Stephan Girard, “A Bioinformatics Analysis of Plant Aspartic Protease Nepenthesin I” Mentor: Madhusudan Dey, Biological Science The carnivorous pitcher plant Nepenthes alata produces digestive enzymes including proteases which degrade proteins in captured insect prey. Nepenthesin I (NEP1) is an aspartic…… Read More
Anna Kaminski, “A Climatology of Atmospheric Rivers Over the Northeast United States” Mentor: Clark Evans, Mathematical Sciences Atmospheric Rivers (ARs) are characterized by long, narrow corridors of enhanced integrated water vapor (IWV) and integrated vapor transport (IVT) located in the…… Read More
Jonathan Doria, “A Mathematical Model of the Disruption of the Glucose Homeostasis in Cancer Patients” Mentor: Peter Hinow, Mathematical Sciences In recent years much research has been done on how cancer can disrupt glucose homeostasis in people. Proliferating cancer cells…… Read More
Raga Madhuri Podugu, “A Mobile Application for Monitoring Community Mobility in Children with Osteogenesis Imperfecta” Mentor: Jacob Rammer, Biomedical Engineering Children with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) have increased bone fragility and low bone mass. They face a significant risk of bone…… Read More
Ashley Lopez, “A Systematic Review of Effectiveness of Health Promotion Interventions for Transgender People” Mentor: Lance Weinhardt, Public Health This is the first systematic review of articles examining all health promotion intervention programs not related to gender transition that have…… Read More
Leah Stewart, “Adsorptive Removal Methods of PFAS from Water and Wastewater” Mentors: Yin Wang & Qianqian Dong, Civil & Environmental Engineering Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances and surfactants (PFAS) are a group of synthetic chemicals which have been widely used in…… Read More
Giorgio Sarro, “An Investigation of Post-Transition Extremes for Extratropically Transitioning Tropical Cyclones” Mentor: Clark Evans, Mathematical Sciences Extratropical transition (ET) is the process by which a tropical cyclone (i.e., hurricane) transforms into a non-tropical, or extratropical, cyclone after it encounters…… Read More
Travis Fichtenbauer, “Analyzing Nulling Pulsars Using Gaussian Mixture Models” Mentors: Joseph Swiggum & David Kaplan, Physics Pulsars are rapidly rotating neutron stars that emit radiation from their magnetic poles. A small portion of the pulsar population is known to occasionally…… Read More
Adriana Abud, “Analyzing Obsessive Compulsive Disorder with the Three Impulsivity Factors” Mentors: Han Joo Lee & Abel S. Mathew, Psychology The current study is based on analyses conducted from a previous study looking at the correlation between response inhibition (RI)…… Read More
Connor Lynch, “Analyzing Parent-Child Feeding Through Child Behavior and Feeding Relationship Disturbance” Mentor: W. Hobart Davies, Psychology Feeding relationship disturbance can stem from the parent’s and child’s attitude toward mealtime as well as the environment surrounding the mealtime. In the…… Read More
Bailey Flannery, “Animal Transformations: Medieval Commentary on Consent and Sexual Violence” Mentor: Jacqueline Stuhmiller, Honors College In tales across the Celtic tradition, men transform into animals after mastering women through sexual violence. The fourth branch of the Mabinogi, a collection…… Read More
Jose De La O Arechiga, “Antioxidant Rich Diets Are Associated with Increased Verbal Fluency in Young Adults” Mentors: Krista Lisdahl & Ashley Stinson, Psychology Research shows that high antioxidant (e.g., vitamin E and beta-carotene) diets are associated with superior performance…… Read More
Jacob Exline, “Assessment of Auditory and Vestibular Function in Cabin1 Knockout Larval Zebrafish” Mentor: Ava Udvadia, Biological Sciences The auditory and vestibular systems mediate hearing and balance, respectively, and are critical for an organism’s survival. Cabin1, a gene encoding a…… Read More
Ryan Majinski, “Asymmetric Synthesis of the Anticancer Agent (+)-Elacomine” Mentor: M Mahmun Hossain, Chemistry & Biochemistry (+)-Elacomine is a natural anticancer agent found in certain shrubs of the Elaeagnus genus. It has been found to be toxic to melanoma cells…… Read More
Carli Kugel, “Attention Training for Athletes: A Feasibility Assessment” Mentors: Han Joo Lee & Maryam Ayazi, Psychology Many athletes face negative consequences due to performance anxiety. One possible consequence may be how performance anxiety could affect attention negatively. Relevant literature…… Read More
Ryan de la Torre, “Behavioral Activation for Elderly Latinos with Depression: UCC-UWM Collaborative” Mentor: Sandra Millon-Underwood, Nursing The purpose of this study is to provide Behavioral-Cognitive coaching to elderly Latinos, who exhibit the signs and symptoms of Depression, and determine…… Read More
Ava Hager, “Bottle Tree” Mentor: Glenn Williams, Art & Design The proposed project for the Lynden Sculpture Garden is a metal tree with bottles attached to the branches. This will be a re-examination of the bottle tree as a reference…… Read More
Hannah Ullberg, “Casting of Magnesium Foam for Bone Regrowth” Mentor: Pradeep Rohatgi, Materials Science & Engineering Large-scale bone damage can be mended by bone replacements. The porosity of bone can be artificially reproduced with foam structures, which can then be…… Read More
Kim Phan, “Centering Pregnancy Group Prenatal Care Fidelity and Outcomes” Mentor: Teresa Johnson, Nursing The US has a higher prematurity rate than many developed countries of the world, with 9.8% of babies born prematurely (2017) and 8.2% of infants born…… Read More
Maysam Abdeljaber, “Challenging Housing Injustice in Milwaukee” Mentor: Arijit Sen, Architecture This research is a part of a bigger project called “Climates of Inequality.” Organized by the Humanities Action Lab, a coalition of universities led by Rutgers University-Newark working with…… Read More
Erin Vandenbosch, “Chemotherapy-Related Cognitive Decline is Detectable via the Attention Network Test” Mentor: Adam Greenberg, Psychology Chemobrain, the cognitive decline associated with chemotherapy, is a common ailment in cancer patients; however, there is currently no accurate method for chemobrain diagnosis……. Read More
Diana Illencik, “Citizenship as a Basket of Rights in the Era of Globalization” Mentor: Aneesh Aneesh, Sociology Citizenship has long been referred to in the context of a nation-state membership. Various alternative approaches challenged the view on citizenship and introduced…… Read More
Brooke Follansbee, “Classification of Covert Visuospatial Attention Direction to Assist People with No Motor Function” Mentor: Roger O. Smith, Occupational Science & Technology People with minimal to no motor function lack the means necessary to communicate and control their environment……. Read More
Andrew Thompson, “Clean Water in Port Report: Dockside Particle Detector Environmental Analysis” Mentors: Marcia Silva & Thomas Hansen, Global Water Center & Freshwater Sciences Marine ports, while necessary for modern trade, also come with environmental concerns. Trade vessels run on…… Read More
Brandon Selbig, “Climatology of Peak Wind Gusts Around Lake Michigan” Mentor: Jonathan Kahl, Mathematical Sciences Wind gusts are a major factor in different areas across not only the United States but different parts of the globe as they have different…… Read More
Isabel Crespo, “Comparing Measures to Capture Attention Difficulties in Young Children with Neurofibromatosis 1” Mentor: Bonita Klein-Tasman, Psychology Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant disorder that presents with medical symptoms and increased risks of difficulties in various areas…… Read More
Wilson Tarpey, “Comparing Toxicity of Buoyant and Non-Buoyant Microcystis Populations” Mentors: Ryan Newton & Todd Miller, Freshwater Sciences & Public Health Microcystins are a class of toxic compounds naturally produced from certain species of cyanobacteria, and in particular Microcystis species……. Read More
Brian Barber, “Connection Through Volunteerism” Mentor: Benjamin Trager, Community-Based Learning, Leadership, and Research Reflecting on the impact my experiences of volunteering gave me, I’ve noticed a serious change that has uplifted me in ways that I could only explain by…… Read More
Miguel Jaimes, “Continuous Covalent Organic Framework Membranes for Dye/Salt Separation” Mentors: Xiaoli Ma, Junwei Wang, & Zhiqin Qiang, Materials Science & Engineering Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are an emerging class of porous membrane materials constructed from organic building blocks via…… Read More
Luz Areli Contreras & Julio Mejia “Dataset of Popular Videos in the Dominican Republic to Analyze Portrayal of Relationships” Mentor: Heidi Luft, Nursing The Dominican Republic (DR) has consistently had one of the highest rates of intimate partner femicide in…… Read More
Nathan Kohls, “Deep Learning Applications in Wastewater Treatment” Mentor: Rudi Strickler, Biological Sciences Wastewater treatment currently requires careful testing at multiple points in the treatment process. These tests are often slow and expensive, requiring trained personnel and lab time. Here…… Read More
Lantrell Stewart, “Detection of Tissue Factor Expression on Transfected Cells” Mentor: Julie Oliver, Biological Sciences We detected human tissue factor (TF) expression by direct and indirect methods on transfected clones of the 300.19 mouse pre-B cell line. TF is a trans-membrane…… Read More
Taylor Wilcox, “Development of New Treatments for Neuropathic Pain Based on Imidazodiazepines” Mentor: Alexander Arnold, Chemistry & Biochemistry Currently, 7% of the US population has been diagnosed with neuropathic pain (NP). NP is mediated by inflammation of the associated peripheral…… Read More
Claire Piehowski, “Differences in Approaches to Feeding Children as a Function of Parent Marital Status” Mentors: W. Hobart Davies & Paulina Lim, Psychology The existing literature has limited background on comparing marital status and how this influences Pediatric Feeding Problems…… Read More
Lilly Luft, Sophia Hermann & Lisdon Brannon, “Divergent Fates” Mentor: Yevgeniya Kaganovich, Art & Design Divergent Fates is a project that builds on professor Kaganovich’s long standing research interests in materiality, ecology, and human impact on the environment. The focus…… Read More
Pasua Chang, “Diversity in the Dietetics Profession: A Review of Obstacles and Prospects” Mentor: Lori Klos, Kinesiology Between 2040 to 2046, America is expected to be a majority-minority country. According to Census projections from 2012, mixed/biracial groups, followed by single-race…… Read More
Tamia Williams, “Does Deletion of chpC Cause a Loss of Swimming Phenotype or is There a Hidden Secondary Mutation?” Mentor: Sonia Bardy, Biological Sciences Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that is able to live in a wide range of…… Read More
Abigail Moore, “Does Size-Assortative Mating Improve Fertilization Success in Grey Treefrogs?” Mentor: Gerlinde Höebel, Biological Sciences Success of external fertilization is often optimized by the closeness of egg and sperm release. In frogs, males and females perform amplexus, mating embrace,…… Read More
Ashley Quisler, “Effect of 670nm Photobiomodulation on Retinal Function & Energy Metabolism in Aging Mice” Mentor: Janis Eells, Biomedical Sciences Metabolic dysfunction is a common hallmark of aging. Recent studies have established the metabolic footprint of aging in the mouse……. Read More
Olivia Dye, “Effects of a Novel, Non-Toxic Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor on Memory Formation in Mice” Mentors: Karyn Frick & Sarah Beamish, Psychology As researchers make strides to understand how the brain and memory function, memory formation continues to have many…… Read More
Tessa Miskimen, “Effects of Physical Salience and Learned Aversive Value on the Deployment of Attention” Mentors: Deborah Hannula & Fred Helmstetter, Psychology Recent work from our lab indicates that attention capture can be observed for learned fearful stimuli. However, aversive…… Read More
William Sullivan, “Effects of Salinity & Decapsulation on Artemia salinia Hatching Efficiency & Nutritional Composition” Mentor: Dong-Fang Deng, Freshwater Sciences Artemia salinia commonly known as brine shrimp is a commonly used live feed for aquatic species during early life stage…… Read More
Kevin Hicks, “Electrochemical Sensor for Detection of Phosphorus in Stormwater” Mentor: Marcia Silva, Global Water Center The process of trying to stop fertilizers, that farms use in their field, from ending up in our water ways and bodies of water…… Read More
Sanjna Girdhar, “Engineering of a Polyprotein Construct to Test its Binding Activity” Mentors: Ionel Popa & Annie Eis, Physics Protein A, a surface protein, found in the cell wall of bacteria Staphylococcus aureus is encoded by the spa gene. Its…… Read More
Nicole Vigon, “Evaluation of Joint Dynamics During Gait in Children with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome” Mentor: Brooke Slavens, Occupational Science & Technology Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) is an inherited connective tissue disorder caused by a defect in the protein collagen. This…… Read More
Peyton Bendis, “Evaluation of Overhead Throwing Angular Kinematics in Able-Bodied and Wheelchair Lacrosse Players” Mentors: Brooke Slavens & Matthew Hanks, Occupational Science & Technology Wheelchair lacrosse is an increasingly popular adaptive sport with little research investigating upper extremity biomechanics. Previous…… Read More
John Poppe, “Evaluation of Upper Extremity EMG Signal Processing Methods in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury” Mentors: Brooke Slavens & Matthew Hanks, Occupational Science & Technology Within biomechanics research, it is important to understand the musculoskeletal system in the context…… Read More
Kristen Leer, “Eve and the Serpent: A Re-telling in The Shape of Water” Mentor: Jacqueline Stuhmiller, Honors College Despite the book of Genesis being introduced to Western society thousands of years ago, it remains a monumental cultural influence within our…… Read More
Isaac Repinski, “Experimental Validity of a Wheelchair Propulsion in Pediatric Manual Wheelchair Users” Mentor: Jacob Rammer, Biomedical Engineering Biomechanical assessment of steady-state manual wheelchair propulsion is often difficult to conduct overground in laboratory conditions, due to space constraints. Wheelchair roller…… Read More
Ashley Trapp, “Explicit and Implicit Aspects of Dietary Behavior” Mentor: David Osmon, Psychology We investigated the relationship of explicit and implicit thoughts in dietary behavior such as eating behavior, food choice, and dietary intake using questionnaires about dietary behavior as…… Read More
Danielle Zube, “Exploring Behavioral Response to Behavioral Play Therapy in Children with Williams Syndrome” Mentors: Bonita Klein-Tasman & Brianna Young, Psychology Williams syndrome (WS) is a rare genetic disorder caused by a microdeletion of genes on chromosome 7q11.23. Previous research…… Read More
Victoria Isaac, Breannah Palubiski, Halle Sivertson, Sara Silvis & Ida Lucchesi, “Exploring Dance Improvisation’s Functionality in the Realm of Performance” Mentor: Daniel Burkholder, Dance The purpose of our research is to examine the impact of improvisational practices on the ability…… Read More
Abraham Gonzalez, “Fecal Indicator and Sediment in the Milwaukee River Watershed” Mentors: Ryan Newton & Jill McClary, Freshwater Sciences The Milwaukee River watershed is impaired by fecal bacteria and sediment pollutants, which can be hazardous to human and ecosystem health……. Read More
Armand Gamboa, “Food Justice in the Milwaukee Landscape” Mentor: Arijit Sen, Architecture This research is a part of a bigger project called “Climates of Inequality.” Organized by the Humanities Action Lab, a coalition of universities led by Rutgers University-Newark working…… Read More
Noah Graff, “Generative Adversarial Networks: Ultrasound Image Translation” Mentors: Istvan Lauko & Adam Honts, Mathematical Sciences Low cost and highly portable ultrasound devices under development are designed to be equipped with low frequency ultrasound transducers that provide relatively low imaging…… Read More
Sparrow Roch, “Geodetic Precession and Pulse Profile Changes Over Time of Pulsar B1913+16” Mentors: Joseph Swiggum & David Kaplan, Physics Pulsars are dense and quickly rotating neutron stars that emit radiation from their magnetic poles. A pulsar’s magnetic axis is…… Read More
Stephan Girard, “Going with the Flow: Silicate Influxes from Soil and Grasses to the Milwaukee River” Mentor: Erica Young, Biological Sciences Silicate is a common mineral compound of silicon and oxygen and is an important nutrient for some algae in…… Read More
Estela Rangel, “Healthcare Disparities: The Leading Cause for Prematurity and Infant Mortality” Mentor: Kris Barnekow, Occupational Science & Technology Healthcare disparities refer to the difference in people’s ability to have health insurance, access to health and receive the same quality…… Read More
Samantha Schwartz, “Impact of Blood Vessel Wall Stiffness and Atherogenic Flow Profiles on Subcellular Signaling” Mentor: Mahsa Dabagh, Biomedical Engineering Mechanical signal transduction in endothelial cells leads to the differential expression of genes, reorganization of the cytoskeleton, and altered cellular…… Read More
Niyokwizera Anna, “Impact of Health Disparities Factors by Race/Ethnicity on Pregnancy, Birth, & Infant Outcomes” Mentor: Teresa Johnson, Nursing In Southeast (SE) Wisconsin, racial disparities in pregnancy, birth, and infant outcomes continue to be some of the worst in the…… Read More
Emma Martinez, “Impacts of Food Security: A Study on the Refugee Population in Malawi” Mentor: Lucy Mkandawire-Valhmu, Nursing Food insecurity remains a major health determinant among refugee populations in Malawi. It is important to understand the adverse experiences that result…… Read More
Bronwen Risse-Connolly, Margarita Garcia Rojas & Paul Newcomb, “Implementing Oral History into a Milwaukee Public High School Curriculum” Mentor: Rachel Buff, History This workshop was a series of four classes working closely with upperclassmen at Audubon Technology and Communication High…… Read More
Janet Lagunez-Garcia, “Individual Factors Associated with Anxiety-Induced Stereotype-Specific Deficits in Cognitive Control” Mentors: Christine Larson & Richard Ward, Psychology Implicit racial bias encompasses the attitudes one has about specific groups that occur outside of their own conscious awareness. Current theories…… Read More
Samia El-Meanawy “Infiltration of Mixture of Coarse Nickel Powder and Graphene by Molten Aluminum to Form Metal Graphene Composites” Mentors: Pradeep Rohatgi, Amir Kordijazi, Swaroop Behera & Kaustubh Rane, Materials Sciences & Engineering
Jessica Carpenter, “Information Security in Virtual Reality” Mentor: Christopher Willey, Film, Video, Animation, & New Genres This project aims to explore how virtual reality is shaping the digital security field with special attention to scamming and hacking. Virtual reality is…… Read More
Taylor Beecher, “Intimate Partner Violence and Adverse Childhood Experiences in Sexual Minority Dating Relationships” Mentor: Ryan Shorey, Psychology Intimate partner violence (IPV), including physical, psychological, and sexual aggression, is equal to or greater in sexual minority (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual…… Read More
Sanya Kathuria, “Is Psychological Distress Related to Pat Outcomes in Surgical Repair of Rotator Cuffs?” Mentors: Elizabeth Liedhegner & Bhagwant Sindhu, Biomedical Sciences Damage to the rotator cuff causes shoulder pain and can lead to surgical repair, a problem that…… Read More
Gabriel Heller de Messer & Chantel Jenrette, “Kelp Gametophyte Culturing and Genetic Analysis Techniques for Conservation and Breeding” Mentors: Filipe Alberto, Gabriel Montecinos & Rachael Wade, Biological Sciences Bull Kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) is experiencing decreases in population size and local…… Read More
Patrick Finucane, Steven Rasmussen, Jon Zepeda-Martinez, Rachael Varin, Miranda Lutzke & Taylor Romanyk, “Know Thyself” Mentor: Trudy Watt, Architecture Know Thyself uses storytelling, architectural representation, and artificial intelligence (AI), to produce a high-fidelity reflection of spatial experience to advance human-centered…… Read More
Maricruz Almanza, “Lack of Interlimb Transfer Following Visuomotor Adaptation in a Person with CMG” Mentor: Jinsung Wang, Kinesiology Congenital mirror movements (CMMs) have been conventionally thought to occur due to the corticospinal tracts that project irregularly to both sides of…… Read More
Xai Osa, “Language and Feminist Empowerment post #MeToo – Echo Ascension: Her Voice is Heard” Mentor: Amanda Schoofs, Music Echo Ascension: Her Voice is Heard is a project by UWM Music Composition & Technology major Xai Osa with the goal…… Read More
Ryan Thiede, “Learning-Induced Changes in Astrocytic Immediate Early Gene Expression in the Dorsal Hippocampus” Mentor: Karyn Frick, Psychology Dementia is an ever-growing mental health problem that affects millions of people every year. Identifying ways in which to prevent and reduce…… Read More
Aime Skrober “Life Stressors Predict PTSD Symptoms Following a Traumatic Injury” Mentors: Christine Larson, Elisabeth Webb & Jayson Schalk, Psychology Previous research has shown that life stressors may contribute to the risk of developing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after a…… Read More
Sara Seidita, “Lifetime Changes in Mate Choosiness in Enchenopa binotata Treehoppers (Hemiptera: Membracidae)” Mentors: Rafael Rodríguez Sevilla & Bretta Speck, Biological Sciences Mate choice decisions are influenced by choosiness, the effort individuals are prepared to invest in securing their preferred…… Read More
Mackenzie Peters, “Living with Dementia: Content Domains Assessed in Measures of QoL” Mentor: Sabine Heuer, Communication Sciences & Disorders Quality of Life (QoL) measures have gained importance in health care settings as outcome measures of treatment effectiveness and an important…… Read More
Diego Dominguez-Ramirez, “Making of Tissue-Mimicking Gelatin for Aiding in Thermoacoustic Emission Analysis from Particle Beam” Mentor: Sarah Patch, Physics Particle therapy is used in special facilities around the world to treat cancer. This method employs accelerated charged particles to deliver…… Read More
Klaudia Rixmann & Jordan Solis, “Mapping German and Polish Borderlands” Mentor: Karolina May-Chu, Foreign Languages & Literature Ideas surrounding borders and their figurative meanings have gained increasing attention in the academic and literary world; however, support for these ideas in…… Read More
Eli Frank, “Mapping Radical Milwaukee” Mentor: Rachel Buff, History For nearly half a century, Milwaukee was governed by a trifecta of socialist mayors and was home to one of the most robust and accomplished socialist movements in the country. The…… Read More
Zoe Hurdle, “Maternal Responsiveness: Facilitating Both Communication and Motor Skills Concurrently with Infants” Mentors: Victoria Moerchen & Jacqueline Westerdahl, Kinesiology Maternal responsiveness is defined as the contingent reactions and emotions a mother expresses in response to her child. Maternal responsiveness…… Read More
Kristen Leer, “Maximus: The Hybrid Archetype Hero of the 21st Century” The ideal hero has been subjected to change based on the ever-evolving values of American culture. Within the sword-and-sandal film epics of the 1950-60s heroism was molded into a…… Read More
Benjamin Delebreau, “Mechanical Stabilization of Proteins Due to Ligand Binding Using Magnetic Tweezers” Mentors: Ionel Popa & Narayan Dahal, Physics The mechanical unfolding of proteins is commonly measured using single molecule force spectroscopy techniques. Here, we use magnetic tweezers and…… Read More
Maddie Prokop, Alex Seager, & Lyndsay Sorg “Milwaukee through Embodied Research” Mentor: Simone Ferro, Dance Our communities are our home. The stories within them our brick and mortar, the voices within them the foundation. Art helps to solidify these aspects,…… Read More
Hunter Louis & Ally Emrich, “Milwaukee, Mentors, & Making: A Study of Community Through Art Based Collaborative Research” Mentor: Jessica Meuninck-Ganger, Art & Design We have been working with the renowned Brooklyn artist, Mary Miss, on the City as Living Laboratory:…… Read More
Autumn Jensen, Sanya Kathuria, Erica Haven, & Matthew Sanville, “Mindfulness and Sleep with Rotator Cuff Disorders” Mentor: Bhagwant Sindhu, Occupational Science & Technology This study aims to discover how mindfulness impacts sleep among individuals experiencing rotator cuff disorders. One of…… Read More
Maria Ortiz, “MLC Library” Mentor: Candance Doerr-Stevens, Teaching & Learning Over the course of a year, this project has focused on the development of a library that promotes cultures, languages, and literacy in schools and within learning. The Multiliteracy, Language,…… Read More
John Quinn, “Modeling of Adhesive Interactions Between Tumor Cells and Endothelial Cells” Mentor: Mahsa Dabagh, Biomedical Engineering Computer simulation has been a growing field, driven in large part by the increase in computing power easily available. One way to harness…… Read More
Tiffany Polzin, “Molecular Mechanisms of Estradiol/TrkB Interactions in the Dorsal Hippocampus of Female Mice” Mentors: Karyn Frick & Kellie Gross, Psychology Our laboratory has previously demonstrated that 17β-estradiol (E2) enhances memory consolidation in both object placement (OP) and object recognition…… Read More
Basil Hable, “Monitoring Canal Water: A Case Study” Mentors: Marcia Silva & Thomas Hansen, Global Water Center & Freshwater Sciences Canal systems are integral to certain parts of the world in order to give people access to water. In the…… Read More
Ciera Oglesby, “Morphological Analyses of Regular-Spiking and Late-Spiking Neurons in Hippocampus” Mentor: James Moyer, Psychology The hippocampus is a brain structure that plays an important role in information processing and long-term memory formation. It can be further divided into two…… Read More
Sara Saleh, “Motility is Important for Competitive Nodulation of Mimosa pudica by Paraburkholderia phymatum” Mentors: Gyaneshwar Prasad & Shashini Welmillage, Biological Sciences Nitrogen (N) is the most limiting nutrient for plants and plant growth requires supplementation with N-fertilizer that results…… Read More
Eric Wendt, Brittany Larson & Yael Greenberg, “Motivation is Deficient in the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat (SHR)” Mentor: Rodney Swain, Psychology Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly diagnosed childhood neurobehavioral disorders. ADHD is characterized by three…… Read More
Madeline Rech, “Nail Biting and Nail Picking: A Comparison of Related Behaviors” Mentors: Han Joo Lee & Abel S. Mathew, Psychology Body focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) are urge-driven behaviors, which include skin picking, hairpulling, cheek biting, nail biting (NB) and…… Read More
Daniel Gomez Cazares, “Nanoporous Adsorbents Based on Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks for the Removal of Heavy Metals” Mentors: Xiaoli Ma & Junwei Wang, Materials Science & Engineering There are growing concerns regarding the water pollution caused by the toxic heavy metal…… Read More
Jacob Duchac, “Natural Climate Change” Mentor: Phillip Owens, College of General Studies – Mathematics & Natural Sciences The past century has shown a significant increase in the average global temperature. The source of this temperature change, however, is not fully…… Read More
Braedon Brehm & Dominic Robson, “Natural Energy Decomposition Analysis for Molecular Interactions: Applications to Hydrogen Bonding” Mentor: Mohamed Ayoub, College of General Studies – Mathematics & Natural Sciences We present a procedure for partitioning interaction energy into electrical (EL), charge…… Read More
Ashley Hohnstein, “Networking: Lighting the Way to a Brighter Future in Entertainment Lighting” Mentor: Steve White, Theatre A network provides the capability to maintain control over hundreds of lights and multiple sources of control, making it possible to set up…… Read More
Tiffany Antonopoulos, “No Place Like Home: Do Black Widow Spiders Use Path Integration to Navigate Their Webs?” Mentors: Rafael Rodriguez & Clinton Sergi, Biological Sciences Animals store memories about the layout of their environment and use this stored information to…… Read More
Ramprasad Karanam, “Non-Invasive Detection of Thin Biofilm” Mentor: Marcia Silva, Global Water Center Salmonella, Escherichia coli (E. coli), and Shigella are examples of bacterial pathogens that can enter the body through drinking water. Detection of bacterial growth and biofilm in…… Read More
Louis Chapman, “Novel Porous Material for Removal of Ammonia from Water” Mentor: Marcia Silva, Global Water Center When rivers become overloaded with nutrients, they undergo expedited eutrophication, a process which leads to the proliferation of algae and threatens the health…… Read More
Selena Cao, “Novel Porous Material for the Removal of Lead from Water” Mentor: Marcia Silva, Global Water Center Heavy metal contamination, including lead (Pb), is a well-known and documented issue for waste and drinking water. Despite the numerous health hazards…… Read More
Margaret Marshall, “O Cricket, Where Art Thou: Do Black Widow Spiders Remember the Site of Prey Capture in a Complex Web.” Mentors: Rafael Rodríguez Sevilla & Clinton Sergi, Biological Sciences Different animals form memories about varied aspects of their environment……. Read More
Isaac Ngui, “Omnidirectional Mobile Manipulator Platform Kinematic Trajectory Tracking” Mentor: Mohammad Rahman, Biomedical Engineering Mobile robots have been looked to for solving various tasks such as navigating planets, search and rescue, and carrying objects in factory settings. The reason for…… Read More
Jacob Grudnowski, “Patterns of Female Mate Choice in Sympatric Cichlid Fishes of the Genus Labeotropheus” Mentor: Michael Pauers, College of General Studies – Mathematics & Natural Sciences Sexual selection, especially female mate choice, has been an important force in the…… Read More
Patrycja Karwowski, “Perceptions of “Learn the Signs. Act Early” Training Materials by Early Care and Education Providers” Mentor: Kris Barnekow, Occupational Science & Technology Many children who have developmental delays are not identified prior to school entry. Failure to identify…… Read More
Ismael Coello, “Performance of Alumina-Forming Austenitic Alloys in Decoking Environments” Mentors: Benjamin Church & Lizeth Ortiz, Materials Science & Engineering Ethylene is one of the most used petrochemicals because it acts as a building block for many everyday plastics. The…… Read More
Isaac Repinski, “Performances of Finger-Style Guitarists at the 1969 and 1970 Ann Arbor Blues Festivals” Mentor: John Stropes, Music The Ann Arbor Blues Festivals of 1969 and 1970 were historic cultural events that are now understood as pivotal moments in…… Read More
Melissa Stec, “Plantar Pressure Analysis of Children with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome During Gait” Mentor: Brooke Slavens, Biomedical Engineering and Occupational Science & Technology Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is a heritable genetic disorder that causes the collagen in connective tissue to be…… Read More
Chinh Nguyen, “Pre-Amplifier Characterization and K-Wave Simulations” Mentor: Sarah Patch, Physics In cancer treatment, most patients will go through a “CatScan” before undergoing proton therapy. In the days between the “CatScan” and proton therapy, patients’ organs may move several centimeters……. Read More
Andrea Bishop, “Privacy Co-Management on Social Media in Latinx Youth” Mentors: Celeste Campos-Castillo & Katherine Craig, Sociology The goal of this project is to conduct an exploration of privacy from the perspective of adolescent co-managers, with a focus on managing…… Read More
Nicole Carlson, “Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Self-Reported Childhood Body Size” Mentors: Ellen Velie, Elizabeth Duthie & Darek Lucas, Public Health The prevalence of obesity has increased in the United States in recent decades and is associated with negative health…… Read More
Bob Aloisi, “Radio Bright Supernovae Observed by Australian SKA Pathfinder” Mentor: David Kaplan, Physics Transient radio flux density from supernovae are caused by synchrotron radiation related to supernova shock waves interacting with circumstellar material. These observations can constrain physical supernova…… Read More
Vladislav Melnikov, “Rational Transitive Mate Choice in Enchenopa binotata Treehoppers (Hemipera: Membracidae)” Mentor: Rafael Rodríguez Sevilla, Biological Sciences Mate choice is a crucial decision for females. Mate choice decisions are based on mate preference functions, which are curves that describe…… Read More
Raunak Khaitan, “Real-Time Mobility Assistance for the Legally Blind” Mentor: Mohammad Rahman, Biomedical Engineering With increasing autonomous technology around us, this research aims at bringing the vision to the legally blind. We are currently using a rover to develop and…… Read More
Jocelyn Jarvis, “Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status, School Affiliation and Stress in Adolescents” Mentors: Krista Lisdahl & Ryan Sullivan, Psychology Prior research on stress in adolescents have revealed that lower SES and ethnic minority status are both related to increased stress……. Read More
Alessandra Ebben, “Role of Cancer Cells on Force Transmission in a Multicomponent, Multicell Model of the Endothelium” Mentor: Mahsa Dabagh, Biomedical Engineering Cancer cells (CC) alter local hemodynamics in their vicinity which will influence the function of endothelial cells (ECs)……. Read More
Danielle O’Hagan-Kennedy, “Searching for a Gerrymandering Antidote” Mentor: Matthew Petering, Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering Gerrymandering is an issue that is relevant to every American citizen, regardless of an individual’s party preference. When election maps are gerrymandered, one side is given…… Read More
Autumn Routson, “Secondary Mineralogy of the Olkelduhals Hydrothermal System: Applications to Past Mars Environments” Mentors: Lindsay McHenry & Jordan Ludyan, Geosciences Opaline and amorphous silica, sulfate-rich soils, and Fe-oxides in association with volcanic materials observed by the MER Spirit rover…… Read More
Lydia Chechowitz, “Self-Selected Leisure Promotes Ambulatory Blood Pressure Dipping: A Within-Person Field Experiment” Mentor: Marcellus Merritt, Psychology An early indicator of future cardiovascular risk is a lack of nighttime blood pressure (BP) dipping from daytime to nighttime. Identifying what behaviors…… Read More
Grace Feucht, “Sex Differences in Hippocampal Immediate-Early Gene Expression Following Context Fear Conditioning” Mentor: James Moyer, Psychology Women are twice as likely to suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than males (Richards & Van Neil, 2017). PTSD can be modeled…… Read More
Aleia Olson, “Sex Differences in Immediate Early Genes in Retrosplenial Cortex Following Context Fear Learning” Mentors: James Moyer, Hanna Yousuf & Chad Smies, Psychology Many people experience traumatic events that lead to long-lasting fear memories that are key components of…… Read More
Marina Slawinski & Daniel Collison, “Shape Programming of Protein Hydrogels Using Metal Cations” Mentors: Ionel Popa & Luai Khoury, Physics The ability to program a temporary shape in biomaterials that can revert to their original shape in response to a…… Read More
Kelly McGavock, “Simple and Effective Home Health Monitoring Using Spatiotemporal Data” Mentor: Roger O. Smith & Nathan Spaeth, Occupational Science & Technology As more older adults are choosing to live independently in their homes, there is a need to monitor…… Read More
Alex Moxon, “Simulating Self-Assembly of Tornado Storm Chasers Using Agent-Based Modeling” Mentor: Paul Roebber, Mathematical Sciences Given the risk to public health and safety and the limited ability to forecast their occurrence, tornadoes are of great research interest to atmospheric…… Read More
Adedamola Adeniyi, “Simulating the Blood Flow in Human Vasculature” Mentor: Mahsa Debagh, Biomedical Engineering Advances in computing technology have allowed the field and research of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to evolve and find solutions to an ever-expanding array of complex…… Read More
Audrey Schlais, “Sizing Up the Memory of Western Black Widow Spiders, Latrodectus hesperus (Araneae: Theridiidae)” Mentors: Rafael Rodríguez Sevilla & Clinton Sergi, Biological Sciences The memory capabilities of animals vary according to their ecology and the limitations imposed by the…… Read More
Emily Ruder & Jacob Rankin, “Small-Scale Sustainable Charcoal Production in Kenya” Mentor: Mai Phillips, Conservation and Environmental Science Woodfuel accounts for 80% of energy consumption in Kenya and accounts for most of the deforestation after agriculture. The Dryland Natural Resource…… Read More
Nour Abuomar, “Social Experience and Reproductive Isolation in a Vibrational Insect” Mentors: Rafael Rodriguez, Camille Desjonqueres & Jak Maliszewski, Biological Sciences Enchenopa binotata treehoppers are host plant-feeding insects that communicate through plant-borne vibrational signals. Typically, each species has a distinctive…… Read More
Elyzabeth Veu, “Speech-Language Pathologist Providing Inclusion Services” Mentor: John Heilmann, Communication Sciences & Disorders Children with communication disorders are significantly limited in their ability to participate in the classroom fully. Provision of speech-language pathology (SLP) services in an inclusive setting,…… Read More
Nikolaus Prusinski, “Star Formation and Galactic Outflows in the Early Universe” Mentor: Dawn Erb, Physics Intense star formation in galaxies results in powerful, galactic-scale outflows of gas. Because stars form from gas, these outflows have a strong effect on the…… Read More
Travis Fichtenbauer, Sparrow Roch, Claire Bolda, Natalie Meyers & Herbert De Leon, “STARS@UWM: The Search for Pulsars” Mentors: David Kaplan, Sarah Vigeland & Joseph Swiggum, Physics Pulsars are a type of evolved star that are extremely dense and rotate with…… Read More
Alexis Alexander, “Strategic Use of Social Media by Commercial Brands” Mentor: Taisik Hwang, Journalism, Advertising, & Media Studies This research project attempts to discover how leading commercial brands utilize social media to effectively reach and build relationships with their audiences……. Read More
Matthew Ryther, “Strength in Numbers – The Mussels of The Prins Willem IV Shipwreck” Mentor: Russell Cuhel & Carmen Aguilar, Freshwater Sciences Population parameters of the invasive voracious filter-feeder Dreissena rostriformis bugensis (quagga mussel, QM) on different surfaces of the…… Read More
Valerie Moscherosch, “Strengthening the Future Health Work Force: Applying the Transtheoretical Model to Improve Retention in Spanish Language Circles” Mentor: Rose Hennessy, Public Health Learning how to communicate effectively in Spanish, shows respect and helps health professionals implement culturally specific…… Read More
Nimo Mohamed, “Strong Fathers: Strong Babies” Mentors: Kris Barnekow & David Pate, Occupational Science & Technology and Social Work Infant mortality is the number of deaths per 1,000 live birth of children under one year of age. In Milwaukee, infant…… Read More
Zachary Uttke, “Structure-Function Relationships in the MppP Family” Mentor: Nicholas Silvaggi, Chemistry & Biochemistry The rare nonproteinogenic amino acid L-enduracididine (L-End) is a building block of some naturally occurring antibiotics like mannopeptimycin. Antibiotic-resistant pathogens are an imminent threat to public…… Read More
Dylan Hoffman, “Synthesis of Glucuronic Acid Conjugate of MIDD0301” Mentor: Alexander Arnold, Chemistry & Biochemistry The testing of phase I and phase II metabolite of new drug candidates is warranted by the FDA for approval of first in man studies……. Read More
Meredith Frank, “Targeting Chemosensory Array Formation for Safe Biofilm Dispersal of Pseudomonas aeruginosa” Mentor: Sonia Bardy, Biological Sciences Afflicting more than 700,000 people worldwide, Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a disorder characterized by the buildup of mucus within the airways of…… Read More
Ryan Conrad, “The Effect of Rumination on PTSD in Veterans Exposed to War Zones” Mentors: Han Joo Lee & Abel S. Mathew, Psychology Research has shown a relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression (Orsillo et al., 1996). A…… Read More
Tien Kolodziej, “The Effects of Anxiety Disorders on Response Speed” Mentors: Han Joo Lee & Salahadin Lotfi, Psychology It has been shown that the brain slows down in many reaction time tasks when people commit an error compared to when…… Read More
Lauren Clausing, “The History of Star Wars Fans and Racial Perceptions” Mentor: Gregory Carter, History Dr. Greg Carter’s next book brings together two phenomena prominent in the past four decades: the science fiction movie franchise, Star Wars, and the increased…… Read More
Nathaniel Wagner, “The Impact of Interspecies Interaction on Adult Male Treehoppers Signaling Behavior” Mentor: Rafael Rodríguez Sevilla, Biological Sciences We focused on Enchenopa binotata, a species of treehopper that communicates through vibrational signals on a plant medium. While most species…… Read More
Emily Moen, “The Milwaukee Visionaries Project” Mentor: Kim Cosier, Art & Design The Milwaukee Visionaries Project (MVP) is an after-school arts program which combines UWM and creators with Milwaukee community middle and highschoolers. The research will be a qualitative study…… Read More
John Biro, “The Motel and America” Mentor: Arijit Sen, Architecture The current redesign of Interstate 41/94 has eliminated a historic connection to entering the county of Milwaukee from the south. Prior to the 1960’s and the introduction of the expressway,…… Read More
Arik Scapellato, “The Native Copper of Aztalan” Mentor: John Richards, Anthropology The archeological site of Aztalan has been an interest of archeologists since the mid-nineteenth century. The site was occupied by Late Woodland and Mississippian Indians from the tenth-century through…… Read More
Amira Rupnick, “The Problem of Domestic Abuse and Femicide in Brazil” Mentor: Natasha Borges Sugiyama, Political Science Domestic violence and homicide against women in Brazil is a longstanding problem which has risen to national attention in recent decades. Through my…… Read More
Ashna Pandya, “The Relationship Between Attention Control and Hyperarousal Symptoms in PTSD” Mentors: Han Joo Lee & Abel S. Mathew, Psychology Research has shown deficits in working memory in association to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, few studies have evaluated…… Read More
Megan Biesmann, “The Relationship Between Severe Storms and Weather Regimes Over the US” Mentor: Paul Roebber, Mathematical Sciences Weather regimes are wind flow patterns that cover a large region, approximately the size of the continental United States, and they change…… Read More
Sana Shakir, “The Resolution of Visuospatial Attention is Variable Between Individuals” Mentor: Adam Greenberg, Psychology Attention is the process by which relevant sensory information is highlighted for further processing. Spatially selective attention in the visual domain has a limited resolution…… Read More
Austin Wesner, “The Role of Activated Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Bone Regeneration After Injury” Mentor: Priyatha Premnath, Biomedical Engineering Bone has the ability to regenerate completely after injury, but diseases like osteoporosis and diabetes impair this healing cascade, sometimes causing…… Read More
Sarah Bodhy, “The Role of Response Inhibition Deficits in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder” Mentor: Han Joo Lee, Psychology Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by recurrent obsessions or compulsions that cause marked distress and interfere with daily functioning. Therefore, the…… Read More
Samuel Kirby, “The Role of the Blue River Cafe in the Development of Fingerstyle Guitar in Southeast Wisconsin” Mentor: John Stropes, Music From 1974-82, the Blue River Cafe, an acoustic music club in downtown Milwaukee, presented national touring acts and…… Read More
Carnita Lincoln, “The Role of the Nucleus Reuniens in Memory Consolidation and Visualization of its Projections” Mentor: Karyn Frick, Psychology Concurrent activity in both the dorsal hippocampus (DH) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is necessary for the consolidation of spatial…… Read More
MaryJo Kanelos, “The Role of The Nurse-Midwife in Early Initiation of Breastfeeding” Mentor: Kaboni Gondwe, Nursing Breastfeeding initiation within the first hour of life, also known as early initiation, is associated with positive maternal and infant outcomes. In Malawi, approximately…… Read More
Nicole Wicker, “The Starvation Sensing Protein RspB Alters pel Expression in High C-di-GMP Condition in D. dadantii” Mentors: Ching-Hong Yang & Biswarup Banerjee, Biological Sciences Dickeya dadantii is a phytopathogenic bacterium with a wide host range. PelD, an endopectatelyase enzyme…… Read More
Isabelle Flores, “The Three Kings: Applying a Contemporary Concept Onto an Old Story” Mentor: Alvaro Rios, Theatre Theatre is a unique way to bring people together from various age groups and communities. Different types of people sit in a small…… Read More
Mary Widener, Casey Phipps, Meghan Berger, Peter Green, Ava Hager & Hope Glassel, “The World After Us: Imaging Techno-Aesthetic Futures” Mentor: Nathaniel Stern, Art & Design By some estimates, China produces more than 9 million mobile phones per day. India…… Read More
Lena Jensen, “This is Milwaukee” Mentor: Arijit Sen, Architecture In the year leading up to the DNC, this project offers a direct encounter with Milwaukeeans who contribute to the public life of the city in some way. It tackles what…… Read More
Joey O’Neill, “Unequal Access to Justice: How Legal Representation Effects Your Case” Mentor: Rebecca Konkel, Criminal Justice Milwaukee, one of the most economically and racially segregated cities in the United States, has a long history in disparities in housing-related outcomes…… Read More
Bella Biwer, “Urban Safety and Resistance: Sherman Park, MKE” Mentor: Arijit Sen, Architecture The purpose of this project is to evaluate the multiple ways in which different groups of people talk about safety and to document alternative forms of grassroots…… Read More
Megan Sullivan, “Usability Assessment of AccessPlace During Initial Public Community Launch” Mentors: Roger O. Smith & Nathan Spaeth, Occupational Science & Technology People with disabilities consistently face challenges participating in the community due to inaccessible mobile, cognitive, and sensory environments……. Read More
Preston Pape, “Visualizing Home: Design of Virtual Reality Manual for Assembly of Algorithmic Micro-Housing” Mentor: Gabriela Bustos, Architecture Virtual reality is at the forefront of shaping visualization within the field of architecture. Using virtual reality as a means of communication,…… Read More
Emma Kraco, “Water Temperature and Salinity Affect the Nutrition and Physical Size of Perca flavescens Embryos” Mentor: Dong Fang Deng, Freshwater Sciences Perca flavescens (yellow perch) is an ecologically and economically important species of fish in the Midwestern United States……. Read More
Adane Durham, “What Does Understanding Have to Do with Measurement of Endurance During the 2MWT in Young Children?” Mentor: Victoria Moerchen, Kinesiology The 2-Minute Walk Test (2MWT) is a measure of endurance and is used across a wide age range…… Read More
Hannah Adams, “What is the Stroop Interference Effect?” Mentor: David Osmon, Psychology The construct validity of the DKEFS-Stroop CW trial has not been examined using reaction time and Miyake executive function timed measures. The present study did so using simple,…… Read More
Max Rock, “Working Alongside Nature’s Chief Engineer” Mentor: Changshan Wu, Geography The Milwaukee Riverkeeper, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewage District (MMSD), and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) are investigating a watershed-scale restoration. The project focuses on the North American Beaver, Castor…… Read More
Sofia Mattson, Joseph Kornkven & Amberly Krause, “Working Memory Filtering Efficiency of Threatening Words” Mentor: Christine Larson, Psychology In the current study, we examined if working memory was also impacted by threatening words, specifically investigating working memory filtering efficiency of…… Read More