Text
OVERVIEW
April 18, 2024
Dear RICE participants:
Welcome to the 17th annual Centre College RICE Symposium! This event is the culmination of
Undergraduate Research Week, which features a different research-focused event each day.
The RICE (Research, Internships, and Creative Endeavors) Symposium is a forum for showcasing
the outstanding research achievements, creative endeavors, and independent projects
completed by Centre students. An integral part of experiential learning is moving beyond the
consumption of existing knowledge to becoming an active contributor of new knowledge. RICE
represents a unique opportunity for students to share their contributions in a professional,
scholarly setting that is made rich by the active participation of many members of our
community. This event is part of a week-long celebration of research that includes
opportunities for students to talk informally with faculty members about research
opportunities. It also features a convocation, this year delivered by a panel of Centre Alum:
Vivian Bowles, ‘21, River Fuchs, ‘21 and William Britt, ‘21 who will share their experiences as
researchers while at Centre and their current research projects.
This year, 65 presentations from across the academic disciplines by students are featured,
including 41 oral presentations and 24 poster presentations. In addition, the J.H. Atkins Scholars
Program for Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Social Justice Research will feature the work of five
students at 4:30 PM. On Friday, April 19, students who participated in studio art classes this
academic year will host an exhibit of their work in the AEGON Gallery in the Jones Visual Arts
Center. We invite attendees to attend the various oral and poster presentations, the art
exhibition, and see the diversity of what Centre students offer.
Panels typically take two forms. First, to emphasize the interdisciplinary nature and breath of
the scholarly endeavor at Centre College, many presentations are grouped by topic rather than
discipline. Second, when it is important to emphasize the depth of a particular issue or
collaborative research, such as the study that occurred in an advanced seminar class, a panel
may include presentations from only one discipline.
Each oral presentation is scheduled for 15 minutes, including 12 minutes for presenting and
three for discussion. As a courtesy to presenters, please wait until the end of a presentation to
leave a session. Thank you for your consideration and enjoy the Symposium!
Sincerely,
Karoline Manny and Matt Downen
2024 RICE Symposium Chair and Secretary
2
Oral Presentations
Poster Presentations
Abstracts
OVERVIEW
APRIL 18, 2024
Oral Presentations
Session 1, Young Hall
1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Oral Presentations
Session 2, Young Hall
2:40 p.m. to 3:40 p.m.
Oral Presentations
Session 3, Young Hall
3:50 p.m. to 4:50 p.m.
Atkins Scholars, Young 110
4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Poster Presentations
Lobby, Young Hall
5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
APRIL 19, 2024
Art Exhibition Opening
AEGON Gallery, Jones Visual Arts Center
3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Oral Presentations, at a glance
3
Poster Presentations, at a glance
8
Art Exhibition
11
Oral Presentation Abstracts
12
Poster Presentation Abstracts
27
Committee
36
3
Oral Presentations
Poster Presentations
Abstracts
ORAL PRESENTATIONS AT A GLANCE
SESSION 1-a
Young 111
Moderator
Jamie
Shenton
1:30 p.m.
to
2:30 p.m.
1
Models for “Successful” Aging in a Central Kentucky Assisted
Living Facility
Amberley Clark, Samuel Cotthoff, Sophia Fisher-Cassiol, Ayla
Massey, Nick Minton, Ethan Scott, Brianna Tilley, Nate Vela,
Alexander Wallis, Eliza Williams
SESSION 1-b
Young 112
Moderator
Christian
Wood
1:30 p.m.
2
Racism and Soccer; A Francophone Perspective
Ionut Moga
1:50 p.m.
3
Paris 2024: Sustainability and the Olympics
Jessica Strader
SESSION 1-c
Young 110
Moderator
Bruce
Rodenborn
1:30 p.m.
4
1:50 p.m.
5
2:10 p.m.
6
Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations to Investigate Lithium-ion
Transport Inside Batteries
Chenjie Shang
Reflection Coefficient of Internal Waves
Olivia Roach, Kaden Hueit
Calibrating numerical models of bacteria using macroscopic
measurements
Kathleen (Kate) Brown
SESSION 1-d
Young 138
Moderator
Melissa
BurnsCusato
1:30 p.m.
7
Endogenous Opiates, Incubation, and Pair Bonding in Ringneck
Doves
Abby Jamison, Brenna Hammond
1:50 p.m.
8
Efficacy of 'The Plastic Nightmare' Eco-Comic on Motivation and
Attitudinal Shifts Towards Recycling
Conley Combs
SESSION 1-e
Young 101
Moderator
Jonathon
Earle
1:30 p.m.
9
1:45 p.m.
10
Topographical Engineers: The Masterminds Behind Civil War
Generals
Gavin Fields
Fred Hampton: Political Unity, Assassination, and Memory
Christian Billiter-Jackson
4
Oral Presentations
Poster Presentations
Abstracts
ORAL PRESENTATIONS AT A GLANCE
2:00 p.m.
11
2:15 p.m.
12
Angler-in-Chief: The Politics of Twentieth Century American Fly
Fishing
Hal Taylor
The Radium Craze: A Product and Producer of Gender Constructs
in the United States
Emily Cuzick
10 minute break
SESSION 2-a
Young 111
Moderator
Katrin Bahr
2:40 p.m.
13
Voice of the People: Opera, Cultural Identity, and Politics in
German Romanticism
Trey Fairbairn
Lessons Learned: Comparing the Political Right in Germany and
the United States
Sam Adams
Understudied Jews of São Paulo who Redefined Jewish Ethnic
Identity
João Victor Azevedo
3:00 p.m.
14
3:20 p.m.
15
SESSION 2-b
Young 112
Moderator
Eva Cadavid
2:40 p.m.
16
Education in Ghana
Denae Bénard, Gavin Fields
3:00 p.m.
17
Medical Internship in Merida
Erika Alonso
SESSION 2-c
Young 138
Moderator
Michael
Bradshaw
2:40 p.m.
18
3:00 p.m.
19
3:20 p.m.
20
Reacting to the Registrar: The Process of Delivering a Digital
Product
Odile Clements and the React Team
Combatting the Resource Service Provision Model within
Disability Studies
Diana Sandoval
Silent Struggle: Examining the Impact of Migraines on Students in
Higher Education
Kailey Boyles
5
Oral Presentations
Poster Presentations
Abstracts
ORAL PRESENTATIONS AT A GLANCE
SESSION 2-d
Young 110
Moderator
Jennifer
Goetz
2:40 p.m.
21
3:00 p.m.
22
3:20 p.m.
23
SESSION 2-e
Young 102
Moderator
Mae Scott
2:40 p.m.
24
3:00 p.m.
25
SESSION 2-f
Young 101
Moderator
Jonathon
Earle
2:40 p.m.
26
2:55 p.m.
27
3:10 p.m.
28
3:25 p.m.
29
Let's Pot Plants
Niki Maleki, Ali-Grace Fleeman, John Beebe, Gray Rahbany
The Relation between Belongingness and Mental Health in
College Students
Duerell Bard, Will Kempf, Braden Duncan, Ella Treinen
Challenges and Experiences of Students of Color in Higher
Education
Soleila Elliot Gonzalez, Janea Bottinelli, Adriana Gonzalez-Alvizures,
Joseline Viera
Neutronics work for the BL3 team in OpenMC
Henry Crumley
Using electron-withdrawing groups to enhance the anti-cancer
properties of ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes
An Zainetdinova, William R. Leach, Dayanara Mendez
Understanding the Relationships between Spanish Colonial
Florida and the Native Timucua and Seminole Tribes
Dylan Croft
Un-Dam the Klamath: Restoring Balance the Yurok Way
Jasmine Eleck
From Sugar to Surfing; Hawaiian Tourism's Legacy of Colonialism
Nathan Weaver
Nuevo Canción in Guatemala and the Legacies of Resistance
Sophie Hudkins
10 Minute Break
SESSION 3-a
Young 111
Moderator
Jingjing Cai
3:50 p.m.
30
4:10 p.m.
31
.
A24’s Collaboration with Asian American Cinema: Identity,
Culture, and Authorship
Kade Schooling
Taylor Swift's Vocal Evolution: The Influence of Producers &
Songwriters on Swift’s Range and Tessitura
Elizabeth Briles
(This presentation is double length and will run until 4:50)
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Oral Presentations
Poster Presentations
Abstracts
ORAL PRESENTATIONS AT A GLANCE
SESSION 3-b
Young 112
Maria
Apostolova
3:50 p.m.
32
4:10 p.m.
33
4:30 p.m.
34
SESSION 3-c
Young 110
Moderator
David
Williams
3:50 p.m.
35
4:10 p.m.
36
4:30 p.m.
37
SESSION 3-d
Young 101
Moderator
Jonathon
Earle
3:50 p.m.
38
4:05 p.m.
39
4:20 p.m.
40
4:35 p.m.
41
Determinants of Housing Prices in Chicago, Illinois
Sydney Gonzalez
Fertility In Texas: Unveiling The Drivers of Disparities
Ana Luiza Dörner
A History of the Combs Center Warehouse - Cancelled
Arthur Jenkins
Shaping History: Firing Kentucky Found Clay
Carley Bishop
Centre College Outdoor Program – DLM focus
Olivia Overmohle, AJ Daniels, Oliver Guignon
Centre College Outdoor Program – Humanities focus
Jake Ronan, Layce Sanner
Negotiating Sovereignty: The Ryukyu Disposition and the Struggle
for Autonomy
Aidan Isaac
Transitional Authority in Cambodia: Conflict, Chaos, and Care
Peter McKown
American and French Revolutionary Nationalisms
Joseph Matthews
Boxing For Their Lives: Boxing Inside Nazi Concentration Camps
Trey Schwalb
J.H. Atkins Scholars Program
Young 113
Moderated
by the
Atkins
committee:
Melinda
Weathers,
Genevieve
Bell,
Michelle
Burdine,
and Jamie
Shenton
4:30 p.m.
to
5:30 p.m.
The Atkins Scholars Program supports research or art focused on
diversity, inclusion, equity and social justice. This year’s scholars
are:
The Identity of a Philosopher and Her Trade
Lana Amoudi
Promoting Wellness Equity: Investigating the Impact of
Mindfulness Events in Low-Income Schools
Sudeep Gadde
Bringing it home: Analyzing the study abroad experiences of
students of color and LGBTQ+ students
Kasey Montgomery
What does being Asian in Kentucky mean to you?
Emma Peterson
Unveiling the Gendered Dynamics of Competitive Gaming: The
Case for Riot Games
Lorelei Watson
7
Oral Presentations
Poster Presentations
Abstracts
POSTER PRESENTATIONS AT A GLANCE
5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Atrium of Young Hall
42. Loss of Erbb2 Triggers Compensatory EGFR Activation in a Mouse Model of
Colorectal Cancer
William Leach
43. Developing high porosity polymers for cysteine capture
Mehak Mittal, Alexandru David
44. Point-of-Care Trypsin Detection with Nanoparticle µPAD System
Lilly Zehnder, Luc Morgan
45. Development of High-Porosity Polymers for Cysteine Capture
Srija Badireddi, Ward (Rudy) Alafef
46. Point-of-care tuberculosis biomarker detection on a µPAD platform
Tenley Soergel, Erika Alonso, Luc Morgan, Lilly Zehnder, Daniel Scott
47. Multiplex detection of survivin and tuberculosis biomarkers on a µPAD platform
Erika Alonso, Tenley Soergel, Luc Morgan, Lilly Zehnder
48. Investigating mitofusin as a potential regulator for peroxisomal function
Kevin Williams (Tanushree S. Kumar Department of Biology, University of Louisville
Daven Patel Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Rafael Senos Demarco
Department of Biology, University of Louisville)
49. SARS-CoV-2 CURE Project Results Analysis
Gloria Lwin
50. Gas chromatography analysis of the impacts of ethanol: water mole fraction on
guaiacol headspace concentration
Robert Curran
51. Development of Region-Specific Organic Pesticides Using Indigenous Plant Chemicals
Zachary Gregory
52. Head-bobbing: What can we learn from a single elephant?
Arabella Fowler
8
Oral Presentations
Poster Presentations
Abstracts
POSTER PRESENTATIONS AT A GLANCE
5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Atrium of Young Hall
53. Measuring the Testing Effect Through ERPs
Anna Shupert, Lily Matthiessen, Anika Rana, Grace Dutcher
54. Accessible and Actionable: A Workbook for Personal Psychological Wellbeing
Spencer Berry
55. Are You Woke?: Analysis of Sleep Patterns of Centre College Students
Alice Goff, Taylor Webb
56. Understanding Mathematical Structure through Graphs on Integers
Pierce Mason
57. Projected Climate Change Effects on Wetland Hydroperiods
Abigail Brainard
58. The Determinants of College Tuition in the United States
Raegan Richardson
59. The Determinants of Earnings on the PGA Tour
Grace Walker
60. Creating Space for Pollinators: A Case for Monarch Butterflies
Caroline Schoenig
61. Assessing Accessibility in Student Housing at Centre College
Katia Marusich, Hannah Morrison, Ehthemoo Po
62. The Identity of a Philosopher and Her Trade
Lana Amoudi
63. Promoting Wellness Equity: Investigating the Impact of Mindfulness Events in LowIncome Schools
Sudeep Gadde
64. Bringing it home: Analyzing the study abroad experiences of students of color and
LGBTQ+ students
Kasey Montgomery
9
Oral Presentations
Poster Presentations
Abstracts
POSTER PRESENTATIONS AT A GLANCE
5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Atrium of Young Hall
65. What does being Asian in Kentucky mean to you?
Emma Peterson
66. Unveiling the Gendered Dynamics of Competitive Gaming: The Case for Riot Games
Lorelei Watson
10
Oral Presentations
Poster Presentations
Abstracts
11
Oral Presentations
Poster Presentations
Abstracts
ORAL PRESENTATIONS ABSTRACTS
1 Models for “Successful” Aging in a Central Kentucky Assisted Living Facility
Amberley Clark, Samuel Cotthoff, Sophia Fisher-Cassiol, Ayla Massey, Nick Minton, Ethan Scott,
Brianna Tilley, Nate Vela, Alexander Wallis, Eliza Williams
Mentor: Dr. Jamie Shenton, Anthropology
This session will present the ongoing research of students in ANT 301: Qualitative Field
Methods. Students partner with an assisted living facility in Danville, KY. Their research aims to
understand various dimensions of successful aging within the context of this assisted living
facility. What are the models for aging our society has developed, and in what ways do they
represent or fail to represent the lived experiences of the elderly in this assisted living facility?
Students will explore these questions in a variety of ways: gendered experiences of aging; social
versus medical models for aging; dependence, independence, and interdependence; home;
care and love; loneliness; activities; among others.
2 Racism and Soccer; A Francophone Perspective
Ionut Moga
Mentor: Dr. Christian Wood, French
This presentation explores the topic of racism in the world of soccer in two major francophone
countries: Belgium and France. Considering various opinions from academics, social campaigns,
former players, and coaches, the presentation offers solutions in dealing with racism in soccer
culture, with strategies that impact young children to older adults. The format comes from a
timely and pivotal virtual conference based out of Belgium in 2021.
3 Paris 2024: Sustainability and the Olympics
Jessica Strader
Mentor: Dr. Christian Wood, French
The Olympic Games represent a worldwide sensation for athletic competition and sports
entertainment while also being the subject of controversy and debate. Sparked by increasing
concern for the climate crisis, the Paris Summer Olympics (2024) has pledged to establish a
new, more sustainable Olympic model, e.g. setting unprecedented goals for halving the carbon
emissions of previous games. Examining microcosmic controversies among local francophone
populations and connecting them back to the whole of Paris 2024, this project analyzes the
environmental impact with such guiding topics as the extent to which this may or may not be a
genuine interest in sustainability and a representative interest of the people and regions
impacted.
4 Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations to Investigate Lithium-ion Transport Inside Batteries
Chenjie Shang
Mentor: Dr. Emily Crabb, Physics
Batteries are an indispensable tool in people's daily life. However, current batteries have many
limitations, so further research is needed to improve the quality of batteries. I have used
computational techniques to study how batteries work at the molecular level and molecular
dynamics techniques to study the effect of electrolyte composition by examining the
12
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Abstracts
ORAL PRESENTATIONS ABSTRACTS
movement of Li ions in mixtures of different proportions of PC and MTBE. The goal is to use
these results to determine whether a mixture of different electrolytes may produce more ideal
Li ion transport behavior than a single substance does. I utilized supercomputers to track
particles in a model at different timesteps and obtain properties such as equilibrium density,
diffusion coefficient, coordination numbers, and residence time. I will show my current results
during the presentation, though further study about how the lithium-ion moves inside the
electrolyte will be required to find an optimal electrolyte mixture.
5 Reflection Coefficient of Internal Waves
Olivia Roach, Kaden Hueit
Mentor: Dr. Bruce Rodenborn, Physics
Internal waves are an unusual subsurface wave in the ocean created primarily by the motion of
the tides. These waves may be important in the redistribution of tidal energy within the ocean,
which in turn is important for understanding global ocean currents and global weather. These
waves also cause the erosion of continental shelves to the same angle as tidally generated
waves. We analyze this problem using the reflection coefficient of internal waves defined as the
ratio of outgoing energy to the incoming wave beam energy. Our experiments use microscopic
particles illuminated with a laser to determine the velocity field and the energy flux of the
internal waves from movie image data. These data are used to determine the dependence of
the reflection coefficient on different types of boundaries: a smooth boundary and horizontal
boundaries with sinusoidal roughness. We compare our results to the theory for such internal
waves and find good agreement. We have found that a rough boundary.
6 Calibrating numerical models of bacteria using macroscopic measurements
Kathleen (Kate) Brown
Mentor: Dr. Bruce Rodenborn, Physics
The swimming of microorganisms is typically studied using biological experiments and/or
numerical simulations. Our research group uses macroscopic models of bacteria in highly
viscous silicone oil to create dynamically similar table-top experiments to test theories for
objects such as cylinders, spheres, and helices moving in Stokes (low Reynolds number) flow
near a boundary. We can then measure the forces and torques more easily and scale the results
from our dynamically similar experiments to biologically relevant sizes. Our results have
confirmed for the first time the theory of Lee and Leal (1980) for the force and torque on a
sphere approaching a plane wall, as reported in Nguyen et al., Sci. Rep. (2024). Our
collaborators at Trinity University use these data of force and torque at various distances from
the boundary to calibrate the Method of Images for Regularized Stokeslets (MIRS) for use as a
noninvasive probe of bacterial swimming dynamics.
7 Endogenous Opiates, Incubation, and Pair Bonding in Ringneck Doves
Abby Jamison, Brenna Hammond
Mentor: Dr. Melissa Burns-Cusato, Behavioral Neuroscience
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Poster Presentations
Abstracts
ORAL PRESENTATIONS ABSTRACTS
Previous research has found a connection between the endogenous opiate system and parental
incubation behavior in ringneck doves (Streptopelia risoria). Prior experiments indicate that
incubation and pair-bonding behavior are facilitated by opiate-mediated projections from the
mPOA to the VTA, and may be strengthened by mesotocin, the avian oxytocin analog. However,
it is also plausible that incubation reinforcement and mate reinforcement are not facilitated by
the same mechanism. The aim of the current study is to explore the neural mechanism
underlying pair bonding and incubation behavior. The study investigates the effects of an opiate
antagonist (naloxone) on the incubation and pair-bonding behavior in male and female
ringneck doves. The use of an opiate antagonist blocks the possible projections from the mPOA
to the VTA, disrupting the neural mechanism. Preliminary research indicates that incubation
and mate reward likely operate on similar, but not identical systems.
8 Efficacy of 'The Plastic Nightmare' Eco-Comic on Motivation and Attitudinal Shifts Towards
Recycling
Conley Combs
Mentor: Dr. Aaron Godlaski, Psychology
Impact of reading the educational eco-comic "Plastic Nightmare” on attitude towards recycling
amongst college students was surveyed. As the environmental crisis looms and action remains
inadequate the need for innovative educational intervention grows. The literature on ecocomics demonstrates its validity as a medium for environmental education (McLaughlin, 2013).
However, the literature is limited to childhood and adolescent audiences thus neglecting young
adults. It was hypothesized that after reading the comic participants will have better attitudes
towards recycling. The MTES (Pelletier et al. 1998) and a constructed measure grounded in the
COM-B behavior change model was used to discern if the comic influenced college students’
attitudes towards their own capability, motivation, and opportunity to recycle. Results revealed
a significant impact of reading the comic on the COM-B measure, suggesting eco-comics are
effective for the college audience, implications are discussed.
9 Topographical Engineers: The Masterminds Behind Civil War Generals
Gavin Fields
Mentor: Dr. Jonathon Early, History
Topographic engineers were key to successful battle performance during the Civil War era.
Topographic engineers have been a marginalized group of study among historians, even though
they had an immense impact throughout the War. Due to other conflicts within North America,
these men started to become influential before the war broke out. When the Civil War started,
the Union and the Confederacy scrambled to obtain the most functional map makers in the
country. General W.F. Smith was one of the best topographers for the Union army and, for the
Confederacy, Jed Hotchkiss, who was arguably the most famous topographer of the time. This
paper explores how these topographers continued their significance after the war, especially
during Westward Expansion. In doing so, it provides new ways of thinking about the history of
American mapping.
14
Oral Presentations
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Abstracts
ORAL PRESENTATIONS ABSTRACTS
10 Fred Hampton: Political Unity, Assassination, and Memory
Christian Billiter-Jackson
Mentor: Dr. Jonathon Early, History
Fred Hampton is one of the most prominent figures in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. During
his time as an activist, he dedicated his life to helping gain political unity with diverse
communities in Chicago. His main focus was social and economic justice. Despite being brutally
assassinated by the Chicago Police Department in his home, he was still cared for by his
followers. My paper explores Fred Hampton’s efforts to unite different communities for social
and economic justice in 1960s Chicago. Further, it examines the controversial details
surrounding his death and assassination. Finally, it wishes to assess Hampton’s legacy and how
his memory is deployed for larger struggles concerning equality and justice in America for
African Americans.
11 Angler-in-Chief: The Politics of Twentieth Century American Fly Fishing
Hal Taylor
Mentor: Dr. Jonathon Early, History
The iconography associated with fly fishing paints a picture of the American experience from
triumph to tragedy. The intimate relationship between fly fishing and the angler has been well
explored from poets to scientists. However, little scholarly research has been done to exam the
relationship between Presidents, their angling pursuits, and their intersection with domestic
and foreign policy. Through the examination of memoirs, legislation, and records this paper
casts a line that connects public policy to the seemingly private experience of fishing. By doing
so, this expands the way we think about recreational hobbies and their political permutations.
12 The Radium Craze: A Product and Producer of Gender Constructs in the United States
Emily Cuzick
Mentor: Dr. Jonathon Early, History
In 1898, Marie and Pierre Curie discovered what soon came to be known as a “miracle”
element: radium. The United States experienced a radium craze throughout the early twentieth
century as various products said to contain the element were created and marketed for the
American public. By the 1920s, radium’s carefully curated image as a miracle cure-all began to
dissipate as its propensity for harm gained increasing attention in the media, especially among
female radium dial workers. This paper uses newspaper articles and advertisements to explore
how the U.S. radium craze was gendered. In doing so, it shows how the creation, marketing,
and consumption of radium products shaped and were shaped by ideas about femininity and
masculinity.
13 Voice of the People: Opera, Cultural Identity, and Politics in German Romanticism
Trey Fairbairn
Mentor: Dr. Ian Wilson, German
This research explores the intersection of opera, cultural identity, and politics in Germany by
examining the rise of German language opera and its connection to a growing sense of
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ORAL PRESENTATIONS ABSTRACTS
nationhood. Italy’s role in the early history of opera had ensured that the Italian language and
classical ideas and mythologies were the norm in opera for centuries. But in the late 1700s,
Opera composers broke through these restrictions and began employing German libretti and
Germanic themes. That brought opera into the foreground of vast political and societal change
in relation to literary movements and political nationalism. This project examines the operas,
Der Freischütz and Tannhäuser, to show how they exemplify this growing sense of nationhood
in the language of the libretti, the plot elements, and the music in order to demonstrate the
connection of all these facets to the broader societal trends of the German speaking world
during the Romantic period.
14 Lessons Learned: Comparing the Political Right in Germany and the United States
Sam Adams
Mentor: Dr. Katrin Bahr, German
The United States and Germany are both experiencing broader trends toward the radical right,
exemplified by the growing popularity of right-wing extremism within the Republican Party and
of the AfD (Alternative for Germany). This presentation discusses the strategies these
movements use to garner political support, including appeals to populism, migrant
antagonization, and contradiction of democratic safeguards. I will argue that despite important
differences between the two movements’ votership and roles within their respective political
contexts, both have gained support from populations that feel underrepresented,
disenfranchised, or dissatisfied with their country’s political, societal, and economic situation.
Drawing comparisons between the two parties reveals the severe political challenges posed to
democratic institutions and consequently, the precarious situation both countries face in
upcoming elections.
15 Understudied Jews of São Paulo who Redefined Jewish Ethnic Identity
João Victor Azevedo
Mentor: Dr. Satty Flaherty-Echeverría, Spanish & Latin American Studies
This research examines the fundamental role of progressive Jews in confronting the
nationalistic and xenophobic Brazilian Dictatorship (1964-1985) in Nossa Voz [Our Voice]. In
opposition to the affirmation that Jews migrating from Eastern Europe rooted their identity in
twentieth-century Judaism (Topel, 2008), my research shows how Jews who migrated to São
Paulo as members of the Social Democratic Association Bund adhered to strict rules for political
association. The Bund immigrants strengthened their identity through socialism and Yiddish
culture. In Bom Retiro, São Paulo, Sociedade Israelita Brasileira de Educação e Cultura - SholemAleichem created a Yiddish school, a Brazilian Israeli Art Theater, and a bilingual newspaper in
Yiddish and Brazilian Portuguese to emphasize indignation against Nazism and the Brazilian
Dictatorship. Asserting simultaneously their Brazilianness and Jewishness, they became targets
of government persecution and often resulting in exile.
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ORAL PRESENTATIONS ABSTRACTS
16 Education in Ghana
Denae Bénard, Gavin Fields
Mentor: Dr. Sarah Murray, Education
Over this past CentreTerm, co-presenters traveled to Ghana and observed the Ghanaian
education system. This was a great opportunity to compare and contrast the American
education system with another country. This RICE presentation will examine specific findings
from this experience and how it connects to education classes here at Centre. Here we will
discuss how we were first shocked about our experience and how we grew into a more
engaged stage throughout our stay in Ghana. We are both education minors at Centre, and this
opportunity allowed us to branch out and observe how students and teachers function within a
different education system. Studying Abroad at Centre is a privilege, and we were able to use
this experience to better prepare ourselves for our future endeavors as educators..
17 Medical Internship in Merida
Erika Alonso
Mentor: Dr. Genny Ballard, Spanish
Following an internship during Centre Term at a private Mexican hospital, Clinica de Merida, I
received hands-on experience with medical procedures. In Merida, I was given the opportunity
to deliver a baby, suture a head injury, and assist in the emergency room. Furthermore, I gained
experience by administering injections, measuring vital signs, and interpreting medical tests.
Through shadowing various physicians, I learned about different medical conditions along with
how practitioners at the clinic take a more holistic approach to patient treatment. Towards the
end of my time in Merida, I spent a few days in a public hospital, Hospital General Agustín
O’Horán, which demonstrated the stark differences between the level of care provided in the
private and public healthcare sectors in Merida. This internship is a great opportunity for
students interested in pursuing a medical career and learning about the contrasts in the global
healthcare system.
18 Reacting to the Registrar: The Process of Delivering a Digital Product
Odile Clements and the React Team
Mentor: Dr. Michael Bradshaw, Computer Science and Data Science
Centre has historically lacked comprehensive resources for prospective and enrolled students
to understand what credits they can transfer in. Based upon specifications from the registrar,
we used the web development framework ReactJS to create such a resource. We worked
directly with Centre’s communications department to match the tool’s visual design with that
of Centre’s public website, and implemented robust testing using vitest to comply with industry
best practices. Furthermore, we established a development pipeline to allow future groups of
students to update the tool. Future work on this project could include the addition of
information on study abroad credits and automated updates of the tool’s content when the
registrar's office updates its list of approved transfer credits.
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19 Combatting the Resource Service Provision Model within Disability Studies
Diana Sandoval
Mentor: Dr. Kristen Kolenz, International Studies
Disability resources are distributed through need-based accommodations, meeting
physical needs but not emotional needs. Drawing on data from interviews with Centre students
from Fall 2023, I explain that students access disability resources through a “service provision
model,” providing an accommodation service but generating hidden labor for students when
resources do not fully meet emotional needs. Through the lens of critical disability theory,
specifically the Promethean aspiration of control (Sandel, 2007), I examine the “service
provision model” as it unintentionally dehumanizes those in need of resources, removing
compassion and empathy from interactions with resource providers. Resources that do not
humanize and compassionately support students inherently become ineffective and create a
significant mental load that can only be met through willing empathetic care work within
resource management. To combat this, resource management teams must have access to
trauma-informed and empathy skills training for more impactful, humanizing, and effective
resources for students.
20 Silent Struggle: Examining the Impact of Migraines on Students in Higher Education
Kailey Boyles
Mentor: Dr. Sarah Murray, Education
In the United States, over 42 million Americans experience migraines, a genetic
neurologic disease. Of these people, many will experience chronic severe migraines,
where days out of every week will result in debilitating neurological symptoms. For
students in higher education, migraines are a severe academic detriment to their time at
university and are vastly misunderstood in social settings. Instead of being classified as a
general headache, chronic migraine patients show widespread functional and structural
alterations of cortical and subcortical pain-related areas of the brain. Additionally, despite its
commonality, migraine research is the least publicly funded of all neurological illnesses. As
such, the challenges students in higher education face are increased by a lack of representation
and awareness within college administration. Citing sources like the National Headache
Foundation and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, I will examine the
struggles faced by students with migraines from existing research throughout the country and
include my own anecdotes as a student affected.
21 Let's Pot Plants
Niki Maleki, Ali-Grace Fleeman, John Beebe, Gray Rahbany
Mentor: Dr. Aaron Godlaski, Behavioral Neuroscience and Psychology
The use of plants in indoor spaces continues to surge in popularity. The trend of plant-keeping
corresponds with positive associations between caretaker and plant. Increased engagement
with plants can improve mental wellbeing in individuals and offer aesthetic value to indoor
spaces. Further study of how engagement with plants in indoor spaces can improve mental
wellbeing is needed. In this study, college students planted succulents and personalized a pot.
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Participants cared for their plants for three weeks, and mood and wellbeing were assessed
before and after the study using DASS, BMIS, and INS scales. Results demonstrated that
students who cared for plants experienced an increase in positive mood and decrease in
depression, anxiety, and stress after three weeks..
22 The Relation between Belongingness and Mental Health in College Students
Duerell Bard, Will Kempf, Braden Duncan, Ella Treinen
Mentor: Dr. Jan Wertz, Psychology
Previous research indicates that poor sense of belonging correlates with both poor academic
performance and poor mental health outcomes (Ahn & Davis, 2023; MacNear & Hunter, 2023;
Rainey et al., 2018). There are also findings indicating that students of color experience less
sense of belonging on college campuses (Cureton & Gravestock, 2019; Fischer, 2007) and that
students of color have worse mental health outcomes than their white peers (Lipson et al.,
2018). We want to determine the impacts of a sense of belonging on a college campus on
symptoms of depression and anxiety and we want to analyze potential disparities due to race.
We hypothesize that there will be an inverse relationship between sense of belonging and
symptoms of depression. We hypothesize that increased extroversion and increased campus
involvement will correlate with a higher sense of belonging. Lastly, hypothesize that students of
color will report experiencing less sense of belonging.
23 Challenges and Experiences of Students of Color in Higher Education
Soleila Elliot Gonzalez, Janea Bottinelli, Adriana Gonzalez-Alvizures, Joseline Viera
Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Goetz, Psychology
Students of color (SOCs) make up 33% of undergraduate students (Nam, 2023) and 21% of the
Centre College student population as of 2024 (USNews, 2024). Projections suggest that by 2050
as much as 57% will be students of color (Merod, 2023), which creates a greater need to
understand SOC experiences. Challenges for SOCs at predominantly white institutions (PWIs)
include navigating the college environment, language barriers, and discrimination and racism,
which predict lower levels of belonging and completion of college degrees. US universities
emphasize middle-class and individualistic values (Fryberg et al., 2012), including separating
from family and pursuing individual paths. In contrast, SOCs come from more interdependent
cultures, emphasizing contributions to community, family, and the group over pursuing
individual goals and aspirations. In our work, we use semi-structured interviews to understand
how these factors play out for Centre College students of color.
24 Neutronics work for the BL3 team in OpenMC
Henry Crumley
Mentor: Dr. Mae Scott, Physics
When neutrons are outside the nuclei of atoms, they have an expiration date (called the
neutron lifetime) before decaying into a proton and releasing an electron and antineutrino. This
is known as Free Neutron Beta Decay. In recent years, more precise measurements have
revealed a lifetime discrepancy depending on the method of measurement. The BL3 project
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introduces an old method with a new level of precision, and hopes to shed more light upon this
measurement difference. Before assembly of the apparatus can take place, simulations need to
be performed to test whether or not the design will be effective and safe. This simulation,
written in the software OpenMC, will be one of these, and will be used to predict noise levels
from background gammas, as well as help determine safety for equipment and personnel. This
presentation will detail the current progress of the OpenMC simulation and detail what future
steps will be made towards increasing its efficacy.
25 Using electron-withdrawing groups to enhance the anti-cancer properties of ruthenium(II)
polypyridyl complexes
An Zainetdinova, William R. Leach, Dayanara Mendez
Mentor: Dr. Erin Wachter, Chemistry
With the 49 percent CDC-predicted increase in annual cancer cases by 2050, ruthenium(II)
polypyridyl complexes remain a prospective cancer treatment due to their selective actions on
tumors. Ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes are also promising candidates for phototherapy
due to the ability to activate their cytotoxic properties using light and ultimately reducing offtarget cytotoxicity and debilitating side effects. The introduction of an electron-withdrawing
group at the end of the imidazole-fused phenanthroline ligand has been reported to enhance
the anti-cancer potency of the ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complex. Four light-activated
ruthenium(II) complexes were synthesized with various functional groups attached to an
imidazole-fused phenanthroline ligand. Each complex was characterized by NMR and UV-Vis
spectroscopy and the biological activity was tested in the absence and presence of light
showing promising results.
26 Understanding the Relationships between Spanish Colonial Florida and the Native Timucua
and Seminole Tribes
Dylan Croft
Mentor: Dr. Jonathon Earle, History
European interactions with Native Americans have long been a point of study for historians.
However, until recently, most studies have prioritized European perspectives. This is especially
true when looking at histories of Spanish colonization and their treatment of Native peoples in
Florida. This paper explores how the Spanish colonists interacted with the Native Americans
during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It explores the complex and vibrant life of the
Timucua and eventually the Seminole Tribes that existed in the Spanish Colony of La Florida. In
so doing, it shows how local communities actively shaped and resisted Spanish expansion,
supporting the more recent cases of a Native American history. In turn this helps create a new
narrative that encompasses the stories of the Spanish colony of La Florida.
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27 Un-Dam the Klamath: Restoring Balance the Yurok Way
Jasmine Eleck
Mentor: Dr. Jonathon Earle, History
The largest dam removal and river restoration project in the United States is actively occurring
in Northern California along the Klamath River. The project is the culmination of decades of
indigenous activism that reflects indigenous worldviews. In particular, the Yurok Tribe’s
traditional worldviews of sustainability, responsibility, reciprocity, and justice have challenged
national environmental policy. The Klamath River dam removal project allows for an
exploration of what can occur when Indigenous knowledge production is taken seriously. This
paper explores how the Yurok people, alongside other neighboring tribes in Northern
California, have initiated and imagined dam removal efforts. In doing so, this paper uses Yurok
conceptions of water and mobility to recast histories of environmental recovery in the Pacific
Northwest.
28 From Sugar to Surfing; Hawaiian Tourism's Legacy of Colonialism
Nathan Weaver
Mentor: Dr. Jonathon Earle, History
As recently as the early 1930’s, Hawaii’s economy was driven by sugar, relying on native labor
to keep the industry afloat. As the industry became less profitable, rather than disappear, the
sugar industry morphed into the modern-day tourism industry. The privatization of arable land
by the planter class of white settlers in Hawai’i during the nineteenth century planted the seeds
for the development of tourism infrastructure during the twentieth century. With Hawaii’s
achievement of statehood, neither industry could possibly be decolonized as the exploitation
was often masked by the veil of statehood; turning Hawaiian culture into a commodity. This
paper explores how the tourism industry continues this legacy of exploitation through the
commodification of Hawaii. In doing so, it raises new questions about tourism, colonial legacies,
and modern economics.
29 Nuevo Canción in Guatemala and the Legacies of Resistance
Sophie Hudkins
Mentor: Dr. Jonathon Earle, History
The years following the CIA-backed 1954 coup d’etat are potentially the most tumultuous
Guatemala has ever known. A U.S. installed, authoritarian presidency followed by a series of
military dictatorships granted legitimacy to state-sponsored violence, which was directed
toward broadly indigenous communities who in return acted in resistance. One of the ways in
which liberation theology was spread was through the popularity of Nuevo Canción, a genre of
music which has its roots in the corridos of the Mexican War of Independence and gained
newfound popularity in Latin America throughout the 1960s. This presentation explores the
Nuevo Canción songs of Guatemala, the lives of people who wrote them, the events portrayed
in their lyrics, and their legacies, particularly in the context of Guatemalans who continue using
their music to bring awareness to issues such as socioeconomic inequality, systemic racism, and
government corruption.
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30 A24’s Collaboration with Asian American Cinema: Identity, Culture, and Authorship
Kade Schooling
Mentor: Dr. Jingjing Cai, Chinese
A24, originally a small independent movie distributor, has transformed into one of the most
successful names in Hollywood. In this presentation we argue that A24 has shifted its focus
towards the experiences of US ethnic minorities by collaborating with Asian American directors
to create thought-provoking Asian-themed films. This symbiotic relationship has redefined
subcultures and established A24 as an indie producer with authorial attributes. In their
collaborations, Asian American directors integrate A24's indie filmmaking, youth-focused
content, and elevated genre filmmaking into their works. Within A24's parameters, they
explore diverse facets of Asian American identity and culture from various angles. This study
examines four A24-distributed Asian American films – "The Farewell," "Minari," "Everything
Everywhere All At Once," and "Past Lives" – to analyze how they discuss cultural distinctions,
intergenerational disparities, Asian American emotions, and "the American Dream." By
challenging stereotypes, these films offer alternative viewpoints, enriching cinematic
representations of Asian American identity and culture.
31 Taylor Swift's Vocal Evolution: The Influence of Producers & Songwriters on Swift’s Range
and Tessitura
Elizabeth Briles
Mentor: Dr. Nathan Link, Music
Taylor Swift is one of the most popular singer/songwriters of the twenty-first century. This
presentation explores the evolution of her range and tessitura across her first ten albums.
Looking broadly at the evolution of Swift’s range, her debut album (2006) has a much narrower
range in comparison to evermore (2020), which is vocally more expansive. The primary area of
exploration on Swift’s range and tessitura, however, is the impact that other songwriters and
producers have had on her songs’ first recorded versions. (Not all co-songwriters are
considered: songwriters and producers must have worked on at least three songs to be
included in this project.) As one example, when Swift works with Adam Feeney, Frank Dukes,
and Louis Bell, her tessitura tends to be between a C5-A5; whereas when Swift works with
Aaron Dessner, her tessitura tends to be lower, hovering around an A4
32 Determinants of Housing Prices in Chicago, Illinois
Sydney Gonzalez
Mentor: Dr. Maria Apostolova, Economics
The goal of this research is to assist future homebuyers and sellers. Buyers can use this model
to estimate the price of their future home based on attributes. Sellers can use this model to see
which attributes are valued highly by buyers, which will provide high returns on their
investment. The pricing determinants of houses and apartments has been researched
previously, but there is minimal research focused specifically on the city of Chicago. This paper
investigates the determinants of house and apartment prices in Chicago, Illinois by using a
multiple linear regression model. Using data from Zillow.com, the author finds that the square
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footage, the number of bathrooms, the presence of a basement, and the quality of the school
district are the most significant factors affecting housing prices in Chicago.
33 Fertility In Texas: Unveiling The Drivers of Disparities
Ana Luiza Dörner
Mentor: Dr. Maria Apostolova, Economics
As societies shift toward new cultural, socioeconomic, and health standards, fertility research
continues attempting to capture its future economic impact. These efforts have led to
disagreement about the variables affecting fertility in modern contexts. Thus, this paper
focuses on the factors driving disparities in fertility between counties in the state of Texas, a
much smaller scale than the usual national or international analyses. Utilizing publicly available
data, I find that a 1 pp. increase in the unemployment rate leads to a 1.8% decrease in the
number of births in county i per 1,000 women, and that a 1 pp. increase in the percentage of
insured women is associated with a 0.7% decrease in the number of births per 1,000 women,
ceteris paribus. The median female income and religion were unexpectedly deemed
insignificant in modeling, posing the question of priority shifts.
34 A History of the Combs Center Warehouse
Arthur Jenkins
Mentor: Dr. Sara Egge, History
Built in 1902, the Combs Center Warehouse has been a fixture of the Centre College community
since Centre purchased the property in 1994. The Warehouse has been home to a wide
assortment of businesses including a hemp warehouse, disco hall, and grocery store. It is also
emblematic of the economic and societal changes that have seen Danville shift from an
agricultural town to a small but budding city. As the Warehouse has changed hands over the
past 122 years it has offered a space for new businesses to grow and develop Danville. The
Combs Center Warehouse represents the changing Danville economic and societal landscape,
and it may offer us a view into what is next for Danville.
35 Shaping History: Firing Kentucky Found Clay
Carley Bishop
Mentor: Dr. Brett Werner, Environmental Studies
Terrariums are enclosed environments that simulate large scale ecosystems; they are vessels
that house aspects of the land. In my research, I encapsulated the memory of a place by
creating vessels from the source and filling these vessels with pieces of the land they came
from. I sourced wild clay from Stoney Creek in Frankfort, Kentucky and from the Kentucky River
bank. I refined them using a series of soaking and drying methods and filtration techniques. This
research was a journey of combining art and science under one project.
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36 Centre College Outdoor Program – DLM focus
Olivia Overmohle, AJ Daniels, Oliver Guignon
Mentor: Dr. David Williams, Environmental Studies
An idea for a Centre College Outdoor Program was created through a group of students in HUM
227, Centre Term course. The program's purpose is to enhance students' relationship with
nature, build leadership skills, and improve the quality of life for students at Centre. Centre
promises its students to provide them with a wide range of academia through several majors,
activities, extracurriculars, and general education courses. This outdoor program pitch shows
how Centre can create an opportunity for students to engage in nature and the natural
environment and how this will benefit Centre and its student body overall. The presentation
will explain logistics of the program such as where the program will happen, who will be
involved, what will be needed from Centre, how it connects to a liberal arts education, how we
will address diversity and inclusion within the program, and how students will gain leadership
experience. This specific program would use professors in different specialties to teach DLM
which engage their course specialty with nature throughout their course in hopes of students
becoming more attuned with the natural world that surrounds them. Through DLM, they would
continue to work on writing, speaking, and teamwork; while also putting an emphasis on
leadership. Beginning with excursions to local sites, students would be taught essential outdoor
skills while expanding their knowledge in another area of their choosing.
37 Centre College Outdoor Program – Humanities focus
Jake Ronan, Layce Sanner
Mentor: Dr. David Williams, Environmental Studies
An idea for a Centre College Outdoor Program was created through a group of students in HUM
227, Centre Term course. The program's purpose is to enhance students' relationship with
nature, build leadership skills, and improve the quality of life for students at Centre. Centre
promises its students to provide them with a wide range of academia through several majors,
activities, extracurriculars, and general education courses. This outdoor program pitch shows
how Centre can create an opportunity for students to engage in nature and the natural
environment and how this will benefit Centre and its student body overall. The presentation
will explain logistics of the program such as where the program will happen, who will be
involved, what will be needed from Centre, how it connects to a liberal arts education, how we
will address diversity and inclusion within the program, and how students will gain leadership
experience. This specific program would add Humanities courses to Centre under several
specialties and professors that would provide students with several more general education
requirement courses. The classes would give students the opportunity to learn in the classroom
and explore nature through several excursions throughout the semester focusing on outdoor
adventure competency and skills.
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38 Negotiating Sovereignty: The Ryukyu Disposition and the Struggle for Autonomy
Aidan Isaac
Mentor: Dr. Jonathon Earle, History
The Ryukyu Disposition was a series of negotiations between the Qing Empire and Japan over
the ownership of Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands. These negotiations were brokered by former
President and General Ulysses S. Grant. The ambiguity of the islands led to increased tensions
between the Qing Empire and Japan, as both nations claimed ownership over Ryukyu. After
Japan issued a decree signaling their intent to fully annex Ryukyu, Ryukyuan King Sho Tai
reached out to the Qing to begin negotiations. Previous historians have analyzed this event
from the perspective of the Qing, Japan, and from Grant himself. The Ryukyuans did not have
strong negotiating power, but sought to use their influence to preserve their culture and
identity. In this research paper I will argue that the Ryukyuan government had the agency to
resist Japanese imperial ambitions, and used every political tactic to negotiate a favored
outcome.
39 Transitional Authority in Cambodia: Conflict, Chaos, and Care
Peter McKown
Mentor: Dr. Jonathon Earle, History
This paper explores the transition of Cambodia from a genocidal dictator to a UN-led state,
focusing on the intersection of American foreign policy in Vietnam and regional conflict. Using
international archives and local histories, it examines the conflict in Cambodia, the UN’s
actions, and peace protocols, providing insight into the function of the UN in conflict resolution
and state-building.
40 American and French Revolutionary Nationalisms
Joseph Matthews
Mentor: Dr. Jonathon Earle, History
The latter half of the eighteenth century was a tumultuous era in modern history as the
European models of imperialism and feudalism would see their stature challenged by a wave of
revolutionary ideas brought about by the Enlightenment. Enlightened thinkers spearheaded
this intellectual movement and the most evident results of their ideas culminated in the
American Revolution and the French Revolution. Both revolutions had clear ties to
Enlightenment values, particularly those of liberalism and nationalism. There has been a
growing emphasis on studying these revolutions separately as historians have increasingly
considered the two revolutions to be distinct from one another. This paper will argue that the
ideological ties between the American Revolution and the French Revolution make it so these
two events should always be studied in tandem.
41 Boxing For Their Lives: Boxing Inside Nazi Concentration Camps
Trey Schwalb
Mentor: Dr. Prayat Pudel, Mathematics
During the Holocaust, atrocities were carried out against several minority groups that did not fit
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into the mold of the mythical ideal of the Aryan race. The Jewish people, however, suffered the
most from this persecution inside Nazi death and labor camps that were made to be especially
brutal and deadly during the latter years of World War II following the Conference of Wannsee
in early 1942. One example of this brutality was the use of boxing in concentration camps.
Prisoners were forced to fight to the death for food, water, and other commodities that were
otherwise denied to them. This paper explores the complexities of the sport of boxing in Jewish
prisoners during the War, showing how boxing was utilized inside the concentration camps
against Jewish prisoners. In doing so, it grapples with the question of agency and violence
within the history of the Nazi camp system.
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42 Loss of Erbb2 Triggers Compensatory EGFR Activation in a Mouse Model of Colorectal
Cancer
William Leach
Mentor: Dr. Erin Wachter, Chemistry
ERBB2 is a receptor tyrosine kinase within the ERBB family (EGFR, ERBB3, ERBB4) of
transmembrane proteins. Due to its open conformation, ERBB2 supports higher ligand binding
efficiency upon heterodimerization with other members of the ERBB family and provides more
potent signals to its downstream targets that regulate cell function. Erbb2 has been shown to
be amplified in around 7% of all colorectal cancers, but many of its primary oncogenic functions
are unknown. Tumors were isolated from a transgenic knockout mouse model and control mice
to fully understand how Erbb2 ablation might play a critical factor in the progression of CRC.
Through gene and protein expression, functionality patterns, and predictive analyses, the
heterodimerization and regulatory capabilities of ERBB2 will allow for more targeted
therapeutic approaches in the context of precision medicine while establishing ERBB2
involvement in colorectal cancer progression.
43 Developing high porosity polymers for cysteine capture
Mehak Mittal, Alexandru David
Mentor: Dr. Andrew Hitron, Chemistry
Cysteines within the human body were observed to function as antioxidants, mitigating the
detrimental effects of excessive oxidative stress. Prior research had demonstrated that
acrylamide polymers possessed the capability to bind to oxidized cysteine. There had been
insufficient empirical evidence regarding the reversibility of polymer-cysteine interactions.
Polymers designed for reversible cysteine binding were characterized by limited binding
capacity and high production costs. A highly porous polymer matrix, polyHIPEs, was developed,
facilitating the flow of proteins through the interconnected pores with little resistance. The
synthesis of these polymers involved the emulsion of acrylamide monomers, bis-acrylamide
linkers, and Tween-80 surfactant, with a hexadecane internal phase. Subsequent assessment of
the polymers included density and swellability tests, as well as scanning electron microscopy to
evaluate their porosity.
44 Point-of-Care Trypsin Detection with Nanoparticle µPAD System
Lilly Zehnder, Luc Morgan
Mentor: Dr. Daniel Scott, Chemistry
There is an increased demand for point-of-care (POC) diagnostic systems. POC detection allows
for rapid detection and monitoring of diseases, and in many cases does not require trained
personnel to administer. Early disease detection and monitoring allows more efficient
treatment and thereby more positive outcomes. Microfluidic paper-based analytical devices
(µPADs) offer many advantages when developing POC diagnostics, including portability, costefficient manufacturing, and adaptability for many purposes. With these advantages in mind, a
POC detection system for trypsin was developed combining µPADs and engineered
nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were designed to elicit a signal in the presence of trypsin,
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which was quantified on the µPADs. The system was able to detect increasing concentrations
of trypsin in buffer and multiple biological matrices, while showing no response in the presence
of the non-specific blood proteins, thrombin.
45 Development of High-Porosity Polymers for Cysteine Capture
Srija Badireddi, Ward (Rudy) Alafef
Mentor: Dr. Andrew Hitron, Chemistry
Oxidative stress triggers a variety of chronic and degenerative health conditions, ranging from
cancer and rapid aging to diseases affecting cardiovascular, neurological, respiratory, and renal
health (Pizzino et al., 2017). This research focuses on developing high-porosity, surfacefunctionalized polyacrylamide-based cryogels to capture cellular cysteine, an early indicator for
oxidative stress. Cryogel beads with the desired structural results were prepared through the
pre-freezing method described by Savina et al. [2] or with a higher relative concentration of the
cross-linker N,N’-methylene bisacrylamide to the acrylamide polymer. Current work involves
functionalizing acrylamide polymer chains through a three-step reaction pathway that modifies
amide ends to aldehydes, thiols, and activated disulfides successively.
46 Point-of-care tuberculosis biomarker detection on a µPAD platform
Tenley Soergel, Erika Alonso, Luc Morgan, Lilly Zehnder, Daniel Scott
Mentor: Dr. Daniel Scott, Chemistry
A method to detect the analyte miR-140-5p (a biomarker for tuberculosis (TB)), using a
microfluidic paper-based analytical device (µPAD) and engineered nanoparticles was
developed. µPADs provide a faster and cheaper alternative diagnostic tool for point-of-care
testing, especially in developing countries or rural areas with limited access to healthcare
providers or medical testing facilities. µPADs can be used to successfully detect tuberculosis
over a range of concentrations in four biologically relevant matrices: buffer, saliva, urine, and
serum). To detect TB, magnetic nanoparticles were decorated with biomarker specific probes.
Upon introduction of the TB DNA, a TB specific signal was generated and quantified on the
µPAD platform. The signal increased proportionally with TB biomarker concentration and
detection was successfully achieved in three different matrices: buffer, saliva, and urine. Future
work will optimize performance and confirm specificity and accuracy in the presence
47 Multiplex detection of survivin and tuberculosis biomarkers on a µPAD platform
Erika Alonso, Tenley Soergel, Luc Morgan, Lilly Zehnder
Mentor: Dr. Daniel Scott, Chemistry
Point-of-care (POC) diagnosis devices allow for quick, simple, and accessible disease detection
and monitoring. POC diagnostics are especially useful in underdeveloped and remote areas
where early disease diagnosis is not always available. Microfluidic paper-based analytical
devices (µPADs) are great platforms for POC diagnostic development, being portable, cost
effective, and adaptable for many purposes. Engineered nanoparticles with unique
fluorescence signals can be used in combination with µPAD platforms to develop a multiplexed
POC detection system for simultaneous detection of survivin and tuberculosis biomarkers.
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Unique fluorescent wavelengths were used to distinguish signals from the biomarkers. The
respective fluorescence signals were able to differentiate between the biomarkers and
detection was achieved in buffer and the biological matrices urine, saliva, and serum. This work
demonstrates the feasibility of multiplexed detection of important biomarkers in complex
matrices.
48 Investigating mitofusin as a potential regulator for peroxisomal function
Kevin Williams (Tanushree S. Kumar, Department of Biology, University of Louisville;
Daven Patel, Department of Biology, University of Louisville; Rafael Senos Demarco,
Department of Biology, University of Louisville)
Mentor: Dr. Leonard Demoranville, Chemistry
Understanding the regulatory mechanisms controlling stem cell behavior is extremely useful for
regenerative medicine. We used the stem cell microenvironment (‘niche’) present in the
Drosophila melanogaster testis, which shares several conserved regulatory pathways with
mammalian stem cell systems. Using a fluorescent transgene to investigate peroxisomal
biogenesis, function and morphology (“SKL2-GFP”), we observed that the Depletion of
mitofusin (dMfn), a protein responsible for the fusion of the outer mitochondrial membrane in
germline stem cells (GSCs) resulted in putative loss of peroxisomal function. To determine if
dMfn has a direct or indirect effect on peroxisomal function, we depleted Optic Atrophy 1
(Opa1), which encodes a protein that regulates the fusion of the inner mitochondrial
membrane. In contrast, Opa1 depletion did not change SKL2-GFP import into peroxisomes. Our
preliminary results suggest that dMfn may directly control peroxisomal function.
49 SARS-CoV-2 CURE Project Results Analysis
Gloria Lwin
Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Muzyka, Chemistry
Chemistry 242 students synthesized chalcones as potential inhibitors for the main protease of
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. They also carried out docking calculations, placing
these compounds in the active site of the enzyme. The docking results of the course-based
undergraduate research experience were analyzed using LIGPLOT, DataWarrior, and PyMOL.
This provided patterns to help us understand interactions between specific amino acid residues
and the ligands, resulting in improvement of binding affinity scores. The analysis showed that
more negative minimized Affinity values were produced when the compound had more
interactions with residues CYS145, HIS41, GLY143, and SER144.
50 Gas chromatography analysis of the impacts of ethanol: water mole fraction on guaiacol
headspace concentration
Robert Curran
Mentor: Dr. Leonard Demoranville, Chemistry
It is common practice for people to add ice or a splash of water in order to improve the taste of
whiskey. The chemistry of this preference has yet to be fully understood. Previous
computational studies in the literature have reported that headspace concentration of guaiacol
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should decrease as the molar ratio of ethanol to water increases. In order to confirm these
results Headspace-Gas Chromatography (HS-GC) to experimentally determine the effect of
increasing ethanol concentration in a mixture of ethanol, water, and guaiacol on headspace
concentration of guaiacol. This experimental data confirmed the computational predictions.
Increasing ethanol concentration from 0.4 lead to lower areas suggesting the guaiacol
molecules were in the bulk of the solution rather than the surface layer as previously predicted.
Similar data were obtained for other methoxyphenols.
51 Development of Region-Specific Organic Pesticides Using Indigenous Plant Chemicals
Zachary Gregory
Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Muzyka, Chemistry
This research attempts to address farmers’ skepticism and poor experiences with
commercialized organic pesticides in Southwestern Kentucky. Prevalent sentiment among rural
farmers is that organic agricultural products are “gimmicks,” possibly due to the one-size-fits-all
approach of these products, neglecting regional nuances. The proposed solution involves
extracting phytochemicals from regionally specific indigenous plants, in an attempt to take
advantage of their naturally evolved chemical defenses against local pests. The research
advocates for a region-specific approach to organic pesticide development. By implementing
these phytochemicals into organic pesticides, the aim is to create a tailored, sustainable
solution, addressing skepticism and providing an effective pest management strategy.
Methodology includes identification of phytochemicals, assessment of interactions with pest
species, and eventual synthesis of an organic pesticide.
52 Head-bobbing: What can we learn from a single elephant?
Arabella Fowler
Mentor: Dr. Melissa Burns-Cusato
Stereotypic behaviors in captive animals can stem from many sources, including central nervous
system dysfunction, anticipation of reinforcement, or issues related to well-being. When the
Louisville Zoo observed their Asian elephant, Punch, engaging in stereotypic head bobbing, we
were recruited to identify the source of this behavior so that any possible welfare issues could
be addressed. Punch’s behaviors were coded from over 400 hours of video recordings made
during the summers of 2021, 2022, and 2023. Frequency of head bobbing was highest when
Punch was housed separately from the two other elephants, decreased significantly when
housed together, and did not appear to be affected by the death of a herd member. There was
no difference in the rate of head bobbing between days with and without food-based
enrichment. The data from this study suggests that physical contact with elephant herd
members can be more beneficial in reducing stereotypic head-bobbing than food-based
enrichment.
30
Oral Presentations
Poster Presentations
Abstracts
POSTER PRESENTATIONS ABSTRACTS
53 Measuring the Testing Effect Through ERPs
Anna Shupert, Lily Matthiessen, Anika Rana, Grace Dutcher
Mentor: Dr. KatieAnn Skogsberg
The “testing effect” is a well-known phenomenon in psychology and education research.
Previous researchers have demonstrated that quizzing oneself over material is more effective
than simply re-reading it (Roediger & Karpicke, 2006a, 2006b, 2018). Similarly, EEG research
indicates that the brain produces specific brain waves (ERPs) when we recognize something
meaningful. While EEG research has examined the types of learning and memory associated
with specific patterns of brain activity, few have tried to extend this knowledge into real-world
teaching and learning contexts. Therefore, in this study, we will use EEG to evaluate the efficacy
of two different study methods. Our hypothesis is that those using the read-recall method will
produce a more robust ERP — most likely in the form of a P3 wave — in response to the correct
answer than those in the read-read condition.
54 Accessible and Actionable: A Workbook for Personal Psychological Wellbeing
Spencer Berry
Mentor: Dr. Drew Morris, Psychology
My project, titled Accessible and Actionable: A Workbook for Personal Wellbeing, is a workbook
which details 6 different topics for mental and physical health and wellbeing. Each section
introduces a particular topic, and gives insight into the scientific literature relating to the given
topic with relevant citations. The areas include: 1) Habit formation and environment 2)
Physiological connections to the mind 3) Gratitude 4) Decision fatigue and narrative 5)
Confirmation bias and 6) Mindfulness.
After giving insight into the scientific literature, the book gives a unique activity for each of the
given topics. The intention was to make scientific information on health and wellbeing
accessible (in that the book gives a more simplified version of the conclusion of scientific
papers) and actionable (in that the book gives readers an opportunity to complete an activity
which applies those findings to their own lives).
55 Are You Woke?: Analysis of Sleep Patterns of Centre College Students
Alice Goff, Taylor Webb
Mentor: Dr. Drew Morris, Psychology
Major Purpose: This study aims to analyze the general sleep health and patterns among the
student population. We hypothesize that poorer sleep quality will be associated with higher
levels of sleep disturbance, and also there will be differences in sleep disturbances based on
gender and grade.
Procedure: Participants completed both the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the
Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire. We also used self-report data to observe common
sleep quality, sleep disturbances, and other patterns. Participants received a sleep-tracking
watch to wear for one night of sleep. Implications: The purpose of this study is to gain a better
31
Oral Presentations
Poster Presentations
Abstracts
POSTER PRESENTATIONS ABSTRACTS
understanding of common sleep disturbances on our campus and create dialogue among
students and administration on what can be done to alleviate some of these common
disturbances. This study will also give insight into students’ general sleep health and sleep
patterns, thus allowing for an informed discussion throughout Centre College.
56 Understanding Mathematical Structure through Graphs on Integers
Pierce Mason
Mentor: Dr. Dana Neidmann, Mathematics
The cornerstone of pure mathematics is finding structure and patterns in both old and new
concepts. Researching pure math, then, often involves both the creativity in discovering a
general structure and the rigor/precision in proving properties of that structure. In this
research, we study directed graphs based on a set of rules that send integers to other integers.
This research asks how the graph is altered when we create a new ruleset based on an existing
one. We are particularly interested in the loops of the new graph, where a rule sends some
integer to itself.
57 Projected Climate Change Effects on Wetland Hydroperiods
Abigail Brainard
Mentor: Dr. Brett Werner, Environmental Studies
The rise of global temperatures, driven by increased greenhouse gas emissions, is leading to
more severe and unpredictable precipitation patterns in wetland ecosystems. Using the CCSM
high emission general circulation model, we investigated downscaled temperature and
precipitation data from 2006 to 2099 at five stations across the North American Prairie Pothole
Region of wetlands. This data showed an increase in both temperature and precipitation across
five climate stations, compared to historical data. We then used the WETLANDSCAPE model to
investigate the impact that climatic change had on wetland hydroperiods, which is the length of
time wetlands hold ponded surface water. Preliminary results show these hydroperiods are
shorter, with more time between longer hydroperiod years. More broadly, the change in
hydroperiods and precipitation patterns impacts the lifecycle of vegetation and organisms,
hindering the ecosystem services provided in these locations.
58 The Determinants of College Tuition in the United States
Raegan Richardson
Mentor: Dr. Maria Apostolova, Economics
College tuition is an important consideration when prospective college students are deciding
what institution to attend. It’s important for an institution to set a price that has a good balance
between covering expenses and being affordable to potential students. This research analyzes
the determinants of college tuition for a bachelor’s degree in the United States. One hundred
fifty public institutions were studied, with most data obtained from the National Center for
Education Statistics database. The results of this analysis indicate that the type of degree
offered, the graduation rate, and the total expenditure per student have a statistically
32
Oral Presentations
Poster Presentations
Abstracts
POSTER PRESENTATIONS ABSTRACTS
significant impact on tuition. Surprisingly, factors like the acceptance rate, the student-faculty
ratio, and the size of the enrollment do not appear to influence the tuition cost.
59 The Determinants of Earnings on the PGA Tour
Grace Walker
Mentor: Dr. Maria Apostolova, Economics
Although the game of golf’s popularity is growing rapidly, there is little current research
regarding factors influencing a professional golfer’s earnings. Much previous research uses
older data that may not reflect recent statistics. This paper examines the Professional Golf
Association Tour and the most important factors that determine the annual earnings of
professional golfers using 2022-2023 season data. The results show that a PGA Tour player’s
average score per round is by far the leading determinant of earnings. If a player’s scoring
average increases by 1%, earnings decrease by 93.25%, all else equal. Age, driving distance,
events played, and driving accuracy are also important. Overall, a lucrative PGA Tour season
requires both skill and non-skill variables, but to maximize earnings, a player should primarily
focus on lowering their scoring average.
60 Creating Space for Pollinators: A Case for Monarch Butterflies
Caroline Schoenig
Mentor: Dr. Brett Werner, Environmental Studies
Pollinators are just one of many species that provide ecosystem services essential for all lifethey support food production, plant growth, and global biodiversity. But like many flora and
fauna species, pollinators have been experiencing declines attributed to habitat loss, pesticide
use, and climate change. A well-known pollinator in the United States is the monarch butterfly,
a migratory species that travels between Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, and has lost around
85% of its population since the 1990s. Despite its sharp decline, the monarch butterfly was only
recently considered endangered and has yet to be recognized under the U.S. Endangered
Species Act. There are efforts being made to conserve this species, including the Monarch
Waystation Program created by the conservation group, Monarch Watch. Monarch waystations
are small habitats that provide resources to sustain monarchs as they migrate. And coming May
2024, Centre College will have its own Monarch Waystation.
61 Assessing Accessibility in Student Housing at Centre College
Katia Marusich, Hannah Morrison, Ehthemoo Po, Dr. Siavash Samei
Mentor: Dr. Siavash Samei, Anthropology
Issues of accessibility have long been at the center of conversations at Centre College. These
include retrofitting old buildings, incorporating universal design, and ongoing efforts to provide
more all-gender restrooms. In recognition of and contribution to these continuing efforts to
make our campus ever more inclusive, students in ANT 344 – Mobilities and Migrations class
conducted a study to examine the state of accessibility across several dormitories on campus
with a focus on common spaces such as restrooms, showers, and kitchens, and laundry units.
This study used photographic documentation, interviews, and archival research to identify
33
Oral Presentations
Poster Presentations
Abstracts
POSTER PRESENTATIONS ABSTRACTS
areas of that have seen improvement and remain in need of improvement; evaluate the
efficacy and transparency of existing housing selection policies from a student perspective; and
examine the history of DEI discussion related to housing and dorm access on campus prior to
and following the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990.
62 The Identity of a Philosopher and Her Trade
Lana Amoudi
Mentor: Dr. Eva Cadavid, Philosophy
The Identity of a Philosopher and Her Trade seeks to reimagine a contemporary, ‘post-colonial’
interpretation of ancient philosophical discourse that is all-inclusive of the human experience.
Such inquiry shall critique the publication of white, cis-male-oriented Greek and Roman texts–
namely Plato’s Republic and Aurelius’s Meditations–as fallacious discernments that assume a) a
position of Eurocentric privilege and b) a linear paradigm of societal structure manifested as
hierarchical. The project aims to reclaim the historically patriarchal discipline of philosophy for
the “other,” or the human, by employing ethnocentric ancient philosophies as a means to
expose its target of subordination: the “just, inclusive, and diverse” world of women and people
of color. The following research methods are adopted to achieve the aforementioned: a)
primary and secondary scholarly research b) critical idea development and c) expressive
methodology in the form of poetry.
63 Promoting Wellness Equity: Investigating the Impact of Mindfulness Events in Low-Income
Schools
Sudeep Gadde
Mentor: Dr. Aaron Godlaski, Behavioral Neuroscience
My project aims to investigate the impact of an event related to wellness and mental health for
students in low-income public schools and how it can contribute to social equality by
addressing the systemic behavioral inequities in schools with underrepresented and
marginalized groups. The project aims to address the problem of behavioral disparities and
challenges related to managing anxiety, depression, and attention disorders in low-income
schools. These issues hinder academic achievement and limit opportunities for
socioeconomically disadvantaged students, contributing to the cycle of poverty. To investigate
the impact of a wellness event in low-income public schools, I will utilize a mixed-methods
approach of interviews and data analysis. The research design aims to explore the positive
impact of talking about mindfulness in schools that serve underrepresented and marginalized
groups.
64 Bringing it home: Analyzing the study abroad experiences of students of color and LGBTQ+
students
Kasey Montgomery
Mentor: Dr. Jamie Shenton
Study abroad is accepted widely as a transformative experience for undergraduates, regardless
of identity. My research analyzes study abroad experiences of students of color and members
of the LGBTQ+ community. Data gathered through qualitative interviews and focus groups
34
Oral Presentations
Poster Presentations
Abstracts
POSTER PRESENTATIONS ABSTRACTS
suggest the following: study abroad students with marginalized identities face competing
tensions. While they face vulnerabilities related to their identity they may also be entering a
context where certain identities of theirs are better accepted. These tensions between
vulnerability, community, and connection are context-dependent and vary based on students’
identities, abroad locations, the composition of the group with whom they travel, and their felt
relationship to the college. Study abroad is not a discrete or individual experience; the
experience of vulnerabilities and connections go beyond their time spent away from their home
institution and involve their community.
65 What does being Asian in Kentucky mean to you?
Emma Peterson
Mentor: Dr. Anwesha Kundu, English
What does it mean to be Asian-American? On paper, it means that you are included within East
and South-East Asian countries, as well as the Indian Subcontinent. Within Kentucky, it can
mean a variety of experiences, from first-generation immigration to deep family ties within the
state. The Asian-Kentuckian experience is unique. A mere 1.52% of the Kentucky population, it
entails a diverse and complex experience dependent on your generational ties and location
within Kentucky.
This project’s focus is on identifying and exploring the unique experiences that persons of Asian
descent have living in the Southern United States, specifically Kentucky. Through oral interviews
and research, this project is meant to highlight the importance of educating the general public
on the experiences of Asian-American stories in the hope of advocating against recent Asian
hate movements.
66 Unveiling the Gendered Dynamics of Competitive Gaming: The Case for Riot Games
Lorelei Watson
Mentor: Dr. Kaelyn Wiles, Sociology
This paper delves into the interplay of gender dynamics within the gaming industry, with a
focus on Riot Games and its gaming ecosystem. Through an analysis of the subculture &
context, language, identity, and treatment of women in gaming spaces, this paper uncovers the
nuanced ways in which gender ideologies shape competitive gaming practices. By examining
the phenomenon of "egirling" and the resistance against gendered stereotypes, this paper
sheds light on the complex landscape of gender in competitive games and how the industry can
better address issues faced by women gamers on a day-to-day basis.
35
Oral Presentations
Poster Presentations
Abstracts
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
2024 RICE SYMPOSIUM COMMITTEE
Karoline Manny
Matt Downen
Amy Frederick
Sarthak Behera
Andrew Brown
Eva Cadavid
Jingjing Cai
Bracken Castle
Emily Crabb
Karin Gill
Mei Li Inouye
Drew Morris
Carter Smith
RICE Committee Chair
RICE Committee Secretary
AEGON Gallery Coordinator
Assistant Professor of Economics & Business
Visiting Assistant Professor of Art, Drawing &
Painting
Paul L. Cantrell Associate Professor of Philosophy &
Chair of Gender Studies Program
Assistant Professor of Chinese
Student, Class of 2027
Assistant Professor of Physics
Associate Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience
Assistant Professor of Chinese
Associate Professor of Psychology
Student, Class of 2026
**The RICE Committee is thankful to all faculty mentors working with students to make this
symposium possible. **
36
Oral Presentations
Poster Presentations
Abstracts
600 West Walnut Street ⚫ Danville, Kentucky 40422
859-238-5200
April 18, 2024
Dear RICE participants:
Welcome to the 17th annual Centre College RICE Symposium! This event is the culmination of
Undergraduate Research Week, which features a different research-focused event each day.
The RICE (Research, Internships, and Creative Endeavors) Symposium is a forum for showcasing
the outstanding research achievements, creative endeavors, and independent projects
completed by Centre students. An integral part of experiential learning is moving beyond the
consumption of existing knowledge to becoming an active contributor of new knowledge. RICE
represents a unique opportunity for students to share their contributions in a professional,
scholarly setting that is made rich by the active participation of many members of our
community. This event is part of a week-long celebration of research that includes
opportunities for students to talk informally with faculty members about research
opportunities. It also features a convocation, this year delivered by a panel of Centre Alum:
Vivian Bowles, ‘21, River Fuchs, ‘21 and William Britt, ‘21 who will share their experiences as
researchers while at Centre and their current research projects.
This year, 65 presentations from across the academic disciplines by students are featured,
including 41 oral presentations and 24 poster presentations. In addition, the J.H. Atkins Scholars
Program for Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Social Justice Research will feature the work of five
students at 4:30 PM. On Friday, April 19, students who participated in studio art classes this
academic year will host an exhibit of their work in the AEGON Gallery in the Jones Visual Arts
Center. We invite attendees to attend the various oral and poster presentations, the art
exhibition, and see the diversity of what Centre students offer.
Panels typically take two forms. First, to emphasize the interdisciplinary nature and breath of
the scholarly endeavor at Centre College, many presentations are grouped by topic rather than
discipline. Second, when it is important to emphasize the depth of a particular issue or
collaborative research, such as the study that occurred in an advanced seminar class, a panel
may include presentations from only one discipline.
Each oral presentation is scheduled for 15 minutes, including 12 minutes for presenting and
three for discussion. As a courtesy to presenters, please wait until the end of a presentation to
leave a session. Thank you for your consideration and enjoy the Symposium!
Sincerely,
Karoline Manny and Matt Downen
2024 RICE Symposium Chair and Secretary
2
Oral Presentations
Poster Presentations
Abstracts
OVERVIEW
APRIL 18, 2024
Oral Presentations
Session 1, Young Hall
1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Oral Presentations
Session 2, Young Hall
2:40 p.m. to 3:40 p.m.
Oral Presentations
Session 3, Young Hall
3:50 p.m. to 4:50 p.m.
Atkins Scholars, Young 110
4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Poster Presentations
Lobby, Young Hall
5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
APRIL 19, 2024
Art Exhibition Opening
AEGON Gallery, Jones Visual Arts Center
3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Oral Presentations, at a glance
3
Poster Presentations, at a glance
8
Art Exhibition
11
Oral Presentation Abstracts
12
Poster Presentation Abstracts
27
Committee
36
3
Oral Presentations
Poster Presentations
Abstracts
ORAL PRESENTATIONS AT A GLANCE
SESSION 1-a
Young 111
Moderator
Jamie
Shenton
1:30 p.m.
to
2:30 p.m.
1
Models for “Successful” Aging in a Central Kentucky Assisted
Living Facility
Amberley Clark, Samuel Cotthoff, Sophia Fisher-Cassiol, Ayla
Massey, Nick Minton, Ethan Scott, Brianna Tilley, Nate Vela,
Alexander Wallis, Eliza Williams
SESSION 1-b
Young 112
Moderator
Christian
Wood
1:30 p.m.
2
Racism and Soccer; A Francophone Perspective
Ionut Moga
1:50 p.m.
3
Paris 2024: Sustainability and the Olympics
Jessica Strader
SESSION 1-c
Young 110
Moderator
Bruce
Rodenborn
1:30 p.m.
4
1:50 p.m.
5
2:10 p.m.
6
Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations to Investigate Lithium-ion
Transport Inside Batteries
Chenjie Shang
Reflection Coefficient of Internal Waves
Olivia Roach, Kaden Hueit
Calibrating numerical models of bacteria using macroscopic
measurements
Kathleen (Kate) Brown
SESSION 1-d
Young 138
Moderator
Melissa
BurnsCusato
1:30 p.m.
7
Endogenous Opiates, Incubation, and Pair Bonding in Ringneck
Doves
Abby Jamison, Brenna Hammond
1:50 p.m.
8
Efficacy of 'The Plastic Nightmare' Eco-Comic on Motivation and
Attitudinal Shifts Towards Recycling
Conley Combs
SESSION 1-e
Young 101
Moderator
Jonathon
Earle
1:30 p.m.
9
1:45 p.m.
10
Topographical Engineers: The Masterminds Behind Civil War
Generals
Gavin Fields
Fred Hampton: Political Unity, Assassination, and Memory
Christian Billiter-Jackson
4
Oral Presentations
Poster Presentations
Abstracts
ORAL PRESENTATIONS AT A GLANCE
2:00 p.m.
11
2:15 p.m.
12
Angler-in-Chief: The Politics of Twentieth Century American Fly
Fishing
Hal Taylor
The Radium Craze: A Product and Producer of Gender Constructs
in the United States
Emily Cuzick
10 minute break
SESSION 2-a
Young 111
Moderator
Katrin Bahr
2:40 p.m.
13
Voice of the People: Opera, Cultural Identity, and Politics in
German Romanticism
Trey Fairbairn
Lessons Learned: Comparing the Political Right in Germany and
the United States
Sam Adams
Understudied Jews of São Paulo who Redefined Jewish Ethnic
Identity
João Victor Azevedo
3:00 p.m.
14
3:20 p.m.
15
SESSION 2-b
Young 112
Moderator
Eva Cadavid
2:40 p.m.
16
Education in Ghana
Denae Bénard, Gavin Fields
3:00 p.m.
17
Medical Internship in Merida
Erika Alonso
SESSION 2-c
Young 138
Moderator
Michael
Bradshaw
2:40 p.m.
18
3:00 p.m.
19
3:20 p.m.
20
Reacting to the Registrar: The Process of Delivering a Digital
Product
Odile Clements and the React Team
Combatting the Resource Service Provision Model within
Disability Studies
Diana Sandoval
Silent Struggle: Examining the Impact of Migraines on Students in
Higher Education
Kailey Boyles
5
Oral Presentations
Poster Presentations
Abstracts
ORAL PRESENTATIONS AT A GLANCE
SESSION 2-d
Young 110
Moderator
Jennifer
Goetz
2:40 p.m.
21
3:00 p.m.
22
3:20 p.m.
23
SESSION 2-e
Young 102
Moderator
Mae Scott
2:40 p.m.
24
3:00 p.m.
25
SESSION 2-f
Young 101
Moderator
Jonathon
Earle
2:40 p.m.
26
2:55 p.m.
27
3:10 p.m.
28
3:25 p.m.
29
Let's Pot Plants
Niki Maleki, Ali-Grace Fleeman, John Beebe, Gray Rahbany
The Relation between Belongingness and Mental Health in
College Students
Duerell Bard, Will Kempf, Braden Duncan, Ella Treinen
Challenges and Experiences of Students of Color in Higher
Education
Soleila Elliot Gonzalez, Janea Bottinelli, Adriana Gonzalez-Alvizures,
Joseline Viera
Neutronics work for the BL3 team in OpenMC
Henry Crumley
Using electron-withdrawing groups to enhance the anti-cancer
properties of ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes
An Zainetdinova, William R. Leach, Dayanara Mendez
Understanding the Relationships between Spanish Colonial
Florida and the Native Timucua and Seminole Tribes
Dylan Croft
Un-Dam the Klamath: Restoring Balance the Yurok Way
Jasmine Eleck
From Sugar to Surfing; Hawaiian Tourism's Legacy of Colonialism
Nathan Weaver
Nuevo Canción in Guatemala and the Legacies of Resistance
Sophie Hudkins
10 Minute Break
SESSION 3-a
Young 111
Moderator
Jingjing Cai
3:50 p.m.
30
4:10 p.m.
31
.
A24’s Collaboration with Asian American Cinema: Identity,
Culture, and Authorship
Kade Schooling
Taylor Swift's Vocal Evolution: The Influence of Producers &
Songwriters on Swift’s Range and Tessitura
Elizabeth Briles
(This presentation is double length and will run until 4:50)
6
Oral Presentations
Poster Presentations
Abstracts
ORAL PRESENTATIONS AT A GLANCE
SESSION 3-b
Young 112
Maria
Apostolova
3:50 p.m.
32
4:10 p.m.
33
4:30 p.m.
34
SESSION 3-c
Young 110
Moderator
David
Williams
3:50 p.m.
35
4:10 p.m.
36
4:30 p.m.
37
SESSION 3-d
Young 101
Moderator
Jonathon
Earle
3:50 p.m.
38
4:05 p.m.
39
4:20 p.m.
40
4:35 p.m.
41
Determinants of Housing Prices in Chicago, Illinois
Sydney Gonzalez
Fertility In Texas: Unveiling The Drivers of Disparities
Ana Luiza Dörner
A History of the Combs Center Warehouse - Cancelled
Arthur Jenkins
Shaping History: Firing Kentucky Found Clay
Carley Bishop
Centre College Outdoor Program – DLM focus
Olivia Overmohle, AJ Daniels, Oliver Guignon
Centre College Outdoor Program – Humanities focus
Jake Ronan, Layce Sanner
Negotiating Sovereignty: The Ryukyu Disposition and the Struggle
for Autonomy
Aidan Isaac
Transitional Authority in Cambodia: Conflict, Chaos, and Care
Peter McKown
American and French Revolutionary Nationalisms
Joseph Matthews
Boxing For Their Lives: Boxing Inside Nazi Concentration Camps
Trey Schwalb
J.H. Atkins Scholars Program
Young 113
Moderated
by the
Atkins
committee:
Melinda
Weathers,
Genevieve
Bell,
Michelle
Burdine,
and Jamie
Shenton
4:30 p.m.
to
5:30 p.m.
The Atkins Scholars Program supports research or art focused on
diversity, inclusion, equity and social justice. This year’s scholars
are:
The Identity of a Philosopher and Her Trade
Lana Amoudi
Promoting Wellness Equity: Investigating the Impact of
Mindfulness Events in Low-Income Schools
Sudeep Gadde
Bringing it home: Analyzing the study abroad experiences of
students of color and LGBTQ+ students
Kasey Montgomery
What does being Asian in Kentucky mean to you?
Emma Peterson
Unveiling the Gendered Dynamics of Competitive Gaming: The
Case for Riot Games
Lorelei Watson
7
Oral Presentations
Poster Presentations
Abstracts
POSTER PRESENTATIONS AT A GLANCE
5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Atrium of Young Hall
42. Loss of Erbb2 Triggers Compensatory EGFR Activation in a Mouse Model of
Colorectal Cancer
William Leach
43. Developing high porosity polymers for cysteine capture
Mehak Mittal, Alexandru David
44. Point-of-Care Trypsin Detection with Nanoparticle µPAD System
Lilly Zehnder, Luc Morgan
45. Development of High-Porosity Polymers for Cysteine Capture
Srija Badireddi, Ward (Rudy) Alafef
46. Point-of-care tuberculosis biomarker detection on a µPAD platform
Tenley Soergel, Erika Alonso, Luc Morgan, Lilly Zehnder, Daniel Scott
47. Multiplex detection of survivin and tuberculosis biomarkers on a µPAD platform
Erika Alonso, Tenley Soergel, Luc Morgan, Lilly Zehnder
48. Investigating mitofusin as a potential regulator for peroxisomal function
Kevin Williams (Tanushree S. Kumar Department of Biology, University of Louisville
Daven Patel Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Rafael Senos Demarco
Department of Biology, University of Louisville)
49. SARS-CoV-2 CURE Project Results Analysis
Gloria Lwin
50. Gas chromatography analysis of the impacts of ethanol: water mole fraction on
guaiacol headspace concentration
Robert Curran
51. Development of Region-Specific Organic Pesticides Using Indigenous Plant Chemicals
Zachary Gregory
52. Head-bobbing: What can we learn from a single elephant?
Arabella Fowler
8
Oral Presentations
Poster Presentations
Abstracts
POSTER PRESENTATIONS AT A GLANCE
5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Atrium of Young Hall
53. Measuring the Testing Effect Through ERPs
Anna Shupert, Lily Matthiessen, Anika Rana, Grace Dutcher
54. Accessible and Actionable: A Workbook for Personal Psychological Wellbeing
Spencer Berry
55. Are You Woke?: Analysis of Sleep Patterns of Centre College Students
Alice Goff, Taylor Webb
56. Understanding Mathematical Structure through Graphs on Integers
Pierce Mason
57. Projected Climate Change Effects on Wetland Hydroperiods
Abigail Brainard
58. The Determinants of College Tuition in the United States
Raegan Richardson
59. The Determinants of Earnings on the PGA Tour
Grace Walker
60. Creating Space for Pollinators: A Case for Monarch Butterflies
Caroline Schoenig
61. Assessing Accessibility in Student Housing at Centre College
Katia Marusich, Hannah Morrison, Ehthemoo Po
62. The Identity of a Philosopher and Her Trade
Lana Amoudi
63. Promoting Wellness Equity: Investigating the Impact of Mindfulness Events in LowIncome Schools
Sudeep Gadde
64. Bringing it home: Analyzing the study abroad experiences of students of color and
LGBTQ+ students
Kasey Montgomery
9
Oral Presentations
Poster Presentations
Abstracts
POSTER PRESENTATIONS AT A GLANCE
5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Atrium of Young Hall
65. What does being Asian in Kentucky mean to you?
Emma Peterson
66. Unveiling the Gendered Dynamics of Competitive Gaming: The Case for Riot Games
Lorelei Watson
10
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1 Models for “Successful” Aging in a Central Kentucky Assisted Living Facility
Amberley Clark, Samuel Cotthoff, Sophia Fisher-Cassiol, Ayla Massey, Nick Minton, Ethan Scott,
Brianna Tilley, Nate Vela, Alexander Wallis, Eliza Williams
Mentor: Dr. Jamie Shenton, Anthropology
This session will present the ongoing research of students in ANT 301: Qualitative Field
Methods. Students partner with an assisted living facility in Danville, KY. Their research aims to
understand various dimensions of successful aging within the context of this assisted living
facility. What are the models for aging our society has developed, and in what ways do they
represent or fail to represent the lived experiences of the elderly in this assisted living facility?
Students will explore these questions in a variety of ways: gendered experiences of aging; social
versus medical models for aging; dependence, independence, and interdependence; home;
care and love; loneliness; activities; among others.
2 Racism and Soccer; A Francophone Perspective
Ionut Moga
Mentor: Dr. Christian Wood, French
This presentation explores the topic of racism in the world of soccer in two major francophone
countries: Belgium and France. Considering various opinions from academics, social campaigns,
former players, and coaches, the presentation offers solutions in dealing with racism in soccer
culture, with strategies that impact young children to older adults. The format comes from a
timely and pivotal virtual conference based out of Belgium in 2021.
3 Paris 2024: Sustainability and the Olympics
Jessica Strader
Mentor: Dr. Christian Wood, French
The Olympic Games represent a worldwide sensation for athletic competition and sports
entertainment while also being the subject of controversy and debate. Sparked by increasing
concern for the climate crisis, the Paris Summer Olympics (2024) has pledged to establish a
new, more sustainable Olympic model, e.g. setting unprecedented goals for halving the carbon
emissions of previous games. Examining microcosmic controversies among local francophone
populations and connecting them back to the whole of Paris 2024, this project analyzes the
environmental impact with such guiding topics as the extent to which this may or may not be a
genuine interest in sustainability and a representative interest of the people and regions
impacted.
4 Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations to Investigate Lithium-ion Transport Inside Batteries
Chenjie Shang
Mentor: Dr. Emily Crabb, Physics
Batteries are an indispensable tool in people's daily life. However, current batteries have many
limitations, so further research is needed to improve the quality of batteries. I have used
computational techniques to study how batteries work at the molecular level and molecular
dynamics techniques to study the effect of electrolyte composition by examining the
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movement of Li ions in mixtures of different proportions of PC and MTBE. The goal is to use
these results to determine whether a mixture of different electrolytes may produce more ideal
Li ion transport behavior than a single substance does. I utilized supercomputers to track
particles in a model at different timesteps and obtain properties such as equilibrium density,
diffusion coefficient, coordination numbers, and residence time. I will show my current results
during the presentation, though further study about how the lithium-ion moves inside the
electrolyte will be required to find an optimal electrolyte mixture.
5 Reflection Coefficient of Internal Waves
Olivia Roach, Kaden Hueit
Mentor: Dr. Bruce Rodenborn, Physics
Internal waves are an unusual subsurface wave in the ocean created primarily by the motion of
the tides. These waves may be important in the redistribution of tidal energy within the ocean,
which in turn is important for understanding global ocean currents and global weather. These
waves also cause the erosion of continental shelves to the same angle as tidally generated
waves. We analyze this problem using the reflection coefficient of internal waves defined as the
ratio of outgoing energy to the incoming wave beam energy. Our experiments use microscopic
particles illuminated with a laser to determine the velocity field and the energy flux of the
internal waves from movie image data. These data are used to determine the dependence of
the reflection coefficient on different types of boundaries: a smooth boundary and horizontal
boundaries with sinusoidal roughness. We compare our results to the theory for such internal
waves and find good agreement. We have found that a rough boundary.
6 Calibrating numerical models of bacteria using macroscopic measurements
Kathleen (Kate) Brown
Mentor: Dr. Bruce Rodenborn, Physics
The swimming of microorganisms is typically studied using biological experiments and/or
numerical simulations. Our research group uses macroscopic models of bacteria in highly
viscous silicone oil to create dynamically similar table-top experiments to test theories for
objects such as cylinders, spheres, and helices moving in Stokes (low Reynolds number) flow
near a boundary. We can then measure the forces and torques more easily and scale the results
from our dynamically similar experiments to biologically relevant sizes. Our results have
confirmed for the first time the theory of Lee and Leal (1980) for the force and torque on a
sphere approaching a plane wall, as reported in Nguyen et al., Sci. Rep. (2024). Our
collaborators at Trinity University use these data of force and torque at various distances from
the boundary to calibrate the Method of Images for Regularized Stokeslets (MIRS) for use as a
noninvasive probe of bacterial swimming dynamics.
7 Endogenous Opiates, Incubation, and Pair Bonding in Ringneck Doves
Abby Jamison, Brenna Hammond
Mentor: Dr. Melissa Burns-Cusato, Behavioral Neuroscience
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Previous research has found a connection between the endogenous opiate system and parental
incubation behavior in ringneck doves (Streptopelia risoria). Prior experiments indicate that
incubation and pair-bonding behavior are facilitated by opiate-mediated projections from the
mPOA to the VTA, and may be strengthened by mesotocin, the avian oxytocin analog. However,
it is also plausible that incubation reinforcement and mate reinforcement are not facilitated by
the same mechanism. The aim of the current study is to explore the neural mechanism
underlying pair bonding and incubation behavior. The study investigates the effects of an opiate
antagonist (naloxone) on the incubation and pair-bonding behavior in male and female
ringneck doves. The use of an opiate antagonist blocks the possible projections from the mPOA
to the VTA, disrupting the neural mechanism. Preliminary research indicates that incubation
and mate reward likely operate on similar, but not identical systems.
8 Efficacy of 'The Plastic Nightmare' Eco-Comic on Motivation and Attitudinal Shifts Towards
Recycling
Conley Combs
Mentor: Dr. Aaron Godlaski, Psychology
Impact of reading the educational eco-comic "Plastic Nightmare” on attitude towards recycling
amongst college students was surveyed. As the environmental crisis looms and action remains
inadequate the need for innovative educational intervention grows. The literature on ecocomics demonstrates its validity as a medium for environmental education (McLaughlin, 2013).
However, the literature is limited to childhood and adolescent audiences thus neglecting young
adults. It was hypothesized that after reading the comic participants will have better attitudes
towards recycling. The MTES (Pelletier et al. 1998) and a constructed measure grounded in the
COM-B behavior change model was used to discern if the comic influenced college students’
attitudes towards their own capability, motivation, and opportunity to recycle. Results revealed
a significant impact of reading the comic on the COM-B measure, suggesting eco-comics are
effective for the college audience, implications are discussed.
9 Topographical Engineers: The Masterminds Behind Civil War Generals
Gavin Fields
Mentor: Dr. Jonathon Early, History
Topographic engineers were key to successful battle performance during the Civil War era.
Topographic engineers have been a marginalized group of study among historians, even though
they had an immense impact throughout the War. Due to other conflicts within North America,
these men started to become influential before the war broke out. When the Civil War started,
the Union and the Confederacy scrambled to obtain the most functional map makers in the
country. General W.F. Smith was one of the best topographers for the Union army and, for the
Confederacy, Jed Hotchkiss, who was arguably the most famous topographer of the time. This
paper explores how these topographers continued their significance after the war, especially
during Westward Expansion. In doing so, it provides new ways of thinking about the history of
American mapping.
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10 Fred Hampton: Political Unity, Assassination, and Memory
Christian Billiter-Jackson
Mentor: Dr. Jonathon Early, History
Fred Hampton is one of the most prominent figures in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. During
his time as an activist, he dedicated his life to helping gain political unity with diverse
communities in Chicago. His main focus was social and economic justice. Despite being brutally
assassinated by the Chicago Police Department in his home, he was still cared for by his
followers. My paper explores Fred Hampton’s efforts to unite different communities for social
and economic justice in 1960s Chicago. Further, it examines the controversial details
surrounding his death and assassination. Finally, it wishes to assess Hampton’s legacy and how
his memory is deployed for larger struggles concerning equality and justice in America for
African Americans.
11 Angler-in-Chief: The Politics of Twentieth Century American Fly Fishing
Hal Taylor
Mentor: Dr. Jonathon Early, History
The iconography associated with fly fishing paints a picture of the American experience from
triumph to tragedy. The intimate relationship between fly fishing and the angler has been well
explored from poets to scientists. However, little scholarly research has been done to exam the
relationship between Presidents, their angling pursuits, and their intersection with domestic
and foreign policy. Through the examination of memoirs, legislation, and records this paper
casts a line that connects public policy to the seemingly private experience of fishing. By doing
so, this expands the way we think about recreational hobbies and their political permutations.
12 The Radium Craze: A Product and Producer of Gender Constructs in the United States
Emily Cuzick
Mentor: Dr. Jonathon Early, History
In 1898, Marie and Pierre Curie discovered what soon came to be known as a “miracle”
element: radium. The United States experienced a radium craze throughout the early twentieth
century as various products said to contain the element were created and marketed for the
American public. By the 1920s, radium’s carefully curated image as a miracle cure-all began to
dissipate as its propensity for harm gained increasing attention in the media, especially among
female radium dial workers. This paper uses newspaper articles and advertisements to explore
how the U.S. radium craze was gendered. In doing so, it shows how the creation, marketing,
and consumption of radium products shaped and were shaped by ideas about femininity and
masculinity.
13 Voice of the People: Opera, Cultural Identity, and Politics in German Romanticism
Trey Fairbairn
Mentor: Dr. Ian Wilson, German
This research explores the intersection of opera, cultural identity, and politics in Germany by
examining the rise of German language opera and its connection to a growing sense of
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nationhood. Italy’s role in the early history of opera had ensured that the Italian language and
classical ideas and mythologies were the norm in opera for centuries. But in the late 1700s,
Opera composers broke through these restrictions and began employing German libretti and
Germanic themes. That brought opera into the foreground of vast political and societal change
in relation to literary movements and political nationalism. This project examines the operas,
Der Freischütz and Tannhäuser, to show how they exemplify this growing sense of nationhood
in the language of the libretti, the plot elements, and the music in order to demonstrate the
connection of all these facets to the broader societal trends of the German speaking world
during the Romantic period.
14 Lessons Learned: Comparing the Political Right in Germany and the United States
Sam Adams
Mentor: Dr. Katrin Bahr, German
The United States and Germany are both experiencing broader trends toward the radical right,
exemplified by the growing popularity of right-wing extremism within the Republican Party and
of the AfD (Alternative for Germany). This presentation discusses the strategies these
movements use to garner political support, including appeals to populism, migrant
antagonization, and contradiction of democratic safeguards. I will argue that despite important
differences between the two movements’ votership and roles within their respective political
contexts, both have gained support from populations that feel underrepresented,
disenfranchised, or dissatisfied with their country’s political, societal, and economic situation.
Drawing comparisons between the two parties reveals the severe political challenges posed to
democratic institutions and consequently, the precarious situation both countries face in
upcoming elections.
15 Understudied Jews of São Paulo who Redefined Jewish Ethnic Identity
João Victor Azevedo
Mentor: Dr. Satty Flaherty-Echeverría, Spanish & Latin American Studies
This research examines the fundamental role of progressive Jews in confronting the
nationalistic and xenophobic Brazilian Dictatorship (1964-1985) in Nossa Voz [Our Voice]. In
opposition to the affirmation that Jews migrating from Eastern Europe rooted their identity in
twentieth-century Judaism (Topel, 2008), my research shows how Jews who migrated to São
Paulo as members of the Social Democratic Association Bund adhered to strict rules for political
association. The Bund immigrants strengthened their identity through socialism and Yiddish
culture. In Bom Retiro, São Paulo, Sociedade Israelita Brasileira de Educação e Cultura - SholemAleichem created a Yiddish school, a Brazilian Israeli Art Theater, and a bilingual newspaper in
Yiddish and Brazilian Portuguese to emphasize indignation against Nazism and the Brazilian
Dictatorship. Asserting simultaneously their Brazilianness and Jewishness, they became targets
of government persecution and often resulting in exile.
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16 Education in Ghana
Denae Bénard, Gavin Fields
Mentor: Dr. Sarah Murray, Education
Over this past CentreTerm, co-presenters traveled to Ghana and observed the Ghanaian
education system. This was a great opportunity to compare and contrast the American
education system with another country. This RICE presentation will examine specific findings
from this experience and how it connects to education classes here at Centre. Here we will
discuss how we were first shocked about our experience and how we grew into a more
engaged stage throughout our stay in Ghana. We are both education minors at Centre, and this
opportunity allowed us to branch out and observe how students and teachers function within a
different education system. Studying Abroad at Centre is a privilege, and we were able to use
this experience to better prepare ourselves for our future endeavors as educators..
17 Medical Internship in Merida
Erika Alonso
Mentor: Dr. Genny Ballard, Spanish
Following an internship during Centre Term at a private Mexican hospital, Clinica de Merida, I
received hands-on experience with medical procedures. In Merida, I was given the opportunity
to deliver a baby, suture a head injury, and assist in the emergency room. Furthermore, I gained
experience by administering injections, measuring vital signs, and interpreting medical tests.
Through shadowing various physicians, I learned about different medical conditions along with
how practitioners at the clinic take a more holistic approach to patient treatment. Towards the
end of my time in Merida, I spent a few days in a public hospital, Hospital General Agustín
O’Horán, which demonstrated the stark differences between the level of care provided in the
private and public healthcare sectors in Merida. This internship is a great opportunity for
students interested in pursuing a medical career and learning about the contrasts in the global
healthcare system.
18 Reacting to the Registrar: The Process of Delivering a Digital Product
Odile Clements and the React Team
Mentor: Dr. Michael Bradshaw, Computer Science and Data Science
Centre has historically lacked comprehensive resources for prospective and enrolled students
to understand what credits they can transfer in. Based upon specifications from the registrar,
we used the web development framework ReactJS to create such a resource. We worked
directly with Centre’s communications department to match the tool’s visual design with that
of Centre’s public website, and implemented robust testing using vitest to comply with industry
best practices. Furthermore, we established a development pipeline to allow future groups of
students to update the tool. Future work on this project could include the addition of
information on study abroad credits and automated updates of the tool’s content when the
registrar's office updates its list of approved transfer credits.
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19 Combatting the Resource Service Provision Model within Disability Studies
Diana Sandoval
Mentor: Dr. Kristen Kolenz, International Studies
Disability resources are distributed through need-based accommodations, meeting
physical needs but not emotional needs. Drawing on data from interviews with Centre students
from Fall 2023, I explain that students access disability resources through a “service provision
model,” providing an accommodation service but generating hidden labor for students when
resources do not fully meet emotional needs. Through the lens of critical disability theory,
specifically the Promethean aspiration of control (Sandel, 2007), I examine the “service
provision model” as it unintentionally dehumanizes those in need of resources, removing
compassion and empathy from interactions with resource providers. Resources that do not
humanize and compassionately support students inherently become ineffective and create a
significant mental load that can only be met through willing empathetic care work within
resource management. To combat this, resource management teams must have access to
trauma-informed and empathy skills training for more impactful, humanizing, and effective
resources for students.
20 Silent Struggle: Examining the Impact of Migraines on Students in Higher Education
Kailey Boyles
Mentor: Dr. Sarah Murray, Education
In the United States, over 42 million Americans experience migraines, a genetic
neurologic disease. Of these people, many will experience chronic severe migraines,
where days out of every week will result in debilitating neurological symptoms. For
students in higher education, migraines are a severe academic detriment to their time at
university and are vastly misunderstood in social settings. Instead of being classified as a
general headache, chronic migraine patients show widespread functional and structural
alterations of cortical and subcortical pain-related areas of the brain. Additionally, despite its
commonality, migraine research is the least publicly funded of all neurological illnesses. As
such, the challenges students in higher education face are increased by a lack of representation
and awareness within college administration. Citing sources like the National Headache
Foundation and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, I will examine the
struggles faced by students with migraines from existing research throughout the country and
include my own anecdotes as a student affected.
21 Let's Pot Plants
Niki Maleki, Ali-Grace Fleeman, John Beebe, Gray Rahbany
Mentor: Dr. Aaron Godlaski, Behavioral Neuroscience and Psychology
The use of plants in indoor spaces continues to surge in popularity. The trend of plant-keeping
corresponds with positive associations between caretaker and plant. Increased engagement
with plants can improve mental wellbeing in individuals and offer aesthetic value to indoor
spaces. Further study of how engagement with plants in indoor spaces can improve mental
wellbeing is needed. In this study, college students planted succulents and personalized a pot.
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Participants cared for their plants for three weeks, and mood and wellbeing were assessed
before and after the study using DASS, BMIS, and INS scales. Results demonstrated that
students who cared for plants experienced an increase in positive mood and decrease in
depression, anxiety, and stress after three weeks..
22 The Relation between Belongingness and Mental Health in College Students
Duerell Bard, Will Kempf, Braden Duncan, Ella Treinen
Mentor: Dr. Jan Wertz, Psychology
Previous research indicates that poor sense of belonging correlates with both poor academic
performance and poor mental health outcomes (Ahn & Davis, 2023; MacNear & Hunter, 2023;
Rainey et al., 2018). There are also findings indicating that students of color experience less
sense of belonging on college campuses (Cureton & Gravestock, 2019; Fischer, 2007) and that
students of color have worse mental health outcomes than their white peers (Lipson et al.,
2018). We want to determine the impacts of a sense of belonging on a college campus on
symptoms of depression and anxiety and we want to analyze potential disparities due to race.
We hypothesize that there will be an inverse relationship between sense of belonging and
symptoms of depression. We hypothesize that increased extroversion and increased campus
involvement will correlate with a higher sense of belonging. Lastly, hypothesize that students of
color will report experiencing less sense of belonging.
23 Challenges and Experiences of Students of Color in Higher Education
Soleila Elliot Gonzalez, Janea Bottinelli, Adriana Gonzalez-Alvizures, Joseline Viera
Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Goetz, Psychology
Students of color (SOCs) make up 33% of undergraduate students (Nam, 2023) and 21% of the
Centre College student population as of 2024 (USNews, 2024). Projections suggest that by 2050
as much as 57% will be students of color (Merod, 2023), which creates a greater need to
understand SOC experiences. Challenges for SOCs at predominantly white institutions (PWIs)
include navigating the college environment, language barriers, and discrimination and racism,
which predict lower levels of belonging and completion of college degrees. US universities
emphasize middle-class and individualistic values (Fryberg et al., 2012), including separating
from family and pursuing individual paths. In contrast, SOCs come from more interdependent
cultures, emphasizing contributions to community, family, and the group over pursuing
individual goals and aspirations. In our work, we use semi-structured interviews to understand
how these factors play out for Centre College students of color.
24 Neutronics work for the BL3 team in OpenMC
Henry Crumley
Mentor: Dr. Mae Scott, Physics
When neutrons are outside the nuclei of atoms, they have an expiration date (called the
neutron lifetime) before decaying into a proton and releasing an electron and antineutrino. This
is known as Free Neutron Beta Decay. In recent years, more precise measurements have
revealed a lifetime discrepancy depending on the method of measurement. The BL3 project
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introduces an old method with a new level of precision, and hopes to shed more light upon this
measurement difference. Before assembly of the apparatus can take place, simulations need to
be performed to test whether or not the design will be effective and safe. This simulation,
written in the software OpenMC, will be one of these, and will be used to predict noise levels
from background gammas, as well as help determine safety for equipment and personnel. This
presentation will detail the current progress of the OpenMC simulation and detail what future
steps will be made towards increasing its efficacy.
25 Using electron-withdrawing groups to enhance the anti-cancer properties of ruthenium(II)
polypyridyl complexes
An Zainetdinova, William R. Leach, Dayanara Mendez
Mentor: Dr. Erin Wachter, Chemistry
With the 49 percent CDC-predicted increase in annual cancer cases by 2050, ruthenium(II)
polypyridyl complexes remain a prospective cancer treatment due to their selective actions on
tumors. Ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes are also promising candidates for phototherapy
due to the ability to activate their cytotoxic properties using light and ultimately reducing offtarget cytotoxicity and debilitating side effects. The introduction of an electron-withdrawing
group at the end of the imidazole-fused phenanthroline ligand has been reported to enhance
the anti-cancer potency of the ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complex. Four light-activated
ruthenium(II) complexes were synthesized with various functional groups attached to an
imidazole-fused phenanthroline ligand. Each complex was characterized by NMR and UV-Vis
spectroscopy and the biological activity was tested in the absence and presence of light
showing promising results.
26 Understanding the Relationships between Spanish Colonial Florida and the Native Timucua
and Seminole Tribes
Dylan Croft
Mentor: Dr. Jonathon Earle, History
European interactions with Native Americans have long been a point of study for historians.
However, until recently, most studies have prioritized European perspectives. This is especially
true when looking at histories of Spanish colonization and their treatment of Native peoples in
Florida. This paper explores how the Spanish colonists interacted with the Native Americans
during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It explores the complex and vibrant life of the
Timucua and eventually the Seminole Tribes that existed in the Spanish Colony of La Florida. In
so doing, it shows how local communities actively shaped and resisted Spanish expansion,
supporting the more recent cases of a Native American history. In turn this helps create a new
narrative that encompasses the stories of the Spanish colony of La Florida.
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27 Un-Dam the Klamath: Restoring Balance the Yurok Way
Jasmine Eleck
Mentor: Dr. Jonathon Earle, History
The largest dam removal and river restoration project in the United States is actively occurring
in Northern California along the Klamath River. The project is the culmination of decades of
indigenous activism that reflects indigenous worldviews. In particular, the Yurok Tribe’s
traditional worldviews of sustainability, responsibility, reciprocity, and justice have challenged
national environmental policy. The Klamath River dam removal project allows for an
exploration of what can occur when Indigenous knowledge production is taken seriously. This
paper explores how the Yurok people, alongside other neighboring tribes in Northern
California, have initiated and imagined dam removal efforts. In doing so, this paper uses Yurok
conceptions of water and mobility to recast histories of environmental recovery in the Pacific
Northwest.
28 From Sugar to Surfing; Hawaiian Tourism's Legacy of Colonialism
Nathan Weaver
Mentor: Dr. Jonathon Earle, History
As recently as the early 1930’s, Hawaii’s economy was driven by sugar, relying on native labor
to keep the industry afloat. As the industry became less profitable, rather than disappear, the
sugar industry morphed into the modern-day tourism industry. The privatization of arable land
by the planter class of white settlers in Hawai’i during the nineteenth century planted the seeds
for the development of tourism infrastructure during the twentieth century. With Hawaii’s
achievement of statehood, neither industry could possibly be decolonized as the exploitation
was often masked by the veil of statehood; turning Hawaiian culture into a commodity. This
paper explores how the tourism industry continues this legacy of exploitation through the
commodification of Hawaii. In doing so, it raises new questions about tourism, colonial legacies,
and modern economics.
29 Nuevo Canción in Guatemala and the Legacies of Resistance
Sophie Hudkins
Mentor: Dr. Jonathon Earle, History
The years following the CIA-backed 1954 coup d’etat are potentially the most tumultuous
Guatemala has ever known. A U.S. installed, authoritarian presidency followed by a series of
military dictatorships granted legitimacy to state-sponsored violence, which was directed
toward broadly indigenous communities who in return acted in resistance. One of the ways in
which liberation theology was spread was through the popularity of Nuevo Canción, a genre of
music which has its roots in the corridos of the Mexican War of Independence and gained
newfound popularity in Latin America throughout the 1960s. This presentation explores the
Nuevo Canción songs of Guatemala, the lives of people who wrote them, the events portrayed
in their lyrics, and their legacies, particularly in the context of Guatemalans who continue using
their music to bring awareness to issues such as socioeconomic inequality, systemic racism, and
government corruption.
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30 A24’s Collaboration with Asian American Cinema: Identity, Culture, and Authorship
Kade Schooling
Mentor: Dr. Jingjing Cai, Chinese
A24, originally a small independent movie distributor, has transformed into one of the most
successful names in Hollywood. In this presentation we argue that A24 has shifted its focus
towards the experiences of US ethnic minorities by collaborating with Asian American directors
to create thought-provoking Asian-themed films. This symbiotic relationship has redefined
subcultures and established A24 as an indie producer with authorial attributes. In their
collaborations, Asian American directors integrate A24's indie filmmaking, youth-focused
content, and elevated genre filmmaking into their works. Within A24's parameters, they
explore diverse facets of Asian American identity and culture from various angles. This study
examines four A24-distributed Asian American films – "The Farewell," "Minari," "Everything
Everywhere All At Once," and "Past Lives" – to analyze how they discuss cultural distinctions,
intergenerational disparities, Asian American emotions, and "the American Dream." By
challenging stereotypes, these films offer alternative viewpoints, enriching cinematic
representations of Asian American identity and culture.
31 Taylor Swift's Vocal Evolution: The Influence of Producers & Songwriters on Swift’s Range
and Tessitura
Elizabeth Briles
Mentor: Dr. Nathan Link, Music
Taylor Swift is one of the most popular singer/songwriters of the twenty-first century. This
presentation explores the evolution of her range and tessitura across her first ten albums.
Looking broadly at the evolution of Swift’s range, her debut album (2006) has a much narrower
range in comparison to evermore (2020), which is vocally more expansive. The primary area of
exploration on Swift’s range and tessitura, however, is the impact that other songwriters and
producers have had on her songs’ first recorded versions. (Not all co-songwriters are
considered: songwriters and producers must have worked on at least three songs to be
included in this project.) As one example, when Swift works with Adam Feeney, Frank Dukes,
and Louis Bell, her tessitura tends to be between a C5-A5; whereas when Swift works with
Aaron Dessner, her tessitura tends to be lower, hovering around an A4
32 Determinants of Housing Prices in Chicago, Illinois
Sydney Gonzalez
Mentor: Dr. Maria Apostolova, Economics
The goal of this research is to assist future homebuyers and sellers. Buyers can use this model
to estimate the price of their future home based on attributes. Sellers can use this model to see
which attributes are valued highly by buyers, which will provide high returns on their
investment. The pricing determinants of houses and apartments has been researched
previously, but there is minimal research focused specifically on the city of Chicago. This paper
investigates the determinants of house and apartment prices in Chicago, Illinois by using a
multiple linear regression model. Using data from Zillow.com, the author finds that the square
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footage, the number of bathrooms, the presence of a basement, and the quality of the school
district are the most significant factors affecting housing prices in Chicago.
33 Fertility In Texas: Unveiling The Drivers of Disparities
Ana Luiza Dörner
Mentor: Dr. Maria Apostolova, Economics
As societies shift toward new cultural, socioeconomic, and health standards, fertility research
continues attempting to capture its future economic impact. These efforts have led to
disagreement about the variables affecting fertility in modern contexts. Thus, this paper
focuses on the factors driving disparities in fertility between counties in the state of Texas, a
much smaller scale than the usual national or international analyses. Utilizing publicly available
data, I find that a 1 pp. increase in the unemployment rate leads to a 1.8% decrease in the
number of births in county i per 1,000 women, and that a 1 pp. increase in the percentage of
insured women is associated with a 0.7% decrease in the number of births per 1,000 women,
ceteris paribus. The median female income and religion were unexpectedly deemed
insignificant in modeling, posing the question of priority shifts.
34 A History of the Combs Center Warehouse
Arthur Jenkins
Mentor: Dr. Sara Egge, History
Built in 1902, the Combs Center Warehouse has been a fixture of the Centre College community
since Centre purchased the property in 1994. The Warehouse has been home to a wide
assortment of businesses including a hemp warehouse, disco hall, and grocery store. It is also
emblematic of the economic and societal changes that have seen Danville shift from an
agricultural town to a small but budding city. As the Warehouse has changed hands over the
past 122 years it has offered a space for new businesses to grow and develop Danville. The
Combs Center Warehouse represents the changing Danville economic and societal landscape,
and it may offer us a view into what is next for Danville.
35 Shaping History: Firing Kentucky Found Clay
Carley Bishop
Mentor: Dr. Brett Werner, Environmental Studies
Terrariums are enclosed environments that simulate large scale ecosystems; they are vessels
that house aspects of the land. In my research, I encapsulated the memory of a place by
creating vessels from the source and filling these vessels with pieces of the land they came
from. I sourced wild clay from Stoney Creek in Frankfort, Kentucky and from the Kentucky River
bank. I refined them using a series of soaking and drying methods and filtration techniques. This
research was a journey of combining art and science under one project.
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36 Centre College Outdoor Program – DLM focus
Olivia Overmohle, AJ Daniels, Oliver Guignon
Mentor: Dr. David Williams, Environmental Studies
An idea for a Centre College Outdoor Program was created through a group of students in HUM
227, Centre Term course. The program's purpose is to enhance students' relationship with
nature, build leadership skills, and improve the quality of life for students at Centre. Centre
promises its students to provide them with a wide range of academia through several majors,
activities, extracurriculars, and general education courses. This outdoor program pitch shows
how Centre can create an opportunity for students to engage in nature and the natural
environment and how this will benefit Centre and its student body overall. The presentation
will explain logistics of the program such as where the program will happen, who will be
involved, what will be needed from Centre, how it connects to a liberal arts education, how we
will address diversity and inclusion within the program, and how students will gain leadership
experience. This specific program would use professors in different specialties to teach DLM
which engage their course specialty with nature throughout their course in hopes of students
becoming more attuned with the natural world that surrounds them. Through DLM, they would
continue to work on writing, speaking, and teamwork; while also putting an emphasis on
leadership. Beginning with excursions to local sites, students would be taught essential outdoor
skills while expanding their knowledge in another area of their choosing.
37 Centre College Outdoor Program – Humanities focus
Jake Ronan, Layce Sanner
Mentor: Dr. David Williams, Environmental Studies
An idea for a Centre College Outdoor Program was created through a group of students in HUM
227, Centre Term course. The program's purpose is to enhance students' relationship with
nature, build leadership skills, and improve the quality of life for students at Centre. Centre
promises its students to provide them with a wide range of academia through several majors,
activities, extracurriculars, and general education courses. This outdoor program pitch shows
how Centre can create an opportunity for students to engage in nature and the natural
environment and how this will benefit Centre and its student body overall. The presentation
will explain logistics of the program such as where the program will happen, who will be
involved, what will be needed from Centre, how it connects to a liberal arts education, how we
will address diversity and inclusion within the program, and how students will gain leadership
experience. This specific program would add Humanities courses to Centre under several
specialties and professors that would provide students with several more general education
requirement courses. The classes would give students the opportunity to learn in the classroom
and explore nature through several excursions throughout the semester focusing on outdoor
adventure competency and skills.
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38 Negotiating Sovereignty: The Ryukyu Disposition and the Struggle for Autonomy
Aidan Isaac
Mentor: Dr. Jonathon Earle, History
The Ryukyu Disposition was a series of negotiations between the Qing Empire and Japan over
the ownership of Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands. These negotiations were brokered by former
President and General Ulysses S. Grant. The ambiguity of the islands led to increased tensions
between the Qing Empire and Japan, as both nations claimed ownership over Ryukyu. After
Japan issued a decree signaling their intent to fully annex Ryukyu, Ryukyuan King Sho Tai
reached out to the Qing to begin negotiations. Previous historians have analyzed this event
from the perspective of the Qing, Japan, and from Grant himself. The Ryukyuans did not have
strong negotiating power, but sought to use their influence to preserve their culture and
identity. In this research paper I will argue that the Ryukyuan government had the agency to
resist Japanese imperial ambitions, and used every political tactic to negotiate a favored
outcome.
39 Transitional Authority in Cambodia: Conflict, Chaos, and Care
Peter McKown
Mentor: Dr. Jonathon Earle, History
This paper explores the transition of Cambodia from a genocidal dictator to a UN-led state,
focusing on the intersection of American foreign policy in Vietnam and regional conflict. Using
international archives and local histories, it examines the conflict in Cambodia, the UN’s
actions, and peace protocols, providing insight into the function of the UN in conflict resolution
and state-building.
40 American and French Revolutionary Nationalisms
Joseph Matthews
Mentor: Dr. Jonathon Earle, History
The latter half of the eighteenth century was a tumultuous era in modern history as the
European models of imperialism and feudalism would see their stature challenged by a wave of
revolutionary ideas brought about by the Enlightenment. Enlightened thinkers spearheaded
this intellectual movement and the most evident results of their ideas culminated in the
American Revolution and the French Revolution. Both revolutions had clear ties to
Enlightenment values, particularly those of liberalism and nationalism. There has been a
growing emphasis on studying these revolutions separately as historians have increasingly
considered the two revolutions to be distinct from one another. This paper will argue that the
ideological ties between the American Revolution and the French Revolution make it so these
two events should always be studied in tandem.
41 Boxing For Their Lives: Boxing Inside Nazi Concentration Camps
Trey Schwalb
Mentor: Dr. Prayat Pudel, Mathematics
During the Holocaust, atrocities were carried out against several minority groups that did not fit
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into the mold of the mythical ideal of the Aryan race. The Jewish people, however, suffered the
most from this persecution inside Nazi death and labor camps that were made to be especially
brutal and deadly during the latter years of World War II following the Conference of Wannsee
in early 1942. One example of this brutality was the use of boxing in concentration camps.
Prisoners were forced to fight to the death for food, water, and other commodities that were
otherwise denied to them. This paper explores the complexities of the sport of boxing in Jewish
prisoners during the War, showing how boxing was utilized inside the concentration camps
against Jewish prisoners. In doing so, it grapples with the question of agency and violence
within the history of the Nazi camp system.
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42 Loss of Erbb2 Triggers Compensatory EGFR Activation in a Mouse Model of Colorectal
Cancer
William Leach
Mentor: Dr. Erin Wachter, Chemistry
ERBB2 is a receptor tyrosine kinase within the ERBB family (EGFR, ERBB3, ERBB4) of
transmembrane proteins. Due to its open conformation, ERBB2 supports higher ligand binding
efficiency upon heterodimerization with other members of the ERBB family and provides more
potent signals to its downstream targets that regulate cell function. Erbb2 has been shown to
be amplified in around 7% of all colorectal cancers, but many of its primary oncogenic functions
are unknown. Tumors were isolated from a transgenic knockout mouse model and control mice
to fully understand how Erbb2 ablation might play a critical factor in the progression of CRC.
Through gene and protein expression, functionality patterns, and predictive analyses, the
heterodimerization and regulatory capabilities of ERBB2 will allow for more targeted
therapeutic approaches in the context of precision medicine while establishing ERBB2
involvement in colorectal cancer progression.
43 Developing high porosity polymers for cysteine capture
Mehak Mittal, Alexandru David
Mentor: Dr. Andrew Hitron, Chemistry
Cysteines within the human body were observed to function as antioxidants, mitigating the
detrimental effects of excessive oxidative stress. Prior research had demonstrated that
acrylamide polymers possessed the capability to bind to oxidized cysteine. There had been
insufficient empirical evidence regarding the reversibility of polymer-cysteine interactions.
Polymers designed for reversible cysteine binding were characterized by limited binding
capacity and high production costs. A highly porous polymer matrix, polyHIPEs, was developed,
facilitating the flow of proteins through the interconnected pores with little resistance. The
synthesis of these polymers involved the emulsion of acrylamide monomers, bis-acrylamide
linkers, and Tween-80 surfactant, with a hexadecane internal phase. Subsequent assessment of
the polymers included density and swellability tests, as well as scanning electron microscopy to
evaluate their porosity.
44 Point-of-Care Trypsin Detection with Nanoparticle µPAD System
Lilly Zehnder, Luc Morgan
Mentor: Dr. Daniel Scott, Chemistry
There is an increased demand for point-of-care (POC) diagnostic systems. POC detection allows
for rapid detection and monitoring of diseases, and in many cases does not require trained
personnel to administer. Early disease detection and monitoring allows more efficient
treatment and thereby more positive outcomes. Microfluidic paper-based analytical devices
(µPADs) offer many advantages when developing POC diagnostics, including portability, costefficient manufacturing, and adaptability for many purposes. With these advantages in mind, a
POC detection system for trypsin was developed combining µPADs and engineered
nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were designed to elicit a signal in the presence of trypsin,
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which was quantified on the µPADs. The system was able to detect increasing concentrations
of trypsin in buffer and multiple biological matrices, while showing no response in the presence
of the non-specific blood proteins, thrombin.
45 Development of High-Porosity Polymers for Cysteine Capture
Srija Badireddi, Ward (Rudy) Alafef
Mentor: Dr. Andrew Hitron, Chemistry
Oxidative stress triggers a variety of chronic and degenerative health conditions, ranging from
cancer and rapid aging to diseases affecting cardiovascular, neurological, respiratory, and renal
health (Pizzino et al., 2017). This research focuses on developing high-porosity, surfacefunctionalized polyacrylamide-based cryogels to capture cellular cysteine, an early indicator for
oxidative stress. Cryogel beads with the desired structural results were prepared through the
pre-freezing method described by Savina et al. [2] or with a higher relative concentration of the
cross-linker N,N’-methylene bisacrylamide to the acrylamide polymer. Current work involves
functionalizing acrylamide polymer chains through a three-step reaction pathway that modifies
amide ends to aldehydes, thiols, and activated disulfides successively.
46 Point-of-care tuberculosis biomarker detection on a µPAD platform
Tenley Soergel, Erika Alonso, Luc Morgan, Lilly Zehnder, Daniel Scott
Mentor: Dr. Daniel Scott, Chemistry
A method to detect the analyte miR-140-5p (a biomarker for tuberculosis (TB)), using a
microfluidic paper-based analytical device (µPAD) and engineered nanoparticles was
developed. µPADs provide a faster and cheaper alternative diagnostic tool for point-of-care
testing, especially in developing countries or rural areas with limited access to healthcare
providers or medical testing facilities. µPADs can be used to successfully detect tuberculosis
over a range of concentrations in four biologically relevant matrices: buffer, saliva, urine, and
serum). To detect TB, magnetic nanoparticles were decorated with biomarker specific probes.
Upon introduction of the TB DNA, a TB specific signal was generated and quantified on the
µPAD platform. The signal increased proportionally with TB biomarker concentration and
detection was successfully achieved in three different matrices: buffer, saliva, and urine. Future
work will optimize performance and confirm specificity and accuracy in the presence
47 Multiplex detection of survivin and tuberculosis biomarkers on a µPAD platform
Erika Alonso, Tenley Soergel, Luc Morgan, Lilly Zehnder
Mentor: Dr. Daniel Scott, Chemistry
Point-of-care (POC) diagnosis devices allow for quick, simple, and accessible disease detection
and monitoring. POC diagnostics are especially useful in underdeveloped and remote areas
where early disease diagnosis is not always available. Microfluidic paper-based analytical
devices (µPADs) are great platforms for POC diagnostic development, being portable, cost
effective, and adaptable for many purposes. Engineered nanoparticles with unique
fluorescence signals can be used in combination with µPAD platforms to develop a multiplexed
POC detection system for simultaneous detection of survivin and tuberculosis biomarkers.
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Unique fluorescent wavelengths were used to distinguish signals from the biomarkers. The
respective fluorescence signals were able to differentiate between the biomarkers and
detection was achieved in buffer and the biological matrices urine, saliva, and serum. This work
demonstrates the feasibility of multiplexed detection of important biomarkers in complex
matrices.
48 Investigating mitofusin as a potential regulator for peroxisomal function
Kevin Williams (Tanushree S. Kumar, Department of Biology, University of Louisville;
Daven Patel, Department of Biology, University of Louisville; Rafael Senos Demarco,
Department of Biology, University of Louisville)
Mentor: Dr. Leonard Demoranville, Chemistry
Understanding the regulatory mechanisms controlling stem cell behavior is extremely useful for
regenerative medicine. We used the stem cell microenvironment (‘niche’) present in the
Drosophila melanogaster testis, which shares several conserved regulatory pathways with
mammalian stem cell systems. Using a fluorescent transgene to investigate peroxisomal
biogenesis, function and morphology (“SKL2-GFP”), we observed that the Depletion of
mitofusin (dMfn), a protein responsible for the fusion of the outer mitochondrial membrane in
germline stem cells (GSCs) resulted in putative loss of peroxisomal function. To determine if
dMfn has a direct or indirect effect on peroxisomal function, we depleted Optic Atrophy 1
(Opa1), which encodes a protein that regulates the fusion of the inner mitochondrial
membrane. In contrast, Opa1 depletion did not change SKL2-GFP import into peroxisomes. Our
preliminary results suggest that dMfn may directly control peroxisomal function.
49 SARS-CoV-2 CURE Project Results Analysis
Gloria Lwin
Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Muzyka, Chemistry
Chemistry 242 students synthesized chalcones as potential inhibitors for the main protease of
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. They also carried out docking calculations, placing
these compounds in the active site of the enzyme. The docking results of the course-based
undergraduate research experience were analyzed using LIGPLOT, DataWarrior, and PyMOL.
This provided patterns to help us understand interactions between specific amino acid residues
and the ligands, resulting in improvement of binding affinity scores. The analysis showed that
more negative minimized Affinity values were produced when the compound had more
interactions with residues CYS145, HIS41, GLY143, and SER144.
50 Gas chromatography analysis of the impacts of ethanol: water mole fraction on guaiacol
headspace concentration
Robert Curran
Mentor: Dr. Leonard Demoranville, Chemistry
It is common practice for people to add ice or a splash of water in order to improve the taste of
whiskey. The chemistry of this preference has yet to be fully understood. Previous
computational studies in the literature have reported that headspace concentration of guaiacol
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should decrease as the molar ratio of ethanol to water increases. In order to confirm these
results Headspace-Gas Chromatography (HS-GC) to experimentally determine the effect of
increasing ethanol concentration in a mixture of ethanol, water, and guaiacol on headspace
concentration of guaiacol. This experimental data confirmed the computational predictions.
Increasing ethanol concentration from 0.4 lead to lower areas suggesting the guaiacol
molecules were in the bulk of the solution rather than the surface layer as previously predicted.
Similar data were obtained for other methoxyphenols.
51 Development of Region-Specific Organic Pesticides Using Indigenous Plant Chemicals
Zachary Gregory
Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Muzyka, Chemistry
This research attempts to address farmers’ skepticism and poor experiences with
commercialized organic pesticides in Southwestern Kentucky. Prevalent sentiment among rural
farmers is that organic agricultural products are “gimmicks,” possibly due to the one-size-fits-all
approach of these products, neglecting regional nuances. The proposed solution involves
extracting phytochemicals from regionally specific indigenous plants, in an attempt to take
advantage of their naturally evolved chemical defenses against local pests. The research
advocates for a region-specific approach to organic pesticide development. By implementing
these phytochemicals into organic pesticides, the aim is to create a tailored, sustainable
solution, addressing skepticism and providing an effective pest management strategy.
Methodology includes identification of phytochemicals, assessment of interactions with pest
species, and eventual synthesis of an organic pesticide.
52 Head-bobbing: What can we learn from a single elephant?
Arabella Fowler
Mentor: Dr. Melissa Burns-Cusato
Stereotypic behaviors in captive animals can stem from many sources, including central nervous
system dysfunction, anticipation of reinforcement, or issues related to well-being. When the
Louisville Zoo observed their Asian elephant, Punch, engaging in stereotypic head bobbing, we
were recruited to identify the source of this behavior so that any possible welfare issues could
be addressed. Punch’s behaviors were coded from over 400 hours of video recordings made
during the summers of 2021, 2022, and 2023. Frequency of head bobbing was highest when
Punch was housed separately from the two other elephants, decreased significantly when
housed together, and did not appear to be affected by the death of a herd member. There was
no difference in the rate of head bobbing between days with and without food-based
enrichment. The data from this study suggests that physical contact with elephant herd
members can be more beneficial in reducing stereotypic head-bobbing than food-based
enrichment.
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53 Measuring the Testing Effect Through ERPs
Anna Shupert, Lily Matthiessen, Anika Rana, Grace Dutcher
Mentor: Dr. KatieAnn Skogsberg
The “testing effect” is a well-known phenomenon in psychology and education research.
Previous researchers have demonstrated that quizzing oneself over material is more effective
than simply re-reading it (Roediger & Karpicke, 2006a, 2006b, 2018). Similarly, EEG research
indicates that the brain produces specific brain waves (ERPs) when we recognize something
meaningful. While EEG research has examined the types of learning and memory associated
with specific patterns of brain activity, few have tried to extend this knowledge into real-world
teaching and learning contexts. Therefore, in this study, we will use EEG to evaluate the efficacy
of two different study methods. Our hypothesis is that those using the read-recall method will
produce a more robust ERP — most likely in the form of a P3 wave — in response to the correct
answer than those in the read-read condition.
54 Accessible and Actionable: A Workbook for Personal Psychological Wellbeing
Spencer Berry
Mentor: Dr. Drew Morris, Psychology
My project, titled Accessible and Actionable: A Workbook for Personal Wellbeing, is a workbook
which details 6 different topics for mental and physical health and wellbeing. Each section
introduces a particular topic, and gives insight into the scientific literature relating to the given
topic with relevant citations. The areas include: 1) Habit formation and environment 2)
Physiological connections to the mind 3) Gratitude 4) Decision fatigue and narrative 5)
Confirmation bias and 6) Mindfulness.
After giving insight into the scientific literature, the book gives a unique activity for each of the
given topics. The intention was to make scientific information on health and wellbeing
accessible (in that the book gives a more simplified version of the conclusion of scientific
papers) and actionable (in that the book gives readers an opportunity to complete an activity
which applies those findings to their own lives).
55 Are You Woke?: Analysis of Sleep Patterns of Centre College Students
Alice Goff, Taylor Webb
Mentor: Dr. Drew Morris, Psychology
Major Purpose: This study aims to analyze the general sleep health and patterns among the
student population. We hypothesize that poorer sleep quality will be associated with higher
levels of sleep disturbance, and also there will be differences in sleep disturbances based on
gender and grade.
Procedure: Participants completed both the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the
Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire. We also used self-report data to observe common
sleep quality, sleep disturbances, and other patterns. Participants received a sleep-tracking
watch to wear for one night of sleep. Implications: The purpose of this study is to gain a better
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understanding of common sleep disturbances on our campus and create dialogue among
students and administration on what can be done to alleviate some of these common
disturbances. This study will also give insight into students’ general sleep health and sleep
patterns, thus allowing for an informed discussion throughout Centre College.
56 Understanding Mathematical Structure through Graphs on Integers
Pierce Mason
Mentor: Dr. Dana Neidmann, Mathematics
The cornerstone of pure mathematics is finding structure and patterns in both old and new
concepts. Researching pure math, then, often involves both the creativity in discovering a
general structure and the rigor/precision in proving properties of that structure. In this
research, we study directed graphs based on a set of rules that send integers to other integers.
This research asks how the graph is altered when we create a new ruleset based on an existing
one. We are particularly interested in the loops of the new graph, where a rule sends some
integer to itself.
57 Projected Climate Change Effects on Wetland Hydroperiods
Abigail Brainard
Mentor: Dr. Brett Werner, Environmental Studies
The rise of global temperatures, driven by increased greenhouse gas emissions, is leading to
more severe and unpredictable precipitation patterns in wetland ecosystems. Using the CCSM
high emission general circulation model, we investigated downscaled temperature and
precipitation data from 2006 to 2099 at five stations across the North American Prairie Pothole
Region of wetlands. This data showed an increase in both temperature and precipitation across
five climate stations, compared to historical data. We then used the WETLANDSCAPE model to
investigate the impact that climatic change had on wetland hydroperiods, which is the length of
time wetlands hold ponded surface water. Preliminary results show these hydroperiods are
shorter, with more time between longer hydroperiod years. More broadly, the change in
hydroperiods and precipitation patterns impacts the lifecycle of vegetation and organisms,
hindering the ecosystem services provided in these locations.
58 The Determinants of College Tuition in the United States
Raegan Richardson
Mentor: Dr. Maria Apostolova, Economics
College tuition is an important consideration when prospective college students are deciding
what institution to attend. It’s important for an institution to set a price that has a good balance
between covering expenses and being affordable to potential students. This research analyzes
the determinants of college tuition for a bachelor’s degree in the United States. One hundred
fifty public institutions were studied, with most data obtained from the National Center for
Education Statistics database. The results of this analysis indicate that the type of degree
offered, the graduation rate, and the total expenditure per student have a statistically
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significant impact on tuition. Surprisingly, factors like the acceptance rate, the student-faculty
ratio, and the size of the enrollment do not appear to influence the tuition cost.
59 The Determinants of Earnings on the PGA Tour
Grace Walker
Mentor: Dr. Maria Apostolova, Economics
Although the game of golf’s popularity is growing rapidly, there is little current research
regarding factors influencing a professional golfer’s earnings. Much previous research uses
older data that may not reflect recent statistics. This paper examines the Professional Golf
Association Tour and the most important factors that determine the annual earnings of
professional golfers using 2022-2023 season data. The results show that a PGA Tour player’s
average score per round is by far the leading determinant of earnings. If a player’s scoring
average increases by 1%, earnings decrease by 93.25%, all else equal. Age, driving distance,
events played, and driving accuracy are also important. Overall, a lucrative PGA Tour season
requires both skill and non-skill variables, but to maximize earnings, a player should primarily
focus on lowering their scoring average.
60 Creating Space for Pollinators: A Case for Monarch Butterflies
Caroline Schoenig
Mentor: Dr. Brett Werner, Environmental Studies
Pollinators are just one of many species that provide ecosystem services essential for all lifethey support food production, plant growth, and global biodiversity. But like many flora and
fauna species, pollinators have been experiencing declines attributed to habitat loss, pesticide
use, and climate change. A well-known pollinator in the United States is the monarch butterfly,
a migratory species that travels between Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, and has lost around
85% of its population since the 1990s. Despite its sharp decline, the monarch butterfly was only
recently considered endangered and has yet to be recognized under the U.S. Endangered
Species Act. There are efforts being made to conserve this species, including the Monarch
Waystation Program created by the conservation group, Monarch Watch. Monarch waystations
are small habitats that provide resources to sustain monarchs as they migrate. And coming May
2024, Centre College will have its own Monarch Waystation.
61 Assessing Accessibility in Student Housing at Centre College
Katia Marusich, Hannah Morrison, Ehthemoo Po, Dr. Siavash Samei
Mentor: Dr. Siavash Samei, Anthropology
Issues of accessibility have long been at the center of conversations at Centre College. These
include retrofitting old buildings, incorporating universal design, and ongoing efforts to provide
more all-gender restrooms. In recognition of and contribution to these continuing efforts to
make our campus ever more inclusive, students in ANT 344 – Mobilities and Migrations class
conducted a study to examine the state of accessibility across several dormitories on campus
with a focus on common spaces such as restrooms, showers, and kitchens, and laundry units.
This study used photographic documentation, interviews, and archival research to identify
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areas of that have seen improvement and remain in need of improvement; evaluate the
efficacy and transparency of existing housing selection policies from a student perspective; and
examine the history of DEI discussion related to housing and dorm access on campus prior to
and following the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990.
62 The Identity of a Philosopher and Her Trade
Lana Amoudi
Mentor: Dr. Eva Cadavid, Philosophy
The Identity of a Philosopher and Her Trade seeks to reimagine a contemporary, ‘post-colonial’
interpretation of ancient philosophical discourse that is all-inclusive of the human experience.
Such inquiry shall critique the publication of white, cis-male-oriented Greek and Roman texts–
namely Plato’s Republic and Aurelius’s Meditations–as fallacious discernments that assume a) a
position of Eurocentric privilege and b) a linear paradigm of societal structure manifested as
hierarchical. The project aims to reclaim the historically patriarchal discipline of philosophy for
the “other,” or the human, by employing ethnocentric ancient philosophies as a means to
expose its target of subordination: the “just, inclusive, and diverse” world of women and people
of color. The following research methods are adopted to achieve the aforementioned: a)
primary and secondary scholarly research b) critical idea development and c) expressive
methodology in the form of poetry.
63 Promoting Wellness Equity: Investigating the Impact of Mindfulness Events in Low-Income
Schools
Sudeep Gadde
Mentor: Dr. Aaron Godlaski, Behavioral Neuroscience
My project aims to investigate the impact of an event related to wellness and mental health for
students in low-income public schools and how it can contribute to social equality by
addressing the systemic behavioral inequities in schools with underrepresented and
marginalized groups. The project aims to address the problem of behavioral disparities and
challenges related to managing anxiety, depression, and attention disorders in low-income
schools. These issues hinder academic achievement and limit opportunities for
socioeconomically disadvantaged students, contributing to the cycle of poverty. To investigate
the impact of a wellness event in low-income public schools, I will utilize a mixed-methods
approach of interviews and data analysis. The research design aims to explore the positive
impact of talking about mindfulness in schools that serve underrepresented and marginalized
groups.
64 Bringing it home: Analyzing the study abroad experiences of students of color and LGBTQ+
students
Kasey Montgomery
Mentor: Dr. Jamie Shenton
Study abroad is accepted widely as a transformative experience for undergraduates, regardless
of identity. My research analyzes study abroad experiences of students of color and members
of the LGBTQ+ community. Data gathered through qualitative interviews and focus groups
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suggest the following: study abroad students with marginalized identities face competing
tensions. While they face vulnerabilities related to their identity they may also be entering a
context where certain identities of theirs are better accepted. These tensions between
vulnerability, community, and connection are context-dependent and vary based on students’
identities, abroad locations, the composition of the group with whom they travel, and their felt
relationship to the college. Study abroad is not a discrete or individual experience; the
experience of vulnerabilities and connections go beyond their time spent away from their home
institution and involve their community.
65 What does being Asian in Kentucky mean to you?
Emma Peterson
Mentor: Dr. Anwesha Kundu, English
What does it mean to be Asian-American? On paper, it means that you are included within East
and South-East Asian countries, as well as the Indian Subcontinent. Within Kentucky, it can
mean a variety of experiences, from first-generation immigration to deep family ties within the
state. The Asian-Kentuckian experience is unique. A mere 1.52% of the Kentucky population, it
entails a diverse and complex experience dependent on your generational ties and location
within Kentucky.
This project’s focus is on identifying and exploring the unique experiences that persons of Asian
descent have living in the Southern United States, specifically Kentucky. Through oral interviews
and research, this project is meant to highlight the importance of educating the general public
on the experiences of Asian-American stories in the hope of advocating against recent Asian
hate movements.
66 Unveiling the Gendered Dynamics of Competitive Gaming: The Case for Riot Games
Lorelei Watson
Mentor: Dr. Kaelyn Wiles, Sociology
This paper delves into the interplay of gender dynamics within the gaming industry, with a
focus on Riot Games and its gaming ecosystem. Through an analysis of the subculture &
context, language, identity, and treatment of women in gaming spaces, this paper uncovers the
nuanced ways in which gender ideologies shape competitive gaming practices. By examining
the phenomenon of "egirling" and the resistance against gendered stereotypes, this paper
sheds light on the complex landscape of gender in competitive games and how the industry can
better address issues faced by women gamers on a day-to-day basis.
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COMMITTEE MEMBERS
2024 RICE SYMPOSIUM COMMITTEE
Karoline Manny
Matt Downen
Amy Frederick
Sarthak Behera
Andrew Brown
Eva Cadavid
Jingjing Cai
Bracken Castle
Emily Crabb
Karin Gill
Mei Li Inouye
Drew Morris
Carter Smith
RICE Committee Chair
RICE Committee Secretary
AEGON Gallery Coordinator
Assistant Professor of Economics & Business
Visiting Assistant Professor of Art, Drawing &
Painting
Paul L. Cantrell Associate Professor of Philosophy &
Chair of Gender Studies Program
Assistant Professor of Chinese
Student, Class of 2027
Assistant Professor of Physics
Associate Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience
Assistant Professor of Chinese
Associate Professor of Psychology
Student, Class of 2026
**The RICE Committee is thankful to all faculty mentors working with students to make this
symposium possible. **
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600 West Walnut Street ⚫ Danville, Kentucky 40422
859-238-5200