Mount St. Mary’s University faculty dedicate themselves to academic excellence in scholarship and teaching, and they integrate the latest developments of their disciplines into classroom instruction. Our students follow suit by presenting their work at the annual SPARC Festival, which celebrates Scholarship, Performance, Art, Research and Creativity.
At SPARC, we celebrate our excellence in the liberal arts by showcasing the scholarly and creative projects of our academic community who comprise the College of Liberal Arts, the Richard J. Bolte, Sr. School of Business, the School of Education, the School of Natural Science and Mathematics, and the University Honors Program. Our senior honors project presentations reflect our students’ year-long studies of work closely mentored by outstanding faculty on topics of shared interest. These projects serve both as capstone experiences in students’ majors and as springboards to graduate school or a profession. SPARC also features an astonishing array of academic prowess through lightning talks, student debates, poster sessions, concerts, and creative writings.
We look forward to seeing you at SPARC 2023.
Michael Turner, Ph.D.
Co-chair, SPARC Festival
Solomon Tesfu, Ph.D.
Co-chair, SPARC Festival
Sarah Scott, Ph.D.
Director, Honors Program
Michael Turner, Ph.D.
Co-chair, SPARC Festival
Solomon Tesfu, Ph.D.
Co-chair, SPARC Festival
Sarah Scott, Ph.D.
Director, Honors Program
As a student, you have the opportunity to present your work through a variety of formats, and chances are you've been preparing something exciting for months! Take a look at these options to see which one works best with your course of study.
An Honors Presentation is the final capstone presentation of an honors thesis, as per the requirements of the University Honors Program. If you're presenting your honors thesis, chances are you've already worked through many months of research and the SPARC Festival is when your findings are presented to the university and greater community.
A Lightning Talk is where you give a brief presentation to hit on the main points of an idea and express what matters most. Don't plan to read a speech or essay in its entirety. Be selective, condensing your talk to its essentials.
When you submitted your proposal, you indicated your preferences for a one-hour time slot. About a week prior to the festival, you will be notified of your presentation time (15-minute window in that hour). Please arrive 5 minutes prior to your presentation time.
PowerPoint slides or other computer files can be projected on a laptop computer that will be set up prior to your presentation. PowerPoint is not required. Bring your computer and bring the file with you on a flash drive or email it to yourself.
Each presenter has 15 minutes, including time for questions & answers. Plan to speak no longer than 10 minutes. Please honor your time constraints in order to facilitate the presentations that precede or follow yours.
The most successful lightning talks show evidence of preparation, organization, enthusiasm and confidence. Avoid speaking too rapidly or too quietly. Remember to relax and breathe. For best results, practice your talk and ask a friend to time you.
A Panel Presentation involves a small group of presenters (three to six) who talk about various angles on a specific theme. Panels are scheduled for 60-75 minutes and panelists usually speak for roughly 10 minutes each. If you have a panel idea, talk with one of your professors!
A poster is a way to presents the result of your project visually, demonstrating your goals, methods and conclusions. Your poster should be self-explanatory, leaving you free to answer questions on the finer details of the project. Poster sessions are scheduled for two-hour blocks.
Poster sessions last two hours and take place in Patriot Hall. You'll need to arrive 15 minutes early to set up.
Design your poster so that it can be tacked onto a 4 foot by 4-foot corkboard. Pushpins will be available. You may use PowerPoint to design a 4 x 4 poster that can be printed in the Center for Instructional Technology and tacked onto the mounting board or design a series of slides (letter-sized or smaller) that can be individually printed and tacked onto the mounting board. You may supplement your poster with a laptop presentation, though access to electric outlets will be limited. If you include audio, keep the volume to a reasonable level.
Present sufficient evidence to support your conclusions, and use illustrations, plots, small tables, or other visually-appealing content over text. If your project was initially in narrative form, then select representative excerpts. Limit yourself to four or five pages of text in a large font legible from a four-foot distance.
Provide background on your goals, methods, and conclusions. What is the underlying question, why is it important, what is the timeline, who were the participants, what activities went into the research, what conclusion did you reach? Share enough information to allow observers to respond with informed questions.
Sequence items on your poster in an intuitive way that allows observers to readily understand your project. Use left-to-right, top-to-bottom organization and include letters or arrows if necessary. Feature major points, leaving other findings for informal conversations with SPARC attendees. Provide clear labels for each section of your presentation. Use color to enhance comprehension.
Choose a descriptive, catchy title. Include the names of the presenters.
Simplicity is key. Don't try to cover too much material. Say a lot about a little rather than a little about a lot. Rehearse a brief summary of your project. Before you make your poster, create a list of the visuals you would include if you were describing your project with only the visuals. Write the text after you have created the list of visuals.
For examples of poster sessions from previous SPARC festivals, visit our Facebook page.
A Performance Presentation is where you will present a discussion of the process by which a performance of music, theater or performance art is prepared and then perform it. This 20-minute presentation session is followed by a Q&A session with attendants.
Carolyn Woo, Ph.D.
Talk Title: Grace in a Competitive World
Carolyn Woo, Ph.D., is distinguished President’s Fellow for Global Development at Purdue University. In 2016, Woo retired as president and chief executive officer of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. She previously served on the board of directors of CRS from 2004 to 2010. From 1997 to 2011, Woo served as the dean of the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame. Prior to the joining the University of Notre Dame, Woo served as associate executive vice president for academic affairs at Purdue University. She was the first female dean to chair the AACSB, accreditation body for business schools, and directed its initiative for Peace through Commerce. She is a recipient of honorary doctorates from Providence College, University of St. Francis, Lewis University, as well as the University of Notre Dame.
Current and prior board service includes the AON Corporation; NiSource (former NIPSCO); Catholic Charities USA; Aileron Foundation; the Board of Regents, University of Portland; the Board of Governors, University of Notre Dame Australia; Archdiocese of Baltimore Independent Child Abuse Review Board; and Migration & Refugee Services, US Conference.
Woo holds a master’s degree in industrial administration and a doctorate in strategic management from Purdue University.
Location: Knott Auditorium
Daniel Salinas Duron, Ph.D.
Talk Title: Application of Vector Field Analysis to Ovarian Cancer
Daniel Salinas Duron, Ph.D., has been assistant professor with the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at the Mount and Guest Researcher for the Frederick National Lab for Cancer Research for the last two years. He joined the Mount in fall of 2021 from Westminster College in Salt Lake City, where he taught for three years as Assistant Professor of Computer Science.
At Westminster, he also collaborated with the Great Salt Lake Institute and helped them develop convolutional neural nets to help monitor pelican populations from wildlife cam data.
He graduated in 2018 from Montana State University Bozeman, where he published work on simultaneous component analysis of metabolomics data and, as a part of the Computational Topology and Geometry group, work on simplicial complex reconstruction.
Location: Knott Auditorium
Please contact the individual presenter if you would like the Zoom link to the presentation.
6 p.m. | Mikayla Bates
The Assessment of MicroRNA-34 in Caenorhabditis elegans
Biology | Mentor: Michael J. Turner, Ph.D.
6:30 p.m. | Hallee Robinson
The Effect of Muting Lin-4 on Cognitive Ability in C. elegans
Biology | Mentor: Michael J. Turner, Ph.D.
7 p.m. | Monica McNicol
Determining the Optimal pH for the Extraction of Iso-Alpha Acids from Hops (humulus lupulus) During the Beer Brewing Process
Chemistry | Mentor: Garth Patterson, Ph.D.
7:30 p.m. | Connor Owen
A Novel Synthesis for Pyrylium Salts for Applications in Transtion Metal Catalysis
Biochemistry / Chemistry | Mentor: Isaac N. Mills, Ph.D.
8 p.m. | Carly Beres
The Bane of Unintended Consequences: The Nursing Profession and COVID-19
Health Sciences | Mentor: Jack Trammell, Ph.D.
6 p.m. | Nicholas Hill
Blockchain and It's Potential Future Benefit to the Accounting Profession
Accounting | Mentor: John Sherwin
6:30 p.m. | Madison McLaverty
The Power of Technology in the Accounting World
Accounting | Mentor: John Sherwin
7 p.m. | Sophia Culmone
How Social Media is Re-shaping Productivity Within the Business World
Business | Mentor: Christina L. Green, Ph.D.
7:30 p.m. | Jarrett Karnibad
Is There a Method to March Madness?
Sport Management | Mentor: Corrine Farneti, Ph.D.
8 p.m. | Claire Hahn
Mindfulness in Business Management and Wellness Programs
Business | Mentor: Christina L. Green, Ph.D.
8:30 p.m. | Trey Cook
Securing Supremacy Without Senseless Slaughter: An Economic Analysis of Sanctions During Wartime
Business / Economics | Mentor: Michael P. Barry, Ph.D.
8:30 a.m. | Maggie Curtis
Can a Chatbot Recommend Books?
Computer Science / Data Science | Mentor: Rebecca Portier
9 a.m. | Emily Kisner
Computational Creativity: An Artificially Intelligent Machine’s Capacity for Creation
Computer Science / Data Science | Mentor: Rebecca Portier
9:30 a.m. | Justin Toth
Water Computers: Fluidic Logic Gates
Computer Science | Mentor: Rebecca Portier
10 a.m. | Braden McHugh
Are Students Understanding What They are Learning? An In-depth Look at the Mathematics Curriculum in the American Education System
Mathematics | Mentor: Jonelle Hook, Ph.D.
10:30 a.m. | Andrew Sobocinski
VPNs: Security and Privacy, or Smoke and Mirrors?
Cybersecurity | Mentor: Athar Rafiq, Ph.D.
11 a.m. | Jarrod Stebick
From Transaction to Trust: Mitigating Risk in Retail Point-of-Sale Systems
Computer Science / Cybersecurity | Mentor: Brian Heinold, Ph.D.
9 a.m. | Angela Vodola
The Impact of Therapeutic Horticulture on the Lives of People with Disabilities
Elementary / Special Education | Mentor: Michelle M. Z. Ohanian, Ph.D.
9:30 a.m. | Jillian Stankiewicz
Pandemic Deficit? Teacher Perspectives in One School
Elementary / Special Education | Mentor: Michelle M. Z. Ohanian, Ph.D.
10 a.m. | Matthew McTighe
Minorities within Law Enforcement
Criminal Justice / Sociology | Mentor: Layton Field, Ph.D.
10:30 a.m. | Christopher DePiazza
The COVID-19 Pandemic and Divorce: A Cross Sectional Analysis
Sociology / Economics | Mentor: Layton Field, Ph.D.
11 a.m. | Gianna DelGatto
Multiple Personality Disorder Among Criminals and Preventative Measures
Criminal Justice | Mentor: Brendan Dooley, Ph.D.
12:30 p.m. | Rita Anoh
Characterizing the Binding Interactions that Target a DNA Repair Complex to Damage Sites
Biochemistry | Mentor: Patrick Lombardi, Ph.D.
1 p.m. | Andre DeGonzague
Investigating the Role of ASCC1 in the ASCC Protein Complex
Biology | Mentor: Patrick Lombardi, Ph.D.
1:30 p.m. | Zach Beck
Integrative Modelling of the ASCC2:K63Ub2 Complex to Better Understand DNA Alkylation Damage Repair
Biochemistry / Chemistry | Mentor: Patrick Lombardi, Ph.D.
2 p.m. | Meghan Kodsi
Administration of Caffeine to Enhance Regenerative Growth
Neuroscience / Biology | Mentor: Angy Kallarackal, Ph.D.
2:30 p.m. | Alexis Hobble
The Effect of Mutated microRNAs on Nicotine Preference in C. elegans
Neuroscience | Mentor: Angy Kallarackal, Ph.D.
3 p.m. | Abigail Zeigenfuse
The Impact on Reversal Behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans due to Changes in Glutamate Receptors Activity Caused by Cortisol
Health Sciences / Neuroscience | Mentor: Angy Kallarackal, Ph.D.
3:30 p.m. | Rebekah Lankford
Geographical Characterization of Antibiotic Resistance in Soil Bacteria Across Field Types
Biology | Mentor: Eric Sakowski, Ph.D.
12:30 p.m. | Tyler Jackson
The Mythological Figure of the Tengu in Japanese Culture
Interdisciplinary | Mentor: Marco Roman, Ph.D.
1 p.m. | Juliana Roman
Meanderings of a Pícaro: The Transcultural Appearance of the Continental Picaresque in Modern Africa and Latin America
PPE / French | Mentor: Marco Roman, Ph.D., and Elaini Tsoukatos, Ph.D.
1:30 p.m. | Tess Boegel
On Depiction: Neurodivergence in Literature
English | Mentor: Indrani Mitra, Ph.D.
2 p.m. | Kayla Cooper
Where Media Analysis and Literary Theory Meet: A Queer and Feminist Viewing of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Communication / English | Mentor: Jordan Loveridge, Ph.D.
2:30 p.m. | Emiley Lynch
An Advocacy Coalition Framework Approach to School Voucher Policy: A Descriptive & Comparative Study of Ohio and Louisiana at the State and National Level
Political Science | Mentor: Maureen Oakley, Ph.D.
3 p.m. | Emily O'Donnell
America’s Rape Kit Backlog: Is it the Result of Gender Bias?
Political Science | Mentor: Maureen Oakley, Ph.D.
3:30 p.m. | Kevin Gomez
Does Parent Engagement Facilitate Young Children’s Socioemotional Behaviors in both Spanish- and English-speaking Families
Psychology / Criminal Justice | Mentor: Minxuan He, Ph.D.
6 p.m. | Pablo Archila-Arriaga
Alcohol Cosumption and its Effects on the Mental Health of College Students at Mount St. Mary's
Health Science / Biology | Mentor: Jonathan Slezak, Ph.D.
6:30 p.m. | Molly Connelly
Superfood Stroop: The Effect of Beetroot on Cognitive Performance
Psychology | Mentor: Jonathan Slezak, Ph.D.
7 p.m. | Shirley Liang
Money Laundering in Entertainment
Criminal Justice / Sociology | Mentor: Virginia McGovern, Ph.D.
5 p.m. | Merna Nakhla
Mental Illnesses and Crimes
Interdisciplinary | Mentor: Jack Trammell, Ph.D.
5:30 p.m. | Fady Nakhla
Sexual Harassment in Education and Workplace
Interdisciplinary | Mentor: David McCarthy, Ph.D., and Jack Trammell, Ph.D.
6 p.m. | McKenna Snow
Authenticity, Prudence, and Catholic Instagram Influencers
Theology | Mentor: Luis Vera, Ph.D.
6:30 p.m. | Emma Smith
Intervention and Non-Intervention Into Genocide
Political Science / Philosophy | Mentor: William Christiansen, Ph.D.
7 p.m. | Maya Carter
Historical Social Stratification vs Modern Society: Japan, North Korea, and India
International Studies | Mentor: William Christiansen, Ph.D.
6:05-6:20 p.m. | Jenna Scalia
Data Collection and User Rights
Communication | Faculty Sponsor: Matthew Barrett
6:25-6:40 p.m. | Yelena Schmidt
Woman's Identity: Past, Present, and Forever
Sociology | Faculty Sponsor: John Larrivee, Ph.D.
6:45-7 p.m. | Emma Smith
"Through Science to Faith: Exploring Individual Stories"
Area | Faculty Sponsor: Michael Miller, Ph.D.
7:05-7:20 p.m. | Gabe Vilches
A Bag of Fritos and a ’66 Chevelle: Alienation in Modernity
English | Faculty Sponsor: Tom Bligh, Ph.D.
7:25-7:40 p.m. | Rita Anoh
"la descente aux enfers": Francophone African History and Human Responses
French | Faculty Sponsor: Marco Roman, Ph.D.
7:45-8 p.m. | Julianna Roman
Jacques Stéphen Alexis and the Réel Merveilleux: A Quest for a Haitian Identity
French | Faculty Sponsor: Marco Roman, Ph.D.
8:05-8:20 p.m. | Michael Murphy
The Civil Rights Movement and SNCC’s Influence on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, 1961-1964
History | Faculty Sponsor: Timothy Fritz, Ph.D.
8:25-8:40 p.m. | Andrew Eastman
Overcoming Privilege with Contemplation
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) | Faculty Sponsor: John Larrivee, Ph.D.
8:45-9 p.m. | Maya Carter
Historical Social Stratification vs Modern Society: Japan, North Korea, and India
International Studies | Faculty Sponsor: William T. Christiansen, Ph.D.
9:05-9:20 p.m. | Nicholas Huynh
Personality and Political Affiliation
Political Science | Faculty Sponsor: Maureen Oakley, Ph.D.
9-9:15 a.m. | Katherine Kelly
Extraction of high-quality total RNA from fungal pathogens by alternative culturing and isolation methods
Biology | Faculty Sponsor: Christine McCauslin, Ph.D.
9:20-9:35 a.m. | Skylar Guthrie
Evaluating Calcium Propionate as an Antifungal agent to inhibit fungal pathogens
Biology | Faculty Sponsor: Christine McCauslin, Ph.D.
9:40-9:55 a.m. | Elijah Thalos
Metanalysis of Force-Length relationships between Muscle tissue types
Biology | Faculty Sponsor: Kari Taylor-Burt, Ph.D.
10-10:15 a.m. | Emily Hall
Effects of management timing on the root microbiome of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
Biology | Faculty Sponsor: Abby Kula, Ph.D.
10:20-10:35 a.m. | Jameelah Wallace
The Trials and Tribulations of RNA Isolation on Fungi
Biology | Faculty Sponsor: Christine McCauslin, Ph.D.
10:40-10:55 a.m. | Naomi Leno
Use of Bioinformatics to Locate Methylcitrate Synthase mRNA Sequence
Biology | Faculty Sponsor: Dana Ward, Ph.D.
11-11:15 a.m. | Alexis Hobble
Quantification of Touch End Organs in a Ret Knockout Mouse Line
Biology | Faculty Sponsor: Angy Kallarackal, Ph.D.
11:20-11:35 a.m. | Danielle Harris
Calcium Propionate on Fungi: The Cloning and Purification Process
Biology | Faculty Sponsor: Christine McCauslin, Ph.D.
11:40-11:55 a.m. | Christina Carroll
The effect of calcium additions on the growth of algae
Biology | Faculty Sponsor: Rachel Hartnett, Ph.D.
8-8:15 a.m. | Emily Salmonsen
Streamlining Access to Internship Documentation
Computer Science | Faculty Sponsor: Matthew Pouss
8:20-8:35 a.m. | Thinh Nguyen
My Big Brother - Dystopian RPG
Computer Science | Faculty Sponsor: Russ Hamer, Ph.D.
8:40-8:55 a.m. | Pratosh Brahmbhatt
The Anti-Clicker
Computer Science | Faculty Sponsor: Ruth Lamprecht, Ph.D.
9-9:15 a.m. | Limtarh Ngong-Bongfon
Immediate Feedback Questions
Computer Science | Faculty Sponsor: Ruth Lamprecht, Ph.D.
9:20-9:35 a.m. | Sergio Quijano
Bind Earth: A path to change our environmental culture
Computer Science | Faculty Sponsor: Ruth Lamprecht, Ph.D.
9:40-9:55 a.m. | Cornelius Nagbe
Mount Men's Rugby Team UI
Computer Science | Faculty Sponsor: Ruth Lamprecht, Ph.D.
10-10:15 a.m. | Larry-King Kang
Innovations Soaring: Navigating the Breakthroughs of Drone Technology in the World
Computer Science | Faculty Sponsor: Ruth Lamprecht, Ph.D.
10:20-10:35 a.m. | Margaret Curtis
Chatbot as a Book Recommendation Agent
Computer Science | Faculty Sponsor: Ruth Lamprecht, Ph.D.
10:40-10:55 a.m. | Justin Toth
Senior Project
Computer Science | Faculty Sponsor: Scott Weiss
11-11:15 a.m. | Quddus Akim-Shittu
Mount Esports Database
Computer Science | Faculty Sponsor: Scott Weiss
11:20-11:35 a.m. | Emily Kisner
Quizzing for Creativity
Computer Science | Faculty Sponsor: Ruth Lamprecht, Ph.D.
11:40-11:55 a.m. | Matthew Mercado
Escape Room Studio: Enhancing the Escape Room Management Experience
Computer Science | Faculty Sponsor: Scott Weiss
12:40-12:55 p.m. | Jonathan Wade
Factors that Influence Wealth
Economics | Faculty Sponsor: John Larrivee, Ph.D.
1-1:15 p.m. | Meghan Fleming
Gano Excel - delivering health & wellness to the world through everyday products!
Business | Faculty Sponsor: Alejandro Canadas, Ph.D.
1:20-1:35 p.m. | Taylor Woodward
Project Management Process for Charity Fundraiser
Business | Faculty Sponsor: Josey Chacko, Ph.D.
1:40-1:55 p.m. | Michael Chipi
War On Wages and Eugenics
Economics | Faculty Sponsor: John Larrivee, Ph.D.
2-2:15 p.m. | Ben Ward
The evolution of project managment, ChatGPT
Business | Faculty Sponsor: Josey Chacko, Ph.D.
2:20-2:35 p.m. | Jackson Phillips
Motives? To Be Or Not To Be.
Economics | Faculty Sponsor: John Larrivee, Ph.D.
2:40-2:55 p.m. | Patrick Kelly
Behavioral Economics: Rationality and Human Capabilities
Economics | Faculty Sponsor: John Larrivee, Ph.D.
3-3:15 p.m. | Olivia Smeltzer
Weather and Wealth: An Econometric Analysis of the Effect of Weather Events on the Quarterly Growth Rate of Pennsylvania’s GDP
Economics | Faculty Sponsor: Solomon Tesfu, Ph.D.
3:20-3:35 p.m. | Olivia Smeltzer
Smart Technology and the Changing Structure of Human Relationships
Economics | Faculty Sponsor: John Larrivee, Ph.D.
3:40-3:55 p.m. | Anton Prigge
Principals of Sound Money According to Austrian Economics
Economics | Faculty Sponsor: John Larrivee, Ph.D.
Noon-12:15 p.m. | Alexander Miller
ITSC Task Scheduler
Computer Science | Faculty Sponsor: Ruth Lamprecht, Ph.D.
12:20-12:35 p.m. | Jarrod Stebick
Creating a Digital Inventory Solution for Small Businesses
Area | Faculty Sponsor: Scott Weiss
12:40-12:55 p.m. | Andrew Emmons
Making Environmental Data Retrieval and Logging Easier
Computer Science | Faculty Sponsor: Scott Weiss
1-1:15 p.m. | Peyton Howard
Building an Inventory Management Web Application
Computer Science | Faculty Sponsor: Scott Weiss
1:20-1:35 p.m. | Matt Zephir
Let's Practice! - Soccer Practice Generator
Computer Science | Faculty Sponsor: Scott Weiss
1:40-1:55 p.m. | Michael Dalida
Pio: A 2D Platformer
Computer Science | Faculty Sponsor: Scott Weiss
2-2:15 p.m. | Matthew LeRoux
Numerical Fitness
Computer Science | Faculty Sponsor: Scott Weiss
2:20-2:35 p.m. | Jordan Burroughs
Maryland Football Database
Computer Science | Faculty Sponsor: Scott Weiss
2:40-2:55 p.m. | Chance White
Prayer in a Digital World: A Beginner's Guide to Web Development
Computer Science | Faculty Sponsor: Ruth Lamprecht, Ph.D.
3-3:15 p.m. | Abigail Godard
Automated Identification and Cataloguing of Product Vulnerabilities in the News
Computer Science | Faculty Sponsor: Scott Weiss
3:20-3:35 p.m. | John Hargenrader
Mount Connect, A dynamic ASP.NET Web Application
Computer Science | Faculty Sponsor: Ruth Lamprecht, Ph.D.
3:40-3:55 p.m. | Alexandra Piccinich
Senior Project Breast Cancer Clinical Trials Application
Computer Science | Faculty Sponsor: Scott Weiss
6-6:15 p.m. | Owen Eby
Assay Fine-Tuning and Target Validation of miR-34 miRNA in C. elegans
Biology | Faculty Sponsor: Michael J. Turner, Ph.D.
6:20-6:35 p.m. | Jillian Berko and Nana Acheampong
Transcription Inhibition of A Potential Therapeutic for Huntington's Disease
Biochemistry | Faculty Sponsor: Sarah Krueger, Ph.D.
6:40-6:55 p.m. | Lincoln Queale
Predicting the binding effectiveness of small molecules for use in the treatment of Huntington's Disease using computational chemistry
Chemistry | Faculty Sponsor: Sarah Krueger, Ph.D.
7-7:15 p.m. | Diamond Lewis and Jack Freemont
Synthesis of Melamines for Huntington’s Disease Therapuetic
Chemistry | Faculty Sponsor: Sarah Krueger, Ph.D.
7:20-7:35 p.m. | Emily Kiger
The Effects of Management Timing on Milkweed Growth, Reproduction, and Population Dynamics
Environmental Science | Faculty Sponsor: Abby Kula, Ph.D.
6-6:15 p.m. | Seamus McGroarty
Exploring the destruction of the moral character in a Marxist society
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) | Faculty Sponsor: John Larrivee, Ph.D.
6:20-6:35 p.m. | Gavin Hamrick
The Economic Alternative in the American Tradition
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) | Faculty Sponsor: Amanda Krause, Ph.D.
6:40-6:55 p.m. | Zeima Sebhatu
Mesana (Together)
Conflict, Peace, and Social Justice | Faculty Sponsor: Solomon Tesfu, Ph.D.
7-7:15 p.m. | Joshua Burndley
Free Will and Criminology
Criminal Justice | Faculty Sponsor: John Larrivee, Ph.D.
7:20-7:35 p.m. | Titan Cox
Differential Association and Patterns of Drug Use
Criminal Justice | Faculty Sponsor: Layton Field, Ph.D.
Presenters: Erin Duncan, Tess Koerner, Tyler Jackson and Margaret Stine
Global Culture: Spotlight on India
Cross-Cultural Studies | Moderator: Indrani Mitra, Ph.D.
Knott Academic Center 227
Presenters: Jannelle Ramroop, Molly Dustin, Eleanor Fisher and Kayla Cooper
Reinterpreting Literature
English | Moderator: Sean Lewis, Ph.D.
Knott Academic Center 224
Presenters: Morgan Stowe, Carter Kinnear and Daniel Arce
The Intersection of Faith and Disability
Human Services | Moderator: Dana Sauers
Knott Academic Center 227
Presenters: Makala Harrison, Emily Hall, Rachel Hartnett, Ph.D.
Daughters of Charity Land Management and Biodiversity
Environmental Science | Moderator: Rachel Hartnett, Ph.D. | Respondant: Lincoln Queale
Knott Academic Center 227
Presenters: Claire Moberly, Collins Nji, Jenna Brady and Rita Marcotte
Literary Form and Content
English | Moderator: Sean Lewis, Ph.D.
Knott Academic Center 224
Presenters: Lilli Millender, Tonya Dick, Kip Kelley and Abigail Kula, Ph.D.
Clearing Up Confusion about Recycling
Environmental Science | Moderator: Abigail Kula, Ph.D. | Respondant: Alejandro Cañadas, Ph.D.
Knott Academic Center 227
Semaj Moss and Brandon Simms
Genes and Proteins of Phage Phelan
Biology | Faculty Mentor: Kathryn Dye, Ph.D.
Jakeline Marquez and Isabella Morrison
Annotating the Phage Phelan Genome
Biology | Faculty Mentor: Kathryn Dye, Ph.D.
Ali Alsaleh and Matt Filliben
Phage Hunting and Phage Genomics
Biology | Faculty Mentor: Kathryn Dye, Ph.D.
Nismel Nforna and Emely Silva
Isolation and Genome Annotation of Phage Phelan
Biology | Faculty Mentor: Kathryn Dye, Ph.D.
David Carvajal, Gianna McGahan and Isabella Smith
Inspector Gadget: Using tools to find Phage Genes
Biology | Faculty Mentor: Eric Sakowski, Ph.D.
Ashley David and Olivia Stann
Phage Phelan
Biology | Faculty Mentor: Kathryn Dye, Ph.D.
Alexander Koo
Impact of various stressors on Microcystis aeruginosa’s growth at different temperatures
Biology | Faculty Mentor: Eric Sakowski, Ph.D.
Skylar Guthrie and Katherine Kelly
Genetic cloning technique to express MCS and MICL in various fungal pathogens
Biology | Faculty Mentor: Christine McCauslin, Ph.D.
Zoe Wilcox and Ashley David
Detection of E. coli and its bacteriophages within our environment
Biology | Faculty Mentor: Eric Sakowski, Ph.D.
Abigail Zeigenfuse
The Effects of Stress and Anxiety in Mod-5 mutant Caenorhabditis Elegans
Biology | Faculty Mentor: Angy Kallarackal, Ph.D.
Grant Catello, Lia Festa and Peyton Sims
The Importance of Bacteriophages and their Sequences
Biology | Faculty Mentor: Eric Sakowski, Ph.D.
Madeline MacDonald, Anavaleria Martinez and David Mishra
Bacteriophage Arielagos: The Beast From Underneath
Biology | Faculty Mentor: Eric Sakowski, Ph.D.
Kristal Chicas, Olivia Terrazas and Olivia Woodward
The Analysis of Phage Arielagos and its Biological Components
Biology | Faculty Mentor: Eric Sakowski, Ph.D.
Michael Berko
Thermal Binding Studies With Small Molecules That Target Nucleic Acids To Treat Huntington’s Disease
Biochemistry | Faculty Mentor: Sarah Krueger, Ph.D.
Aliza Aslam and Rida Saifullah
Small Molecule Application on Hungtington’s Disease via Synthesis and Docking
Chemistry | Faculty Mentor: Sarah Krueger, Ph.D.
Zoe Wilcox
Effect of Lab Report Reflections on the Student Grades of Subsequent Lab Reports
Chemistry | Faculty Mentor: Sarah Krueger, Ph.D.
Rachel Bernard
An Overview of Erythronium americanum
Environmental Science | Faculty Mentor: Abby Kula, Ph.D.
Makala Harrison and Julianna Mariano
The Use of Benthic Macroinvertebrates as Bioindicators of Water Quality
Environmental Science | Faculty Mentor: Rachel Hartnett, Ph.D.
Mia Jensen
Garlic Mustard's competitive ability as an invasive noxious weed
Environmental Science | Faculty Mentor: Abby Kula, Ph.D.
Sergio Quijano
Combinators: a New Approach to Computation
Mathematics | Faculty Mentor: Jonelle Hook, Ph.D.
Thomas Passaro
The Shouting Escapees
Mathematics | Faculty Mentor: Jonelle Hook, Ph.D.
Braeden McHugh
Chutes and Ladders, and Math? A Mathematical Strategy for a Quick and Easy Victory
Mathematics | Faculty Mentor: Jonelle Hook, Ph.D.
Matthew Norris and Ryan Laur
Don’t Leaf Me Out! Exploring Spanning Probabilities in Kn
Mathematics | Faculty Mentor: Jonelle Hook, Ph.D.
Hannah Bonson and Liliana Vargas
Lights Out, Determinants!
Mathematics | Faculty Mentor: Jonelle Hook, Ph.D.
Shaheer Syed
QSAR-based Virtual Screening for Identifying Modulators of Insulin-like Growth Factor I Receptor
Data Science | Faculty Mentor: Daniel Salinas Duron, Ph.D.
Margaret Curtis
Tracking Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) in Ovarian Cancer Cells
Data Science | Faculty Mentor: Daniel Salinas Duron, Ph.D.
Gabriel Neville-Martin
Short Term Exposure to Musical Intervention and its Effects on Total Time Spent in CPP
Psychology | Faculty Mentor: Jon Slezak, Ph.D.
Jesseca Holly
The Effects of Nature Sounds in Establishing a Reinforcing Context in Rats
Psychology | Faculty Mentor: Jon Slezak, Ph.D.
Madison Bee
The Long-Term Effects of Music Conditioning on Rats
Psychology | Faculty Mentor: Jon Slezak, Ph.D.
Rachell Wiltshire
Conceptualization of Friendship in Elementary Aged Children Enrolled in K-5th Grade
Psychology | Faculty Mentor: Minxuan He, Ph.D.
Rayven Dean
The average duration of CPP of Rats in an enclosed environment
Psychology | Faculty Mentor: Jon Slezak, Ph.D.
Jacquelyn Candito
Cellular Calcium Levels Indicate Glutamatergic Receptor Activity in Response to Acute and Chronic Cortisol Exposure in C. Elegans
Psychology | Faculty Mentor: Angy Kallarackal, Ph.D.
Elizabeth Parthum
Use of Acoustic Feedback in a Human Service Setting to Increase Behavior Specific Praise
Psychology | Faculty Mentor: Kwadwo Britwum, Ph.D.
Nicholas Wallace-Whitfield
History of Utility
Economics | Faculty Mentor: John Larrivee, Ph.D.
Victoria Martinez
Sustainability in the World of Fashion
Business | Faculty Mentor: Josey Chacko, Ph.D.
Samuel Cheyne
Saftey In Our Parks: Crime Trends Within the National Parks
Criminal Justice | Faculty Mentor: Layton Field, Ph.D.
Erin Krizmanich
Poster Presentation
Criminal Justice | Faculty Mentor: Layton Field, Ph.D.
Caroline Lynch
Sexual Assaults on College Campuses
Criminal Justice | Faculty Mentor: Layton Field, Ph.D.
Shirley Liang
Does Level of Education Affect Incarceration Rates?
Criminal Justice | Faculty Mentor: Layton Field, Ph.D.
Anthony Polo
Bearing Responsibility of Crime
Criminal Justice | Faculty Mentor: Brendan Dooley, Ph.D.
Nolan Williams
The Monastery and the development of Capitalism in Western Europe
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) | Faculty Mentor: John Larrivee, Ph.D.
Michael Murphy
"Homo Sovieticus" - The Spirit of Collectivism and its Effects on the Human Person
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) | Faculty Mentor: John Larrivee, Ph.D.
Michelle Buhrman
A Component Analysis of Behavioral Skills Training with the Use of Acoustic Feedback
Elementary Education | Faculty Mentor: Kwadwo Britwum, Ph.D.
Lynn Schumacher
Skill Assessment planning to inform Social Preference Assessments
Elementary Education | Faculty Mentor: Kwadwo Britwum, Ph.D.
Sarah Johnson
Environmental Education: How Community and Biomes Inform Curriculum Development
Elementary Education | Faculty Mentor: Michelle Ohanian, Ph.D.
Cheyenne Thrasher
The Increased Need of Mental Health Services on College/University Campuses
Sociology | Faculty Mentor: Layton Field, Ph.D.
Madalyn Grieves
Bereavement of a Guardian: The Effects it has on Students
Sociology | Faculty Mentor: Layton Field, Ph.D.
Dominic Dunn
The Iraq War and a World Left in Terror
Sociology | Faculty Mentor: Layton Field, Ph.D.
Merna Nakhla
Interracial Adoption
Sociology | Faculty Mentor: Layton Field, Ph.D.
Fady Nakhla
Solutions for the Prosecution of the Copts of Egypt and the Syriacs of Syria
Sociology | Faculty Mentor: Layton Field, Ph.D.
Angelica Carabantes
Impact on First Generation Students
Sociology | Faculty Mentor: Layton Field, Ph.D.
Anna Martinelli
The effect of COVID-19 on the mental health of undergraduates
Sociology | Faculty Mentor: Layton Field, Ph.D.
Faculty Sponsor: Elizabeth Holtry, M.F.A.
Faculty Sponsor: Mark Carlson, D.M.A.
Faith Herbert and Kennady Thorpe
Faculty Mentors: Mark Carlson, D.M.A. and Andy Rosenfeld, D.M.A.
Faculty Adviser: Tom Bligh, Ph.D.
Faculty Advisor: Sean Lewis, Ph.D.
Senior Editors
Junior Editors
The publication features work from the following authors:
Faculty Advisor: Thane Naberhaus, Ph.D.
Editor-in-Chief
Editorial Board
Essay Writers
Faculty Sponsor: Kurt Blaugher, Ph.D.