ASUReS – College Of Arts & Sciences Undergraduate Research Symposium 2026: Abstracts

A Celebration of Research and Creativity by College of Arts & Sciences Undergraduates

When: March 31, 2026

Time: 8:45 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.

Where: Student Union Room 270, Student Union Room 360, and Student Union Rooms 362 A, B, and C

ASUReS Abstracts: 2026

Abstracts are organized by the lead presenter’s last name. Use the jump links to navigate to presentations by last name.

1. The search for Butson-Hadamard Matrices

Presenter: Nicolette Abate
Co-Presenter: Lucas Hinds
Faculty Mentor: Remus Nicoara

Butson-Hadamard matrices are mathematical objects of great interest in Nuclear-Magnetic Resonance (where they are used to encode different chemical frequencies into a single scan, thus greatly shortening experiment times for determining the structure of organic molecules), Quantum Information Theory (due to their role in reconstructing unknown quantum states), in Digital Communications and Signal Processing (through their function in keeping cell phone signals from interfering), in the Theory of Error Correcting Codes (via mapping complex codes back into binary formats), and Physical Imaging (where they are used as ‘masks’ to provide a much higher signal-to-noise ratio than traditional scanning). A Butson-Hadamard matrix is an n x n array of complex numbers which are k-th roots of unity, such that the rows of the array are mutually orthogonal. While this definition is deceptively simple, little is known about Butson-Hadamard matrices even for small values of k such as 2,3,4,5,6. In this talk we present two new algorithms for finding Butson-Hadamard matrices, together with new examples. We also prove a theoretical result that excludes the existence of such matrices in certain dimensions.

2. Analysis of RNA Targets of MCT/TEL Proteins in the Arabidopsis Meristem

Presenter: Natalie Aldrich
Faculty Mentor: Elena Shpak

Plants maintain a reservoir of undifferentiated stem cells within a highly regulated structure known as the meristem. These slowly proliferating stem cells are crucial for plant growth and organ formation throughout the plant’s lifetime. Although MCT and TEL genes are known to be expressed in the meristem, their molecular functions remain undefined. We hypothesize that MCT and TEL proteins interact with the RNA of key meristematic regulators, WUSCHEL (WUS) and CLAVATA3 (CLV3), thereby contributing to post-transcriptional regulation of stem cell maintenance. To test this hypothesis, we performed a yeast three-hybrid assay to evaluate RNA-protein interactions between MCT/TEL proteins and specific WUS and CLV3 mRNA. Screening all protein-RNA combinations revealed that all MCT/TEL proteins interacted with WUS mRNA, whereas only MCT1 and TEL2 interacted with CLV3 mRNA. These preliminary findings support a potential role for MCT and TEL as meristem-localized RNA-binding regulators. Ongoing work aims to validate these interactions using protein pull-down assays and computational analysis of the predicted interaction domains.

3. Persisting in the Saltiest Pond on Earth – Strategies for Extremophile Survival

Presenter: William Armstrong
Faculty Mentor: Jill Mikucki

Polyextremophile microorganisms adapt to multiple environmental stressors using diverse survival strategies. Don Juan Pond (DJP) in Antarctica’s McMurdo Dry Valleys is one of the most extreme environments on Earth, with ~40% salinity dominated by CaCl₂ and temperatures as low as −50°C. These conditions challenge the persistence of life. We characterized a bacterium (Aquibacillus sp. DJP33) isolated from DJP sediments. Genome annotation identified cold-adapted genes and biosynthetic potential for secondary metabolites, including ectoine and terpenes. Phenotypic assays showed that DJP33 is a gram-positive, motile, rod-shaped, endospore-forming bacterium. Comparative genomic analysis indicates it is potentially a novel species, with 96.9% 16S rRNA similarity to Aquibacillus halophilus and low genomic relatedness (dDDH 21.5%). DJP33 exhibits motility at low and moderate temperatures and likely employs multiple adaptations to survive extreme salinity and cold. These findings provide insight into the limits of life in extreme environments on Earth and potentially beyond.

4. Ideology vs. Innovation: The Structural Constraints of Russian Military Adaptation and the Rise of the ‘Axis of Convenience’ (2022–2026)

Presenter: Anabelle Ballard
Faculty Mentor: Eric Keels

This thesis explores the structural disconnect between Russia’s ideological military planning and its battlefield realization in Ukraine. I argue that the Russian command and control (C2) architecture is fundamentally constrained by a “regime-security paradox,” where the Kremlin prioritizes internal political control over tactical military efficiency. This is exemplified by the 2024 ban on the Discord application, which crippled tactical communications to mitigate perceived internal threats. To compensate for these institutional failures, Russia has adopted a two-pronged adaptation strategy: leveraging “volunteer” civilian talent through ad-hoc training academies and establishing an “Axis of Convenience” for foreign weaponry. By sourcing hardware from Iran and dual-use components from China, Russia achieves “survivalist longevity” without addressing its core C2 deficiencies. This stands in stark contrast to Ukraine’s “open-source” defense model, which thrives on horizontal agency and rapid civilian-military integration. This research demonstrates that while foreign technology and civilian crowdsourcing sustain the Russian war effort, ideological rigidity remains a terminal barrier to modernized, agile warfare.

5. UT Girls Go to War

Presenter: Lily Beall
Faculty Mentor: Christopher Magra

During World War II, men and women from the University of Tennessee answered Uncle Sam’s call to join the military. This study will chronicle and compile information about the female graduates from the University of Tennessee who served during World War II in the military and in the Red Cross. Data will be collected from University of Tennessee documents and publications, including the Tennessee Alumnus, The Volunteer yearbook, and past commencement programs. Online websites like ancestry.com and familysearch.org, as well as articles and obituaries, will also be utilized to find documents, family members, photos, etc. After data is collected, the information will be compiled into a StoryMap using ArcGIS software to make the information easily accessible by researchers. This study will help ensure the women from the University of Tennessee who served the United States during World War II will be remembered, and their contributions to the American war effort will not be forgotten.

6. Influence of Molecular Structure, Contact Chemistry, and Electrode Composition in Polyacene Single Molecular Junctions

Presenter: Shelby Belt
Faculty Mentor: Sharani Roy

The development and application of single molecule junctions represents a significant leap forward in nanotechnology since the seminal idea by Avriam and Ratner [1]. Theory and computation offer an avenue to explore fundamental electronic properties, enabling a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms of quantum transport in these junctions. By constructing molecular junctions using linear acenes with systematically increasing numbers of connected rings – benzene, naphthalene, anthracene, tetracene, and pentacene – we analyzed the effects of increasing conjugation and inter-electrode distance on conductance and current. Additionally, we varied the contact atom from S, Se, to Te, and the electrodes from Au, Ag, to Cu to explore effects of the molecule-electrode interface on transport properties. Using an ab initio tunneling model for coherent transport, we investigated the effects of the molecule, contact, and electrode using density functional theory. We found that conductance decreases with acene length and increases with the work function of the metal electrode, i.e., the higher the work function, the greater the conductance. Moreover, conductance decreases with increasing size of the contacts, more so for longer acenes than for shorter acenes.

[1] A. Aviram and M. A. Ratner. Molecular Rectifiers. Chem. Phys. Lett., 29(2):277–283, 1974. doi: 10.1016/0009-2614(74)85031-1.

7. Feature-Based Scaffolding: How Dimensional Features Influence Spatial Memory Precision

Presenter: Samuel Besh
Faculty Mentor: Aaron Buss

Human spatial memory is not an isolated system; it often relies on object features such as color and shape to organize and retrieve location-based information. This study investigates how the degradation of these feature-based scaffolds impacts the accuracy and precision of spatial recall. Using a novel “Quad Task,” participants were presented with multi-quadrant images and tasked with identifying the correct image identity and spatial quadrant of a cropped probe stimulus across four blocks manipulating distinguishing features: (1) distinct shape and color, (2) distinct color only, (3) distinct shape only, and (4) similar shape and color. Preliminary results from a behavioral pilot reveal a significant main effect of block type on overall accuracy (F (3,12) = 4.17, p = .03). Notably, pairwise comparisons showed that accuracy was significantly higher when color dimensions differed (Block 2) compared to the no-scaffold condition (Block 4, p = .037). These findings provide a behavioral foundation for ongoing research incorporating functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) across bilateral frontotemporo-parietal networks to identify the neural correlates of these scaffolding mechanisms.

8. Admission Pathways Matter: Cesarean Outcomes Among Nulliparous, Term, Singleton, and Vertex Pregnancies at an Academic Medical Center

Presenters: Aastha Bhatt
Co-authors: Anushay Ansari, Jaime L. Ragos, Summer V. Shore, Megan Lacy Young, Heather Moss, Jaclyn Van Nes, Jamie Perry, Kimberly B Fortner
Faculty Mentor: Ryan McCormack

This quality improvement project examined cesarean delivery (CD) rates among nulliparous, term, singleton, vertex (NTSV) pregnancies by admission type at UT Medical Center (2020–2024). Patients were categorized as elective induction, indicated induction, active labor, or scheduled CD, and analyzed using chi-square methods (excluding scheduled CDs). Among 6,418 patients, the overall CD rate was 23.0%. Most patients (60.8%) underwent induction. CD rates were highest for indicated induction (27.1%), followed by elective induction (23.9%), and lowest for active labor (13.0%). These findings highlight that admission type influences CD rates and underscore the need to consider induction patterns for resource planning and staffing.

9. Moth Pollinator Abundances in Response to High and Low Fire Severity Burn Sites

Presenter: Orchid Bingham
Faculty Mentor: Mona Papes

Fire regimes are natural to southern Appalachia, however anthropogenic activity is making fires become more intense and with unpredictable consequences to the structure and function of forest ecosystems. Previous studies have discussed the impacts of intensifying fires upon vegetation, but few have considered the impacts upon pollinator communities. This work aimed to identify the potential relationships between fire severity, flowering resources and moth pollinator communities. Research took place in the Great Smoky Mountains National park within the forested areas affected by the 2016 Chimney Tops 2 fire. Sampling involved thirty plots subjected to either high or low fire severity, wherein we counted flowering plant species and sampled moth communities using light traps. Moth pollinator abundance was determined through weighted likelihoods of pollination. Statistical analysis did not indicate that fire severity was a predictor of floral presence or moth pollinator abundance. Floral presence also was not a predictor of pollinator abundance. These results suggest that fire severity at greater temporal scales (9+ years) do not impact floral presence, and that floral presences cannot be a proxy for pollinator abundance. Our findings contradict other studies, and indicate further research is necessary to conclude adequate predictors for moth pollinator communities under shifting fire regimes.

10. Anatomy of Expulsion

Presenter: Nathaniel Boring
Faculty Mentor: Jacob Latham

From 1918 to 1946, Czechoslovakia’s government was shaped largely by its reactions to greater external powers—whether victimized by Nazi Germany or abandoned by its closest allies, France and Britain, nations that had once guaranteed its protection. Unable to preserve either its territorial or political sovereignty under the leadership of President Edvard Beneš, the Czech government became a mechanism of vengeance, justified by anti‑German sentiments that stretched from the prewar years through the brutal Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia. The result was a determined effort by Beneš to pursue the removal of Sudeten Germans through population transfers.

In examining his actions, the anatomy of an ethnic cleansing becomes apparent. Utilizing primary and secondary sources, this study traces the course of his policies through speeches, documents, and articles to reveal his ambition for population transfers. The assessment of these sources shows that his efforts were publicly acknowledged at the highest levels of authority—most notably within the Potsdam Conference Protocols, whose Section XII calls for the “orderly” transfer of the German population.

The findings of this study highlight the importance of language in articulating political aspirations. By combining national mythology with the weaponization of anti‑German sentiment following the harrowing Nazi occupation, the nation became primed to collectively punish its Sudeten German minority—ultimately concluding that to be German was to be guilty.

11. The role of PKM2 in Pancreatic β-Cell Function

Presenter: Aline Botelho Kobayashi
Faculty Mentor: Ahmed Bettaieb

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterized by insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, and progressive β-cell dysfunction, emphasizing the need to better define molecular regulators of insulin secretion. Pancreatic β-cells co-express the pyruvate kinase isoforms PKM1 and PKM2, yet their specific contribution to β-cell function remains unclear. Objective: Given the co-expression of PKM1 and PKM2 in pancreatic β-cells, along with emerging evidence of PKM2’s non-glycolytic functions (such as gene regulation) we examined PKM2’s specific contributions to β-cell function and insulin secretion. Approach: We used lentiviral shRNA to selectively knock down PKM2 in primary mouse islets and β-TC6 cells. PKM2 depletion was confirmed by Western blotting, glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) was quantified by ELISA, and key proteins involved in glucose sensing and insulin secretion were assessed by Western blot. Results: PKM2 deficiency significantly enhanced GSIS and increased expression of proteins central to insulin synthesis and secretion. Re-expression of PKM2 normalized both GSIS and protein expression profiles, indicating a direct, specific role for PKM2 in restraining insulin release. Implication: These findings identify PKM2 as an important regulator of β-cell secretory function and suggest that targeting PKM2 may offer a novel strategy to modulate β-cell function and improve glucose homeostasis in T2DM.

12. Isolation of Intact, Functional Mitochondrial Respirasomes from Mammalian Heart Using Styrene-Maleic Acid Copolymers

Presenter: Ainslee Brown
Co-author: Mahipal Rao
Faculty Mentor: Barry Bruce

Mitochondrial respirasomes are inner-membrane supercomplexes of electron transport chain (ETC) complexes that coordinate electron transfer, proton pumping, and coupling to ATP synthesis. Although detergent-based methods can extract respiratory supercomplexes, detergents often strip native lipids, destabilize higher-order assemblies, and perturb stoichiometry, complicating recovery of respirasomes in a near-physiological, intact, functional state in vitro. Here, we describe a deter-gent-free strategy to isolate intact, functional mitochondrial respirasomes from mouse ventricular tissue using styrene–maleic acid (SMA)-based (BZ-class) copolymers. Mitochondria were enriched by differential centrifugation, inner mitochondrial membranes were prepared, and membrane proteins were solubilized into polymer–lipid nanoparticles that retain a native-like membrane con-text. Discrete respiratory supercomplexes/subcomplexes were resolved by sucrose density gradient centrifugation (SDGC) and identified by Western blotting with monoclonal antibodies against diagnostic subunits of ETC complexes I–V. These assignments were independently validated by blue native PAGE (BN-PAGE) with silver staining, revealing multiple high-molecular-weight assemblies consistent with oxidative phosphorylation machinery. Future work will quantify oxygen consumption rate (OCR) using a high-throughput Seahorse respirometer, combined with defined electron do-nors/substrates and selective ETC inhibitors to probe electron flow, coupling efficiency, and control points within the isolated preparations. Proteomic composition and supercomplex stoichiometry will be determined by mass spectrometry, while particle morphology and 3D organization will be assessed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and, ultimately, cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) image analysis. This SMA-based platform enables controlled structure–function studies of mammalian respirasomes in a lipid-retaining environment relevant to cardiac bioenergetics and mitochondrial disease.

13. Bean Beetle Oviposition: Analyzing the Effect of Bean Size on Female Bean Beetle Oviposition Preferences and Host Selectivity

Presenter: Elizabeth Brown
Co-authors: Riley Golias, Macey Nash
Faculty Mentor: Jessie Tanner

Bean beetles are insects of African and Asian regions, in which the larvae burrow, feed, and develop inside of legume seeds. Prior studies have concluded that female bean beetles exhibit an oviposition preference for larger seeds. However, most studies have only conducted research on bean species found in Africa and Asia, thus, this study aims to explore how oviposition preferences are influenced by seed size of a different species. Methods: 45 female:male pairs were placed in petri dishes (45 total) with ten Great Northern beans in each dish (450 beans total). Petri dishes were divided into three conditions with 15 dishes in each condition: Group 1: Large (whole bean); Group 2: Medium (half bean); Group 3: Small (quarter bean). Number of eggs on each bean was counted and the average was recorded. Results: The average number of eggs laid per bean was statistically analyzed through an ANOVA and post-hoc test. Larger beans had a greater average of eggs laid per bean compared to medium-sized and small beans. The results suggest that female bean beetles exhibit an oviposition preference for larger-sized legume seeds and the species of the bean did not demonstrate an effect on these illustrated preferences.

14. Exploring How Voice-to-Text Writing Support Benefits Students in the Brainstorming Process

Presenter: Hannah Buchanan
Faculty Mentor: Kirsten Benson

As writing centers across colleges look for new methods of inclusivity, practitioners explore new approaches rooted in Universal Designs (UD) during consultations. However, writing center scholarship hasn’t thoroughly investigated ways to implement these designs as a default for all students regardless of need. This project highlights the benefits of using universal ADA-practices, specifically voice-to-text features with all students, regardless of their accommodations. Voice-to-text tech is an accessible tool that can remove barriers for all students, offering a more flexible approach to starting the brainstorming phase that mimics natural conversation. This model aims to reinforce healthy writing practices, taking the burden off of the student to ask for accommodation, while providing a new tool for students. This strategy helps reduce anxiety surrounding the initial steps of drafting, helping students focus less on the act of getting their ideas on paper perfectly the first time. When tutors offer ADA-aligned options and flexible writing approaches, all students benefit emotionally and practically in the academic space. Diversified writing support works to address both UD and new ways to aid students, familiarizing writing center staff with how they can implement practices in real-life sessions.

15. Effects of MECP2 Deficiency on Estrus Cycle in Mice

Presenter: Mariam Ceesay
Co-authors: Skylar Fortich, Lily Demilio, Samantha Nicole Webber, Annabelle Lea Clower, Kiran Hussaini, Aly Webb
Faculty Mentor: Billy Lau

Atypical pubertal development and menstrual cycle concerns are reported in individuals with Rett Syndrome,1, 3 yet the underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain unclear. Rett Syndrome is a rare neuropsychiatric disorder that primarily affects females and is caused by a mutation of Methyl-CpG binding-protein-2 (MECP2). We aim to elucidate pubertal trajectories and the regularity of estrous cycling during a naïve state using female wild-type mice and a mouse model of Rett Syndrome, female MECP2-heterozygous mice.4 Onset of puberty is determined by visual assessment of the vagina, where puberty terminates on the day of first estrus; the length of puberty is the number of days between onset and termination. Vaginal cells are collected daily during the light cycle via vaginal lavage with Milli-Q water, stained with 0.1% Neutral Red cell dye for 2.5 minutes, and imaged via a Keyence digital microscope under 60X magnification. Samples are staged by human coders into one of four estrus phases (proestrus, estrus, metestrus, diestrus). Average length of cycle is determined by the number of days between the start of each estrus phase. Phase length is determined by the number of consecutive days the mouse remains in a single phase. There are no significant differences in pubertal trajectories. Estrous cycle characteristics are similar at first estrus, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks of age. Future work will focus on the effect of maternal experience.

1 Humphrey et al., (2021). J. Pediatr. Adolesc. Gynecol., 34(2). 2 Jaric, et al (2019). Nature Comm, 10(1). 3Killian, et al., (2014). Pediatr. Neurol., 51(6). 4Lau, et al., (2020). Eneuro, 7(3). 5Murakami, G. (2016). PLOS ONE, 11(3).

16. How Stem Cell Signaling Shapes Leaf Development in Arabidopsis thaliana

Presenter: Rylee Colleary
Faculty Mentor: Elena Shpak

Stem cells in plants need to be highly regulated and maintained in order to promote proper leaf initiation. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the ERf/EPFL signaling pathway regulates stem cell differentiation. The ERECTA-family of receptor-like kinases (ER, ERL1, and ERL2) activates a MAP kinase cascade leading to downregulation of MCT1, MCT2, TEL1, and TEL2. A homologous protein in maize regulates leaf initiation; in order to understand the importance of these genes in A. thaliana, identifying higher-order mutants is necessary to clarify their genetic interaction. My work contributed to the identification of a septuple mutant, requiring confirmation of seven disrupted genes in a single plant. To accomplish this, segregating F2 populations were screened using multiple selection strategies: mutants were identified using resistance markers, phenotypic analysis, and genotyping techniques. Understanding how these genes coordinate stem cell regulation and leaf initiation provides insight into plant architecture and may inform strategies to improve biomass production in biofuel crops.

17. Geochemical Fingerprinting: Using Portable XRF to Solve a Rock Mapping Mystery

Presenter: Sarah Grace Cook
Faculty Mentor: Jacob Benner

The Narragansett Basin of Southeastern New England contains a succession of red sedimentary units, known as the Wamsutta Formation (Fm.), interpreted as Late Carboniferous in age based on plant fossils in the uppermost rock units. However, radiometric dating of rhyolite flows in the lower units of the formation indicated the presence of strata approximately 60 million years older (Thompson & Hermes, 2003). I investigated whether portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) can distinguish Devonian units from the similar Carboniferous units using “geochemical fingerprints” and whether this method can be applied in the field to delineate them. Nine representative samples from both old and young units were collected and supplied to us in a blind process with “codenames” applied. Each sample was tested using a pXRF (Olympus). A standardized grid for pinpointing measurements allowed elemental data to be collected from cut and uncut surfaces of each sample and record representative element concentrations. Geochemical “groupings” were identified using ratios of zirconium, niobium, yttrium, and titanium to discriminate the weathering history of the two units. Thin sections were used to characterize mineral assemblages and unique sources of geochemical fingerprints. Fingerprinted clusters were then associated with the unblinded samples’ locations relative to the location of the known Late Devonian rhyolite unit. Ultimately, a suite of high Zr/Ti with varying Nb/Y and Zr/Y were clearly set apart in the analysis, relative to a sample of pure rhyolite and other clastic sedimentary rocks, supporting our goal of delineating stratigraphic units quickly and easily with pXRF in the field.

18. The Getty Kouros: A Problematic Piece Whether Authentic or Not

Presenter: Harley Diamond
Faculty Mentor: Charles Kuper

In 1983, the J. Paul Getty Museum purchased a marble kouros (Fig. 1) that they believed to have been from Archaic Greece (Bianchi 1994, 22). The purchase garnered attention as this piece had not been published on until this point, and this attention brought scrutiny. There was no documented provenience, and the documents attesting its provenance were determined to have been falsified (Bianchi 1994, 22). The authenticity of the kouros was seriously questioned (Lapatin 2000, 43). Then, in 1992, the Getty Museum co-sponsored a colloquium with the Nicholas P. Goulandris Foundation Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens, Greece where 19 speakers were given the opportunity to defend or argue against the authenticity of the sculpture (Bianchi 1994, 23). The colloquium on the Getty Kouros could not make a conclusive decision on the authenticity. However, the stylistic and material anomalies as well as the falsified documents attesting to its provenance roused many doubts about its authenticity.

This paper examines the kouros’ anachronistic combination of stylistic features, the likelihood of using Thasian dolomitic marble for sculpture during the sixth century BCE, and the problematic modern history of this sculpture. This paper argues that the Getty Museum made an unethical decision in purchasing this kouros without doing proper due diligence.

19. HPLC-HRMS based Quantification of Nicotine Impacted Metabolism in Salt Sensitive Rats

Presenter: Sydney Doak
Co‑Presenter: Doreen Parit
Co-authors: Doreen Parit, Jonathan Weisfelder
Faculty Mentor: Shawn Campagna

This study investigates the metabolic disruption of nicotine on male salt sensitive (SS) rats with evaluation through a semi targeted HPLC-HRMS workflow. Rats were divided into two groups: those given a saline vehicle or nicotine exposure. Various tissue components were analyzed, among those being kidney, liver, and plasma to compare relative amounts among these. A workflow was established to efficiently extract, separate, detect, and process these samples for absolute quantification of nicotine, cotinine, and nitrosamines NNN and NNK. It was hypothesized that nicotine treated rats would show elevated levels of nicotine and related compounds and the concentrations would vary among extracted matrices. Furthermore, the data-dependent acquisition (DDA) provided means to identify further impacted small molecules, among those of interest being amino acids and key components of central metabolism. This workflow will allow for an increased understanding of nicotine absorption and impacted processes following metabolism in the liver. Nicotine is known to promote oxidative stress which then induces increased resting metabolism, thermogenesis, and lipolysis; these effects are anticipated to show deviation in treatment and in tissue types.

20. A Content Analysis of How Bisexual Characters are Portrayed on TV

Presenter: Margaret Dobson
Co-author: Darla Bonagura
Faculty Mentor: Sarah Lamer

Bisexual individuals are stereotyped as promiscuous and unfaithful by straight, gay, and lesbian individuals. Bisexual individuals are also often invisible, assumed to be straight or lesbian/gay based on their current romantic relationship. People may thus rely heavily on media portrayals of bisexuality to develop their stereotypes. Therefore, the current research assessed how characters of different sexual orientations are portrayed on television, with a focus on sexual behavior and dialogue. We collected a representative sample of the most popular bisexual characters (N=8) matched to straight and gay/lesbian characters of the same gender, race, age, and character status from each show. We randomly sampled episodes featuring the characters and calculated the total number of minutes each bisexual, straight, and gay/lesbian character engaged in sexual vs. non-sexual content. We also coded the clips for specific sexual themes (e.g., passionate kissing, talk about relationships). Data analysis is underway. We hypothesize that bisexual (vs. straight and gay/lesbian) characters will have more sexual (vs. non-sexual) screen-time, but that this may differ for women and men characters. This work will provide a representative snapshot of bisexual portrayals in US televised media. Future work will examine the downstream effects these portrayals have on intergroup cognition.

21. Students’ Perceptions of GenAI: The Case of the IMRaD Genre

Presenter: Elena Faust
Co-Presenter: Natalie Gardner
Faculty Mentor: Hooman Saeli

The use of generative AI (GenAI) tools (such as ChatGPT, Copilot, or Claude) to provide feedback on written assignments has become increasingly common in college-level writing classes. Prior research indicates that the incorporation of AWF (automated written feedback) from GenAI tools may be an effective way to help students improve their academic writing (e.g., Koltovskaia et al., 2024); however, as of yet, little research has sought to analyze the performance of GenAI with regard to genre-specific feedback. Therefore, our research is exploring how undergraduate students both perceive and engage with AWF provided by GenAI on IMRaD papers, a ubiquitous genre in higher education. Our study utilizes questionnaires, qualitative interviews, focus group discussions, and analysis of writing samples to better understand how and why students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville incorporate GenAI in their IMRaD research papers. Specifically, we plan to explore undergraduate students’ attitudes toward GenAI, their use of cognitive resources when interacting with GenAI, and their use of GenAI-generated feedback in revisions and future writing. Our results can hopefully provide insights into the role of GenAI as a writing assistance tool when working with IMRaD research papers.

22. Understanding Genetic Variations in Programmed DNA Elimination

Presenter: Nathan Fawver
Faculty Mentor: Jianbin Wang

Programmed DNA elimination (PDE) is a process that selectively removes specific portions of the germline genome to generate the somatic genome during early embryogenesis. As an exception to genome constancy, PDE has been proposed to function as a mechanism of gene silencing. Our lab uses the free-living nematode Oscheius tipulae as a genetic model to investigate genetic variation in PDE. Because O. tipulae is globally distributed, we have obtained a collection of wild isolates from diverse geographic regions. Preliminary genome sequencing of these wild isolates mapped against the reference genome shows that there are signs of difference in the amount of DNA eliminated, as well as the position of the DNA double-stranded break (DSB) in the PDE process. However, this mapping approach cannot identify substantial variations between strains. To address this, we will de novo assemble the germline genomes of the wild isolates using nanopore sequencing. This will allow us to compare characteristics of PDE, including the position of DSB, the amount of DNA eliminated, and the specific genes eliminated. Characterizing this genetic variation will provide insight into the conservation and evolutionary significance of PDE.

23. Searching for Instability in Core Collapse Supernovae

Presenter: Cassidy Fleenor
Faculty Mentor: Anthony Mezzacappa

Core-collapse supernovae are the end of the lives of massive stars through violent explosions. In these star deaths, a majority of the elements needed for life originate. While these events are not scarce overall, they are rare in our galaxy. Thus, for research purposes, it is necessary to simulate them using first principles physics. The CHIMERA code, developed by UTK and ORNL, is among the world’s leading codes for this modeling. However, due to the discovery that neutrinos oscillate between their three flavors, there may be consequences for how core-collapse supernovae explode that have not previously been included in the CHIMERA code. Because neutrinos drive these explosions, any impact on them should have an effect on our models. Our research analyzed previously compiled CHIMERA simulation data to determine if unstable regions where neutrino oscillations could be found, are present in our models. The results of this research affirmed that regions where this instability could occur, exist, and they are significant. This suggests that if this physics had been included in our models, it would have affected the results. Our findings are different from that of other groups and require further research.

24. Additive Manufacturing and Geant4 Simulations for Background Reduction in LEGEND-1000

Presenter: Dinesh Gangavarapu
Co-author: Brennan Hackett
Faculty Mentor: Yuri Efremenko

Detection of 0νββ decay establishes neutrinos as Majorana particles. LEGEND-1000 is the next generation ton-scale effort to detect 0νββ decay in Ge-76 using isotopically-enriched high purity (≥ 90%) germanium detectors. This experiment aims for an unprecedented discovery sensitivity of T(1/2) > 10^(28) yrs, exposure of 10 ton·yr, and a background goal of < 10^(−5) cts/(keV⋅kg⋅yr). A dominant source of external background arises from K-42 β decay, produced by trace Ar-42 in the natural liquid argon cryostat where the detectors are submerged. To shield the HPGe detectors from this background, we study the possibility of custom radiopure encapsulations of individual detectors via additive manufacturing and Monte Carlo simulations. Tensile strength and cryogenic stability tests were performed on various Formlabs 3D printable resins and polyethylene naphthalate (PEN). Further efforts were made in filament extrusion and FDM custom filament printing. Additionally, Monte Carlo simulations of the K-42 decay products were used to study optimal thicknesses and tolerances for the encapsulation using both a Julia-based Geant4 wrapper, SolidStateDetectors.jl, and C++ Geant4.

25. Optimization of DOPC/DOPE in siRNA Lipid Nanoparticles for Stability, Cytotoxicity, and Cellular Uptake

Presenter: Graham Goforth
Faculty Mentor: Deidra Mountain

Restenosis after endovascular angioplasty remains a major limitation of vascular interventions, motivating RNA interference strategies that selectively modulate dysfunctional vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) remodeling. This study examines how varying the zwitterionic helper lipid 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (DOPC) with fusogenic 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) in our previously patented siRNA-loaded lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) alters clinically relevant attributes and improves VSMC delivery. LNPs containing fixed molar fractions of cholesterol, DSPE-PEG(2000), and stearylated octaargine (STR-R8) were formulated at DOPC/DOPE ratios of 100/0 to 0/100 by direct ethanol injection at a 100:1 lipid:siRNA mass ratio, characterized over 28 days for hydrodynamic diameter, polydispersity index, and siRNA encapsulation/leakage, and then evaluated in primary human aortic smooth muscle cells for cytotoxicity and cellular uptake. Across all compositions, particles remained ≤100 nm in diameter, but increasing DOPE content yielded modestly larger, less homogeneous populations, with ≤ 50 mol% DOPE maintaining near-monodisperse distributions while increasing DOPE above 50 mol% resulted in greater polydispersity. Encapsulation efficiencies exceeded 86% for all formulations and increased with higher DOPE content. Cytotoxicity was negligible across all formulations, remaining comparable to baseline cell death at ≤ 2.42%. Cellular uptake increased with higher DOPE incorporation, reaching a statistically significant 3-fold enhancement in the 0/100 formulation. Collectively, these results delineate a compositional window in which intermediate DOPE content preserves colloidal stability while augmenting LNP delivery, thereby supporting continued evaluation of DOPE-enriched R8-PLP LNPs as candidates for anti-restenotic RNAi therapy.

26. Piety, Power, and Paranoia: Religious Anxiety from Pliny the Younger to Cold War America

Presenter: Taylor Goodin
Faculty Mentor: Aleydis Van De Moortel

This paper explores the intersection between politics and religion in a comparative analysis of letters by Pliny the Younger to Emperor Trajan, and President Richard Nixon’s speeches during the Cold War era. As governor of Bithynia, Pliny sought guidance from Trajan on how to handle the Christians, describing them as a group that was disrupting the stability of Rome. Pliny reported that temples were “thronged”, sacred rites performed, and the “flesh of sacrificial victims [was] on sale everywhere” once Christians were dealt with, signaling the civic disruption they were causing in Rome (Ep. 10.96.10). In a similar political climate, Nixon, drawing on his connection with Catholic Priest John F. Cronin, gave religiously influenced anti-communist speeches about the civic order in the United States. In 1957, Nixon stated that communism brings “colonialism, slavery, economic exploitation, and war”, insisting that no “believer in God” could “falter in [this] struggle” (O’Brien 1994). These statements illustrate how empires, in moments of uncertainty, project internal fears onto religious outsiders to preserve political authority and civic order. Roman Christians were framed as threats to civic unity rather than as religious deviants; similarly, communists in Cold War America were distrusted for their perceived atheistic values. The relationship between politics and religion demonstrates how personal and political identities were negotiated in both 2nd-century Rome and 20th-century America. This paper ultimately argues that the vilification of belief systems in times of uncertainty functioned as a method to maintain social and political unity.

27. The Effect of Screen Time on Language Development in Toddlers

Presenter: Greta Goss
Faculty Mentor: Jessica Hay

Early language input, particularly from caregivers, is critical for healthy language development. Although early exposure to educational media has been associated with positive developmental outcomes, parent-child interaction significantly decreases in quality and quantity when infants are exposed to electronic media. Because today’s children are exposed to an unprecedented amount of screen time, it is important to better understand the relationship between quantity and quality of screen time and language development in toddlers. The current study includes 27 monolinguals, typically developing infants, aged 18-20 months at the time of data collection. Day-long naturalistic recordings of the child’s environment, which include measures of audible TV/electronics, were cross-referenced with parent-reported daily journals to identify occurrences of screen time. My goal in this study is to determine whether measures of screen time quantity and quality are associated with simultaneous language development. Screen time will be coded for duration, content, and adult versus child focus. During periods of screen exposure, I will also code the presence of parent-child interaction and the quantity of child vocalizations. Vocabulary size is measured using the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory. Preliminary findings on the factors that moderate the impact of screen time on language development will be discussed.

28. Physical Stress on the Genome: Characterizing DNA Damage Caused by Varied Levels of Constriction in Migrated Melanoma Cells

Presenter: Samantha Gross
Faculty Mentor: Rachel McCord

A key mechanism in cancer metastasis is the ability of cancerous cells to squeeze through tissues to enter the circulatory and lymphatic systems, allowing them to spread throughout the body. To do this, cells must pass through narrow spaces that are often smaller than the rigid structure of the cell nucleus, putting physical stress on the nucleus and contents within. In some cell types, this stress can cause DNA damage, but it is unknown whether such damage occurs during melanoma metastasis and how the cells respond to the damage that occurs. To better understand the damage caused by the stress of constricted migration, we used metastatic melanoma cell line, A375, and allowed it to undergo migration through 3, 5, and 12 μm pores. We studied two cell populations: a group of initial, inexperienced migrators (Parentals) and a group of trained, experienced migrators (Bottom- Round 10s). Both migrated and unmigrated cells were then stained for DNA damage, using the γH2Ax marker. Through immunofluorescence analysis, we can understand the extent to which DNA damage is caused at the various levels of constriction. Using previously collected RNA-seq data, we can consider whether DNA damage repair and response genes, and genes that are considered preferentially essential, are differentially expressed in experienced vs inexperienced migratory cells. These results help us understand how the genome responds to the physical stress of metastasis and what conditions result in DNA damage that might cause further mutations and cancer evolution in patients.

29. Exploration of Social Perception and Language Attitudes Towards Russian Accented-English at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Presenter: Aiyana Hamlin
Co-Presenter: Andrew Lee
Faculty Mentor: Hooman Saeli

The present study aimed to explore potential negative biases towards Russian-accented English stemming from exposure to such accents in the media. The data from the study were collected from students attending the University of Tennessee who had been exposed to Russian-accented English in the media (movies, TV, video games, etc.), using a questionnaire created in Qualtrics. The analysis showed that, on a 6-point scale (where 6 is the most favorable), Standard English accents received a slightly higher overall Status rating (Mean: 4.62) than Russian-accented speakers (Mean: 4.41). Interestingly, the Russian-accented English received a higher overall Solidarity rating (Mean: 3.80) than Standard English (Mean: 3.52). These results suggest that while listeners may grant a slight status advantage to non-Russian speakers, the general cinematic stereotype of the “cold and untrustworthy” Russian speaker is not expressly confirmed. In this limited sample, the Russian guises were collectively perceived as slightly more personable and approachable than the Standard English speakers.

30. Evaluating the role of Pga6 in Caspofungin-Mediated Unmasking in Candida albicans

Presenter: Lily Harper
Co-authors: Mikayla M. Mangrum, Alexander R. Truchon
Faculty Mentor: Todd Reynolds

Candida albicans, an opportunistic fungal pathogen found on human mucosal membranes, is a leading cause of hospital-acquired bloodstream infections. C. albicans, which is a dimorphic fungus, can shift between the yeast form, which is associated with dissemination and colonization throughout the host, and the hyphal form associated with host tissue damage and escaping phagocytosis. Importantly, both forms are required for pathogenesis. Previous work showed that treatment with caspofungin, an antifungal, alters the cell wall composition and kills the cell at higher concentrations and causes increased host recognition (unmasking) at some lower concentrations. Alterations to the cell wall that increase recognition may be mediated by the Mkc1 MAP kinase cell wall stress response pathways in yeast-form cells. However, this pathway appears dispensable in hyphae. Previously, we identified 6 genes that were differentially expressed in both yeast and hyphae when treated with caspofungin. After generating deletion mutant strains for each, it was determined that PGA6Δ/Δ showed robust unmasking in both yeast and hyphae using confocal microscopy. PGA6 is predicted to encode a cell wall associated, GPI-anchored protein, Pga6. To understand the function of Pga6, an over-expresser strain tagged with GFP-gamma was generated. This strain will be used to observe the localization and interactions of Pga6 to investigate the role of Pga6 broadly, and in mediating a response to caspofungin. Ultimately, determining key players in this host-pathogen interaction contributes to the improvement of existing and future treatments of C. albicans infections.

31. The Body Tells a Tale

Presenter: Kyndal Hazen
Faculty Mentor: Cole Hancock

Observation is at the core of creation, so if one lets it be so, every moment is an opportunity to discover a new beauty. This three-part visual series explores the minute details of hands passing through time and space. On a larger-than-life scale, the artists inner world is exposed by the changes of her own body. Prim and painted, picked and bleeding, smudged and worn. One’s body tells a story, and I am here to tell it.

32. The Role of Lactobacillus spp. in Modulating Group B Streptococcus Colonization

Presenter: Natalie Heaton
Co-author: Jéssica da Conceição Mendonça
Faculty Mentor: Lindsey Burcham

Interactions between microbes in host-associated communities play a significant role in maintaining human health, but the mechanisms by which microbes survive and colonize diverse niches are yet to be defined. In the vaginal tract, commensal Lactobacillus species are dominant and typically prevent pathogen colonization; however, they fail to completely inhibit colonization of opportunistic pathogens such as Group B Streptococcus (GBS). In this study, we aim to understand the impact of Lactobacillus spp. on GBS growth and virulence. Confocal microscopy imaging revealed structural changes in GBS chain formation when grown with Lactobacillus spp in a spatially separated co-culture system. To investigate their coexistence in vitro, we used a dual species biofilm model cultured in 5% CO2 or anaerobically. We observed that GBS growth was reduced in aerobic co-cultures, but GBS growth was completely inhibited in anoxic co-cultures, suggesting that oxygen and carbon dioxide may play a role in this interaction. Due to limited genetic tools available in vaginal lactobacilli species, we are optimizing electroporation protocols in Lactobacillus gasseri, towards a long-term goal of generating a transposon insertion mutant library. Altogether, these findings broaden our limited understanding of how Lactobacillus and GBS interact within the vaginal tract.

33. The Effect of Self-Affirmation on Introspection and Reporting of Racial Prejudice

Presenter: Cooper Henson
Faculty Mentor: Michael Olson

Past research suggests that failure to correct for automatic prejudice is common when individuals engage in social judgement and can be exacerbated by an over-reliance on automatic cognition (e.g., when distracted, tired, etc.). However, this failure of correction is not unique to individuals who engage in prejudice deliberately. Many egalitarian individuals who self-label as “progressive” are particularly vulnerable, as automatic prejudices are in direct conflict with their self-concept, thus leaving prejudices unconfronted. This research investigates the hypothesis that self-affirmation strategies, which have been shown to decrease defensiveness, will help facilitate racial attitude introspection. Participants (N = 355) responded to questionnaires assessing demographics and motives to control prejudice and then completed a priming task assessing automatic prejudice. Next, participants were randomly assigned to self-affirm or not before introspecting on their prejudice by writing about their potential negative feelings toward Black Americans. After coding their statements, we tested whether those who had self-affirmed would be less defensive and more open in their introspections compared to those that had not self-affirmed. Though data analysis is ongoing, support for our hypothesis would be reflected in a correlation between the initial priming task and statement codings among egalitarian individuals who self-affirmed.

34. Evaluating the Practical Efficiency and Robustness of the Microsoft SBOM Tool in Supply-Chain Defense

Presenter: Leon Hoang
Faculty Mentor: Doowon Kim

Supply-chain attacks are a critical cybersecurity threat that compromise applications by exploiting complex third-party dependencies. To defend against these attacks, the industry utilizes tools like the Microsoft Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) to automatically scan and inventory software components. However, the reliability of these tools remains unverified, with studies showing inconsistent vulnerability reports and susceptibility to active adversarial evasion. This quantitative research project evaluates the accuracy, confidence, and robustness of the Microsoft SBOM tool through a rigorous two-phased methodology. In Phase 1, the tool’s accuracy is assessed by scanning custom-designed Testing Repositories that feature varying complexities, nested dependencies, and mixed languages. These scan results are then compared against a manually tracked ground truth dataset to precisely quantify the tool’s detection rate. Phase 2 evaluates the tool’s robustness by actively deploying established evasion methods against it, including dependency confusion, typo-squatting, and parser confusion techniques. By analyzing the success rates of these evasion attempts, this study challenges the detection logic of the Microsoft SBOM tool under the mentorship of Dr. Doowan Kim. Ultimately, this research provides essential insights into the practical validity of current supply-chain defenses and highlights critical vulnerabilities in automated dependency mapping.

35. “Passion, Fate, and an Encomium of Medea: Applying Gorgias’ Encomium of Helen to Euripides’ Medea”

Presenter: Amanda G Hubbard
Faculty Mentor: Charlie Kuper

In his Encomium on Helen, sophist Gorgias devises a daring claim. He concludes that not only should Helen of Troy’s responsibility for the Trojan War be lessened, but in fact acquitted. Helen’s name was defiled for centuries, but he rather rejects accusations of her irresponsibility that transcended time. Helen is driven by force and did not leave Greece by her own accord— she is blameless. Medea may seem quite disparate, clever in her agency, yet still the envious harpy.

Euripides’ Medea exudes a strong sense of self-accountability, with humans possessing the will to act sensibly. The play thus depicts the disaster that unfolds when the dramatis personae refutes this will. Some consider Helen to have the blood of thousands on her conscience, but Medea’s hands are besmirched with the blood of her own veins. Scholars today debate whether Gorgias was ironic in his defense of Helen. Still, he provides a thoughtfully compelling defense which can certainly be applied to Medea.

In this paper, I reread Euripides’ presentation of Medea, referencing also ancient and modern literary theorists. As Gorgias assesses influences like love, passion, and divine force, his claim somehow feels shockingly modern. Rethinking how ire, justified and feminine, in Euripides’ Medea is diminished to feminine irrationality fosters discourse which will contribute to reversing millennia of misogyny in Classics. Medea’s situation was impossible, yet it was much simpler to decry her as an infuriated woman. Perhaps it is time to alleviate the blame attributed to Medea as well. (247)

36. Membrane Regulation of the Intracellular Region of EphA2

Presenter: Henry Humble
Co-author: Daniela Ruvalcaba Hidrogo
Faculty Mentor: Francisco Barrera

The receptor tyrosine kinase EphA2 is a key regulator of cell-cell communication and is frequently implicated in driving malignancy in aggressive cancers such as melanoma and lung cancer. The intracellular region (ICR) of EphA2 contains a kinase domain, and a SAM domain connected by disordered linkers that may mediate regulatory conformational changes. However, the membrane-binding behavior of the ICR remains poorly understood. We hypothesize that ICR interacts with the plasma membrane, potentially regulating signaling by masking phosphorylation sites.

This ongoing project seeks to determine whether the EphA2 ICR forms stable membrane interactions that occlude phosphorylation sites, or if its dynamic behavior permits regulated phosphorylation during activation. We have successfully purified the EphA2-ICR and conjugated the protein to an NBD fluorophore, enabling high-sensitivity fluorescence quantification of membrane proximity. Currently, we are utilizing synthetic liposomes of defined compositions to assess the binding affinity of the ICR. We also seek to investigate how negatively charged lipids such as PIP2 influence binding via electrostatic interactions with positively charged residues in the ICR. These interactions could orient the kinase or SAM domains and in turn influence signaling. Finally, to link membrane interactions to function, we will perform kinase assays to establish how membrane association impacts enzymatic activity. Ultimately, these measurements will define the functional effects of ICR-membrane binding. Understanding these regulatory interactions could inform the development of therapeutics that disrupt oncogenic EphA2 signaling by modulating its membrane association or accessibility to kinases.

37. How Enrichment Aesthetic Shapes Zoo Visitor Perceptions of Chimpanzee Behavior and Conservation

Presenter: John Humphrey
Faculty Mentor: Elizabeth Derryberry

Public perceptions of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are shaped by the context in which they are viewed. Prior research shows that images of chimpanzees with people or in human-like settings can distort how people perceive their suitability as a pet and their conservation status. This raises questions about how unnatural enrichment provided to zoo-housed chimpanzees might influence public perception of the apes, especially when items resemble human objects. In this study, we investigated how the aesthetic of enrichment—natural versus non-natural— provided to chimpanzees living at the Chattanooga Zoo in Tennessee impacts visitor perceptions of chimpanzee behavior and conservation. Enrichment items were selected to elicit five species-specific behaviors, and they came in natural and non-natural forms for each goal behavior. Each day, chimpanzees received one type of enrichment in their habitat, and adult zoo visitors were invited to complete a survey while observing the apes. We analyzed visitor responses and determined (1) enrichment aesthetic does not impact visitor perceptions of chimpanzee behavior, conservation, or pet suitability, (2) visitors most commonly associate chimpanzees with a conservation status of vulnerable in contrast to their actual status as endangered, and (3) as visitors associate chimpanzees with a more threatened conservation status, they show more support for conservation organizations. Our findings provide insight into how enrichment aesthetics may influence visitor perceptions of animals and support broader conservation education goals held by zoos.

38. The Impact of Online Renter Education on Eviction

Presenter: Sydnie Kingman
Faculty Mentor: Stephanie Casey Pierce

Though eviction remains a major source of housing instability in the United States, little causal research evaluates renter education as a preventative measure, particularly in online formats. In this study, we compare take-up rates and participant composition between an in-person renter education workshop and a similar online version, both of which aim to educate renters about their rights, responsibilities, and conflict resolution. Preliminary results reveal a significant difference in take-up between in-person and online modalities: just 9.1% of treatment-assigned participants attended the in-person workshop, whereas 47.5% of treatment-assigned participants completed the online workshop. Next, we use a randomized controlled trial to determine whether participation in an online renter education workshop improves housing stability by reducing the risk of eviction. We randomly assigned 1,191 tenants seeking rental assistance from a Franklin County agency to treatment and control groups. We then analyze reported evictions, displacement, food security, children’s academic performance, and mental health for participants six months later. Building on existing literature linking eviction to long-term economic and social harm, our project aims to inform policymakers and public administrators seeking feasible, low-cost, scalable strategies to help prevent eviction and promote long-term housing security among vulnerable renters.

39. GenAI Methods for Applications in Plant Morphology

Presenter: Andrew Kukkapalli
Co-Presenters: Sally Hoyt, Ella Kendall, Rondi Quass
Faculty Mentor: Ionnis Sgouralis

Plant morphology is the study of plant structure and form which is essential in Biology and Agriculture. Shape reconstruction is the process of creating a digital representation of an object’s geometry, from discrete data such as images, point clouds, or various sensor measurements and plays a crucial role in modern plant morphology studies that use data to digitally recreate continuous plant structures and quantify their morphology. Generative AI (GenAI) is an emerging family of artificial intelligence models that apply advanced mathematics and machine learning algorithms to produce abstract representations of geometrical shapes based on patterns learned from data. GenAI can enhance the accuracy of shape reconstruction, especially for applications in plant morphology, by filling gaps caused by missing data or simulating realistic structures for virtual geometries. In this project, we apply GenAI and train specialized GANs to develop novel methods to study plant morphology.

40. Molecular Dynamics Simulations of E. Coli Chromosome Segregation across Cell Diameters and Replication Fractions

Presenter: Abigail Larson
Faculty Mentor: Jaan Mannik

In eukaryotic cells, the mitotic spindle is responsible for DNA segregation during cell division. Prokaryotic cells do not contain this spindle; instead, the segregation process is thought to be driven by entropic forces arising from macromolecular crowding and excluded-volume interactions within the cell. However, this entropic mechanism alone cannot fully account for segregation, and the additional driving forces are not yet entirely understood. This project investigates this segregation process further by using molecular dynamics simulations of Escherichia coli DNA. These computational simulations modeled DNA segregation while excluding reaction–diffusion systems to analyze how DNA behavior is influenced by varying cell parameters. Simulations were run across varying cell diameters and replication fractions, and results were analyzed to identify potential trends in chromosome segregation. The results suggest a possible correlation between the centralization time of the terminus (ter) region and cell diameter: as cell diameter increases, ter centralization time decreases. These findings provide insight into how cell geometry and replication state may contribute to chromosome segregation and DNA replication in prokaryotic cells. Future work will incorporate reaction–diffusion systems into the simulations to further evaluate their role in this process, and these model predictions can eventually be tested and verified by experimentation.

41. Maternal Choline May Prevent Prenatal Stress-Induced Cognitive and Emotional Dysfunction via Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Modulation

Presenter: Lindsay Leblanc
Co-authors: Isabel Davis, Alayna Webb
Faculty Mentor: Kalynn Schulz

Choline is an essential dietary nutrient crucial to neurodevelopment. Maternal choline deficiency is associated with cognitive and behavioral delays in children, while higher maternal choline levels are associated with better neurodevelopment in children. Previously, we prevented the development of anxiety-like behavior due to prenatal stress in offspring by increasing dietary choline in pregnant rodents. However, the specific mechanisms behind the protective effects of choline are unknown. Cholinergic receptors are a promising route, as they are heavily expressed in the amygdala, a brain region involved in emotion and behavior. Therefore, this study investigates whether providing choline supplementation to the maternal diet can prevent alterations of cholinergic receptor expression in the amygdala. Twenty-four Sprague–Dawley rats received either standard chow or choline‑supplemented chow during pregnancy and lactation. Half of the dams in both diet groups experienced prenatal stress during their final week of pregnancy. All offspring were weaned onto a standard diet, and brains from 82 adult rats were collected, bound with a radioactive ligand to visualize receptors, and imaged. We are quantifying receptor expression in the amygdala using ImageJ software. Ongoing analyses will compare expression across sex, stress exposure, and dietary condition. If choline protects against the effects of prenatal stress on amygdala development, then we expect stressed animals receiving maternal choline supplementation to show normalized cholinergic receptor expression, whereas stressed animals without choline will exhibit altered expression. This pattern will implicate cholinergic receptors as a possible mechanism for choline’s protective effects, warranting further investigation.

42. Framing Chinese Gold Miners in the Daily Alta California (1852–1855): A News Framing Analysis

Presenter: Weiqi Li
Faculty Mentor: Heather Coker Hawkins

This study focuses on the media construction of the image of Chinese gold miners in American local newspapers during the enactment of the Foreign Miners’ Tax Act. It takes the Daily Alta California, a representative San Francisco newspaper, as a typical case for analysis. The research addresses three key questions:1) First, what kind of image of Chinese gold miners emerged in the aftermath of the 1850 Foreign Miners’ Tax Act? 2) How did western American local newspapers, represented by the Daily Alta California, portray Chinese gold miners in their reporting? 3) How did these newspapers construct a negative image of Chinese gold miners through the four dimensions of news framing and guide public acceptance of such portrayals, thereby contributing to the institutionalized exclusion of Chinese gold miners? This study aims to examine the media construction of Chinese immigrant’s identity and policy discourse.

43. Clinical Judgment Under Threat: A Qualitative Study of OB/GYNs Navigating Ethics and Law in Post-Dobbs Tennessee.

Presenter: Perri Mahfouz
Faculty Mentor: De Ann Pendry

This qualitative research study investigates how physicians in Tennessee navigate their clinical, ethical, and emotional responsibilities in the post-Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization legal landscape. Drawing on ongoing semi-structured interviews with OB/GYN physicians across Tennessee, this study inquires: What ethical and emotional responsibilities do doctors feel? How does the post-Dobbs legal climate in Tennessee influence their capacity to deliver treatment? While numerous studies discuss the effects of abortion limits on patients, race, and policy, few focus on the experiences of providers negotiating this changing environment. Focusing on doctors, this study aims to address a void in medical anthropology and law by investigating how state laws are at odds with their clinical judgment and how it impacts individuals required to maintain ethical and medical norms. Understanding these experiences adds to anthropological theories in embodiment and structural violence, to medical ethics, and to legal controversies on privacy and speech. In addition to contributing to the study of embodiment and structural violence, the project also speaks to broader legal debates on free speech, informed consent, and the erosion of medical discretion. By documenting physicians lived experiences, the study offers a grounded account of the chilling effects of abortion criminalization and how law becomes embodied in the clinical encounter.

44. Understanding Aminoglycoside Antibiotic Resistance Through pH-Dependent Catalysis in AAC Enzymes

Presenter: Daniella Martin
Co‑Presenter: Cooper White
Co-authors: Cooper White, Edward Wright, Hong Guo, Adua Rahman, Elsie Adams
Faculty Mentor: Olena Korotych

Antibiotic resistance is a growing global health challenge, with enzymatic modification of aminoglycoside antibiotics among the most prevalent mechanisms employed by virulent pathogens. Aminoglycoside‑modifying enzymes (AGMEs) catalyze N ‑acetylation, phosphorylation, or nucleotidylation of aminoglycosides; their broad substrate specificity renders multiple drugs ineffective in clinical settings. Among AGMEs, aminoglycoside acetyltransferases (AACs) play critical roles in resistance by transforming diverse antibiotics using acetyl-CoA. Based on modelling results, isoform-specific differences in substrate specificity and catalytic efficiency of AACs are proposed to reflect pH-dependent changes in active-site residues. To evaluate this, we are characterizing two AAC isoforms, AAC(3 )‑IIIb and AAC(3)‑VIa, from Escherichia coli over the pH range 6.5 to 8.5 using spectrophotometrically monitored steady-state kinetic analyses and isothermal titration calorimetry to compare their thermodynamic and catalytic parameters. Compared to aminoglycosides such as sisomicin and ribostamycin, the activity of AAC(3’)‑VIa on gentamicin B, in which a key amine is replaced by a hydroxyl group, remains unexplored. By determining the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of kanamycin and gentamicin for each AAC isoform, we aim to define how substrate functional groups and enzyme ionization states influence the specificity and catalytic efficiency of AAC enzymes. Preliminary results demonstrate distinct pH‑dependent activity profiles and substrate preferences for AAC(3)‑IIIb and AAC(3)‑VIa.

45. Handcrafting Heritage: Women’s Reform Work and the Construction of an Idealized American Past at the Pi Beta Phi Settlement School of Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Presenter: Margaret Martz
Faculty Mentor: Jessica Wilkerson

My history honors thesis, Handcrafting Heritage, examines Gatlinburg’s Pi Beta Phi Settlement School and its handicraft program, Arrowcraft, as an example of how early twentieth-century reformers implemented the national mission to construct an idealized American people and past in Appalachia through gendered handicraft. This project situates the Arrowcraft program within the landscape of the Appalachian Handicraft Revival to examine the ideological motivations of early-twentieth-century cultural reform as manifest in the Pi Beta Phi Settlement School. The thesis is grounded in archival research conducted at Hodges Special Collections, using a wide variety of written sources, including promotional materials, correspondence, and reports from the Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women’s internal journal, The Arrow. These sources are analyzed alongside relevant historiography to answer the question: How did the women who founded the Pi Beta Phi Settlement School define their mission, and how did their perceptions of Appalachia influence its implementation in the Arrowcraft program between Pi Beta Phi’s founding in 1912 and 1931, when Arrowcraft became a charter member of the Southern Mountain Handicraft Guild? Ultimately, Handcrafting Heritage argues that the Arrowcraft program served as a cultural instrument through which early-twentieth-century female reformers disseminated a construction of Appalachian culture crafted by contemporary reform leaders to serve the narratives of upper- and middle-class white Americans.

46. Neutrality Under Fire: The ICRC, the Holocaust, and Postwar Moral Reckoning

Presenter: Tori McCall
Faculty Mentor: Margaret Andersen

This thesis examines how the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) constructed and defended its wartime conduct during the Holocaust, and how it has since reassessed that record. Founded in nineteenth-century Switzerland and grounded in a doctrine of neutrality dependent on state consent, the ICRC entered the Second World War operating within legal conventions that prioritized prisoners of war and narrowly defined categories of civilian internees. Jews targeted for systematic extermination did not fit securely within this legal architecture.

Drawing on ICRC wartime correspondence, internal memoranda, the organization’s 1948 report on its activities, contemporary critiques from figures such as Gerhart Riegner of the World Jewish Congress, and recent institutional statements describing its record as a “moral failure,” this study asks: how did neutrality function in the face of genocide, and why has its meaning changed over time? I argue that genocide exposed the structural limits of a humanitarianism built on state consent. While the ICRC adhered to its mandate to preserve access and diplomatic standing, those same commitments constrained its response to systematic annihilation. The postwar designation of “moral failure” reflects not simply retrospective condemnation, but a transformation in the moral and legal expectations governing humanitarian action. By tracing this evolution, the project interrogates the limits of neutrality and considers what genocide continues to demand of humanitarian institutions.

47. Stereotyping Minority Women for Food Advertising in America

Presenter: Jayla McNeill
Faculty Mentor: Jessica Freeman

Advertising has a way of influencing its viewers, not only with what to buy, but with what to believe. Throughout my presentation I will go through commonly known and loved characters presented in food advertisements that are the reinforcements of racial stereotypes. Sue Bee Honey and the Land O Lakes Native American women are visualization of the innocent and pure stereotype pushed unto native Americans. They are an erasure of colonization and serve to romanticize their trauma. Aunt Jemima is a representation of a happy slave who is ready to work and is content with not being treated the same as the white family members. She is also an erasure of African American struggles during the Jim Crow era, and show to white American viewers that the black woman should be limited to domestic life. Throughout this presentation I challenge the reader to think of their own assumptions about these groups of people, and see if the advertisements not only worked for us to buy the products but for us to buy the beliefs.

48. Loewner Hulls Driven by Two Complex Constants

Presenter: Megan Meece
Co‑Presenter: Dan Primka
Faculty Mentor: Joan Lind

The Loewner equation is a foundational tool in complex analysis that describes the evolution of conformal maps and growing hulls, or curves, in the complex plane. We consider the Loewner equation with two constant complex driving functions and our goal is to determine the geometry of the resulting hulls. Each driver has an associated ”weight,” such that the sum of the weights is equal to 1, which corresponds to the driver’s contribution to the growth of the hull. To visualize the hulls, we created a program called the Multiple Vertical Slit Algorithm (MVSA), based on approximating the hulls as vertical slits on small intervals and then applying appropriate conformal maps to simulate the flow of the differential equation. In conjunction with the simulations, we used various analytical methods to understand hull behavior. In the case when the drivers are equally weighted, we proved that the geometry of the hulls can be classified in three regimes. This classification result utilizes various hull properties and an analysis of the hull on small time intervals. Currently, we are studying the non-equally weighted case. From the simulations generated by the MVSA program, we developed conjectures about the hull geometry. In particular, we conjecture that the hulls can be classified by thirteen geometric regimes. While there are some similarities to the previous case, the unequal weights add complexity to the computations and proofs, which are a work in progress.

49. Low Dose Vitamin B12-derived Radiochemotherapy for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) Treatment

Presenter: Kevan Mehta
Faculty Mentor: Jennifer Shell

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has a poor prognosis because it is often detected late and is difficult to treat with current therapies. New approaches are needed that better target tumors while reducing harmful side effects. Visible and near-infrared light–activated treatments allow controlled drug release but cannot penetrate deeply into tissue. In contrast, X-ray radiation can reach deep-seated tumors and may serve as a practical trigger for localized drug activation. This project studies vitamin B12–based drug conjugates as radiation-activated chemotherapy platforms. Vitamin B12 naturally accumulates in rapidly growing tumors, allowing selective delivery of therapeutic cargo. Previous PDAC studies demonstrated tumor targeting, radiation-induced cancer cell death, and greater tumor margin reduction compared to radiation therapy alone when drugs were attached to the B12 platform. Using a fluorescent reporter system, we observed cargo release from the B12 scaffold at X-ray doses comparable to those used in CT imaging, rather than requiring higher-dose radiation from a therapeutic linear accelerator. Because CT imaging is already used for PDAC diagnosis and staging, this strategy may reduce radiation exposure and treatment burden. Ongoing studies will evaluate drug release using fluorescent reporters, mass spectrometry, and UV-Vis spectroscopy to support development of safer, targeted cancer therapies.

50. Sounds of Fear: The Evolving Role of Music in Horror Films of the Last 100 Years

Presenter: Ashley Melvin
Faculty Mentor: Ryan Lindveit

Music has been an integral part of horror films for as long as the genre has existed. Some horror scores have grown to have a cultural presence beyond the films themselves and are often referenced even in a non-horror context to evoke the concepts of horror. These pieces of music can be said to represent the horror genre’s musical “topic,” a collection of musical qualities and archetypes that are culturally associated with non-musical themes and concepts. In this paper, I analyze the music of several horror films, released between 1935 and 2025, through the lenses of multiple musical frameworks, including harmony, orchestration, and synchrony with the visuals of the film. Through close analysis of these scores, I form a definition of horror as a musical topic and trace its development, transformation, and hybridization from a diachronic perspective across a corpus of nearly a century of U.S. films.

51. Investigating the Role of Superoxide Dismutase in Group B Streptococcus Vaginal Colonization

Presenter: Ryan Mesler
Faculty Mentor: Lindsey Burcham

Streptococcus agalactiae (or Group B Streptococcus, GBS) is a Gram-positive, opportunistic pathogen that is known to asymptomatically colonize the gastrointestinal and vaginal tracts and is known to cause adverse infection-induced pregnancy outcomes worldwide. To successfully colonize, GBS can utilize the enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) to overcome reactive oxygen species (ROS) stress produced by the host immune system. In the context of GBS colonization in the vaginal tract, the role of SodA is understudied. Following our observations of delayed growth within a sodA transposon mutant strain compared to our wild type (WT) strain, in vitro assays revealed significant reduction of GBS sodA::tn invasion and intracellular survival in vaginal and endocervical cells, supporting the hypothesis that SodA is necessary for successful host interactions during colonization. To investigate the critical role of manganese as a SodA co-factor, we induced superoxide stress using paraquat and our results indicated that GBS requires functional SodA co-factored with available manganese to successfully detoxify oxidative stress. Isothermal calorimetry (ITC) data support this finding, showing significantly greater binding affinity of recombinant SodA protein to manganese than iron, an inhibitory metal cofactor. Furthermore, we observed decreased vaginal colonization in the sodA:tn mutant strain when compared to WT, indicating the importance of this metalloenzyme in oxidatively challenging environments within the host. This study lays the framework to better understand the mechanisms GBS employs to persist within host environments.

52. Punk Culture as a Tool of Resistance in Socialist Yugoslavia

Presenter: Bethany Moore
Faculty Mentor: Victor Petrov

By the 1980’s, Yugoslavia’s decades of social and economic prosperity had deteriorated into a culture of underlying political tension and growing discontent. Josip Tito, the sole leader of Yugoslavia’s socialist government, had died in 1980, leaving an uncertain government in his wake, resulting in a political power struggle and national crackdowns across the country. Amidst social regression and impending economic collapse, major cultural services and arts such as music became key factors in maintaining national pride and confidence. Rock, originally a western import, as well as popular radio music, widely toed the party line, adhering to regime rules regarding media and distribution thereof. In the wake of rock music’s assimilation to the Regime’s restrictive censorship laws, Punk culture, another export from the West (albeit much more niche), made its way through Yugoslavia’s major northern metropolitan areas. Huddling in industrial cities, Yugoslav punk music advanced into the early 1980’s with aggressive basslines and contentious lyrical content. As punk culture spread into the greater Yugoslav artistic and academic scene, congregating in cities like Ljubljana and Belgrade, punk culture became a catchall for political divisiveness, encapsulating all feelings of social, civil, and economic discontent. Relying both on visual and audio media, Yugoslav punks adapted a Western artistic movement and molded their themes of revolt and discontent to express their resistance within an ever more constrictive socialist regime.

53. The Implications of the New Covenant Health Park Baseball Stadium on Surrounding Communities

Presenter: Layla Moore
Faculty Mentor: Stephanie Casey Pierce

In 2025 a new baseball stadium opened in Knoxville, TN in an area previously known as The Bottom. This $114 million investment made possible through a public-private partnership involving the City of Knoxville, Knox County and investors, has been touted as an effort to revitalize Knoxville by promoting new economic development. The Bottom, a historically Black and immigrant neighborhood was demolished during Urban Renewal in the mid-20th century, displacing hundreds of households and businesses but leading to a booming downtown. However, research suggests that economic spillovers from stadium projects are often overstated; these projects frequently prioritize downtown aesthetics and tourism over the well-being of surrounding communities, leading to uneven benefits and the neglect of residents’ needs. In this project, I examine the social and cultural implication of the Covenant Health Park Baseball stadium through citizens’ perception of the new stadium and its impacts on their community. Through semi-structured interviews with 15-20 Knoxville citizens interrogating the changes they have observed in their communities and businesses. Transcriptions of these interviews will be coded for sentiments among participants. This research contributes to literature on the legacy of urban renewal in southern cities and local efforts to implement equitable economic policies.

54. Two Waves: The Story of Lebanese Americans

Presenter: Anthony Nakhoul
Faculty Mentor: Marina Maccari-Clayton

This thesis looks at the economic paths of Lebanese immigrants to the United States across two major migration waves: the first wave (1880-1920) and the second/civil war wave (1975-1990). It argues that Lebanese immigrants’ occupational paths were influenced both by their pre-migration economic conditions and by the uneven influence of earlier Lebanese American communities. While first-wave immigrants often joined the American economy through peddling and small-scale entrepreneurship, later immigrants during the Lebanese Civil War came across a different social and economic perspective. Using primary interviews with second-wave immigrants alongside secondary scholarship on migration and Lebanese American history, this study analyzes how established communities sometimes helped with newcomers’ integration, while in other cases offering limited support. By comparing the educational backgrounds and community networks of both waves, this project shows variation rather than total success. This contributes to a more nuanced understanding of Lebanese American economic adjustment and the limits of ethnic community support in shaping the outcomes for immigrants.

55. Cysteine-Responsive Lipid Switches for Enhanced Liposomal Delivery

Presenter: Vu Nguyen
Co‑author: Caitlyn Lindell
Faculty Mentor: Michael Best

Liposomes utilize lipid bilayers to encapsulate therapeutics, yet achieving site-specific release remains a challenge. This study develops a novel cysteine-responsive lipid, CL-3, using a charge-balance strategy to enhance delivery in cancer environments where cysteine is significantly upregulated. The CL-3 lipid was synthesized via a multi-step route featuring a DOPE scaffold, achieving an 80% yield in the final conjugation step. Characterization techniques included NMR spectroscopy to verify structural integrity, alongside TLC to monitor reaction progress. Liposomes were prepared through film formation, hydration, and extrusion. Stability and stimulus-responsiveness were evaluated using Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) to monitor changes in zeta potential and size upon addition of 2 mM cysteine. Results indicated promising potential formulations; however, observed instability necessitated a successful resynthesis of CL-3. Future work will restart liposome studies using the resynthesized lipid to optimize the delivery approach.

56. Federal Policy’s Effect on Primary Care: An East Tennessee Provider’s Perspective

Presenter: Andrew Ohsiek
Faculty Mentor: Tami Wyatt

In a region as vulnerable and disparaged as Tennessee Appalachia, healthcare can be a fragile reality for many individuals. More recently, changes brought on by the Trump administration and the Big Beautiful Bill Act in the health sector have threatened the already fragile system of American healthcare. In this fragile system, primary care physicians play a valuable role in the delivery of health outcomes and public perception of the American health system. As a result, this study aims to explore the perceptions of primary care physicians of recent federal healthcare changes to identify common themes of public health opinion. This study utilizes a qualitative analysis of a mixture of survey and interview results from 60 primary care physicians in Northeast Tennessee, discussing demographic information, federal health policy effects, and comparison of policy sectors. This study assumes that primary care physicians in Northeast Tennessee will view recent federal healthcare policy overwhelmingly negatively, with increased rurality as a negative predictor of this opinion. The findings of this study may suggest that Tennessee Appalachian primary care providers are discouraged with the current state of healthcare, and these perceptions could have major effects on the general public’s opinion. Healthcare policy needs to serve all, but in one of America’s most vulnerable regions, it appears that it is falling short.

57. Density-Dependent Disruption of Plant–Mycorrhizal Networks by an Allelopathic Invader

Presenter: Sean O’Gorman
Faculty Mentor: Stephanie Kivlin

Invasive plant species are disrupting ecological communities worldwide. Although effects of invasion are well documented aboveground, invasive plants also impact belowground communities, disrupting connections among native plants and their mycorrhizal fungal symbionts. These effects are often context dependent, based on the location of the invasion, density of native and invasive species, and time since invasion. A network-based approach that is agnostic to species composition and is scalable over space and time can be used to standardize below ground impacts. Specifically, bipartite network analyses can allow visualization and quantification of plant–fungal relationships and evaluation of community stability and specificity.

We assayed native plant-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal networks in experimental plots with or without the presence of an allelopathic invader, Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard). We compared plots where A. petiolata has been continuously removed since 2006 with invaded plots, sampling in 2018 and 2024 across five sites. We assayed the following network parameters indicative of network stability and specificity: linkage density, modularity, interaction asymmetry and interaction evenness. Factorial analyses showed inconsistent invasion effects on these metrics. However, after accounting for spatial and temporal variation in invader density, invasion was consistently negatively correlated with linkage density, interaction asymmetry, and interaction evenness, and positively correlated with modularity. These trends suggest that more dense invasions lead to less stable native plant-mycorrhizal fungal networks over time and space [SN1.1]. Our approach suggests that incorporating a network-based approach can unify inconsistent signals of the impacts of invasion belowground, resulting in a clear signal of belowground plant-mycorrhizal fungal disruption.

58. Quantifying Polyamine Metabolism in the Kidney via HPLC-HRMS

Presenter: Doreen Parit
Co‑Presenter: Sydney Doak
Faculty Mentor: Shawn Campagna

Polyamines (PA) exist naturally in mammalian tissue and aid in cellular proliferation, protein synthesis, autophagy, and redox homeostasis as antioxidants. These also regulate aging processes, including cellular growth and cognitive ability. This study investigates the derivatization-free quantification of the biosynthetic pathway associated with PA and the immediate precursors and downstream products within the kidney matrix. Through a HPLC-HRMS workflow, absolute quantification was performed on putrescine (PUT), spermidine (SPD), and spermine (SPM) within both human and SD rat kidneys. Donors from these samples varied in both age and sex providing means to evaluate feature detection across a variety of conditions. The method resolved the key PA and amino acid metabolites through reverse phased (RP) and ion-exchange (IEX) mechanisms to provide a data dependent workflow. Successful extraction, separation, and detection conditions allowed for a reproducible workflow; this provides a robust direct quantification of the selected PA and relative quantification through data dependent acquisition of detected small molecule polar metabolites. By eliminating the need to derivatize PA, experimental bias was minimized and aided in characterizing a broader metabolome associated with the renal tissue.

59. Characterizing PhyR in the General Stress Response Pathway of Azospirillum brasilense

Presenter: Om Patel
Co‑author: Hahley Wiltse
Faculty Mentor: Gladys Alexandre

Azospirillum brasilense is a common plant-growth-promoting soil bacteria that has been shown to enhance the growth of many staple crops such as wheat, barley, sorghum, etc. It is important to study this bacterium’s physiology to understand how to improve bio-inoculation for crops and because bacterial stress responses are essential for survival in the rhizosphere. An example of this is the general stress response pathway in A. brasilense. The purpose of this project is to characterize a member of the general stress response, PhyR, to be able to understand this pathway better. We combine computational tools such as gene synteny and phylogeny analyses, and wet lab techniques, such as protein activity assays and Bacterial Two Hybrid (BacTH) assay. PhyR has been characterized in other alphaproteobacterial species that are related to A. brasilense, which provides a framework to characterize PhyR in A. brasilense using these techniques. We hypothesize that PhyR will stop the repression of the general stress response pathway and allow the pathway to be active during times of stress. Characterizing PhyR will help us understand the general stress response regulation of A. brasilense.

60. High-Light Induction of a Carotenoid-Binding Lipoprotein Coupled to Photosystem I Dimer→Tetramer Oligomerization

Presenter: Kush Patel
Co‑author: Mahipal Rao
Faculty Mentor: Barry Bruce

High-light growth of Chroococcidiopsis sp. TS-821 drives strong accumulation of thylakoid carotenoids, including ROS-protective ketocarotenoids/xanthophylls (echinenone, canthaxanthin, myxoxanthophyll). PSI tetramers purified from high-light thylakoids are enriched in the same pigments, consistent with selective recruitment and/or stabilization within the tetrameric PSI state. Proteomics of the high-light PSI tetramer identifies a previously unrecognized lipoprotein with a triacylated N-terminus, consistent with a membrane-anchored bacterial lipoprotein. Native mass spectrometry shows direct binding of a carotenoid mixture with ~four pigments per protein sequence-based modeling suggests an apolipoprotein-like fold that could package hydrophobic antioxidants We hypothesize TS-821 deploys an apolipoprotein-like carotenoid recruitment/stabilization system during photoprotection, potentially coupled to PSI dimer->tetramer oligomerization. Cells will be grown under control vs high light (800 umol photons m-2 s-1), thylakoids isolated, and pigment-protein assemblies fractionated by sucrose density gradients and SEC to isolate carotenoid-rich PSI tetramers and the lipoprotein with minimal pigment loss. Pigment identities and absolute loadings will be quantified by HPLC/UPLC (standards) and cross-validated by native MS to resolve occupancy distributions and heterogeneity. Structural organization will be pursued by cryo-EM and integrative modeling supported by crosslinking-MS and targeted mutagenesis. RNA-seq and quantitative proteomics time courses after light upshift will test whether transcriptional induction of the lipoprotein and carotenoid pathways coincides with PSI tetramer formation and pigment enrichment. Because this protein binds defined ketocarotenoids with measurable stoichiometry, it may also shed new insight into how dietary carotenoids are packaged and mobilized in mammals from the gut to carotenoid-enriched targets such as the brain and visual system.

61. Women’s Work and Mountain Missions: Helen Dingman’s Missionary Theory in Appalachia

Presenter: Emma Patterson
Faculty Mentor: Luke Harlow

In 1916, Helen Hastie Dingman traveled to East Tennessee as a Presbyterian Church volunteer and, in 1917, was tasked with establishing a permanent mission in Harlan County, Kentucky. From 1917 to 1922, she worked as a missionary and reformer, shaping her approach to Appalachian reform.

During the Progressive Era, Appalachia was widely portrayed as isolated and impoverished, attracting reformers—many of them women—seeking meaningful work. While these efforts often reinforced stereotypes, they also addressed real community needs.

This study argues that Dingman developed a missionary approach grounded in her experiences and relationships in Kentucky, emphasizing community development. Her early work influenced her later leadership in regional reform and offers insight into broader twentieth-century perceptions of Appalachia.

62. On ABP Estimates for a Class of Quasi-linear Elliptic Equations in Divergence Form and Applications

Presenter: Jack Peltier
Co‑author: Junyuan Fang
Faculty Mentor: Tuoc Phan

We study a class of elliptic equations in divergence form in which the differential operators depend nonlinearly on spatial variables and gradients of solutions. Under sufficient conditions, a theorem on Alexandrov-Bakelman-Pucci type estimates for solutions is proved. Estimates for solutions to a class of minimal surface equations are given as applications of the theorem.

63. College Students’ Attitudes Towards Professors with Non-standard English Accents

Presenter: Micaela Primeaux
Co‑Presenter: Roberto Alamillo
Faculty Mentor: Hooman Saeli

The conducted sociolinguistic study aimed to explore college students’ attitudes towards professors with non-standard English accents. The college students selected were from colleges in the Southeastern United States. The primary focuses were those professors’ intelligibility and friendliness. The thirty-three participants responded to a questionnaire with seven different English accents to listen to. The means of the results ranged within a 0.66 difference from highest to lowest intelligibility and within a 0.3 difference from highest to lowest friendliness. Participants’ reasonings for these scores were influenced by each speaker’s tone and pronunciation during each of their audio clips rather than the accents of the speakers.

64. The Legacy Collection of Kehleifeh, Understanding the ASOR Archives

Presenter: Gabrielle Puckett
Faculty Mentor: Erin Darby

The Kheleifeh Digitization Project aims to improve accessibility for researchers and cultural heritage managers to the records of the Nelson Glueck excavations (1938-1940) of Tell el-Kheleifeh in southern Jordan. The project is a joint effort between the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and the University of Wyoming, where the ASOR archives are currently held. Although the American Heritage Center (AHC) is an invaluable resource in the curation of ASOR affiliated early twentieth century excavation records, for sites like Kheleifeh researchers are not able to access remotely a master registration list that would help them identify whether particular classes of objects were uncovered or which AHC records might be relevant to their interests. As only a portion of the site’s artifacts have been published, a large amount of material culture from Kheleifeh is currently excluded from scholarly discussion.

Nevertheless, even without complete publication, Kheleifeh plays a prominent role in scholarly attempts to understand the geopolitical organization of southern Israel and Jordan, particularly in the Iron IIB-C. In view of the site’s significance, this paper will introduce researchers to the ASOR archive resources at the AHC and report the outcomes of Phase 1 (2025-2026) of the Kheleifeh Digitization Project, which aims to produce an online registration list of the site’s artifacts to be made available to the public for future research. The paper will also provide specific examples of the way unpublished artifacts from the Kheleifeh records might impact our understanding of the site and its role in Iron IIB-C.

65. Cryo-EM Image Analysis of a Glycan-Targeting Peptide–Antibody Fusion

Presenter: Hamza Ranjha
Faculty Mentor: Elias Fernandez

Glycan–protein interactions regulate diverse biological processes, from cell signaling to viral entry. The specificity of these interactions arises from the remarkable structural heterogeneity of glycans. For example, distinct heparan sulfate motifs are associated with disease states, including highly sulfated species implicated in amyloidosis. Here, we investigate a heparan sulfate–targeting peptide that selectively recognizes amyloid-associated glycans. For therapeutic development, this peptide has been fused to an IgG antibody, generating a molecule suitable for structural analysis by cryogenic electron microscopy (cryoEM). For the structural characterization of glycan recognition, we utilize sulfated heparin as a defined experimental mimic of amyloid-associated heparan sulfate. This work focuses on optimizing cryoEM image analysis workflows, including particle picking and classification, to improve reconstruction quality of the peptide–heparin complex. Our long-term goal is to obtain a sub–3 Å structure for this peptide–heparin interaction. To date, no high-resolution structures of peptide–heparin complexes have been reported. Resolving the structural determinants of glycan recognition will advance our understanding of binding specificity and inform future therapeutic strategies targeting sulfated glycans.

66. Investigation of Hydrologic and Geochemical Variability in an Impaired Urban Waterway

Presenter: Hannah Rich
Co‑Presenter: Jonathan Kitchen
Faculty Mentor: Amy Robinson

Third Creek is a small urban tributary that flows through Tyson Park in Knoxville, Tennessee, before entering the Tennessee River, and is currently listed as impaired. As urban development across Knoxville and the University of Tennessee campus continues to expand, monitoring how water quality changes along the creek is increasingly important for understanding pollutant sources and supporting restoration efforts. This study investigates hydrologic and geochemical variability between upstream and downstream reaches of Third Creek. Upstream of Tyson Park, water inputs reflect a mix of stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces, urban infrastructure, and residential land use, with potential contributions from groundwater. Within the park, the creek transitions toward more natural soil–water interactions, though geochemical signatures may also record legacy inputs from surrounding land use. In addition, downstream reaches near University Commons are influenced by backflow from the Tennessee River during summer pool conditions, which can alter conductivity, alkalinity, and overall water chemistry. Data collected by the Fall 2025 Urban Waters cohort revealed spatial differences in conductivity and alkalinity that may reflect dilution, reverse flow, and localized anthropogenic inputs.
Additional geochemical analyses of major cations and anions, bulk organic matter using UV-Vis spectroscopy, and streamflow measurements will help distinguish geogenic from anthropogenic signatures. These results will help define upstream–downstream end member compositions and support long-term monitoring and management of this impaired urban stream system.

67. The Association Between Psychological Distress and Wound
Severity of Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Presenter: Diana Richards
Faculty Mentor: Patricia Roberson

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are a complication of diabetes mellitus, influenced by multifactorial issues and comorbidities. These factors can impair wound healing and lead to severe complications such as infection and amputation. While evidence suggests a negative association between psychological distress and chronic wound healing, further research is needed to clarify this relationship in the context of DFUs. The Wound, Ischemia, and foot Infection (WIfI) criteria is a classification system that assesses ulcer severity by grading three factors: tissue loss (W), blood flow (I), and infection (fI), each graded from a 0 to 3 scale (0: least severe, 3: most severe). This study aimed to quantitatively assess the relationship between depression and anxiety and the wound severity of diabetic foot ulcers utilizing the WIFI criteria. Although no statistical tests were statistically significant (p > .05), effect size estimates suggested medium effects for the association between anxiety and wound (η² = .094) and ischemia (η² = .062), and for the association between depressive symptoms and foot infection (η² = .081), with smaller effects observed for other comparisons. These findings suggest that anxiety and depression could be linked to wound severity, however due to the small sample size, a relationship between the variables cannot be concluded.

68. Emotional Narratives

Presenter: Angelica Ruhbusch
Faculty Mentor: Koichi Yamamoto

My work is heavily influenced by tall tales and folklore. I am especially inspired by the unrealistic, fantastical, sometimes grotesque nature of fairytales and how these are open to interpretation. I often begin my work by researching well-known variations of these stories to be sure that I understand the piece I’ll work with, and then I’ll try to find more unique or lesser-known interpretations of them. Recently, with current projects, I have started to create my own stories. When I was younger, I always made these funny stories into comics, so I started to go back to that, but in a more professional sense. The inspiration is there, but now it has a twist to it that is personalized to that specific work. I try to not repeat since my process starts with making multiple sketches focusing on facial expressions and lighting to illustrate the narrative and evoke dramatic emotions from the viewer. I often exaggerate the body, contort the bodies, and abstract the figures to highlight important narrative features of the character. The goal of this work is to evoke a strong emotional response from the viewer, such as shock, surprise, awe, and even disgust. The success of my artwork is connected to this emotional response from the viewer. In a way that gratifies my story and me, making it into physical work was successful as a whole. That is the purpose, so I want that to reflect in my research and my art.

69. Assessing Tributary Contributions to Downstream Water Quality at Third Creek in Knoxville, Tennessee

Presenter: Ian Scott
Faculty Mentor: Amy Robinson

Urban waterways are susceptible to water quality degradation due to impervious surface runoff, illicit discharges, and altered hydrology, among other anthropogenic factors. Monitoring parameters such as conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and pH lend insight into risks threatening local ecosystems and communities. The City of Knoxville has collected water quality data from Third Creek’s western and eastern forks but monitoring efforts do not extend with the same resolution into its lower reaches, between the confluence and the Tennessee River. This study addresses this gap by analyzing water quality data below the confluence (at Tyson Park) and establishing expected ranges of key geochemical parameters to assess each fork’s relative contribution to downstream water quality. Sampling conducted during Spring 2025 at Tyson Park was compared against contemporaneous data from the East Fork. Specific conductivity and total dissolved solids at Tyson Park fell within East Fork expected ranges, though consistently below the average, suggesting the West Fork may contribute more dilute inputs. pH and temperature below the confluence did not differ sufficiently from East Fork ranges to distinguish between source contributions, highlighting the need for contemporaneous West fork sampling to fully understand each tributary’s relative contribution. Future sampling of sites at both forks, paired with contemporaneous data from below the confluence, will enable direct comparison of each tributary’s contribution to downstream water quality. This expansion of monitoring efforts will offer a more complete characterization of Third Creek’s water chemistry and inform potential habitat restoration projects in collaboration with community members and stakeholders at UTK.

70. Mapping Haemaphysalis longicornis and Theileria Oientalis Ikeda

Presenter: Elizabeth Short
Co‑Presenter: Gwyneth McClelland
Faculty Mentor: Becky Trout-Fryxell

The Asian Longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) is a small, reddish-brown hard tick native to East Asia. It is a vector to Theileria orientalis Ikeda, a protozoan parasite that causes Bovine Theileriosis, a severe disease in cattle. Since its introduction into the United States in 2017, it has spread throughout 26 states and the District of Columbia. There is a need for an updated and reliable information source, as well as distribution maps that provide stakeholders with timely and accurate information related to exotic and invasive vectors. We are better able to visualize how the distribution of H. longicornis is changing across the country through geospatial analysis and continuous data collection at the county level. This includes mapping the presence of both the pathogen and the tick, but also the status of the tick in the country as a whole. The continuous monitoring of both H. longicornis and T. orientalis Ikeda allows for more efficient environmental monitoring and animal inspections, supporting nationwide efforts to keep animals and the environment healthy.

71. An Actualistic Study of Crocodylian Decomposition: Preliminary Observations and Implications for Archosaurian Decomposition

Presenter: Owen Singleton
Co‑Presenter: Hannah Maddox
Faculty Mentor: Stephanie Drumheller

Reptilian decomposition historically has been understudied when compared to mammals. Recent work on decomposition patterns in squamates has found that reptiles vary from mammalian models in some key respects while remaining similar in others. However, broader sampling across additional taxa is still required to understand the extent of these patterns.

To address this, we left four Alligator mississippiensis and two Osteolaemus tetraspis to decay naturally in a wooded clearing in Knoxville, Tennessee, starting in June of 2025. They were placed in caged boxes that allow for small invertebrates to access the carcasses while preventing larger-bodied scavengers from removing them. Observations were made daily during the early stages of decomposition, but frequency decreased once they reached the later stages, and observable changes slowed.

Preliminary observations have revealed broadly similar patterns to what was seen in the previous work conducted with Salvator merianae; however, there were some key differences. Due to the larger body size of the crocodylians, the progression of decomposition was slower. Disarticulation patterns differed as well, starting with the back legs rather than the skull due to the concentration of maggot activity around the cloacal region and the more highly fused skull of crocodylians. The epidermis also showed a more extreme pattern of shedding from the dermis and exposing the osteoderms to earlier weathering. These results further highlight variation in decomposition present both between and within major vertebrate groups, with implications for taphonomic analyses of non-mammalian groups.

72. Race, Class, and the Carceral System: An Analysis of Franklin County, Ohio Court Records and Alternatives to Bail and Incarceration

Presenter: Ellie Smith
Faculty Mentor: Stephanie Casey Pierce

The criminal legal system in the United States operates in a way that maintains and exacerbates racial and socioeconomic disparities between individuals across the nation. Those with a lower socioeconomic status and people of color are disproportionately represented in the carceral system, and therefore the system distorts the idea of who commits the most crime in the country. In addition to these observed racial disparities, there is also a significant racial gap seen in bail amounts. Because Americans racialized as Black are also disproportionately of lower socioeconomic status than those racialized as white, a higher proportion of Black individuals are forced into pretrial detention as a consequence of the lower chance that they can pay for their bail in combination with these higher average bail assignments. This study analyzes race and class disparities in monetary bail amount and jail duration from criminal court and jail records in Franklin County, Ohio over the years 2015 to 2020. It offers policy alternatives to incarceration and monetary bail as cost-effective policies that work to prevent crime and reduce harm in contrast to current policies that exacerbate inequalities and perpetuate harm.

73. Repeated Reproductive Experience Alters cFos Counts and Neuronal Activity in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex of Male Syrian Hamsters

Presenter: Dylan Smith
Faculty Mentor: Kalynn Schulz

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays a role in processing socially salient and reproductive behaviors. Repeated reproductive experience enhances behavioral efficiency in male Syrian hamsters, yet the neural mechanisms supporting this behavioral refinement remain unclear. Experience-dependent plasticity within the mPFC may involve both altered neuronal recruitment and changes to perineuronal nets (PNNs), extracellular matrix structures that regulate synaptic stability. However, it is unknown whether repeated social exposure reshapes neuronal activation patterns within the prelimbic (PRL) and infralimbic (IL) subregions of the mPFC. We hypothesized that repeated social experience would reorganize mPFC neuronal activation, reflected by altered cFos expression patterns, and be accompanied by changes in PNN expression. Male hamsters were assigned to one of three groups: direct reproductive interaction, non-contact barrier exposure to a female, or no female exposure (naïve control). Animals underwent five exposures at two-day intervals. Ninety minutes following the final session, brains were collected for immunohistochemistry. Neuronal activation was quantified using cFos expression and analyzed using Ilastik-based image software. PNN density was also measured. Repeated experience produced region- and hemisphere-specific alterations in cFos expression within the mPFC. Naïve animals exhibited elevated activation patterns, whereas experienced groups demonstrated altered recruitment profiles following repeated exposure. Significant hemisphere effects and region-specific interactions suggest that experience may alter mPFC activation patterns. PNN intensity in the prelimbic cortex was also modulated by repeated exposure. Together, these findings support a model in which repeated social experience reorganizes mPFC neuronal recruitment and extracellular matrix structure, potentially reflecting increased neural efficiency in processing social experiences.

74. Soul Food and the Civil Rights Movement

Presenter: Niev Strawn
Faculty Mentor: Jessica Freeman

When thinking of the Civil Rights Movement, people often think of Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X. Rarely do people think of Georgia Gilmore or the Paschal Brothers, who quietly supported and funded those same revolutionaries. However, the change created did not come without difficulty. At the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement, soul food became a point of controversy. Soul food is rooted in slavery, segregation, and racism, the exact oppression the Civil Rights Movement hoped to abolish. Would it be better to embrace soul food as a connection to a shared ancestry and past, or would it be better to reject it and create a new cuisine distinct from the oppression? Overwhelmingly, Black Americans embraced soul food. “Soul” became synonymous with Black power and equality. Women were able to uplift their voices by fighting through food. Black writers urged Black Americans across the states to brandish soul food with pride, and a once disrespected cuisine became a tribute to Black culture. Soul food began to run parallel to the Civil Rights Movement as a whole, often echoing, or furthering, the ideas and beliefs of the time. Was food changing the culture, or was culture changing the food?

75. (Re)Building New(?) Green Chapel(s)

Presenter: Grace Sutt
Faculty Mentor: Mary Laube

What happens to folklore – myths, legends, and oral histories – in the digital age? Does living in such a period of informational saturation render these fantastical, sometimes-counterfactual ways of knowing obsolete? Or do these mentalities continue to inform the ways that we narrativize our lives and the events around us? In my paintings, I explore the place of mythmaking in the modern age, appropriating and reshaping the tropes of the past to describe personal histories as well as to explore broader themes of coming-of-age and personal agency. I begin by researching imagery and literature rooted in Medieval European folklore, before recontextualizing that material to speak about my personal experience or greater cultural themes. I use the translucence and malleability of oil paint on canvas to interrogate the ways in which the past, both factual and mythic, bleeds into our experience of the present. References to mundane moments in my life are given the same treatment in paint as iconography from the art historical canon. This strategy combines the two into a pseudo-digital collage space and offers the possibility of combining them into a new library of symbols. In this way, I construct a personal mythology of the quotidian informed by the layering of history upon itself.

76. Reformation of Patient-Physician Relationships

Presenter: Ashlyn Sutton
Faculty Mentor: Judith Carlisle

This project investigates if internally labeling a patient as “difficult” is an ethically permissible care tool or a violation of justice. The thesis argues the label is acceptable, and even obligatory, only as a clinical cue for reflective practice to improve communication. However, it risks violating professional duties through bias. We conclude the label is justified only when it mandates a positive, corrective action from the physician to ensure the commitment to equal care is upheld.

77. Scaling Thermal Behavioral Ecology: DeepLabCut Machine Learning Models for Detecting Avian Thermoregulatory Responses

Presenter: Shomari Taylor
Faculty Mentor: Elizabeth Derryberry

Quantifying behavior is essential for understanding how birds respond to environmental stressors, yet current methods often rely on manual observation, requiring substantial time and expertise, which can limit scalability. As efforts to assess behavioral responses to climate change expand, scalable approaches are needed to study thermoregulatory behaviors critical for heat dissipation. We are developing a machine learning tool with DeepLabCut to automatically detect thermoregulatory behaviors in birds, focusing on panting, wing-spreading, and postural changes. Our model identifies panting bouts by detecting characteristic motion patterns such as beak movements. The tool processes standard video formats (e.g., .mp4, .avi) and outputs data formatted for behavioral analysis (i.e., proportion of time spent engaging in behaviors, occurrences of behaviors). We trained the model on videos of Least Terns (Sternula antillarum) and Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia guttata), and the approach is adaptable to a broad range of species and behaviors. By reducing observer bias and manual workload, this machine learning framework enhances the consistency, speed, and scalability of behavioral studies on heat. Ultimately, such tools enable high-throughput behavioral research and deepen insights into the generative principles underlying animal responses to environmental change.

78. Beauford Delaney and Cosmic Abstraction: Constructing New Worlds

Presenter: Bella Thomas-Wilson
Faculty Mentor: Mary Campbell

Among art historians and critics, a common bifurcated belief persists: that Beauford Delaney’s interest in cosmology and abstraction began only after his trans-Atlantic move to Paris. While Delaney’s 3,600-mile relocation altered his sense of belonging, it was not the catalyst for his discovery of abstraction or cosmology. Delaney’s work reflects a sustained interest in the cosmos, not only as a scientific concept, but also as the framework for two core universal feelings: a sense of collective connectedness, between oneself and another, and a sense of universal connectedness, between oneself and a higher power. These themes translate as a venture in creating one’s own utopia. It is through Delaney’s construction of a new world, a utopia, perhaps, that he might’ve felt the ability to reclaim his agency and selfhood. As a child of ten from a small town in Tennessee, to a student in Boston, to a multi-disciplinary painter in New York, and finally to a fully realized version of himself in Paris, Beauford Delaney always took the opportunity to explore his inner world through abstraction. Though it was complex, Delaney, with a great passion, began his “creative gesture towards universality” in the face of unjust and unpredictable times (UTK Special Collections, box 7, folder 16, item 1).

This was a project for Dr. Mary Campbell’s Art History Senior Seminar.

79. BFA Capstone: Research-based Creative Practice

Presenter: Emma Toledo
Faculty Mentor: Sally Brogden, Amanda Evans

I’m working on a large, mixed-media sculpture for my BFA Capstone project. Through cultural research, material experimentation, and sorting through memories of my paternal grandmother, I’m developing a visual language to discuss my mixed-race identity.

80. Developing a Solid Polarized Target with Dynamic Nuclear Polarization

Presenter: Evan Toon
Faculty Mentor: Nadia Fomin

The ability to control and manipulate spin—whether of electrons, nucleons, or nuclei—has driven advancements in the fields of nuclear physics, particle physics, materials science, and structural biology. Across these fields, there is a common need to create high nuclear spin polarization in a variety of samples, in which Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) is the preferred technique. More specifically the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) is in need of a new solid target with high levels of nuclear polarization for some upcoming, highly rated scattering experiments. Our group at UT has been tasked with developing this solid polarized target. Over the last year, the group has worked on the reassembly and operation of a DNP characterization apparatus that was transferred to us from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). This talk will present the physical work that has gone into restoring the novel DNP equipment back to operating conditions as well as the future plans and experiments we will utilize the DNP setup for.

81. Recombination Contributes to Diversification of the Tailocin Locus in Xenorhabdus

Presenter: Matthew Traywick
Co‑authors: Emmanuel C. Allwell, Ryan M. Awori, Sarah J. Kauffman
Faculty Mentor: Heidi Goodrich-Blair

Tailocins are bacterially produced bacteriophage-tail-like particles that function as competitive weapons during interactions among closely related bacterial strains. Comparative genomic studies have revealed extensive diversification within tailocin encoding loci, particularly with respect to tail fiber receptor binding domains (RBDs), which are predicted to mediate specificity for the target strain. Tail fibers are surface recognition structures that mediate binding to susceptible bacterial cells. However, it remains unclear whether diversification arises solely through long- term evolutionary processes (e.g., inter-strain DNA exchange) or can occur dynamically within a population. To help address this question, this study examined whether dynamic, recombination-mediated genomic rearrangements occur within the locus of the bacterium Xenorhabdus nematophila ATCC19061 during laboratory growth. Cultures were sampled prior to induction of tailocin production and across a temporal series following this induction, and genomic DNA was purified for analysis. The region encoding the tail fiber RBD sequences was amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and analyzed by gel electrophoresis and sequencing. These analyses revealed that after overnight growth, the bacterial population consisted of multiple distinct genomic architectures of the tail fiber region, derived from recombination-mediated rearrangements. These findings suggest that genetic rearrangements within tailocin loci may occur over short timescales, providing a mechanism for rapid diversification of expressed tailocin RBD, and therefore altered target specificity, within a clonal bacterial population. Together, these results provide molecular support for models in which recombination within phage-derived antimicrobial systems promotes adaptive diversification during bacterial competition.

82. Optimizing Electron Reconstruction for a 10 TeV Muon Collider

Presenter: Jullian Watts
Faculty Mentor: Tova Holmes

Particle colliders smash particles together at close to the speed of light, which allows us to study the fundamental laws of nature. These high energy collisions create conditions that allow us to measure unseen physics that is otherwise invisible. A 10 TeV Muon Collider is a leading candidate for the next particle collider. However, before construction begins, complex simulations are used to ensure the data produced by the collisions can be accurately interpreted.

My research focuses on the MAIA detector design and software used to identify particles called Pandora Particle Flow Algorithm (PFA). Pandora was originally designed for a different type of collider, so it struggles to accurately reconstruct particles in a muon collider environment. To optimize this, I analyzed Pandora’s electron identification algorithm to study why it was underperforming.

From these studies, I developed and implemented an improvement to the code, which increased electron reconstruction efficiency approximately 20%. This poster will describe how this update affects the detection of other particles, as well as how I am identifying further optimizations. These improvements are vital to ensuring that a muon collider can accurately capture and analyze the unseen physics we hope to discover.

83. Determining Neural Mechanisms Underlying Fine Motor Behavior in a Mouse Model of Rett Syndrome

Presenter: Faith Webb
Co‑authors: Mohamed Mahrous, Johnson Zhang, Keerthi Krishnan
Faculty Mentor: Billy Lau

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in the X-linked gene methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2), resulting in disrupted neural transcription and altered circuit maturation. Symptoms include regression in cognitive and motor skills, with stereotypical hand movements. Although MeCP2 loss disrupts neural circuitry, how these structural alterations constrain fine motor learning and refinement remains poorly understood. To address this, we analyzed the performance of female MeCP2-heterozygous mice (Het), our mouse model of RTT, and wild-type mice (WT) tasked with single handedly grasping food pellets, an acquired skill. Using BORIS behavioral scoring and DeepLabCut kinematic analysis, we found Het had lower success rates than WT. While WT progressively reduced their errors during training, Het continued making failed and inefficient attempts. Kinematic and trajectory analyses show failures involve shorter, slower, and more variable movements. These results suggest that MeCP2 loss disrupts experience-dependent refinement of motor strategies rather than initial task acquisition. We are now incorporating in vivo calcium imaging with a head-mounted miniscope and CaImAn processing to track neuronal activity in the motor cortex. This integrative behavioral and circuit-level framework advances our understanding of how MeCP2-dependent cortical plasticity shapes Rett syndrome progression.

84. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Stereotypes: Examining the Spatial Location of Characters in Popular Children’s Picture Books

Presenter: Wilson Welchons
Co‑author: Megan Ruskey
Faculty Mentor: Sarah Lamer

Upward and leftward space are associated with concepts like power, such that dominant groups, like men, tend to be placed to the left of and above non-dominant groups like women. Exposure to images of groups in spatially advantaged positions (i.e., high or leftward) can impact people’s social cognition about those groups. For example, individuals exposed to imagery where men are placed higher than women endorsed the stereotype that men are more powerful and dominant than women. Given that children can learn from subtle cues in their social environments, we wanted to examine children’s picture books, a common social-learning setting, to understand how characters of different identities were spatially placed on pages. We hypothesized that White/men characters would be placed more leftward and upward than characters of color/women. We conducted a content analysis of 100 children’s picture books, recording the race, gender, and spatial location of 1,390 characters. This content analysis revealed that White characters, on average, were placed more leftward than characters of color, and that among White characters, men were placed higher than women. A follow-up study is being conducted to understand if viewing these spatial biases in children’s books are leading children to endorse stereotypes about groups.

85. Estrogen Receptors in the Posterior Medial Amygdala Mediate Sex-Differences in Stress Resilience

Presenter: Olivia Yochim
Faculty Mentor: Matthew Cooper

Although trauma and chronic stress are risk factors for the development of mental illness, the neurobiology of stress resilience is not fully understood. Existing literature implicates androgen and estrogen steroid hormones as contributors to sex dependent stress differences. The posterior medial amygdala (MeP) is a stress sensitive brain region with a high density of steroid hormone receptors, making it an ideal location to study sex differences in stress resilience. Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) show increased social anxiety after experiencing acute social defeat by another more aggressive hamster. Previous research indicates that activation of androgen receptors in the MeP reduced defeat-induced social anxiety in males but not females. We hypothesized that ERα knockdown in the MeP would increase stress vulnerability in female hamsters but not males. However, social avoidance testing (SAT) data showed reduced anxiety-like behavior in female ERα knockdown animals following social defeat stress, suggesting activation of ERα in the MeP increases anxiety in females. Next steps involve quantifying anxiety behavior prior to social defeat exposure and using c-Fos immunohistochemistry to measure neural activity in the MeP after ERα knockdown. This project contributes to our understanding of how ERα activity in the MeP regulates sex differences in traumatic stress vulnerability.