups have suffered while Brockton has its resurgence as the “City of Champions”, as well as, provide readers with further insights on revitalization projects that have taken and are currently taking place. Presentation Details 623 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A08 Dominique Nicole Resendes Robert E. Brown (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Communication, Salem State University Perception versus Reality: Examining the Relationship between Student Activists and Salem State Administration In communications, crisis management is about identifying crises and creating proactive measures to avoid them through a crisis management plan. There are two major steps in creating a crisis management plan-- identifying potential crises and mapping out a plan that deals with the crisis if it were to happen. Student activists can create potential crises for universities, especially if students feel as though their concerns are not being addressed and validated by administration. The role that administration plays in addressing these student concerns can create or defuse a crisis. In my research, through interviews with student activists and administration I have identified where the perceptions differ between the relationship between administration and student activists. From these findings, I have created a crisis management plan that addresses issues related to student activism in a way that does not devalue student concerns, while allowing universities to maintain positive relations with their campus community. I hope my findings can be used by administration to improve their relationship with student activists. Presentation Details 641 Auditorium 4:30-5:15 Board A36 Amy Doan Tran David Mednicoff (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies, UMass Amherst Jordan and Tunisia: Understanding Government Approaches to Youth Inclusion and Their Ramifications Never before has the Middle East and North Africa region experienced a population of youth as high as the one today. More than 28% of the population is aged between 1529, representing over 108 million young people. This large presence of youth in Arab countries is a reality that will mold the region's political, economic, social and cultural development. Jordan and Tunisia, two Arab countries both similar and different in various respects, present an interesting case for comparative analysis of government approaches to youth inclusion and why they differ in the manner in which they do. While both leaderships have had a history of extensive youth policies and are known by the United Nations as the most opportunity-equal countries, Tunisia produces one of the highest numbers of foreign fighters to the Islamic State, while Jordan does not. Through a comparative analysis, this thesis will examine the different approaches to youth that both states have implemented and assess how they have developed. Presentation Details 633 Hadley Room 2:30-3:15 Panel 5 Elizabeth Rose Wallace Elizabeth Sharrow (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Political Science, UMass Amherst The Impact of Title IX on Women in the Workforce On June 23, 1972, President Nixon signed the Education Amendments of 1972, including Title IX, one of the most important pieces of sex discrimination legislation in history. In the ensuing 45 years, opportunities for women have dramatically increased, especially in the domains of athletic participation and educational attainment. Since the middle of the twentieth century, women have also expanded their participation in the workforce. This paper explores the question: “Is the increase in women’s career achievements, as defined below, proportional to the impact of Title IX, as measured by the increase in women’s athletic participation and graduate educational attainment?” For the purposes of this discussion, women’s career achievement is defined as working in a historically male-dominated, skilled industry or holding a leadership position in government or business. I will analyze studies which look at the link between athletic participation and career advancement. To develop a numerical metric for the impact of Title IX, I will use these studies as well as statistics gathered from the National Federation of State High School Associations and the NCAA. Additionally, data collected by the Department of Labor, National Center for Education Statistics, and Bureau of Labor Statistics will be analyzed to determine numerical values for women’s career achievement. I hypothesis the impact of Title IX, as measured by the increase in women’s athletic participation and graduate educational attainment, is not proportional to the increase in women’s career achievements. Furthermore, I predict the impact of Title IX to exceed the growth of women’s career achievements. Presentation Details 626 Room 163 11:45-12:30 Panel 3 Elizabeth Sing Nicole Woods Kathleen A. Brown-Perez (Faculty Sponsor) Commonwealth Honors College, UMass Amherst Welfare Reform in the United States: A Mechanism for Government Control of Marginalized Groups This paper examines the effects of welfare policy, particularly the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, on marginalized groups in the United States. Welfare has a long history of racialized and gendered rhetoric and policies that culminated in the drastic changes in 1996. This thesis presents information based on careful review of the existing literature from the library. Conclusions from this research establish that the post-1996 welfare system has further marginalized already disadvantaged groups. Single mothers and immigrants were targeted the most through these punitive welfare policies. The racial and gender biases embedded in the welfare system, paired with the connection between welfare reform and the War on Drugs, have led to this ineffective method of combating poverty. Negative rhetoric surrounding dependency and ideals of self-sufficiency helped form negative perceptions of welfare recipients, also adding to the support for stringent reforms. Presentation Details 621 Room 801 10:45-11:30 Panel 2 Kaitlin M. Wright Samantha Pettey (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Political Science, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Too Little, Too Late: Is Political Representation Suffering Because of Suffrage Laws? While the number of women in elected office has grown dramatically since the Year of the Women (1992), women’s descriptive representation is still comparatively low. To explore the differences among state-level gender representation, this paper proposes looking at female suffrage laws and its effect on women in state legislatures. While previous research explores why women run for office, this paper will address a new, institutional, explanation as to why women's representation differs across the states. I argue that states which enacted more lenient and early women's suffrage laws (prior to the ratification of the nineteenth amendment) have a greater number of women in elected office today. The more lenient suffrage laws create a political culture that promoted gender inclusiveness in the world of state politics. To test the effect of suffrage on the number of women in office, I will conduct a linear regression. Overall, this paper will add to our knowledge of how past laws have had unintended but negative, long-term consequences on women’s descriptive representation in politics. Presentation Details PSYCHOLOGY 716 Concourse 1:30-2:15 Board C73 Sarah Ahmed Richard G. Hunter (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Psychology, UMass Boston T-carriers of FK Binding Protein 51 (rs1360780) SNP Associated with Increased Baseline Cortisol Levels when Exposed to Elevated Lifetime Discrimination Exposure to prolonged stress has been shown to dysregulate the hypothalamicpituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, the body’s stress response system, and have a broad health impact. Perceived lifetime discrimination, a form of chronic stress, is associated with chronic stress-related health disparities. In addition, variations in the stress hormone receptor co-chaperone, FK Binding Protein (FKBP5), are linked to an increase in stress-related psychiatric disorders. The present study explores the interaction between chronic stress history, measured through lifetime discrimination events, and FKBP5 (rs1360780) gene variants in order to understand how they interact to affect HPA axis regulation during an acute stressor. Ninety participants were subjected to a psychosocial acute stressor and salivary cortisol concentrations were measured. Chronic stress history was measured through the number of perceived discriminatory events based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, physical appearance, sexual orientation, and religion. FKBP5 (rs1360780) was genotyped using TaqMan PCR. Participants with a higher number of lifetime discriminatory events have a significantly higher baseline cortisol level (p<.05). There was no interaction between the two variables and no difference in stress reactivity to the acute stressor was seen between FKBP5 genotypes and lifetime discrimination scores. Further analysis includes genotyping other SNPs known to influence stress responses. Presentation Details 681 Auditorium 11:45-12:30 Board A56 Ethan Richard Anderson Michele Wolfson (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Psychology, Cape Cod Community College Uses of Narrative Psychotherapy in Cases of Adolescent Schizophrenia One of the many symptoms of schizophrenia is a loss of a sense of self. Sufferers of schizophrenia experience a fracturing of identity, which can include a loss of agency in day-to-day decisions. As identity and story are largely intertwined, narrative psychotherapy has been shown to be a successful therapeutic approach to help patients reconstruct their “sense of self” (Lysaker et al, 2003) Narrative psychotherapy help patients pick up the pieces of their fractured identity, and start living a more active life. Much of the current literature deals with an adult population and the effectiveness of various treatments for adults. This research will explore the effectiveness of narrative psychotherapy techniques with an adolescent population. In 2015, a research team of psychologists in South Korea conducted a study involving at-risk adolescent schizophrenics. The subjects engaged in narrative identity work over the course of a year, “storying” their own lives through narration and working with other stories through different forms of media. After a year, the team noticed marked improvements in linguistic abilities, and evidence of re-establishing identity and agency in the participants (Chae & Kim, 2015). While these narrative techniques have not been researched a great deal with this population, this research will consider the potential effectiveness of narrative psychotherapy through an analysis of case studies of at-risk teens for schizophrenia, where medical treatment only was used. This research hopes to add to the current research by exploring the benefits of narrative psychotherapy methods with at-risk teens. Presentation Details 713 Auditorium 1:30-2:15 Board A09 Fernando Andino Valdes Nelson Oliva Ester Shapiro (Faculty Sponsor) Department of Psychology, UMass Boston Photovoice as Participatory Action Research: Exploring Experiences of Latino Students with Disabilities The graduation rate for Latinos with a disability is 50.47% and the dropout rate is 30.42% (Lucio, 2014). Being discriminated against & experiencing low expectations due to memberships in two marginalized groups is one of the challenges (Leake et al., 2011). Latino male college students often avoid asking for help, feeling that they are solely responsible for their own success…similarly, Latino males with learning disabilities demonstrate preferences for not asking for help (Chambers, 2016). This participatory action research project uses Photovoice to identify challenges encountered by Latino students with disabilities on a University campus, propose solutions, and identify opportunities to raise campus awareness and promote change in critical, identified areas of culture and access. Photovoice has proven to be an empowering tool for
