2016 Penn State Behrend - Sigma Xi Undergraduate Student Research and Creative Accomplishment Conference

The twenty-fifth annual conference, held on April 16, 2016, included 179 presentations, 284 students, and 119 faculty members.

Students either presented their research and creative accomplishments in the form of oral presentations or as poster displays. The quality and sophistication of the student work increases every year. Unless noted, students are from Penn State Behrend.

Awards were given to the following students:

BEST ORAL PRESENTATION – BIOLOGY I - Microbiology

  • A Second Heme Detoxification System in the Insect Pathogen Bacillus thuringiensisCasey
    Latario and Rachel Schmidt (Devin Stauff), Grove City College

RUNNER-UP ORAL PRESENTATION – BIOLOGY I - Microbiology

  • Musca domestica Transmission of Chronic Limb Ulcer Haemophilus ducreyi
    Jordan Gaston (Tricia Humphreys and Bradley Hersh), Allegheny College

BEST ORAL PRESENTATION – BIOLOGY II – Cell & Molecular Biology/Genetics

  • Treatment of Potatoes with 1,4-dimethylnapthalene Results in Transcriptional Changes
    Olivia D’Annibale (Michael Campbell), Penn State Behrend

TWO RUNNER-UP ORAL PRESENTATIONS – BIOLOGY II – Cell & Molecular

  • Patterns of AN11 Expression and thoughts on its Regulation in Gametophytes of the Fern Ceratopteris richardii
    Randy Toth, Julia Girouard, Kara Norman, and Shivali Singh (Mike Ganger and Sarah Ewing), Gannon University
  • Who’s Eating Who?
    Jared Wilczynski and Brian Fuller (Greg Andraso and Kelly Grant), Gannon University

 BEST ORAL PRESENTATION – BIOLOGY III – Organismal Biology and Behavior

  • Indirect Community Repercussions of Gun Violence: A Case-Control Study to Determine the Effect of Mass Shootings in the United States on the Birth Weight of Newborns
    Garrett Devenney (Becky Smullin Dawson), Allegheny College

RUNNER-UP ORAL PRESENTATION – BIOLOGY III – Organismal Biology and Behavior

  • Pharyngeal Morphology of Field-Caught and Lab-Reared Bluegills (Lepomis Macrochirus), Pumpkinseeds (Lepomis Gibbosus), and their Hybrids
    Andrea Landgraf (Greg Andraso and Kelly Grant), Gannon University

BEST ORAL PRESENTATION – CHEMISTRY AND MATHEMATICS

  • Do Vertex Replacement Rules Generate Post Critically Finite Self-Similar Sets?
    Thomas Tuberson (Michelle Previte), Penn State Behrend

RUNNER-UP ORAL PRESENTATION – CHEMISTRY AND MATHEMATICS

  • Assessing Electrochemically Reduced Graphene Oxide as a Support for Cyanide-Coordinated Ferriprotoporphyrin to Selectively Detect H2S
    Susanne Simkovitch (Jason Bennett), Penn State Behrend

BEST ORAL PRESENTATION – COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

  • Library Call Number Sorting Application
    Christopher Andrejewski (David Loker), Penn State Behrend

RUNNER-UP ORAL PRESENTATION – COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

  • Leveraging Web Technologies for PLC Interfacing
    Ryan Kelley (E. George Walters), Penn State Behrend

BEST ORAL PRESENTATION – ECONOMICS I

  • The Essential Correctional College Education
    Mark Egan (Stephanie Martin), Allegheny College

RUNNER-UP ORAL PRESENTATIONS – ECONOMICS I

  • Gas Prices in Erie, Pennsylvania
    Natalie Szalajko (Kenneth Louie), Penn State Behrend

BEST ORAL PRESENTATION – ECONOMICS II – Sports Economics

  • Does the Presence of Sports Affect Alcohol Sales and Crime Rates?
    Zachary Hudac (Stephanie Martin), Allegheny College

BEST ORAL PRESENTATION – ENGINEERING

  • Assessment of Ergonomic Risks in Engineering Research Labs at Penn State Behrend
    Anton Benedikt and Kyle Beckett (Faisal Aqlan), Penn State Behrend

RUNNER-UP ORAL PRESENTATION – ENGINEERING

  • Mathematical Modeling of Microscale Fuel Cell Electrode Performance
    Daniel Doleiden and Naz Argun (Adam Hollinger), Penn State Behrend

BEST ORAL PRESENTATION – PSYCHOLOGY AND HISTORY/POLITICAL SCIENCE

  • The Effect of Game-Play Difficulty on Auditory Attention: an Event-Related Potential Study
    Alysha Simmons and Rachel Mooney (Victoria Kazmerski), Penn State Behrend

RUNNER-UP ORAL PRESENTATION – PSYCHOLOGY AND HISTORY/POLITICAL SCIENCE

  • Examining the Effectiveness of a Promotional Giveaway Social Norms Campaign
    Rebecca Dinsmore and Allison Gage (Melanie Hetzel-Riggin), Penn State Behrend

BEST POSTER PRESENTATION – BIOLOGY I - Microbiology

  • A Strategy for Identifying Upstream Regulators of the HitRS Two-Component System of Bacillus anthracis
    Allen Toth, Jonathan Mathes, and Anthony Smaldino (Devin Stauff), Grove City College

TWO RUNNER-UP POSTER PRESENTATIONS – BIOLOGY I - Microbiology

  • Inactivation of Pathogenic Bacteria on Media Containing Fruit Juices and Spices Using Radiant Catalytic Ionization
    Riley Hardval, Lindsey Schwanke, Brittany Benjamin, Adrian Babel, Laura Mummert, Ivy Kuberry, Richa Patel, Khyati Patel, and Oladapo Afolabi (Craig Steele, David Fulford, and William Mackey), Edinboro University
  • Identification of Bacteria Influencing the Growth of Ceratopteris richardii Using Biochemical Tests
    Lauren Cooper and Nicole McAllister (Mike Ganger and Sarah Ewing), Gannon University

BEST POSTER PRESENTATION – BIOLOGY II - Ecology, Environmental Science, and Zoology

  • Release Rate Determination for Metal-Diffusing Substrates for use in Acid Mine Drainage Field Studies
    Aaron Onufrak (Michael Stapleton and Dean DeNicola), Slippery Rock University

TWO RUNNER-UP POSTER PRESENTATIONS – BIOLOGY II - Ecology, Environmental Science, and Zoology

  • Ancient Freshwater Sharks and Rays from the Middle Campanian of Southern Alberta, Canada
    R. John McCrea (Todd Cook1 and Alison Murray2), 1Penn State Behrend and 2University of Alberta
  • A GIS Approach to Investigating Conductivity and Chloride Distributions from Deicing Salt at Penn State Behrend
    Devin Beggs (Michael Naber and Pamela Silver), Penn State Behrend

BEST POSTER PRESENTATION – BIOLOGY III - Ecology, Environmental Science, and Zoology

  • Effects of Climate-Induced Distributional Shifts in Caddisfly Larvae on Detritus Processing and Ecosystem Function in High-Elevation Ponds and Wetlands
    Jared Balik (Scott Wissinger), Allegheny College

TWO RUNNER-UP POSTER PRESENTATIONS – BIOLOGY III - Ecology, Environmental Science, and Zoology

  • The Soil Bacterium Pseudomonas nitroreducens Alters Rhizoid Growth in Gametophytes of the Fern Ceratopteris richardii
    Rachel Hiles (Mike Ganger and Sarah Ewing), Gannon University
  • The Effects of Salinity on Dragonfly Larvae Behavior (Order: Odonata, Family: Gomphidae)
    Hunter Kline (Denise Piechnik), University of Pittsburgh-Bradford – Biology

BEST POSTER PRESENTATION – BIOLOGY IV – Cell & Molecular Biology/Genetics

  • The Genetic Knockdown of Genes Involved in Folate Metabolism in Zebrafish with the Use of the CRISPR/Cas System
    Drew Cobert and Emily Mitchell (James Warren), Penn State Behrend
  • The Use of Software Package Mothur to Determine Fungal and Microbial Diversity of Potatoes Treated with 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene
    Ravi Patel and René Díaz (Michael Campbell), Penn State Behrend

BEST POSTER PRESENTATION – BIOLOGY V – Cell & Molecular Biology/Genetics

  • Uncovering the Ceratopteris richardii ANI1 Gene Structure
    Shivali Singh and Nicole McAllister (Mike Ganger and Sarah Ewing), Gannon University

RUNNER-UP POSTER PRESENTATION – BIOLOGY V – Cell & Molecular Biology/Genetics

  • The Role of SCAMP3 in Regulating the Transport from the TGN to the Lysosomes
    Priscilla Thomas (Quyen Aoh), Gannon University

BEST POSTER PRESENTATION – BIOLOGY VI – Neuroscience

  • Behavioral and Cellular Effects of a Short-term High-fat Diet on the Unilateral 6-Hydroxydopamine Rat Model of Parkinson’s Disease
    Katelyn Cassel (Jeffrey Cross and Christy Donmoyer), Allegheny College

RUNNER-UP POSTER PRESENTATION – BIOLOGY VI – Neuroscience

  • Injury to Neural and Hepatic Development Following Prenatal Ethanol Exposure
    Samantha Skobel (Jeffrey Cross), Allegheny College

BEST POSTER PRESENTATION – CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS

  • Understanding How White Diffusive Backgrounds Improve Luminescent Solar Concentrators 
    Jonathon Schrecengost and Seth Bowser (Bruce Wittmershaus), Penn State Behrend

RUNNER-UP POSTER PRESENTATION – CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS

  • Multi-band High-Altitude Balloon Tracking
    Kaitlyn Babiarz, Tenger Batjargal, Alejandro Ferrero, Stephen Karpinsky, Maia Mackellar, Carter Miller, Lauren Reilly, and Donovan Starks (Nicholas Conklin and Wookwon Lee), Gannon University

TWO BEST POSTER PRESENTATIONS – COMPUTER SCIENCE, SOFTWARE ENGINEERING, ECONOMICS AND ACCOUNTING

  • Real-Time Analysis of User Gait
    Arin Reese (David Loker), Penn State Behrend
  • “A Work in Progress” Interactive Fiction Games and Mental Health
    Kimberly Shaner (Joshua Shaw), Penn State Behrend

BEST POSTER PRESENTATION – ENGINEERING

  • Electrically Assisted Forming
    Scott DeLaney (Ihab Ragai and John Roth), Penn State Behrend

RUNNER-UP POSTER PRESENTATIONS – ENGINEERING

  • Electrically Assisted Global Springback Elimination in AMS-T-9046 Titanium after Single Point Incremental Forming
    Tyler Grimm (John Roth), Penn State Behrend

BEST POSTER PRESENTATION - PSYCHOLOGY I AND POLITICAL SCIENCE

  • Navigating Your Way through a Virtual World
    Grace Waldfogle, Nick Bowser, Jacob Benedict, and Dominik Dodds (Dawn Blasko and Heather Lum), Penn State Behrend

TWO RUNNER-UP POSTER PRESENTATIONS - PSYCHOLOGY I AND POLITICAL SCIENCE

  • The Effects of Ego Depletion on Spatial Attention
    Leah Krainz (Allison Connell Pensky), Allegheny College
  • Are Sexual Assault Prevention Programs Effective?
    Jessica Stoker, Brittany Smith, Ashley Master, Taylor Brecht, and Richard Greatbatch (Melanie Hetzel-Riggin), Penn State Behrend

BEST POSTER PRESENTATION - PSYCHOLOGY II

  • The Effects of Natural Soundscapes on Physiological and Psychological Restoration
    Benjamin Cherian (Jacob Benfield), Penn State Abington

THREE RUNNER-UP POSTER PRESENTATIONS - PSYCHOLOGY II

  • Awkward: Is Social Media Creating A Less Social You?
    Grace Waldfogle, Julie LeVan, Kasey Jerioski, and Amber Kinney (Victoria Kazmerski), Penn State Behrend
  • Can Self-Compassion Foster Adaptive Behaviors in the Classroom? The Effect of Self-Compassion on Achievement Goals of College Students
    Ye-eun (Maria) Kim (Lydia Jackson), Allegheny College
  • Linguistic Differences During and After Conflict for Survivors of Betrayal Trauma
    Allison Rupe and Jessica Stoker (Melanie Hetzel-Riggin), Penn State Behrend