Category: 2020

The role of the Chemoreceptor Zinc-Binding Domain in bacterial signal transduction

Presenter(s): Dan Tudorica—Biochemistry

Faculty Mentor(s): Arden Perkins

Session 3: The Substance of Us

Previous work presented at the undergraduate research symposium hypothesized that the chemoreceptor zinc-binding (CZB) domain acted to sense bleach in certain bacteria’s environment and correspondingly direct bacterial swimming patterns . This project presents an expanded view of the CZB domain as being responsible not just for informing bacterial swimming patterns in the presence of bleach, but also for regulating the formation and dispersal of bacterial biofilms . Through the use of genetically-modified bacteria and biofilm-quantification assays, we determined that bleach in the bacteria’s environment encourages the formation of biofilms . In addition, we find that modifying the active site of the CZB domain in such a way as to make the domain “always on” increases the amount of biofilm produced by the bacteria in a fashion largely insensitive to subsequent addition of bleach . This evidence suggests that the CZB domain, known to regulate bacterial swimming patterns, is also used by bacteria to modulate the amount of biofilm that they form . This work helps us understand the biochemistry of how bacteria, particularly gut-colonizing human pathogens, behave in order to survive and thrive in their environment, possibly setting the groundwork for future therapeutic interventions .

Vices in the Middle East: Censorship and Substance Control Laws in Dubai

Presenter(s): Gabriel Tsui—Journalism

Faculty Mentor(s): Matthias Vogel

Session: Prerecorded Poster Presentation

Gambling, alcohol, and pornography are restricted in a variety of ways across the Middle East . The predominant religion within the region—Islam—forbids anything that can be considered “shameful, indecent, evil, rebellious, and oppressive” according to the Quran and, given Islam’s influence over the Middle Eastern sphere, has heavily influenced state laws governing activities seen as unethical . However, the growth of the tourism industry, particularly in countries like the United Arab Emirates, has contributed to greater tolerance of these culturally taboo activities . This project will show that tourism can be considered a significant factor contributing to the relaxation of laws governing censorship and the control of regulated substances through the examination of international news media such Al Jazeera, AP, Reuters, and reports and statistics on tourism in Dubai, as well as the United Arab Emirates’ most recent penal code to trace the most recent trends and establish a link between the tourism industry and drinking laws . Additionally, I will also conduct interviews with Arab exchange students at the University of Oregon to trace shifting public opinion on the issue . Ultimately, my research may help predict if the trend of liberalization and relaxation of laws could indicate a future of greater social freedom for the people of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates .

The competitive relationship between linguistic perception and production when learning a new sound contrast

Presenter(s): Tillena Trebon—Linguistics, Spanish

Co-Presenter(s): Zoe Haupt, Allegra Wesson, Maggie Wallace

Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Melissa Baese-Berk, Dr. Zachary Jaggers

Session 6: Cerebal Matters

This research investigates the connection between perception and production when learning to discriminate between unfamiliar sounds . It is commonly assumed that humans use the same neural mechanisms for recognizing a spoken sound and producing a sound . If this assumption is correct, when we get better at perceiving sounds, we should also get better at producing them, and vice versa . Our research asks: Do linguistic perception and production utilize the same neural processes? Does one get better at perceiving the difference between two sounds by producing them? To answer these questions, experiment participants were trained on a new sound contrast . In the “Perception and production” condition, subjects produced the sounds during training . In the “Perception only” condition, subjects did not produce sounds during training . Results show that “Perception only” participants learned to perceive the difference between the sounds they were trained on . “Perception and production” participants did not learn the contrast nearly as well . Our research challenges traditional assumptions of linguistic perception and production by showing that the relationship between perceiving and producing new sounds appears competitive . Our research reveals that producing new sounds while learning to discriminate between those sounds hinders perceptual learning . Our results are consistent with recent research, which also show that perception and production may not utilize the same neural mechanisms . These results shed light on the complex language acquisition mechanisms in the brain . Understanding the relationship between linguistic perception and production is essential for optimizing second language teaching methods and for understanding how humans acquire language .

Sensors and Materials for In-field Aqueous Analysis of Nitrate and Other Ions

Presenter(s): Ian Torrence—Biochemistry

Faculty Mentor(s): Sean Fontenot

Session 2: Cells R Us

Chemically sensitive field effect transistor (ChemFET) development have been well studied as ion- sensing chemical sensors . These devices are attractive to other chemical sensors due to their low cost, low power consumption, small size, and their compatibility with electronics . By applying an ion- selective material, typically a polymer, on the ChemFET it is possible to create an interfacial potential difference between the environment and the gate-oxide of the FET . This ion-selective material can be designed to ensure the potential difference is dependent only on the activity of a target analyte. Currently, there is a need for a real-time chemical sensor to detect both nitrate and ammonium concentrations in soil, dubbed “total-N” content of the soil, as described by the NSF grand challenge for closing the nitrate cycle . This is primarily to combat fertilizer runoff caused by over fertilization of crops resulting in high concentration of nitrate in lakes, rivers, and streams . My research shows promising results for two ChemFETs that are sensitive and selective for ammonium and nitrate respectively which can be measured simultaneously for real time nitrate sensing in aqueous systems .

Measuring instructor quality and student learning at the University of Oregon, using a value added measure

Presenter(s): Marie-Rose Tonguino—Economics

Faculty Mentor(s): Bill Harbaugh

Session 2: Oregon Trails

Student evaluations of instructors are widely used in higher education to measure the quality of teaching of professors and instructors . Yet, recent research suggests that these evaluations are often biased, especially toward women and ethinic minorities, and that they do not necessarily provide an accurate measure of teaching quality . Research has found that some instructors tend to teach to the test in order to improve student performance on standardized tests, therefore omitting important skills that students need as they further their education . Other instructors have also been found to have bad evaluations and yet appear to be the ones who better prepare students for subsequent classes than their counterparts . For this reason, some researchers have been looking at value added and continuation rates to measure teaching quality, as opposed to measuring instructor quality solely using student evaluations and student performance on standardized tests . Value added is a method of measuring teaching quality through evaluating a student’s performance in a subsequent course compared to their counterparts, after taking the first course from different instructors . Continuation rate is a measure of the percentage of an instructor’s students who go on to take a subsequent related course . This research paper focuses on value added and continuation rate methods to measure instructor quality using University of Oregon data, as opposed to using student evaluations of instructors .

Confirming the 3-dimensional shape of Asteroid 283 Emma from Observations at Pine Mountain Observatory

Presenter(s): Maggie Thompson—Physics

Faculty Mentor(s): Scott Fisher

Session: Prerecorded Poster Presentation

To determine the shape of asteroid 283 Emma, we obtained time-resolved photometry of the asteroid on August 28, 2019 from 07:44:24 to 09:27:39 UTC at Pine Mountain Observatory (PMO) . The observations were carried out using the 0 .35m Robbins telescope and a large format CCD camera with a Sloan g filter . The brightness of 283 Emma was calibrated using three standard stars removing the influence of airmass . We found that the brightness changed from mag(g) = 12 .5 to 12 .8 . The light curve (time variation of the brightness) we obtained was consistent with the previous research which determined that the shape of 283 Emma is an ellipsoid . Through the process of data analysis, information on the atmospheric extinction coefficient in the Sloan g-band at the PMO was also obtained, which is useful for other observations at the observatory . The results of our observations give us confidence that we can obtain research-grade data with PMO and that this data can be analyzed by undergraduate students .

The SETI Scouts Project: Developing Scientifically Literate Young Women through an Astronomy Destination Camp at Pine Mountain Observatory

Presenter(s): Maggie Thompson—Physics

Faculty Mentor(s): Scott Fisher

Session 5: To the Moon and Back—Relativity Matters

Pine Mountain Observatory (PMO) and the University of Oregon are partnered with the SETI Institute and the Girl Scouts to provide a week-long summer destination camp where 10 Girl Scouts from around the US come together to engage in cohort building, outdoor adventuring, and an immersion in STEM programming related to astronomy . This program combines several of the main goals of PMO: undergraduate astronomical research, scientific outreach to public and educational partners, and the development of science literacy in STEM interested groups . The Destination Camp welcomes high-school age Girl Scouts from across the United States to the Observatory, where they learn about astronomy and astronomical research through interactive lessons and close peer mentoring from University of Oregon students . This program has not only educated and inspires the Girl Scouts to continue their interest in STEM careers, but it also provides an opportunity for undergraduate physics students to develop science communication skills through mentoring . Over the two years of the program, PMO has proven to be a great resource for astronomy outreach and research with many of the smaller projects introduced during the camp being replicated by the scout alumni of the program back with their home troops . Additionally, many of these programs can be adapted to other observatories to instill a greater passion for science in the general public .

You Shall Not Oppress a Resident Alien: The Conception of Immigrants in the Hebrew Bible

Presenter(s): Miriam Thielman—Spanish and Religious Studies

Faculty Mentor(s): Deborah Green

Session 4: Cultural Considerations—The Other

An increase in global immigration has resulted in humanitarian crises across the world as countries struggle to respond to the growing number of refugees and asylum seekers arriving at their borders . Religion often influences people’s beliefs, actions, and even the policy decisions for which they lobby, and the various forms of Christianity practiced in the United States frequently use the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures as their sacred instructive texts . Understanding the specific messages within the Hebrew Bible regarding immigrants is important for developing faith-informed responses to immigrants and refugees . A detailed study of relevant portions of the Hebrew Bible, coupled with analysis of biblical commentaries and scholarly criticism, suggests that the Bible underscores the imperative to care for the most vulnerable members of society, as well as to include immigrants in the community . People of faith should take this overarching message into account when considering how to respond to immigrants’ arrival in the United States .

The Extent, Contributing Factors and Responses to Depression and Suicidal Ideation in Modern South Korea

Presenter(s): James Taylor—Linguistics

Faculty Mentor(s): Matthias Vogel

Session 5: It’s a Small World After All

The Republic of Korea (Korea) has seen a high rate of economic development in the post-WWII era and is currently the country with the 11th highest GDP worldwide (International Monetary Fund) .At the same time, Korea is beset by a mental health crisis more severe than similar countries in the world . Korea has the highest rate of suicide both in the South-East Asian region and in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), at 26 .6 people per capita as of 2018 (compared to the regional average of 10 .8 people per capita in 2015 and the OEDC average of 11 .4 in 2017) .2-5 Other mental health problems, including depression, alcohol dependence and mood disorders, correlate to suicidal ideation; as a result, the prevalence of these disorders exacerbate the core issue of suicidal ideation . This literary review evaluates the extent of these mental health issues in Korea, identifies correlatory factors relating to mental health, and presents current policies and approaches addressing mental health in part or in whole . In addition, it focuses on the population in general but also through four specific lenses: students, full-time employees, the elderly, and celebrities . The significance of this research mainly focuses on improving the quality of life for people in South Korea by identifying factors associated with mental health and proposing solutions that reduce the frequency and severity of mental health disorders .

Stress and Implications for Poor Mental and Physical Health Among Latinx Emerging Adults

Presenter(s): Yomaira Tarula-Aranda—Ethnic Studies and Spanish

Faculty Mentor(s): Heather McClure

Session 5.5: McNair Scholars Presentations

The Latinx population is the largest and fastest-growing minority in the United States, and also has growing rates of poor mental and physical health . This research explores how stress is very prevalent among Latinx emerging adults (aged 18–23 years old) and potential contributing factors . Stress is related to an assortment of negative outcomes including development of poor mental and physical health and other outcomes . This research uses data from the Latinx Emerging Adults Project’s Emerging Adult & Peer Survey created by the Center for Equity Promotion in the University of Oregon’s College of Education . To measure stress, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was used to measure the frequency, severity and perceived control individuals have over daily stressors within the previous 1-month period . Higher PSS scores have been linked to risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and elevation in stress hormones . Analyses explored potential differences in Latinx emerging adults’ PSS scores by different socio-demographic characteristics . Results will be presented and discussed in relation to the potential risks confronting Latinx emerging adults of stress-related poor health .