Category: 2022

Utilizing Drosophila to investigate novel regulatory pathways for the Hox gene Sex Combs Reduced

Presenter: Alanna Sowles – Neuroscience

Faculty Mentor(s): Kristen Lee, Chris Doe

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

Across species, Hox genes are necessary for an organism’s anatomical development, including the nervous system. Interestingly, these proteins continue functioning within neurons of mature organisms. This research seeks to determine the functional purpose of Hox genes post-development, as these mechanisms could provide novel etiological insight into neurodevelopmental disorders. Drosophila melanogaster is an effective tool for this investigation because fly neurons are similar to mammals, and gene expression of individual neurons is easily manipulated. Within this model, I will utilize the well-characterized Pair1 pre-motor neuron, which expresses the Hox gene Sex combs reduced (Scr). I hypothesize that Scr is functioning in a conserved molecular pathway to preserve the morphology and function of Pair1 neurons. Past research provides intuitive candidates for exploring these mechanisms, like Pair1 proteins Hb and Bcd. RNAi-facilitated knockdown had no significant impact on Scr expression, prompting exploration of alternative genes. Using published resources, several genes with expression patterns similar to Scr were selected and visualized with GFP-tagged proteins. Colocalization of these genes with Scr was assessed via immunohistochemistry, revealing 8 promising candidates for further analysis. Scr expression will be measured after knockdown experiments are repeated for each gene. The results will hopefully illuminate novel regulatory pathways of Scr beyond development.

The Relationship Between Students’ Approach to Learning and Future Thinking in a Science Class

Presenter: Madeleine Smith – Neuroscience, Psychology, and Educational Foundations

Faculty Mentor(s): Jenefer Husman, Sara Hodges

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

Supporting student motivation in post-secondary introductory science courses is an important step in increasing student retention in STEM fields. Prior research has focused on a variable- centered approach to students’ motivation to learn, but a person-centered approach to looking at the relationship between self-regulated learning and motivation variables is necessary. Additionally, research suggests that students’ future goals and their perception of the future influences their performance in school. This study aimed to identify the relationship between future thinking and motivational and self-regulated learning profiles. 385 participants were recruited from an introductory science course at a large Northwest university and completed an online self-report survey on their motivation, goal orientation, self-regulation, knowledge building strategies, and future thinking. K-means cluster analysis indicated that there are three motivational and self-regulated learning profiles. A multinomial logistic regression was conducted and showed that students’ actions towards their future goals are a stronger predictor of their profile adoption than the clarity of their future goals. Understanding the relationship between students’ future thinking and their adoption of learning profiles can help post-secondary science instructors alter course structure to support student motivation and self-regulated learning.

Refining cloud exclusion methods in tropical montane forest change detection with Landsat timeseries

Presenter: Sophia Shuler – Geography, Spatial Data Science and Technology

Faculty Mentor(s): Lucas Silva

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

Satellite based remote sensing is one of the most accessible methods for implementing large-scale terrestrial change detection. However, cloud cover contamination of images is a frequent barrier to the use of change detection algorithms, particularly in places where cloud cover is frequent, such as in tropical mountains. In this project, I offer a method for cloud detection that can improve the quality of satellite image time series in tropical regions. Using both a cloud mask and a cloud index, I detected clouds in a set of Landsat-5 TM and Landsat-7 ETM+ time series from a tropical montane forest in Oaxaca, Mexico to a higher degree of accuracy than would be achieved by using the cloud mask alone. This method was used in sequence with the Breaks For Additive Season and Trend (BFAST) method in order to detect forest disturbances. After using a cloud index threshold of 2.8, the percentage of clouds detected increased from 91.8% to 94.4%. Additionally, this method yielded a 161% increase in the number of forest disturbances detected by BFAST. These results are applicable to change detection projects in regions with frequent cloud cover, where accuracy is limited by the climate conditions.

 

Optical Based Sensing of Shear Strain using Reflective Color Patterns

Presenter: Maryam Shuaib – Human Physiology

Faculty Mentor(s): Mike McGeehan, Keat Ghee Ong

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Stimuli and Response, Poster Presentation

There is an increasing need to measure shear force in biomedical applications. Many shear force sensors exist, but are often impractical as they can be bulky, require large amounts of power, and are sensitive to electromagnetic interference. The goal of this project is to apply new optoelectronic sensing principles to measure shear strain. Optoelectronic sensors have various advantages including a smaller design that is able to measure multi-axial shear strain. This particular sensor functions through optical coupling of an LED that emits red, green, and blue (RGB) light, which is then reflected off of an adjacent surface displaying a color pattern consisting of randomized color pixels (Figure 1A). Shearing between these surfaces is measured using a photodiode, which senses changes in the RGB light intensities due to the shifts in the color pattern’s position. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of various color patterns and classification algorithms to determine multi-axial shear strain. The optimal sensor configuration was found to be Pattern 3 (Figure 1B) with a Weighted K-Nearest-Neighbor algorithm with an accuracy of 98%, and a misclassification cost of 0.07 millimeters. The accuracy and robustness of the sensor-derived measurements, along with the practical and scalable design, support the use of this sensor in a multitude of biomedical applications.

Emasculation of the Other: Meiji Ukiyo-e War Prints and Japanese Identity

Presenter: Eun-Jai Shin – Art History

Faculty Mentor(s): Akiko Walley

Session: (Virtual) Oral Panel—Read, Speak and Act

The Meiji Restoration of 1868 was one of the most monumental moments of East Asian history, featuring Japan’s rise as an imperial power. Rigorous nationalistic development helped it achieve its first victory in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895). However, these feats were not without insecurities, and Japan as the new ‘Empire of Asia’ necessitated validation of its reformed identity and influence. Ukiyo-e, woodblock printing from the Edo Period, was revitalized during this time and served as a new form of reportage, providing a popularly consumable and replicable source of current events. Furthermore, its realist agenda- assured credibility- enabled it to become an ideal platform for propaganda. This presentation will focus on marginalization- specifically the emasculation– of subaltern others during the First Sino-Japanese War- and how its compositional, figural and symbolic depiction of China and Korea assisted in the Japanese assertion of superiority and dominance.

Signal Crayfish Behavior, Health, & Habitat in the Tryon Creek Watershed

Presenter: Kyla Schmitt – Economics, Environmental Studies

Faculty Mentor(s): Alexis Barton, Reyn Yoshioka

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

In Portland, Oregon, signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) earn the title of “keystone species” by consuming otherwise-inaccessible detritus, which can then be passed up the food chain to various other species, and carving up riverbeds, an act which greatly influences aquatic habitat quality. This study questioned whether habitat factors impact signal crayfish health and behavior in the Tryon Creek Watershed. Overall, crayfish were disproportionately likely to be observed in locations with high human impact levels; silt/sand or boulder and cobble substrates; culverts, runs, and pools; and water 10-39 cm deep. Juvenile crayfish were disproportionately likely to be observed in locations with low human impact levels, silt/sand or cobble and gravel substrates, and water 0-19 cm deep. Unhealthy crayfish—specimens that were deceased, immobile, struggling, or consisted of severed appendages— were disproportionately likely to be observed in locations with culverts or riffles and water 0-19 cm deep. The study found no evidence for an established population of invasive crayfish in Tryon Creek, although further monitoring (particularly in the Tryon Cove area) is necessary to confirm this finding. The study’s analysis also suggested that human-caused ecosystem disruptions can seriously decrease the health and wellness of signal crayfish populations if not managed mindfully and holistically, pointing to a need for better waterway designs that benefit fish and crustaceans alike.

An investigation of novel left-right patterning genes in zebrafish

Presenter: Maisey Schering – Biochemistry, Biology

Faculty Mentor(s): Katie Fisher, Daniel Grimes

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

Breaking of left-right (L-R) symmetry is a fundamental part of animal development. To facilitate this, cell to cell communication via extracellular fluid flow plays a critical role. Failure of this communication results in developmental diseases such as congenital heart disease and abnormal L-R positioning of the organs, termed heterotaxia. Understanding the mechanisms by which fluid flow signals control asymmetry is essential for understanding how to treat these diseases. In embryonic development of zebrafish, the model organism of this project, asymmetric flow in Kupffer’s vesicle (KV) breaks L-R symmetry. The flow signal results in asymmetric repression of an mRNA, dand5, triggering asymmetrical development of the emerging organs. How cells sense and transduce fluid flow, leading to dand5 repression, is not understood. My mentor in the Grimes lab, Katie Fisher, performed a literature review that resulted in 90 novel candidate genes which might regulate L-R asymmetry. These genes are all expressed at the right time and place during development to control fluid flow signaling. We are using a CRISPR/Cas9 screen to identify which of these genes are essential for L-R patterning. Several genes of interest have been identified and homozygous lines with these mutations are currently being generated. I will describe our ongoing screening efforts and early results. By completion of this project, we will know how these novel genes act to ultimately control organ asymmetry.

Measuring soil respiration in response to enhanced silicate weathering and mycorrhizal associations

Presenter: Emily Scherer – Biology

Faculty Mentor(s): Hilary Rose Dawson, Lucas Silva

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

Enhanced silicate weathering (ESW) is emerging as a top contender to reduce atmospheric carbon and mitigate climate change by accelerating soil C sequestration. However, little is known about ESW’s potential for success on global and regional scales. Applying basalt dust to soil can draw down atmospheric C, boost nutrient availability for crops, and counter soil acidification, yet it may also heighten microbial activity and release soil C via respiration. Arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM), ectomycorrhizae (EcM), and plant community composition can also alter weathering rates. Our research tests soil respiration rates in the presence of basalt dust and mycorrhizal associations in local Willamette Valley soils. We hypothesize that respiration will increase due to the fertilizing effects of basalt but that a faster pace of weathering will result in a net C sink. We predict that respiration and sequestration will be greatest in the presence of EcM fungi. To test this theory, we potted four tree species, each known to form an AM or EcM relationship, in soil mixed with none, low or high concentrations of basalt dust. We measured baseline soil pH, initial C stocks, and nutrients. Currently, we are measuring respiration using a soil CO2 flux chamber. As the project advances, we will measure changes to these variables, plant biomass, and inorganic C stocks. This study will contribute to the literature regarding the potential of ESW to offset anthropogenic C emissions.

Sportswashing: The Expensive Image Laundering Conspiracy Sullying Sport and Foreign Relations

Presenter: Christian Sardar – Business Administration

Faculty Mentor(s): Corbett Upton

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—The More You Know (in depth looks and prevention)

Sportswashing refers to a sovereign entity such as a nation buying a sports team in another country and using it to improve their image. In my research paper I posit that sportswashing, specifically that done by the countries of the Persian Gulf, is not only damaging from a foreign policy perspective but also from a sporting perspective. Most of the teams being bought as soccer teams from Western European nations and their governments seem ambivalent towards the situation. By looking at the exact level of investment by countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE I found a whole lot of money being poured into teams which yielded little to no money for the nations that bought them. It also took next to no research in order to discover the vast number of heinous human rights violations being committed in these wealthy countries, yet they are able through sportswashing to redirect public opinion off of themselves. Simultaneously, their name remains untouched or in many cases elevated. Manchester City is right now one of the best soccer teams ever seen and its name is nearly synonymous with the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Similarly the upcoming World Cup is taking place in Qatar in stadiums mostly built by migrant workers living in conditions akin to slavery. This issue is immensely pressing for our current sporting climate and world as this topic really speaks to how nations are trying to spread their soft power across the globe. This research assesses the damage done so far.

The Relationship Among Parental Stress, Child Well-Being, and Routines During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Presenter: Ciera Sanders – Psychology

Faculty Mentor(s): Sihong Liu

Session: (Virtual) Oral Panel—Health and Social Science, Poster Presentation

Children are the beacons that will carry their knowledge, ideas, and voices into the future. It is crucial we ensure children are given ample opportunity to develop into healthy adults. Parental stress can negatively impact child well-being. Could the impacts be mitigated by consistent use of family routines? Using data from the RAPID-EC national survey that began in April 2020 and is still ongoing, I compared pre-pandemic ratings of parental stress and child well-being to assessment levels during the pandemic. Then, I examined how parental stress influences child well-being. I completed my analysis by examining the impact family routine has on parental stress and child well-being. I found that parental stress has significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and child well-being was significantly and negatively impacted during the pandemic. Parental stress levels prior to the pandemic were significantly linked to increased levels of behavioral problems from pre-pandemic to during the pandemic. Further analysis determined family routines were not protecting children from the negative impacts of parental stress; however, family routines were significantly associated with lower levels of behavioral problems. Although family routines were not indicated as a source of protection from parental stress, managing family routines, and other tools for stress reduction could promote optimal developmental outcomes among young children during the COVID-19 pandemic.