2008 Proceedings - St. Cloud State University

Abstracts
Session T All Disciplines Ballroom
An Investigation of the Link Students Make Between Real Life Examples and Particulate Drawings of the Phases of Matter
Students‘ understanding of particulate level drawings, and their ability to link these drawings to real-life examples, is fundamental to
students understanding chemistry. Our study suggests that students have misconceptions regarding the particulate level drawings of the
phases of matter and real-life examples of the states of matter. This study will help educators address those misconceptions in their
courses. We performed a content analysis of current textbooks. Student surveys offered information about student understanding of the
phases of matter, while results from think-aloud protocols provided an in-depth look at students‘ understanding. Possible correlations
between textbook content, surveys and think-aloud results will be discussed. Future research ideas will be discussed as well.
Presentation Index: T14
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Department: Chemistry
Project Sponsor(s):
Student Presenter(s): Hanson, Jessica
Krystyniak, Rebecca
Preparation of Farnesyl Pyrophosphate Analogues: Competitive Inhibitors of Farnesyl Protein Transferase
Currently, many of the drugs used in chemotherapy are toxic. The development of less harmful chemotherapeutic agents is a major goal
in cancer research. The RAS protein, when mutated, is responsible for 30% of all human cancers and is an important target in such
research. The function of RAS is to act as an on/off switch for cell growth. Mutant RAS behaves as a broken switch, leading to
unregulated cell growth and tumor formation. In order for RAS proteins to perform their function, they must first bind with farnesyl
pyrophosphate. This reaction is catalyzed by the enzyme farnesyl protein transferase (FPTase). If the RAS protein fails to bind with
farnesyl pyrophosphate, it cannot cause unregulated cell growth. Current research focuses on the design of farnesyl pyrophosphate
analogues that will serve as competitive inhibitors of FPTase. These analogues, containing aromatic rings, will potentially bind more tightly
to the enzyme active site.
Presentation Index: T15
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Department: Chemistry
Project Sponsor(s):
Student Presenter(s): Albrecht, Sarah
Mechelke, Mark
Is it Safe to Drink the Water?: Filtering Algal Toxins in Rural Settings
The health and vitality of freshwater lakes and rivers are of the utmost importance to human populations due to the substantial water
consumption and recreational needs. As human activity and demand have increased, the need to conserve and manage the welfare of
these freshwater systems has been a topic of concern. In recent years the issues of cyanobacterial blooms and the cyanotoxins produced
have called into question the safety of freshwater systems. The water systems of Voyagers National Park allow me to examine a system
where fulltime residents, part time residents, and summer visitors utilize the water both domestically and recreationally making it imperative
that the toxic potential of the water is known. I have utilized three types of water monitoring techniques used in determining the human
health risk of a freshwater system. These include light microscopy to verify cyanobacteria presence and cell density, polymerase chain
reaction (PCR) to establish the presence of the gene in microcystin-LR producing cyanobacteria, and enzyme-linked immunosorbant
assays (ELISA) to ascertain the toxin concentration of a water sample. However, due to weaknesses of each technique and nature of the
toxin, I have concluded that it is safest to always assume that the water is contaminated. Therefore, I examined water filter/purification
techniques to determine the most effective in removing microcystin-LR and reducing the associated human health risk. These techniques
including sand, activated carbon, paper, ultraviolet photolysis, and boiling are typical and/or potential protection methods utilized by
residents and visitors of Voyagers National Park. Further examination of commercially available water filter/purification systems allowed
me to test the resilience of each system when used repeatedly.
Presentation Index: T16
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Department: Biological Sciences
Project Sponsor(s):
Student Presenter(s): Lindgren, Rachel
Julius, Matthew
Vanadium-Flavonoid Complexes as Inhibitors of Enzymes Involved in Glucose Metabolism
Diabetes, and its associated health complications, is one of the most prevalent causes of death in the world today. New cases have
increased steadily from year to year. Certain vanadium complexes and salts have exhibited promising antidiabetic properties, which has
resulted in extensive research on the development of vanadium-based antidiabetic drugs. As a result of these unique properties, two
vanadium compounds, vanadyl-3-hydroxyflavone and vanadyl-5-hydroxyflavone, were synthesized. The focus of the research was to
examine the vanadium compound‘s inhibition of â–glucosidase and phosphodiesterase, two enzymes that regulate metabolism of glucose.
This was achieved by performing spectrophotometric enzyme assays for the respective enzymes and vanadium complexes. Results
indicate that vanadyl-3-hydroxyflavone and vanadyl-5-hydroxyflavone inhibit the above enzymes. It is expected the results from this work
will contribute to a better understanding of the fundamental properties of vanadium-flavonoid complexes and a clearer picture of their mode
of action in the treatment of diabetes.
Presentation Index: T17
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Department: Chemistry
Project Sponsor(s):
Student Presenter(s): Kleven, Mark
Mahroof-Tahir, Mohammad; Sreerama, Lakshmaiah; Gregory, Dan
St. Cloud State University Student Research Colloquium 55
April 22, 2008