the program - Fordham University

FoRdHam College at RoSe Hill FiFtH annUal 

UndeRGRAdUAte ReSeARCH 

SYMPOSIUM 

Showcasing Undergraduate 

Research in the Sciences, 

Social Sciences and Humanities 

Wednesday, 25 April 2012 

McGinley Center | Rose Hill Campus

The Fifth Annual 

Fordham College at Rose Hill 

Undergraduate Research Symposium 

April 25, 2012 

McGinley Center, Rose Hill Campus 

Welcome to the Undergraduate Research Symposium at Fordham College at Rose Hill. The 

Symposium is an annual celebration of the accomplishments of the undergraduate students who 

have engaged in original research this past year, as well as the dedication of the faculty mentors 

who have shared their passion and curiosity for knowledge with their students. 

The student presenters include freshmen through seniors who have done research with faculty 

mentors from across the full range of academic disciplines, including the humanities, the 

sciences, and the social sciences. The work they have done to create new knowledge, and to 

share it with their colleagues and peers, reflects a deep commitment to academic excellence. We 

are proud of them all. 

The Symposium Faculty Committee is grateful to all who contributed to the success of this 

event: presenters, co-authors, faculty mentors, as well as faculty and staff, friends, family, 

alumni, and guests. We encourage you to attend the conference sessions, view the posters, and 

ask these outstanding young scholars about their work. 

Undergraduate Research Symposium Faculty Committee 

Martin Chase, S.J., Department of English 

Elena Filatova, Ph.D., Department of Computer and Information Science 

Jon Friedrich, Ph.D., Department of Chemistry 

Patrick Hornbeck, Ph.D., Department of Theology 

Harry Nasuti, Ph.D., Department of Theology 

Olena Nikolayenko, Ph.D., Department of Political Science 

Eugenia Ribeiro-Hurley, Ph.D., Department of Biological Sciences 

Troy Tassier, Ph.D., Department of Economics 

Michelle Bata, Ph.D., Fordham College at Rose Hill Dean’s Office 

Donna Heald, Ph.D., Fordham College at Rose Hill Dean’s Office 

Michael Latham, Ph.D., Fordham College at Rose Hill Dean’s Office 

Undergraduate Research Symposium Student Committee 

Andrew Craig, FCRH 2013 

Caroline Hadley, FCRH 2012 

Aracely Lopez, FCRH 2015 

Gaetano Migliaccio, FCRH 2015 

Margaret Palazzolo, FCRH 2013 

Michael Rametta, FCRH 2013 

Genesis Saravia, FCRH 2012 

Sarah Sullivan, FCRH 2012 

The Undergraduate Research Symposium planning committees wish to thank the following 

individuals for their assistance: Jessica Baker, John Burns, Francis Katai, Tara McWilliams, 

Julian Martinez, Lorene Pasciotty, Dorothy Riely, Nicole Weinbrom, and Andrew Williams.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 

11:00 am—2:30 pm Registration for Symposium Participants 

12:00 pm—3:00 pm Oral Presentations (light lunch served in the conference rooms) 

3:15 pm Celebratory Remarks (light refreshments will be served) 

• Rev. Joseph McShane, S.J., President 

• Michael E. Latham, Ph.D., Dean, Fordham College at Rose Hill 

3:30 pm Presentation of FURJ Faculty Research Mentor Awards 

• Kevin Jordan and Alexandria DeCapua-Guarino, FURJ Coeditors-in-chief 

3:30 pm—5:00 pm Poster Presentations

McGinley 

Lounge 

McGinley 

Ballroom 

Rose Hill 

Commons 

234 

Symposium Schedule 

Rose Hill 

Commons 

235 

Rose Hill 

Commons 

Faculty 

236 

Lounge 

Music Room 

Session 1: Session 2: Session 3: Session 4: Session 5: 

Religion and Gender, Studyin g the It's Not Easy Eyesight and 

the Political Sexuality, and Bronx Being Green Insights 

12:00 PM Sphere the Law 

(12 - 1:15) 


Not So Little The Social Healthcare Flamingos, What are 

Italy Construction and Disability Pigeons, and "Things that 

1:00 PM of Gender Studies Basketballs are round?" 

(1:15 - 2:30) 


Gl Global obal Af Africa: ri ca: GGender ender,Me Media dia an and d Solutions to Class Classical ical 

Political Politics, and Society in Pollution Studies 

2:00 PM TransformationEcon Dev Comp Persp 

(2 - 3:15) (2 - 3:15) (2:30 - 3:15) 

3:00 PM 

4:00 PM 

Poster Poster 

Presentations Presentations

Table of Contents 

Presenter Mentor Title Abstract Number Page 

Sara Shahmiri Dr. Christine Firer Hinze Theological and Economic Approaches to the Living 

Wage 

Laura Notess Dr. Melissa Labonte Demobilizing the Lord's Resistance Army: The Role of 

the Regional Catholic Church 

2012-0101 1 

2012-0102 2 

Joseph Moreshead Dr. William Gould Freedom, Democracy, and Human Rights 2012-0103 3 

Liam Lowery Dr. Jeanne Flavin Unmaking "M" and "F": The Implications of Legal 

Gender in America 

2012-0201 4 

Elizabeth Gatti Dr. Sumithra Raghavan Sexual Assault: Is CARE Enough? 2012-0202 5 

Andrew Roddin Dr. Bruce Berg Determining the Appropriateness and Effectiveness of 

Arrest as a Deterrent to Domestic Violence 

2012-0203 6 

Caitlin Waickman Dr. Rosemary Wakeman Interethnic Relations as Social Capital for Immigrants 2012-0301 7 

Catherine McNamara Dr. Emily Rosenbaum Cross Bronx Double Cross: How the Cross-Bronx 

Expressway has Affected Pediatric Asthma in the Bronx 

2012-0302 8 

Vincent DeCesare Dr. Mark Naison Redevelopment of the South Bronx 2012-0303 9 

Kyle Clonan Dr. Jason Aloisio The Potential Benefits of an O'Hare Hall Green Roof 2012-0401 10 

Nadia Seeteram Dr. David Budescu What is the Difference Between Global Climate Change 

and Global Warming? 

2012-0402 11


Lauren Sepanski Dr. E. Doyle McCarthy Tending the Flowers, Cultivating Community: 

Gardening on New York City Public Housing Sites 

Brian Williams Dr. Ipsita Banerjee Fabrication of Pyrogallol-Quantum Dot Nanostructures 

for use as Bioimaging Agents in Living Mammalian 

Cells 

Catherine Evich Dr. Silvia C. Finnemann Lysosome Regulation: A Cellular Mechanism 

Maintaining Eyesight for Life 

Asmaou Diallo Dr. Oded Gonen Metabolic Changes Associated with mTBI: Insight 

From 3D 1 H NMR Spectroscopy Imaging Voxelwise 

Analysis 

Kathryn Silva Dr. Silvia Finnemann How to Prevent Overeating: Role of Calpastatin 

Protease Inhibitor in Rhythmic Debris Clearance in the 

Eye 

2012-0403 12 

2012-0501 13 

2012-0502 14 

2012-0503 15 

2012-0504 16 

Michael Providenza Dr. Christine Firer Hinze A Brief Exploration of the Italian Catholic Federation 2012-0601 17 

Joseph Tumolo Dr. Susanna Barsella Franco-Italian Relations in the Medieval World: The 

Implications of a Musical and Literary Interchange 

Helena Guzik Dr. Ebru Turan Islamic Influences on Venetian Pilgrim Flasks of the 

Early Sixteenth Century 

Emily Amato Dr. Susan Greenfield Have Bottom Size of Brazil: Female Self Worth in 

Pride and Prejudice and Bridget Jones's Diary 

Jennifer Prevete Dr. Julie Kim and Dr. Oneka 

LaBennett 

"Maybe It Was Too Much to Expect in Those Days": 

The Changing Lifestyles of Barnard’s First Female 

Students 

2012-0602 18 

2012-0603 19 

2012-0701 20 

2012-0702 21


Justin LaCoursiere Dr. Orit Avishai Will You Be Having a Masculine, Feminine, or 

Ambiguous Drink Today? Gender Performance through 

the Consumption of Beverages 

Jordan Seidel Dr. Rachel Annunziato Achievement Motivation and Rumination Among 

Emerging Adults: Cigarette Smokers versus 

Nonsmokers 

Navena Chaitoo Dr. Sophie Mitra Estimating the Additional Costs Associated with 

Disability in the United States 

Maggie Baisley Dr. Rachel Annunziato No Longer Strangers in a Strange Land: Improving 

Preparation for Transfer Out of Pediatrics 

Sarah Reda Dr. J. Alan Clark Assessing American Flamingo Habitat Use and Food 

Availability 

2012-0703 22 

2012-0801 23 

2012-0802 24 

2012-0803 25 

2012-0901 26 

Matthew Dillon Dr. James MacDonall Examining the Effectiveness of the S Delta Procedure 2012-0902 27 

Thomas Nolan Dr. D. Frank Hsu Combining Multiple Rankings Using Combinatorial 

Fusion to Predict Results of the NCAA Men’s 

Basketball Tournament 

Hussein Safa Dr. Silvia Finnemann Breakfast is the Most Important Meal of the Day: The 

Important Role of Cell Signaling in Maintaining 

Eyesight 

Karen Guzman Dr. Rolf Ryham Control of Lipidic Pore Dynamics by Aqueous 

Viscosity 

Nako Nakatsuka Dr. Ipsita Banerjee Development of Nanoassemblies for Antibacterial and 

Antifungal Applications 

2012-0903 28 

2012-1001 29 

2012-1002 30 

2012-1003 31


Stephen Frayne Dr. Ipsita Banerjee Development of Nanoassemblies as Drug Carriers 2012-1004 32 

AnnaMaria Shaker Fr. Patrick Ryan, S.J. The Status of the Christian Minority in Post-Mubarak 

Egypt: An Analysis of Egypt’s Political and Social 

Responses 

2012-1101 33 

John Turiano Dr. Olena Nikolayenko Democratization Diverted 2012-1102 34 

Lorenzo Ferrigno Dr. Melissa Labonte Nuclear Iran: A More Peaceful Middle East 2012-1103 35 

Johana Borjas Dr. Daniel Soyer Hungarian Immigration to New York City after 1956 2012-1104 36 

Michael Kavanagh Fr. R. Bentley Anderson, S.J. Save Our Missions: Apartheid, Education and Protest 2012-1201 37 

Sheila Sennett Fr. R. Bentley Anderson, S.J. The Role of Black South African Women in Pass Law 

Protests in the 1950s 

Devin Kelly Fr. R. Bentley Anderson, S.J. A Nation of Youth, a Nation of Faith: Robert F. 

Kennedy in South Africa in 1966 

Martha McKinley Dr. Olena Nikolayenko Economic Development in Least Developed States: 

Looking at the Cases of Tanzania and Botswana 

2012-1202 38 

2012-1203 39 

2012-1204 40 

Lorenzo Ferrigno Dr. Jonathan Crystal American versus Chinese News: A Comparison 2012-1301 41 

Michael Broccolo, 

Donovan Longo, and 

Elizabeth Ponce de 

Leon 

Dr. Beth Knobel Losing Bark and Bite: The Changing Face of Watchdog 

Journalism in the Internet Era 

Liz Yaslik Dr. John Entelis Updating its Status: The Use of Social Media & the 

Press in the Egyptian Revolution 

2012-1302 42 

2012-1303 43


Ame Anteyi Dr. James Lewis Effect of Heavy Metal on the Growth of Purslane 2012-1401 44 

Rebecca Triano Dr. Amy Balija Encapsulation of Pyrene by a Series of Novel "Reverse" 

Benzyl Ether Dendrimers and their Monomers 

Michele Paccagnini Dr. Amy Balija Synthesis, Characterization, and Evaluation of Novel 

Cyclohexane Based Dendrimers for the Encapsulation 

of Organic Pollutants 

Timothy Gallagher Dr. Matthew McGowan Power and Prayer: The Imperial Cult and the Cult of Isis 

in Roman Spain 

2012-1402 45 

2012-1403 46 

2012-1501 47 

Adrian Nolasco Dr. Larry Welborn Social Identity In Greek and Latin Epitaphs 2012-1502 48 

Pauline Lu Colin Cathcart Projected Reality 2012-V001 49 

Timothy Luecke Carleen Sheehan New York: Portraits of City and Artists 2012-V002 50 

Gabriel Agostini Dr. Robert Beer Fuel For the Future 2012-P001 51 

Kyle Alexander Dr. Fred Wertz For I Have Sinned: Fordham Student's Lives as both 

Catholic and LGBTQ 

Taylor Batson Dr. Edward Dubrovsky Complementation Analysis of Drosophila RNase Z 

Mutant Alleles 

Margaux Bruzzese Dr. Margaret Andover Emotion Dysregulation and Peer Victimization in Non- 

Suicidal Self-Injury among Adolescents: A Meta- 

Analysis of Risk Factors 

2012-P002 52 

2012-P003 53 

2012-P004 54 

Molly Clemens Dr. Steven Franks A Study of Invasive Species 2012-P005 55


Rachel Coffey Dr. Evon Hekkala Migratory Origin of an Isolated Crocodylus Niloticus 

Population in West Africa 

Siobhan Cooney and 

Glynnis Kelly 

Dr. Christopher Bender Chromatography of Iron Containing Proteins in a 

Magnetic Field 

Vincent Corcoran Dr. Margaret Andover The Role of Resiliency on Borderline Symptomatology 

Among Women with a Childhood Trauma History 

2012-P006 56 

2012-P007 57 

2012-P008 58 

Gray Crenshaw Dr. Rolf Ryham 3D Vesicle Membrane Simulation 2012-P009 59 

Alexandria DeCapua- 

Guarino 

Kimberly Consroe Unidentified Human Skeletal Remains: Curation 

Techniques and Human Population Studies 

Mary Donahue Dr. Evon Hekkala Investigating Mongoose Familial Connections Through 

Microsatellite Analyses 

2012-P010 60 

2012-P011 61 

Pedro Espino Dr. Christopher Aubin Electromagnetic Properties of the Delta Baryon 2012-P012 62 

Faith Forgione Dr. Mary Procidano Perceived Social Support in Relation to Dispositional 

Optimism, Social Desirability, and Life Satisfaction 

Fallon France Dr. Evon Hekkala Possible Hybridization Among Equid Species at the 

Godin Tepe Site in Western Iran: A Molecular and 

Bioinformatic Approach 

Shaun Gallagher Dr. Gary Weiss Wireless Sensor Data Mining for the Determination of 

Soft Biometric Traits 

2012-P013 63 

2012-P014 64 

2012-P015 65 

Nicholas Gatto Dr. Karen Siedlecki Autobiographical Memory Project 2012-P016 66 

Philip Giarrusso Dr. Patricio Meneses Tetraspanin and its involvement in HPV infection 2012-P017 67


Tara Gleason Dr. Edward Dubrovsky Chemical Mutagenesis of the Drosophila RNaseZ Gene 2012-P018 68 

Andrew Grosner Dr. Gary Weiss Mobile GPS Data Mining 2012-P019 69 

Daniel Hatcher Dr. Xiaolan Zhang Towards Trust-Worthy Smartphone-Based Mobile 

Application 

Megan Henriquez Dr. J. Alan Clark Flipper Patterns and Clade Membership in Little Blue 

Penguins 

Christopher Hernandez Dr. Patricio Meneses Tetraspanins and Their Role in HPV16 Infection of 

Human Keratinocytes 

Sean Hickey Dr. Silvia Finnemann Investigating the Role of C-Src Kinase in Maintaining 

Eyesight for Life 

Kevin Jordan Dr. Nadine Schumann Elucidating the Biological Function of 4 F-box Kelch 

Repeat Proteins (FBKs) in Arabidopsis Thaliana 

Kevin Jordan Dr. Steven Franks Searching for Sequence Based Evidence of Flowering 

Time Evolution in Bassica rapa Flowering Loci C 

Paralogs 

2012-P020 70 

2012-P021 71 

2012-P022 72 

2012-P023 73 

2012-P024 74 

2012-P025 75 

Brandon Klein Dr. Rose Carlson Darter Fish Feeding Kinematics 2012-P026 76 

Joanna Krasnisky Dr. James MacDonall Using Matching to Sample Prompt Procedure to 

Produce Errorless Learning in Pigeons 

Peter Lachman Dr. Subha Mani The Effect of Vocational Training on Behavioral 

Outcomes: Evidence from a Randomized Field 

Experiment 

2012-P027 77 

2012-P028 78


Tessa LaRue Dr. Daniela Jopp The Relationship between Critical Life Events, 

Resource Loss, Coping, and Depression in Students 

Starting College: Preliminary Findings of the Fordham 

Freshman Study 

James Lee Dr. John McMahon Open Circuit Voltage Measurements Supporting a 

Pourbaix Diagram of the Thermodynamics of a Fuel 

Cell Comprised of a Silver/Silver Iodide Photocatalytic 

Cathode and Traditional Platinum/Carbon Anode 

2012-P029 79 

2012-P030 80 

Stephen Lieto Dr. Stephen Holler Detection of Single HPV Particles 2012-P031 81 

David Marcelin Dr. James Ciaccio A Convenient, One-Pot Preparation of 1,2-Azido 

Alcohols from Aldehydes via Sequential Corey- 

Chaykovsky Epoxidation and in Situ Azidolysis 

Benjamin Marsh Dr. Richard Gorlick Variable Expression of Argininosuccinate Synthetase 

Protein and Correlation with Novel Therapeutic ADI- 

PEG20 in Osteosarcoma 

2012-P032 82 

2012-P033 83 

Clare Masullo Dr. Reiko Matsuda-Goodwin Tooth Eruption Patterns in the Guenons 2012-P034 84 

Steven Mennona Dr. Patricio Meneses Intracellular Trafficking of HPV 2012-P035 85 

Kelly Mercorella Dr. James MacDonall Exploring Learning Acquisition Using an Error- 

Reduction Procedure 

Caitlin Meyer Dr. Monika McDermott Gendered Judgments and Implicit Attitudes toward 

Women and Politics 

Jillian Minahan Dr. Mary Procidano Predicting Adjustment: The Independent Contributions 

of Personality and Perceived Social Support 

2012-P036 86 

2012-P037 87 

2012-P038 88


Olivia Monaco Dr. Amy Balija Mixed Benzyl Ether and Benzyl Amine Dendrimers: 

Synthesis and Encapsulation Properties 

2012-P039 89 

Michaela Murphy Dr. Patricio Meneses Syndecans’ Involvement in HPV 16 Attachment 2012-P040 90 

Harjot Nayar Dr. Mary Procidano Young Adult Cancer Survivors’ Appraisals of Cancer 

Experience Predict Adjustment 

Caitlin Kelly Nosal Dr. Margaret Andover The Behavioral Inhibition and Behavioral Activation 

Systems in Non-Suicidal Self-Injury 

2012-P041 91 

2012-P042 92 

Mikael Oja Dr. Christopher Aubin Electromagnetic Properties of Delta Baryons 2012-P043 93 

Michael Pappas Dr. Louis Weiss Identification of Novel Proteins of the Infectious 

Apparatus of Encephalitozoon hellem 

2012-P044 94 

Luigi Patruno Dr. Cris Poor Classifying Isometry Classes of Lattices in n=3 2012-P045 95 

Jose Perez Dr. Patricio Meneses Location of the L2 protein during HPV infection 2012-P046 96 

Christopher Pioch Dr. Allan Gilbert Godin Tepe Faunal Analysis 2012-P047 97 

Vanessa Ramirez Dr. Jon Friedrich Development of Basic Digestion Methods for the 

Quantification of Silicon in Geological Materials 

Marian Rogers Dr. Christopher Aubin Constraints on New Physics Using the Muon Magnetic 

Moment 

Alissa Roman Dr. Evon Hekkala Monitoring Threatened Small Mammal Responses to 

Climate Change Using Non-invasive Genetic Methods 

2012-P049 98 

2012-P050 99 

2012-P051 100


Kira Rosi-Schumacher Dr. Martin Sanzari An Investigation into Shifting Denaturation 

Temperature of Type-I Collagen Resulting from UV 

Radiation 

Peter Sanneman Dr. James MacDonall Error Reduction in Repeated Acquisition Sequence 

Learning 

Nazmul Sarker Dr. Ipsita Banerjee A Comparison of Plant Growth Factors and their Ability 

to Form Nanoassemblies and Form Metal Nanoparticles 

by Green Synthetic Methods 

Cristina Schlesier Dr. Petr Shibaev Chiral Materials with Embedded Ferromagnetic 

Nanoparticles 

Elizabeth Spangler Dr. Damian Lyons Sonar-based Circumnavigation and 3D Representation 

of Objects Using Autonomous Mobile Robots 

2012-P052 101 

2012-P053 102 

2012-P054 103 

2012-P055 104 

2012-P056 105 

Andrew Steffan Dr. Robert Hume Gubernatorial Influence on State Legislatures 2012-P057 106 

John Szilagyi Dr. Chris Bender Solid-Phase Synthesis of Peptides for Structure- 

Function Correlation Studies 

John Szilagyi Dr. Chris Bender Chemistry Can Make You a Better Writer: Eloquenta 

Perfecta cum Potio Arabica 

John Szilagyi Dr. Chris Bender A Voltammetric Analysis of the Components in Urey- 

Miller's "Primordial Soup" 

John Szilagyi Dr. Chris Bender A Voltammetric Study of Amino Acid Solutions in 

Ammonium Formate Melts 

2012-P058 107 

2012-P059 108 

2012-P060 109 

2012-P061 110


Jaime Tanner Dr. James MacDonall Using Errorless Training Methods in a Matching-To- 

Sample Procedure 

Katherine Valles Dr. Thomas Daniels Effect of Soil and Leaf Litter Nutrient Stoichiometry on 

Nymphal Blacklegged Tick (Ixodes Scapularis) 

Densities 

Nathan Walsh Dr. Vassilios Fessatidis Application of the CMX and Lanczos Methods to the 

Half-Filled Hubbard Model 

Patrick Wester Dr. Margaret Andover Risk Factors Associated with Non-Suicidal Self-Injury 

in an LGB Sample 

2012-P062 111 

2012-P063 112 

2012-P064 113 

2012-P065 114 

Margaret Wolf Dr. Rolf Ryham Geometric Problems in the Calculus of Variations 2012-P066 115 

Margaret Wolf Dr. Rolf Ryham Lipid Pore Dynamics 2012-P067 116 

Vicky Yiannoulis Dr. Edward Dubrovsky Lethal Phase Determination of Drosophila RNase Z 

Mutants 

Angelika Albaladejo Dr. T. Mills Kelly Linking Cultural Memory and the Trafficking of Girls 

in Colombia 

Frederick Barnum Dr. Usha Sankar The Effects of Polyphasic versus Monophasic Sleep 

Patterns on Normal Cognitive Functions, Emotions, and 

Memory 

2012-P068 117 

2012-P101 118 

2012-P102 119 

Derek Batri Dr. Usha Sankar The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Muscle Mass 2012-P103 120 

Taylor Batson Dr. Dustin Partridge Urban Green Roof Arthropod Populations 2012-P104 121 

Christopher Bayers Dr. Usha Sankar The Intricate Relationship between Sleep and Epilepsy 2012-P105 122


Andrew Biello Dr. Usha Sankar Sleep Deprivation and Its Effects on the Short Term 

Memory 

Melissa Buchan Dr. Craig Frank The Effects of Soil pH on Tree Diversity in New York 

City 

Melissa Buchan Dr. Usha Sankar The Correlation of Sleep Deprivation to Arterial Wall 

Thickening 

2012-P106 123 

2012-P107 124 

2012-P108 125 

Brandon Buchla Dr. Usha Sankar The Effects of Caffeine on Sleep-Deprived Athletes 2012-P109 126 

Kevin Butler Dr. Usha Sankar The Link Between REM Sleep Deprivation and 

Perception of Heat and Mechanical Pain Stimuli 

2012-P110 127 

Nicole Campbell Dr. Eugenia Ribeiro-Hurley Northern and Southern Blotting: A Comparison 2012-P111 128 

Kristen Carlin Dr. Eugenia Ribeiro-Hurley Knockout Mice 2012-P112 129 

Hira Chaudhary Dr. Jon Friedrich Errors in Chondrule Volume Measurements Associated 

with Varying the Axial Slice Height with X-Ray 

Microtomography: Comparing Theory and Practice 

2012-P113 130 

Alejandro Chavez Dr. Eugenia Ribeiro-Hurley Generating Antibodies: Polyclonal vs. Monoclonal 2012-P114 131 

Zymond Corotan Dr. Usha Sankar Sleep Deprivation's Contribution to Hypertension in 

College Students 

Matt Cucino Dr. Christina Frare and Dr. Evon 

Hekkala 

2012-P115 132 

Soil Fertility From a Rural to Urban Gradient 2012-P116 133 

Aaron Dowdell Dr. Usha Sankar Countering the Effects of Sleep Deprivation Using 

Complementary Therapies 

2012-P117 134


James Duncan Dr. Evon Hekkala Effect of Immediate Environment on Tree Health and 

Growth 

Pavel Dvorkin Dr. Christopher Bender Thermally Driven Reactions of Tartaric Acid and its 

Sodium/Potassium Salt 

Danielle Espinoza Dr. Seth Cunningham Detrimental Effects of Smoked Cigarette Butts on Vicia 

Faba Growth and Development 

2012-P118 135 

2012-P119 136 

2012-P120 137 

Kathleen Finelli Dr. Evon Hekkala The Effects of Urbanization on Bird Populations 2012-P121 138 

Ariel Fragale Dr. Jon Friedrich Errors in the Observed NIST 1019b Glass Bead Size 

Distribution Associated with Varying Axial Slice 

Height with X-Ray Microtomography 

2012-P122 139 

Stephen Gan Dr. Eugenia Ribeiro-Hurley DNA Fingerprinting 2012-P123 140 

Amanda Gerber Dr. Jacqui Johnson Effectiveness of Disinfectants on Microbial 

Contamination on Keyboards 

2012-P124 141 

Nicholas Harris Dr. Usha Sankar Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Mental Arithmetic 2012-P125 142 

Mithi Hossain Dr. Jon Friedrich Development of Group-Effort Methods for Examining 

Size Distributions of Chondrules in Chondrites with X- 

Ray Microtomography Data 

Melissa Ingala Dr. Jon Friedrich Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per One Bottle of Water: A 

Cumulative Analysis 

2012-P126 143 

2012-P127 144 

Elissa Kapp Dr. Eugenia Ribeiro-Hurley Standard PCR Versus Hot Start PCR 2012-P128 145


Elissa Kapp Dr. Jon Friedrich Examination of the Reproducibility of Multiple 

Investigators in Manually Determining Boundaries of 

Objects in 2D Sections and 3D Volumes 

2012-P129 146 

Joyce Lim Dr. Jacqui Johnson Where to Find the Cleanest Bathroom in Keating Hall 2012-P130 147 

Jorge Lopez Dr. Usha Sankar How Effective is Caffeine Really in Combating Sleep 

Deprivation Effects? 

Michelle Mathios Dr. Jacqui Johnson Contamination in the Cafeteria: Do You Know Where 

Your Bacteria Is? 

Zachary Meinhart Dr. Jon Friedrich Size Distribution of Chondrules in the Chainpur LL 

Chondrite 

2012-P131 148 

2012-P132 149 

2012-P133 150 

Steven Mennona Dr. Anthony Caragiulo Bacterial Colony Growth in the Gym 2012-P134 151 

Jacqueline Miranda Dr. Eugenia Ribeiro-Hurley Co-Immunoprecipitation 2012-P135 152 

Avery Osella Dr. Usha Sankar The Effects of Sleep Restriction on Human 

Polysynaptic Reflexes 

Michael Pappas Dr. Evon Hekkala The Effect of Economic and Social Disparities on Water 

Quality 

Sarah Reda Dr. Usha Sankar Sleep Restriction to Five Hours per Night Leads to 

Increased Risk of Diabetes II in Various Ethnicities 

Maria Romano Dr. Jacqui Johnson Investigating the Bacterial Contamination of Soda 

Fountains on Campus 

2012-P136 153 

2012-P137 154 

2012-P138 155 

2012-P139 156


Marcello Scotti Dr. Evon Hekkala The Differences in Plant Development Along the New 

York City-Westchester County Urbanization Gradient 

Kathryn Silva Dr. Jacqui Johnson Investigation of Bacterial Presence in Both the Kitchen 

and Bathroom 

Ruthanne Sobecki Dr. Usha Sankar Obstructive Sleep Apnea is Associated with Impaired 

Recall and Cognitive Disabilities 

Amelia Starr, Maxine 

Cruz-Am, Margaret 

Ferrara 

Dr. Usha Sankar Occupational Fatigue: How Doctors Combat Sleep 

Deprivation 

2012-P140 157 

2012-P141 158 

2012-P142 159 

2012-P143 160 

Ian Suaco Dr. Evon Hekkala Tree Fitness vs. Environment 2012-P144 161 

Kelsey Topa Dr. Eugenia Ribeiro-Hurley DNA Footprinting 2012-P145 162 

Adrian Whiting Dr. Eugenia Ribeiro-Hurley In-Vitro Protein Translation 2012-P146 163 

Melissa Witherell Dr. Evon Hekkala Positive Interaction With Primates 2012-P147 164 

Jesus Zeno Dr. Usha Sankar Sleep Habits and Susceptibility to the Common Cold 2012-P148 165 

Angelo Labate Dr. Doron Ben-Atar Sayyid Qutb: Understanding the Father of Radical Islam 

and his Relation to Terror 

2012-P149 166 

Angelo Labate Dr. Thierry Rigogne Coffee in Europe: An Illustrative History 2012-P150 167 

Benjamin Calderon Dr. Olena Nikolayenko The Effects of News Media Consumption on Levels of 

Trust in Government 

2012-P151 168

Oral Presentations 

Theological and Economic Approaches to the Living Wage 

Sara Shahmiri and Dr. Christine Firer Hinze* 

Department of Theology, Fordham College at Rose Hill 

2012-0101 

By promoting social justice in society, religion has helped set the groundwork for the 

contemporary living wage movement. Supporters of this movement lament the conditions of the 

working poor and ask that businesses pay their employees a living wage-a wage that is adjusted 

to the rate of inflation and matches current market prices-so that workers will have enough 

money to make ends meet. This paper seeks to investigate the religious and economic arguments 

surrounding this movement and examine the Catholic beliefs that provided support for the 

modern living wage movement. I begin by examining Pope Leo XIII’s call for a fair wage in 

Rerum Novarum and discussing the reasons the Church both values businesses and supports the 

living wage. Next, I analyze the economic arguments for and against this movement to evaluate 

claims that living wage policies can or will: increase business productivity and profits, improve 

efficiency, cause inflation, harm businesses, and decrease overall job demand. Overall, my paper 

concludes that while from a religious standpoint the living wage seems necessary, from an 

economic standpoint, the living wage seems more risky since it has the potential to worsen the 

conditions for the very people whose lives it seeks to improve. 

1

Demobilizing the Lord's Resistance Army: 

The Role of the Regional Catholic Church 

Laura Notess and Dr. Melissa Labonte* 

Department of Political Science, Fordham College at Rose Hill 


2012-0102 

Since the collapse of peace talks, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), continues to terrorize local 

communities along the border region between Southern Sudan, the Central African Republic, and 

the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Demobilization of LRA combatants has thus become an 

important component in decreasing both the short-term threat posed by the rebels, as well as 

ensuring long-term regional stability. However, a lack of coordination and resources, in addition 

to a compromised military presence, remain significant obstacles to effective demobilization. My 

research examines how the regional Catholic Church, as a civil society actor, can strengthen 

demobilization efforts. Specifically, I examine the Church’s use of alternative narratives that 

draw from the Church’s regional pastoral work and the concept of African reconciliation 

theology. This framework may provide a useful counterbalance to the military framing of 

demobilization. While leadership capacity in this area needs to be further developed, and 

questions of consistency and coordination remain, the Catholic Church has the potential to play a 

vital role in peacemaking through demobilization. 

2

Freedom, Democracy, and Human Rights 

Joseph Moreshead and Dr. William Gould* 

American Catholic Studies Program, Fordham College at Rose Hill 


2012-0103 

A few years ago, it was not uncommon to hear the invasion of Iraq justified for the sake of 

“spreading democracy.” Now with so many observers’ eyes fixed on the Arab Spring, similar 

language is resurfacing. Is the United States justified in seeking to promote democracy beyond 

US borders? Is democratic representation a human right? Is it a right specific to Western history 

and culture? Or is it something else? Jacques Maritain distinguishes between three types of law 

and hence three types of rights: natural law, the law of nations and positive law. Natural law is 

universal and known through human inclinations while positive law, although derived from 

natural law, is manifested in the realities of specific civilizations. I will argue that freedom, 

which undemocratic regimes often violate, participates in natural law but that democracy itself 

belongs to positive law. While democracy is a valuable system it does not exhaust the types of 

regimes or forms of government that are in accordance with natural law. 

3


2012-0201 

Unmaking "M" and "F": The Implications of Legal Gender in America 

Liam Lowery and Dr. Jeanne Flavin* 

Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Fordham College at Rose Hill 

Recent shifts in social consciousness and legislative policy/norms have reflected a growing 

acceptance of transgender and gender non-conforming people in American society. However, 

these gains do not erase a harsh reality of gender policing faced by transgender and gender nonconforming 

people: while they have the freedom to express their gender, they do not have the 

freedom to change it legally. The implications of legal gender range from microinequalities to 

huge issues like being denied medical care or being arrested for using a bathroom that doesn’t 

match one’s legal gender, but does match one’s gender expression-and then placed in a prison 

that matches one’s legal gender. The implication of these issues is that the transgender and 

gender non-conforming people have higher rates of poverty, incarceration, suicide, and early 

death than the American average. No matter what anti-discrimination laws may be passed, if 

America continues to police the gender binary transgender and gender non-conforming people 

will continue to experienced lessened life-chances. If legal gender were restructured to include 

options for transgender and gender non-conforming people, the society’s awareness of 

transgender and gender non-conforming issues would be more greatly recognized and the lifechances 

of this population would be greatly improved. 

4

Sexual Assault: Is CARE Enough? 

Elizabeth Gatti and Dr. Sumithra Raghavan* 

Department of Psychology, Fordham College at Rose Hill 


2012-0202 

According to research done on sexual aggression on college campuses, it is commonly believed 

that as many as one in four to one in eight college women have either been raped or suffered 

attempted rape. Given this disturbing statistic, it is imperativethat all colleges and universities 

provide adequate resources for survivors of assault and effectively advertise those resources. 

Using data collected from a diverse sample of undergraduate students, I attempt to determine the 

effectiveness of the distribution methods of resource information for student survivors of assault 

at Fordham’s Rose Hill campus. I begin by determining that the main distribution method used to 

disseminate resource information is the CARE booklet. I then conduct a survey regarding the 

knowledge and understanding that students have of the resources available to them at Rose Hill 

made known through the CARE booklet. I find that an overwhelming majority of students have 

never read the booklet, and thus are unaware of the resources available to them should they or a 

friend be raped or assaulted. I conclude by offering a more complete idea of how to best 

distribute this information to students based on feedback from my surveys. 

5


2012-0203 

Determining the Appropriateness and Effectiveness of Arrest as a Deterrent 

to Domestic Violence 

Andrew Roddin and Dr. Bruce Berg* 


The approaches that American law enforcement offices take toward domestic violence have 

changed significantly in the last several decades. Once thought of as an interpersonal problem 

that should be handled by the parties involved, domestic assault has come to be seen as a serious 

crime worthy of police resources. Since the publication of the Minneapolis Domestic Violence 

Experiment in 1984, many jurisdictions have encouraged or required the arrest of domestic 

abusers in an effort to deter future crime and send a strong message to other potential offenders. 

However, doubts remain regarding the effectiveness of arrest in domestic violence cases. A few 

key questions guide my research: which offenders and which victims benefit most from policies 

encouraging arrest? What are the alternatives to arrest, and how well do they prevent future 

abuse? Experiments conducted in Milwaukee, Omaha, Dade County (FL), and Colorado Springs 

indicate that arrest is most effective in deterring future abuse among the employed and the 

married. The unemployed and the unmarried, on the other hand, are in fact more likely to 

recidivate after being arrested for domestic assault. Police departments and district attorneys’ 

offices should use caution in implementing these findings lest their arrest policies be struck down 

by the courts. 

6

Interethnic Relations as Social Capital for Immigrants 

Caitlin Waickman, Dr. Mark Naison, and Dr. Rosemary Wakeman* 

Department of History, Fordham College at Rose Hill 


2012-0301 

Diverse ethnic areas are often not evenly distributed, but instead divided into ethnic enclaves, 

which provide both a supportive environment and an isolating environment by providing a social 

network of useful network of immigrants, but one that is limited along ethnic lines. I aim to 

determine what effects organizations in diverse neighborhoods have on the social networks of 

immigrants. Concentrating in University Heights in the Bronx, NY, I merge theory and 

information from interviews to analyze how participating in an interactive and diverse 

organization affects an immigrant who might otherwise only experience the ethnic enclave. 

Using research from Robert Putnam, Roger Waldinger, and Martin Marger on social capital and 

the effects of ethnic enclaves and community organizations, I approach the University Heights 

neighborhood in terms of the benefits and downsides of interethnic relations. I analyze 

information from interviews with immigrants in community centers, as well as opinions of 

neighborhood activists and organizers and observations from neighborhood institutions, such as 

Catholic Masses and Baptist services to provide a well-rounded view of the neighborhood and its 

interethnic encounters. I find that while intimate interethnic relations are rare, immigrants that do 

regularly interact with other immigrants in a diverse neighborhood view it as a valuable 

experience and opportunity, although more weight is put on the value of an intimate family 

network. Neighborhoods are heavily divided along ethnic lines and organizations such as 

Churches and nonprofits serve as a valuable neutral territory for diverse participants. 

7


2012-0302 

Cross Bronx Double Cross: How the Cross-Bronx Expressway has Affected 

Pediatric Asthma in the Bronx 

Catherine McNamara and Dr. Emily Rosenbaum* 


This paper will address the effect that the construction of the Cross-Bronx Expressway, in 

conjunction with specific government policies and practices, has had and continues to have on 

the inordinately high rates of pediatric asthma in the Bronx. Existing research on the subject 

tends to take a very segmented view. There has been much research done in the individual fields 

of the history of the Cross-Bronx Expressway and the Bronx’s subsequent demographic change; 

more recently, studies have taken note of the Bronx’s high asthma rates, the effect of various 

pollutants on children’s lung function, pollution rates in the Bronx, and the difference in asthma 

rates among different races/ethnicities. All of this work has been done separately, each confined 

to its own particular field. This paper examines the findings in each of these fields and shows 

how all of these perhaps seemingly unrelated factors could actually be working together, 

affecting asthma in the Bronx. The overall goal of this paper is to show that the Cross-Bronx 

Expressway and its aftereffects have contributed in part to the disproportionately high rates of 

pediatric asthma in the Bronx; as a result of these findings, I can argue that at least some portion 

of the Bronx’s asthma burden is a consequence of the decisions of policy makers and 

government bureaucrats, and could therefore have been avoided. 

8

Redevelopment of the South Bronx 

Vincent DeCesare and Dr. Mark Naison* 


2012-0303 

Department of African and African American Studies, Fordham College at Rose Hill 

Many of New York City’s erstwhile working-class neighborhoods have been gentrified or 

converted into upscale districts, housing the city’s expanding postindustrial workforce at the 

expense of low-income groups who have been displaced. The South Bronx, however, has not yet 

experienced such a phenomenon on a large scale. In my research, I analyze the economic and 

cultural roots of gentrification to discern whether the recent redevelopment initiatives in the 

South Bronx will benefit the working class residents currently residing there. Using Census 

Bureau data, media articles, Internet websites and forum postings, and information from 

interviews with agents involved in South Bronx redevelopment, I explain both the strengths and 

shortcomings of recent redevelopment in empowering the area’s working class residents. I find 

the development of new so-called affordable housing is not affordable for most local residents 

and will house relatively more affluent residents, potentially incubating commercial 

development, the majority of the jobs being low-wage. Other development projects, such as the 

Bronx Empowerment Zone, in conjunction with the city government’s rezoning schemes, seek to 

attract middle class people to the area, with the hope that such will somehow benefit the lowincome 

population. Such development efforts fail to address the structural elements of poverty. It 

also may ultimately cause the very population it is trying to help to be displaced. Yet it has so far 

struggled to attract more affluent residents due to the current recession and the negative image of 

the South Bronx stemming from disinvestment in the 1970s. 

9

The Potential Benefits of an O'Hare Hall Green Roof 

Kyle Clonan and Dr. Jason Aloisio* 

Department of Biological Sciences, Fordham College at Rose Hill 


2012-0401 

Green roofs offer many ecological benefits to urban settings, such as reduced city rainwater 

runoff and water pollution, in addition to reduced carbon dioxide emissions as a result of lower 

energy consumption for the heating and cooling of the building. These benefits are all within 

Mayor Bloomberg’s ambitious New York City Green Infrastructure plans for the next twenty 

years, outlined in PlaNYC. This study sought to quantify some of the potential benefits of a 

green roof installation at Rose Hill. The O’Hare Hall rooftop, which has an approximate 

available area of 2km 2 , was chosen as our study site. Based upon calculations derived from 

previously published literature, a green roof covering this area could possibly save the University 

around 11,690kWh between heating and cooling and $1,125 annually in energy costs. In addition 

to saving money, the green roof will help the university reach its carbon emissions goals set by 

the Mayor, as well as give students and faculty a new area for research, add to the beauty of the 

campus, and help attract new students. The estimated cost of installation for this project would 

be $215,000. This cost could be largely offset by the NYC DEP Green Infrastructure Grant 

Program, which has provided Manhattan and Queens Colleges grants of $420,125 and $375,000, 

respectively, for other storm-water management projects, with the next round to be issued in 

early 2013. Fordham is ideally situated to be awarded a grant because it is located in what the 

DEP has defined as a Priority Area. City wide implementation of green roofs have significant 

impacts on the air quality, stormwater and the resulting water pollution, and the biodiversity of 

New York City. 

10

What is the Difference Between Global Climate Change 

and Global Warming? 

Nadia Seeteram and Dr. David Budescu* 



2012-0402 

The terms “global climate change” and “global warming” describe the same phenomena, but are 

not perceived as being synonymous. Both terms are used as overarching phrases to address the 

dramatic environmental changes that result from human interaction with natural systems. Many 

studies have concluded that subjects do not perceive global climate change and global warming 

in a similar fashion. These studies show that people are more likely to believe in the 

environmental issues facing the world when these problems are described under the term global 

climate change. However, the media and politicians frequently use the term “global warming,” 

which makes this term more familiar to the general public. This study was conducted to observe 

the views of the respondents on “global warming” and “global climate change” and whether or 

not the views of the current phenomena differed based on which term the respondents saw. The 

survey was distributed to 53 respondents and contained 22 statements and 13 items on a semantic 

differential scale. In both of these sections, respondents were asked to rate their beliefs and 

perception on either “global warming” or “global climate change.” Results suggested that the 

respondents perceived “global climate chang”e to be more serious on various subscales than 

“global warming.” 

11

Tending the Flowers, Cultivating Community: 

Gardening on New York City Public Housing Sites 

Lauren Sepanski and Dr. E. Doyle McCarthy* 



2012-0403 

Residents of New York City public housing (NYCHA) developments who want to garden may 

do so by planting their gardens on the community grounds of their housing development. This 

puts them in a unique position, as their gardens cannot be considered to be “community 

gardens,” in the common sense of the term. Yet their gardens are (and can only be) on 

community grounds. In order to find out why NYCHA residents garden, and how the public 

location of their gardens affects their gardening, I conducted ethnographic research among five 

NYCHA resident gardeners at three NYCHA housing developments. Despite the public location 

of their gardens, NYCHA resident gardeners use their gardens as a personal space for selfexpression, 

while also using their gardens as an occasion for community involvement and 

improvement. 

12


2012-0501 

Fabrication of Pyrogallol-Quantum Dot Nanostructures for use as Bioimaging 

Agents in Living Mammalian Cells 

Brian Williams, Nazmul Sarker, Stacey Barnaby, and Dr. Ipsita Banerjee* 

Department of Chemistry, Fordham College at Rose Hill 

In this work, plant polyphenol derivatives such as pyrogallol were utilized for the development 

of molecular building blocks using the self-assembly approach. We also compared the formation 

of nanostructures from pyrogallol versus those formed by its carboxylated derivative gallic acid. 

The growth of the nanostructures was monitored in various solvents and at varying pH under 

aqueous conditions. It was observed that shape controlled growth ranging from nanofibrils to 

micrometer sized aggregates were formed. Because polyphenols have exhibited the ability to 

complex with metal ions, the self-assembled nanostructures were hybridized with quantum dots 

of ZnS, ZnSe, CdS or CdSe. Such hybridization was confirmed through electron microscopy 

imaging and spectroscopic methods, and served to enhance the luminescent properties of the 

nanostructures. The luminescence made further characterization possible through confocal 

microscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. Finally, the compatibility of the pyrogallol/QD 

nanostructures with mammalian cells such as normal rat kidney cells was examined to probe the 

possibility of use as cell-specific bioimaging agents in comparison with organic dyes such as 

rhodamine. Such imaging agents could potentially make use of the inherent anti-carcinogenic 

properties of pyrogallol to act specifically as tumor marking agents for use in the biomedical 

field. 

13


2012-0502 

Lysosome Regulation: A Cellular Mechanism Maintaining Eyesight for Life 

Catherine Evich, Saumil Sethna, and Dr. Silvia C. Finnemann* 


The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is a single cell layer located behind the retina in the back 

of the eye. Even minor defects in the RPE cause cell death in the retina and, eventually, 

blindness. The RPE acts as a waste removal service that eliminates retinal debris by a clearance 

process called phagocytosis. In the eye, RPE phagocytosis follows a daily rhythm, with debris 

formation and engulfment in the morning followed by debris digestion. Digestion occurs inside 

intracellular membranous organelles called lysosomes that acquire engulfed waste in a process 

that is only poorly understood. My project aims to identify proteins that contribute to lysosomal 

digestion in RPE cells. I dissected and prepared extracts of RPE and neural retina from mouse 

eyes either at the time of active digestion (in the morning) or after completion (in the afternoon). 

I then compared protein levels between samples by immunoblotting. I also froze and prepared 

cross-sections of whole eyes and examined lysosomal proteins by laser scanning confocal 

fluorescence microscopy. I found that levels of proteins that bind to lysosomal surface 

membranes vary little. In contrast, levels of the proteolytic enzyme cathepsin-D significantly 

elevated during debris digestion. Cathepsin-D is soluble and resides inside lysosomes. These 

results show that active digestion does not involve increasing lysosomal organelle surface 

suggesting that organelle volume is constant. However, specific lysosomal content changes “justin 

time” likely to facilitate prompt debris digestion. Taken together, RPE cells accomplish daily 

waste removal by adapting quality rather than quantity of lysosomal organelles. 

14


2012-0503 

Metabolic Changes Associated with mTBI: Insight From 3D 1 H NMR 

Spectroscopy Imaging Voxelwise Analysis 

Asmaou Diallo, Ivan Kirov § , Xiaodan Yan § , and Dr. Oded Gonen § * 


Center for Biological Imaging, New York University 

While mild traumatic brain (mTBI) injury patients suffer from various symptoms, their injuries 

do not result into damages that are visible on an MRI structural image. Currently, physicians lack 

a diagnostic method that documents the biological abnormalities resulting from mTBI. It is 

urgent that we conduct laboratory research to understand the biological effects of mTBI because 

1.5 million people experience it annually in the U.S alone. Our goal is to define the metabolic 

changes associated with mTBI using 3-D 1 H NMR Spectroscopy to measure the concentrations 

and the ratios of four major metabolites including, Choline (Cho), Myoinositol (ml), N-acetyl 

aspartate (NAA), and Creatine (Cr). Our data was acquired at 3 Tesla T1 weighed MPRAGE. 

The results illustrate a statistically significant reduction of all four metabolites in the thalamus. 

Decreases in NAA and Cr were also observed in the left insula and the left putanmen 

respectively. In closing, MRS proves to be a neurospectroscopy technique that is sensitive to the 

metabolic changes caused by mTBI. 

15


2012-0504 

How to Prevent Overeating: Role of Calpastatin Protease Inhibitor in 

Rhythmic Debris Clearance in the Eye 

Kathryn Silva and Dr. Silvia Finnemann* 


Our eyes can function for life because they possess renewal mechanisms that keep our 

photoreceptor cells alive. The main cell type in the eye that supports photoreceptors is the retinal 

pigment epithelium (RPE). Each morning immediately after light onset, RPE cells take up and 

digest aged tips of adjacent photoreceptors to promote photoreceptor rejuvenation. This 

engulfment activity is completely dormant at other times of day. Untimely, excess attack by RPE 

cells would be harmful to photoreceptors. We hypothesize that RPE cells use a proteolytic 

machinery to inactivate proteins involved in debris uptake at all times other than in the morning. 

We found that RPE cells take up more debris in transgenic mice with elevated levels of a cellular 

inhibitor of proteolysis, calpastatin. Here, I test whether calpastatin is expressed by RPE cells 

and changes in activity to promote rhythmic debris uptake. I dissected mouse eyes every 15 

minutes for 4 hours starting at light onset and prepared whole eye, neural retina, and RPE eyecup 

extracts. I then quantified calpastatin in these samples by immunoblotting using two different 

calpastatin antibodies. I found that the whole mouse eye contains at least three isoforms of 

calpastatin that differ in molecular size. At least one of them is only expressed in the neural 

retina. Another is exclusive to the RPE-enriched eyecup. Our ongoing experiments seek to 

strengthen this observation and to test if calpastatin activity is altered with time of day by 

altering levels of specific isoforms. 

16

A Brief Exploration of the Italian Catholic Federation 


Michael Providenza, Dr. James McCartin, and Dr. Christine Firer Hinze* 


2012-0601 

The Italian Catholic Federation (ICF) is a currently active lay apostolic Catholic organization 

that began in 1924. It supports Italian Catholics and the Italian culture at the parish level 

throughout California, Nevada, Arizona and Illinois. At its peak in 1965, the organization had 

35,000 members in six states. The ICF is an incredibly unique organization in American Catholic 

history in time, place, and mission. Current scholarly thought depicts the development of the 

Catholic Church as having two distinct time periods the immigrant Church and the post Vatican 

II Church. The immigrant Church is from the 1800s until Vatican II and is described as monoethnic 

parishes with all aspects of religious life administrated and facilitated by the clergy. The 

post Vatican II Church is defined by fewer clergy, a more active laity, and parishes void of 

ethnic affiliation. The ICF is important because it does not fall into either of these categories. 

Founded in 1924, the ICF should function as part of the immigrant Church. However, it bears 

none of the characteristics associated with immigrant church organizations. The ICF was 

developed to bring Italian immigrants back to the Catholic Church. Many Italians had fallen 

away because of a lack of Italian parishes. Itdeveloped its branches in parishes regardless of the 

predominant ethnicity of the congregation.The ICF has been run by the laity since its creation. 

The ICF was an incredibly large apostolic revival movement. The ICF is also distinct in its 

longevity; unlike several mission movements it has continued to the present day. 

17

Franco-Italian Relations in the Medieval World: 

The Implications of a Musical and Literary Interchange 

Joseph Tumolo and Dr. Susanna Barsella* 


Department of Modern Languages and Literature, Fordham College at Rose Hill 

2012-0602 

During the medieval period, native Italian speakers curiously took an interest in French language 

texts, from Florentine merchants who travelled to France to the Este Court of Ferrara who 

claimed French origins. These texts have had interesting albeit complex implications for cultural 

exchange and burgeoning national identities in the medieval world. My research has focused 

largely on French music - that is, music with French texts, as well as music in French styles such 

as the rondeau - that became popular in Italy during this period. Those primarily responsible for 

the proliferation of French music in Italy were troubadours as well as the Franco-Flemish 

composers of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Many scholarly sources treat the arrival of 

these two groups of musicians in Italy as separate events. I argue, however, that the religious, 

political, and artistic movements of the day suggest that these events were related. 

18


2012-0603 

Islamic Influences on Venetian Pilgrim Flasks of the Early Sixteenth Century 

Helena Guzik and Dr. Ebru Turan* 


Until most recently, scholars have viewed early modern European-Islamic relations as a clash 

between competing religions rather than a continuum of fruitful cultural interactions. 

Challenging such views, however, recent historical and art historical scholarship has noted the 

extensive influence of Islamic styles on European decorative arts. The 2004 Arts of Fire 

exhibition catalogue addresses glass and ceramics in particular and argues for the essential 

precedent of Islamic art in developing Italian Renaissance aesthetics. The 2006 exhibition 

catalogue Venice and the Islamic World 828-1797 likewise offers an extensive analysis of 

Islamic influences on European cultural production, but does little to posit why those influences 

were so emphatically embraced. The Venetian Pilgrim Flask, dated ca. 1500-1525, in the Robert 

Lehman Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, corroborates the existence of this 

European-Islamic cultural exchange, but also raises particular questions about why such an 

exchange would manifest in an object of this nature. Foremost among the questions to be 

explored is the rationale behind appropriating Islamic motifs and glass-making techniques for a 

luxury object with Christian connotations. This paper will examine the motives and 

circumstances surrounding the creation and patronage of Venetian pilgrim flasks in the early 

sixteenth century, the channels through which Islamic motifs were made available to Venetian 

artists and artisans, and the intended function of pilgrim flasks during this time period. A 

speculation about the nature of this particular flask will provide insight into how sixteenthcentury 

Venice approached Islamic artistic motifs and, by extension, Islamic culture in totality. 

19


2012-0701 

Have Bottom Size of Brazil: 

Female Self Worth in Pride and Prejudice and Bridget Jones's Diary 

Emily Amato and Dr. Susan Greenfield* 

Department of English, Fordham College at Rose Hill 

In the Undergraduate Research Symposium, I will be presenting my Honors Senior Thesis 

entitled “Have Bottom Size of Brazil: Female Self Worth in Pride and Prejudice and Bridget 

Jones’s Diary.” The piece compares the two works to reveal the ways in which modern society 

has actually regressed in its views of female value. Elizabeth Bennet, the heroine of Jane 

Austen’s nineteenth-century novel, is a strong, independent woman who measures her value in 

terms of judgment, intellect, and powers of mind, yet she is trapped in a society that determines 

self-worth by one’s wealth, property, and familial connections. Elizabeth is a middle ranking 

character with little of these external properties, but as a character, she is highly progressive in 

those things that she values. Bridget Jones, on the other hand, is not constrained and has social 

mobility because she is a modern woman, yet she is entrapped by the importance society places 

on body image. Throughout the work, she endeavors only for a relationship and falls victim to 

the paradigm of the ideal female body. She has a poor sense of self-worth and turns to alcohol 

and cigarettes to cope with her inability to reach a “perfect” weight. In the comparisons of the 

works and the heroines, we see that modern culture’s conception of female worth is less 

progressive in its shallow expectations and inescapable conundrums of body image. 

20


"Maybe It Was Too Much to Expect in Those Days": 

The Changing Lifestyles of Barnard’s First Female Students 

Jennifer Prevete, Dr. Julie Kim, and Dr. Oneka LaBennett* 

2012-0702 


From 1890 to 1920, some of the first females to attend college in the United States matriculated 

from institutions along the East Coast. I examined existing discourse, whichemphasizes the 

difficulties the women faced as they tried to pursue both career and family. Scholars claim an 

unusual number of college-educated women did not marry or married at a later age. I read 

accounts provided by the Barnard College Archives to supplement secondary data with first-hand 

perspectives. Alumnae biographical questionnaires reveal how women reconciled opportunities 

with societal pressures. Compromises included socio-political activism as mediatory outlets for 

energy. Ultimately, I assert that while a college degree allowed women at the turn of the 

twentieth century to pursue a life with career as the focal point as opposed to family, graduates 

became pulled between tradition and opportunity because a woman’s college education was not 

compatible with female roles in the family unit. 

21


2012-0703 

Will You Be Having a Masculine, Feminine, or Ambiguous Drink Today? 

Gender Performance through the Consumption of Beverages 

Justin LaCoursiere and Dr. Orit Avishai* 


This research explores how people in New York City perform gender through consumption of 

alcoholic and coffee-based beverages. Beverages are typically gendered as girly or macho: a 

cosmopolitan or a Skinny Latté versus a scotch on the rocks or a black coffee. Coffee shops, 

cafés, restaurants, and most eateries, along with consumers, take part in gendering beverages. 

This study reports on how people perform gender through beverage consumption. It is based on 

observations of the types of beverages ordered by men and women at eight locations, half of 

which serve coffee beverages and half of which serve alcoholic beverages. Holding age constant, 

subjects were observed placing beverage orders and these observations were complemented by 

analysis of print and video advertisements of beverages to discern how beverages are marked and 

marketed as gendered; the research discusses the relationship between gendered messages and 

gendered behavior, specifically focusing on how not everything fits society’s expectations. My 

goal was to explore the complexities behind the frequently accepted idea of gender being 

separated into specific masculine, feminine, and ambiguous categories. Recognizing gender as a 

performance allowed me to assess its degree of mutual exclusivity, an area where people too 

often have gender-related questions concerns. Using the everyday activity of beverage 

consumption, my research helps to establish a better understanding of gender by showing truths 

and falsehoods behind gender stereotypes. 

22


2012-0801 

Achievement Motivation and Rumination Among Emerging Adults: Cigarette 

Smokers versus Nonsmokers 

Jordan Seidel and Dr. Rachel Annunziato* 


The purpose of the study was to determine whether there is a correlation between achievement 

motivation and rumination/worry within the emerging adult population. The investigator’s 

primary goal was to determine whether there is a positive correlation between these constructs 

and if there is a significant difference in their levels between smokers and nonsmokers. The 

study consisted of four self-report questionnaires. It was hypothesized that levels of achievement 

motivation and rumination/worry would in fact be positively correlated and that smokers would 

report higher levels of both constructs. This study is one of the first of its kind to investigate this 

particular relationship. (Data analysis is in progress.) 

23


Estimating the Additional Costs Associated with Disability 

in the United States 

Navena Chaitoo and Dr. Sophie Mitra* 

Department of Economics, Fordham College at Rose Hill 

2012-0802 

This project examines the relationship between disability and standard of living. Using the 

standard of living approach to estimate the additional costs associated with being disabled in the 

United States, preliminary descriptive statistics indicate that individuals with disabilities have 

lower income and wealth than individuals without disabilities. Although there are variations in 

the data across disability measures, preliminary results suggest that individuals with disabilities 

experience additional costs and a resulting lower standard of living because of the reallocation of 

their limited resources towards needs pertaining to their disability. The incidence and severity of 

additional costs associated with being disabled in the United States has been measured using data 

from the 2008 Survey on Income and Program Participation. 

24

No Longer Strangers in a Strange Land: 

Improving Preparation for Transfer Out of Pediatrics 

Maggie Baisley and Dr. Rachel Annunziato* 



2012-0803 

RATIONALE: Self-managed care is an expectation in the adult health care system. For 

recipients of a liver transplant, medication adherence is perhaps the most important component 

of self-management. A pilot study at our site found that adherence was poor prior to transfer 

from pediatrics to adult-oriented services and worsened after transfer (Annunziato et al., 2007). 

Therefore, strategies to improve self-management and transfer preparation were systematically 

employed by our pediatric transplant team. The most prominent change is the creation of a 

“transition coordinator” role which will be further discussed. The purpose of the present study is 

to compare adherence prior to transfer among patients receiving these new services versus 

historical controls. 

METHODS: Previously, adherence and corresponding medical outcomes before and after 

transfer was recorded for 14 patients (Annunziato et al., 2007). Twenty patients have now 

transferred since these organizational changes were implemented. Adherence, using Tacrolimus 

SD, was compared between these patients and historical controls during the year prior to transfer. 

Higher values indicate worse adherence with values above 2.5 associated with adverse medical 

outcomes. For current patients, health care management (HCM) was also assessed using a 22item 

scale (Annunziato et al., 2011). 

RESULTS:Adherence, as measured by Tacrolimus SD, will be compared between the two 

cohorts. For the intervention cohort, HCM scores will also be presented. 

CONCLUSIONS: From both a statistical and clinical standpoint, adherence has improved prior 

to transfer at our site over time. The present cohort is being followed longitudinally to determine 

if adherence, as well as quality of life and HCM skills, is maintained when shifted to the adult 

health care system. Our findings, although limited by a small sample size and lack of randomized 

controls, appear quite promising. Relatively simple organizational changes are perhaps 

associated with a marked improvement in liver transplant recipients’ adherence, their most 

critical indicator of successful self-managed care. 

25


Assessing American Flamingo Habitat Use and Food Availability 

Sarah Reda, Nancy Clum, Dr. John Wehr, and Dr. J. Alan Clark* 


2012-0901 

Great Inagua in the Bahamas is home to the second largest American flamingo (Phoenicopterus 

ruber) colony in the world, yet little is known about this colony. American flamingos have 

specialized habitat requirements and, therefore, are seen in some areas consistently while 

sporadically in others. In order to further conserve the species by predicting where flamingos 

will feed, it is important to understand their use of multiple habitats and food availability. To 

accomplish this, I analyzed sediment samples taken in August 2005, February 2008, and October 

2008 by recording the size and number of bivalves and mollusks and comparing these values 

across four different habitats used by this species: an active salt operation, a historic salt 

operation, a hypersaline lake, and a tidal creek. The active salt operation is the only actively 

managed system of water. After comparing the average size of mollusks from February 2008, I 

found that the active salt operation samples contained significantly smaller mollusks than the 

other three habitats. I found a similar trend when comparing bivalves collected in February 2008. 

However, when comparing the number of mollusks and bivalves from October 2008, I found the 

historic salt operation samples had significantly more bivalves than the hypersaline lake. 

Similarly, the active salt operation samples had more mollusks than the hypersaline lake. 

Overall, most variation in invertebrate composition was found in the active salt operation habitat. 

Understanding food availability should ultimately help predict where flamingos will feed, which 

will lead to better management and conservation of this species. 

26

Examining the Effectiveness of the S Delta Procedure 

Matthew Dillon and Dr. James MacDonall* 



2012-0902 

Equivalence is seen when reflexivity, symmetry and transitivity, its three constituent relations, 

emerge (Sidman & Tailby, 1982). Equivalence emergence plays a major role in language 

acquisition, and understanding how it is acquired has implications particularly with regards to the 

learning disabled and impaired (such as stroke victims or developmentally challenged and 

autistic children.) Although numerous investigators have tried to find the emergence of 

equivalence in animal subjects, to date this has failed except for one California sea lion 

(Schusterman & Kastak, 1993). Before equivalence testing can occur, an animal subject must 

first learn certain conditional discriminations. One possible reason for the general failure of 

finding equivalence in animals is they did not learn the conditional discriminations as well as 

humans who showed equivalence. This experiment investigated the effectiveness of different 

procedures for training conditional discriminations. The standard training procedure involves 

presenting a colored sample on a touch screen with multiple comparisons surrounding it. A peck 

to the correct comparison results in reinforcement, while a peck to an incorrect comparison does 

not. This standard procedure typically results in many errors before a relation is learned to a 

criterion of 85% correct. The present experiment investigates the effectiveness of using an error 

reduction procedure in which the incorrect comparisons are presented but then removed before 

the subject has an opportunity to respond. The incorrect comparisons remain present for 

increasing durations each time the subject completes an experimental session without making an 

error. 

27


2012-0903 

Combining Multiple Rankings Using Combinatorial Fusion to Predict Results 

of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament 

Thomas Nolan and Dr. D. Frank Hsu* 

Department of Computer and Information Science, Gabelli School of Business 

In this paper we rank the 64 teams in the NCAA basketball tournament field for the years 2009- 

2010 and 2011-2012 using a Combinatorial Fusion technique to score the teams based on three 

significant statistical attributes: offense, defense, and rebounding. We also combine those three 

attributes using score and rank combination. Our results show that Combinatorial Fusion is a 

powerful technique to predict the outcome of the NCAA basketball tournament. In addition, we 

compare our results to three popular rating systems: the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), the 

Associated Press Poll, and the USA Today Coaches' Poll. 

28


Breakfast is the Most Important Meal of the Day: 

The Important Role of Cell Signaling in Maintaining Eyesight 

Hussein Safa and Dr. Silvia Finnemann* 


2012-1001 

Our eyesight depends on tissue maintenance and renewal processes. One of them is a daily waste 

clearance process that is accomplished by a special cleaning cell type, called retinal pigment 

epithelial (RPE) cells, every morning at first light. Any deficiency in this process leads to agerelated 

blindness in human patients. The process itself involves recognition of waste and its 

engulfment and digestion, mechanisms that are triggered by a complicated signaling cascade in 

RPE cells. Our earlier work identified two signaling proteins, both cytoplasmic tyrosine kinases, 

which are important in waste clearance by RPE cells: focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and Src. 

Inhibition of either kinase inhibits waste removal. In contrast, interference with other, highly 

similar kinases has no effect on debris uptake.The focus of the project has been to determine the 

relationship between FAK and Src in waste clearance by RPE cells. Specifically, we tested if 

FAK operates upstream of Src in the signaling process. We compared the effect of FAK 

inhibition on waste clearance in two different cell types, fibroblasts (which grow easily and are 

widely used) and RPE cells (which are harder to grow and are only used by few researchers 

worldwide). Uptake by both cell types was tested while they expressed either overactive Src or a 

control protein. We found that cells with overactive Src take up debris even if FAK is inhibited. 

Thus, overactive Src compensates for loss of FAK function, indicating that FAK likely operates 

upstream of Src in uptake signaling. 

29

Control of Lipidic Pore Dynamics by Aqueous Viscosity 

Karen Guzman, Margaret Wolf, and Dr. Rolf Ryham* 

Department of Mathematics, Fordham College at Rose Hill 


2012-1002 

In hemolysis, a type of pore dynamics, a lipid undergoes three phases: rapid pore enlargement 

(stage 1); slow pore shrinkage (stage 2); and rapid pore closure (stage 3). In an attempt to explain 

the relationship between the changing sizes of the pore’s radius, we are using two previously 

derived differential equations to graph their changes through these processes. r(t) is the radius of 

the hole of the pore and so r’(t) is the first differential equations that looks at the rate at which the 

radius of the hole changes. R(t) is the radius of the vesicle and so R’(t) is the second differential 

equation that looks at the rate at which the radius of the vesicle changes. Deriving the 

appropriate units to their most simplest form, we see whether the differential equations explained 

the phenomenon of lipid pore dynamics by graphing. However, since we are considering the 

possibility that surface tension might account for some unstable graphs or dramatic changes in 

the formula, then surface tension needs to accounted for. So we need a formula used for 

calculating surface area of a zone-a section of a sphere to determine the role surface tension 

played in the pore’s size. Mathematically speaking, a “zone” is defined as the surface revolution 

about the z axis, which is perpendicular to the x-y plane. Finally, to make concrete conclusions, 

we have to non-dimensionalize our two formulas, meaning that it has no units. 

30

Development of Nanoassemblies for Antibacterial and 


Nako Nakatsuka, Brian Williams, Karl Fath † , and Dr. Ipsita Banerjee* 


† Department of Biology, Queens College 


2012-1003 

Over the years there has been a tremendous interest in the study of heterocyclic systems and their 

interactions with metal ions. In particular, azoles are commonly studied as antimicrobial agents 

due to their safety profile and high therapeutic index. Despite the large number of antibiotics and 

chemotherapeutics available today, the ever-rising resistance to drugs renders the search for new 

antimicrobial substances essential. Among the myriad of compounds designed, it has been 

revealed that 1,2,4-triazoles and their derivatives can be considered as highly efficient potential 

antimicrobial agents. However very few studies have examined the development of azole based 

nanoassemblies. We anticipate that due to the high surface to volume ratio of nanoassemblies, 

such triazole based materials may lead to higher efficacy. In this work we utilized 1-(4chorophenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-2-(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl) 

pentan3-ol, and synthesized diamine conjugates 

of this compound for the development of nanoscale antimicrobial agents. The nanoassemblies 

were then bound to gold nanoparticles or CdS quantum dots (QDs) to serve as fluorescent probes 

in biological imaging. The binding was confirmed by performing dynamic light scattering, 

infrared spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy and visualized by transmission electron 

microscopy. The immune response of the materials was examined in the presence of mammalian 

cells such as human macrophages. Further we also examined the antibacterial applications of the 

nanomaterials in the presence of E-Coli. Such nanocomposites may potentially serve as highly 

effective antibacterial and antifungal agents. 

31

Development of Nanoassemblies as Drug Carriers 

Stephen Frayne, Karl Fath † , and Dr. Ipsita Banerjee* 


† Department of Biology, Queens College 


2012-1004 

Over the past decade, research into the formation of self-assembled nanoarchitectures and 

investigation of biological applications of a wide variety of molecules harvested from nature has 

garnered much interest due to the enhanced biocompatibility and relatively lower toxicities of 

many of those molecules. In particular, scientists have turned to specific biomolecules found to 

have potential treatments for a number of ailments. It is well known that plant sterols such as 

epibrassinolide and sitosterol closely mimic the structure of cholesterol. In this work, we have 

assessed the ability of a new class of supramolecular nanoassemblies of epibrassinolide and 

stilbestrol to serve as nanocarriers for the anticancer drug doxorubicin. We have utilized two 

strategies to incorporate the drug into the nanoassemblies either by conjugating the drug 

chemically or by encapsulating it. The efficacy of the formed nanoassemblies as drug carriers 

was probed by studying their anticarcinogenic effects on HeLa cervical cancer cells. Various 

microscopic (atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and 

scanning electron microscopy (SEM)) as well as spectroscopic (FTIR, NMR) were utilized to 

characterize the resulting nanoarchitectures. Such nanoassemblies may have potential 

applications as targeted drug delivery nanomaterials, and may potentially serve as a new class of 

nanoscale materials for use in biomedical and chemotherapeutic applications. 

32


The Status of the Christian Minority in Post-Mubarak Egypt: 

An Analysis of Egypt’s Political and Social Responses 

AnnaMaria Shaker and Fr. Patrick Ryan, S.J.* 


2012-1101 

This research examines Egypt’s sectarianism in the eight months following Hosni Mubarak’s 

ouster and analyzes the political and social responses to this trend that, ultimately, threatens 

Egypt’s democratic transition. Although these incidents of sectarian violence reflected a 

continuation of a years-old trend, the sectarian violence in 2011 reached new levels of magnitude 

and severity. Like the Mubarak regime, the interim government in 2011 consistently neglected to 

address and combat Egypt’s sectarianism, thus fostering its perpetuation. Most detrimental to 

Egypt’s religious divide is the interim government’s Mubarak-like failure to implement and 

uphold, though limited, existing laws and constitutional freedoms that can tackle sectarianism. 

Recognizing the interim government’s inadequate enforcement of law, various political and 

social groups called for constitutional safeguards that will not only address sectarianism, but also 

force the government to criminalize it. I argue that a comparison of the 1971 Egyptian 

Constitution and the Egyptian Constitutional Declaration of 2011 against three of seven major 

supra-constitutional principles demonstrates Egyptian society’s willingness to combat 

sectarianism in the future democratic state. 

33

Democratization Diverted 

John Turiano and Dr. Olena Nikolayenko* 



2012-1102 

The year 2011 exhibited a precipitous increase in mass protests and revolutions in the Muslim 

world. As a Central Asian state with a predominantly Muslim population, Kyrgyzstan 

experienced such a revolution early in 2010, therefore providing a noteworthy case-study of a 

post-revolutionary state in transition to another political regime. Most scholars argue that the 

2010 protests in Kyrgyzstan were elite-driven and, thus, exclude Kyrgyzstan’s 2010 revolution 

from any cross-country comparison. In contrast, this paper argues that populist forces played a 

critical role in the revolution, adhering Kyrgyzstan to the theme. This paper further argues that 

U.S. foreign policy contributed to a dissipation of post-revolutionary democratic momentum. 

Findings reveal a stifling concern for security interests and a lack of accurately targeted aid, 

which combined failed to mitigate transitional instability. Finally, this study posits that this 

unchecked instability led to ethnic violence in Kyrgyzstan and eventually resurgent nationalism 

in the country, reversing the democratic trajectory of the revolution. Lessons from Kyrgyzstan 

apply to a broad range of countries undergoing a post-revolutionary transition and seeking to 

establish a democratic government. 

34

Nuclear Iran: A More Peaceful Middle East 

Lorenzo Ferrigno and Dr. Melissa Labonte* 



2012-1103 

International watchdogs suspect Iran of working towards creating nuclear weapons. Though the 

idea of nuclear weapons and the destruction they can cause is frightening, they also could be a 

mechanism that actually promotes peace. This paper will explore how Iran’s desire for nuclear 

weapons can contribute to a more peaceful Middle East. The issue will take into consideration 

different arguments, focusing on the neorealist and constructivist approach to nuclear weapons. I 

argue that Iran’s desire is to survive in this anarchic world and to gain respect from the 

international community; its attaining of nuclear weapons will give it the muscle it needs to be a 

large player in international relations but not one that necessarily needs to be exercised. The 

paper will look to India and Pakistan and how their attainment of nuclear arms has made them 

more peaceful despite previous years of war. 

35

Hungarian Immigration to New York City after 1956 

Johana Borjas and Dr. Daniel Soyer* 



2012-1104 

The United States government has struggled to achieve a balanced immigration policy for as 

long as the country has had one in implementation. In addition to immigration policy, a slightly 

different approach known as American Refugee Policy was incorporated in the 1950s as a 

response to the increasing spread of Communism in Eastern Europe. Work like American 

Immigration Policy, 1924-1952 by Robert Divine chronicles this change in American policy 

largely influenced by the political climate following World War II in Eastern Europe. Refugee 

policy prompted a distinct type of immigration that produces a different type of immigrant by its 

nature and standards, hence introducing new motivations for leaving one’s country of origin and 

ideas of returning. The scholarly work of Steven Bela Vardy, The Hungarian-Americans, delves 

into a specific ethnic group’s transition - in this case, Hungarians’ - from immigrant to refugee. 

The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 made thousands of Hungarian youths refugees, seeking 

asylum from the West. From the moment that the civilian led revolt of 1956 against Russian 

occupation of Hungary failed, it was no longer an option for many of those involved to remain in 

their mother country; safety meant migrating, most to the United States. Showcasing the 

correlation between refugee status and the birth of a new family on foreign soil is the objective 

because while most brought with them an ideal of someday returning to Hungary it quickly was 

deterred by the birth of their American children. 

36

Save Our Missions: Apartheid, Education and Protest 

Michael Kavanagh and Fr. R. Bentley Anderson, S.J.* 


2012-1201 


This research project focuses on the issues of race, religion, and education in apartheid South 

Africa, specifically the impact the Bantu Education Act of 1953 had on Catholic mission schools. 

The act called for the withdrawal of government funding to all mission schools, the main source 

of black South African education at the time. Some have argued that official Catholic criticism of 

apartheid in 1952 resulted in the passage of the 1953 Bantu Education Act. In my paper, I argue 

that there were indications that the apartheid government sought complete control over the 

government education as early as 1949. In order to save the mission schools, Catholic clergy and 

laity of South Africa worked together to launch a national and international appeal. Through 

careful analysis of primary and secondary source material obtained from various archives and 

depositories in South Africa, I attempt to explain several factors that contributed to the inability 

of the Catholic laity to raise sufficient funds to sustain the mission schools, namely a racially 

divided laity. While Catholics challenged apartheid, true unity among the Catholic laity could 

never be achieved so as long as apartheid policies kept them separated. As a result, we must 

examine the role of religious missions in a host country’s political affairs and also the role of 

education as a social justice issue. 

37


2012-1202 

The Role of Black South African Women in Pass Law Protests in the 1950s 

Sheila Sennett and Fr. R. Bentley Anderson, S.J.* 


In the 1950s, black South African women played a significant and distinct role in anti-Apartheid 

protest, particularly the pass law protests. Female leaders drew on experience in industrial 

organization and as a group frequently drew upon their identities as mothers to advocate for their 

rights and fight apartheid. Because women were often excluded from the hierarchy of male-led 

anti-Apartheid organizations, women founded their own autonomous or semi-autonomous 

organizations, such as the Federation of South African Women. Many female leaders had gained 

experience in industrial organizing, due to the fact that the Industrial Conciliation Act of 1924 

banned union organizing among pass-bearing natives, and women were not required to carry 

passes until the 1950s. They leveraged this experience in the anti-Apartheid efforts. Black 

women frequently drew upon their identities as mothers to advocate for their rights and fight 

apartheid, leveraging social assumptions regarding women as mothers to justify social actions. 

By appealing to women’s responsibilities to their children and families, organizers utilized a 

“motherist” framing of resistance to aid recruitment, Black South African women played a large 

role in grassroots organizing and mobilization, drawing upon kinship and friendship ties. These 

organizations advocated for the issues which particularly affected black women, especially those 

related to family life. The examination of the role of black South African women in this 

particular time gives insight into an aspect of anti-apartheid organization and protest which is 

easily overlooked, specifically the role of grassroots organization and the role of women in nonofficial 

roles in anti-Apartheid organization in order to fight pass law legislation. 

38

A Nation of Youth, a Nation of Faith: 

Robert F. Kennedy in South Africa in 1966 

Devin Kelly and Fr. R. Bentley Anderson, S.J.* 


2012-1203 


In the summer of 1966, Robert Kennedy made a controversial and influential visit to the 

apartheid regime of South Africa. This visit is often overlooked in noted biographies of 

Kennedy’s life and in accounts related to anti-apartheid movements; however, in this paper I 

argue that Kennedy’s trip was not only extremely important in both respects, but also uniquely 

progressive and radical given the nature of the contemporary situation in both the United States 

and South Africa. Much of this success was due to the various university audiences that Kennedy 

spoke to over the course of his trip, a youth generation of sorts. Without the power of this youth 

generation, who provided a free-thinking and energetic platform upon which Kennedy could 

build his ideas, the 4-day trip to South Africa would have failed dramatically, and would have 

been the disaster that people such as Thomas Johnston, Kennedy’s advisor, foretold. In analyzing 

Kennedy’s speeches while abroad, as well as other primary source articles and interviews, I 

conclude that the open-minded youth allowed Kennedy to preach values nestled in his own 

Catholic tradition as well as in the enlightenment ideals of universal rights, cementing his focus 

on equality and liberation. These relatively unorthodox ideas were given full weight in the minds 

of many of the university students at Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Natal, and Witwatersand. It 

follows that Kennedy’s visit, in the midst of this wider youth movement, provided a liberating 

rhetoric that South Africa necessitated at the time. 

39

Economic Development in Least Developed States: 

Looking at the Cases of Tanzania and Botswana 

Martha McKinley and Dr. Olena Nikolayenko* 



2012-1204 

The number of least developed countries has more than doubled in the past thirty years, going 

from 24 in 1971 to 48 in 2011 (United Nations). Scholars have identified education and the 

regime type as factors hampering economic development in some nations. This study argues that 

corruption is the biggest obstacle to economic development in the least developed states. This 

paper uses the cases of Tanzania and Botswana to examine the impact of corruption on economic 

development. The empirical analysis clearly shows that the high level of corruption 

(Transparency International) is correlated with slow economic growth in the case of Tanzania. In 

comparison, the observed investigation of Botswana demonstrates the lower level of corruption 

(Transparency International) and the much higher rate of economic growth. This study seeks to 

contribute to existing literature by analyzing determinants of economic development in 

Botswana and Tanzania, two African states. The results suggest that the donor community needs 

to develop more effective policies to bring down corruption in least developed countries. 

40

American versus Chinese News: A Comparison 

Lorenzo Ferrigno and Dr. Jonathan Crystal* 



2012-1301 

News operations in America and China are conducted differently; America has a tradition of 

freedom of speech and freedom of the press that is ingrained in the American mentality, while 

China still struggles with freedom of the press. The Chinese government feeds the information, 

controlling and censoring the news that is broadcast to the public. This research project will build 

on a comparison between how American news operations are conducted in America versus 

American news operations in China. The majority of the project will focus on a comparison 

between newspaper headlines over a month’s time. The headlines and concentration of the 

articles will come from two international newspapers and two Chinese newspapers. Side by side, 

the articles will show the different material international newspapers cover (or what they did not) 

as well as the way in which they are conveyed to the public. This comparison will illustrate the 

effects government censorship of the media has on what information the general public is able to 

obtain. 

41


Losing Bark and Bite: 

The Changing Face of Watchdog Journalism in the Internet Era 

Michael Broccolo, Donovan Longo, Elizabeth Ponce De Leon, Megan Falcone, 

and Dr. Beth Knobel* 

Department of Communication and Media Studies, Fordham College at Rose Hill 

2012-1302 

Investigative and watchdog reporting are among the most important functions of journalism in 

our democratic society. These practices allow the media to act as the “Fourth Estate,” a role that 

keeps public officials and their actions within the realm of the public eye. Without this, a checks 

and balances system essential to our democracy and a notion protected by the constitutional 

amendments is neglected. This study will look at reporting over the past 20 years, not only at 

how it has changed as an industry, but most importantly how watchdog journalism has evolved 

in the media during that time period. Specifically, this project will examine the economic, 

sociological, and technological factors that seem to contribute to the changes in this type of 

reporting. The year-by-year frequency of watchdog journalism itself will be measured and 

documented through a detailed content analysis and coding system. In addition, this project will 

examine different watchdog techniques used on the Internet, essentially between professionally 

run sites and sites run by “citizen journalists.” Through this examination of American journalism 

over the past two decades, we observe three main media sectors: print, television, and Internet. In 

each, we hope to discover the changes that are occurring and what this means for the industry as 

a whole. With the combination of economic pressures on the news organizations, superficiality 

in news, partisan takes on politics on cable television news, and limited resources for pioneering 

Internet watchdog reporters has led in a decrease in of the amounts of watchdog stories being 

published for the public. Although slight variations in the amounts of watchdog stories being 

written fluctuate from year to year for each paper, there is a general consensus among the 

researchers involved with this project that most newspapers have decreased the amount of 

watchdog reporting in the last decade. 

42


Updating its Status: 

The Use of Social Media & the Press in the Egyptian Revolution 

Liz Yaslik and Dr. John Entelis* 


2012-1303 

The 2011 Egyptian Revolution that toppled the regime of longtime president Hosni Mubarak was 

an illustration of the power of social media. Due to the lack of press freedoms and bias of the 

state media, Egyptian demonstrators turned to online outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and 

YouTube to organize protests and broadcast messages. The social media sites were used to 

effectively mass support for the anti-government movement and draw thousands of people to 

Cairo’s Tahrir Square. The Egyptian government in turn shut down Internet and telephone 

services as an attempt to suppress the uprising taking place on the streets of Egypt. In this paper, 

I examine the role of social media as an instrument to rally support for the people’s revolution in 

Egypt. I attempt to find the link between the lack of press freedom during the Arab Spring and a 

resulting increase in citizen journalism through social media websites. I find that the Egyptian 

people were successful in garnering support for the ouster of President Mubarak by organizing 

demonstrations and connecting ideas using social media tools. Social media in the Egyptian 

revolution became a catalyst for change that eventually led to the overthrow of the government 

by the Egyptian people. 

43

Effect of Heavy Metal on the Growth of Purslane 

Ame Anteyi and Dr. James Lewis* 



2012-1401 

Urban agriculture has been estimated to account for 15-20% of the world’s food production. 

Urban soils have been shown to contain higher concentrations of heavy metals compared to soils 

found in non-urbanized areas. Translocation of heavy metals from soils into plants has been 

shown to decrease plant growth and pose a health risk to humans who consume contaminated 

plants. Portulaca oleracea, Purslane, is a common edible weed, which contains high levels of 

omega-3 fatty acids and has been shown to perform well on green roofs. Our primary goal was to 

evaluate the effect of soil heavy metals on growth and potential health risk. Copper and zinc 

were applied at high and low concentrations (n=8). Plant growth was calculated by measuring 

percent change in stem growth and total dry and wet biomass at harvesting and heavy metal 

concentrations were calculated in plants through atomic absorption. We observed that the plants 

that were treated with high concentrations of Cu and Zn had suppressed plant growth compared 

to the control plants. The plants treated with the highest concentration of Cu manifested the most 

strongly toxic effect. It was concluded that copper had the strongest toxic effect on plant growth 

and development. This project has afforded us the opportunity to understand the various effects 

of the toxicity of copper and zinc which are major pollutants of air, water and soil. We can 

determine what soil contamination level that it is safe to grow Purslane in for consumption and 

investigate if Purslane growth is affected by heavy metal concentrations. 

44


2012-1402 

Encapsulation of Pyrene by a Series of Novel "Reverse" Benzyl Ether 

Dendrimers and their Monomers 

Rebecca Triano, Michele Paccagnini, and Dr. Amy Balija* 


Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are organic pollutants with known toxic and 

carcinogenic properties. PAHs are prevalent in aqueous environments and degrade slowly, which 

causes them to be harmful water pollutants. However, few methods exist to remove PAHs from 

water effectively. Dendrimers and other highly branched macromolecules have been previously 

utilized to extract organic molecules from aqueous enviroments, and the specific dendritic 

molecules utilized have been shown to extract pyrene from aqueous solutions. Despite their use 

in small molecule sequesterization, no systematic study has been undertaken to examine the 

effects of dendritic composition on the ability of the dendrimer to encapsulate small organic 

molecules. A series of novel first and second generation ‘reverse’ benzyl ether dendrimers and 

their corresponding monomers has been synthesized. This presentation will focus on the 

synthesis of these dendritic molecules and will evaluate the ability of the ‘reverse’ benzyl ether 

dendrimers to remove pyrene, a PAH, from aqueous environments effectively. Analysis of the 

encapsulation properties of ‘reverse’ benzyl ether dendrimers compared to the classic benzyl 

ether dendrimers will also be presented. 

45


2012-1403 

Synthesis, Characterization, and Evaluation of Novel Cyclohexane Based 

Dendrimers for the Encapsulation of Organic Pollutants 

Michele Paccagnini, Matthew Tracey, Rebecca Triano, and Dr. Amy Balija* 


Dendrimers are highly branched macromolecules synthesized in a stepwise fashion from a 

known number of monomer units and a core molecule. These large molecules have been 

employed in various applications, including the sequesterization of organic pollutants from 

aqueous environments. Yet, how the functional groups within a dendrimer impact the 

encapsulation of pollutants is not well understood. Therefore, a systematic evaluation of how 

dendrimer composition influences encapsulation of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) 

must be performed. This talk will focus on the synthesis and evaluation of novel first and second 

generation cyclohexane based dendrimers. Fluorescence spectroscopy studies involving pyrene 

as a model pollutant have been used to quantitatively determine the effectiveness of the 

dendrimer encapsulation of organic pollutants from aqueous environments. Results from these 

experiments including a comparison to the encapsulation properties of known benzyl ether 

dendrimers will be discussed. 

46


2012-1501 

Power and Prayer: The Imperial Cult and the Cult of Isis in Roman Spain 

Timothy Gallagher and Dr. Matthew McGowan* 

Department of Classical Languages and Civilization, Fordham College at Rose Hill 

In my thesis I will analyze the influence of Roman policies and the abundance of diverse 

traditions on the practice of religion within the empire. In my investigation, I will focus in 

particular on the interactions of the official imperial cult, the popular Eastern mystery cult 

dedicated to Isis, and indigenous gods in the provinces of Hispania between the 1 st and 3 rd 

centuries A.D. I will argue that despite the many differences between these religious traditions, 

the coexistence of the three traditions in Hispania enabled the extensive religious syncretism that 

resulted in each tradition incorporating elements from the others, thus extending the pantheon 

and altering the practice of each. The incorporation of elements from other traditions allowed 

each tradition to connect its practitioners to the rest of the empire, satisfy their spiritual needs, 

and maintain a connection with their ancestral culture in a Romanized world, while all these 

traditions simultaneously worked together to promote the power of the emperor. In constructing 

my argument I consider evidence from the writings of Roman authors such as Cicero, Juvenal, 

Apuleius and Seneca as well as Roman inscriptions from the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum. 

To supplement these primary sources and provide additional analysis I refer to a number of 

scholarly sources that discuss the Roman emperor cult, the cult of Isis, and the practice and 

conception of religion in the Roman world during the imperial period. 

47

Social Identity In Greek and Latin Epitaphs 

Adrian Nolasco and Dr. Larry Welborn* 



2012-1502 

“I have gone to the gods. I am among the immortals. For those whom the gods love die 

untimely” A study of Greek and Latin epitaphs reveals a correlation between the age of the 

deceased and expressions of hope for immortality. Epitaphs of mature adults seldom reveal a 

belief in the afterlife, while monuments dedicated to infants and youths frequently express the 

hope that the deceased is among the immortals. A number of epitaphs of infants and youths 

employ a consistent vocabulary, using the language “snatched away” from life, and referring to 

“untimely death”. The appearance of the belief in immortality upon the tombstones of those who 

died young reveals a great deal about the structure and ideology of a society with a high rate of 

infant mortality. Greek and Latin letters of consolation confirm the evidence of the epitaphs 

regarding a correlation between the age of the deceased and the hope for immortality. Similar to 

our own modern society even the ancient Greeks held a belief of untimely death and the idea that 

only the young die well. 

48

Projected Reality 

Pauline Lu, Kris Stone, and Colin Cathcart* 

Department of Visual Arts, Fordham College at Rose Hill 

Visual Presentations 

2012-V001 

This artistic installation explores the ability of 3D video projection mapping to challenge 

viewers’ sense of reality. 3D mapping, which is a technique that uses projected images to create 

3D effects on both 2D and 3D surfaces, is becoming quite popular worldwide. Specifically, the 

application of this technology is on the rise in theatre design and so, this research and its 

outcomes can directly serve to expand the design possibilities utilized in the Fordham Theatre 

Department. However, this project would not only contribute to the theatre field, but it would 

make important strides in exposing Fordham students to the existence of the possibilities of this 

visual tool that can foster innovation and development in the disciplines of visual arts, marketing, 

communications and media. It is expected that viewers’ expectations of perspective and space 

will be destabilized as the 3D mapping distorts their sense of reality and challenges them to 

reevaluate what they think they see. The effectiveness of the 3D mapping will be gauged by a 

short survey that onlookers will complete after viewing the installation. Such a project that seeks 

to subvert the expectations of the viewer by redefining perspective, is critical in pushing the 

boundaries of possibility in the art field and in others, as well. 

49

New York: Portraits of City and Artists 

Timothy Luecke and Carleen Sheehan* 

Department of Visual Arts, Fordham College at Rose Hill 

Visual Presentations 

2012-V002 

New York City has long been revered as an international center of art and culture, attracting-and 

at times tormenting-some of history’s most renowned writers, artists, filmmakers, and authors. 

For centuries, these two entities have informed one another: the city has provided inspiration for 

the artist’s work, and the artist, in turn, has contributed to the mythical image of the city itself. 

“New York: Portraits of City and Artists” visually reflects upon this complex, ever-oscillating 

relationship among city, artist, and audience. Through a series of iPad illustrations of New York 

artists-ranging from Walt Whitman to Woody Allen-the collection presents its subjects operating 

within, through, and against their city. It considers themes of remembering the city’s past, 

embracing its present moment, and coping with a sometimes-ominous future; its medium, the 

Apple iPad, extends these reflections to the state of art in general. “New York: Portraits of City 

and Artists” may be grounded in iconic New Yorkers and produced with an iPad, but the 

conversation it provokes may apply to artists of any city, time, or medium. 

50

Fuel For the Future 

Poster Presentations 

2012-P001 

Gabriel Agostini, Thomas Brande, John Mahar, Constantine Venizelos, and Dr. Robert Beer* 


The presentation will describe initial efforts to prepare biodiesel from campus waste cooking 

vegetable oil (WVO) for use as a fuel for the Ram Van. We have obtained WVO from campus 

food service and carried out neutralization of the fatty acid impurities followed by 

transesterfication with methanol in the presence of a potassium hydroxide catalyst. Two to three 

gallon quantities of biodiesel could be produced in this manner in a batch-wise procedure after 

neutralization, washing with deionized water and drying steps over a 2-day period. Analysis and 

testing of quality of the biodiesel is underway. Further logistical, safety, fuel transportation and 

cost savings are also being evaluated. The long-term objective of this project is to promote 

sustainability and community awareness of the environmental issues present at Fordham 

University through the implementation of student processed biodiesel fuel for our inter-campus 

“Ram Van” transportation service. 

51


2012-P002 

For I Have Sinned: Fordham Student's Lives as both Catholic and LGBTQ 

Kyle Alexander and Dr. Fred Wertz* 


Negatively prescribed social beliefs stemming from homophobic interpretations of Catholic 

doctrine often leave Catholic LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and 

Queer/Questioning) individuals feeling isolated and condemned by their own faith traditions. 

The purpose of this qualitative analysis is to better understand how the Fordham Catholic 

LGBTQ student negotiates their seemingly contradictory sexual and religious identities. The 

researcher conducted 9, 1-2 hour, in-person semi-structured interviews specifically highlighting 

the integration of sexual and Catholic identities. All participants attended primary, secondary, 

and tertiary Catholic schools and were all born in the Northeastern region of the United States. 

All participants self-identified as white Fordham University Rose Hill students between the ages 

of 19-22. Four participants identified as male, 3 female, 1 queer, and 1 trans-masculine, in terms 

of gender orientation and 4 participants identified as gay, 1 bisexual, 1 lesbian, 2 queer, and 1 as 

non-identified/questioning in terms of sexual orientation. The conciliation of conflicting LGBTQ 

and Catholic identities was found to be a highly fluid individualistic process, constantly being 

negotiated and re-examined throughout the Fordham student’s life. A central theme arising from 

the interviews was parentally enforced strict adherence to Catholicism, left participants feeling 

isolated and fearful of their growing sexual feelings. Upon attending Fordham, all participants 

began to move away from these parentally imposed Catholic traditions, towards a more 

individualized understanding of their own spiritualities. Future research should more deeply 

examine the unique experiences of LGBTQ Catholic students from differing collegiate, racial, 

and ethnic expressions to broaden the understanding of sexual and Catholic identity negotiation. 

52


Complementation Analysis of Drosophila RNase Z Mutant Alleles 

Taylor Batson and Dr. Edward Dubrovsky* 


2012-P003 

The Drosophila RNase Z (dRNaseZ) gene encodes a protein with homologs in all living 

organisms, from bacteria to man. All RNase Z proteins possess endoribonuclease activity, which 

is responsible for the removal of a 3’ trailer from pre-tRNA. Importantly, a collection of work 

has shown that RNase Z could function in a wider array of biological pathways. Some studies 

suggest that in addition to its role in tRNA processing, RNase Z is implicated in basic cellular 

and developmental processes such as cell growth and proliferation. However, no molecular 

networks that include RNase Z have been identified and characterized so far, due in part to a very 

limited number of model systems studied in vivo. The long-term objective of research conducted 

in Dr. Dubrovsky’s laboratory is to gain basic information on the biological role of RNase Z. The 

proposed studies will be conducted in a model organism, Drosophila melanogaster. Previously, 

undergraduate students working in the lab carried out a chemical mutagenesis and recovered a 

collection of dRNaseZ mutant alleles. The objective of my project is to perform a 

complementation test on these alleles by making pairwise crosses of different mutant stocks and 

comparing viability of homozygote and heterozygote combinations. In the future, my data will 

be combined and compared with other characteristics of these mutations and hopefully allow a 

better understanding of RNase Z biological functions. 

53


2012-P004 

Emotion Dysregulation and Peer Victimization in Non-Suicidal Self-Injury 

among Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis of Risk Factors 

Margaux Bruzzese and Dr. Margaret Andover* 


Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is the intentional harming of one’s own body for purposes not 

socially sanctioned and without the intent of suicide or death (Laye-Gindhu & Schonert-Reichl, 

2005; Whitlock, 2010). NSSI in adolescents has become a major public health concern, with 

prevalence rates in adolescents reaching as high as 46.5% (Lloyd-Richardson et al., 2007; Ross 

& Heath, 2002). Research has identified several risk factors for NSSI in adolescents, including 

emotion dysregulation (Gratz, 2003, Klonsky, 2007; Klonsky & Glenn, 2009; Nock & Prinstein, 

2004) and peer victimization (Heilbron & Prinstein, 2010). The next step in the field is to 

evaluate existing research to determine the strength of the associations between NSSI and each 

of these risk factors. The purpose of this research project is to use meta-analytic techniques to 

investigate the strength of the reported associations among NSSI, emotion dysregulation, and 

peer victimization in adolescents. The meta-analyses are currently underway. A systematic 

review of literature on the association between NSSI and emotion dysregulation and NSSI and 

peer victimization was conducted. Using PsycInfo, searches were conducted using the terms 

“self injur*”, “self harm*”, and “self mutilate*” and the risk factors 1) “emotion regulation”, 

“affect regulation”, “emotion dysregulation”, “affect dysregulation”, and 2) “peer victim*”, 

“bully*”. The search was limited to studies involving children and/or adolescents. The initial 

search resulted in 2,237 records identified. All records were screened. 2,173 records were 

excluded after this initial screening, resulting in 31 records for emotion dysregulation and 33 

records for peer victimization to be assessed for eligibility. We are currently in the process of 

extracting effect sizes from identified studies, which will then be used to determine the 

magnitude of the association between each of these risk factors and NSSI. Findings will be 

reviewed, and clinical and research implications will be discussed. 

54

A Study of Invasive Species 

Molly Clemens, Michael Sekor, and Dr. Steven Franks* 


Department of Biological Sciences, Fordham College at Lincoln Center 

2012-P005 

The experiments we are working seek to elucidate the basis of the rapid adaptation of invasive 

species, in particular, the field mustard Brassica rapa. These multiple experiments will include 

measuring the growth of B. rapa under the novel conditions of the New York environment, as 

opposed to its native habitat in California. Michael Sekor set up ten plots at the Calder Center in 

Armonk, New York. Each plot contains seeds of Brassica rapa and is maintained to avoid other 

weeds from invading, but is otherwise left untilled. I took morphological traits of plants selected 

randomly in the ten plots. We are expecting Brassica rapa to adapt quickly. We also set up an 

experiment to measure germination of four different species, from California, Virginia, 

Wisconsin, and the Netherlands under a constant temperature of 5 degrees Celsius. This 

experiment is intended to test whether plants from areas without winters will germinate 

differently than plants adapted to winter climate. The hypothesis is that the seeds from California 

will germinate faster, and the percent of these seeds germinating will be higher, than seeds from 

areas with winters. 

55


Migratory Origin of an Isolated Crocodylus Niloticus Population 

in West Africa 

Rachel Coffey, Dr. Seth Cunningham, and Dr. Evon Hekkala* 


2012-P006 

This research aims to determine the genetic relationships between tissue and blood sample 

collections of Crocodylus niloticus and Crocodylus suchus from the eastern and western coasts 

of Africa. With a collection of over 200 samples, a preliminary step to this experiment calls to 

separate the C. niloticus samples from the C. suchus samples, and note any unknown samples to 

be sequenced later on. This study primarily aims to predict the migratory patterns of a population 

of C. niloticus from eastern Africa over to Gabon on the western coast. This can be determined 

through a process of genetic sequencing and microsatellite analysis. By comparing the genetic 

sequences of the Gabon samples to those of the samples from five C. niloticus sub-populations in 

the east, we can infer a migratory route- either inland, oceanic, or a combination of both- that the 

Gabon samples took depending on which sub-population they are most closely related to. 

56


Chromatography of Iron Containing Proteins in a Magnetic Field 

Siobhan Cooney, Glynnis Kelly, and Dr. Christopher Bender* 


2012-P007 

Transferrin is a serum protein that acts as a transporter of iron through the system. In protocols 

involving monoclonal antibodies, however, transferrin becomes an interfering agent during the 

recovery steps of the antibody proteins because of their similar size. Size exclusion 

chromatographic methods are therefore ineffective in resolving these serum proteins. But since 

transferrin contains large amounts of atomic iron, we are examining the effect of magnetic fields 

upon the size exclusion chromatography behavior of transferrin, in particular, whether the 

magnetic field is sufficiently strong to resolve holo-transferrin (contains iron) and apo-transferrin 

(iron removed). 

57


2012-P008 

The Role of Resiliency on Borderline Symptomatology Among Women with a 

Childhood Trauma History 

Vincent Corcoran, Abigail Wren, and Dr. Margaret Andover* 


Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a condition in which an individual experiences longterm 

patterns of unstable emotions, among other symptoms (American Psychiatric Association, 

2000). Individuals with BPD often report experiences of childhood trauma, most often childhood 

sexual abuse (Golier et. al., 2003). However, not every individual who has experienced 

childhood trauma develops BPD (Rind, Tromovitch, & Bauserman, 1998). The aim of this study 

is to examine resilience as a protective factor against the development of BPD among women 

who experienced traumatic childhood events. For the purpose of this study, resiliency can be 

defined as an active process that encompasses positive adaptation within the presence of 

significant adversity (Luther, Cicchetti, & Becker, 2000). This study is part of a larger 

investigation of factors that protect against the development of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in 

women who had experienced childhood trauma. The current study will utilize 3 self-report 

measures: the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (Bernstein & Fink, 1997), the McLean 

Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (Zarini et. al., 2003), and the Trauma 

Resilience Scale (Madsen & Abell, 2010). First, we hypothesize that women with a history of 

childhood trauma will report more BPD symptoms than those with no history of childhood 

trauma. Second, we hypothesize that among those with a childhood trauma history, women who 

are high in resiliency will report fewer BPD characteristics than those who report low levels of 

resiliency. Hypotheses will be tested using t-tests. 

58

3D Vesicle Membrane Simulation 


Gray Crenshaw, Stephen Gray, Jung-wook Park, and Dr. Rolf Ryham* 


2012-P009 

We have developed a numerical code for simulating fully three-dimensional vesicle 

membranes.We will test candidate mathematical models of membranes and generate pictures and 

movies for comparison with microscopy experiment of red blood cells.Membrane shape changes 

as a dynamic process based on physical principles, the Navier-Stokes fluid flow equations, and 

phase field energy. Through our simulations, we will determine the strength of the shear flow 

conditions that compromise the integrity of the cell membrane.Detailed pictures of membrane 

geometry will become well understood, as we work to program three-dimensional models and 

adequately demonstrate natural phenomena. One beneficial application of this simulation is in 

the field of hematology.Since hematology deals with the behavior of red blood cells, the 

numerical experiment provides quantitative and visual data, which is challenging to extract 

experimentally. This project will become an important computational tool for understanding 

membrane fusion. 

59

Unidentified Human Skeletal Remains: 

Curation Techniques and Human Population Studies 

Alexandria DeCapua-Guarino and Kimberly Consroe* 



2012-P010 

Human skeletal material often aids researchers in determining the age, sex, stature, and 

pathological status of individuals, and can also elucidate trauma and even manner of death. The 

Fordham University Anthropology Department houses a human skeletal collection of mixed 

bones, which makes it difficult to gain information about any given individual within the 

collection, but can provide useful information when each type of bone, or element, is considered 

at the population level. Because the group in this study is comprised of multiple individuals, or 

commingled, the collection was treated as a mass casualty incident, or MCI. Multiple techniques 

were applied to each element to organize, catalog, and preserve the collection and determine 

demographic qualities including the number of possible individuals present, age ranges and 

pathologies prevalent in the population. The project involved an investigation of methods used to 

identify and assess human skeletal material, particularly commingled remains, and the different 

techniques used to categorize and preserve them. The research culminated in the creation of a 

database of the bones in the collection and the information the analyses revealed about them. 

NISP (Number of Individual Specimens Present) and MNI (Minimum Number of Individuals) 

counts revealed that there are at least 20 (MNI) individuals in this collection and at most 614 

(NISP). The collection has been cataloged and, along with the database, will be preserved and 

maintained for future educational and research purposes. 

60

Investigating Mongoose Familial Connections 

Through Microsatellite Analyses 


Mary Donahue, Rachel Coffey, Melissa Witherell, and Dr. Evon Hekkala* 


2012-P011 

The purpose of this research is to determine the familial relationships between mongooses at the 

Central Park Zoo through microsatellite analyses. As reported from the management team at the 

zoo, one individual has been continually ostracized and physically injured by other mongooses in 

living the same habitat. This research aims to determine the root of these behaviors by examining 

the genetic relationships between the token individual and the others. This analysis is done 

through a process known as microsatellite sequencing. The mongoose samples were extracted 

and amplified with microsatellite primers. Each primer was optimized to determine the ideal 

temperature for amplification. The samples and primers were amplified through the polymerase 

chain reaction (PCR), run on an ABI 3730 DNA analyzer, and analyzed through a computer 

program Genemarker. The familial connections drawn from the microsatellite results will help 

explain the source of the mongooses behavior towards that one individual. 

61

Electromagnetic Properties of the Delta Baryon 

Pedro Espino and Dr. Christopher Aubin* 

Department of Physics, Fordham College at Rose Hill 


2012-P012 

We studied the electromagnetic structure of the Δ (Delta) baryon (a particle that, like the proton 

or neutron, is made up of smaller particles known as \quarks) using numerical simulations. 

Matrix elements that are needed to understand these properties have been generated and one 

must analytically relate these matrix elements to the Electromagnetic form factors, thereby 

allowing us to get insight into how the Δ interacts with photons (electromagnetic radiation). 

These form factors allow comparison with experimental data, specifically in the static limit, 

where we obtain the electromagnetic moments (magnetic dipole moment, electric quadrupole 

moment, and magnetic octupole moment). 

62


2012-P013 

Perceived Social Support in Relation to Dispositional Optimism, Social 

Desirability, and Life Satisfaction 

Faith Forgione, Jillian Minihan, Sarah Kamens, and Dr. Mary Procidano* 


This project investigated the roles of Dispositional Optimism and Social Desirability in 

accounting for the relationship of Perceived Social Support to Life Satisfaction. Perceived Social 

Support is recognized in psychology as a significant factor contributing to both physical and 

psychological well-being. The present research project was based on the U.S. data set Perceived 

Social Support: Cross-cultural Construct Validation (previously approved by Fordham’s IRB) 

(Procidano, in progress). Reliability and validity of the Perceived Social Support construct was 

already established for a national sample in Procidano’s earlier work. This project, conducted 

during the Spring of 2011, implemented a test and re-test design using 120 Fordham university 

students. The data were analyzed for the relationships of Perceived Social Support to measures 

of other constructs. The relationship between Perceived Social Support and Life Satisfaction 

(convergent validity) was examined further specifically with the roles of Dispositional Optimism 

and Social Desirability (discriminant validity). Perceived Social Support of both Friends and 

Family was found to be positively related to various constructs such as Life Satisfaction and 

Positive Affect, as well as negatively related to Negative Affect. Findings also revealed that 

Social Desirability was correlated with cross-sectional indices of Life Satisfaction and 

Dispositional Optimism. Further research on these topics, specifically Social Desirability, is 

being discussed. These findings support the validity of the PSS construct and thus support its use 

as a valid measure of Perceived Social Support. These results should be replicated cross 

culturally. 

63


2012-P014 

Possible Hybridization Among Equid Species at the Godin Tepe Site in 

Western Iran: A Molecular and Bioinformatic Approach 

Fallon France, Daniela Doumet, Mary Donahue, Dr. Christina Frare, Dr. Allan Gilbert, 

and Dr. Evon Hekkala* 


The earliest efforts at domesticating equids (Family Equidae) were with horses during the 6 th to 

5 th millennia BC in southern Russia. Some suspect that hybridization between domestic horses 

and other equid species was important at the time, however, the records are sparse and such 

hybridization has been difficult to prove, as archaeological remains of horse (Equus 

ferus/caballus), donkey (E. africanus/asinus) and hemione (E. hemionus) are almost 

indistinguishable on morphological grounds. From the bone extracts retrieved by Dr. Gilbert, we 

are investigating the genetic make-up of these species. The objective of this bioinformatics 

project is to create a database of known species using Genbank in order to place our unknown 

DNA sequence in context. We will compile the following equid genes: equid-12s, equid cytB, 

and equid COI for multiple species within the Equidae. From this, we can analyze the 

relationships and evolution of horses and their relatives, while providing a dataset for identifying 

faunal remains from archaeological sites. This study will complement the work in progress to 

extract and amplify DNA from ancient equid remains. 

64


2012-P015 

Wireless Sensor Data Mining for the Determination of Soft Biometric Traits 

Shaun Gallagher and Dr. Gary Weiss* 

Department of Computer and Information Science, Fordham College at Rose Hill 

The Wireless Sensor Data Mining project (WISDM) uses the accelerometers in smartphones to 

distinguish traits of individuals. Simply by having a subject walk with a device in his or her 

pocket, enough accelerometer data can be collected to determine height, weight, sex, and even 

ethnicity (soft biometric traits). The modern smartphone is a powerful computer, and its ubiquity 

makes it the ideal platform for a system that collects accelerometer data on a massive scale, 

making widespread identification of soft biometric traits possible. The WISDM Soft Biometrics 

project has developed an application for the Android mobile platform to take advantage of this 

phenomenon. The application collects accelerometer data during everyday use and transmits it 

back to the WISDM project servers for processing. Data mining algorithms there determine 

similarities and patterns between accelerometer data and various soft biometric traits by means 

of a model constructed using test data from volunteers. This model can quickly transform new 

accelerometer data into predictions of concrete physical characteristics, generating a fairly 

informative description of an individual. Using this novel system, soft biometric trait recognition 

can be performed using only the device that sits in your pocket as you go about your daily 

routine. 

65

Autobiographical Memory Project 

Nicholas Gatto and Dr. Karen Siedlecki* 



2012-P016 

The purpose of Dr. Siedlecki’s Memory Project is to examine the relationship between 

characteristics of our autobiographical memories (including vividness, perspective, sensory 

detail, etc.) and how people perform on memory tests in a laboratory. Although there has been 

much research that has looked at each of these types of memory, there is little that investigates 

the relationship between the two. It is possible that those individuals who have more vivid 

memories may also have more accurate memories, for example. Thus this study examines 

whether certain characteristics of autobiographical memories have a relationship to objective 

memory performance. 

66

Tetraspanin and its Involvement in HPV Infection 

Philip Giarrusso, Elinor Mossop, and Dr. Patricio Meneses* 



2012-P017 

In our experiment, we have been observing Human Papillomavirus and its ability to bind and 

move through the plasma membrane. Our goal in lab is to define the processes of penetration and 

intracellular movement that leads to HPV infection. It has already been determined that heparin 

sulfate is necessary for initial binding of the virus as well as phosphorylation of FAK. Our 

specific aim is to determine the role of heparin sulfate binding in function and identify the 

integrin complexes mediating viral infection of HPV16 in human keratinocytes. The working 

hypothesis is that plasma membrane molecules form a complex that is important in mediating the 

initial onset of endocytosis. It is our expectation that we will identify the plasma membrane 

molecules forming this endocytosis complex and that these molecules will be responsible for the 

signal cascade that leads to endocytosis. I have personally been working with tetraspanin, which 

are membrane bound proteins and have previously been discovered to be involved in wound 

healing and involving in infection with HIV and Hepatitis C. CD-81 and CD-151 have been my 

proteins of interest. Western blotting and confocal fluorescence microscopy has been used to 

determine which HSPGs are necessary for endocytosis and infection. siRNA knockdown has 

also been used to determine if knockdown of the tetraspanins interferes with infection, 

trafficking and FAK phosphorylation. Our long term objective would be to improve approaches 

at designing second generation HPV vaccines by defining novel preventative targets. 

67

Chemical Mutagenesis of the Drosophila RNaseZ Gene 

Tara Gleason, Ya el Helin, and Dr. Edward Dubrovsky* 



2012-P018 

The RNase Z gene is the ortholog of the Human ELAC2 and belongs to the metallo-β-lactamase 

super family which is a large group of prokaryotic and eukaryotic metalloproteins that perform a 

variety of functions. The RNase Z gene has been hypothesized to play an essential role outside 

the tRNA processing pathway. It has also been hypothesized that lacking RNaseZ activity may 

affect cell proliferation. Because RNaseZ is a mitochondria-targeted protein, it is also 

hypothesized that its knockout can cause mitochondria malfunction that can disturb cell division. 

The aim of this research is to characterize the functional role of other conserved regions of the 

RNaseZ gene that remain unclear using Drosophila. This was tested by isolating Drosophila with 

RNase Z mutations on the second chromosome. These mutations were created randomly by 

using chemical mutagenesis with Ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS). Ethyl methanesulfonate is used 

because it has low-target specificity and primarily causes single base-pair mutations. By 

performing several crosses of Drosophila with different specific genotypes, the flies containing 

chromosomes with the desired mutation in the RNase Z gene were isolated. From the surviving 

mutant flies, a stock was created for further future analysis. 

68

Mobile GPS Data Mining 

Andrew Grosner and Dr. Gary Weiss* 



2012-P019 

The capabilities of cell phones are increasing dramatically. These devices now incorporate many 

sensors including: acceleration sensors (accelerometers), audio sensors (microphones), vision 

sensors (cameras), and GPS sensors. In this project we utilize the GPS sensor’s ability to track 

one’s location to determine useful information about users and about significant places, such as a 

building or park. This information will be made available via a downloadable cell phone app and 

will also be available via the Internet. For this project I acquired nearly a semesters worth of GPS 

data both inside and outside Fordham’s Rosehill Campus. I will show my locations over time 

using Google Maps as well as display other useful information, such as how long I spent in each 

location. By collecting this wealth of data, I estimate the time distribution among places I visited 

and spent the most time in. I will utilize data mining techniques to determine the spatio-temporal 

patterns in my data, which will allow me to automatically generate a profile of myself. This 

profile would be able to classify where I live, which buildings my classes are in, and more, for 

example. Also, I will use this data to detect most traveled paths I took during the semester and 

map them out on Google Maps. 

69


Towards Trust-Worthy Smartphone-Based Mobile Application 

Daniel Hatcher and Dr. Xiaolan Zhang* 


2012-P020 

Smartphones encounter many of the same issues that traditional computers face. However, 

Smartphones have their own unique take on some topics and give rise to brand new problems. 

Security is an concern that is essential to both kinds of computers. Yet, Smartphones contain a 

multitude of unusual sensors and wireless radios that complicate the security issue. In our 

project, we studied security and privacy matters of Smartphones that run the Android operating 

system. We examined the architecture of the Android OS to determine potential security risks 

and privacy hazards. We then used a program named Wireshark to trace packets sent and 

received while downloading and using common Android applications. We did this by rooting an 

Android phone and then capturing the packets using tcpdump. For the next part of the project, we 

developed a secure mobile application using Java and HTML that provides a map of the 

University with descriptions of all the buildings on campus. Through our use of Wireshark, we 

could see how a malicious application would transfer data from the Smartphone. By developing 

our own application from the ground up, we were able to understand how an application can 

exploit the system used by Android Smartphones at the expense of the user. The methods used in 

the project should be undertaken by anyone who wishes to understand the concerns associated 

with Smartphone security. 

70


Flipper Patterns and Clade Membership in Little Blue Penguins 

Megan Henriquez and Dr. J. Alan Clark* 


2012-P021 

The little blue penguin is found in Australia and New Zealand and has recently been separated 

into two genetically distinctive clades by DNA analysis. The “New Zealand” and “Australian” 

clades of penguins generally live in separate regions, except near Oamaru, New Zealand, where 

both species are sympatric, or inhabit the same area. Clade membership is generally assumed to 

be cryptic, that is, clade is not thought be determinable based on visual inspection alone. 

However, some populations of little blue penguins appear to have substantially more white on 

the dorsal side of their flippers than others. I examined photographs of flippers from individuals 

at three colonies of this species. As part of a study of mating patterns between members of the 

two clades, I used ImageJ, to evaluate the amount of white on the dorsal side of the flipper; this 

may be able to help us determine whether flipper color patterns correlate with clade membership. 

Because the color pattern is highly variable, we also used Dr. Clark’s reinvention of the Houck 

scale, to quantitatively and qualitatively analyze the color patterns on the flippers of the 

penguins. These data will be used to further support Dr. Clark’s investigation into potential 

sympatric speciation in this group of penguins. 

71


2012-P022 

Tetraspanins and Their Role in HPV16 Infection of Human Keratinocytes 

Christopher Hernandez and Dr. Patricio Meneses* 


For this project, I will be conducting biological research on Human Papillomavirus (HPV). HPV 

research is important due to the alarming increase in the rate of infection associated cancers and 

HPV’s contribution to those numbers. In fact, HPV infection is estimated to cause a third of the 

1.5 million cases of these cancers. Specifically, this virus is the leading cause of cervical cancer 

in women, and is also the cause of many other cancers in men and women. Much about the virus 

lifecycle is known, however not much is known about the beginning stages and initial 

mechanisms that the virus uses for infection. The lab’s goal is to determine the process of 

penetration and intracellular trafficking that leads to HPV infection. My current project is 

determining the role of Tetraspanins in HPV infection. To achieve my objective, I am observing 

these proteins using biological research methods such as Western Blot analysis, Flow Cytometric 

analysis, Immunoflorence, and siRNA-Mediated knockdown. I will be conducting this research 

at Fordham University in Larkin Hall under the guidance of Dr. Patricio Meneses. I believe the 

information achieved from this research can potentially be used to develop ways to prevent 

infection and reduce the burden of cancer and HPV disease. 

72


2012-P023 

Investigating the Role of C-Src Kinase in Maintaining Eyesight for Life 

Sean Hickey and Dr. Silvia Finnemann* 


Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the United States. 

AMD develops in part due to the accumulation of undigested photoreceptor outer-segment debris 

(POS) in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. Every morning, healthy RPE cells stimulate 

signaling mechanisms to prepare for POS clearance. We study these signaling pathways to 

identify proteins that in the future could be targeted by drugs to prevent AMD. Our earlier 

results showed that the signaling protein c-Src kinase is activated during POS uptake. Here, we 

set out to identify the mechanism RPE cells use to activate c-Src. Specifically, we hypothesized 

that another signaling kinase, C-Src kinase (CSK), may act upstream of c-Src. To investigate 

whether CSK activity is important for POS uptake, we used a stable RPE cell line that can take 

up POS. To determine the effect of CSK on uptake, the RPE cells were infected with a virus that 

promotes production of CSK tagged with green fluorescent protein (GFP). RPE cells expressing 

only GFP were used as a control. After RPE cells had been given time to produce and express 

high levels of CSK-GFP or GFP they were fed with fluorescent POS for different periods of 

time. POS uptake was later quantified by fluorescence scanning. We found that CSK-GFP 

significantly increased total POS uptake. POS internalization was increased more dramatically 

than POS binding. These results support a novel role for CSK in POS uptake. Current 

experiments test if CSK increases the rate or the total capacity of uptake. 

73


2012-P024 

Elucidating the Biological Function of 4 F-box Kelch Repeat Proteins (FBKs) 

in Arabidopsis Thaliana 

Kevin Jordan, Marcel Quint § , and Dr. Nadine Schumann § * 


§ IPB Halle 

F-box proteins are an important component of the SCF complex that makes up the domain of the 

E3 ubiquitin ligase complex that is responsible for binding specificity. These F-box proteins 

mediate the specificity of the SCF complex by binding select target proteins destined for 

proteosomal degradation. F-box proteins with C-terminal kelch repeats (FBKs) are a large 

subfamily of F-box proteins, with 103 genes found in A. thaliana. Since only 4 FBKs have been 

functionally characterized thus far our work has focused on another 4 uncharacterized, closely 

related, and most likely functionally redundant FBKs. We employed a number of techniques in 

order to help elucidate the function of our FBKs, including Promoter-GUS analysis (to find out, 

if the FBKs show tissue/organ specific promoter activity ), T-DNA & amiRNA quadruple mutant 

knock-out lines (to look for phenotypes), and Y2H interaction assays (to identify potential target 

proteins). Results were inconclusive but microarray analysis of a triple KO mutant and over 

expression lines seemed to prediction a function in defense against pathogens and herbivores. 

Current experiments are focused on phenotyping KO and over expression lines in response to 

certain pathogens and elicitors of plant defenses. 

74


2012-P025 

Searching for Sequence Based Evidence of Flowering Time Evolution in 

Bassica rapa Flowering Loci C Paralogs 

Kevin Jordan, Benjamin Marsh, Frederick Barnum, Andrew Biello, and Dr. Steven Franks* 


Prior research has demonstrated a significant evolutionary shift to earlier flowering in two 

populations of Brassica rapa in response to severe drought. To determine the genetic basis of 

this evolutionary change, we used a candidate gene approach. We focused on a central regulator 

of flowering time, FLC, which has four paralogs in B. rapa. We grew 250 plants from one of the 

populations collected several years after the drought and collected tissue from the 20 earliest and 

20 latest flowering individuals. We then conducted sequence level analysis of the cis-regulatory 

regions of the 4 brFLC paralogs to determine if there were distinct early and late flowering 

alleles. Preliminary data suggests there is no allelic variation between early and late individuals 

of the same population, and in fact no genetic variation in these regions at all. Further studies 

will examine brFT and brSOC1 paralogs, other key regulators of flowering in B. rapa. 

75

Darter Fish Feeding Kinematics 


2012-P026 

Brandon Klein, Dede Ainbinder, Nicholas Harris, John Colucci, and Dr. Rose Carlson* 


Nearly all teleost fishes capture their prey using biting or suction feeding. In darter fishes, prey 

capture method may be determined by the presence or absence of the premaxillary frenum. This 

ligamentous frenum connects the premaxillary bone to the skull and prevents upper jaw 

protrusion. This reduces the fish’s ability to generate suction and implies that it will rely more on 

biting for prey capture. In this study, we examined the feeding habits of two species of darters, 

the Banded Darter (Etheostoma zonale) and the Tessellated Darter (E. olmstedi). The frenum is 

present in the Banded Darter but absent in the Tessellated Darter. We set out to describe the 

feeding kinematics of each species and also determine the extent to which each species uses 

suction versus biting to capture prey. We used a high-speed video camera to record wild-caught 

individuals feeding on worm prey. We then digitized the videos and made a series of 

measurements including the extent and rate of upper jaw protrusion, extent and angle of gape 

opening, the extent of the lower jaw depression, and the suction distance in order to quantify 

prey capture behavior. We found that most of our calculations were not statistically significant, 

most likely due to our small sample size. However, several characteristics were able to be 

differentiated among species. The Tessellated Darters had a larger max gape distance as well as a 

larger max gape angle, while the Banded Darters had a faster velocity of both upper and lower 

jaw protrusion. 

76


Using Matching to Sample Prompt Procedure to Produce 

Errorless Learning in Pigeons 

Joanna Krasnisky and Dr. James MacDonall* 


2012-P027 

The research question of the present experiment is whether learning a matching to sample task 

can occur with fewer errors than standard training when using a prompt for the correct response. 

After errorless discrimination training, red prompt training will alternate with standard training 

as pigeons learn matching to sample tasks with different stimuli in successive tasks. The subjects 

are four adult pigeons of unknown sex that will be trained in separate chambers equipped with 

touch-screens and connected to a computer system that presents the stimuli, which are black and 

white clip art pictures, and also records the data. In the control procedure after pecking a sample, 

comparisons will be presented. Pecking the arbitrarily designated correct comparison will be 

reinforced. In the prompting procedure the correct comparison is highlighted in red for the first 

experiment and green for the second. Initially, when the comparisons are presented the correct 

one is highlighted. Then, when pigeons are responding quickly, all comparisons are presented 

and the correct one is not highlighted. After 0.1 seconds, the highlight is added. Throughout 

sessions the delay to adding the highlight increases. The first procedure uses symbolic matching 

with three comparisons, and the second involves identity matching, using two comparisons. If 

this procedure reduces errors it may be applicable for behavior in learning with humans with 

traumatic brain injuries or because of cognitive disabilities such as autism and developmental 

delays. The goal of this research is to analyze whether the red prompt procedure is more efficient 

than standard matching to sample training procedures. Although the experiment is implemented 

in animal learning, this matching to sample learning procedure has been shown to be an effective 

way to teach aspects of language to individuals who have significant cognitive impairments or 

severe memory problems. 

77


The Effect of Vocational Training on Behavioral Outcomes: 

Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment 

Peter Lachman and Dr. Subha Mani* 

Department of Economics, Fordham College at Rose Hill 

2012-P028 

During the last decade, there has been a huge surge in the number of papers that use randomized 

evaluation techniques to measure the impact of policy change on welfare outcomes. The majority 

of the existing papers using data from randomized control trials (RCT) have only been interested 

in measuring the total impact of the policy change, in particular, they have not attempted to pin 

down the intermediate channels through which the policy variable (that is, the Treatment) affects 

welfare outcomes. There can be significant gains from understanding the intermediate channels 

through which this is made possible. One such possible channel is through altering the 

participants behavioral (psychological) characteristics permanently. For instance, it is possible 

that labor market training programs increase wage earnings not only through skill accumulation 

but also increase participants overall confidence level and intrinsic competitiveness which further 

explains for some of the variation in wage earnings. Even in the absence of such direct effects, 

there could still be substantial spill-over effects from permanently altering participants 

confidence level and competitive spirit which further influence various other dimensions of well 

being such as. The objective of this paper to empirically measure some theseeffects by testing if 

treatment effects alter behavioral parameters. This study is intended to measure the causal effect 

of a labor market training program on behavioral traits such as risk preference, competitiveness 

and confidence level, (b) identify (or rule out) some possible channels through which the 

treatment affects welfare, (c) the panel nature of the data used here allows us to distinguish 

between the time-invariant (intrinsic) and time-varying (non-intrinsic) behavioral characteristics, 

and (d) using additional data on non-applicants of the training program, we are also able to 

measure ‘bias’ from selection on unobservables. We use pre and post training data among 

participants and non-participants of the training program,we find that the training program has 

had no measurable effect on participants’ competitiveness. 

78


2012-P029 

The Relationship between Critical Life Events, Resource Loss, Coping, and 

Depression in Students Starting College: 

Preliminary Findings of the Fordham Freshman Study 

Tessa LaRue, Tarantino Jenna, Luba Rachel, Minasi Deanna, Makhraz Sellie, 

and Dr. Daniela Jopp* 


There is an unclear relationship between critical life events and their ability to predict coping 

strategies, resource loss, and depression. First year college students provide a relevant sample for 

investigation of the transition to college, which is typically associated with high levels of 

resource loss (Larose & Bolvin, 1998). The current project aims to address the relationship 

among critical life events (Jopp, 2002), coping (COPE, Carver, Scheier, &Weintraub, 1989), risk 

behaviors, resource loss (Personal Resources Questionnaire, Jopp, 2003) and how these factors 

influence depression (CES-D, Radloff, 1977) in students transitioning to college. Participants 

(N=92, Mage=18, 64 females) ages 17-21 reported experiencing an average of eight critical life 

events (e.g., serious illness, financial difficulty) in the past five years. The number of reported 

events is significantly related to higher reports of overall coping, as well as more resource loss 

and lower resource status. Increased resource loss and lowered resource status are also predictive 

of higher rates of depression. There is a significant negative relationship between active problem 

solving and depression(r=-.34, p


2012-P030 

Open Circuit Voltage Measurements Supporting a Pourbaix Diagram of the 

Thermodynamics of a Fuel Cell Comprised of a Silver/Silver Iodide 

Photocatalytic Cathode and Traditional Platinum/Carbon Anode 

James Lee and Dr. John McMahon* 


A fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy of its fuel into electrical energy. This 

usually requires a precious metal catalyst. Platinum is widely used in fuel cells because it has 

been shown to be the most effective metal catalyst for the normally slow oxygen reduction 

reaction at the cathode. However, platinum has the disadvantages of high cost and a low output 

voltage of 0.75 volts compared to the maximum thermodynamic voltage of 1.23 V expected for a 

hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell . Our research aims to find a cheaper, hopefully more effective, 

alternative to platinum catalysts. We have observed silver to be photocatalytic when coated with 

conductive adsorbates, semiconducting silver iodide in particular. When the adsorbate covered 

silver electrode is irradiated, oxygen reduction occurs without an appreciable overvoltage, the 

voltage drop below thermodynamic expectation required of metal cathodes before measurable 

oxygen reduction current proceeds. The mechanism of catalysis involves photo-initiated electron 

transfer from the silver surface into the adsorbate layer. The then-negatively-charged adsorbate 

layer readily donates electrons to oxygen. We report here a Pourbaix (potential-pH) diagram 

outlining the thermodynamics a fuel cell comprised of a silver/silver iodide photocathode and a 

traditional platinum/carbon anode. Measurements of cell voltage that appear to support this 

thermodynamic model for the cell will be presented. 

80

Detection of Single HPV Particles 

Stephen Lieto, Christopher Hernandez, and Dr. Stephen Holler* 



2012-P031 

In the United States, the probability that an individual develops an invasive cancer within their 

lifetime is 1 in 2 for men and 1 in 3 for women. The costs associated with cancer diagnoses are 

enormous. Early detection of malignant carcinomas has tremendous benefits. Early detection not 

only save lives, but it can significantly reduce the costs of medical treatments; a single test that 

costs a few hundred dollars has the potential to save several thousands in chemotherapy 

treatments. One diagnostic approach uses antibodies that target specific proteins expressed by 

tumor cells to capture them for analysis. The whispering gallery biosensor (WGB) is a microoptical 

sensor platform that permits highly sensitive and specific, label-free detection of target 

analytes. Sensing is possible through high quality factor (high Q) whispering gallery modes of an 

optical micro-cavity. These resonant modes are accessed via a tunable semiconductor laser that is 

evanescently coupled from a waveguide into the optical micro-cavity. The resultant coupling 

manifests itself as a dip in the transmission through the waveguide. When the target material 

adsorbs on the surface of the micro-sphere the resonance condition is altered and the spectrum 

shifts. The shift is directly proportional to the amount of material adsorbed on the surface. Our 

work will apply the optical resonant platform for detection of human papillomavirus (HPV), a 

virus that has been implicated in cervical and head & neck cancers.An HPV antibody will be 

chemically grafted to the surface of a silica microsphere. The introduction of the HPV particles, 

and consequent immunological binding, onto the surface of the sphere will alter the resonance 

condition of micro-cavity, resulting in a shift in the resonance dip of the transmitted signal.This 

WGB has been used to sense various chemical and biochemical interactions (e.g., DNA 

hybridization, protein adsorption, and TNT detection), and we believe it will also be able to 

detect single particles of HPV. 

81


2012-P032 

A Convenient, One-Pot Preparation of 1,2-Azido Alcohols from Aldehydes via 

Sequential Corey-Chaykovsky Epoxidation and in Situ Azidolysis 

David Marcelin and Dr. James Ciaccio* 


We wish to report a straightforward, one-pot, two-step method for conversion of aldehydes to 

homologous 1,2-azido alcohols in water. Treatment of aldehydes with an admixture of 

Me3SOI/KOtBu/NaN3 in water at 60 o C affords the corresponding homologous azido alcohols in 

reasonable yield upon in situ azidolysis of epoxides formed by the Corey-Chaykovsky reaction. 

Extension of the method to reaction of ketones and the in situ conversion of the azide products to 

1,2,3-triazoles via [3 + 2] azide-alkyne cycloaddition (“click”) chemistry are currently being 

attempted. 

82


2012-P033 

Variable Expression of Argininosuccinate Synthetase Protein and Correlation 

with Novel Therapeutic ADI-PEG20 in Osteosarcoma 

Benjamin Marsh, Rebecca Sowers § , and Dr. Richard Gorlick ¥ * 


§ Children’s Hospital at Montefiore 

¥ Albert Einstein College of Medicine 

The amino acid arginine is involved in protein synthesis and tumor metabolism and is essential 

for the growth of human cancer cells. Pegylated arginine deaminase (ADI-PEG20) is a novel 

therapy that lowers extracellular arginine levels and has shown evidence of clinical efficacy and 

low toxicity in patients with tumors lacking argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS1) protein 

expression. Previous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of ADI-PEG20 in cancer cell 

lines with diminished or absent ASS1 protein including melanoma and hepatocellular carcinoma. 

Breast cancer and lung cancer cell lines, both of which frequently maintain strongly positive 

ASS1 protein expression, continued to proliferate in the presence of ADI-PEG20. ADI-PEG20 

sensitivity has not been previously evaluated in osteosarcoma. Because ADI-PEG20 appears to 

correlate with ASS1 protein expression, a cohort of osteosarcoma tissue sections (n=171) was 

stained immunohistochemically to determine the presence or absence of ASS1 protein. Sixtyfour 

percent (n=109) of the sections stained indicated negligible or no staining for ASS1 protein 

suggesting that osteosarcoma might be a candidate for ADI-PEG20 sensitivity. Western blots 

were performed on patient-derived osteosarcoma cell lines (n=18) to determine levels of ASS1 

protein expression prior to treatment with ADI-PEG20. Of the 18 cell lines studied, four cell 

lines had noticeably diminished ASS1 protein expression. Cytotoxicity assays are being 

performed on the four cell lines with decreased ASS1 protein expression in conjunction with 

additional osteosarcoma cell lines exhibiting high ASS1 protein expression. If the cytotoxicity 

assay results correlate with ASS1 protein expression, ADI-PEG20 treatment of osteosarcoma 

xenograft mice will be pursued. 

83

Polymorphic Tooth Eruption Patterns in the Guenons 

Clare Masullo, Dr. Warren Pardi, and Dr. Reiko Matsuda-Goodwin* 



2012-P034 

Eruption pattern of teeth in non-human primates is one of the indicators of phylogeny, life 

history strategies, as well as diet. As the preliminary stage of a larger study that examines the 

dental eruption patterns of permanent teeth in juvenile guenon or the tribe Cercopithecini (genera 

Allenopithecus, Cercopithecus, Chlorocebus, Erythrocebus, Miopithecus) specimens housed at 

the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), here we report variations we have so far 

found. We score eruption (0-4, e.g., 0 = unerupted, 4 = fully erupt) by visually inspecting the 

specimens and taking 2D digital photographs for reexamination. For specimens that show 

ambiguous sequences, we analyze high-resolution 3D images of the root system generated by the 

microCT (computed tomography) system. Schultz (1935) established the eruption pattern of Old 

World Monkeys as: M1-I1-I2-M2-P-P-C-M3. Smith (2000) confirmed this; however, after the 

eruption of M2, P3 or P4 eruption is polymorphic. What are causal factors for the polymorphic 

nature of P-P eruption sequences? We do not have an answer to this question as we are still 

collecting data from many guenon species including previously unstudied species; however, we 

thus far found that there are intraspecific and interspecific polymorphisms in eruption patterns in 

some species. For example, the eruption pattern of Miopithecus talapoin appears to differ from 

the established pattern in that four out of eight maxillary specimens we examined show that M3 

erupts earlier than the Canine. Variations we found need yet to be determined statistically 

significant and determining the significance of the polymorphism needs further study. 

84

Intracellular Trafficking of HPV 

Steven Mennona and Dr. Patricio Meneses* 


85 


2012-P035 

I will be directly testing specific components of HPV viral entry. I will primarily be observing 

the role of the histone protein H2B in HPV 16. One of the main tools I will be using is called 

Green Flourescent Protein (GFP). The viral histone protein H2B will be labeled with GFP. It will 

also be assured that the virus will retain its infectious quality. Using this GFP-H2B protein, it 

will be possible to observe the movement of viral particles within the cell in the initial stages of 

infection. If it turns out that H2B is used in DNA packaging and the viral DNA is in fact 

wrapped around the H2B, the H2B-GFP will allow us to track the viral DNA as it enters and 

initially permeates the cell. By observing the viral DNA in the initial stages of entering the cell, 

we can observe the specific mechanism that the virus enters with, what organelles the virus 

interacts with, and the pathway that it takes. Gaining a better understanding of these things will 

greatly help in contributing to the understanding of HPV. Another aim of my research will be to 

observe the L2 protein and its interaction with H2B protein. L2 is an important part of the virus 

packaging its DNA as it enters and moves through the cell. The interaction of the L2 protein with 

the histone H2B protein will give a better understanding to the big picture how the viral DNA is 

packaged and eventually infects the cell. In addition to H2B GFP, I may also use a fluorescent 

nucleotide to directly observe the viral DNA. If it turns out the H2B is not as necessary as 

believed, or at some point is not essential in DNA packaging, I can use a fluorescent nucleotide 

to directly track the DNA. This will ensure that the DNA can be observed throughout the cell 

during the initial infection in the presence or absence of GFP-H2B.


2012-P036 

Exploring Learning Acquisition Using an Error-Reduction Procedure 

Kelly Mercorella and Dr. James MacDonall* 


When acquiring a conditional discrimination on standard training, animals make a significant 

number of errors before learning the relation to criterion. Due to such issues, error-reduction 

training is commonly used to minimize the number of errors made during acquisition, as well as 

increase performance accuracy in the subjects. The present study examined the differences in 

learning acquisition using standard and error-reduction training. Pigeons were first trained on a 

conditional discrimination using the error reduction, or brief s-delta procedure. This method used 

a matching-to-sample procedure where a colored sample was presented, and ten pecks to the 

sample resulted in the presentation of three colored comparisons. The incorrect comparisons 

were removed after a set number of seconds, eliminating the opportunity to engage in the 

incorrect response. The number of seconds the incorrect comparisons were available for 

increased as the pigeon performed to a criterion of 100% correct. A peck to the correct 

comparison resulted in reinforcement, and a peck to the incorrect comparison resulted in a 

blackout. The pigeons were then trained on a second conditional discrimination using the 

standard training procedure. Standard training involved the same matching-to-sample procedure, 

but the incorrect comparisons were present until the pigeon made a response. Results from each 

training procedure were compared to determine if the error-reduction procedure is significantly 

more effective in the learning of a conditional discrimination than standard training. 

86


2012-P037 

Gendered Judgments and Implicit Attitudes toward Women and Politics 

Caitlin Meyer, Justin Gillis, and Dr. Monika McDermott* 


This project has multiple goals, but the first and foremost is to apply a relatively new method of 

attitude measurement to the issue of sexism in politics. Specifically, we propose measuring 

individuals’ implicit attitudes towards women as political officeholders. It is intuitive to many 

researchers that since women continue to constitute a much smaller proportion of elected 

officials (especially on the national level) than do men, that gender bias must be rampant in the 

political world. Despite this, researchers have long tried, and failed, to find evidence of voter 

bias against women in politics. While voters do discriminate between men and women and their 

stereotypical strengths and weaknesses, there appears to be no standard negative affect towards 

women as political beings. In this proposal we hypothesize that the lack of evidence for voter 

discrimination towards women is more a matter of measurement than a matter of reality. Using 

the Implicit Attitudes Test (IAT) software and a sample of students, faculty, and staff at Fordham 

we plan to measure people’s implicit attitudes - those which they may not admit or know they 

hold - towards women in politics. This project will also measure the differences in individuals’ 

explicitly expressed attitudes and their implicit attitudes, as well as the effect of these implicit 

attitudes on potential vote choices in elections with women candidates 

87


2012-P038 

Predicting Adjustment: 

The Independent Contributions of Personality and Perceived Social Support 

Jillian Minahan, Faith Forgione, Sarah Kamens, and Dr. Mary Procidano* 


The present study sought to investigate whether perceived social support from friends and family 

has a mediating role between personality and psychological adjustment indices, including 

positive and negative affect and life satisfaction, or, alternatively, whether personality and 

perceived social support predict adjustment independently. Personality profiles have been found 

to be associated with aspects of well-being and adjustment (Josefsson et al., 2011). Perceived 

support has also been found to predict adjustment (Procidano, 2004). Thus, the present study 

examined the extent to which perceived support is related to personality and adjustment. Data for 

the present study were collected in the spring of 2011 on two occasions separated by about one 

month from approximately 120 college students who completed relevant measures. Overall, the 

results indicated that dimensions of personality and perceived social support predicted 

adjustment indices independently. Additionally, some personality traits and perceived support 

measures were related: Extraversion was related to perceived friend and family support while 

Conscientiousness was related to perceived family support, and Neuroticism and Agreeableness 

were related to perceived friend support. Using Baron and Kenny’s (1986) criteria, potential 

mediation effects were analyzed, but none were significant. The resulting independent 

contributions of personality and perceived social support to adjustment suggest that perceived 

support is not merely a reflection of underlying personality traits; thus, in an applied context, we 

could focus on the experience of social relations of individuals in nonclinical settings, such as 

first year college students or residents of nursing homes, to bolster adjustment in members of 

these populations. 

88

Mixed Benzyl Ether and Benzyl Amine Dendrimers: 


Olivia Monaco and Dr. Amy Balija* 



2012-P039 

Dendrimers are hyperbranched macromolecules formed by attaching a known number of 

monomers to a central core. One application for these macromolecules is as “nanosponges” to 

remove organic pollutants from aqueous environments. Some of these pollutants are known 

carcinogens or bearers of other harmful effects, and there are currently no efficient methods for 

their removal. However, the mechanism in which dendrimers encapsulate these pollutants is not 

well understood. Therefore, systematic studies need to be performed which examine the factors 

that impact the entrapment of small organic molecules. In this presentation, the synthesis and 

characterization of 1 st and 2 nd generation novel “mixed” benzyl ether and benzyl amine 

dendrimers and their corresponding monomers will be described. Experiments employing 

fluorescence spectroscopy were performed to examine how effective the dendrimers encapsulate 

pyrene, a control organic pollutant, from aqueous environments. The results from these studies 

and entrapment studies with the corresponding monomer will be discussed. 

89

Syndecans’ Involvement in HPV 16 Attachment 


Michaela Murphy, Nhan Nguyen, Elinor Mossop, and Dr. Patricio Meneses* 


2012-P040 

The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is known to preferentially infect keratinocytes. However, the 

exact mechanism and molecules involved in the virus’ attachment and trafficking through the 

cell is still relatively unknown. There are multiple candidates that may be involved in HPV 

attachment. We are investigating the role of Syndecans, a family of transmembrane proteins 

found on numerous cell types. There are four major Syndecans, each with varying size heparin 

sulfate and chondroitin sulfate chains, which results in an ability to bind a variety of extracellular 

ligands. Western blots of Immunoprecipitation experiments of these four proteins show their 

varying sizes, both between Syndecans and within a single Syndecan type. Through 

Immunofluorescence we can visualize the location of these proteins on the cell surface and 

address the possibility of the co-localization of individual Syndecans with HPV 16. We plan to 

use siRNA to silence Syndecan expression and use enzymes to cleave the various sugar chains 

on the Syndecans to address the contribution these proteins might have on HPV 16 infection. Our 

studies will determine if targeting Syndecans is a rational approach at preventing or interfering 

with HPV infection. 

90


2012-P041 

Young Adult Cancer Survivors’ Appraisals of Cancer Experience Predict 

Adjustment 

Harjot Nayar, Christina Rooney, Christopher Coyne, Brittany Hogan, Stefanie Vuotto, 

and Dr. Mary Procidano* 


This report describes the results of quantitative analyses of the contributions of a) domainspecific 

appraisals (personal meanings) of 3 important, self-defining memories, and anticipated 

future, and b) experiences of interpersonal and spiritual support and nonsupport, to adjustment in 

a sample of young-adult cancer survivors. Approximately 100 young adults were interviewed 

about a high point, a low point, a turning point (“self-defining memories”) in their experiences 

with cancer, and their anticipated futures (based on McAdams et al.’s, 2006 approach to studying 

personal narratives), as well as salient experiences of interpersonal support and nonsupport, and 

a possible spiritual experience. They then completed on-line, self-report questionnaires about 

domain-specific appraisals of the self-defining memories (Galette & Procidano, 2006), 

interpersonal and spiritual support and nonsupport (Procidano et al., 2011), and adjustment 

outcomes including positive affect and life satisfaction, and negative affect. Results supported 

our expectations that positive meaning and interpersonal and spiritual support would predict 

positive affect and life satisfaction, and that negative meaning and perceived interpersonal and 

spiritual nonsupport would predict negative affect. These quantitative findings will be crossvalidated 

by qualitative analyses of the interview data. Based on our findings, we will propose a 

model of resilient development of young-adult cancer survivors to be tested in future, 

prospective research with adolescents who have received recent cancer diagnoses. Ultimately, 

this research program may inform preventive psychological interventions for youngsters with 

cancer. 

91


The Behavioral Inhibition and Behavioral Activation Systems 

in Non-Suicidal Self-Injury 

Caitlin Nosal, Blair Morris, Abigail Wren, and Dr. Margaret Andover* 


2012-P042 

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is defined as deliberate harm to one’s body without suicidal 

intent and for purposes not socially sanctioned (Klonsky & Glenn, 2008). The relations among 

non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and clinical factors such as depression and anxiety has been 

examined in past research studies (Klonsky & Glenn, 2008). However, little research has been 

done to study the relationship between NSSI and the neural systems that underlie depression and 

anxiety. Two such neural systems are the behavioral inhibition system (BIS) and behavioral 

activation system (BAS). The BIS is defined as the system that directs behavior in response to a 

threat or novel stimuli, controls experiences of anxiety, and inhibit behavior that might produce 

negative or painful consequences (Campbell-Sills, Liverant, & Brown, 2004). The BAS is 

defined as the system responsible for modulating behavior in response to incentives and 

producing positive feelings to signals of rewards (Campbell-Sills et al., 2004). Hundt and 

colleagues (2007) described the BIS as responsible for feelings of anxiety, inhibition, arousal, 

and passive avoidance to cues of punishment. The BAS is involved with reward seeking 

behavior, elation, desire for reward despite the risk, and impulsivity. Research on individuals 

with NSSI suggest that the behavior is done to reduce unpleasant affects or emotions (Arney & 

Crowther, 2008). Studies have also suggested that a number of individuals engage in self-injury 

as a form of self-punishment (Klonsky & Glenn, 2008). Both lines of research suggest a role for 

the BIS and BAS systems in NSSI. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the 

associations between NSSI and the BIS and BAS systems. As part of a larger study on NSSI, 

participants will complete the BIS/BAS (Carver & White, 1994) and the Functional Assessment 

of Self Mutilation. To date, 105 individuals have participated, 26% of whom reported NSSI. 

Data collection is ongoing. Although indiviudals with and without NSSI do not differ on levels 

of BIS and BAS (all ps > .49), increased use of NSSI as social positive reinforcement was 

associated with elevated BIS scores (r = .23, p = .03). The clinical and research implications of 

this research will be discussed. 

92

Electromagnetic Properties of Delta Baryons 

Mikael Oja and Dr. Christopher Aubin* 



2012-P043 

This summer I worked with Professor Aubin on his research into the Delta baryon. Using Lattice 

QCD, large simulations are run to model and look at the behavior of the Delta particle and other 

short lived particles. Specifically, we looked at extracting electromagnetic form factors from the 

data in order to calculate properties such as the magnetic dipole moment. We used the Python 

computer language along with various modules such as matplotlib, SciPy, NumPy, and IPython. 

Using these tools and methods, we were able to investigate the first form factor for the Delta and 

gained some insight into some of its basic properties. 

93


Identification of Novel Proteins of the Infectious Apparatus of 

Encephalitozoon hellem 

Michael Pappas, Boumediene Bouzahzah § , Kaya Ghosh § , and Dr. Louis Weiss § * 

Department of Biological Sciences and Fordham College at Rose Hill 

§ Albert Einstein College of Medicine 

2012-P044 

Microsporidia infect host cells using a unique mechanism in which they discharge a polar tube, 

which pierces the host cell, and allows for the microsporidia to transfer its cytoplasm into the 

host. The polar tube is made up of multiple proteins that are thought to work together in the 

infectious process. Further highlighting the composition of the polar tube and any novel proteins 

would allow for a more comprehensive understanding of the microsporidian infectious process. 

After mass spectrometry, over thirty candidate hypothetical proteins of polar tube extracts were 

identified. This study describes the expression of recombinant proteins identified by this 

proteomics approach. 

94

Classifying Isometry Classes of Lattices in n=3 

Luigi Patruno and Dr. Cris Poor* 



2012-P045 

A lattice is the set of integral linear combinations of linearly independent vectors in a vector 

space. Two lattices are isometric if there exists a bijective linear map between them that 

preserves angles and distances. Through a dictionary between isometry classes of lattices and 

equivalence classes of positive definite matrices, we investigate isometry classes by studying 

certain convex sets of matrices. In n = 2, Poor and Yuen showed that equivalence classes of 

positive definite matrices were determined by certain class invariants. We seek to extend these 

results to the case n = 3 by investigating analogous class invariant functions. Our process of 

studying these class invariants involves the direct computation of the convex ray hull of different 

equivalence classes of matrices. If one takes the convex hull inside the cone of real semi-definite 

matrices of the equivalence class (with respect to the integral general linear group) of a single 

definite form, one obtains a kernel K. The dual kernel K* also has an infinite number of vertices 

that fall into a finite number of equivalence classes. The possible equivalence classes of the dual 

kernel are classified only for two-by-two matrices. Here we make progress working out specific 

examples for three-by-three matrices.We have computed the vertices of the dual convex ray hull 

of the3x3identity matrix and proved that these are the only vertices. 

95

Location of the L2 protein during HPV infection 

Jose Perez and Dr. Patricio Meneses* 



2012-P046 

Although many features of Human papillomavirus (HPV) oncogenesis are known, the process of 

the HPV infection remains ambiguous. An in depth understanding of the initial steps leading to 

infection will significantly increase the efforts to find measures to combat initiation of infection 

and aid in the effort to a global control of HPV infection levels. It has been shown that altering 

the sequences of the L2 protein found on the virus capsid results in failure of entry and 

trafficking of viral particles. A central goal of the study was to determine the role of the L2 

protein and the various locations it can be found in during infection. L2 protein DNA was 

inserted into HaCaT cells and immunofluorescence was performed to investigate if the L2 

protein was found to overlap with five different endosomal markers, anti endosome marker 

(EEA1), an anti lysosome marker (LAMP-1), anti caveolin-1 marker (Caveolin-1), and an anti 

endoplasmic reticulum marker (Calnexin) and Erp29. The same procedure was replicated with a 

mutated form of the protein, DQILQ, for a comparison, and cells that expressed GFP as a 

control. 

96

Godin Tepe Faunal Analysis 

Christopher Pioch, Alexandra Fisher, and Dr. Allan Gilbert* 



2012-P047 

Since June of 2011, I have been involved in thetranscription of data on the animal remains 

recovered from the Canadian Royal Ontario Museum expedition to Godin Tepe, Iran, and 

originally recorded by Dr. Gilbert in ledger form, into digital form using a relational database 

entitled FAUNA. FAUNA will permit varied permutations of data to be called up so that a 

variety of statistical analyses can be performed on different data groupings. It will also allow Dr. 

Gilbert’s data to be merged with that generated by Dr. Pam Crabtree of NYU so that the entire 

excavated faunal collection from Godin Tepe can be analyzed as a whole.The challenge in this 

data entry phase is the interpretation of Dr. Gilbert’s data in the transcription process. This is not 

a cut and paste job, but requires knowledge of anatomical points, measurements, and human 

butchery patterns. The program itself utilizes a drop down menu that can be more or less specific 

than what was originally recorded because the program was written decades after the initial 

analyses were done. Certain aspects of the data, such as butchery and taphonomy, must be 

generalized, while other aspects such as measurements are very specific. In addition, parts of Dr. 

Gilbert’s data, such as dentition, are currently incompatible with the program and must be 

converted in order to conform to FAUNA. Once finished, all of our data will be combined and 

the database uploaded to the Godin Tepe website at the University of Toronto. The finished 

project will then be used in to interpret more fully the Bronze and Iron Age levels of the Godin 

site. To date over 3000 of the 15000 pieces have been properly interpreted and entered into the 

database. 

97


2012-P049 

Development of Basic Digestion Methods for the Quantification of Silicon in 

Geological Materials 

Vanessa Ramirez and Dr. Jon Friedrich* 


The traditional acid digestion method used for dissolving silicate rocks for elemental analysis 

uses hydrofluoric acid (HF) to break the Si-O bonds in the silicate crystal structure. However, 

this methodology does not allow for the quantification of Si in the bulk rock since the Si reacts 

with the fluoride to make silicon tetrafluoride (SiF4), a volatile compound with a boiling point of 

-95.2 ˚C. Since the majority of Si in the rock is lost as a gas during digestion, other dissolution 

methods are needed keep the Si in solution for later quantitative analysis. We have developed a 

method for the quantification of Si in geological materials by utilizing alternating steps involving 

sodium hydroxide and nitric acid. Using a hot plate, the rocks are heated in teflon vessels with 

successive rounds of the aforementioned reagents. We have found our methodology is able to 

both keep Si in solution and quantitatively digest silicate materials. Silicon contents are then 

analyzed via ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, using the well-tested molybdenum blue method. 

The solution concentration is attained by analysis of the UV-Vis data, and the original 

concentration of silicon in the rock can readily be determined. 

98


Constraints on New Physics Using the Muon Magnetic Moment 

Marian Rogers and Dr. Christopher Aubin* 


2012-P050 

The muon is a subatomic particle that is essentially a copy of the electron but 200 times more 

massive. Like the electron, the muon’s intrinsic property of spin causes it to behave like a 

magnet, and quantum effects cause the value of the magnetic moment to differ from the 

classically predicted value. The difference the quantum and classical predictions is called the 

anomalous magnetic moment, or the muon g-2. Continued study on the muon g-2 is an preferred 

area of research for beyond-the-standard-model physics. The current experimental values for the 

muon g-2 are extremely precise, having an uncertainty of 0.7 parts per million. In oder to 

meaningfully compare the experimental value to the theoretical calculation, the current 

theoretical calculation needs to be determined to a greater level of precision. It is studied here 

using results from lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD) calculations generated by 

supercomputers at Fermi National Lab. These simulations calculate particle momenta at discrete 

points on a four-dimensional lattice. This research utilizes Pade approximations to fit the 

simulated data. Pade approximations are well established and understood mathematically, but 

they have never before been applied in analyzing these particular kinds of lattice calculations. 

99


2012-P051 

Monitoring Threatened Small Mammal Responses to Climate Change Using 

Non-invasive Genetic Methods 

Alissa Roman, Kelsey Dougherty-Howard, Matt Cucino, Jaime Tanner, Daniela Doumet, 



It is hypothesized that the American Pika, Ochotona princeps, a small relative of rabbits that 

lives in high elevation sites, has experienced a genetic change due to the climate change that is 

occurring in the Tahoe Basin. In our project, we will be genotyping samples taken from the 

Tahoe basin, in the summer of 2011, to compare historical samples of Pika from early last 

century. We will be using nuclear microsatellite data and mitochondrial sequences from pika 

fecal pellets as our starting material. We will use our data to identify the location of past and 

present genetic characteristics of the populations and to see if climate change has affected their 

genetic makeup. We hope to show the spatial distributions and patterns that connect the pika 

populations in the Tahoe Basin. In addition, we will examine whether the current spatial 

distributions are now more fragmented than the historical distributions and how they relate 

climate change and other environmental influences, such as vegetation. 

100


2012-P052 

An Investigation into Shifting Denaturation Temperature of Type-I Collagen 

Resulting from UV Radiation 

Kira Rosi-Schumacher and Dr. Martin Sanzari* 


Abstract: Today, spot treatment with ultraviolet light is a special surgery procedure that is used 

to shrink different forms of human tissue within the practicing medical field. I am testing the 

effects of this U.V. radiation of collagen molecules in order to test the safety of such procedures. 

The conclusions will have a large impact on the continuance of this form of medical treatment. 

Throughout my research, I have found that this radiation does, in fact, denature the collagen 

molecules that I have used and could be a serious cause of damage to the skin when exposed for 

small 7.5 to 15 minute intervals. 

101


Error Reduction in Repeated Acquisition Sequence Learning 

Peter Sanneman and Dr. James MacDonall* 


2012-P053 

This experiment explored the effectiveness of a procedure intended to reduce errors during the 

repeated learning of response sequences by pigeons. Each sequence consisted of 4 steps that 

required the pigeon to peck either a left, center, or right key. The current step was indicated by a 

color (red, green, yellow, or blue) displayed from all currently illuminated keys. Mistakes 

produced a brief blackout, correct responses advanced steps. Once the fourth step was 

completed, reinforcement was provided and the sequence began again after a pause. The correct 

sequence of 4 keys remained constant within each session, but was different for each session, 

such that with every session there was a new sequence. Two pigeons were given a standard 

procedure where all three keys were illuminated for the duration of each step. Two pigeons were 

placed in an experimental procedure. In this procedure, at first only the key of the correct 

response was illuminated during each step. Then, after several sequences were completed, all 

three keys were illuminated at the beginning of each step, but the two incorrect keys were 

darkened after a delay. As more sequences were completed, this delay was lengthened until 

eventually all three keys remained lit throughout the duration of each step, as in the standard 

condition. After many sessions, each pigeon’s procedure was switched to the opposite, and 

eventually switched back again, taking the form of an ABA research design. The performance of 

each pigeon’s pecking was compared across procedures, in terms of overall accuracy during the 

learning of each sequence, but especially in terms of accuracy during the part of each session 

where all keys are lit regardless of which procedure is being used. 

102


2012-P054 

A Comparison of Plant Growth Factors and Their Ability to Form 

Nanoassemblies and Form Metal Nanoparticles by Green Synthetic Methods 

Nazmul Sarker, Yoshira Ayala § , Nako Nakatsuka, Carmen Hernandez § , and Dr. Ipsita Banerjee* 


§ Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico 

The quest for preparation of nanomaterials by environmentally benign, green synthetic methods 

is becoming increasing crucial. In this work, we compared materials derived from three types of 

plant growth factors namely gibberellins, jasmonates and brassinolides for the formation of 

nanoassemblies. Some of the compounds studied include gibberellic acid (GA3), jasmonic acid 

and Epibrassinolide. In some cases, we also prepared amide conjugates of those compounds and 

examined their effect on the growth of the assemblies. While in the case of gibberellins, we 

observed that the incorporation of amide moiety aided in the mineralization of gold 

nanoparticles, in the case of jasmonate we found that semiconductor nanoparticles such as 

cadmium sulfide grew efficiently. In the case of Epi-brassinolide, the growth of silver, gold and 

platinum nanoparticles was examined and we found that epibrassinolide could mineralize Pt 

nanoparticles in the range of 10-20 nm over time. The morphologies of the nanoparticles formed 

were examined by electron microscopic methods. Further, the mechanism of formation of the 

nanocomposites was probed. Finally, we utilized the CdS nanocomposites for bioimaging of 

mammalian cells such as normal rat kidney cells. The interactions of epibrassinolide based 

nanocomposites with macrophages and their cellular viability was probed. Thus, we have 

developed a new family of nanocomposite assemblies by an environmentally friendly method 

utilizing natural plant growth factors. 

103


Chiral Materials with Embedded Ferromagnetic Nanoparticles 

Cristina Schlesier, Scott McDonald, and Dr. Petr Shibaev* 


2012-P055 

Novel compositions of chiral liquid crystalline oligomers, low molar mass liquid crystals and 

ferromagnetic nanoparticles were designed and studied at varying concentrations of liquid crystal 

and nanoparticle components. The liquid crystal matrix was chosen because of its high viscosity 

which prevents embedded nanoparticles from aggregating. In a broad range of nanoparticle 

concentrations (5-35%), we studied mechanical, optical, and magnetic properties of these 

composite materials. The mechanical properties of the viscoelastic composite material resemble 

those of chemically crosslinked elastomers (elasticity and reversibility of deformations). We 

observed that application of an external magnetic field results in a shift in the selective reflection 

band which dramatically changes the color of the material. Application of a magnetic field to 

thin films of our nanoparticle compositions also results in a mechanical deformation of the 

substrate. Concentrations as low as 5% nanoparticles are sensitive to the external field. Our 

simple theoretical model suggests a mechanism for the observed effects which depends on the 

geometry of the magnetic nanoparticles; physical properties of the novel materials and liquid 

crystalline elastomers are compared and discussed. 

104


2012-P056 

Sonar-based Circumnavigation and 3D Representation of Objects Using 

Autonomous Mobile Robots 

Elizabeth Spangler, Prem Nirmal, and Dr. Damian Lyons* 

Department of Computer and Information Science, Professional and Continuing Studies 

Environment exploration and navigation are essential tasks for autonomous mobile robots, yet 

sonar range finding is a common robot sensing method with well-documented unreliability 

(Thrun 2005). Our research focuses on the improvement of sonar-based circumnavigation and 

visual examination of previously unknown objects in the robot’s path. Laboratory trials, in which 

we had the robot attempt to circumnavigate objects of varying shape using a simple 

circumnavigation algorithm, demonstrated sonar to be a reliable sensing method within 1000 

millimeters of solid objects. Moreover, we found that given a simple sensing-and-reaction 

algorithm, the robot had difficulties differentiating concave areas of an object from object 

corners. We present here sonar range measurements and robot position data illustrating the 

findings of our trials; and a modified algorithm employing the occupancy grid mapping 

paradigm first described by Alberto Elfes (1989). This new algorithm enables the robot to create, 

reference, and plan paths utilizing a map of non-traversable spaces in the environment, resulting 

in circumnavigation of diverse objects with greater success rates than had been achieved via 

simple sensing and reaction. Simultaneously, during circumnavigation, we direct the robot to 

examine the object using a Bumblebee Stereo-vision camera. Whilst circumnavigating, the robot 

captures several sets of stereo-data of the object, then converts this data into point clouds, and 

finally combines all point clouds into one aggregate point cloud - which is a representation of the 

object as a collection of points in 3D space. Our algorithm allows us to carry out this procedure 

in real-time during circumnavigation. 

105

Gubernatorial Influence on State Legislatures 

Andrew Steffan and Dr. Robert Hume* 



2012-P057 

This research examines the influence of the governor on same-sex marriage policy. Specifically, 

I investigate why state-level same-sex marriage decisions have been so variable. Is a state more 

likely to propose bills in favor of same-sex marriage if the state’s governor supports same-sex 

marriage initiatives? Does the strength of the governor as a political figure affect the outcome of 

same-sex marriage legislation? To answer these questions, I conducted a thorough examination 

of proposed bills, statistics on the political climate in regards to same-sex marriage, and 

cultural/political differences between two states – New York and Rhode Island. I find that, 

indeed, there is some correlation to strength of the office of the governor and the proposal of 

same-sex marriage initiatives. 

106


2012-P058 

Solid-Phase Synthesis of Peptides for Structure-Function Correlation Studies 

John Szilagyi, Blake Le Grand, and Dr. Chris Bender* 


Techniques such as x-ray crystallography and magnetic resonance have been applied to proteins 

and revealed structural detail at the atomic level. This structural information has revealed that 

there exist amino acid motifs that are unique to a given function, among which are the sites that 

bind transition metal ions in metalloproteins. In classical organic chemistry structure-function 

relations are established by syntheses of molecules that structurally similar and examining their 

comparative behavior. In the case of peptide motifs, solid-phase synthesis permits one to 

construct specific peptides for analogous comparisons of their interaction with transition metal 

ions. In this preliminary report, the strategy of solid-phase synthesis will be described together 

with some spectroscopic data indicative of transition metal binding. 

107

Chemistry Can Make You a Better Writer: 

Eloquenta Perfecta cum Potio Arabica 




2012-P059 

In the Paris Review, Saul Bellow waxed eloquentia concerning the coffee brewed by Ralph 

Elison, who had learned a cold brewing technique from chemists. Being that brewed coffee is an 

extraction process, we have compared the brewing process at low and high temperature by 

chromatographic means in order to discern those components of the brew that are associated with 

taste. In addition, we have data statistical concerning the optical density (used as an indicator of 

strength) among local vendors. 

108

A Voltammetric Analysis of the Components 

in Urey-Miller's "Primordial Soup" 




2012-P060 

In the so-called Urey-Miller experiment, an arc discharge of a gas mixture mimicking planetary 

atmospheres yielded an aqueous solution of small organic molecules that are familiar as primary 

metabolites. The arc discharge was then viewed as one plausible means of chemical evolution 

leading to the origin of life. The components of the solution constitute a reducing environment 

whose interactions are poorly understood. Voltammetry provides a means of performing 

electrochemical spectroscopy and kinetic events between electroactive species in a system. We 

have applied voltammetry to aqueous organic solutions that serve as models of the Urey-Miller 

system as a probe of events in these ersatz primordial oceans. 

109


2012-P061 

A Voltammetric Study of Amino Acid Solutions in Ammonium Formate Melts 



Evaporites are geochemical forms that result from the evaporation of solutions that are high in 

ionic content. Formic acid forms salts that may be formed simply by evaporative means and are 

therefore of geochemical relevance; the resultant salts are low melting and may be used as 

solvents for chemical synthesis. As a preliminary study to characterize such systems as media for 

chemical evolution studies, we have examined the electrochemical behavior of transition metal 

complexes in formic acid and ammonium formate melts. 

110


2012-P062 

Using Errorless Training Methods in a Matching-To-Sample Procedure 

Jaime Tanner and Dr. James MacDonall* 


Much of the field of behavior analysis focuses on the training and development of skills in those 

with various types of developmental and learning disabilities. The standard training procedures 

currently used to develop stimuli discrimination and matching skills are effective, but often times 

result in frequent errors, which may delay acquisition and inhibit future training. This experiment 

examines how using an error reduction training method in a matching-to-sample procedure 

affects the number of errors made during training. Four naive pigeons were all placed in 

experimental chambers containing a touch screen. Trials began by presenting a sample. A peck at 

the sample produced three comparisons. Pecking the associated comparisons produced access to 

grain reinforcement. In the error reduction training, only the correct stimulus was presented 

initially, and the incorrect was gradually introduced for a longer period of time in successive 

trials. Pigeons on the error reduction training made significantly fewer errors that the birds on 

standard training. Furthermore, the number of errors produced during the error reduction training 

was found to be inversely proportional to the duration of the time period between trails in each 

session. 

111


2012-P063 

Effect of Soil and Leaf Litter Nutrient Stoichiometry on Nymphal Blacklegged 

Tick (Ixodes Scapularis) Densities 

Katherine Valles, Christine Zolnik, Alison Cucco, Richard Falco, and Dr. Thomas Daniels* 


The blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis), common in forests throughout the northeastern US, is 

the vector of Borrelia burgdorferi, the pathogen causing Lyme disease. Studies of the abiotic and 

biotic factors that affect tick abundance may help researchers more accurately predict Lyme 

disease risk. A previous study (unpublished) in a northeastern forest suggested a link between 

increased soil nutrient ratios (C:N concentration) and the increased abundance of larval 

blacklegged ticks. The current study is an extension of that work in which soil and leaf litter C:N 

ratios were compared to nymphal blacklegged tick density in a 20 m by 20 m plot at Fordham 

University’s Louis Calder Biological Field station. No significant relationship was found 

between C:N ratio in soil and nymphal tick density. However, a significant inverse relationship 

was found between C:N ratio in leaf litter and nymphal tick density. Although variability in C:N 

ratios for soil and leaf litter was low across the 20 m x 20 m plot, these results suggest that a 

relationship between C:N concentration in the tick’s leaf litter habitat and tick density exists. 

Further studies are needed to explore the relationship between C:N concentration and tick 

densities over a larger area and at other forest sites in the northeast to determine if the current 

results are representative of forest sites in general. If so, studies designed to clarify the 

mechanisms driving this relationship should be considered. 

112

Application of the CMX and Lanczos Methods 

to the Half-Filled Hubbard Model 

Nathan Walsh and Dr. Vassilios Fessatidis* 



2012-P064 

In this work we have applied the connected moments expansion (CMX) method to investigate 

the ground state energy of the half-filled Hubbard Model for the linear and square lattice. 

Specifically we used the two variants of the CMX expansion and the Lanczos tridiagonal 

method. Comparisons are made between the methods and the exact results. 

113


2012-P065 

Risk Factors Associated with Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in an LGB Sample 

Patrick Wester and Dr. Margaret Andover* 


Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among individuals aged 15-24 (Centers for Disease 

Control, 2007), and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is especially prevalent among young adults, 

with estimates indicating that up to 38% of young adults have engaged in NSSI (Gratz, Conrad, 

& Roemer, 2002; Klonsky, Oltmanns, & Turkheimer, 2003). Gay and bisexual men are four 

times more likely than heterosexual men to report a serious suicide attempt (McAndrew & 

Warne, 2010). Similarly, individuals with a homosexual orientation have significantly higher 

rates of NSSI than those - with a heterosexual orientation (Skegg et al., 2003).Some research has 

examined risk factors for suicide attempts among homosexual individuals. These risk factors 

include lower levels of social support, higher levels of depression and hopelessness, and higher 

levels of victimization in school (van Heeringen & Vincke, 2000; Ploderl, Faistauer, & Fartacek, 

2010). However, research has not specifically investigated risk factors associated with NSSI 

among homosexual individuals. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether social 

support, depression, hopelessness, and victimization in high school-risk factors for attempted 

suicide among homosexual individuals-are also risk factors for NSSI among individuals with 

homosexual orientation.Data collection for this study is currently underway. Twenty individuals 

have participated in the study to date, though we anticipate more before the time of the 

Symposium Participants will complete measures assessing sexual orientation, NSSI history, 

presence of and satisfaction with social support, past experiences of bullying and victimization, 

depression, and hopelessness. Preliminary analyses indicate that 50% of our sample to date 

identify as a sexual minority, and over half report having engaged in at least one episode of 

NSSI. We hypothesize that similar to previous research on attempted suicide, social support, 

depression, hopelessness and peer victimization will be significant risk factors for NSSI among 

participants who identify as a sexual minority. Clinical and research implications of findings will 

be discussed. 

114

Geometric Problems in the Calculus of Variations 

Margaret Wolf and Dr. Rolf Ryham* 



2012-P066 

Michell trusses deal with a variational problem posed by mechanical engineer Anthony George 

Maldon Michell in the early part of the twentieth century; what configuration of bars and cables 

needed to withstand a system forces is most economical. A variational problem refers to any 

problem where some geometric quantity is being minimized subject to a constrain. In the case of 

Michell trusses, the quantity is the total mass of the bars and cables and the constraint is the 

requirement that the system of bars and cables with stand the forces. 

115

Lipid Pore Dynamics 

Margaret Wolf, Karen Guzman, and Dr. Rolf Ryham* 



2012-P067 

In hemolysis, a type of pore dynamics, a lipid undergoes three phases: rapid pore enlargement 

(stage 1); slow pore shrinkage (stage 2); and rapid pore closure (stage 3). In an attempt to explain 

the relationship between the changing sizes of the pore’s radius, we used two previously derived 

differential equations in order to graph their changes through the processes. Through these 

graphs, we saw three intervals of the changing radius, which increased, decreased slightly, then 

decreased dramatically. Unlike previous research, we were interested in determining whether 

surface tension played an important role in the changing pore size. We also graphed the 

differential equations by plugging in surface tension. One of the differential equations looks at 

the rate at which the radius of the hole changes, which we label r’(t). The other differential 

equation looks at the rate at which the radius of the vesicle changes, which we label R’(t).To see 

whether the differential equations actually explained the phenomenon of lipid pore dynamics, we 

first derived the appropriate units to its most simplest form. After looking at the units, we defined 

and also derived the variables that were used in both equations r’(t) and R’(t). 

116


Lethal Phase Determination of Drosophila RNase Z Mutants 

Vicky Yiannoulis and Dr. Edward Dubrovsky* 


2012-P068 

The Drosophila RNase Z (dRNaseZ) gene encodes a protein with homologs in all living 

organisms, from bacteria to man. All RNase Z proteins possess endoribonuclease activity, which 

is responsible for the removal of a 3’ trailer from pre-tRNA. Importantly, a burgeoning collection 

of work has shown that RNase Z could function in a wider array of biological pathways. Some 

studies suggest that in addition to its role in tRNA processing, RNase Z is implicated in basic 

cellular and developmental processes such as cell growth and proliferation. However, no 

molecular networks that include RNase Z have been identified and characterized so far, due in 

part to a very limited number of model systems studied in vivo. The objective of my research that 

has been conducted in Dr. Dubrovsky laboratory is to gain basic information on the biological 

role of RNase Z. The studies were done in a model organism, Drosophila melanogaster. 

Previously, undergraduate students working in the lab performed a chemical mutagenesis and 

recovered a collection of dRNaseZ mutant alleles. The objective of my project was to 

characterize phenotypes of he TG27 mutant. Specifically, I performed a lethal phase analysis and 

grouped different alleles based on the developmental arrest phenotypes that they produce. In the 

future, my data will be combined and compared with other characteristics of these mutations and 

hopefully allow a better understanding of RNase Z biological functions. 

117


2012-P101 

Linking Cultural Memory and the Trafficking of Girls in Colombia 

Angelika Albaladejo and Dr. T. Mills Kelly* 

Department of Global Affairs, George Mason University 

In Colombia, the trafficking of girls is staunchly steeped in the inequality, historical violence, 

and gender discrimination that have fueled 153 years of conflict in the country’s first 200 years 

of independence. This perpetual violence has become ingrained in the collective cultural memory 

of the Colombian people. Ultimately, the socio-political functioning of the country has become 

inextricably linked to this collective cultural memory, particularly regarding the trafficking of 

girls. For the purposes of this research, trafficking of girls will be defined as the kidnapping of 

girls for the purpose of collecting ransom, as well as the abduction of girls by paramilitary 

groups and guerrilla groups for recruitment into armed combat and/or for sexual exploitation. 

Within the overall atmosphere of civil war and violence in Colombia, the focus often falls on the 

crime and corruption involved in the illicit drug trade, criminal and gang violence, and the civil 

conflict, while the significance of the trafficking of girls is often underplayed and even 

neglected. In spite of the deep interlocking of these factors in the overall socio-political 

functioning of Colombia, the current academic literature does very little to address the 

relationship between these factors. This research aims to fill this gap through an analysis of the 

current data, research, and academic literature, with emphasis on linking the historical culture of 

violence and gender discrimination in Colombia to the trafficking of girls. 

118


2012-P102 

The Effects of Polyphasic versus Monophasic Sleep Patterns on Normal 

Cognitive Functions, Emotions, and Memory 

Frederick Barnum, Brian Williams, and Dr. Usha Sankar* 


Sleep is an essential, albeit mysterious, function of the human body and mind. While lack of sleep can 

and does lead to imminent death, the exact effects and purposes of sleep still remain a mystery. 

Comparably, the best time of day to sleep, as well as the actual length of the sleep period is still under 

highly contentious debate. The two predominant forms of sleep in the debate are known as monophasic 

and polyphasic sleep, meaning one long session of sleep or multiple shorter sleep sessions, respectively. It 

has previously been shown that the phase-shifting of circadian rhythms within the human sleep schedule 

can rely on light exposure more than other factors in setting the sleep-wake patterns. Duffy, et. al showed 

that a shifting or even an inversion of the “human circadian pacemaker” depend predominantly on bright 

light exposure over other sleep-wake, rest-activity or social patterns (Duffy 1996). In shifting this sleep 

schedule, it has also been shown that a reduction in overall time spent sleeping from the currently advised 

7-8 hours nightly does not cause severe detriment to alertness or performance. One study showed that 

neither vigilance nor alertness suffered in individuals following a polyphasic sleep schedule as opposed to 

the normal monophasic sleep schedule, even when overall sleep was considerably reduced. Vigilance and 

alertness were monitored by quantification of microsleep occurrences characterized by EEG (Porcu 1998) 

(Figures 1 and 2). Another independent study followed a cohort of 99 subjects involved in polyphasic 

sleep schedules and correlated sleep patterns with sustained performance. The best performance results 

were obtained when a sleep schedule of a series of naps lasting between 20 minutes and 1 hour were 

taken for a total of 4.5-5.5 hours of sleep per day (Stampi 1989). Previous research has indicated that 

taking naps during the course of the day enhances certain emotions, namely joy, relaxation and anger 

which were the three emotions studied. Rather than truly enhancing emotions, a nap served to refresh the 

mental state and in turn refreshed many of the emotions that the subject was feeling before the nap (Luo 

2000). Polyphasic sleep may not improve emotions in terms of making people happier, but the change in 

emotion does indicate a refreshing of the subject’s mental state, as also evidenced by the improved 

memory performance seen after naps in the study by Lahl et al. Previous research has already shown that 

sleep sessions as short as 6 minutes were sufficient to improve memory function in comparison of 30 

adjective lists (Lahl 2008). This experiment proposes to take such work further and attempt to determine 

which of a set of pre-determined polyphasic sleep schedules best improves memory function. In addition, 

this work proposes to study the effects of these different polyphasic sleep schedules on the emotions of 

the subjects. Such previous studies indicate that short naps lead to enhanced cognitive function, while 

others indicate that an overall decrease in time spent sleeping does not severely detract from alertness and 

vigilance depending on the adopted polyphasic sleep schedule. As such, it would seem that polyphasic 

sleep schedules reducing the overall time spent sleeping and maximizing naps to provide sleep would be 

most efficient for productivity and overall cognitive function. 

119

The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Muscle Mass 

Derek Batri, Stephen Lieto, and Dr. Usha Sankar* 



2012-P103 

Sleep plays an essential role in ensuring the health and wellbeing of an individual and is involved 

in glucose regulation, blood pressure, cognitive processes, and hormonal changes. These 

hormonal changes include fluctuations in cortisol, testosterone, and Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 

levels, favoring the establishment of a highly proteolytic environment. Consequently, sleep 

deprivation decreases the activity of protein synthesis pathways and increases the activity of 

degradation pathways, favoring the loss of muscle mass and thus hindering muscle recovery after 

damage induced by exercise (Dattilo 2011). Bodybuilders, who are constantly ripping and 

tearing their muscle fibers in order to increase muscle size, require a healthy amount of sleep in 

order to see improvements. To prove this, we have devised an experiment that will find a direct 

correlation between sleep and muscle growth. We will study 50 healthy male individuals who are 

currently participating in a high intensity, anaerobic, bodybuilding program. Since many factors 

including genetics and habits affect muscle growth as well, we will conduct a longitudinal 

experiment, as opposed to a cross sectional in order to eliminate unwanted variables. These 50 

individuals will train for 7 days on at least 8 hours of sleep a night, followed by 7 days of 

training on less than 5 hours of sleep. Through conventional muscle measuring techniques, 

muscle gains will be recorded, evaluated, and analyzed. In addition, surveys will be completed 

by current bodybuilders inquiring about the amount of sleep they receive and their body 

measurements. 

120

Urban Green Roof Arthropod Populations 


2012-P104 

Taylor Batson, Costanza Raimondi, Jaime Tanner, Drenica Camaj, and Dr. Dustin Partridge* 


Urban green roofs have been found to welcome biodiversity into an environment lacking in 

natural habitat for different species. Based on a previous experiment, green roofs are home to 

migratory birds, but we hypothesize that they also provide habitat for arthropods. What we plan 

to determine through our experiment is what species, if any, of arthropods are present on a green 

roof near Yankee Stadium, and how the populations of arthropods on a green roof compare with 

the populations on a concrete side of the same roof. Through collection of arthropod samples 

from the two sections of this rooftop, we will explore whether or not arthropod populations are 

more abundant and diverse in urban green roofs than roofs that lack vegetation, all other 

variables kept the same. We will also compare our data with previous data collected during the 

summer months and analyze the population sizes and insect types for each. 

121

The Intricate Relationship Between Sleep and Epilepsy 

Christopher Bayers, Caitlin Schroen, and Dr. Usha Sankar* 



2012-P105 

Epilepsy and sleep have long been recognized as being intimately related (St. Louis, 2003). 

There is even a condition known as pure sleep epilepsy in which seizures only occur while 

sleeping. Research in the past that has investigated the relationship between sleep and epilepsy 

has only included patients with diverse etiologies underlining their epilepsy (Stores et al., 1998). 

To better understand the specific effect of sleep on seizure activation, however, further analysis 

of different seizure types in specific epilepsy syndromes need to be analyzed. Treatment of 

primary sleep disorders in patients with epilepsy may reduce seizure frequency and improve 

overall functioning. In order for treatments to have the maximum effect, however, differences in 

sleep patterns in different forms of epilepsies need to be discovered. We propose that a study be 

done that includes patients with three specific types of epilepsy: frontal lobe epilepsy, tempOral 

lobe epilepsy and parietal lobe epilepsy with fifty patients in each group. In this study sleep 

patterns for each type of epilepsy will be established and compared. This information can then be 

used to initiate more effective treatment plans for sleep disorders in epileptics in the future. 

122


Sleep Deprivation and Its Effects on the Short Term Memory 

Andrew Biello, Francesca Bastone, and Dr. Usha Sankar* 


2012-P106 

Sleep deprivation is known to have various deleterious effects on the short term memory 

(Schenkein 2006). In contrast to long term memory, short term memorization does not make long 

lasting changes in synaptic connections. Visual short term memory is stored for shorter amounts 

of time (Luck 2007). Interruption of the action potentials, which may occur during a distraction, 

obstructs the short term memory’s function (Tank 2010). To test our hypothesis, we used a 

simple tool for checking short term memory. The test included a sequence of letters, flashed on a 

computer screen for a few seconds. A correct recollection of a sequence shows that the subject is 

able to retain x bits of information in their short term memory. The subject must then try to recall 

the sequence. After each round, an increasing number of letters are shown. Seven groups will be 

comprised of ten subjects each. Each group will complete the test after varying night’s sleep. 

Groups 1-6 will have 4-9 hours of sleep, and the 7 th group will sleep for their self reported 

preferred sleep duration. The 7 th group is a control for sleep duration. The short term memory is 

known to hold 7±2 pieces of information. We hypothesize that this number decreases on when 

there was less than 7 hours of sleep. This study is of importance to students and workers alike, 

who are concerned with their ability to absorb information following sleep. Workplace 

productivity and academic flourishing will be contingent on a healthy sleep schedule. 

123


The Effects of Soil pH on Tree Diversity in New York City 

2012-P107 

Melissa Buchan, Stacy Lalman, Amrish Patel, Sohail Qazi, Ryan Narain, and Dr. Craig Frank* 


Human influences in the environment are highly complex, specifically in urbanized and 

industrial areas, such as New York City. The objective of this study is to examine the 

relationship between tree diversity and its soil conditions at two different locations in New York 

City, Central Park (CP) and the Botanical Gardens (BG). During the course of this study, two 

plots within each site were isolated; soil pH levels were measured to indicate the acidity or 

basicity of the soil; tree abundance and distribution were observed; DBH of the trees were 

measured; and the general conditions were noted. It was concluded that there were no substantial 

differences among pH levels of the soil at these various sites due to numerous factors that may 

have posed limitations within this study. Thus, there was no conclusive evidence that highly 

acidic or basic conditions would have detrimental effects on the growth and diversity of trees. 

124


The Correlation of Sleep Deprivation to Arterial Wall Thickening 

Melissa Buchan, Stacy Lalman, Amrish Patel, and Dr. Usha Sankar* 


2012-P108 

We hypothesize that sleep deprivation leads to broken body clocks in the body’s blood vessels, 

and this imbalance may lead to defected arterial functioning and ultimately an increased risk of 

heart disease.The aim of this proposal is to study whether sleep deprivation may increase the risk 

of developing cardiovascular disease because disturbed sleep patterns may cause thickening of 

the arterial linings. 

125

The Effects of Caffeine on Sleep-Deprived Athletes 

Brandon Buchla, Sean Hickey, and Dr. Usha Sankar* 



2012-P109 

We believe that athletes who face sleep deprivation (5 hours of 

sleep) in areas of athletic ability (specifically speed, strength, and coordination). There is 

evidence that supports that athletes who are sleep deprived perform worse than their well-rested 

counterparts (Skein M 2011). However, there is evidence that demonstrates that caffeine intake 

after sleep deprivation counters the negative effects of the lack of sleep (Cook C 2012).The 

purpose of this experiment is to understand whether or not caffeine helps, worsens, or has little to 

no effect on sleep-deprived athletes compared to well rested athletes in certain athletic tests. We 

will test three groups of 50 (25 male and 25 female) college athletes (a 3-day sleep-deprived 

group supplemented with caffeine, a 3-day sleep-deprived group not supplemented with caffeine, 

and a well rested group not supplemented with caffeine) in their time for completing sprint drills, 

their maximum number of repetitions on bench press (75%IRM), and ability to maintain balance 

on a balance ball while on one foot.The effects of caffeine on sleep-deprived athletes can provide 

valuable information that can be used by athletes (especially college athletes) who are commonly 

not well rested. 

126


2012-P110 

The Link Between REM Sleep Deprivation and Perception of Heat and 

Mechanical Pain Stimuli 

Kevin Butler, John Colucci, and Dr. Usha Sankar* 


The primary objective of this study will be to identify whether sleep deprivation in humans is 

linked to the perception of pain. Similar studies (Hakkionen et al.) have found that pain can be 

quantified using a series of tests to objectively judge how one perceives tests. In our study we are 

going to separate the perception of pain into thermoreceptor and mechanoreceptor stimulated 

pain. Tests such as the Finger Withdrawal Latency (FWL) test and an ice water test are designed 

to record how a human perceives temperature stimulated pain, while the Pressure Pain Tolerance 

Test (PPTT) was used to quantify mechanically stimulated pain. The experimental subjects will 

be 50 healthy males of ages 18 to 35, with no history of sleep disorders, drug use, or psychiatric 

illnesses. The experimental group will be subject to no REM sleep for four days. An EEG will 

measure when the delta waves reach a particular threshold and an auditory and mechanical 

stimulus will be triggered ensuring the subject is awake. The control group of 50 age and gender 

matched subjects will be allowed 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep, while an EEG is used to ensure 

delta waves are recorded. Both the control and experimental group will be subject to pain testing 

at 12:00, 14:30, and after they awake. We hypothesize that the REM sleep hindered males will 

show hyperanalgesia to both heat and mechanical stimuli. 

127

Northern and Southern Blotting: A Comparison 


2012-P111 

Nicole Campbell, Leslie Ota, Maria Rodenberg, Liz Sidoti, and Dr. Eugenia Ribeiro-Hurley* 


Blots are valuable tools used by Molecular Biologist and Biochemists to detect specific 

macromolecules in samples. There are many types of blots used by scientists each differing in 

the molecule that is being analyzed. Southern blotting for instance is used to analyze DNA and 

detects specific DNA sequences in a particular sample. Northern blotting on the other hand is 

used to study and detect RNA molecules. Both techniques involve the separation of molecules 

through gel electrophoresis, the transfer (blotting) of the nucleic acids from the gels onto 

membranes and the detection of these molecules with specific probes. The labeled membrane can 

then be analyzed through autoradiography to determine where the probes attached, and therefore, 

where the molecule or sequence of interest lies. 

128

Knockout Mice 


2012-P112 

Kristen Carlin, Shachi Patel, Ani Petrosyan, Otis Wood, and Dr. Eugenia Ribeiro-Hurley* 


Knockout mice are animal models created through the process of genetic engineering. They 

enable scientists to determine the function of specific genes in eukaryotic organisms. 

Development of knockout mice requires replacing a normal gene in embryonic stem cells with a 

silenced version of that gene. These cells are then inserted into a mouse blastocyst which in turn 

is implanted into the uterus of a pseudopregnant female . After several rounds of specific 

matings, mice containing the knocked out gene are produced. By carefully analyzing any 

genotypic and phenotypic differences between the knockout mice and control mice, biologists 

can draw conclusions about the function(s) of specific genes. 

129


2012-P113 

Errors in Chondrule Volume Measurements Associated with Varying the 

Axial Slice Height with X-Ray Microtomography: 

Comparing Theory and Practice 

Hira Chaudhary, Mary Claire O'Keefe, Tess Chamakkala, Caitlin Sershon, Julie Thoubboron, 

Michael Perlowitz, Zachary Meinhart, and Dr. Jon Friedrich* 


Our technique for the digital isolation and measurement of chondrule sizes currently involves the 

time-consuming process of outlining chondrules in each individual slice of a 3D stack of images 

representing the interior of a chondritic meteorite. Our productivity would be increased if we did 

not need to identify chondrules in each 2D slice of the greater 3D volume representing our 

chondrite. However, defining the volumes of chondrules from regularly spaced but nonsequential 

slices of our 3D stacks will affect the accuracy of our resulting chondrule volumes. 

One way to visualize this problem is having a sphere represented by a series of stacked right 

circular cylinders of increasing and then decreasing radii. For these cylinders, the height (h) is 

much less than the radius. If our sphere is represented by a series of cylinders with a height of 

2h, 5h, or even 10h, rather than h, what does this do to the accuracy with which we describe the 

volume of the sphere? We will present computational results that calculate a predicted accuracy 

of varying the height of the cylinders with actual data collected on a group of chondrules. A 

companion abstract (Fragale et al., this volume) addresses this same problem with NIST 

standardized glass beads. 

130

Generating Antibodies: Polyclonal vs. Monoclonal 

Alejandro Chavez, Shannon Hanson, Michael Walsh, Edmond Ross, 

and Dr. Eugenia Ribeiro-Hurley* 



2012-P114 

Antibodies are important biological tools used by researchers in a variety of different 

applications. These molecules recognize and bind to specific sites on antigens thereby preventing 

infections by invading foreign agents. An antigen (antibodygenerator) is any substance that 

causes the immune system to produce antibodies. There are two categories of antibodies: 

monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies each with their strengths and limitations. Monoclonal 

antibodies are specific to a single type of antigen and thus, more effective against specific 

diseases. Polyclonal antibodies, however, are broader in range and are therefore able to recognize 

a variety of epitopes on an antigen. Upon being synthesized, both types of antibodies can be used 

in myriad of medical treatments as well as in many laboratory diagnostic techniques. 

131


2012-P115 

Sleep Deprivation's Contribution to Hypertension in College Students 

Zymond Corotan, Daniel Cambitsis, and Dr. Usha Sankar* 


Sleep Deprivation’s Contribution to Hypertension in College Studentsby: Daniel Cambitsis, 

Zymond Corotan, Dr. Usha Sankar Hypertension is often a symptom of a variety of 

cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and its onset is usually the result of countless years of 

unhealthy habits. This study aims to show that habitual sleep deprivation by college students can 

lead to chronic hypertension by revealing the immediate effects of sleep deprivation on blood 

pressure. Hypertension might be brought on by a stressful college lifestyle. Results are obtained 

by studying a group of 50 male and 50 female college students who are relatively healthy and are 

close between the ages of 19 and 22. From each group, 40 students will undergo sleep 

deprivation while the remaining 10 will act as a control group without any restrictions on sleep. 

Students in the sleep deprivation group will be allowed to sleep for only 5 hours a night, every 

night for a week. Consumption of alcohol, caffeine, or other stimulants will be prohibited along 

with the tobacco in order to prevent fluctuations of blood pressure due to these substances in 

accordance with the method proposed by McCubbin et al. (2011). Baseline readings will be 

recorded prior to the start of the experiment and will be compared to results gained from 

individuals undergoing sleep deprivation. Measurements of blood pressure, urinary 

norepinephrine and epinephrine levels, and salivary cortisol levels will be the data used in 

determining the onset of hypertension in individuals (Buxton et. al.,2010). The results in this 

study can be used to prevent chronic hypertension in later adulthood by avoiding sleep 

deprivation during college. 

132

Soil Fertility From a Rural to Urban Gradient 


2012-P116 

Matt Cucino, Julian Atienza, Ame Anteyi, Dr. Christina Frare and Dr. Evon Hekkala* 


The experiment is being done to test the soil fertility from urban to rural gradients. This is being 

done to determine the possible affects increased urbanization will have on plant growth. The 

hypothesis being examined is that rural soils will be more fertile than suburban and that urban 

soils will be the least fertile. The sampling of soils will demonstrate a test of the soils in the New 

York Metropolitan Area including any toxins and chemicals present in the environment due to 

human or natural activity. The soil was gathered from six locations along the gradient, which 

will be planted with Fava windsor seeds. Their growth will be measured in several ways, with 

more than one planting per soil type to rule out as much statistical error as possible. We believe 

that the largest plants with the most leaves, largest leaves, and tallest height will be found in 

more rural settings, whereas the urban and suburban settings are expected to have dwarfed 

plants, if the seeds germinate successfully at all. 

133


2012-P117 

Countering the Effects of Sleep Deprivation Using Complementary Therapies 

Aaron Dowdell, Kaitlin Abrams, Joyce Lim, and Dr. Usha Sankar* 


The CDC states nearly 70 million US adults suffer from sleep deprivation. Research has shown 

that sleep deprivation affects cognitive and behaviOral modifications including mood changes, 

decreased alertness and memory decline. (Silva et al. 2003). Studies of various treatments have 

shown that caffeine can reverse some effects. (Wesensten et al. 2005). Exposure to bright light 

has been shown to enhance alertness by suppressing melatonin secretion (Wright et al. 1997) and 

a melatonin-vitamin E supplement has been shown to restore memory function (Silva et al. 

2003). We hypothesize that although each of these treatments can counter some of the 

deleterious effects of sleep deprivation, combining all three treatments will result in inhibition 

and less effective treatment of mood, alertness, and memory. In our study,participants will be 

treated with these different regimens during 48 hours of sleep deprivation in a head to head 

comparison. Four test groups will be given the following treatment combinations:200mg of 

caffeine at 8pm and 2am and exposure to 2000lux bright light in a confined room, identical 

caffeine treatment along with a 50/50mg melatonin-vitamin E supplement at 8pm, identical 

melatonin-vitamin E treatment with exposure to 2000lux bright light, and lastly a combination of 

all three treatments. A placebo-controlled group will be used for comparison and performance 

tests for memory, reaction time, and mood state will be assessed. The combination of three 

treatments is not a complementary therapy due to bright light’s countering effects on melatoninvitamin 

E which negates the enhancement benefits of the individual treatments. 

134


Effect of Immediate Environment on Tree Health and Growth 

James Duncan, Ian Suaco, Katie Posocco, Jillian Fasulo, and Dr. Evon Hekkala* 


2012-P118 

This experiment sets out to determine the effect that immediate environment has on tree growth 

and health. Several environments were compared in this study: trees located near buildings, trees 

located only near dense vegetation, and trees located out in the open. All of these trees were 

located on Fordham University’s campus to ensure that they were located in the same general 

macroenvironment. In order to quantify tree growth, several factors were observed: diameter 

breast height (DBH) or trunk diameter, tree height, and relative amount of leaves present on the 

tree. It was hypothesized that more room and less competition would lead to greater plant 

growth. 

135


2012-P119 

Thermally Driven Reactions of Tartaric Acid and its Sodium/Potassium Salt 

Pavel Dvorkin and Dr. Christopher Bender* 


Tartaric acid is one of many bifunctional organic compounds that are associated with primary 

metabolism in living organisms. In general, bifunctional compounds are capable of undergoing 

condensation reactions, the resultant product being a ring formed by a single molecule or a 

straight-chain oligomer depending upon the number of carbon atoms separating the two 

functional groups (in this case, two carboxy acid groups). Pyrotartaric acid was implicated by 

Berzelius as being an energy-transducing metabolite among lower organisms in the same sense 

that ATP functions, that is, a hydrolysis reaction. But pyrotartartic acid, as described in the early 

chemical literature, is actually any of a number of products formed when tartaric acid is heated. 

These thermally-driven reactions are being investigated under conditions that correspond to a hot 

springs environment, using chromatography among other means to characterize their manifold 

behaviors. 

136

Detrimental Effects of Smoked Cigarette Butts on 

Vicia Faba Growth and Development 


2012-P120 

Danielle Espinoza, Samuel Wicks, Laken Vitale, Dr. Evon Hekkala, and Dr. Seth Cunningham* 


The effects of cigarette butts, a common pollutant, were observed among Vicia faba (Broad 

Windsor Fava Bean). An experimental study was conducted to test how density, nutrients, and 

the interaction of density and nutrients affect growth and performance of V. faba. ThreeV. faba 

seeds were planted in ten pots and allowed to grow for three weeks. Of the ten pots, four held 

control plants that were not exposed to smoked cigarette butts, and six held plants that were 

exposed to varying amounts of smoked cigarette butts. Twice every week, the heights, leaf count, 

and color of the plants were measured and recorded after being tended to. At the end of the 

experiment, the biomass of each plant was also recorded. The test pots exposed to only one 

cigarette butt did not vary widely in growth and development from the control pots, whereas 

some plants in the test pots exposed to three and five cigarette butts showed impaired growth and 

development compared to the control group. Our data suggests that different soil environments 

(i.e. different chemicals/elements found in the soil) contribute to differential plant growth. 

Though our experiment only focused on compounds found in cigarettes and used one type of 

plant, we can infer that chemical leeching and the pollution is negatively correlated with 

successful growth of some plant species. Our results would be useful in providing evidence that 

proper disposal of cigarette butts and other waste could prevent deleterious effects on the 

environment. 

137

The Effects of Urbanization on Bird Populations 


2012-P121 

Kathleen Finelli, Megan Henriquez, Amanda Iorio, Rebecca Coriolan, and Dr. Evon Hekkala* 


Like all organisms, birds have had to adapt to the ever changing environment in order to 

survive.Regardless of geographical proximity, certain environments provide vastly different 

ecological habitats. Due to this environmental heterogeneity, we expect to see different species 

of birds in different amounts living within our experimental zones. In order to test this, we 

observed bird species and abundances on three deciduous trees within a three mile radius. 

Specifically, each tree was observed for four hours within a single spring day. The different 

locations chosen were Fordham Road, Edward’s Parade, and the New York Botanical Gardens. 

We hypothesized that there would be higher avian species richness at the New York Botannical 

Gardens, higher quantity of birds on Fordham Road, and a moderate species richness and 

quantity of individuals for Edward’s Parade. In a broader view, this study allowed us to see the 

effects of urban development or lack there of on the avian community. 

138


2012-P122 

Errors in the Observed NIST 1019b Glass Bead Size Distribution Associated 

with Varying Axial Slice Height with X-Ray Microtomography 

Ariel Fragale, Evan Leas, Dominick Congiusta, Neeta Jadonath, Karina Shuttie, Ian Suaco, 

Michael Perlowitz, Zachary Meinhart, and Dr. Jon Friedrich* 


Our technique for the digital isolation and measurement of chondrule sizes (see Hossain et al., 

this volume) currently involves the time-consuming process of isolating chondrules in each 

individual slice of a 3D stack of images representing the interior of a chondritic meteorite. Our 

productivity would be increased if we did not need to identify chondrules in each 2D slice of the 

greater 3D volume representing our chondrite. However, defining the volumes of chondrules 

from regularly spaced but non-sequential slices of our 3D stacks will affect the accuracy of our 

resulting chondrule volumes. One way to visualize this problem is having a sphere represented 

by a series of stacked right circular cylinders of increasing and then decreasing radii. For these 

cylinders, the height (h) is much less than the radius. If our sphere is represented by a series of 

cylinders with a height of 2h, 5h, or even 10h, rather than h, what does this do to the accuracy 

with which we describe the volume of the sphere? An optimal way of testing this effect is with a 

well-documented standard reference material, where the size distribution is known. We have 

selected the NIST 1019b standard for this. We will present results examining errors associated 

with the determined size frequency distribution of NIST 1019b standard glass beads when data is 

collected with variable axial slice heights. A companion abstract (Chaudhary et al., this volume) 

addresses a similar issue with chondrule data collected by our project. 

139

DNA Fingerprinting 


2012-P123 

Stephen Gan, Taylor Jacob, Nicole Kirsch, Michael Rossiello and Dr. Eugenia Ribeiro-Hurley* 


DNA fingerprinting is an important technique in the field of molecular biology. This procedure 

allows scientists to identify an individual from a small tissue sample with remarkable accuracy. 

The basis for DNA fingerprinting is the idea that individuals, while exhibiting only .1% genetic 

diversity, have distinct nucleotide sequences. These sequences can be digested by using 

restriction enzymes, proteins that cut DNA at specific nucleic acid sequences. DNA 

fingerprinting is a tool which has revolutionized forensic science field and has had applications 

in fields such as anthropology and in legal proceedings. 

140


2012-P124 

Effectiveness of Disinfectants on Microbial Contamination on Keyboards 

Amanda Gerber and Dr. Jacqui Johnson* 


Computers exist in almost every facet of our professional,recreational and residential 

environments. In the university setting,computers are essential for students. Due to the popularity 

andconvenience of these university computer centers, equipment mayoperate as a reservoir for 

the spread of pathogens.In this study, weinvestigated the degree of microbial contamination and 

the efficacy ofClorox and Lysol brand disinfecting wipes on keyboards at FordhamUniversity’s 

Welsh Library Electronic Information Center. While weobserved a significant decrease in 

bacterium after keyboards weretreated with disinfectants, the products were not effective 

ineliminating all bacterial contamination. Our results suggest thatregular use of disinfectants on 

public keyboards may decrease thepotential spread of pathogenic microorganisms but not 

eliminate themcompletely. 

141

Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Mental Arithmetic 

Nicholas Harris and Dr. Usha Sankar* 



2012-P125 

Sleep deprivation is very common among American college students. This study examines the 

effects of chronic partial sleep deprivation and stimulants on mental arithmetic ability. Similar 

studies have been conducted in the past (Heuer et. al, 1998; Drummond et. al, 1999; and Kase et. 

al, 2009) using a serial subtraction model. In each study, the performance of the subjects 

decreased after prolonged periods of sleep deprivation. The study will follow fifty male and fifty 

female college students between ages 19 and 21. Each will have at least eight hours of sleep for 

seven days, and then perform a mental arithmetic exercise on Windhoff.net/mental-arithmetic. 

The subjects will then repeat the test after five days of four or fewer hours of sleep. Each subject 

will then receive 150 mg of caffeine, and then repeat the test. For both days of testing, the 

subjects’ diets will be regulated; all will receive the same food and drink for each meal. One 

would expect the time it takes to complete the tasks after sleep deprivation to increase after 

prolonged sleep deprivation based on earlier studies. This behavior would likely be attributable 

to inattentiveness and loss of focus caused by microsleeps, short periods of sleep-like EEG 

activity. After receiving a mild dose of the stimulant caffeine, subjects’ performance is expected 

to increase, but not to rested levels. These results are significant because college students are 

especially sleep deprived, and experience frequent cognitive pressure with their schoolwork. 

142


2012-P126 

Development of Group-Effort Methods for Examining Size Distributions of 

Chondrules in Chondrites with X-Ray Microtomography Data 

Mithi Hossain, Nicole Kirsch, Evan Grassi, Sheikh Jahan, Shannon Keane, Mary Klopp, Bushra 

Mian, Brandon Mogrovejo, and Dr. Jon Friedrich* 


Chondrules, mm-sized silicate spherules, were some of the first solids that formed in our solar 

system and the processes that sorted and agglomerated these materials helped to establish the 

chemical properties of the larger planetary bodies that formed from them. Chondrules are found 

in primitive meteorites called chondrites and different types of chondrites can be classified by 

their chemical composition. Each chondritic chemical class also possesses a different size range 

of chondrules. Size-frequency distributions of chondrules are needed to evaluate the validity of 

theories of primary accretion and for the comparison and classification of chondrites. Here we 

describe our development of methods to produce highly accurate and precise size-number 

distributions of chondrules within chondrites using a distributed workflow. This work is being 

done with the state-of-the-art three-dimensional (3D) technique of x-ray microtomography (high 

resolution CAT scans), which produces 3D representations of interiors of solid objects, followed 

by advanced image analysis techniques. We will describe an overview of our techniques and 

methodology, which involves group efforts, for making these measurements. 

143


2012-P127 

Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per One Bottle of Water: A Cumulative Analysis 

Melissa Ingala and Dr. Jon Friedrich* 


The growing preference for drinking bottled water is one that can be observed in consumer 

markets around the world. Aside from the pollution caused by the discarding of empty bottles, a 

significant environmental impact of this growing trend is increased CO2 emission from the 

processing and distribution of bottled water, which often occurs over long distances.In order to 

determine the approximate amount of carbon dioxide emitted per bottle of water, data regarding 

CO2 emissions for each step in the journey of the water from source to consumer were 

consulted. The steps analyzed include processing, packaging, transportation, and cooling of the 

water as well as the amount of carbon contained in the plastic itself. Research journals and 

government databases were primarily consulted in order to gather the most accurate data 

regarding energy use and emissions for each process, and basic chemical stoichiometry was used 

to convert energy to CO2 emitted and to find the equivalent of carbon contained in the plastic 

itself. The result of this research indicates that the production of just one bottle of water releases 

a significant amount of carbon dioxide into the air, and requires as much as a quarter of its own 

volume in petroleum to manufacture.In conjunction with concerns about CO2 emission and its 

effect on global warming that have been presented over the last few decades, this research 

highlights the environmental implications of choosing an environmentally costly product. This 

data presents only a fraction of the typical person’s carbon footprint, but, if multiplied by the 

average daily consumption of bottled water, can be used to illustrate the possibility of reducing 

carbon footprints by simply choosing tap water over bottled water. 

144

Standard PCR Versus Hot Start PCR 


2012-P128 

Elissa Kapp, Micheal Certa, Rafique Rowshanara, Perpepaj Prena, Preldakaj Antoneta, 



Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is a common procedure used to produce large amounts of 

specific DNA sequences. The generated PCR products can be used in a myriad of different 

applications. This technique consists of three steps which are repeated many times until the 

desired amount of DNA is produced. These steps include template denaturation, primer 

annealing, and primer extension. Hot start PCR is a type of PCR which allows for more specific 

primer binding, and therefore more of the specific DNA to be synthesized. This is achieved by 

withholding one or more of the required reagents until the denaturation temperature is reached. 

The end result of this technique is that there is less primer dimerization, and subsequently there 

is a decrease in the synthesis of non-specific products which can be formed during regular PCR. 

145


2012-P129 

Examination of the Reproducibility of Multiple Investigators in Manually 

Determining Boundaries of Objects in 2D Sections and 3D Volumes 

Elissa Kapp, Alyssa Ammazzalorso, Jun Wei Chan, Anthony Gentile, Nadeen Matari, Harrison 

Pidgeon, Alison Rembisz, Nicholas Spanos, Zachary Meinhart, Michael Perlowitz, 

and Dr. Jon Friedrich* 


We have been developing a group-effort technique to measure the sizes of chondrules. Our data 

is collected with x-ray microtomography, or high resolution CAT scans. Traditionally, simple 3D 

objects are segmented and separated digitally using specialized programs. However, for many 

chondrules, their compositional complexity makes the use of traditional grayscale-based 

separation techniques difficult to impossible. For chondrules that are difficult to digitally isolate, 

our technique involves individual investigators digitally outlining chondrules within individual 

2D “slices” comprising a 3D volume. With this portion of our study, our goal is to establish the 

reproducibility of different investigators identifying the same objects in identical slices. This 

will have repercussions on the data produced by our project. We will examine the 2D (area) 

variations of different investigators as well as the effects of 3D (volume) data of our chondrules. 

This work will have implications for the accuracy and precision of our greater chondrule analysis 

project. 

146

Where to Find the Cleanest Bathroom in Keating Hall 


2012-P130 

Joyce Lim, Sarah Reda, Patricia De Jesus, Aaron Dowdell, and Dr. Jacqui Johnson* 


At Fordham University, lecture hall restrooms are disinfected daily between 6am-11pm. Despite 

regular cleaning, there are many factors that can contribute to bacterial growth and the persistent 

spread of germs from person to person. Due to frequent contact and exposure to moisture, it is 

assumed that bathroom door handles would be a prime location for bacterial growth in public 

bathrooms, especially if hands are not fully dried before contact with handles. Restrooms located 

on the lower floors of buildings tend to be visited more frequently due to their location. We 

predict that the first floor restroom of Keating Hall harbors the largest bacterial count due to 

higher foot traffic associated with its convenient location. To test this, a standard plate count 

technique was performed with bacterial samples collected from the door handles of women’s 

restrooms on the three floors and basement of Keating Hall. Bacterial samples were also 

collected and stored for later analysis by serial dilution. Results from the standard plating method 

supported our hypothesis that there was a correlation between restroom location and door handle 

bacterial content. It was found that the first floor had the largest bacterial colony count, the 

second floor and basement had the lowest number of bacterial colonies, and the third floor had 

an intermediate number of colonies. 

147


2012-P131 

How Effective is Caffeine Really in Combating Sleep Deprivation Effects? 

Jorge Lopez and Dr. Usha Sankar* 


Caffeine is consumed regularly by many students, many times to combat the effects of sleep 

deprivation. This is a proposal to investigate how truly effective caffeine is in canceling the 

effects of sleep deprivation in students, by observing the number of individuals who are helped 

by caffeine relative to the whole population tested . Students will be allowed, for a week, to sleep 

eight hours a night without access to caffeinated products, and will then be sleep deprived for a 

second week by restricting sleep to 3 hours a night. During this second week, one group of 

students will be given caffeine and another will not, without either group having knowledge of 

what they are consuming. This research proposal hypothesizes that caffeine will fail to increase 

alertness or better mood in a significant number of the students (at least 25%); alertness will be 

tested by using numerous tests (including reaction tests) and mood will be self- reported. Such a 

hypothesis stems from research that has suggested that some individuals are not genetically 

molded to be affected by caffeine (Yang 2010) and also by research that suggests that even in 

those in whom caffeine seems to work, it is not the caffeine itself that “awakens,” but rather it is 

simply the thought that caffeine will awaken that truly awakens these individuals (James 2005). 

The idea is that this investigation may yield the surprising result that caffeine is not truly 

effectively in combating the effects of sleep deprivation. 

148


2012-P132 

Contamination in the Cafeteria: Do You Know Where Your Bacteria Is? 

Michelle Mathios, Shannon Hanson, Kerry Gunsalus, Liz Sidoti, 

and Dr. Jacqui Johnson* 


Microorganisms in public cafeterias can pose serious health risks if uncontrolled. Despite the 

methods taken to minimize bacterial growth, it is extremely difficult to completely eliminate all 

bacteria from surfaces. In this study, we examined which surfaces in Fordham University’s 

Marketplace contained the highest diversity of bacteria. We predicted that areas near exposed 

food items would have a higher diversity of bacteria. We swabbed the surfaces of silverware 

trays, tables, the button pressed to dispense juice at the juice bar, the surface in front of the salad 

bar, the cookie trays, the condiment containers, and the hand sanitizer dispenser. We then 

streaked sterile nutrient agar petri plates and incubated at 37 °C for 24 hours. We observed some 

colony growth from each surface with variations among the number, size, color, and diversity of 

bacteria among the surfaces. Of our sample sites, the juice bar and the hand sanitizer dispenser 

demonstrated the greatest diversity of bacteria based on colony size, color, and morphology. 

Although limited in scope, our sampling did not support our hypothesis. We conclude that rather 

than finding the highest bacterial diversity in areas with exposed food, the highest diversity is 

found in areas with the largest amount of direct human contact. 

149


Size Distribution of Chondrules in the Chainpur LL Chondrite 

2012-P133 

Zachary Meinhart, Michael Perlowitz, Alyssa Ammazzalorso, Areta Bojko, Tess Chamakkala, 

Jun Wei Chan, Hira Chaudhary, Dominick Congiusta, Colin Drummond, Ariel Fragale, Tom 

Gardinier, Anthony Gentile, Evan Grassi, Mithi Hossain, Neeta Jadonath, Sheikh Jahan, Elissa 

Kapp, Shannon Keane, Meagan Kelley, Nicole Kirsch, Mary Klopp, Dana Kusak, Evan Leas, 

Nadeen Matari, Bushra Mian, Brandon Mogrovejo, Mary Claire O'Keefe, Michael Perlowitz, 

Harrison Pidgeon, Alison Rembisz, Caitlin Sershon, Karina Shuttie, Nicholas Spanos, Ian Suaco, 

Julie Thoubboron, Katherine Valles, Elizabeth Vasile, Amanda Walker, and Dr. Jon Friedrich* 


Chondrules, mm-sized silicate spherules contained in chondritic meteorites, were some of the 

first solids that formed in our solar system. The processes that sorted and agglomerated 

chondrules helped to establish the chemical properties of the larger planetary bodies that formed 

from them. Each chemical group of chondrite contains chondrules with distinct size-frequency 

relationships. We have measured the size-frequency distribution of chondrules in the Chainpur 

(LL 3.4) chondrite. Most of the chondrule size measurements to date have been accomplished 

by the analysis of 2D sections of chondritic meteorites. Our 3D measurement techniques should 

be more accurate than 2D measurements, which need complicated corrections to relate 2D 

measurements to the 3D materials they describe. We will compare our results with literature 

results on Chainpur and other LL chondrites. In the future, we anticipate collaborators will use 

our data to evaluate the validity of various mechanisms of sorting that may have acted upon these 

components during the earliest stages of primary accretion of solids in our own solar nebula. 

150

Bacterial Colony Growth in the Gym 


Steven Mennona, Mike Diaz, Tara Gleason, and Dr. Anthony Caragiulo* 


2012-P134 

For our project, we will be examining and comparing the growth of bacterial colonies on 

different exercise apparatuses. We will be comparing two recreational workout centers- Fordham 

gym and 24 hour fitness. We will compare the bacteria growth on free weights, lift machines, 

and cardio machines. We will also be comparing the amount of bacteria at low and high activity 

of gym usage ( 10am and 5pm) We hypothesize that cardio machines tend to have the least 

bacterial colonies growing on them, followed by lifting machines, and finally free weights. We 

also hypothesize that 24 hour fitness will have a smaller amount of bacterial colonies growing 

than fordham gym, due to better hygene practices. 

151

Co-Immunoprecipitation 


Jacqueline Miranda, Lauren Walczewski, Keelan Smith, Jonathan Sheridan, 



2012-P135 

Proteins are macromolecules that are present in all living cells; they are composed of amino acid 

chains of various lengths. Proteins are found in numerous conformations. These conformations 

can have polar or non-polar regions, which, in conjunction with their shape, help to determine 

their function in the cell. Some of these functions include gene regulation, fighting off invading 

organisms, regulating the metabolism of cells, and functioning in enzymatic reactions. Coimmunoprecipitation 

(Co-IP) is a technique used to identify protein-protein interactions. To 

accomplish this, antibodies specific to a known protein (known as the bait) are used to precipitate 

the latter, and any protein in interacts with (referred to as the “prey”) out of solution. These 

protein complexes can then be analyzed using SDS-PAGE and a variety of other techniques to 

investigate binding partners, affinities, and the physiological functions of proteins and protein 

complexes. 

152


The Effects of Sleep Restriction on Human Polysynaptic Reflexes 

Avery Osella, Katherine VanBenschoten, and Dr. Usha Sankar* 


2012-P136 

The withdrawal reflex is a common polysynaptic cutaneous reflex consisting of a widespread 

contraction of flexor muscles and relaxation of extensor muscles (“Flexor Withdrawal Reflex,” 

2009). It results in the abrupt withdrawal of a body part due to a painful stimulus, which is 

received by the nociceptors (Silverthorn, 2010). Recent studies suggest that sleep deprivation 

effects reflex reaction time (Ross 1965). Sleep deprivation affects the cortical responsiveness to 

incoming stimuli and causes an increase in the levels of adenosine, a neuromodulator that has a 

general inhibitory effect on neural activity. Due to the increase in adenosine, the neural activity 

and response time is greatly affected due to lack of sleep (Boostra 2007).In our experiment, 100 

healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 45 will be observed in a study using 

electromyography. 50 adults will be deprived of sleep, while the other 50 will be well rested. The 

sleep deprived individuals will receive on average 4 hours of sleep per night for one week. The 

well rested participants will receive on average 8 hours of sleep per night for one week. All other 

factors are going to be kept constant, including work, eating, and testing schedules.An electrical 

shock will be used as the painful stimulus. It is expected that reflexes will be delayed in the sleep 

deprived individuals. This study hopes to show the importance of sleep on human reflexes and 

the prevention of injury. 

153


The Effect of Economic and Social Disparities on Water Quality 

Michael Pappas, Kristen Hermanson, Mark Fafalak, Dominick Congiusta, 



2012-P137 

Individuals living in resource poor areas are often exposed to high levels of pollution and other 

contaminants that can have adverse effects on health. While the reasons for these higher levels of 

pollution can vary, they undoubtedly can affect the water quality in those areas. To explore this 

issue, our research group obtained water samples from various sites throughout New York, 

Pennsylvania, and Virginia. We tested the water for a multitude of different contaminants such as 

non-coliform bacteria, iron, copper, chlorine, and nitrates. Our study demonstrated that low 

income and minority communities are exposed to water that have a greater degree of 

contamination overall than those communities with individuals at higher economic statuses. 

154

Sleep Restriction to Five Hours per Night Leads to 


Sarah Reda, Drenica Camaj, and Dr. Usha Sankar* 



2012-P138 

Studies conducted in recent years have suggested that increased risk of type 2 diabetes is 

associated with sleep restriction. Sleep deprivation decreases glucose tolerance and decreases 

insulin sensitivity, which might increase the risks of type 2 diabetes. Although insulin is 

produced on demand based on the amount of glucose uptake, it is not utilized properly by the 

somatic cells. Correlation between short sleep duration and decreased insulin sensitivity leads us 

to conclude that inadequate sleep time can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. It has been 

observed that South Asians immigrants have higher rates of hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, 

and incidence of type 2 diabetes in comparison to Caucasians. South Asians also were noted to 

have higher blood pressure and post-glucose serum insulin concentrations. Because some 

ethnicities are more likely to have diabetes, sleep restriction further increases the incidence of 

this disease. Unfortunately, there have been minimal studies done comparing the effects of sleep 

deprivation on glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity of different ethnic groups. It would be 

useful to compare several ethnic groups and their risk of developing diabetes due to decreased 

sleep duration. By doing this, not only we will be able to observe the different impact sleep 

deprivation has on different groups, but we will also be able to better understand how the risk of 

diabetes varies between ethnic groups. Ultimately, studies such as these or this will lead to 

development of new prevention measures and possibly even new drugs developed specifically 

for different groups. 

155


2012-P139 

Investigating the Bacterial Contamination of Soda Fountains on Campus 

Maria Romano, Melissa Witherell, Jonathan Sheridan, Catherine George, 

and Dr. Jacqui Johnson* 


In this study, we compared the soda fountains in the various eateries around the Rose Hill 

campus of Fordham University. Last year Fordham University’s food venues failed to meet 

proper sanitation upon inspection. Due to these events, we looked to address our hypothesis that 

the current cleaning regiment at the facilities are not sufficient. We swab sampled soda fountains 

at three dining locations which were the Millennium Grille, the Marketplace cafeteria, and the 

Deli. Two samples were taken from the water dispensers at each location. Samples were streaked 

using a direct plating technique and incubated on nutrient agar plates with expectations of 

coliform growth. All results were negative for any form of growth. This data does not support 

our hypothesis and indicates that utilities are thoroughly cleaned on a routine basis. 

156


The Differences in Plant Development Along the 

New York City-Westchester County Urbanization Gradient 

Marcello Scotti, Michael Masullo, Zymond Corotan, and Dr. Evon Hekkala* 


2012-P140 

There are several obvious differences between the urban ecological environment in New York 

City and the suburban ecological environment of Westchester County, N.Y. The population 

density, the structures present and the atmospheric variability are all starkly diverse along this 

gradient. The question that we seek to answer is this: What effect, if any, does the urban or 

suburban environments in which plants grow have on their development overall? Our project 

will explore the effects of the urbanization gradient between New York City and Westchester 

County on several species of flowering plants and trees. We will pick six species (three of trees, 

three of non-trees) that grow outdoors in both Westchester and New York City to study. We will 

take measurements of height, girth, approximate number of leaves and flowers (if present), 

average leaf size and average flower size. We will also take pictures to analyze next to each 

other, which should help us determine differences in colors of leaves or flowers. Using the data 

we obtain, we will compile a spreadsheet and create graphs to best illustrate the differences 

shown. Last, we will use the knowledge of the areas in which the plants grow to hypothesize 

specific reasons for any perceived differences. 

157


2012-P141 

Investigation of Bacterial Presence in Both the Kitchen and Bathroom 

Kathryn Silva, Jacqueline Gutkin, Jane Pak, Vienna DeRito, and Dr. Jacqui Johnson* 


Previously published microbiological studies have suggested that contrary to popular belief, 

kitchen sinks are much more prone to growth of microorganisms than toilet seats. For our 

experiment, we visited 12 apartments at random in the same on-campus dormitory at Fordham 

University and swabbed each apartment’s kitchen sink and toilet seat with saline solution to see 

whether our results are consistent with previous findings. We then inoculated nutrient agar plates 

with the sample swabs using a direct plating technique and incubated them. We also inoculated 

our sample swabs on Eosin Methylene Blue agar plates using a direct plating technique to test for 

the presence of fecal coliform bacteria including Escherichia coli. Our preliminary data suggests 

the kitchen sink provides a more suitable environment to pathogenic bacteria than the toilet seat. 

We hope that by sharing our results, we spread awareness about bacterial growth in areas college 

students come in contact with on a regular basis in their apartments. The experiment may also 

provide ways for improved methods of health and hygiene. 

158

Obstructive Sleep Apnea is Associated with 

Impaired Recall and Cognitive Disabilities 

Ruthanne Sobecki, Vicky Yiannoulis, and Dr. Usha Sankar* 



2012-P142 

Sleep disordered breathing is common among children (Gozal, 1998). There have been some 

reports that have shown that obstructive sleep apnea can cause neurocognitive and behavioral 

problems. The goal of this study is to assess whether obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children 

will negatively affect their ability to recall both short-term and long-term pictorial based 

memories. This study will involve 55 children who have OSA and 25 controls without OSA who 

are between the ages of 6 and 16. They will complete a pictorial memory test that includes four 

trials and attempt recall after 10 minutes. Next, the children will undergo an overnight 

polysomnogram and the next morning will attempt to recall the pictorial memory test again 

(Kheirandish-Gozal, 2010). We believe the results will show that children with OSA require a 

longer learning period and a greater length of time to reach the same level of pictorial recall 

performance as children without OSA. Sleep-disordered breathing is frequently present in 

children with poor cognitive performance. It may be that some children that have cognitive 

disabilities will have OSA and would benefit from its medical treatment (Gozal, 1998). 

Therefore, we believe that children with OSA have a harder time acquiring and retaining new 

information. 

159


Occupational Fatigue: How Doctors Combat Sleep Deprivation 

Amelia Starr, Margaret Ferrara, Maxine Cruz-am, and Dr. Usha Sankar* 


2012-P143 

A number of recent studies have found that there are many negative effects for medical residents 

who are not receiving enough of sleep. The negative effects within the medical world include a 

decrease in the quality of patient care as well as in the safety of the patients (Szklo-Coxe 2006). 

Outside of the patient doctor interactions, residents suffer from decreased cognitive function (on 

the levels of alcohol intoxication), anxiety, depression, anger, a decrease in their overall health, 

as well as a higher risk to be involved in motor vehicle accidents (Howard 2005, Gefell 2003). 

As this problem is gaining more and more attention there have been moves towards regulating 

the number of consecutive days and hours that medical residents can work. While this is the best 

solution, the push for such legislation is slow and on a state by state basis and thus in the mean 

time alternative solutions need to be found. Our research will look at the different ways in which 

residents can combat fatigue on the job outside of simply augmenting their work schedules. We 

will look at the efficiency of a short nap, the use of stimulants such as caffeine or Modafinil, 

social inter actions, and light therapy as ways to promote both resident well being and quality 

patient care. The studies look at groups of anywhere between 30 and 254 residents, both male 

and female, through randomized studies over periods of a between 1 day and 12 weeks. 

160

Tree Fitness vs. Environment 


2012-P144 

Ian Suaco, James Duncan, Kathryn Posocco, Jillian Fasulo, and Dr. Evon Hekkala* 


This experiment sets out to determine the effect that immediate environment has on tree fitness. 

Several environments were compared in this study: trees located near buildings, trees located 

only near dense vegetation, and trees located out in the open. All of these trees were located on 

Fordham University’s campus to ensure that they were located in the same general 

macroenvironment. In order to quantify fitness, several factors were observed: diameter breast 

height (DBH) or trunk diameter, tree height, and relative amount of leaves present on the tree. It 

was hypothesized that more room and less competition would lead to increased tree fitness. 

161

DNA Footprinting 

Kelsey Topa, Hannah Besl, Carolyn Maddock, Frank De Domenico, 




2012-P145 

DNA footprinting is a molecular biology technique routinely used by scientists. This assay is 

used to ascertain the region of DNA where a specific regulatory protein binds. During this 

technique the DNA-proteins complexes, are digested using an enzyme called DNase. The regions 

of the DNA where the protein binds will be protected and therefore not subject to cleavage by 

the DNase enzyme. During this assay DNA - naked double stranded segments of DNA (i.e. with 

no bound proteins) or DNA segments bound to regulatory proteins are initially digested with 

DNase. The resulting DNA fragments are next separated by gel electrophoresis and the resulting 

banding pattern is analyzed to determine the specific DNA region where a protein bound. DNA 

footprinting is a versatile technique and the results that are obtained with this assay can provide 

insights on the protein’s role in regulating gene expression. 

162

In-Vitro Protein Translation 


2012-P146 

Adrian Whiting, Jasmine Bajwa, Katie Nguyen, Karra Zajac, and Dr. Eugenia Ribeiro-Hurley* 


The central dogma of molecular biology states that information encoded in the DNA sequence 

gets converted into mRNA through the process of transcription, which in turn gets translated into 

proteins with the aid of ribosomes. Every living cell has the ability to manufacture proteins 

which help to define our physical attributes, our personality traits and even the diseases that we 

carry. In order to better understand the role that proteins play in a living system one can 

synthesize these macromolecules in a laboratory setting. This process, known as in-vitro protein 

translation, uses lysates obtained from living organisms. There are numerous in vitro translation 

systems including the wheat germ, Escherichia coli and rabbit reticulocyte systems. In-vitro 

protein translation allows researchers to quickly manufacture small amounts of functional 

proteins without the need for extensive protein purification. Proteins synthesized with these 

assays can be used in many procedures such as analyzing protein interactions, determining 

protein folding and ultimately their 3-D conformation, all of which are crucial in understanding 

their physiological functions. 

163

Positive Interaction with Primates 


Melissa Witherell, Alissa Roman, Kelsey Dougherty-Howard, Andrew Herting, 



2012-P147 

Patrons visiting zoos will be most interested in observing species that are more closely related to 

them. We will test this hypothesis by observing five different exhibits that are located in the 

Bronx Zoo. The exhibits consist or primates and more general mammals. While observing, we 

will look at the people observing each of the selected exhibits. We will compare the people’s 

reactions to these exhibits through set criteria. We predict that people will be most interested in 

the primates that are most closely related to humans. The evidence for this is a long length of 

time spent observing the exhibit and a high magnitude of positive reactions at the exhibits of the 

closely related primates. We will also take into account the different age groups of the people 

that are observing. It is possible that children will be more interested in the exhibits, while the 

adults are not. In addition, we will take into account the activity that is taking place within the 

exhibit. The data collected over time will consist of time spent at the exhibits, types of reactions, 

as well as age groups. 

164


Sleep Habits and Susceptibility to the Common Cold 

Jesus Zeno, Scotti Marcello, and Dr. Usha Sankar* 


2012-P148 

The correlation between sleep habits and susceptibility to infections was recently examined and 

the results showed that people with less than seven hours of sleep were almost three times more 

likely to develop a cold than those with more than eight hours (Cohen 2009). Those who were 

92% efficient with their sleep were 5.5 times more likely to have a cold than those with 98% 

sleep efficiency. This experiment is important because something as simple as changing one’s 

sleeping habits can have a direct affect on the strength of one’s immune system. We would like 

to confirm the above results and extend the study to investigate whether the time of exposure to 

the cold virus is important. We will use 100 healthy men and women for the study. Their sleep 

duration and efficiency will be monitored over two weeks as the baseline. We will use 

electroencephalography (EEG) to monitor REM sleep. We will administer the cold causing 

rhinovirus after 1, 8, and 15 hours of waking. The subjects will be monitored for the cold on days 

surrounding exposure. We hypothesize that people with more sleep time and efficiency will be 

less likely to catch a cold. Also, the patients who are administered the rhinovirus latest in the day 

should be less likely to contract it because their body will have time to build up immunity after 

being awake. These findings can encourage people to have better sleeping habits who wish to 

keep their immune system at an optimal level. 

165


2012-P149 

Sayyid Qutb: 

Understanding the Father of Radical Islam and his Relation to Terror 

Angelo Labate and Dr. Doron Ben-Atar* 


Sayyid Qutb has become synonymous with the modern radical Islamic terror movement. His 

philosophical and theoretical works, according to most intellectuals, provides the driving 

ideological framework for most terrorist organizations in the Middle East. Qutb, however, wrote 

in a much different time than the present. The body of work that Qutb puts forth reveals a lot 

about the anxieties of Egypt adopting to a modernizing world. Many view his critiques about the 

modern world, and the West in particular, as spot on, and as revealing many social problems 

with capitalism, communism and the material-pleasure culture of the modern era. Qutb posits 

that Islam could be a remedy to all of these modern social ills. The primary question explored in 

my work is why and how did an insightful critic of modern society become an ideologue that 

promotes hate and violence? My research has been conducted under the guidance of Dr. Doron 

Ben-Atar of the Department of History, and includes both primary source material from Qutb's 

corpus and secondary interpretations and commentaries on the connection between this work and 

radical Islam. 

166

Coffee in Europe: An Illustrative History 

Angelo Labate, and Dr. Thierry Rigogne* 



2012-P150 

Coffee has been a staple of the Western diet for the past few centuries, however, this has not 

always been true. Coffee finds its origins in the Middle East and it is from this region that coffee 

culture migrated to Europe. The storied history of the coffee commodity from its early years in 

Arabia up until Starbucks can be understood more fully using a variety of visual sources. These 

sources include paintings, sketches, prints, photographs and physical artifacts. By looking 

closely at these visual sources one can better orient the impact that coffee has had in the 

historical record in regards to Western culture. In my research assistanceship role, I collected a 

number of these images creating an image database for uses in publication. Presentation of these 

materials can demonstrate the importance that visual sources have in the field of history. 

167

168 


2012-P151 

The Effects of News Media Consumption on Levels of Trust in Government 

Benjamin Calderon, and Dr. Olena Nikolayenko* 


The disagreement in literature pertaining to the effect of news media on the public’s level of trust 

in government provided the impetus for this research. The purpose of the research is to explore 

the effects that the news media have on the public’s level of trust in government, and also how 

the relationship between news media and trust is formed. A convenience sample of eight 

individuals between the ages of eighteen and twenty-three was interviewed. All subjects 

consumed news media from similar news outlets for similar amounts of time. Half of the subjects 

trusted the government and half did not. However, of those that reported that they did trust the 

government, all felt that the role of the news media was to provide oversight of the government 

and politicians. Therefore, it was found in this research that trust in government is mediated by 

one’s perception of the role of news media as either a watchdog providing oversight of 

government or as simply disseminators of facts to the public. My study has the potential to 

influence the way politicians relate to the media, demonstrating that a tolerant approach to 

watchdog media practices is in the long-term beneficial to politicians because what they lose in 

short-term reputation, they gain in long-term trust from the public.

Index of Presentations 


Gabriel Agostini Dr. Robert Beer Fuel For the Future 2012-P001 51 

Angelika Albaladejo Dr. T. Mills Kelly Linking Cultural Memory and the Trafficking of Girls in 

Colombia 

Kyle Alexander Dr. Fred Wertz For I Have Sinned: Fordham Student's Lives as both 

Catholic and LGBTQ 

Emily Amato Dr. Susan Greenfield Have Bottom Size of Brazil: Female Self Worth in Pride 

and Prejudice and Bridget Jones's Diary 

2012-P101 115 

2012-P002 52 

2012-0701 20 

Ame Anteyi Dr. James Lewis Effect of Heavy Metal on the Growth of Purslane 2012-1401 44 

Maggie Baisley Dr. Rachel Annunziato No Longer Strangers in a Strange Land: Improving 

Preparation for Transfer Out of Pediatrics 

Frederick Barnum Dr. Usha Sankar The Effects of Polyphasic versus Monophasic Sleep Patterns 

on Normal Cognitive Functions, Emotions, and Memory 

2012-0803 25 

2012-P102 122 

Derek Batri Dr. Usha Sankar The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Muscle Mass 2012-P103 123 

Taylor Batson Dr. Edward Dubrovsky Complementation Analysis of Drosophila RNase Z Mutant 

Alleles 

2012-P003 53 

Taylor Batson Dr. Dustin Partridge Urban Green Roof Arthropod Populations 2012-P104 121 

Christopher Bayers Dr. Usha Sankar The Intricate Relationship between Sleep and Epilepsy 2012-P105 122


Andrew Biello Dr. Usha Sankar Sleep Deprivation and Its Effects on the Short Term 

Memory 

2012-P106 123 

Johana Borjas Dr. Daniel Soyer Hungarian Immigration to New York City after 1956 2012-1104 36 

Michael Broccolo Dr. Beth Knobel Losing Bark and Bite: The Changing Face of Watchdog 


Margaux Bruzzese Dr. Margaret Andover Emotion Dysregulation and Peer Victimization in Non- 

Suicidal Self-Injury among Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis 

of Risk Factors 

2012-1302 42 

2012-P004 54 

Melissa Buchan Dr. Craig Frank The Effects of Soil pH on Tree Diversity in New York City 2012-P107 124 

Melissa Buchan Dr. Usha Sankar The Correlation of Sleep Deprivation to Arterial Wall 

Thickening 

2012-P108 125 

Brandon Buchla Dr. Usha Sankar The Effects of Caffeine on Sleep-Deprived Athletes 2012-P109 126 

Kevin Butler Dr. Usha Sankar The Link Between REM Sleep Deprivation and Perception 

of Heat and Mechanical Pain Stimuli 

Benjamin Calderon Dr. Olena Nikolayenko The Effects of News Media Consumption on Levels of Trust 

in Government 

Nicole Campbell Dr. Eugenia Ribeiro- 

Hurley 

Kristen Carlin Dr. Eugenia Ribeiro- 

Hurley 

2012-P110 127 

2012-P151 166 

Northern and Southern Blotting: A Comparison 2012-P111 128 

Knockout Mice 2012-P112 129


Navena Chaitoo Dr. Sophie Mitra Estimating the Additional Costs Associated with Disability 

in the United States 

Hira Chaudhary Dr. Jon Friedrich Errors in Chondrule Volume Measurements Associated with 

Varying the Axial Slice Height with X-Ray 

Microtomography: Comparing Theory and Practice 

Alejandro Chavez Dr. Eugenia Ribeiro- 

Hurley 

2012-0802 24 

2012-P113 130 

Generating Antibodies: Polyclonal vs. Monoclonal 2012-P114 131 

Molly Clemens Dr. Steven Franks A Study of Invasive Species 2012-P005 55 

Kyle Clonan Dr. Jason Aloisio The Potential Benefits of an O'Hare Hall Green Roof 2012-0401 10 

Rachel Coffey Dr. Evon Hekkala Migratory Origin of an Isolated Crocodylus Niloticus 

Population in West Africa 

Siobhan Cooney and 

Glynnis Kelly 

Dr. Christopher Bender Chromatography of Iron Containing Proteins in a Magnetic 

Field 

Vincent Corcoran Dr. Margaret Andover The Role of Resiliency on Borderline Symptomatology 

Among Women with a Childhood Trauma History 

Zymond Corotan Dr. Usha Sankar Sleep Deprivation's Contribution to Hypertension in College 

Students 

2012-P006 56 

2012-P007 57 

2012-P008 58 

2012-P115 132 

Gray Crenshaw Dr. Rolf Ryham 3D Vesicle Membrane Simulation 2012-P009 59 

Matt Cucino Dr. Christina Frare and 

Dr. Evon Hekkala 

Soil Fertility From a Rural to Urban Gradient 2012-P116 133


Alexandria DeCapua- 

Guarino 

Kimberly Consroe Unidentified Human Skeletal Remains: Curation 

Techniques and Human Population Studies 

2012-P010 59 

Vincent DeCesare Dr. Mark Naison Redevelopment of the South Bronx 2012-0303 9 

Asmaou Diallo Dr. Oded Gonen Metabolic Changes Associated with mTBI: Insight From 3D 

1 H NMR Spectroscopy Imaging Voxelwise Analysis 

2012-0503 15 

Matthew Dillon Dr. James MacDonall Examining the Effectiveness of the S Delta Procedure 2012-0902 27 

Mary Donahue Dr. Evon Hekkala Investigating Mongoose Familial Connections Through 

Microsatellite Analyses 

Aaron Dowdell Dr. Usha Sankar Countering the Effects of Sleep Deprivation Using 

Complementary Therapies 

James Duncan Dr. Evon Hekkala Effect of Immediate Environment on Tree Health and 

Growth 

Pavel Dvorkin Dr. Christopher Bender Thermally Driven Reactions of Tartaric Acid and its 

Sodium/Potassium Salt 

2012-P011 61 

2012-P117 134 

2012-P118 135 

2012-P119 136 

Pedro Espino Dr. Christopher Aubin Electromagnetic Properties of the Delta Baryon 2012-P012 62 

Danielle Espinoza Dr. Seth Cunningham Detrimental Effects of Smoked Cigarette Butts on Vicia 

Faba Growth and Development 

Catherine Evich Dr. Silvia C. Finnemann Lysosome Regulation: A Cellular Mechanism Maintaining 


2012-P120 137 

2012-0502 14 

Lorenzo Ferrigno Dr. Melissa Labonte Nuclear Iran: A More Peaceful Middle East 2012-1103 35


Lorenzo Ferrigno Dr. Jonathan Crystal American versus Chinese News: A Comparison 2012-1301 41 

Kathleen Finelli Dr. Evon Hekkala The Effects of Urbanization on Bird Populations 2012-P121 138 

Faith Forgione Dr. Mary Procidano Perceived Social Support in Relation to Dispositional 

Optimism, Social Desirability, and Life Satisfaction 

Ariel Fragale Dr. Jon Friedrich Errors in the Observed NIST 1019b Glass Bead Size 

Distribution Associated with Varying Axial Slice Height 

with X-Ray Microtomography 

Fallon France Dr. Evon Hekkala Possible Hybridization Among Equid Species at the Godin 

Tepe Site in Western Iran: A Molecular and Bioinformatic 

Approach 

2012-P013 63 

2012-P122 139 

2012-P014 64 

Stephen Frayne Dr. Ipsita Banerjee Development of Nanoassemblies as Drug Carriers 2012-1004 32 

Timothy Gallagher Dr. Matthew McGowan Power and Prayer: The Imperial Cult and the Cult of Isis in 

Roman Spain 

Shaun Gallagher Dr. Gary Weiss Wireless Sensor Data Mining for the Determination of Soft 

Biometric Traits 

Stephen Gan Dr. Eugenia Ribeiro- 

Hurley 

2012-1501 47 

2012-P015 65 

DNA Fingerprinting 2012-P123 140 

Elizabeth Gatti Dr. Sumithra Raghavan Sexual Assault: Is CARE Enough? 2012-0202 5 

Nicholas Gatto Dr. Karen Siedlecki Autobiographical Memory Project 2012-P016 66 

Amanda Gerber Dr. Jacqui Johnson Effectiveness of Disinfectants on Microbial Contamination 

on Keyboards 

2012-P124 141


Philip Giarrusso Dr. Patricio Meneses Tetraspanin and its Involvement in HPV Infection 2012-P017 67 

Tara Gleason Dr. Edward Dubrovsky Chemical Mutagenesis of the Drosophila RNaseZ Gene 2012-P018 68 

Andrew Grosner Dr. Gary Weiss Mobile GPS Data Mining 2012-P019 69 

Helena Guzik Dr. Ebru Turan Islamic Influences on Venetian Pilgrim Flasks of the Early 

Sixteenth Century 

2012-0603 19 

Karen Guzman Dr. Rolf Ryham Control of Lipidic Pore Dynamics by Aqueous Viscosity 2012-1002 30 

Nicholas Harris Dr. Usha Sankar Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Mental Arithmetic 2012-P125 142 

Daniel Hatcher Dr. Xiaolan Zhang Towards Trust-Worthy Smartphone-Based Mobile 

Application 

Megan Henriquez Dr. J. Alan Clark Flipper Patterns and Clade Membership in Little Blue 

Penguins 

Christopher Hernandez Dr. Patricio Meneses Tetraspanins and Their Role in HPV16 Infection of Human 

Keratinocytes 

Sean Hickey Dr. Silvia Finnemann Investigating the Role of C-Src Kinase in Maintaining 


Mithi Hossain Dr. Jon Friedrich Development of Group-Effort Methods for Examining Size 

Distributions of Chondrules in Chondrites with X-Ray 

Microtomography Data 

Melissa Ingala Dr. Jon Friedrich Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per One Bottle of Water: A 

Cumulative Analysis 

2012-P020 70 

2012-P021 71 

2012-P022 72 

2012-P023 73 

2012-P126 143 

2012-P127 144


Kevin Jordan Dr. Nadine Schumann Elucidating the Biological Function of 4 F-box Kelch 

Repeat Proteins (FBKs) in Arabidopsis Thaliana 

Kevin Jordan Dr. Steven Franks Searching for Sequence Based Evidence of Flowering Time 

Evolution in Bassica rapa Flowering Loci C Paralogs 

Elissa Kapp Dr. Eugenia Ribeiro- 

Hurley 

2012-P024 74 

2012-P025 75 

Standard PCR Versus Hot Start PCR 2012-P128 145 

Elissa Kapp Dr. Jon Friedrich Examination of the Reproducibility of Multiple 

Investigators in Manually Determining Boundaries of 

Objects in 2D Sections and 3D Volumes 

Michael 

Kavanagh 

Fr. R. Bentley 

Anderson, S.J. 

Devin Kelly Fr. R. Bentley 


2012-P129 146 

Save Our Missions: Apartheid, Education and Protest 2012-1201 37 

A Nation of Youth, a Nation of Faith: Robert F. Kennedy in 

South Africa in 1966 

2012-1203 39 

Brandon Klein Dr. Rose Carlson Darter Fish Feeding Kinematics 2012-P026 76 

Joanna Krasnisky Dr. James MacDonall Using Matching to Sample Prompt Procedure to Produce 

Errorless Learning in Pigeons 

Angelo Labate Dr. Doron Ben-Atar Sayyid Qutb: Understanding the Father of Radical Islam and 

his Relation to Terror 

2012-P027 77 

2012-P149 164 

Angelo Labate Dr. Thierry Rigogne Coffee in Europe: An Illustrative History 2012-P150 165 

Peter Lachman Dr. Subha Mani The Effect of Vocational Training on Behavioral Outcomes: 

Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment 

2012-P028 78


Justin LaCoursiere Dr. Orit Avishai Will You Be Having a Masculine, Feminine, or Ambiguous 

Drink Today? Gender Performance through the 

Consumption of Beverages 

Tessa LaRue Dr. Daniela Jopp The Relationship between Critical Life Events, Resource 

Loss, Coping, and Depression in Students Starting College: 

Preliminary Findings of the Fordham Freshman Study 

James Lee Dr. John McMahon Open Circuit Voltage Measurements Supporting a Pourbaix 

Diagram of the Thermodynamics of a Fuel Cell Comprised 

of a Silver/Silver Iodide Photocatalytic Cathode and 

Traditional Platinum/Carbon Anode 

2012-0703 22 

2012-P029 79 

2012-P030 80 

Stephen Lieto Dr. Stephen Holler Detection of Single HPV Particles 2012-P031 81 

Joyce Lim Dr. Jacqui Johnson Where to Find the Cleanest Bathroom in Keating Hall 2012-P130 147 

Donovan Longo Dr. Beth Knobel Losing Bark and Bite: The Changing Face of Watchdog 


Jorge Lopez Dr. Usha Sankar How Effective is Caffeine Really in Combating Sleep 

Deprivation Effects? 

Liam Lowery Dr. Jeanne Flavin Unmaking "M" and "F": The Implications of Legal Gender 

in America 

2012-1302 42 

2012-P131 148 

2012-0201 4 

Pauline Lu Colin Cathcart Projected Reality 2012-V001 49 

Timothy Luecke Carleen Sheehan New York: Portraits of City and Artists 2012-V002 50


David Marcelin Dr. James Ciaccio A Convenient, One-Pot Preparation of 1,2-Azido Alcohols 

from Aldehydes via Sequential Corey-Chaykovsky 

Epoxidation and in Situ Azidolysis 

Benjamin Marsh Dr. Richard Gorlick Variable Expression of Argininosuccinate Synthetase 

Protein and Correlation with Novel Therapeutic ADI- 

PEG20 in Osteosarcoma 

Clare Masullo Dr. Reiko Matsuda- 

Goodwin 

2012-P032 82 

2012-P033 83 

Tooth Eruption Patterns in the Guenons 2012-P034 84 

Michelle Mathios Dr. Jacqui Johnson Contamination in the Cafeteria: Do You Know Where Your 

Bacteria Is? 

Martha McKinley Dr. Olena Nikolayenko Economic Development in Least Developed States: Looking 

at the Cases of Tanzania and Botswana 

Catherine McNamara Dr. Emily Rosenbaum Cross Bronx Double Cross: How the Cross-Bronx 

Expressway has Affected Pediatric Asthma in the Bronx 

Zachary Meinhart Dr. Jon Friedrich Size Distribution of Chondrules in the Chainpur LL 

Chondrite 

2012-P132 149 

2012-1204 40 

2012-0302 8 

2012-P133 150 

Steven Mennona Dr. Patricio Meneses Intracellular Trafficking of HPV 2012-P035 85 

Steven Mennona Dr. Anthony Caragiulo Bacterial Colony Growth in the Gym 2012-P134 151 

Kelly Mercorella Dr. James MacDonall Exploring Learning Acquisition Using an Error-Reduction 

Procedure 

Caitlin Meyer Dr. Monika McDermott Gendered Judgments and Implicit Attitudes toward Women 

and Politics 

2012-P036 86 

2012-P037 87


Jillian Minahan Dr. Mary Procidano Predicting Adjustment: The Independent Contributions of 

Personality and Perceived Social Support 

Jacqueline Miranda Dr. Eugenia Ribeiro- 

Hurley 

2012-P038 88 

Co-Immunoprecipitation 2012-P135 152 

Olivia Monaco Dr. Amy Balija Mixed Benzyl Ether and Benzyl Amine Dendrimers: 


2012-P039 89 

Joseph Moreshead Dr. William Gould Freedom, Democracy, and Human Rights 2012-0103 3 

Michaela Murphy Dr. Patricio Meneses Syndecans’ Involvement in HPV 16 Attachment 2012-P040 90 

Nako Nakatsuka Dr. Ipsita Banerjee Development of Nanoassemblies for Antibacterial and 


Harjot Nayar Dr. Mary Procidano Young Adult Cancer Survivors’ Appraisals of Cancer 

Experience Predict Adjustment 

Thomas Nolan Dr. D. Frank Hsu Combining Multiple Rankings Using Combinatorial Fusion 

to Predict Results of the NCAA Men’s Basketball 

Tournament 

2012-1003 31 

2012-P041 91 

2012-0903 28 

Adrian Nolasco Dr. Larry Welborn Social Identity In Greek and Latin Epitaphs 2012-1502 48 

Caitlin Kelly Nosal Dr. Margaret Andover The Behavioral Inhibition and Behavioral Activation 

Systems in Non-Suicidal Self-Injury 

Laura Notess Dr. Melissa Labonte Demobilizing the Lord's Resistance Army: The Role of the 

Regional Catholic Church 

2012-P042 92 

2012-0102 2 

Mikael Oja Dr. Christopher Aubin Electromagnetic Properties of Delta Baryons 2012-P043 93


Avery Osella Dr. Usha Sankar The Effects of Sleep Restriction on Human Polysynaptic 

Reflexes 

Michele 

Paccagnini 

Dr. Amy Balija Synthesis, Characterization, and Evaluation of Novel 

Cyclohexane Based Dendrimers for the Encapsulation of 

Organic Pollutants 

Michael Pappas Dr. Louis Weiss Identification of Novel Proteins of the Infectious Apparatus 

of Encephalitozoon hellem 

Michael Pappas Dr. Evon Hekkala The Effect of Economic and Social Disparities on Water 

Quality 

2012-P136 153 

2012-1403 46 

2012-P044 94 

2012-P137 154 

Luigi Patruno Dr. Cris Poor Classifying Isometry Classes of Lattices in n=3 2012-P045 95 

Jose Perez Dr. Patricio Meneses Location of the L2 protein during HPV infection 2012-P046 96 

Christopher Pioch Dr. Allan Gilbert Godin Tepe Faunal Analysis 2012-P047 97 

Elizabeth Ponce de Leon Dr. Beth Knobel Losing Bark and Bite: The Changing Face of Watchdog 

Journalism in the Internet 

Jennifer Prevete Dr. Julie Kim and Dr. 

Oneka LaBennett 

Michael 

Providenza 

Dr. Christine Firer 

Hinze 

"Maybe It Was Too Much to Expect in Those Days": The 

Changing Lifestyles of Barnard’s First Female Students 

2012-1302 42 

2012-0702 21 

A Brief Exploration of the Italian Catholic Federation 2012-0601 17 

Vanessa Ramirez Dr. Jon Friedrich Development of Basic Digestion Methods for the 

Quantification of Silicon in Geological Materials 

2012-P049 96


Sarah Reda Dr. J. Alan Clark Assessing American Flamingo Habitat Use and Food 

Availability 

Sarah Reda Dr. Usha Sankar Sleep Restriction to Five Hours per Night Leads to 


Andrew Roddin Dr. Bruce Berg Determining the Appropriateness and Effectiveness of 

Arrest as a Deterrent to Domestic Violence 

Marian Rogers Dr. Christopher Aubin Constraints on New Physics Using the Muon Magnetic 

Moment 

Alissa Roman Dr. Evon Hekkala Monitoring Threatened Small Mammal Responses to 

Climate Change Using Non-invasive Genetic Methods 

Maria Romano Dr. Jacqui Johnson Investigating the Bacterial Contamination of Soda Fountains 

on Campus 

Kira Rosi-Schumacher Dr. Martin Sanzari An Investigation into Shifting Denaturation Temperature of 

Type-I Collagen Resulting from UV Radiation 

Hussein Safa Dr. Silvia Finnemann Breakfast is the Most Important Meal of the Day: The 

important Role of Cell Signaling in Maintaining Eyesight 

Peter Sanneman Dr. James MacDonall Error Reduction in Repeated Acquisition Sequence 

Learning 

Nazmul Sarker Dr. Ipsita Banerjee A Comparison of Plant Growth Factors and their Ability to 

Form Nanoassemblies and Form Metal Nanoparticles by 

Green Synthetic Methods 

2012-0901 26 

2012-P138 155 

2012-0203 6 

2012-P050 99 

2012-P051 100 

2012-P139 156 

2012-P052 101 

2012-1001 29 

2012-P053 102 

2012-P054 103


Cristina Schlesier Dr. Petr Shibaev Chiral Materials with Embedded Ferromagnetic 

Nanoparticles 

Marcello Scotti Dr. Evon Hekkala The Differences in Plant Development Along the New York 

City-Westchester County Urbanization Gradient 

Nadia Seeteram Dr. David Budescu What is the Difference Between Global Climate Change and 

Global Warming? 

Jordan Seidel Dr. Rachel Annunziato Achievement Motivation and Rumination Among Emerging 

Adults: Cigarette Smokers versus Nonsmokers 

Sheila Sennett Fr. R. Bentley 


The Role of Black South African Women in Pass Law 

Protests in the 1950s 

Lauren Sepanski Dr. E. Doyle McCarthy Tending the Flowers, Cultivating Community: Gardening on 

New York City Public Housing Sites 

Sara Shahmiri Dr. Christine Firer 

Hinze 

2012-P055 104 

2012-P140 157 

2012-0402 11 

2012-0801 23 

2012-1202 38 

2012-0403 12 

Theological and Economic Approaches to the Living Wage 2012-0101 1 

AnnaMaria Shaker Fr. Patrick Ryan, S.J. The Status of the Christian Minority in Post-Mubarak 

Egypt: An Analysis of Egypt’s Political and Social 

Responses 

Kathryn Silva Dr. Silvia Finnemann How to Prevent Overeating: Role of Calpastatin Protease 

Inhibitor in Rhythmic Debris Clearance in the Eye 

Kathryn Silva Dr. Jacqui Johnson Investigation of Bacterial Presence in Both the Kitchen and 

Bathroom 

2012-1101 33 

2012-0504 16 

2012-P141 157


Ruthanne Sobecki Dr. Usha Sankar Obstructive Sleep Apnea is Associated with Impaired Recall 

and Cognitive Disabilities 

Elizabeth Spangler Dr. Damian Lyons Sonar-based Circumnavigation and 3D Representation of 

Objects Using Autonomous Mobile Robots 

Amelia Starr, Maxine 

Cruz-am, Margaret 

Ferrara 

Dr. Usha Sankar Occupational Fatigue: How Doctors Combat Sleep 

Deprivation 

2012-P142 159 

2012-P056 105 

2012-P143 160 

Andrew Steffan Dr. Robert Hume Gubernatorial Influence on State Legislatures 2012-P057 106 

Ian Suaco Dr. Evon Hekkala Tree Fitness vs. Environment 2012-P144 161 

John Szilagyi Dr. Chris Bender Solid-Phase Synthesis of Peptides for Structure-Function 

Correlation Studies 

John Szilagyi Dr. Chris Bender Chemistry Can Make You a Better Writer: Eloquenta 

Perfecta cum Potio Arabica 

John Szilagyi Dr. Chris Bender A Voltammetric Analysis of the Components in Urey- 

Miller's "Primordial Soup" 

John Szilagyi Dr. Chris Bender A Voltammetric Study of Amino Acid Solutions in 

Ammonium Formate Melts 

Jaime Tanner Dr. James MacDonall Using Errorless Training Methods in a Matching-To-Sample 

Procedure 

Kelsey Topa Dr. Eugenia Ribeiro- 

Hurley 

2012-P058 107 

2012-P059 108 

2012-P060 109 

2012-P061 110 

2012-P062 111 

DNA Footprinting 2012-P145 162


Rebecca Triano Dr. Amy Balija Encapsulation of Pyrene by a Series of Novel "Reverse" 

Benzyl Ether Dendrimers and their Monomers 

Joseph Tumolo Dr. Susanna Barsella Franco-Italian Relations in the Medieval World: The 

Implications of a Musical and Literary Interchange 

2012-1402 45 

2012-0602 18 

John Turiano Dr. Olena Nikolayenko Democratization Diverted 2012-1102 34 

Katherine Valles Dr. Thomas Daniels Effect of Soil and Leaf Litter Nutrient Stoichiometry on 

Nymphal Blacklegged Tick (Ixodes Scapularis) Densities 

2012-P063 112 

Caitlin Waickman Dr. Rosemary Wakeman Interethnic Relations as Social Capital for Immigrants 2012-0301 7 

Nathan Walsh Dr. Vassilios Fessatidis Application of the CMX and Lanczos Methods to the Half- 

Filled Hubbard Model 

Patrick Wester Dr. Margaret Andover Risk Factors Associated with Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in an 

LGB Sample 

Adrian Whiting Dr. Eugenia Ribeiro- 

Hurley 

2012-P064 113 

2012-P065 114 

In-Vitro Protein Translation 2012-P146 163 

Brian Williams Dr. Ipsita Banerjee Fabrication of Pyrogallol-Quantum Dot Nanostructures for 

use as Bioimaging Agents in Living Mammalian Cells 

2012-0501 13 

Melissa Witherell Dr. Evon Hekkala Positive Interaction With Primates 2012-P147 164 

Margaret Wolf Dr. Rolf Ryham Geometric Problems in the Calculus of Variations 2012-P066 115 

Margaret Wolf Dr. Rolf Ryham Lipid Pore Dynamics 2012-P067 116


Liz Yaslik Dr. John Entelis Updating its Status: The Use of Social Media & the Press in 

the Egyptian Revolution 

2012-1303 43 

Vicky Yiannoulis Dr. Edward Dubrovsky Lethal Phase Determination of Drosophila RNase Z Mutants 2012-P068 117 

Jesus Zeno Dr. Usha Sankar Sleep Habits and Susceptibility to the Common Cold 2012-P148 165

Prepare for your future 

in New York City 

At Fordham University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, 

you can choose from many master’s degree programs, including: 

• Communications and Media Studies 

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Our master’s degree programs offer students a strong alumni 

network of successful professionals and influential global 

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Students take advantage of New York City’s extensive resources 

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For more information, 

visit www.fordham.edu/gsas or e-mail fuga@fordham.edu. 

Fordham is proud to be a Yellow Ribbon University. 

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Your next steps begin 

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Fordham can start you on the road to a successful and rewarding 

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Our Graduate School of Education areas of study include: 

• Curriculum and Teaching 

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• Psychological and Educational Services 

Join us for an Information Session! 

Lincoln Center | Wednesday, 2 May, 2012 | 5 – 7 p.m. 

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For more information or to RSVP: 

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GRADUATE SCHOOL 

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Curriculum: 

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• Ethics in social and natural science and practice 

Professional duty Social just 

• Electives in psychology, law, business, economics, political science, sociology, 

environment and biology 

ice Caring for others 

Located in New York City, the University Center for Ethics Education provides students and 

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scholarly, scientific, and public practices guided by respect, fairness, and care for diverse 

peoples, communities, and nations. 

For more information please visit www.fordham.edu/Ethics 

or contact: Adam Fried, Ph.D., assistant director, Center for Ethics Education 

Dealy 117A | 718-817-0926 | afried@fordham.edu | www.fordham.edu/ethics 

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