2013 Festival of Scholars
Natural Science Oral Presentations
| Date: | Thursday, April 26 |
| Time: | 11:30am - 1:30pm |
| Location: | Ahmanson Science Center Richter Hall |
Description: |
This session will highlight students from various disciplines within the Natural Science Division. Each student will give a 15-minute oral presentation using PowerPoint. These exciting presentations will reflect months of work on a single project which has likely been presented at a discipline-specific professional conference. |
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Student Abstracts at this Session
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Student(s): Evan Reed and N/A Faculty Mentor: Dr. Hala King and Dr. Craig Reinhart |
The Field of Cryptography ExposedCryptography is an essential part of our modern day living whose main goal is to “allow two people to exchange confidential information, even if they have never met and can communicate only via a channel that is being monitored by an adversary.”This presentation will examine the evolving field of cryptography and its applications, touching on key mathematical concepts that are crucial for the analysis of selected cryptosystems. Analysis of the weaknesses of private key cryptosystems, and their dependence on key distribution, highlight the need for the rigor of Public Key Cryptography. Public Key Cryptosystems and cryptographic applications, such as digital signatures and key establishments, are investigated. Besides reproducing proofs and creating my own examples using varied references, I utilized the computer Algebra system “Maple” to do efficient calculations, and used Java to program the simplified DES cryptosystem and related projects. |
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Student(s): Thord Endre Setsaas Faculty Mentor: Dr. Craig Reinhart |
Tele-Operation of a Mobile Robot with an iPhoneThe field of robotics has seen a steady growth in terms of technological advances, and areas of applications since the 1970's. Robots are being used as children's toys and surgical assistants. One popular area of robotics is tele-operation, where the robot works semi-autonomously in conjunction with a human operator. Another rapidly growing field, especially recently, is that of hand-held computational devices. In particular, mobile phones have transformed from simple communication devices to highly capable general purpose computers. In this study I am investigating the use of an Apple iPhone for the human interface to a tele-operated robot. Issues being studied are conflict resolution (operator tells robot to perform a task that the robot "thinks" might be harmful); communication requirements between the operator and the robot (wireless networking); and the communication protocol used between the operator and the robot (the language they should speak.) |
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Student(s): Samantha Van Gorder Faculty Mentor: Dr. Steven Hawkins |
Prevalence and Association of Sarcopenia and OsteopeniaThis study investigated sarcopenia and osteopenia in a sample of older adults. Male (n=34) and female (n=71) participants > 65 yrs were tested for body composition, bone mineral density, muscle strength, and mobility. Pearson correlations and t-tests were used to examine relationships and differences (p≤0.05). Twenty three females and nine males were sarcopenic based on ASM/ht2. Forty four women were osteopenic and eight were osteoporotic, while 16 men were osteopenic and none were osteoporotic. Comparison of those sarcopenic vs. not found differences in leg press strength, hand grip strength, LBM, fat mass and hip BMD (p≤0.05) for females, whereas males differed for LBM, total body BMD, forearm BMD, and age (p≤0.05). ASM/ht2 correlated with leg press (r = 0.74, p≤0.05) and all measures of BMD (r = 0.42 – 0.60, p≤0.05). In conclusion, ASM/ht2 best identified sarcopenia, and there appears to be an interaction between osteopenia and sarcopenia. |
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Student(s): Kristin West Faculty Mentor: Dr. Craig Reinhart |
Creating a HIV-1 Biosensor using ICG Encapsulated PLGA NanoparticlesAt the end of 2010, 34 million people were living with acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome (AIDS) which is caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1). This retro virus attacks the human immune system by using cells with the CD4 surface receptor protein as their host. HIV infection is diagnosed from a blood sample and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). No cure has been found for AIDS because the HIV-1 virus surface protein, gp 120, is highly prone to mutations and is unstable, therefore hard to target with a drug. The goals of this research were to create a therapeutic and diagnostic tool for HIV-1. Nanoparticles were created from poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), and bound to the protein Concanavalin A (ConA) to target gp 120. The particles appeared to bind to gp 120 expressing cells when fluorescence was read on a fluorescent plate reader. |
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Student(s): Jacklyn Whitehead Faculty Mentor: Dr. Michael Shaw and Dr. John Tannaci |
The Use of Inexpensive Natural Organic Materials in Dye-Sensitized Solar CellsThe Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC) is a photovoltaic cell which utilizes organic material to produce a small voltage in a process similar to photosynthesis. Our research explores the effects of using all-natural organic materials, specifically blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and acai berries as sources of dye for DSSCs. The acai berries were specifically selected based on their high levels of anthocyanidins, pigment molecules which adhere well to the titanium dioxide nanostructure of the DSSC; as well as their increased absorbency as compared to other berries. We have measured and compared the optical absorbance of the dyes to investigate how absorbance relates to electrical output. Furthermore, we have synthesized 12 cells from various berries, and demonstrated an electrical output of 0.3V to 0.5V from a white light source. Thus showing the equivalent, if not superior, electrical output of the DSSCs containing acai berry dye as compared to DSSCs using blackberry dye. |
