Spring 2018
Student: Orion Brock (Faculty Mentor, Jennifer Larson), Biological and Environmental Sciences
Project Title: Identifying the Role of Cdc7 in DNA Damage Response Pathways
Summary: Genetic screens have led to many major discoveries in biology including how the cell cycle works and how cells respond to DNA damage. A new genetic screen was recently begun to identify new proteins involved in the DNA damage response (Larson, et al., 2014). Through this screen, we have found that the major cell cycle regulator Cdc7 plays a previously unstudied role in the DNA damage response. Cdc7 has already been identified as an essential gene in many organisms. Cdc7 requires a partner, NIMO in Aspergillus, for its function. Most studies have focused on Cdc7’s role during DNA synthesis but its role during mitosis has not yet been fully characterized. The objectives of our research are to characterize the role of Cdc7 and NIMO in the DNA damage response and further analyze the function of Cdc7 during mitosis. Our aims will be as follows: Aim 1: Determine if the Cdc7 mutant is involved in the same DNA damage response pathway as sonB1; Aim 2: Determine if other Cdc7 alleles suppress the temperature sensitivity of nimA1; Aim 3: Determine if nimO18 (a regulator of Cdc7) suppresses the DEO sensitivity of sonB1. Our study will not only characterize the roles of Cdc7 in the DNA damage response and mitosis but will also provide a solid framework for future studies to explore Cdc7 as a DNA damage response protein.
Dissemination: Student will present his project at Capital’s Symposium on Undergraduate Scholarship, April 2019. The final results are part of a paper submitted to a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
Student: Daniel Robey (Faculty Mentor, Jeffrey Gress), Education
Project Title: Ordinary Days and Extraordinary Theater Education (Honors Capstone)
Summary: The purpose of this project is to delve into the rehearsal and production of Adam Gwon’s musical entitled Ordinary Days and its implication on future educational theater pursuits. I am an English Education Major with a Theater Studies Minor; with this background I have found very few opportunities on campus to merge these fields together. I am hoping to get a better grasp on theater education to one day earn a high school theater teacher/director position. Throughout the rehearsal and production phase of the project, literature research will be conducted to gather pedagogical strategies pertaining to theatrical arts. As these strategies are applied, anonymous surveys will be given to actors in the cast to evaluate the effectiveness of instruction. The data gleaned from online research will be synthesized with the authentic data collected from the rehearsal process to evaluate effective strategies when teaching theater.
Dissemination: The play was produced and presented on campus fall 2018. The related research project will be presented at the 2019 Capital Symposium on Undergraduate Scholarship.
Summer 2018
Student: Allison Kerman (Faculty Mentor, Craig Burgdoff, Religion and Philosophy), Political Science
Project Title: Summer Scholar 2018 project trip “Uncharted History: The Beginning”
Summary: The goal of my project is to start at the very beginning and identify more hidden, important components of the founding of the United States. The focus points will be on little known political contributions of the Haudenosaunee peoples, frequently called the Iroquois Indians, and little-known facts about the Founding Fathers. As examples, the Haudenosaunee had developed the concept of separation of powers long before the United States adopted the concept and many of the Founding Fathers had a love for the arts, including music. I have been invited to the Skä·noñh—Great Law of Peace Center and for a meal on the Onondaga Nation with a professor from Syracuse. This is such an honor and will be a valuable learning experience. I will be able to speak with historians, explore the history from the Haudenosaunee perspective, and experience the culture. After this trip, I plan to continue on to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. In order to further my research into the founding of the United States and creation of the Constitution. I will visit sites such as Independence Hall, The Benjamin Franklin Museum, the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Archives, and many others. Each of these historical sites will aid in my project by giving me a deeper connection to the material and providing more valuable information. Finally, I will be able to take pictures of historical landmarks and documents that I will include in my finished research product.
Dissemination: The student presented her project at the Ohio Association of Economists and Political Scientists (OAEPS) Conference in September 2018. She will present her project at Capital’s Symposium on Undergraduate Scholarship, April 2019
Fall 2018
Student: Bri Smith
Project Title: Examining the Effects of Algae on Human Pathogens
Summary: Antibiotic resistance has increasingly become a major epidemic throughout modern day medicine. Many factors have contributed to this, such as the over prescription of antibiotics, low regulations for agricultural use, and a lack of development for new antibiotics (Duong, 2015). It is time that science looked to new, innovative ways to develop new treatment methods for common illnesses. Algae has been known to carry many health benefits. These include rich vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (Jennings, 2017). Certain species of algae have been known to carry antimicrobial properties that have the potential to inhibit pathogen growth, specifically, D. salina and R. subcapitata. My hypothesis that I will be testing is, if algae extract and secretion from D. salina and R. subcapitata, is added to pathogenic strains of S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, and S. pyogenes, then pathogenic growth will be inhibited. D. salina and R. subcapitata are the algal species that will be used to test this hypothesis. D. salina is a unicellular flagellate marine green microalgae. R. subcapitata is a motionless, freshwater green algae. Because these are two different environmental algae (marine v. freshwater), they carry different chemical properties. D. salina is a marine green algae, so it will display halophilic (high salt affinity) properties. R. subcapitata, on the other hand, is a freshwater algae. The chemical properties for it will be different than that of D. salina. By testing both forms of green algae, we can examine,which algal species produces more effective antibiotics.
Dissemination: Student will present her findings at Capital’s Symposium on Undergraduate Scholarship in April 2019.
Spring 2017
Student: Kiley Buchanan (Faculty Mentor, Megan Beard), Health and Sports Sciences
Project Title: Analysis of Eccentric Hip Strength and Functional Performance in Recreational Runners
Summary: Currently a variety of functional and clinical tests are utilized by athletic trainers to determine weaknesses or abnormalities within injured populations. In addition, these tests have been utilized to screen individuals and determine those at a higher risk of sustaining an injury. The populations assessed in these studies are predominantly limited to high school and collegiate athletes, as well as acute injuries such as ankle sprains and anterior cruciate ligament ruptures. There are approximately 8.3 million collegiate or high school athletes, whereas there are over 51 million recreational runners in the United States.(NCAA, 2016; USA, 2013) Of these runners, up to 80% will go on to sustain a running-related musculoskeletal injury (RRMI) each year.(van Gent et al., 2007) There is currently sparse research investigating tests that can be used to determine which recreational runners are at risk of developing a RRMI. Therefore, it is the purpose of this study to establish performance by healthy recreational runners on functional and clinical tests. Furthermore, the proposed study will identify differences in performance between males and females, and previously injured and non-injured runners. The results of this study will help drive future research utilizing the functional and clinical tests to identify recreational runners at risk of sustaining a RRMI.
Dissemination: Student presented her project at Capital’s Symposium on Undergraduate Scholarship, April 2018. Project also submitted for presentation at the National Athletic Training Association meeting for summer 2018.
Student: Christian Phillips (Faculty Mentor, Eva George), History
Project Title: From ‘The Tennessee Waltz’ to ‘Dancing on My Own’: Why the American Social Dance Floor Moved from Twirling Couples to Individuals Bouncing Off Each Other (Honors Capstone)
Summary: No other time period in history has seen the dramatic changes to social dance as has the sixty-six years from 1950 to 2016, with much of these changes originating in the United States. I propose to investigate and detail this transformation, align it with the various musical genres and trends, and place the ever-evolving American social dance floor into its proper historical context. To this end, I will investigate the plethora of visual media featuring dance, create a questionnaire to be distributed to willing participants who have spent time dancing socially, research articles and books, and interview professional dancers concerning their views on how social dance has changed during their lifetime. I expect to be able to tie specific modifications on the dance floor not only to transformations within popular music but to the broader social revolutions which occurred within the larger American society. To date, I have found no research into the American social dance floor; dance research and critique typically investigates professional performances, specialty forms of dance, or the mechanics of a specific choreographed or historical dance. This project will showcase the link between major societal and musical changes and how Americans have chosen to physically express themselves in their contemporary search for acceptance and companionship, while bringing to light an underappreciated and seldom-represented aspect from the life of the average American.
Dissemination: This project was presented at the 2017 Capital Symposium on Undergraduate Scholarship. Christian is currently pursuing publication of this paper in an appropriate peer-reviewed publication.
Summer 2017
Student: Rachel Dumke (Faculty Mentors, John Mersfelder and Andrea Karkowski), Biology
Project Title: The Influence of Gut Microbiota on Physical and Psychological Health (Honors Capstone)
Summary: The human body hosts a diverse ecosystem of microbiota that assist in important functions including immunity and metabolism. In humans, the microbiota is composed of mainly bacteria and most of these bacteria reside in the gastrointestinal tract or gut. These cells outnumber human cells in the body by tenfold and include mostly Bacteriodes and Firmicutes. Microbial stability and diversity are used as a measurement of physical health while dysbiosis is linked with many different types of disease (Bercik, Collins & Vredu, 2012; D’Argenio & Salvatore, 2015; Fond et al., 2015; Luna & Foster, 2015). Factors such as early life events, diet, and stress levels are known to affect microbiome composition and diversity (Anglin, Surette, Moayyedi, & Bercik, 2015; Rhee, Pothoulakis, & Mayer, 2009). Bacteria are so vital to our health, the human microbiome may even be considered an additional organ (Heijtz et al., 2011). Increasing evidence suggests alterations in the microbiome may affect our psychological health through pathways such as the gut-brain axis and HPA axis. The current study will investigate the interactions between gut bacteria, the HPA axis, and psychological well-being.
Dissemination: Rachel presented this project at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), April 2018 and at Capital’s Symposium on Undergraduate Scholarship, April 2018
Student: Joshua Tomsick
Project Title: Investigation of the Unfolding of Riboflavin Binding Protein Using Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy (Chemistry Summer Research Fellow)
Summary: During summer 2017, Josh and his faculty mentor collected data to determine the melting temperature for riboflavin binding protein (RBP) using a variety of methods and instruments in the chemistry laboratory on the campus of Capital University. The instruments used were a fluorescence spectrometer and a ultraviolet-visible spectrometer (UV-Vis). These instruments provide information about the environment of the riboflavin cofactor and tryptophan residues in RBP as RBP unfolds and refolds as a function of temperature. The researchers would like to collect further information using a circular dichroism spectrometer (CD). This instrument can provide information about the secondary structure of the protein as a function of temperature. All of this information together will provide us with a more complete understanding of how RBP unfolds in response to increased temperature and how the protein refolds when the temperature is decreased. Capital University does not own a CD instrument. To collect this data, Josh traveled with Sherry Hemmingsen to Jasco Inc headquarters in Easton, MD, where this instrument is available. Josh and Dr. Hemmingsen also worked with CD experts at this location on the interpretation of the data. Josh and Dr. Hemmingsen are working together in an internship during fall 2017. Visiting Jasco headquarters gave Josh valuable firsthand experience with JASCO and the sales industry, which he used in his internship projects with JASCO fall 2017.
Dissemination: Josh and Dr. Hemmingsen have published a white paper on the use of the Jasco equipment for investigation of the unfolding of RBP. Josh presented his work at Capital’s Symposium on Undergraduate Scholarship, April 2018
Fall 2017
Student: Mary Avery and Kait Roughton (Faculty Mentor, Stephanie Gray Wilson), Psychology
Project Title: Personality and Habit Formation
Summary: The goal of this study is to gain a better understanding of the role of personality in habit formation. A secondary goal is to explore the validity of claims made in Gretchen Rubin’s (2015) Better Than Before; that certain personality tendencies determine how habits are made, broken, and maintained.
Dissemination: The researchers presented their project at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), April 2018 and the Midwestern Psychological Association conference, April 2018. The students also presented their project at Capital’s Symposium on Undergraduate Scholarship, April 2018.
Student: Fairleigh Keaka (Faculty Mentor, Christine Anderson), Biological & Environmental Sciences
Project: Title: Bioinformatics in Conservation of Lyme disease reservoir species Peromycus leucopus
Summary: Peromycus leucopus, or the white-footed mouse, is widely distributed across the eastern United States. The mice perform a variety of ecosystem services, acting as trophic links but also as a reservoir for Lyme disease. These mice are abundant, and occupy a variety of habitats ranging from forests to agricultural fields, potentially increasing the geographic distribution of the disease. Field work performed during the past five summers at Capital University’s Primmer Outdoor Learning Center in the Hocking Hills region of Ohio has shown that densities fluctuate between moderate to high levels in a secondary growth deciduous woodlot habitats and a agricultural fencerow habitat. Fairleigh’s previous research on population genetics has demonstrated migration between these two mouse populations. As a competent and prevalent reservoir, the white-footed mouse may pose a threat to human health. Furthermore, the habitats that white-footed mice occupy have become increasingly fragmented, increasing human interaction and the chance of transmission. If we are to gain a comprehensive understanding of Lyme disease, then our knowledge regarding modeling the movements of one of its potential reservoirs must increase. This study will utilize bioinformatics and molecular genetic techniques to test landscape – level populations dynamics of wild mice. While previous studies have quantified these interactions at the individual level, the understanding at the population level remains insufficient. This study will employ a diverse array of techniques to further our understanding of population dynamics of the white-footed mouse. Initial analysis will be performed using molecular genetic techniques, and the microsatellite analysis programs Geneclass, MIGRATE, and BayesAss to estimate recent migration and long term gene flow. Additional analyses will include isolation by distance, genetic variation, inbreeding, and population structure. These programs will provide initial data and become the basis for further investigation with the programming language R and geographic information systems (GIS). The utilization of R and GIS will allow for simulations and analysis of sample sizes that would be impossible to perform in the field due to time and monetary constraints. Moreover, R and GIS opens the door to a variety of statistical analyses and visual methodologies that would provide a data set that is comprehensive and conveyable to the public. By developing a greater knowledge of white-footed mouse population we will simultaneously gain an insight into the intricacies of the potential spread of Lyme disease. Future work will involve testing the mice for Lyme disease.
Dissemination: The results of this project were presented at Capital’s Symposium on Undergraduate Scholarship, April 2018; the Beta Beta Beta regional conference; and the Ohio Fish and Wildlife Conference. Publication in a peer-reviewed journal is being pursued.
Student: Kaleigh May (Faculty Mentor, Stephanie Gray Wilson), Psychology and Communication
Project Title: Lying on the Job: The Impact of Lying Games on Organization Members’ Creativity (Honors Capstone)
Summary: This research examines whether dishonest game play stimulates organizational creativity. No known research explores using dishonesty to increase creativity in organizations. Participants will play card games, one of which encourages lying. The Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults (ATTA) will be used to assess creativity. Data will be collected at undergraduate student organization meetings. At these meetings, one group will play a lying card game, and the other will play a control card game. The two groups’ creativity scores will be compared to determine if there is a difference in creativity scores as a function of the type of game played.
Dissemination: The results of this project were presented at Capital’s Symposium on Undergraduate Scholarship, April 2018. The project was also presented at the National Conference on Undergraduate Scholarship (NCUR), April 2018.
Student: Austin Rush (Faculty Mentor, Kimberly Heym), Biological & Environmental Sciences
Project Title: Does the Type of Musical Training Influence Working Memory? The Effects of Instrumental, Vocal or Music Technology Training on Working Memory
Summary: Science professors at Capital University rely heavily on the use of PowerPoint in the classroom. This means students have to process spoken words from the professor, visual text, and images all at the same time to understand the information. Furthermore, because every student on campus is required to take a lab-based science class to graduate, classes like Biology 151 have both science and non-science majors enrolled together in the class. Previous work by Heym, Rush, Klacik and Dumke show that years of music training positively correlates with the ability to hold text and images in working memory but not necessarily spoken words; the longer a student studied music, the better they performed on the working memory test. We would like to better understand what this positive correlation means by recruiting more students and recruiting students by music type. Most music students read music and thus scan the music with their eyes all while watching the conductor and listening to their fellow musicians. This resembles the behavior that students in a typical science class at Capital experience as they observe PowerPoint slides and listen to the professor. Does the type of musical training influence their working memory? Dr. Tom Zugger informed us that some of the students in the conservatory do not read music. Recruitment of students who do not read music may help us understand whether reading music has an effect on working memory or not.
Dissemination: The results of this project will be presented at Capital’s Symposium on Undergraduate Scholarship, April 2018. The project was also presented at the National Conference on Undergraduate Scholarship (NCUR), April 2018.