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