Undergraduate Research Conference 2010

C O L L E G E O F S T A T E N I S L A N D / C U N Y

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010

CSI UNDERGRADUATE CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH, SCHOLARSHIP, AND PERFORMANCE

Tomás D. Morales, PhDPresident

*Sponsored by the Division of Academic Affairs with funding from the CSI Student Government Academic and Curricular Affairs Commissions,

Alumni Relations, and the CSI Foundation

COLLEGE OF STATEN ISLAND/CUNY

CSI UNDERGRADUATE CONFERENCE ONRESEARCH, SCHOLARSHIP, AND PERFORMANCE*

April 22, 2010Center for the Arts, 1P-Atrium

1:30pm – 4:00pm

Conference Schedule

Noon to 1:30 pm Authors and Mentors Lunch

12:30pm – 1:25 pm CSI Rock Club

Williamson Theatre

1:30 pm Opening Remarks by President Morales

1P-Atrium

1:30pm – 4:00pm Poster Presentations

1P- Atrium

1:35pm – 2:15pm CSI Music Program Recital

The Recital Hall

1:45pm – 2:30pm CSI Dance Program

The Training of a Dancer

Dance Studio, 1P-220

2:30pm – 3:30pm Student Spring Group Exhibition

CSI Student Art Gallery, 1P-118B

2:45pm – 3:30pm CSI Big Band, CSI Jazz Quartet, and CSI Jazz Combo

Williamson Theatre

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Conference Schedule

Message from the President

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CSI Undergraduate Conference on Research,Scholarship, and Performance

Message from the President

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 9th Annual Undergraduate Conferenceon Research, Scholarship, and Performance.

The work presented by our students under the conference theme of “YourPassport to Knowledge,” certainly personifies the CSI tag-line World Class,Right Here!These projects represent a depth and breadth of work rarely seenamong undergraduates. This conference highlights the intellect and talent ofCSI students, as well as the commitment of our faculty to provide a world-classeducation for our students. It is through the guidance of and the collaborationwith CSI faculty that our students are able to produce research, scholarshipand performance of the outstanding caliber that you will enjoy today.

This year we have 203 participants in the conference representing an extensiverange of disciplines within the College. There are 70 abstracts being presentedeither by a single student or groups of students; 41 performers, and 62 studentsdisplaying their art. Today, you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself incomplex musical performances, dance performances; rigorous analyses ofsocial scientific and literary ideas and theories; and observe meticulous scientificinvestigations and inquires.

This year an additional dimension has been added to the conference- analumni component. Our 2010 conference publication showcases conferencealumni with updates on their current pursuits and accomplishments. This issurely inspirational for all current and future conference participants.

I would like to acknowledge our Library faculty and staff, and Dr. Alan Benimoff -all have again assisted our student participants by providing workshops andtechnical assistance that enabled them to enhance the visual components oftheir presentations. And, I would like to thank Associate Provost Susan Holakfor her wonderful coordination of the conference.

It is important to note that 19 of our students’ research projects were supportedthrough CSI Undergraduate Research Awards sponsored by the CSI Foundation.In addition, we are extremely grateful to the CSI Student Government, Academicand Curricular Affairs Commission, for their financial support. There are two othersI would like to thank: the Alumni Association for donating volunteer tee shirts;the Center for the Arts for their technical support and for tuning of the piano.

I am indeed proud that this conference represents a true collaboration of theCollege community and I appreciate the many roles played by all in presentingthis conference highlighting the critical research and experimentation whichdefine the college experience.

Congratulations to each and every one of today’s participants!

Sincerely,

Tomás D. Morales, PhDPresident

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The Department of Performing and Creative Arts

Presents

An Art, Dance, and MusicExposition

at

The Ninth Annual CSI Undergraduate Conference

on Research, Scholarship, and Performance

The Recital Hall,

The Williamson Theatre,

The Dance Studio, and the

Student Art Gallery

Center for the Arts

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Dramatic and Musical Performances

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W I L L I A M S O N T H E A T R E

CSI ROCK MUSIC CLUB & NOT FROM CONCENTRATE 12:30pm—1:25pm

An eclectic assortment of Rock standards and original improvisations

The CSI Rock Club

Dominick Tancredi, Faculty Advisor

PROGRAM TO INCLUDE

MAN IN THE BOX .........................................................................................................ALICE IN CHAINS

NO RAIN.............................................................................................................................BLIND MELON

SAY IT AIN'T SO...........................................................................................................................WEEZER

DINOSAURS WILL DIE .....................................................................................................................NOFX

WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?..........................................................................................THE OFFSPRING

PINBALL WIZARD.....................................................................................................................THE WHO

Alan Aurelia - electric bass Jenna Calderon - guitarPatrick Granton - guitar Joseph Giunto - drumsMargaret Hampton - vocals

Not From Concentrate

William Bauer, Faculty Advisor

PROGRAM TO INCLUDE

ADOPT A NEW OUTLOOKIN A HAZESWEETTHE BREAKDOWNTHANK YOU AND GOODNIGHT

All songs written by Not From Concentrate

Alan Aurelia - bass Jenna Calderon - guitarJames Fletcher - saxophone Miles James - tromboneJoseph Giunto - drums Margaret Hampton - vocals


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T H E R E C I T A L H A L L 1 P - 1 2 0

CSI MUSIC PROGRAM RECITAL 1:35pm–2:15pm

A showcase of chamber music featuring faculty and students from the CSI Music Program

William Bauer, Performance Coordinator

PROGRAM

FRAUENLIEBE UND LEBEN, OP. 42 ...................................................ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810-1849)1. SEIT ICH IHN GESEHEN2. ER, DER HERRLICHSTE VON ALLEN3. ICH KANN'S NICHT FASSEN, NICHT GLAUBEN4. DU RING AN MEINEM FINGER

AMANDA SIUZDAK, SOPRANO PROF. SYLVIA KAHAN, PIANO

QUARTET FOR GUITARS....................................................................................DANIEL MUCCIO (1986)(WORLD PREMIERE)

II. ALLEGRETTOIV. ALLEGRO

JENNA CALDERONE, PATRICK GRANTON, DANIEL MUCCIO, ALFRED DEROSA, GUITARS

CANTABILE..........................................................................................NICOLÒ PAGANINI'S (1782-1840)

STEPHANIE GERACI, VIOLIN JENNA CALDERONE, GUITAR ALAN AURELIA, DOUBLE BASS

PER LA GLORIA D'ADORARVI ........................................GIOVANNI BATTIST BONONCINI (1672-1750)

NELL ............................................................................................GABRIEL URBAIN FAURÉ (1845-1924)

LASCIA CH'IO PIANGA ..........................................................GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL (1685-1759)

HARK! THE ECHOING AIR .......................................................................HENRY PURCELL (1659-1695)

MASAFUMI TOYODA, COUNTERTENOR PROF. SYLVIA KAHAN, PIANO

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C S I D A N C E P R O G R A M

CSI MUSIC PROGRAM RECITAL 1:45pm–2:30pm

The Training of a Dancer

A lecture/demonstration focusing on dance curriculum including excerpts from the upcomingSpring Dance Recital featuring students of the CSI Dance Program.

Niambi Keyes, Dance InstructorCharles Thomas, Dance Coordinator

BALLET (Dan 231)Barre, Centre/ Floor WorkExcerpts from Spring 2010 Concert

IMPROVISATION (Dan 171)Audience Participation

CHOREOGRAPHY (Dan 111)Presentation: "Foot Prints In the Sand" Choreographed by students of Dan 111

Dance Students: Stephanie Layne, Audra Morales-Cheng, Tamara St. Prix, Lauren Stevens, Justina McGhie,Phoebe Arriesgado, Kaitlyn Cantoni, Rose Picarello, Genevieve O'Brien, Donnica Hamlet, Kassinda Charles,Danielle Pranio, Deanna Cobb, Katelyn Cermenello

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Research Poster PresentationsDramatic and Musical Performances

T H E C S I S T U D E N T A R T G A L L E R Y 1 P - 1 1 8 B

THE STUDENT SPRING GROUP EXHIBITION 2:30pm—3:30pm, Reception

The Student Art Gallery of the Performing and Creative Arts Department will presentan exhibition of work by art majors from all of the areas of study: drawing, painting,photography, printmaking, and sculpture. The exhibition is curated by Iman Ayeesha-Platt, Deryn Cro, Misste Rivera, and Kiera Rommel whose participation isrepresentative of each of the 3 main branches of the art major: photography, studioart, and art history.

Siona Wilson, Faculty Advisor

NAMES OF STUDENTS WHO HAVE WORK IN THE ART/PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW

Misste RiveraLucy Farfan-NarcesseAngelica PopolanoHang Yo KwongRoberta BermanKen JobinLillian WernerDarlene LivingstonDaniela HernandezChristina BogartJovan SantopietroCaitlin SantomauroSamantha BenartJenna ZicheltellaEithne B. McGowanAngela DiCostanzoK. SenyaBriana PiccoloMelissa DudleyAliaa YoussefMargaret RicciardiSuzie

Lynnanne O’ConnerHyatt TahmazAngeline MillajCaryl HerzfeldDenise BuchanMelissa CiaravinoAndrew BatresKrystal MenaIman-Ayeesha PlattElizabeth BostonAmanda DavisVeronica PadillaStefanie CandelarioSuzie GoldsteinDemian KellerMichelle VolpeE. GoeoelChristina CarannanteDavid DiLilloHarvey ChinFrancisco OsorioMegan Walsh

RoloTracy KatzKatherine ChengTiffany BariIzzy GreenspanNancy PerriconeWehmar MarksElizabeth StassiMarissa MuleFlor MunozSara SharifJames VaccaroCarissa PignatelliAlison BabwahBen LellaMichael ThortonAlex ZusitaSamantha Benoit Nick Piazza

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Research Poster Presentations

W I L L I A M S O N T H E A T R E

CSI BIG BAND, CSI JAZZ QUARTET and CSI JAZZ COMBO2:45pm—3:30pm

The CSI Big Band explores literature of that genre ranging from swing to modernwith an emphasis on clarity with ensemble performance and development of eachplayer’s overall musicianship. The Jazz Quartet explores advanced literature and jazzclassics ranging from the early modernism of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker tolater styles of contemporary composers. The Jazz Combo, our newest ensemble, takesa keen interest in development of improvisational and accompaniment skills in thejazz idiom, particularly relating to small ensemble performance.

Michael Morreale, Director

The CSI Big BandJames Fletcher, Michael Simanovsky, Danny Lazkani - saxophonesRafael Calderon, Frank Rogers - trumpetThomas Cropley, Miles James, Jeffery Martin - tromboneMargaret Hampton - voiceJenna Calderon, Anthony Gonzalez, David Stagno - guitarAlbert Derosa, Vincent Sottile - pianoMatthew Gallo, John Demaio - bassJoseph Giunto, Michael Sassi - drum

The CSI Jazz QuartetRafael Calderon - trumpet Alan Aurelia - contrabassPaul Buschmann - drums Michael Morreale - piano

The CSI Jazz ComboJames Fletcher - tenor saxophone Anthony Gonzalez - guitar,Thomas Izzo - electric bass Michael Sassi - drums Paul Buschmann - drums

PROGRAM TO BE ANNOUNCED


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PCA EVENTS CALENDAR, SPRING 2010

April 22, 23, 24 at 8:00pm, Lab TheatreDRAMA PRODUCTION: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespearedirected by Professor Lee PapaTickets: $10/5 students and seniors Call 718-982-ARTS for tickets

Wednesday, April 28, 7:30pm, Recital HallSENIOR RECITAL: Masafumi Toyoda, countertenorAdmission: free

Thursday, April 29, 1:30pm, Recital Hall, 1P-120MUSIC HOUR: The OMNI EnsembleAdmission: free

Thursday, April 29, 7:30pm, Williamson TheatreSpring Dance Recitaldirected by Charles Thomas and Niambi Keyes Tickets: $10/$7 students and seniors

April 29 – May 27, PCA Student Art Gallery, 1P-118B2010 Graduation ExhibitionAn exhibition of art made by the graduates of the Art and Art/Photography ProgramsPlease call 718-982-2118 for gallery hours

Wednesday, May 5, 7:30pm, Recital HallSENIOR RECITAL: Daniel Muccio, guitarist/composerAdmission: free

Tuesday, May 11, 7:30pm, Recital Hall, 1P-120Spring Recital by the Young Artists of the CSI Music Program Tickets: $5

Wednesday, May 12, 2:30pm, Recital Hall, 1P-120RECITAL: The CSI Chorus, directed by Marina AlexanderTickets: $5

Wednesday, May 12, 7:30pm, Lab Theatre, 1P-110 RECITAL: The CSI Jazz Ensemble, directed by Michael MorrealeTickets: $5

Thursday, May 13, 7:30pm, Recital Hall, 1P-120 RECITAL: The CSI Guitar Ensemble, directed by Edward BrownTickets: $5

All performances take place in the Center for the Arts, College of Staten IslandFor information, please call 718.982.2520 or 718.982.ARTSAll performance events are CLUE-certified

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ResearchPoster

Presentations

Center for the Arts

Atrium

1:30pm - 4:00pm

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Poster 1FDIC InsuredQimei LuoFaculty Mentor: Professor Michael MandibergDepartment of Media Culture

Poster 2Do Part-Whole Relations Produce Facilitationin Lexical Access?Catherine Roca, Kevin Sailor, Urooj Syed, andPaloma Wasserstein Faculty Mentor: Dr. Patricia BrooksDepartment of Psychology

Poster 3A Probability Model for Wireless Sensor NetworksJaneth ToroFaculty Mentor: Dr. Zhanyang ZhangDepartment of Computer Science

Poster 4Gaining Insight into New York's ClimaticFuture By Analyzing Climate Trends of Its PastBrian Kateman, Gayathri Sudarsanan, JennaCalderon, Mallory Gioe, and Jonathan Rossi Faculty Mentor: Dr. Athanasios KoutavasDepartment of Engineering Science and Physics

Poster 5QRS Complex Detector ImplementingOrthonormal FunctionsLeo LeiFaculty Mentor: Dr. Natacha GueorguievaDepartment of Computer Science

Poster 6Data Query Analysis and Optimization forWireless Sensor NetworksGayathri SudarsananFaculty Mentor: Dr. Zhanyang ZhangDepartment of Computer Science

Poster 7A Morphological Study of Compact NarrowEmission Line Galaxies in the COSMOS FieldDaniel Feldman,Vivienne Baldassare, Alexandra Greenbaum, Imran Hasan, and Stephanie MahalchickFaculty Mentor: Dr. Charles LiuDepartment of Engineering Science and Physics

Poster 8Applying Lattice Reduction to KnapsackCryptosystemsJonathan MaltzFaculty Mentor: Dr. Kevin O’BryantDepartment of Mathematics

Poster 9The Louis Armstrong SymposiumLinda Soria and Ziv KarmiFaculty Mentor: Dr. William BauerDepartment of Performing and Creative Arts

Poster 10An Easter CantataChris SpinelliFaculty Mentor: Dr. William BauerDepartment of Performing and Creative Arts

Poster 11The Music SILOH ProjectZiv KarmiFaculty Mentor: Dr. William BauerDepartment of Performing and Creative Arts

Poster 12Individual Differences in Speech Perceptionand Language LearningRosemarie MarronaroFaculty Mentor: Dr. Patricia BrooksDepartment of Psychology

Poster 13Kantian Concepts in the Works from theGeneracion de 1898Victoria CooperFaculty Mentor: Dr. Nuria MorgadoDepartment of Modern Languages

Poster 14Gender and Displacement in GeorgiaStephanie HelewaFaculty Mentor: Dr. Peter KabachnikDepartment of Political Science, Economics, andPhilosophy

Poster 15Comparative Analysis: Attachment Patternsand Bases of Self-Worth in Males and Femalesof Intact and Non-intact FamiliesVictoria PorcellFaculty Mentor: Dr. Florette CohenDepartment of Psychology

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Poster 16The Effects of Mortality Salience on Self-Perceived ResiliencyEsther KabalkinFaculty Mentor: Dr. Florette CohenDepartment of Psychology

Poster 17Experiments of Herding Attack on IterativeHash Functions Dan Hoizner and Vladislav KlymFaculty Mentor: Dr. Xiaowen ZhangDepartment of Computer Science

Poster 18 The Contribution of Spinal and SupraspinalLoci to Opionid-Induced HyperalgesiaMegan CaldwellFaculty Mentor: Dr. Benjamin KestDepartment of Psychology

Poster 19Development and Testing of CurcuminDerivatives as Promising Drugs Against Breast CancerAshley MathaiFaculty Mentor: Dr. Jimmie FataDepartment of Biology

Poster 20Pairing Cognitive and Personality Factors forPrediction Academic PerformanceKeith MillerFaculty Mentor: Dr. Florette CohenDepartment of Psychology

Poster 21Mickey, Marvel, and Memories: Exploring theRole of Nostalgia in Consumer Response toDisneyLauren LoPrimoFaculty Mentor: Dr. Susan HolakOffice of Academic Affairs and Department ofBusiness

Poster 22Infants’ Locomotor Expertise Changes BodyAwarenessPawan Kaur and Seray TaysinFaculty Mentor: Dr. Sara BergerDepartment of Psychology

Poster 23Effects of Phonological Cues in Lexical AccessPaloma Wasserstein, Catherine Roca, Urooj Syed,and Diana AlmodovarFaculty Mentor: Dr. Patricia BrooksDepartment of Psychology

Poster 24The Role of Locomotor Expertise on LimbPreferenceMarierose PolisFaculty Mentor: Dr. Sarah BergerDepartment of Psychology

Poster 25 Chinese Industrialization and AmericanPortrayalDwight DunkleyFaculty Mentor: Dr. Ming XiaDepartment of Political Science, Economics, andPhilosophy

Poster 26The Influence of Perceived Race and GenderPresentation on the Sentencing of FemaleJuvenile OffenderCarene HadadFaculty Mentor: Dr. Kathleen CumiskeyDepartment of Psychology

Poster 27Demonstrating Urbi Using the AIBO Robotic DogVitaly Nirenberg and Justin AllenFaculty Mentor: Dr. Susan ImbermanDepartment of Computer Science

Poster 28Development of New Pd-Catalyzed TandemReactions for Organic SynthesisQixin Liu, Amy He, Matthew Isreal, and Yuan-Xi LiaoFaculty Mentor: Dr. Qiao- Sheng HuDepartment of Chemistry

Poster 29Biosynthesis of Truncated Ste2p; A GPCR fromYeast that may be Suitable for CrystallizationGrigoriy GelfandFaculty Mentor: Dr. Fred NaiderDepartment of Chemistry

Poster 30Effect of Phosphor Tau Expression in Brainsof Transgenic Drosophila MelanogasterMeriem Hadj AhmedFaculty Mentor: Dr. Alejandra AlonsoDepartment of Biology

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Poster 31The Birth of a New Religion in Eastern NigeriaChristabel AmadiFaculty Mentor: Dr. Roslyn BologhDepartment of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work

Poster 32Restructuring the Foundational Code ofGraph Theory Software HeidiDmitriy DubsonFaculty Mentor: Dr. Louis PetingiDepartment of Computer Science

Poster 33Analysis of Tau Over-Expression in Breast Cancer Cell LinesGoldie Lazarus and Shawon DebnathFaculty Mentor: Dr. Jimmie FataDepartment of Biology

Poster 34 The Tragedy of September 11th, ConspiracyTheories, and Cognitive DissonanceSteven SerranoFaculty Mentor: Dr. Florette CohenDepartment of Psychology

Poster 35Attention to Emotional Tone of Voice inSpeech Perception in Children with AutismDennis Vlasikov, Patricia Gaja, and Alexa ScharfFaculty Mentor: Dr. Bertram PloogDepartment of Psychology

Poster 36Cartooning in the Context of AmericanHumor TraditionsMichael YoungFaculty Mentor: Dr. Catherine LavenderDepartment of History

Poster 37Mortality Salience and Religiosity asPredictors of Christian Ritualism and AnxietySensitivityDavid J. DanischewskiFaculty Mentor: Dr. Florette CohenDepartment of Psychology

Poster 38Four in FiveDaniel MuccioFaculty Mentor: Dr. David KeberleDepartment of Performing and Creative Arts

Poster 39 Transition Metal-Catalyzed Tandem AdditionReactions of Aryldiboronic AcidsGeorges Bouobda TsemoFaculty Mentor: Dr. Qiao-Sheng HuDepartment of Chemistry

Poster 40Ford in Russia: A Case Study in Foreign DirectInvestment Boris MirsaliyevFaculty Mentor: Dr. Alan ZimmermanDepartment of Business

Poster 41Not from Concentrate: An Alternative RockQuarryAlan Aurelia, Jenna Calderon, James Fletcher, JosephGiunto, Margaret Hampton, and Miles JamesFaculty Mentor: Dr. William BauerDepartment of Performing and Creative Arts

Poster 42Overexpression of Pseudophosphorelated Tauin Transfected CHO Cell CulturesRegina MillerFaculty Mentor: Dr. Alejandra AlonsoDepartment of Biology

Poster 43Examining the Relationship Between ADHDand Epilepsy Using an Animal Model of EarlyLife SeizuresAllyson WillnerFaculty Mentor: Dr. Dan McCloskeyDepartment of Psychology

Poster 44Analysis of Benzene and Benzene Metaboliteson Breast Cancer Cell MigrationSajini GundryFaculty Mentor: Dr. Jimmie FataDepartment of Biology

Poster 45Search of the Order Structure of TwoEnneadic ClustersFatima RafiqueFaculty Mentor: Dr. Chwen-Yang ShewDepartment of Chemistry

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Poster 46Transition Metal-Catalyzed Addition Reactionsof Arylboronic Acids with UnsaturatedKetonesPo Yun Pan, Swapna Paippattuthara, and Chun-Hui XingFaculty Mentor: Dr. Qiao-Sheng HuDepartment of Chemistry

Poster 47The Effect of Taurine on Insulin Homeostasisin a Pancreatic B-Cell LineChristina M. CuttittaFaculty Mentor: Dr. William L’AmoreauxDepartment of Biology

Poster 48The Effects of Phosphate on AlkalinePhosphatase Activity in Candida AlbicansCatherine CaesarFaculty Mentor: Dr. Elena McCoyDepartment of Biology

Poster 49Effect of Pressure on the Stability of Water ona Superhydrophobic MembraneMeagan DerbyshireFaculty Mentor: Dr. Alan LyonsDepartment of Chemistry

Poster 50Superhydrophobic Surfaces ExihibitingAnisotropic Roll-Off AnglesMark BarahmanFaculty Mentor: Dr. Alan LyonsDepartment of Chemistry

Poster 51The Effects of Income Inequality on DoingBusiness in ChinaGanna VolkovaFaculty Mentor: Dr. Alan ZimmermanDepartment of Business

Poster 52Conversion of a Miniature Vehicle to anAutonomous PlatformEric DeMaso, Dan Hoizner, and Michael ConstantinoFaculty Mentor: Dr. Susan Imberman Department of Computer Science

Poster 53Effect of the Expression of PhosphorylatedTau in Transgenic Drosophila MelanogasterEyesKalpita AbhynkarFaculty Mentor: Dr. Alejandra AlonsoDepartment of Biology

Poster 54Fruit Fly as a Model for the Expression ofHuman Tau Mutations in Alzheimer’s DiseaseShalini Camillus, Christopher Corbo, and Eugenia AlanizFaculty Mentor: Dr. Alejandra AlonsoDepartment of Biology

Poster 55 Georges Méliès: Researching a PioneerFilmmaker in London and New York ArchivesLiza ZusmanFaculty Mentor: Dr. Matthew SolomonDepartment of Media Culture

Poster 56The Effects of the Twenty-Six Year-LongEthnic Crisis in Sri LankaKasuni NanayakkaraFaculty Mentor: Ms. Donna ScimecaCore 100 Program

Poster 57Early Social Coordination andCommunication Among Twins at Risk forDevelopmental Delay Lindita Ismaili Faculty Mentors: Naomi Aldrich, Dr. Patricia Brooks,Dr. Sonia Ragir, Bernard Z. Karmel, Judith Gardner

Poster 58How are Feminine Heterosexual MenDifferent?Peter BurattiFaculty Mentor: Dr. Darryl HillDepartment of Psychology

Poster 59Taking Steps Forward: Film, Society, and theCivil Rights EraElizabeth TilelliFaculty Mentor: Dr. David GerstnerDepartment of Media Culture

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Poster 60Toddlers’ Perseveration During DifficultLocomotor TasksMaria Valonzo and Elliott NeimanFaculty Mentor: Dr. Sarah BergerDepartment of Psychology

Poster 61Meta-analytic Investigations of CommonlyApplied Educational TheoriesMelissa PalladinoFaculty Mentor: Dr. Patricia BrooksDepartment of Psychology

Poster 62Synthesis, Characterization, and Integrationof Hybrid Nanogels for Biomedical PurposesMichael AielloFaculty Mentor: Dr. Shuiqin Zhou Department of Chemistry

Poster 63Development of a Wax Sacrificial Layer forMicro 3D PrintingBrian IskraFaculty Mentor: Dr. Alan LyonsDepartment of Chemistry

Poster 64Empire MHzDavid RodbergFaculty Mentor: Professor Valerie TevereDepartment of Media Culture

Poster 65Memory-management Issues in iPhoneApplication DevelopmentElhassan AhmedFaculty Mentor: Dr. Deborah SturmDepartment of Computer Science

Poster 66ePortfolio in Transition: What Happens Whenthe Research Subjects Become the Researchers?The Verrazano School ePortfolio Pilot ProjectJoseph Adia, Amanda Couso, Jeanine Ruggiero, andAmanda TierneyFaculty Mentor: Ms. Louise Levine – Adjunct LecturerDepartment of English

Poster 67The Effects of Cultural Lessons on Student EngagementJennifer Barlotta and Ashley MarinoFaculty Mentor: Dr. Judit KerekesDepartment of Education

Poster 68Dental Health Care - Keep a Healthy SmileAmanda KonzelmanFaculty Mentor: Dr. Judit KerekesDepartment of Education

Poster 69Digital Alarm ClockJesse GoffFaculty Mentor: Dr. Neo Antoniades Department of Engineering Science and Physics

Poster 70Correlating Tree Cores and Climate in New York CityVictoria Cooper, Sarah Edkins, Peter Hannon, andJames LynchFaculty Mentor: Dr. Atchanasios Koutavas Department of Engineering Science and Physics

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P O S T E R 1

FDIC InsuredQimei LuoFaculty Mentor: Professor Michael MandibergDepartment of Media Culture

FDIC Insured is an archive of the logos of failedbanks cut into cast off get-rich-quick investmentguides purchased at the dollar racks of the Strandbookstore. Since the beginning of the GreatRecession, the Federal Deposit InsuranceCorporation has taken control of over 70 failed orfailing banks. The government has bailed out orbrokered forced sales of a number of other majorfinancial institutions. These emergency conversionsare done in one weekend; on Friday the bank isalive, but at 6 PM it begins a massive autopsy, andby Monday morning all traces of the original bankare gone. It is operated under the name of a formalrival bank, many of the employees are gone, and theentire visual signage has changed. These logosdisappear from our memory, they disappear fromthe clutter of the visual landscape, they are evenerased from the Internet and its many archives.

P O S T E R 2

Do Part-Whole Relations ProduceFacilitation in Lexical Access?Catherine Roca, Kevin Sailor, Urooj Syed, and Paloma Wasserstein Faculty Mentor: Dr. Patricia BrooksDepartment of Psychology

Context exerts a strong influence on the ease ofword retrieval. For example, when reading asentence, previously read words influence howrapidly the next word is retrieved. Likewise, inspoken language production, previously accessedwords influence how rapidly subsequent words areretrieved. The picture-word interference task (PWI)was developed as a way to explore the effect ofcontext words on speech production. Participantsare instructed to name pictures while ignoringinterfering words (IWs) superimposed over thepictures. The IWs thus provide a context foraccessing the name of the target picture. Manystudies have shown that adults are slower to namepictures if the IW is semantically related to thetarget picture than when it is unrelated to it. Thissemantic interference effect (SIE) is most oftenobserved when the IW is a coordinate of thepictured object (DOG paired with wolf) and ispresented simultaneously with the picture. Thereare two explanations of the SIE. First, the lexicalcompetition account assumes that words areorganized mentally in a lexical network with linksconnecting semantically related words. In the PWItasks, spreading activation between semanticallyrelated words leads to competition in retrieving thename of target picture. Second, the responseexclusion hypothesis proposes that the SIE is apost-lexical effect (outside of the lexical network)due to participants needing more time to excludethe IW as a possible name for the target picture.We conducted two PWI experiments where wevaried both IWs. Part-terms associated with targets(FEATHER paired with bird) produced facilitationwhen the IW occurred in advance of the picture.Unassociated part-terms (PAWS paired with lion)produced a standard SIE. Because part-terms werenot plausible candidate names for the picture, ourfindings are difficult to explain in terms of theresponse exclusion hypothesis, seem morecompatible with the lexical competition account.

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P O S T E R 3

A Probability Model for WirelessSensor NetworksJaneth ToroFaculty Mentor: Dr. Zhanyang ZhangDepartment of Computer Science

Wireless sensor networks (WSN) are created whenthousands upon thousands of sensor nodes aredeployed over a general area and then used to trackcertain changes in the environment. Groups ofthese nodes form a cluster and communicate witheach other in order to transfer information fromone place to another. One of the main problems ofthese sensor nodes is that they have a limitedamount of power. A solution to this predicament isthe implementation of a Duty Cycle. A Duty Cycleoccurs when certain nodes are chosen to go to“sleep” and awaken when another node goes tosleep. This helps save energy but it brings upanother concern: How do we decide which nodessleep and for how long? The aim of this project isto use a probability model to dynamically schedulesleep time and duration for the sensor nodes basedon cluster size and other network constrains. Wewill first use a random model, where nodes fallasleep randomly while still maintaining Quality ofService (QoS) requirements. The main QoSconstraint that will affect this research is the factthat there needs to be a minimum amount of nodes“awake” in order for the network to functionproperly. We will create a computer simulation thatwill simulate this environment and try to find anoptimal solution to this problem of energyexpenditure.

P O S T E R 4

Gaining Insight into New York'sClimatic Future By AnalyzingClimate Trends of Its PastBrian Kateman, Gayathri Sudarsanan,Jenna Calderon, Mallory Gioe, andJonathan Rossi Faculty Mentor: Dr. Athanasios KoutavasDepartment of Engineering Science and Physics

We have gathered tree cores from several differentWhite Oaks in Palisades Park, NJ, dating back to1829. By measuring the widths of the tree ringscontained within the cores and comparing themwith climate data from the region, we were able todetermine the influence of precipitation, drought,and temperature on tree growth. Using thisinformation we drew an historical account of NewYork’s climate past and developed predictions onhow climate will affect the same region in thefuture. After careful analysis of our collected data, itis distinctly evident that the growth of trees inPalisades Park is largely susceptible to the effects ofdrought. This conclusion was ascertained bycorrelating the Palmer’s Drought Severity Index(PDSI) data for the last century with tree ring coredata from the region for the same length of time.The greatest correlation was found when usingPDSI values from June, July, and August, and bycombining data from both previous and currentyears. Other environmental factors such astemperature and precipitation did not yield suchhigh correlations. Using the PDSI data, we wereable to ascertain that, despite the droughts thathave occurred, the climate in the region appears tobe becoming wetter, as precipitation levels haverisen greatly in the past decade alone. Theserelationships can possibly be tied in with thedebate over global warming, as warmertemperatures could increase the probability ofdrought because larger amounts of evaporation,particularly during summer and fall, could intensifydrought conditions.

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P O S T E R 5

QRS Complex DetectorImplementing OrthonormalFunctionsLeo LeiFaculty Mentor: Dr. Natacha GueorguievaDepartment of Computer Science

The heart is one of the most important organs ofthe body, and disorders in its functioning can causeserious problems for the patient. Arrhythmias areabnormal heart beats. In fact, arrhythmias are heartdiseases caused by heart electrical-conductivesystem disorders. Heart diseases are very slow(bradycardia) or very fast (tachycardia) heartfunctions resulting an inefficient pumping.

The heart state is generally reflected in the shapeof ECG waveform and heart rate. The origin of ECGmorphology can be explained by the dipole-vectortheory, which states that the ECG is an expressionof the electro-ionic changes generated duringmyocardial depolarization and repolarization.Various computer-based methodologies forautomatic diagnosis have been proposed byresearchers; however, the entire process cangenerally be subdivided into a number of separateprocessing modules such as preprocessing, featureextraction/selection, and classification.

In this research we focus on filtering the ECGsignal in order to remove high frequency noise andenhance the QRS complexes, and on featureextraction. The latter is the determination of afeature or a feature vector from a pattern vector.Our focus is on the QRS complex as it is the moststriking waveform caused by ventriculardepolarization of the human heart, and therefore,its detection provides the fundamental for almostall automated ECG analysis algorithms.

Our feature selection approach is based onimplementation of orthonormal functions.Representing ECG morphology by coefficients oforthonormal polynomials results in robustestimates of a few descriptive signal parametersand accurate representation of normal anddeviating ECG pattern vectors by exposing subtlefeatures of pattern vectors. The experimental dataincludes recordings from MIT dataset.

P O S T E R 6

The Emergence of SocialCoordination and Communicationamong TwinsVanda Melendez, Naomi J. Aldrich,Patricia J. Brooks, and Sonia RagirFaculty Mentors: Dr. Patricia Brooks, and Dr. Sonia RagirDepartment of Psychology

Research suggests that joint attention reflects vitalaspects of psychological development, such as theemergence of the mental and behavioral processesessential to cognitive development and languageacquisition. Integral to this relationship are theroles of non-verbal communication and an infant’sreadiness to imitate and reciprocate another’sactions. While researchers have shown that twinsuse more non-verbal communicative exchangesthan familiar same-age peers, they debate whetheror not there are delays in twins’ languagedevelopment. Early work comparing twins tosingletons indicates that twins are more likely toexhibit language deficits, but more recent studiessuggest that delays that occur may be attributed tobiological factors (e.g., low birth weight), ratherthan to being a twin. Moreover, some havesuggested that developmental delays may be worsefor at-risk singletons than for twins. The presentstudy explores the expression of socialcoordination, imitation, and reciprocity in twins.

Twin dyads were videotaped during a ten-minutefree play session at 7-months (n = 10) and 10-months (n = 10) (ages adjusted for prematurity).Each sibling’s behavior was coded for theexpression of joint attention, non-verbal socialcoordination, play patterns, communicativegestures, and early language. Results are discussedin relation to preliminary findings of the beneficialeffects of constant social stimulation, such that atwin at risk for developmental delay may have abetter prognosis than a comparable high-risksingleton. The confirmation of such benefits hasimportant implications for the design of earlyintervention programs encountering increasingnumbers of at-risk premature multiple gestation births.

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P O S T E R 7

Individual Differences in AdultForeign Language LearningAnnemarie Donachie, RosemarieMarronaro, Urooj Syed, Jessica Lee,Irosha Pathirage, Manuel Garcia, andNicola BrownFaculty Mentor: Dr. Patricia BrooksDepartment of Psychology

How individuals learn a language remains amystery. Our study investigates the psychologicalprocesses involved in adult foreign languageacquisition, using Russian as the language to belearned. Saffran (2003) has argued that languageacquisition depends on learning mechanisms thatextract statistical regularities (such as recurrentsequences or patterns) to determine the locationsof word boundaries and syntactic structures. Ourexperiment tests the hypothesis that measures ofstatistical learning (in particular the artificialgrammar learning task) will be predictive ofsuccess in adult foreign language learning.Participants were 76 CSI undergraduates, 51females and 25 males, ages 18-42, with no priorexperience learning Russian. Participants weregiven different tests and questionnaires thatassessed verbal working memory capacity,statistical learning of sequences, patternidentification, speech perception, prior exposure toforeign language and musical abilities. Participantsalso received six 35-minute language-learningsessions during which they listened to andrepeated Russian phrases and answeredcomprehension and production probes to assesslearning. In the final session, participantscompleted a generalization test examining theirability to generate Russian phrases different fromthe ones used in the training sessions (i.e., to saythings in Russian that they had never heard before).Our poster examines correlations among the verbalworking memory and statistical learning tasks, asthe language learning data has not yet beentabulated.

P O S T E R 8

Applying Lattice Reduction toKnapsack CryptosystemsJonathan MaltzFaculty Mentor: Dr. Kevin O’BryantDepartment of Mathematics

We examine lattices and the use of lattice basisreduction in the cryptanalysis of knapsackcryptosystems.

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P O S T E R 9

The Louis Armstrong SymposiumLinda Soria and Ziv KarmiFaculty Mentor: Dr. William BauerDepartment of Performing and Creative Arts

On November 21 2009, several notable jazzscholars gathered to discuss the artistry and legacyof jazz legend, Louis Armstrong. The presentersincluded Ricky Riccardi, Michael Cogswell, JohnSzwed, James Leach, William Bauer, Jeffrey Taylor,and Dan Morgenstern. Each scholar approachedArmstrong's artistry from a different angle,discussing the factors that made him one of themost distinctive and prolific artists of the 20thcentury. Discussions ranged from the approachArmstrong took to improvisation, both in his vocalmusic (Leach and Bauer), and in his instrumentalmusic (Riccardi); his record collection (nowhoused at CUNY’s Louis Armstrong House Museumin Queens) and what it says about him (Cogswell);the pianists who worked with him in Chicago inthe 1920s (Taylor); and his importance to anunreleased film of Orson Welles, as well asspeculation on the reasons why Armstrong is still aprominent figure—not only in jazz, but also inAmerican music and culture (Morgenstern). Paneldiscussions enabled the audience to interact withthe scholars and to hear indepth consideration ofsome of the issues that surfaced in thepresentations. A website for the symposiumfeatures archived video footage of thepresentations, offering visitors a window into theinsights that these scholars shared. This posterpresentation will feature screen shots of thewebsite. A laptop computer with Internet accesswill enable visitors to screen some of the videofootage archived on the website.

P O S T E R 1 0

An Easter CantataChris SpinelliFaculty Mentor: Dr. William BauerDepartment of Performing and Creative Arts

This project, the composition of an Easter Cantata,was inspired by my research into English hymnody.From the passages of the gospels that tell the Easterstory, I have selected texts and composed music forthem. Through this music, I created a series ofdramatic scenes that reflect the mood of the textsand convey the emotional impact of the imagesthat these texts conjure up. The melodies that Iwrote not only reflect the tone of the text, but alsoset the texts in a manner that is easy to be sung andunderstood. Movements alternate between soloarias, some with recitatives, and choruses. Thekeyboard accompaniment supports the chorus andsoloists, and helps to move the story forward bymusical means. Using Sibelius and other musictechnology resources, I will prepare a digitally“engraved” score, and a MIDI version in order tooffer an audio “sketch” of the score. This poster-board presentation will feature representativeexamples from the score. A laptop withheadphones will enable visitors to listen tosegments of the score, realized as digital audio files.

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P O S T E R 1 1

The Music SILOH ProjectZiv KarmiFaculty Mentor: Dr. William BauerDepartment of Performing and Creative Arts

America's music, as ethnically and stylisticallydiverse as its people, has made a place for itselfhere on Staten Island. Woven into the fabric oftheir lives, music helps Staten Islanders give shapeto their experience as members of differentcommunities or scenes; each scene, in turn, ischaracterized by a musical style, or genre, and anexpressive culture. Island communities haveformed around such distinct musical idioms as jazz,hip-hop, and heavy metal, to name a few.

Precious little research documents Staten Islanders'musical activities and the beliefs that inspire them.So few people know about the island's rich musicaland cultural heritage. By creating a platform onwhich to document and catalogue trends in StatenIsland's musical history, the Music SILOH Projectwill provide a single locale for this valuableinformation. The Music SILOH Project is a custom-designed WordPress website hosted by the CSILibrary. It allows for hosting information on StatenIsland's oral history, with descriptions and audioclips, online. Visitors to the site can view and listento featured articles, browse items by category, readabout SILOH and how to get involved, and more.

Are older community members passing traditionson to younger members? Are musical traditions andmemories being lost? What can we learn from thepeople who are now making music on StatenIsland? Are larger cultural forces affecting howStaten Islanders create, perform, market, andexperience music? The Music SILOH Project seeksto answer these and related questions.

P O S T E R 1 2

Individual Differences in SpeechPerception and Language LearningRosemarie MarronaroFaculty Mentor: Dr. Patricia BrooksDepartment of Psychology

Research suggests that statistical sequence learningplays an important role in speech perception andlanguage acquisition (Conway, Bauernschmidt,Huang, & Pisoni, in press; Saffran, 2003). Our studyexamines the relationship between sequencelearning, as measured using an Artificial GrammarLearning (AGL) task (Misyak & Christiansen, 2007),and individual differences in foreign languagespeech perception. Two studies presented Englishspeakers with foreign language tonemes spoken bya male and a female speaker of Norwegian.Participants made same-different judgments of pairsof Norwegian words differing only with respect tothe presence of a rising versus dipping toneme.AGL, nonverbal IQ, and prior experience withforeign languages were used as predictors ofindividual differences. Study 1 results showed asignificant correlation between AGL and Norwegiantoneme perception, and, unexpectedly, a genderdifference favoring men in toneme perception. Thisgender effect appears to be consistent with a maleadvantage in auditory processing reported in otherstudies (McRoberts & Sanders, 1992; Norrelgen etal., 2001; Wallschlaeger, 1997). An additional findingwas that participants were more accurate inmaking toneme judgments for the female voice,which had longer vowel durations than the malevoice. Study 2 attempted to replicate the gendereffect, with stimuli equated for vowel length. Withthe modified stimuli, there was no effect of voice,and the effect of participant gender was no longersignificant. As in Study 1, the AGL task was asignificant predictor of sensitivity to the Norwegiantoneme contrasts. Whereas several studies haveemphasized the role of statistical sequence learningin the acquisition and processing of phonology(Gervain & Mehler, 2010; Conway et al., in press),our study is the first to demonstrate such a link inadult foreign language speech perception.

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P O S T E R 1 3

Kantian Concepts in the Worksfrom the Generacion de 1898Victoria CooperFaculty Mentor: Dr. Nuria MorgadoDepartment of Modern Languages

The Generación de 1898, or Generation of ’98,consisted of essayists, poets, and philosophers whowrote about the moral, social, and political calamitythat Spain went through as a country after beingdefeated in the Spanish American War. Four of themain writers that emerged from this unit wereAntonio Machado, Miguel de Unamuno, Azorín, andPío Baroja. This study focuses on how Kantiannotions of both intuition and concepts arereflected in the works of these writers. Theresearch that I completed on these authors hasrevealed a direct connection between Kant’sphilosophy and the mental state of Spain introubling times. Such connections include: thetroubles that Spain has gone through and thestruggle of her people in a time where a singularidentity did not exist; the Kantian idea ofobjectivity, and that both intuition (elements of thesenses) and concepts (understanding) are necessaryto make valid conclusions; how metaphysicalconcepts are greatly detailed in poetry; themes ofloneliness, isolation, and nostalgia for the old Spain;and individual and national identity.

P O S T E R 1 4

Gender and Displacement in GeorgiaStephanie HelewaFaculty Mentor: Dr. Peter KabachnikDepartment of Political Science, Economics, and Philosophy

Currently there are between 257,000-277,000Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs) residing in theRepublic of Georgia, hoping to return to theirformer homes or at least be integrated with thelocal communities. They were displaced due tointernal conflicts from 1991-1993 and 1998, andthe 2008 Russia-Georgia War. Most IDPs are fromAbkhazia and South Ossetia, two separatist regionsin Georgia. Most IDPs live in substandard livingconditions, and suffer high rates of unemploymentas well as serious health problems. Nearly halfreside in collective centers, which are mainlyvarious types of public buildings that were neverintended to be used as permanent housing, forexample hospitals, schools, and hotels. Thesebuildings have been occupied for over 17 yearsnow, and very little improvements have been madeto them. Displacement alters gender relationships,as men lose their jobs during the conflict and manybecome soldiers. Studies show that men have aharder time adjusting than women, while at thesame time, still upholding previous patriarchalgender ideals. Thus, in many IDP families, womenhave had to become the breadwinners, taking onnew responsibilities associated with being the headof the household. Many IDPs understand thesedrastic transformations as symbolic of theexperience of displacement and yearn for theirlives before displacement. Non-governmentalorganizations (NGOs) working with IDPs inGeorgia impact these gender relationships byhaving programs that focus on women and manymore women participants, which help to empowerwomen, but also contribute to processes ofdemasculinization and strained relationshipsbetween husbands and wives.

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P O S T E R 1 5

Comparative Analysis: AttachmentPatterns and Bases of Self-Worthin Males and Females of Intactand Non-intact FamiliesVictoria PorcellFaculty Mentor: Dr. Florette CohenDepartment of Psychology

The intention of the present study is to contrastindividuals of intact and non-intact (divorced)families in terms of bases of self-worth (on whatthe individual bases their self-esteem; for example,physical attractiveness or others’ approval) andattachment patterns (insecure or secure attachmenttypes) through the lens of their interpersonaldealings and intimate relationships. In addition, thegoal is to find differences between males andfemales with both types of family backgrounds.Based on previous research in this area, the mainhypothesis contended that those of intact and non-intact families have different attachment patterns;specifically, those of non-intact families will expressinsecure attachment patterns, while those of intactfamilies will have secure attachment patterns andcorresponding contingencies of self-worth. Instead,mediating factors, such as participants’ perceptionof emotional support from parents and extendedfamily members, became the main focus of the study.Specific findings and implications will be discussed.

P O S T E R 1 6

The Effects of Mortality Salienceon Self-Perceived ResiliencyEsther KabalkinFaculty Mentor: Dr. Florette CohenDepartment of Psychology

This experiment explored the prevalence of self-perceived resilience when thoughts of one’s owndeath or death of a loved one are used as aPotentially Traumatic Event (PTE). Three-hundredand seventeen participants were given a surveycontaining demographic questions, a TerrorManagement Theory manipulation, a resiliencyscale, an anger scale and questions about PTE’sthey may have previously experienced. Participantswere given surveys for one of three manipulation groups, test anxiety, mortality salience or griefsalience. Results were inconclusive. Implicationsare discussed.

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P O S T E R 1 7

Experiments of Herding Attack onIterative Hash Functions Dan Hoizner and Vladislav KlymFaculty Mentor: Dr. Xiaowen ZhangDepartment of Computer Science

Most practical cryptographic hash functions usedtoday, SHA-1, SHA-2, and MD families, are iterativehash functions and follow the Merkle-Damgardconstruction by relying on repeating theunderlying compression function X times. Thecommon properties discussed when determiningthe strength of a hash function are collisionresistance, preimage resistance, and secondpreimage resistance. Several attacks have beenfound against these hash functions, one of thembeing called a herding attack. The herding attackexploits a property not commonly used to ratehash functions, called chosen target forced prefix(CTFP) preimage resistance. This property allowsan attacker to "herd" a chosen prefix to apreviously committed hash value. This is done, asshown by Kelsey and Kohno [KK], by forming adiamond structure of intermediate hash steps andherding any given starting part of a message to thecommitted hash value by choosing an appropriateprefix found using the diamond structure. Anothername given to the attack is the "Nostradamusattack," due to the attack allowing an attacker to"predict the future" by violating a certain propertyof a hash function. Using the CUNY HighPerformance Computing Center (HPC), we willverify how fast such an attack can be mounted. Thiswill be done by generating a diamond structure fora given hash function (SHA-1 and MD5 for ourpurposes) and herding any chosen prefix to acommitted hash value. Both a birthday paradoxattack and hash function specific vulnerabilitieswill be examined and implemented on the HPCcluster, allowing us to find the fastest possible timefor such an attack to be mounted both for a hashfunction with no published exploits and a hashfunction with published vulnerabilities (Lenstra,Wang, and de Weger [LWW] for MD5).

P O S T E R 1 8

The Contribution of Spinal andSupraspinal Loci to Opionid-Induced HyperalgesiaMegan CaldwellFaculty Mentor: Dr. Benjamin KestDepartment of Psychology

We have observed that acute systemic morphineinjection can increase nociception in mice.Although this opioid-induced hyperalgesia isindependent of prior or concurrent opioidreceptor activity, it is nonetheless blocked by thenon-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801. To assess whether spinal and/or supraspinalCNS loci contribute to systemic morphinehyperalgesia, mice were injected with the opioidantagonist naltrexone and then tested fornociception on the tail-flick test before and afterreceiving an acute morphine bolus dose via theintrathecal (IT) or intracerebroventricular (ICV)route. Furthermore, the contribution of NMDAreceptors at spinal and supraspinal loci was alsostudied in naltrexone treated mice by assayingnociception before and after IT and ICV MK-801injection in mice treated with an acute systemicmorphine bolus dose. Whereas IT and ICVmorphine injection both caused significanthyperalgesia, IT and ICV MK-801 blockedhyperalgesia after systemic morphine injection.The data indicate that morphine injected intospinal and supraspinal loci can increasenociception, but that the ensuing hyperalgesia isnot mediated by opioid receptors. The data alsoindicate that the ability of MK-801 to block opioid-induced hyperalgesia after systemic morphineinjection may be mediated by NMDA receptors ateither spinal or supraspinal loci.

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P O S T E R 1 9

Development and Testing ofCurcumin Derivatives asPromising Drugs Against Breast CancerAshley MathaiFaculty Mentor: Dr. Jimmie FataDepartment of Biology

Curcumin is a phenolic compound derived fromthe rhizome Cucuma longa and it is commonlyused as a spice for food coloring and flavoring.Curcumin has proven to be an effective anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, and anti-infectiousdrug and has therefore received much scientificand medical attention. Unfortunately, Curcumin isinsoluble in water and is biodegraded quickly whenadministered to patients. Therefore, a derivative ofCurcumin that overcomes these characteristics mayprove to be more effective than Curcumin itself. Inanalyzing Curcumin, we have found that atconcentrations of 50 mM it can negatively affect anumber of human breast cancer cell lines. We thenset out to evaluate the 4 novel derivatives ofCurcumin for their ability to affect several differentbreast cancer cell lines in a similar fashion as seenwith Curcumin. Of these derivatives, one wasfound to act negatively against the breast cancercell lines as efficiently as Curcumin. We show thatthis derivative, called Dendrimer-Curcumin, is alsosoluble in water, which may make it a moreeffective drug than Curcumin itself. Further analysisof Dendrimer-Curcumin derivative is on thehorizon; it holds promise as a novel and effectivetherapeutic Human breast cell lines, and theyexhibit unique responses to curcumin andcurcumin derivatives.

P O S T E R 2 0

Pairing Cognitive and PersonalityFactors for Prediction AcademicPerformanceKeith MillerFaculty Mentor: Dr. Florette CohenDepartment of Psychology

Cognitive ability tests (CAT) are the finest, mostresearched, available predictors of performance, butthey possess an unfair bias towards the minoritypopulation. Personality has been found to be astrong predictor of performance that is free ofsubgroup differences. This correlational studyaimed to pair personality and cognitive factors inorder to predict academic performance asmeasured by grade point average (GPA). Fluidintelligence (IQ) was measured by R. B. Cattell’sCulture Fair Intelligence Test (CFIT), and the BigFive personality factors were measured byGoldberg’s International personality Item Pool(IPIP). I theorized that when people score high onintellect, conscientiousness, and IQ, they willpossess a high GPA. I hypothesized that the CFITwill show no bias in testing between genders andethnicities. In total, results were based on 126participants and indicated that GPA was predictablewhen intellect and conscientiousness interacted.Intellect was found to have a positive significantcorrelation with overall college GPA and a positivesignificant correlation with IQ. Implications forworkplace testing are discussed.

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P O S T E R 2 1

Mickey, Marvel, and Memories:Exploring the Role of Nostalgia inConsumer Response to DisneyLauren LoPrimoFaculty Mentor: Dr. Susan HolakOffice of Academic Affairs and Department of Business

The Walt Disney Company is a leading provider ofentertainment globally with a brand loyal consumerfollowing. The Company uses various forms ofnostalgia to appeal to a diverse demographic ofconsumers. Nostalgia, “a painful yearning to returnhome,” describes a bittersweet emotion where weview the past with longing. Disney is a master atresurrecting these feelings in their customersthrough their popular icons, characters, andsettings that seem to reflect “the good old days.”Disney’s Main Street in the Magic Kingdom is anideal example of how the Company controls asetting to use nostalgia to draw in consumers.Disney’s recent acquisition of MarvelEntertainment’s library of 5,000 characters has thepotential to attract an entirely new demographicusing the same marketing strategy.

This research will focus on the Company’s use ofnostalgic icons, characters, and settings to buildbrand equity, and the impact of this marketingtactic on consumer behavior and consumerperception. The study will identify and analyze thetypes of nostalgia that the Company utilizes, andthe role that nostalgia plays in consumerperceptions, behavior, and the purchase decisionsof Disney’s consumer base. The research willinvolve secondary data collection about Disney’sproperties, characters, and creative works fromacademic journals in the social sciences andbusiness press, in order to document types ofnostalgia and nostalgic appeals used by theCompany. In addition, observational research at theWalt Disney Resort in Orlando, Florida will beconducted to document nostalgia themes and sources.

P O S T E R 2 2

Infants’ Locomotor ExpertiseChanges Body AwarenessPawan Kaur and Seray TaysinFaculty Mentor: Dr. Sara BergerDepartment of Psychology

Self awareness is the awareness of one’s ownexistence (Brownell, Ramani, & Zerwas, 2007). Self-awareness has a protracted development in infancybecause it seems to be comprised of different typesof awareness, such as body awareness, the ability torecognize and relate the body to the environment.The aim of this study was to investigate individualdifferences with the potential to influence infants’body awareness, such as locomotor posture,locomotor expertise, and problem-solving skills.Forty-four infants, grouped according to locomotorability, participated in a goal-directed task in whichthey had to navigate through a tunnel to reach agoal (their caregiver) at the other end. After severaltrials, cognitive demands were increased bychanging the location of the goal and asking infantsto take a new tunnel to a new location. Walkinginfants had to recognize that they had to switch tocrawling to fit into the tunnel and to stay crawlingin order not to bump their bodies into the tunnel.When cognitive demands were increased, infants inthe transition group were more likely to bump intothe tunnel than any of the other groups. The groupin the midst of the transition from crawling towalking (less than one week walking experience,but not yet given up crawling) found navigating thetunnels most difficult, for example bumping theirheads upon entering or standing up while stillinside. With the acquisition of each locomotorposture, infants must reestablish representations oftheir bodies in the environment.

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P O S T E R 2 3

Effects of Phonological Cues inLexical AccessPaloma Wasserstein, Catherine Roca,Urooj Syed, and Diana AlmodovarFaculty Mentor: Dr. Patricia BrooksDepartment of Psychology

This study used a cross-modal picture-wordinterference task (PWI) to study the effects ofphonological cues in lexical access. Participants(18 adult native English speakers) were instructedto name pictures presented on a computer screenwhile ignoring auditory distractors, interferingwords (IWs), presented through headphones.Across blocks of trials, the IWs occurred at differentstimulus asynchrony conditions (the onset of theIW preceded the picture by 750 ms, 450 ms, or 150ms, or occurred 150 after the appearance of thepicture). The IWs differed with respect to theirrelationship to the name of the target picture.Sometimes the IW was the name of the picture(e.g., “lock” paired with a picture of a lock),sometimes the IW was phonologically related tothe name of the picture (e.g., “log” paired with apicture of a lock) but named a different picture,sometimes the IW was unrelated (e.g., “bed” pairedwith a picture of a lock), and sometimes it was theword “good.” The objective of the experiment wasto explore how phonological cues influence lexicalaccess in children with typical and atypicallanguage development, more specifically howpriming effects of onset-related distractor wordsinfluence speed of retrieval (reaction time). Thisposter presents a preliminary study of an adultgroup, along with data from several children. Weanticipated that IWs with phonological features incommon with the name of the picture wouldspeed picture naming in adults and children, butthat the time course of the phonological primingeffect would depend on the amount ofphonological overlap.

P O S T E R 2 4

The Role of Locomotor Expertiseon Limb PreferenceMarierose PolisFaculty Mentor: Dr. Sarah BergerDepartment of Psychology

During infants’ first year, manual and pedal sidepreferences develop. Before attaining a stable handpreference, infants hand use alternates betweenright and left (Corbetta & Thelen, 1996, 1999;Fagard 2006), eventually establishing an increasedright-handed bias from 7 to 11 months (Michel,Sheu, & Brumley 2001). Lead-out preference isusing one limb over the other to begin a locomotormaneuver, as in crawling or walking (Peters, 1988).Thirteen-month-old crawlers and walkers show astable lead-out preference in the moment (Polis,Berger, & Friedman 2009). However, no cross-sectional studies have been conducted examiningthe stability of infant lead-out preference over time.The aim of this study is to document the course oflead-out preference over several months and overlocomotor transitions.

Novice and Expert Crawlers and Walkers traverseda path repeatedly to reach a goal at the end of apath. Replicating previous work on footedness,most infants showed a preference in the momentfor one lead-out limb. This work also echoesprevious work on the development of handedness,showing lead-out preference instability over thelonger-term. With the acquisition of each newmotor skill, the entire motor system may be in fluxuntil the skill is mastered. These findingsdemonstrate the importance of making behavioralobservations at multiple time scales to understandunderlying developmental trajectories, specificallythe stability or instability associated with theacquisition of new motor abilities.

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P O S T E R 2 5

Chinese Industrialization andAmerican PortrayalDwight DunkleyFaculty Mentor: Dr. Ming XiaDepartment of Political Science, Economics, andPhilosophy

China is an emerging superpower and the size ofthe Chinese economy is expected to overtake theJapanese economy during 2010 as the secondlargest economy in the world, behind the UnitedStates. The amazing economic growth that China iscurrently undergoing is a result of an incrediblethirty-year period of industrialization and urbandevelopment taking place across the entire Chinesemainland since then-Paramount Leader DengXiaoping announced his economic reforms in 1978.But China’s rapid industrial build-up has not beenwithout costs, particularly human and environmentalcosts. Coupled with these costs is a uniquely Chinesephenomenon, whereby economic production hasbeen greatly liberalized, while the political form ofgovernment remains largely authoritarian, opaque,unaccountable, and undemocratic.

Perhaps due to deficiencies of this form ofgovernment, there have been recent industrialdisasters that have resulted in many thousands ofChinese being killed, poisoned, or maimed. Mostnotoriously, the case of melamine adulteration ofmilk and milk formula gained worldwide attentionin 2008. This study intends to examine mediacoverage and exposés of that case of melaminemilk adulteration in China in juxtaposition to thecases of American peanut butter recalls and tomatorecall which took place in 2008-09. I intend to codeand analyze articles about each event that haveappeared in Western news media for bias, and ifthere is a bias, to examine which causal factors maybe at play.

P O S T E R 2 6

The Influence of Perceived Raceand Gender Presentation on theSentencing of Female JuvenileOffenderCarene HadadFaculty Mentor: Dr. Kathleen CumiskeyDepartment of Psychology

In an effort to explain differences in sentencingseverity, social scientists have looked towardsdefendant characteristics for explanations. It isclear that defendant characteristics matter insentencing (Albonetti, 1991). These differentialimpacts arise because defendant characteristicscatalyze stereotypes (Bodenhausen, 1988; 2005).The stereotypes then provide evaluators withinformation about who is likely to be guilty,blameworthy, corruptible, and rehabilitated amonga host of other expectations (Bodenhausen, 1988;2005; Lynch & Haney,2000). Once activated theseexpectations guide the types of evidence oneremembers and subsequently bases a decision on(Brewer, 1996; Lynch & Haney, 2000). Within racialgroups there are gender differences, which result inmore lenient sentences, despite the actual severityof the crime (Steffensmeier & Demuth, 2006;Steffensmeier, Ulmer & Kramer, 1998). Recentresults suggest that sentencing is lenient to thedegree to which women uphold traditional genderstereotypes in appearance and behavior (Janicki,1999; Haegerich & Bottoms, 2000; Streib, 1990;2004).

The present study seeks to demonstrate theinteraction effects of race and gender-presentationamong court involved female juveniles duringjudgment. Participants responded to severalquestionnaires that were then analyzed to assessracial and gender stereotypes and possibledifferences in judgment dimensions of guiltiness,blameworthiness, corruptibility, and rehabilitation.Other measures indicated the degree to which thetarget was assumed to adhere to traditional genderrole expectations.

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P O S T E R 2 7

Demonstrating Urbi Using theAIBO Robotic DogVitaly Nirenberg and Justin AllenFaculty Mentor: Dr. Susan ImbermanDepartment of Computer Science

This research project examines the differenttechniques of Artificial Intelligence and differentforms of robotics programming via the AIBOrobotic dog. AIBO is a robotic dog that wasmanufactured by Sony until early 2006, when theproject was discontinued. The goal was to replicatean experiment by Micah Lapping-Carr in which aNintendo Wii remote was used to remotely controlan AIBO. Although we successfully controlled acomputer with the remote, connecting to the AIBOproved almost impossible due to Sony’sdiscontinuation of the AIBO project since theoriginal experiment was done. Further researchinto methods to interface with the AIBO led to thediscovery of Urbi. Urbi is a very powerful scriptlanguage, which allows for programming of variousrobots, including AIBO. The Urbi SDK is verypowerful, and it allows the user to wirelesslyconnect to the AIBO and monitor code executionas it happens in real time. Another useful programto robotics is Webots, which provides adevelopment environment to model and simulaterobots in the real world. It is compatible with bothAIBO and Urbi code, and is a great asset for anyrobotics programmer.

P O S T E R 2 8

Development of New Pd-CatalyzedTandem Reactions for OrganicSynthesisQixin Liu, Amy He, Matthew Isreal, andYuan-Xi LiaoFaculty Mentor: Dr. Qiao- Sheng HuDepartment of Chemistry

Transition metal-catalyzed addition reactions ofarylboronic acids with carbonyl-containingcompounds constitute some of the most attractivemethods to access arylmethyl alcohols, imines andketones. Combining such addition reactions withother bond forming reactions to producetandem/domino reactions would provide highlyefficient tools for organic synthesis. In our group,we are interested in developing new tandemreactions involving transition metal-catalyzedaddition reactions and C-H activation process,which has never been explored previously.

Type I metalacycles including palladacycles havebeen previously found to be effective catalysts forthe addition reaction of arylboronic acids withaldehydes.1-3 In this presentation, a new tandemreaction, which combines Type I palladacycle-catalyzed addition reaction with C-H activationprocess, will be presented.

Acknowledgments: We thank the NSF for financial support. We alsothank members of the Hu research group for theirhelp and support.

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P O S T E R 2 9

Biosynthesis of Truncated Ste2p;A GPCR from Yeast that may beSuitable for CrystallizationGrigoriy GelfandFaculty Mentor: Dr. Fred NaiderDepartment of Chemistry

G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) constituteone of the largest families of membrane receptors.These heptahelical integral membrane proteins(IMPs) induce an intracellular signaling cascade andare used as the targets for a wide range ofpharmaceuticals. To design agonists or antagoniststhat bind to GPCRs and create drugs with betterefficacies it is essential to understand their 3-Dstructures. At present, the three dimensionalstructures of only a handful of GPCRs are known.We are investigating Ste2p, a GPCR that is found inSaccharomyces cerevisiae. Crystallization of IMPs ishampered by their inherent flexibility. We areengineering Ste2p to limit its molecular movementsand increase its propensity to crystallize. We haveconstructed a plasmid that codes for the expressionof an analog of Ste2p that has a truncatedcytoplasmic tail (CT) reducing the size of theprotein from 431 to 302 residues. We have alsoperformed site-directed mutagenesis on thisplasmid to mutate the tyrosine residue at position266 to alanine. It has been shown that thismutation causes a conformational change to putSte2p into its inactive state. Another constructbeing worked on in parallel is constitutively activeSte2p. If both constructs are successfully expressed,purified and crystallized, we will be able to observethe conformational changes involved inactivation/inactivation.

Expression conditions were optimized using SDS-PAGE and Western Blot. We decided to engineer theplasmid differently due to unsuccessful massspectroscopy results. Earlier, we placed a rhodopsintag on the C-terminal end of our protein linked toresidue 302 through a glycine linker. We havedecided to put the rhodopsin tag 30 residues awayfrom the putative end of the seventhtransmembrane domain. A second construct has therhodopsin tag on the N-terminal extracellular sideof Ste2p. These proteins will be expressed, purifiedand characterized by mass spectroscopy beforecrystallization trials.

P O S T E R 3 0

Effect of Phosphor Tau Expressionin Brains of Transgenic DrosophilaMelanogasterMeriem Hadj AhmedFaculty Mentor: Dr. Alejandra AlonsoDepartment of Biology

Communication between cells is essential, and for acell to perform this job, it needs a functionalcytoskeleton system. Therefore, once the cell losesthe function of its cytoskeleton, many diseases candevelop. Neurons, like any other cell, need thefunction of their cytoskeleton, composed ofmicrotubules, microfilaments, and neurofilaments.When neurons lose the microtubules,neurodegeneration results. A mutation on one of itsproteins causes the cytoskeleton not to function.

In this experiment we test the effect of tau on thecytoskeleton. Drosophila flies will be used in thisexperiment, because of the gene similarity betweenthe drosophila and humans. Hyperphosphorylationof tau is believed to be a cause of tau–inducedneurodegeneration. Transgenic Drosophilaexpressing tau pseudophosphorylated at Thr 212,Ser 231, and Ser 262 have been generated in ourlab. Two wild type tau and thepseudophosphorylated tau transgenic Drosophilawill be used to study the effect ofpseudophosphorylated tau expression in the flies’brain. After tau expression is induced, thedrosophila’s brain will be examined using histologyas will as immunohistochemistry. The implicationsfor Alzheimer’s disease will be discussed.

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P O S T E R 3 1

The Birth of a New Religion inEastern NigeriaChristabel AmadiFaculty Mentor: Dr. Roslyn BologhDepartment of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, has a verydiverse culture, climate, and, topography that affecther stature and interaction. It comprises a lot ofethnic groups, but the three major groups areHausa, generally located in the northern part of thecountry; Yoruba, generally located in thesouthwestern part; and Igbo, located in thesoutheastern part. About 50% of Nigerians areMoslems, generally located in northern Nigeria, andabout 50% are Christians, generally located in thesouthern part of the country. Islam spread to thenorthern part of Nigeria in the ninth centurythrough the trans-Sahara trade with North Africa,and Arabs, and also by conquest. Christianity,however, spread in the southern part of the countryin the fifteenth century through the Europeanexploration of the hinterland and the trans-Atlanticslave trade. Paganism, animalism, and otherindigenous religious practices still exist in varyingforms, even amongst Christian and Moslem converts.

In South Eastern Nigeria, the Igbo (or Ibo), thesmallest of the three major tribes, comprisingapproximately 30 million people representing 18%of Nigeria’s total population of approximately 167million, speak the Igbo (or Ibo) language, whichincludes about 100 different dialects. It is amongthe Ibos in a village called Okam that this projectcenters, following the metamorphosis of Jebbe, anoutcast who grew up as a noble in a noble homeand helped found the new religion of ‘Umsu’among the Ibo outcaste group, the ‘Osu’.

P O S T E R 3 2

Restructuring the Foundational Codeof Graph Theory Software HeidiDmitriy DubsonFaculty Mentor: Dr. Louis PetingiDepartment of Computer Science

Heidi is a topological tool in which a topology (i.e.,graph) is drawn and a set of graph theoreticalgorithms can be applied to the given topology toassess graph-theoretical properties (connectivity,number of spanning trees, distance, etc.). Heidi isan essential tool for carrying out crucial researchregarding graph theory and its algorithms. However,a number of obstacles arise when attempting toimplement new algorithms in Heidi. In order tointroduce new algorithms to this software, theprogrammer or the researcher has to be deeplyknowledgeable in the foundational code of Heidi.This is a constraint that needed to be removed byan addition of standardized structures andrearrangement of code, as to produce a coherenthierarchy for the design process of future algorithms.

A graph adjacency-list is a widely used data-structure crucial for computer internalrepresentation of topologies (graphs), and it wasone of the notable additions to Heidi that it sorelylacked. With the adjacency list, the visualconnectivity of the graph is directly translated intoa coherent data-structure that programmers arevery familiar with, and they will use to implementtheir algorithms.

Our first choice to test the new structural additionsand changes to Heidi was the implementation ofDijkstra’s Shortest Path algorithm. This algorithm isessentially used for finding, for example, theshortest distances between cities (e.g., mapdirections). Since cities and the highwaysconnecting them could be modeled as the nodesand links of a graph, respectively, and the distancesbetween cities are represented by assigningweights to the links (or connections),implementation of Dijkstra’s Shortest Pathalgorithm was a logical choice. This algorithm wasrun on several weighted graphs, where algorithmicaccuracy as well as significant reduction inimplementation time, were observableconsequences of the performed structural changes.

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P O S T E R 3 3

Analysis of Tau Over-Expression inBreast Cancer Cell LinesGoldie Lazarus and Shawon DebnathFaculty Mentor: Dr. Jimmie FataDepartment of Biology

Tau proteins are microtubule-associated proteinsthat are abundant in neurons of CNS. Tau is knownto stabilize microtubules by binding to both theirinner and outer surface. Tau-microtubule bindingshifts the reaction kinetics towards microtubulepolymerization and regulates chromosomalalignment and separation during mitosis. Anotherimportant function associated with Tau is thebundling of microtubules in the nerve cells. Taubinding to microtubules depends on thephosphorylation state(s) and the Tau isoform type.Recently, Tau has been found to be important inbreast cancer as a marker of Paclitaxel sensitivity.With this information, we aim to figure out anumber of things involving Tau in breast cancer celllines. These will include 1) an examination of themorphological effects caused by over-expression ofTau in normal and breast cancer cell lines; 2)analysis of several cell phenotypes including invasion,migration and proliferation; and 3) a determinationof whether over-expression alters cytoskeletonelements such as tubulin and actin. These findingswill provide insight into the functional significanceof Tau in breast cancer cell lines.

P O S T E R 3 4

The Tragedy of September 11th,Conspiracy Theories, andCognitive DissonanceSteven SerranoFaculty Mentor: Dr. Florette CohenDepartment of Psychology

Alternative theories regarding the tragedy ofSeptember 11th, 2001, are becoming increasinglypresent in society. A prevalent alternative theoryentails the belief that (a) explosives placed in WTCtowers 1, 2, and 7 were the causes of collapse, and(b) that a missile, not an airplane actually impactedthe Pentagon. An exposure to information studywas conducted to test whether the impact ofinformation (low, high) or frame of information(without conspiracy theory heading, with conspiracytheory heading) would elicit a larger attitudechange in participants, while also looking at howfeelings of powerlessness (Neal & Groat, 1980)affect responses. This study addresses previouslydivergent findings that one should argue (a) themost extreme position (Zimbardo, 1960) or (b) amore moderate position (Whittaker, 1963), whenthe intent is attitude change. Our hypotheses are:(1) Impact will significantly affect attitude change;high-impact conditions will drive this effect, and (2)Conspiracy theory frame will have no dissonance-reducing effects and will therefore not reduce themagnitude of attitude change. Results were in thehypothesized direction and showed high-impactinformation as well as feelings of powerlessness insociety to have significant effects on attitudechange with regard to 9/11-related issues. Socialand theoretical implications are discussed.

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P O S T E R 3 5

Attention to Emotional Tone ofVoice in Speech Perception inChildren with AutismDennis Vlasikov, Patricia Gaja, and Alexa ScharfFaculty Mentor: Dr. Bertram PloogDepartment of Psychology

A video-game was developed to assess speechperception in moderate-to-low functioning childrenwith autism (Ploog, Banerjee & Brooks, 2009). Ninechildren with autism and eleven with typicaldevelopment listened to prerecorded sentencesvarying with respect to content and prosody(enthusiastic vs. grouchy tone of voice). Childrenused a mouse to control a cartoon bird to peck atnuts (i.e., response buttons). Pecks at one nutcorrelated with one sentence (S+) were rewarded;pecks at the alternative (correlated with anothersentence, S–) were not. The S+ might be “Bobparked a van!” (in an enthusiastic voice), and the S–might be “Dan rode a bike.” (in a grouchy voice).After the child reached criterion, the gameproceeded to the test session. At testing, childrenlistened to stimuli consisting of recombination ofthe content (C) and prosodic (P) features of thetraining stimuli (S+ = C+P+ and S– = C–P–). Duringtest sessions, we replaced half of the training trialswith five types of test trials as follows: S+ vs. C+P–,S+ vs. C–P+, S– vs. C+P–, S– vs. C–P+, and C+P– vs.C–P+. Although children with autism required moretraining sessions to reach criterion (M = 5.2 vs. 1.0),both groups played successfully and maintained ahigh level of accuracy on S+ vs. S– trials during thetest sessions. This topic is important because theliterature has documented atypical perception ofspeech prosody in high-functioning individualswith autism and has generated inconsistentfindings (Boucher et al., 2000; Järvinen-Pasley et al.,2008; Lindner & Rosén, 2006; Peppé et al., 2007;Rutherford, Baron-Cohen, & Wheelwright, 2002). Wefound that both groups discriminated sentencesbased on content and emotional tone of voice. Thechildren with autism showed no deficit inperceiving content or prosody. The typical childrenshowed a preference for enthusiastic prosody.

P O S T E R 3 6

Cartooning in the Context ofAmerican Humor TraditionsMichael YoungFaculty Mentor: Dr. Catherine LavenderDepartment of History

My thesis will focus on the work of Americancartoonists who developed and changed the formthroughout the 20th century. I will analyze theroots of cartooning to give the reader a sense ofwhat came before them and why these arts were sogroundbreaking. These cartoonists will include BillAmend (Foxtrot), George Herriman (Krazy Kat),Gary Larson (The Far Side), Charles Schultz(Peanuts), and Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes). I will be exploring cartooning as a social andpsychological phenomenon, and why peoplerespond to cartoons differently than creativeexpression in any other medium.

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P O S T E R 3 7

Mortality Salience and Religiosityas Predictors of ChristianRitualism and Anxiety SensitivityDavid J. DanischewskiFaculty Mentor: Dr. Florette CohenDepartment of Psychology

An experiment was conducted to investigatemortality salience and personal religiousorientation as determinants of Christians’ desire toparticipate in the sacraments of Reconciliation(confession) and Holy Communion, their perceivedfunction of these rituals, as well as their subsequentanxiety sensitivity thereafter. Two-hundredChristian undergraduate psychology students at theCollege of Staten Island were surveyed. Resultsindicate that religiosity played a significant role indetermining ritualism; however, reminders of deathdid not. Furthermore, anxiety sensitivity was foundto be greatest in control conditions. Implications ofthese findings are considered.

P O S T E R 3 8

Four in FiveDaniel MuccioFaculty Mentor: Dr. David KeberleDepartment of Performing and Creative Arts

I have composed a musical piece under thesupervision of Professor David Keberle. The piecewas composed using a pitch class set (E F# B D#).By using different variations of this pitch class set, I have composed five very different soundingmovements for guitar quartet. This musical piecebrings you on a journey through tonality: The firstmovement sounding tonal, the second movementsounding atonal, the third movement is mostlypercussive, the fourth movement sounding atonal,and finally ending with the fifth movementsounding tonal.

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P O S T E R 3 9

Transition Metal-CatalyzedTandem Addition Reactions ofAryldiboronic AcidsGeorges Bouobda TsemoFaculty Mentor: Dr. Qiao-Sheng HuDepartment of Chemistry

Transition metal-catalyzed addition reactions oforganoboronic acids with carbonyl-containingsubstrates, such as aldehydes, alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones, etc., constitute some of themost attractive methods to access chiral ketonesand alcohols, because organoboronic acids arereadily available, air/moisture-stable. Thedevelopment of tandem reactions with suchaddition reactions as the key reactioncomponent(s) is becoming one of the frontiers inorganic synthesis, because tandem reactionscombine two or more bond forming reactions in asingle operation without the necessity to purify orisolate the reaction intermediates. In our group, weare interested in developing new tandem reactionsinvolving double additions of organoboronic acidsto aldehydes and alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones.

Aryldiboronic acids are readily available and havebeen extensively employed for transition metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. However, theiruse for addition reactions including tandemaddition reactions, which could allow easy accessof useful building blocks for organic synthesis,remains unexplored. In this presentation, thepreparation of two arylboronic acids and the use ofthese aryldiboronic acids for tandem additionreactions will be presented.

Acknowledgments We thank the NSF for financial support. We alsothank members of the Hu research group for theirhelp and support.

P O S T E R 4 0

Ford in Russia: A Case Study inForeign Direct Investment Boris MirsaliyevFaculty Mentor: Dr. Alan ZimmermanDepartment of Business

Russia is a rapidly growing and changing nation,presenting many unique opportunities andchallenges to potential investors. Since VladimirPutin's rise to power in the year 2000, Russia hasexperienced relative political stability and strongyear over year growth in its GDP. Manymultinational firms began to explore ways ofentering the Russian market, with its largepopulation, growing middle class, and strongreserves of technically skilled labor. Ford Motor isone of the most successful foreign firms operatingin Russia today, and its investment in the countrycontinues to grow. Ford’s relationship with Russiatruly blossomed during President Putin’s secondterm, when the Russian Duma passed legislationplacing high tariffs on imported vehicles as aprotectionist measure for domestic automanufacturers. Ford’s executives immediately tooknotice of this opportunity for FDI. Foreign directinvestment allows multinational corporations tocapitalize on market imperfections artificiallycreated by foreign governments through tariffs,quotas and other trade barriers. Through FDI, Fordestablished factories throughout Russia to producevehicles domestically, avoiding import tariffs alltogether and gaining a key competitive advantageover other foreign and domestic vehiclemanufacturers. Likewise, Ford’s first-moveradvantages created entry barriers for othercorporations wishing to emulate its example. “Fordin Russia: A Case Study in Foreign DirectInvestment” offers an in-depth look at foreigninvestment opportunities for corporations inRussia, and the unintended consequences ofgovernment regulations.

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P O S T E R 4 1

Not from Concentrate: AnAlternative Rock QuarryAlan Aurelia, Jenna Calderon, James Fletcher, Joseph Giunto,Margaret Hampton, and Miles JamesFaculty Mentor: Dr. William BauerDepartment of Performing and Creative Arts

Mining the depths of the rock idiom, thesongwriters and performers of the group Not fromConcentrate have done more than unearth fossils.Having dug down into the rich soil in which reggaeand rocksteady grew, they have resurfaced withburied treasure in hand: a refreshingly originalvision of contemporary music and repertoire ofsongs that brings that vision to life. Inspired by ska,a style born in Jamaica that derived from calypso,American rhythm and blues, and other styles, theseartists have taken that style to a new level byinfusing their songs with elements from a widerange of other sources, including jazz, blues, andclassical music. The songs’ lyrics, about such variedsubjects as the delights and perils of being youngand foolish, or the sheer pleasure of making musictogether, add a layer of playful irony to the stylisticreferences. The poster reveals aspects of thegroup’s creative process, such as song lyrics, andsketches its history and its approach to marketingand distribution. Recorded selections will providethe conference attendees with a sampling of themusic these artists have created together. Inaddition to the poster, a live performance will alsoput this group’s archaeological finds on display.

P O S T E R 4 2

Overexpression ofPseudophosphorelated Tau inTransfected CHO Cell CulturesRegina MillerFaculty Mentor: Dr. Alejandra AlonsoDepartment of Biology

Tauopathies are diseases that are characterized byaggregation of the microtubule associated proteintau into neurofibrillary tangles. It has beenconfirmed that hyperphosphorylation of taustimulates filament and tangle formation inDrosophila (Jackson et al., 2002); however, it is alsopossible that the over expression of tau alone canlead to neurodegeneration. Disturbance in themicrotubule structure, abnormallyhyperphosphorylated tau, leads to a progressivedegeneration of surrounding neurons. Thefundamental mechanism responsible for synapticbreakdown that precedes cell death in Alzheimer'sdisease and other neurodegenerative diseases is theaccumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau. Thedirect effect is a disruption in microtubuleassembly, which directly correlates to synaptic lossand pathology of Alzheimer's disease. Impairedcognitive function of AD is associated with thislesion as well. We have previously shown that thecytosolic Alzheimer hyperphosphorylated tau (ADP-tau) sequesters normal tau, MAP1A, MAP1B andMAP2, which results in the inhibition ofmicrotubule assembly and disruption ofmicrotubules and self assemble into filaments. Wediscuss how the expression of tau can be regulatedand then viewed with immunofluorescence. Wealso study the effect of overexpression of pseudo-phosphorelated tau in transfected CHO cellcultures, in both regular and inducible systems. Theimplications of tau aggregation and its self–assembly in relevance to Alzheimer’s diseasepathogenesis is further discussed.

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P O S T E R 4 3

Examining the RelationshipBetween ADHD and EpilepsyUsing an Animal Model of EarlyLife SeizuresAllyson WillnerFaculty Mentor: Dr. Dan McCloskeyDepartment of Psychology

Children with epilepsy are more likely to developAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)than children without epilepsy. However, the causeof this relationship is unknown. To test thepossibility that epileptic seizures can cause ADHD,the current study will examine two features ofADHD in an animal model of epilepsy: decreasedDRD4 dopamine receptor expression, and impairedsustained attention. The hypothesis is that DRD4will be significantly decreased and attention will beimpaired following early life seizures in rats. Theperinatal hypoxia model, a new model for earlyonset temporal lobe epilepsy, was used. Sustainedattention was measured behaviorally using avariation of the 5-choice serial reaction time task(5-CSRT). DRD4 receptors were quantified usingimmunohistochemistry. While the behavioralstudies are ongoing, preliminary data suggest thatepileptic rats have a reduction in the DRD4receptors in the prefrontal cortex area of the brain.

P O S T E R 4 4

Analysis of Benzene and BenzeneMetabolites on Breast Cancer CellMigrationSajini GundryFaculty Mentor: Dr. Jimmie FataDepartment of Biology

The simple aromatic compound benzene is foundubiquitously in the atmosphere. It is naturallyproduced from crude oil and petroleum and is evenfound in cigarette smoke. It is also an industrialprecursor to a larger number of commerciallyavailable products. The toxigenicity of thiscompound has been well established. It is knownto be hemotoxin as well as a carcinogen.Environmental benzene has been shown to cause ahazard in occupational setting, including positionsdirectly associated with oil refineries andpetroleum combustion. Though the carcinogenicityof benzene has been well established inmyelogenous cell lines, the compound’s role inbreast cancer has not yet been made clear. TheNational Toxicology Program 11th Report onCarcinogens established a link between benzeneexposure and mammary tumor genesis. To date,there has been no indication whether benzene canaffect cancer progression, specifically breastcancers. To begin to address this question, wetreated the human breast cancer cell line BT549with benzene, benzoquinone, or hydroquinone andanalyzed whether these chemicals can affectcellular migration. Our results suggest that breastcancer cell migration can be affected by thesechemicals. The findings further suggest thatbenzene, and benzene metabolites may alter breastcancer progression.

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P O S T E R 4 5

Search of the Order Structure ofTwo Enneadic ClustersFatima RafiqueFaculty Mentor: Dr. Chwen-Yang ShewDepartment of Chemistry

Self-assembly remains one of the frontierinterdisciplinary research areas because of its closeconnection with numerous naturally occurringmolecular structures and new applications inmolecular design. It remains a great challenge tounderstand the driving forces to induce the orderstructured from the self-assembly formationprocess. In this project, we have carried out MonteCarlo simulation to search the order structure oftwo enneadic clusters, each of which is composedof nine charged hard spheres bound to anoppositely charged central hard sphere of samediameter to maintain the electroneutrality. We findthat each cluster keeps its structural symmetrynearly intact as an isolated cluster. The separation ofthe two clusters plays a secondary role to distortthe intramolecular structure of both clusters. As theinteraction strength between particles becomeslarge enough, the system makes the transition fromthe disordered structure to the ordered structure.The ordered structure exhibits a uniquemorphology in which the nine particles on eachcluster takes the geometry like an arrow along theaxis connecting the two clusters, and the planes ofthe two arrows, arising from the two clusters, arearranged perpendicularly. This novel order structuremay be attributed to optimizing the dipolarinteraction between the two clusters, which isimportant to understand the role of electrostaticinteraction on the formation of the order structurein the self-assembly process.

P O S T E R 4 6

Transition Metal-CatalyzedAddition Reactions of ArylboronicAcids with Unsaturated KetonesPo Yun Pan, Swapna Paippattuthara,and Chun-Hui XingFaculty Mentor: Dr. Qiao-Sheng HuDepartment of Chemistry

Transition metal-catalyzed addition reactions ofarylboronic acids with carbonyl-containingcompounds have emerged as useful methods toaccess chiral organic compounds which areimportant building blocks and/or starting materialsfor organic synthesis. In our laboratory, we areinterested in developing new transition metal-catalyzed addition reactions for the making ofbiologically-active compounds.

In this presentation, the study of transition metal-catalyzed addition reaction with a hydroxyl group-containing -unsaturated ketones and its application asthe key step for the synthesis of β,α (R)-Tolterodine,a biologically active compound, will be presented.

Acknowledgments We thank the NSF for financial support. We alsothank members of the Hu research group for theirhelp and support.

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P O S T E R 4 7

The Effect of Taurine on InsulinHomeostasis in a Pancreatic �-Cell LineChristina M. CuttittaFaculty Mentor: Dr. William L’AmoreauxDepartment of Biology

In the endocrine pancreas, a rise in extracellularglucose to 3 mM is sufficient to cause the release ofinsulin from the beta cells. The mechanism bywhich this occurs involves the closing of ATP-dependent K channels, which increases calciumflux and subsequent exocytosis of insulin. Taurine,a conditionally essential amino acid, is transportedinto cells via the taurine transporter (TauT).Taurine transport may cause an alteration inmembrane potential that could ultimately affect therelease of insulin. Using a pancreatic beta cell line(Hit-T15), we tested the hypothesis that taurinetransport may affect insulin homeostasis. We foundthat treatment with 1 mM taurine causes asignificant reduction in the amount of insulinpresent in these cells compared to cells treatedwith a sub-threshold glucose concentration (1 mM).The data suggest that taurine transport alone canresult in changes in transmembrane currentssufficient to cause insulin release.

P O S T E R 4 8

The Effects of Phosphate onAlkaline Phosphatase Activity inCandida AlbicansCatherine CaesarFaculty Mentor: Dr. Elena McCoyDepartment of Biology

Candida albicans is a significant human pathogenin which the ability to induce yeast to hyphaldimorphism constitutes a virulence factor. A numberof different signaling pathways may be activatedduring dimoprphic transition depending on theparticular environmental trigger. In glucosemedium, filamentation has been reported to bedependent on the glucose:phosphate ratio. We havenoted that growth of C. albicans strain CC504 ingalactose minimal medium containing 100 mMphosphate supports filamentation and biofilmformation. We have also noted a growth delay earlyin the exponential growth phase in cells grown inthe same medium. Using a qualitative test for alkalinephosphatase using bromo-chloro-indoyl phosphateas the assay substrate and spheroplast preparationsof cells grown in minimal medium for 24h at 37C,we have observed intracellular dye accumulation.Studies are currently in progress to demonstratethe PHO8 alkaline phosphatase by fluorescentantibody labeling and confocal microscopy.

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P O S T E R 4 9

Effect of Pressure on the Stabilityof Water on a SuperhydrophobicMembraneMeagan DerbyshireFaculty Mentor: Dr. Alan LyonsDepartment of Chemistry

Superhydrophobic surfaces, both naturallyoccurring and fabricated in the laboratory, arecomposed of small posts. The roughness of thesurface and the hydrophobic material propertiescombine to support water droplets on top of theposts (Cassie state), instead of falling between theposts and wetting the entire surface (Wenzel state).When the superhydrophobic surface is placed atthe base of a column, water can be supported ontop of the posts up to a critical height (orpressure). However, only a limited height of watercan be supported before the water pressureexceeds the surface tension and the Cassie statetransitions to the Wenzel state. This transitionoccurs at relatively low pressures and limits theusefulness of superhydrophobic surfaces.

The goal of this experiment is to increase the waterpressure that a superhydrophobic surface cansupport. Our approach is to fabricate asuperhydrophobic surface supported on a porousmesh instead of a solid base. In this way we cancontrol the air pressure below the membraneindependently as the water height is increased.Measurements of the water pressure that can besupported on a porous superhydrophobic surfaceas a function of air pressure below the membranewill be reported.

P O S T E R 5 0

Superhydrophobic SurfacesExihibiting Anisotropic Roll-OffAnglesMark BarahmanFaculty Mentor: Dr. Alan LyonsDepartment of Chemistry

Superhydrophobic surfaces exhibit high contactangles with water (>150°) and low-drag such thatwater droplets easily roll off such surfaces. Innature, some plant leaves such as the lotus leaf canbe found which exhibit such properties. Recently,the wings of the butterfly (Morpho aega) havebeen reported to exhibit superhydrophobicsurfaces with anisotropic roll-off angles. On thewing surface, water droplets easily roll away fromthe butterfly’s body, but in the opposite direction,water drops are pinned and thus prevented fromcontacting the insect’s body. Such surfacestructures would be useful for the fabrication ofpassively controlled micro-fluidic devices.

We have fabricated polymeric superhydrophobicsurfaces that exhibit a roll-off angle anisotropysimilar to that observed on butterfly wings. Thesurface is composed of a regular, square array offeatures where each feature is itself anisotropic. Arobotic printing system was developed to dispensethese silicone elastomer features. By controllingthe material (composition and rheologicalproperties) as well as dispense properties (e.g. tipdiameter, translation angle, pitch, dispense height,time and pressure,) surfaces were fabricated withwell-defined properties. We will present roll-offangle and contact-angle data and correlate surfaceproperties with surface morphology.

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P O S T E R 5 1

The Effects of Income Inequalityon Doing Business in ChinaGanna VolkovaFaculty Mentor: Dr. Alan ZimmermanDepartment of Business

China plays an important role in the internationalarena today. Powered by the world’s rapidlychanging economy, many of the world’s mostpowerful companies would like to enjoy some ofthe advantages of doing business in China.However, as in many countries where reforms suchas industrialization were implemented to speed upthe economy, there is an increased inequality in thedistribution of household income among theChinese population. With this type of economicreform, the government has allowed some peopleto become rich first. Restrictions on privateeconomic activities have been banned, allowingentrepreneurship and diversification in sources ofincome. In urban areas this change became a bonus,while in rural areas, farming now is household-based, and income differences depend onresources, ability, and effort.

The change in the Chinese economy and its type ofmarket has created an increase of foreigninvestment into the country. However, it is veryimportant to know how income inequality impactsthe way business is done in China. The researchpaper “The Effects of Income Inequality on DoingBusiness in China” defines what income inequalityis and how to measure it. It offers a look at thehistorical background and describes actions theChinese government is taking to counter incomeinequality. However, the main goal is to analyzehow income inequality influences doing businessin China.

P O S T E R 5 2

Conversion of a Miniature Vehicleto an Autonomous PlatformEric DeMaso, Dan Hoizner, and Michael ConstantinoFaculty Mentor: Dr. Susan Imberman Department of Computer Science

Turning a power wheels jeep into a completelyautonomous vehicle necessitates many changes.These include the addition of sensors, modificationof the stock motor control such that it can becontrolled by a microcontroller, and modification ofthe steering method in order to bypass the stocksteering wheel and implement a method that canbe controlled autonomously. Using the powerwheels jeep as a chassis, sensors will be added on,including a webcam, in order to detect pathwayedges; a sonar array, in order to detect obstacles atclose range; and a GPS receiver, in order todetermine absolute position. In addition to addingsensors, the stock pedal assembly installed on thejeep was removed, with the motors being wired upto two MC7 motor controllers, with each allowing a35 amp draw, and the steering wheel was bypassedwith a 6” stroke linear actuator being attacheddirectly to the steering linkage and wired up to aspike relay. Controlling everything will be anArduino microcontroller, which would act as agateway, being fed inputs from all the sensors andcontrolling the two motors and the linear actuator.The Arduino shall additionally serve as a bridgeconnecting the laptop processing data from thewebcam to the motors. All image processing will bedone using the OpenCV platform. Ultimately, thejeep will be able to accurately and efficientlytraverse the pathways of a college campus followinga series of GPS waypoints including a finalwaypoint that simulates "offroading" by moving offthe paved pathways onto a field with obstacles.

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P O S T E R 5 3

Effect of the Expression ofPhosphorylated Tau in TransgenicDrosophila Melanogaster EyesKalpita AbhynkarFaculty Mentor: Dr. Alejandra AlonsoDepartment of Biology

It is pivotal to understand the mechanistic functionof synaptic breakdown that precedes cell death inAlzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerativediseases. One of the causes of neurodegenerativediseases is a defunct tau protein. Accumulation ofhyperphosphorylated tau causes the disruption ofmicrotubules, which are related to synaptic lossand pathology of Alzheimer's disease. Impairedcognitive function and pathology of AD iscorrelated with this lesion. We have previouslyshown that the cytosolic Alzheimerhyperphosphorylated tau (AD P-tau) sequestersnormal tau, MAP1A, MAP1B and MAP2, whichresults in the inhibition of microtubule assemblyand disruption of microtubules and self assembleinto filaments. Tau promotes the assembly andstabilizes microtubules. Our model of study is theDrosophila that has the tau homolog exhibiting46% identity with the sequence of human tauprotein and has similar features such asmicrotubule-binding domain.

Transgenic flies (Drosophila melanogaster) thatexpress the human tau in different phosphorylatedforms, wild type and mutations display importantfeatures of the human disorder. We will be studyingthe effects of the retinal over-expression of wild-type human and pseudophosphorylated tau intransgenic Drosophila that cause abnormal eyemorphologies. The effects ofpseudophosphorylated tau on the transgenicdrosophila eye are discussed.

P O S T E R 5 4

Fruit Fly as a Model for theExpression of Human TauMutations in Alzheimer’s DiseaseShalini Camillus, Christopher Corbo,and Eugenia AlanizFaculty Mentor: Dr. Alejandra AlonsoDepartment of Biology

Neurons lose their ability to function properly asthey age. This is the major significance in humanneurodegenerative diseases collectively calledTaupathies. Alzheimer’s disease (AD),Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) and Corticobasaldegeneration (CBD) are few examples for them. Tauis a microtubule associated protein mainly found inneurons. Studies related to Alzheimer’s disease havefound that highly phosphorylated Tau is associatedwith these neurons. Tau is capable of interactingwith the normal Tau MAP1, MAP1B and MAP2.Hyperphosphorylated Tau interrupts microtubuleassembly in neurons and has the ability to selfassemble. It is crucial to investigate the mechanismof neurodegeneration induced by phosphorylatedtau. The purpose of this research project is to studyand identify these changes that are expressed in theDrosophila melanogaster (Fruit fly) in comparisonto wild type fly phenotypes. The main phenotypesthat are considered are the eye and the brainstructures. Transgenic fruit flies are created bymicroinjection of mutant Tau genes to the Fruit flyembryos. These injected genes were isolated byplasmid DNA purification of the E.coli. Tau genewas incorporated into the pUAST plasmid togenerate transgenic Drosophila. The transgenic flylines that carry these genes and the inducer flylines are reared and maintained in correctly labeledvials with proper care. Crossing between themutant gene carrying fly lines and the inducer flylines enables the expression of the Tau mutation inthe following generations. The comparison of theScanning Electron Microscopic pictures of thestructures of the eye and brain structures of theFruit flies before and after the crossing of the linesgives the understanding of how human tauhyperphosphorylation affects the structural andfunctional changes. The study will enable us tounderstand the role of hyperphosphorylated Tau inneurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease.

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P O S T E R 5 5

Georges Méliès: Researching aPioneer Filmmaker in London andNew York ArchivesLiza ZusmanFaculty Mentor: Dr. Matthew SolomonDepartment of Media Culture

As one of the earliest pioneers of cinema, GeorgesMéliès introduced various narrative and technicalapproaches to movie making. In my research, I dugdeep into his surviving personal correspondenceand located numerous articles published in Frenchand English during the past eighty years thatdocument his extraordinary career throughresearch at the British Film Institute, the Museum ofModern Art, and the New York Public LibraryResearch Libraries. A small part of the projectfocused on the rumored destruction of GeorgesMéliès’s company by his own brother, Gaston; themajority of the research dealt with Georges’ prolificcareer, which has been the subject of manyprevious studies. In more than 500 films, GeorgesMéliès created an entirely new way of makingmovies and helped introduce special effects intofilmmaking. As a stage magician at the ThéâtreRobert-Houdin, Méliès learned various tricks of thetrade, which he later adapted in his mind-bendingshort films. After thoroughly digging throughdozens upon dozens of rare transcripts and articlesat the British Film Institute, I've come to learnvarious new things about the filmmaker's life. Byanalyzing his life through available resources, I havelearned how Méliès came to be such an amazingfilmmaker and why so many scholars have taken aninterest in his work.

P O S T E R 5 6

The Effects of the Twenty-SixYear-Long Ethnic Crisis in Sri LankaKasuni NanayakkaraFaculty Mentor: Ms. Donna Scimeca Core 100 Program

My research project will explore the twenty-sixyear long ethnic conflict between the Singhaleseand the Tamil populations in Sri Lanka. This projectwill examine the historical background of the war,including the effects of British colonial rule on thesociety of Sri Lanka. My research will delve into theroot causes of the crisis and describe the ten mainfactors that have contributed to its escalation into aseparatist war since independence in 1948.

My presentation will include a timeline that tracesthe effects the war had on Sri Lanka's economy, itsgovernment, and its social structure. This will alsoinclude the many failed attempts at peace, and howthe war finally ended. Lastly, it will review the roleforeign powers had on the conflict as well as theirreactions to the end of the war. Included in mypresentation will also be video clips of the effectsthe war had on the people of Sri Lanka.

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P O S T E R 5 7

Early Social Coordination andCommunication Among Twins atRisk for Developmental Delay Lindita Ismaili Faculty Mentors: Naomi J. Aldrich*, Dr.Patricia J. Brooks**, Dr. Sonia Ragir*, BernardZ. Karmel***, Judith M. Gardner***

Research suggests that joint attention reflects vitalaspects of psychological development, such as theemergence of the mental and behavioral processesessential to language acquisition (Mundy & Newell,2007). Integral to this relationship are the roles ofnon-verbal communication and infants’ readiness toimitate and reciprocate each other’s actions(Bakeman & Adamson, 1984). We investigated theemergence of joint attention and social interactionbetween twins at risk for developmental delay dueto low birth-weight, prematurity, and/or CNS injury.Twin dyads were videotaped during a 10-minutefree play session at the equivalent gestational ages(EGA) of 7-months (n = 10), 10-months (n = 10), 13-months (n = 10), 16-months (n = 10), 19-months (n= 10), 22-months (n = 10), and 25-months (n = 10).Each sibling’s behavior was coded for theexpression of joint-attention, non-verbal socialcoordination, play patterns, and communicativegestures. We also examined the influence of severalbirth variables: birth weightconcordance/discordance, estimated gestationalage, degree of brain injury and intrauterine growthrestriction (IUGR) on the twins’ development ofjoint attention and further related these to laterscores on the Mental Scale (MDI) and MotorPerformance Scale (PDI) of the Bayley-II at laterages. Preliminary results revealed age relatedincreases in a variety of social communicationbehaviors and positive correlations between IUGRand birth weight discordance and socialengagement states.

*The College of Staten Island, CUNY

**The College of Staten Island and The Graduate Center, CUNY

***NYS Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities

P O S T E R 5 8

How are Feminine HeterosexualMen Different?Peter BurattiFaculty Mentor: Dr. Darryl HillDepartment of Psychology

Men in American society are held to restrictivestandards of masculinity. As a result, "feminine" menoften experience difficulties in finding a romanticpartner. This study examines the traditional beliefsof feminine heterosexual men and theirrelationship dynamics. Male students at theCollege of Staten Island were given a packet ofquestionnaires asking about demographics,traditional gender beliefs and the sexual self. Menwho identified themselves as relatively feminine, onaverage, had different attitudes about gender, inseveral important ways, all of which wereconsistent with a subversion of heteronormativity,challenging stereotypical sex roles in a wide rangeof ways. Also consistent with our hypotheses,feminine men were less likely to endorse"direct/outspoken" items when rating their sexualself schema, and showed a tendency to have non-stereotypical views of their sexual self."

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P O S T E R 5 9

Taking Steps Forward: Film,Society, and the Civil Rights EraElizabeth TilelliFaculty Mentor: Dr. David GerstnerDepartment of Media Culture

The height of the Civil Rights era was one of themost influential, groundbreaking, and tumultuousperiods America’s society has faced in moderntimes. Significant events, such as school integration,mixed marriages, court cases, Martin Luther KingJr., and Malcolm X, occurred during this time.America’s culture and society were on a constantlyshifting bed of sand. The steps society made towardideals of complete integration were met withmixed feelings amongst the “conservative” and“liberal” states. Hollywood filmmakers nonethelessdid not shy away from the social events andoutcries of a changing nation. By analyzing filmsmade between 1949 and 1969, I make acomparison of Hollywood’s representation of theintegration in both the northern and southernStates. I used films such as In the Heat of the Night(1967), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), and Pinky(1949) to represent the “conservative” south andBlackboard Jungle (1955), Guess Who’s Coming toDinner (1967), and Putney Swope (1969), the more“liberal” north. Analysis has shown that the socialexchanges between races in film and reality aresimilar. The “conservatives” met integration withextreme hostility, prejudice, and condemnation,while the “liberals” were more accepting, aperson’s personal progress was realized, andequality was more then a distant dream.

P O S T E R 6 0

Toddlers’ Perseveration DuringDifficult Locomotor TasksMaria Valonzo and Elliott NeimanFaculty Mentor: Dr. Sarah BergerDepartment of Psychology

According to the cognitive capacity theory, thedevelopment of inhibition is contingent on theability to perform multiple tasks whilesimultaneously balancing several cognitivedemands (Sirois & Shultz, 2006). The inability toinhibit repeated behaviors is perseveration. In thelocomotor A not B task, infants perseverated duringdifficult locomotor tasks because motor demandstaxed infants attentional resources (Berger, 2004;2010). The trade-off for completing a motoricallydifficult task was a cognitive error--perseveration.The aim of this study was to examine the cognitivecapacity theory in older children by quantifying therange of toddlers perseveration during difficultlocomotor tasks. Toddlers ages 18, 24 and 30months old participated in a low demand, goal-directed task (walking on flat pathway) that servedas a control to two high demand goal-directed tasks(walking on balance beams; descending staircases).All conditions required toddlers to reach the goal atone location (A). After several trials, the goal wasmoved to another location (B). The primaryoutcome measure was whether toddlers took anew direct path to the goal or perseverated bytaking the old path. Toddlers exhibited a range ofperseverative errors, such as starting down the oldpath and correcting themselves toward the newpath, glancing at the previous location, or backingto avoid an obstacle. Perseveration was gradednature because the kinematic effort required toperform the difficult locomotor task overtaxedtoddlers’ attention resources.

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P O S T E R 6 1

Meta-analytic Investigations ofCommonly Applied EducationalTheoriesMelissa PalladinoFaculty Mentor: Dr. Patricia BrooksDepartment of Psychology

Since Cronbach’s work (1957), educators havebeen interested in whether learners with differingaptitudes and/or abilities should be taught indifferent ways. This question has sparked acontroversy about the efficacy as well as the ethicsof providing differential educational treatments tostudents with different backgrounds. A wide rangeof educational research has looked for so-called‘aptitude-by-treatment interactions’ (ATIs), in whichlearners with different abilities (e.g., intelligence,visualization skills, verbal abilities) orpredispositions (e.g., anxiety levels, internal vs.external locus of control) were given differenteducational treatments (e.g., using graphic versusverbal/numerical presentation of mathematics,inductive vs. deductive instruction). Cronbach andSnow (1977) argued that individual differences incognitive abilities or aptitudes affect instructionaloutcomes. With this in mind, they suggested thateducators tailor the instruction to the specificlearning styles and abilities of their students. With atheoretical framework similar to that of Gardner’s(1983) theory of multiple intelligences, i.e., thatlearners have different profiles of strengths andweaknesses across different domains (music, math,interpersonal relations, verbal skills, visual/spatial,etc.), ATI theory has been incorporated in schoolcurriculum designs and teaching strategies aroundthe world. Our study evaluates this literature usingmeta-analysis to test the predictions of ATI theory.The poster presents preliminary statistics for thefirst 25 research papers surveyed. Although ourpreliminary literature review has yielded hundredsof studies, unfortunately, few contain appropriatestatistics, comparison groups, and overallexperimental designs. This highlights the desperateneed for quantitative studies designed to examinethe efficacy of such a strongly advocated practice.

P O S T E R 6 2

Synthesis, Characterization, andIntegration of Hybrid Nanogels forBiomedical PurposesMichael AielloFaculty Mentor: Dr. Shuiqin Zhou Department of Chemistry

We report a class of polysaccharide-based hybridnanogels that can integrate the functional buildingblocks for optical pH-sensing, cancer cell imaging,and controlled drug release into a singlenanoparticle system, which can offer broadopportunities for combined diagnosis and therapy.The hybrid nanogels were prepared by in-situimmobilization of CdSe quantum dots (QDs) in theinterior of the pH and temperature dual responsivehydroxypropylcellulose-poly(acrylic acid) (HPC-PAA) semi-interpenetrating polymer networks. The–OH groups of the HPC chains are designed tosequester the precursor Cd2þ ions into thenanogels as well as stabilize the in-situ formed CdSeQDs. The pH-sensitive PAA network chains aredesigned to induce a pH-responsive volume phasetransition of the hybrid nanogels. The developedHPC-PAA-CdSe hybrid nanogels combine a strongtrap emission at 741 nm for sensing physicochemicalenvironment in a pH dependent manner and avisible excitonic emission at 592 nm for mousemelanoma B16F10 cell imaging. The hybrid nanogelsalso provide excellent stability as a drug carrier,which cannot only provide a high drug loadingcapacity for a model anticancer drug temozolomide,but also offer a pH-triggered sustained-release ofthe drug molecules in the gel network.

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P O S T E R 6 3

Development of a Wax SacrificialLayer for Micro 3D PrintingBrian IskraFaculty Mentor: Dr. Alan LyonsDepartment of Chemistry

3D printing techniques are effective tools for thecreation of specialized structures and even surfaces.Superoleophobic surfaces, or surfaces that repelwater as well as organic solvents with lowersurface tensions (ie: gasoline), have been created onthe nanoscale using 3D lithographic techniques. Weare attempting to create these surfaces on themicroscale, using 3D printing techniques to lowercosts and create surfaces on non-planar structures.In this study, we examine an aspect of this processof constructing the surface that involves usage of awax sacrificial material. This sacrificial materialmust be compatible with a superhydrophobicsurface and it also must be smooth when solid, aproperty not found among many low melting pointwaxes. Higher molecular weight waxes require toomuch heating leading to distortions fromexpansion and contraction. In this work, weanalyzed the interactions between various waxesand silicone, as well as the effect of cooling on waxsurface texture, to help us determine the propermaterial for this project.

P O S T E R 6 4

Empire MHzDavid RodbergFaculty Mentor: Professor Valerie TevereDepartment of Media Culture

Professor Valerie Tevere's project Empire MHz "willtake form as a sound/video installation that evokesthe harmonic resonances of the broadcast tower ofthe Empire State Building."

"Empire MHz examines the relationship betweenthe physical architecture of the antenna tower andthe invisible spaces in which the radio andtelevision spectrum occupies. Sounds transmittedare inaudible until you use a recording or receivingdevice. In this way, a television or small transistorradio can make a direct connection to the massivebroadcast tower of the Empire State Building.Empire MHz is a work that will be located in-between the space of transmission and receptionwith recordings made from the Mooring Mast."

During the Summer/Fall of 2009, I assistedProfessor Valerie Tevere with the video productionof Empire MHz, which is currently in production. Icontributed to the work as a camera operator onvarious video shoots, and assisted in the editing ofthe footage. I also learned and worked with editingsoftware for DVD production, trained in AdobePhotoshop for video production use.

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P O S T E R 6 5

Memory-management Issues iniPhone Application DevelopmentElhassan AhmedFaculty Mentor: Dr. Deborah SturmDepartment of Computer Science

Smart phones and PDAs are projected to soonsurpass laptops as the preferred platform formobile computing. This trend presents softwaredevelopers and researchers with new opportunitiesas well as challenges. We examine performanceissues related to memory management on thesememory-constrained devices. Specifically we willexamine various scenarios with the use ofperformance tools on the iPhone running graphic-based games.

P O S T E R 6 6

ePortfolio in Transition: WhatHappens When the ResearchSubjects Become the Researchers?The Verrazano School ePortfolioPilot ProjectJoseph Adia, Amanda Couso, Jeanine Ruggiero, and Amanda TierneyFaculty Mentor: Ms. Louise Levine - Adjunct LecturerDepartment of English

The ePortfolio pilot project began in Fall 2009 withnine Verrazano students working 1 hour per weekas part of their College Writing course. UsingBlackboard's "Expo," an enhanced Wiki, studentsdeveloped their own "ePortfolios" with the goal ofproviding a place to keep their work, track theirprogress, and capture their first year experience.The long term goal includes continued use of theePortfolio throughout their college career andextending it into post secondary education andenhancing career opportunities.

Students started from a blank ePortfolio. Theyrequested a template, which was provided. But theyneeded to adapt the template to the needs of theproject. Once given the freedom to create their own“space,” students took on the task of developingmore than just a collection of artifacts. Their workbecame unique and reflective, incorporating digitaltechnology with creativity and ingenuity. TheePortfolio allows each student to gather together hisor her individual coursework and lend cohesivenessto it, even amid the student’s separate encounters invarious disciplines. Throughout the process, studentsengaged in reflective writing and discussions, whichprovided more than just personal reflection. Here,the students became the researchers developingideas and strategies for future ePortfolio classes.

Starting with a goal of simply completing theassignment, the nine participants evolved intothoughtful agents using the projects to alter theirperspective on themselves. Inspiring their instructor,the students were given the opportunity to becomethe developers, assisting in the research of newplans and structures and, in that respect, the projectitself. The process was transformative. The projectempowered the students by giving them a stake inthe outcome and ownership over the results. Nowfully student driven, this pilot is totally owned andoperated by the student participants.

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P O S T E R 6 7

The Effects of Cultural Lessons onStudent EngagementJennifer Barlotta and Ashley MarinoFaculty Mentor: Dr. Judit KerekesDepartment of Education

Cultural lessons are of a greater interest to studentswhen a personal connection is formed. Since St.Patrick’s Day was approaching, we realized this wasa great opportunity. As student-teachers of PublicSchool 60 we incorporated the event into math andpoetry lessons in the second and fourth gradeclassrooms. Our master teachers helped us developa series of activities. Their experiences and our newideas culminated in a project.

Cultural topics have a positive and lasting effect onstudent learning. St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated onMarch 17th by people of all backgrounds in theUnited States. One does not have to be Irish inorder to celebrate this holiday. Students of Irishdescent had more prior knowledge but Irish andnon- Irish decent students were eager to share theirexperiences, reading, and knowledge.

A student with Lucky Charm marshmallows createddata for graph in cooperative learning groups bysharing thinking, listening, and solving problems.The problem offered the possibility for differentiatedlearning. They created their understanding on graphmode, medium and range in Lucky Charm context.The students shared and discussed their findings.

Limerick is a town in Ireland. A limerick is a poemwith five rows in which the first, third and fifthrhyme with each other. The second and fourth linesalso rhyme with each other. Students werethoroughly engaged, and eager to share their ownlimericks. We found as a result of our project thatstudents who are involved and make personalconnections have a deeper understanding of thesubject matter. We found they remember and sharewith happiness their knowledge of a cultural eventregardless of their personal heritage. Students donot learn merely from books; they construct theirown knowledge at their own speed (Freudenthal)and shift their understanding to a higher level.(Piaget) Learners can create new ideas, but theyneed to interact in order to do so. (Vygotsky)

P O S T E R 6 8

Dental Health Care - Keep aHealthy SmileAmanda KonzelmanFaculty Mentor: Dr. Judit KerekesDepartment of Education

Developing my understanding on the teaching andlearning method was a long process. As a studentteacher at Public School 60 I tried a special method. Ichose a real life situation. The topic was dentalhealth care. I enjoyed teaching and the studentsalso seemed to have fun. I was able to incorporatemath, science and literature. Before the lesson, someof the students knew the basics: to brush and floss.Now they have learned to: brush properly, usingfloss on a stick for easier flossing; use fluoride basedtoothpaste and mouth wash for less sensitivity; andto eat calcium rich foods such as dairy.

My confidence on the subject matter combinedwith a high degree of student interest helped todevelop an open, trusting and friendly relationshipwith my students. On a daily basis they gainedconfidence to pose questions and learned from me.Classroom management became easier. Thestudents were well behaved, involved with thelesson and almost jumped out of their seats to giveanswers. After class ended, students continued tobe engaged and continued to ask questions aboutthe lesson of the day.

I learned that a teacher’s additional knowledgestimulates a student's interest in the subject matter,strengthens the student-teacher relationship, fostersfreedom to pose questions, and facilitates effectiveclassroom management. I wish to use this methodone day in my own classroom. I may organize andprepare a fieldtrip and follow up with discussion. Ilearned from this experiment that if a teacher hasreal life experience to share with her students, thenstudent learning and open-ended questioningoccur. The knowledge students gain is internalized.In this case, the knowledge students gained withcuriosity, interest, and happiness gave them ahealthy smile to keep.

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P O S T E R 6 9

Digital Alarm ClockJesse GoffFaculty Mentor: Dr. Neo Antoniades Department of Engineering Science and Physics

A digital alarm clock was built and programmedfrom scratch by me to show the skills and knowledgeI have gained as a student who graduated from theElectrical Engineering Technology program (AAS). Itwas developed for ENS 464, an embedded systemsanalysis and design class required to graduate in theprogram. The alarm clock was programmed withthe SASM assembly language, and was built mostlyfrom scrap.

It is fully programmable, reliable, and designed withuser friendliness in mind. A fair amount of internalcomplexity has been incorporated to demonstratemy knowledge of circuitry and was not necessarilyintended to be the most efficient in design. At theheart of the clock is a PIC18F452 microcontrollermounted on a slightly modified QwikFlashprograming board interfaced through a daughterboard. The clock (as well as it's chassis) wasconstructed entirely by hand with minimal toolsand without any outside assistance whatsoever.

P O S T E R 7 0

Correlating Tree Cores andClimate in New York CityVictoria Cooper, Sarah Edkins, Peter Hannon and James LynchFaculty Mentor: Dr. Athanasios KoutavasDepartment of Engineering Science and Physics

Venturing into the field of dendrochronology, wecollected cores from oak trees on campus at theCUNY College of Staten Island, NY. Data from treecores are often used to reveal the climate history ofa region. We compared our data from CSI trees withNYC climate records, in search of climate trends.We decided to test if trees on campus were strongindicators of climate change in the NYC region,focusing on temperature, drought, and precipitationtrends. For both precipitation and temperature, thehighest correlation was in the month of July, whilethe other eleven months seemed to have no impacton the growth of these trees. Precipitation is positivelyrelated to the growth of trees, meaning the more itrains, the more the trees grow. Temperature, on theother hand, has a negative relationship on thegrowth of trees. The hotter the temperature, theless the trees grow, probably because evaporationreduces available water. Overall, we learned thatJuly is the most important month regarding thegrowth of trees. Summer is the main growingseason of the trees so environmental factors arelikely to have the most impact at this time. Our treering data indicated that trees fair better when thereis greater precipitation. High temperatures anddrought are undesirable and suppress the growthof the trees. In the future, an increasingly warmtemperature trend may cause our oak trees tosuffer. It is important to study trees now to revealwhat can happen as climate changes.

Undergraduate Conference on Research, Scholarship, and PerformanceAlumni—Where Are They Now?

Anna Fiorentino graduated cum laude from CSIand the CUNY Honors Collegewith a Bachelor of Science inBiology/Bioinformatics in 2003.She received her Master ofScience in Computational Biology,magna cum laude, from New JerseyInstitute of Technology in 2004.Anna currently serves as a Level-2

Analyst at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital, andrecently received word that she will be starting aPhD program this fall, specializing in BehavioralMedicine and Neuroscience. [Jennifer: would youplease contact Anna and find out where she'll beworking on her PhD?] Anna Fiorentino will begin herPhD program at Northeastern University this fall.

Conference presenter in 2003

Kristen Lindtvedt received a BA inSociology/Anthropology from CSI in 2005, an MAin Teaching and Learning with Technology fromAshford University in 2009, and professionalcertification in Web and Multimedia Design fromthe Art Institute of Pittsburgh in 2008. She iscurrently employed at CSI with the Center forExcellence in Learning Technology within the CSILibrary as a Multimedia Specialist and CSIBlackboard Administrator. Kristen is also an AdjunctInstructor for the CSC 225, a Web design class inthe Computer Science Department.

Conference presenter in 2005 and 2006

Richard Pascale is a summa cum laude graduateof the Macaulay Honors College atCSI, Class of 2007, with a Bachelorof Arts degree in Psychology. Whileworking as a health educator inCSI’s Peer Drop-In Center, heattended The City College of NewYork’s graduate school program.In February 2010, he graduated

with a Master of Arts degree in Mental HealthCounseling with a 3.857 GPA. His life goal is to earnthe New York State license to practice as a mentalhealth counselor and to open his own practicetreating individuals in need of psychologicaltherapeutic services. Richard is also a lifetime memberof the Psi Chi National Honors Society in Psychology.


Rachna Sondhi, who graduated from CSI witha Bachelor of Science degree inBiochemistry in 2003, is currentlyin the MD/PhD program at SUNYDownstate Medical Center, andjust recently defended her thesisin Neuroscience. Rachna has twoyears remaining in her programand is working in Psychiatry at

the moment, but she is also thinking of pursuing acareer in dermatology or ophthalmology.Conference presenter in 2002 and 2003

Dmitry Volfson graduated from CSI and theCUNY Honors College in 2002with a Bachelor of Science degreein Biochemistry. He attended theNew York College of OsteopathicMedicine from 2002 to 2006 andis currently completing his lastyear as Chief Resident inEmergency Medicine at Long

Island Jewish Medical Center. He Will be starting atSt. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport CT thisJune as an attending physician in EmergencyMedicine.


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55

Research Poster PresentationsFaculty Mentors

Undergraduate Conference on Research, Scholarship, and Performance—Faculty MentorsF A C U L T Y M E N T O R D E P A R T M E N T P O S T E R

Dr. Alejandra Alonso Biology 30, 42, 53, 54

Dr. Neo Antoniades Computer Science 69

Dr. William Bauer Performing and Creative Arts 9, 10, 11, 41

Dr. Sarah Berger Psychology 22, 24, 60

Dr. Roslyn Bologh Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work 31

Dr. Patricia Brooks Psychology 2, 12, 23,57, 61

Dr. Florette Cohen Psychology 15, 16, 20, 34, 37

Dr. Kathleen Cumiskey Psychology 26

Dr. Jimmie Fata Biology 19, 33, 44

Dr. David Gerstner Media Culture 59

Dr. Natacha Gueorguieva Computer Science 5

Dr. Darryl Hill Psychology 58

Dr. Susan Holak Office of Academic Affairs/Business 21

Dr. Qiao-Sheng Hu Chemistry 28, 39, 46

Dr. Susan Imberman Computer Science 27, 52

Dr. Peter Kabachnik Engineering Science and Physics 14

Dr. David Keberle Performing and Creative Arts 38

Dr. Judit Kerekes Education 67, 68

Dr. Benjamin Kest Psychology 18

Dr. Athanasios Koutavas Engineering Science and Physics 4, 70

Dr. William L'Amoreaux Biology 47

Dr. Catherine Lavender History 36

Dr. Charles Liu Engineering Science and Physics 7

Ms. Louise Levine English 66

Dr. Alan Lyons Chemistry 49, 50, 63

Professor Michael Mandiberg Media Culture 1

Dr. Dan McCloskey Psychology 43

Dr. Elena McCoy Biology 48

Dr. Nuria Morgado Modern Languages 13

Dr. Fred Naider Chemistry 29

Dr. Kevin O'Bryant Mathematics 8

Dr. Bertram Ploog Psychology 35

Dr. Louis Petingi Computer Science 32

Ms. Donna Scimeca Core 100 Program 56

Dr. Chwen-Yang Shew Chemistry 45

Dr. Matthew Solomon Media Culture 55

Dr. Deborah Sturm Computer Science 65

Professor Valerie Tevere Media Culture 64

Dr. Ming Xia Political Science, Economics, and Philosophy 25

Dr. Xiowen Zhang Computer Science 17

Dr. Zhanyang Zhang Computer Science 3, 6

Dr. Shuiqin Zhou Chemistry 62

Dr. Alan Zimmerman Business 40, 51

56

Research Poster Presentations Faculty Mentors

Undergraduate Conference on Research, Scholarship, and Performance—Faculty Mentors by DepartmentD E P A R T M E N T F A C U L T Y M E N T O R P O S T E R

Biology Dr. Alejandra Alonso 42, 53, 54, 60

Biology Dr. Jimmie Fata 19, 44, 33

Biology Dr. William L'Amoreaux 47

Biology Dr. Elena McCoy 48

Business Dr. Alan Zimmerman 40, 51

Chemistry Dr. Qiao-Sheng Hu 28, 39, 46

Chemistry Dr. Alan Lyons 49, 50, 63

Chemistry Dr. Fred Naider 29

Chemistry Dr. Chwen-Yang Shew 45

Chemistry Dr. Shuiqin Zhou 62

Computer Science Dr. Natacha Gueorguieva 5

Computer Science Dr. Susan Imberman 27, 52

Computer Science Dr. Louis Petingi 32

Computer Science Dr. Deborah Sturm 65

Computer Science Dr. Xiowen Zhang 17

Computer Science Dr. Zhanyang Zhang 3, 6

Core 100 Program Ms. Donna Scimeca 56

Education Dr. Judit Kerekes 67, 68

Engineering Science and Physics Dr. Neo Antoniades 69

Engineering Science and Physics Dr. Athanasios Koutavas 4, 70

Engineering Science and Physics Dr. Charles Liu 7

English Ms. Louise Levine 66

History Dr. Catherine Lavender 36

Mathematics Dr. Kevin O'Bryant 8

Media Culture Dr. David Gerstner 59

Media Culture Professor Michael Mandiberg 1

Media Culture Dr. Matthew Solomon 55

Media Culture Professor Valerie Tevere 64

Modern Languages Dr. Nuria Morgado 13

Office of Academic Affairs Dr. Susan Holak 21

Performing and Creative Arts Dr. William Bauer 9, 10, 11, 41

Performing and Creative Arts Dr. David Keberle 38

Political Science, Economics, and Philosophy Dr. Peter Kabachnik 14

Political Science, Economics, and Philosophy Dr. Ming Xia 25

Psychology Dr. Sarah Berger 24, 33, 60

Psychology Dr. Patricia Brooks 2, 12, 23, 61

Psychology Dr. Florette Cohen 15, 16, 20, 34, 37

Psychology Dr. Kathleen Cumiskey 26

Psychology Dr. Darryl Hill 58

Psychology Dr. Benjamin Kest 18

Psychology Dr. Dan McCloskey 43

Psychology Dr. Bertram Ploog 35

Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work Dr. Roslyn Bologh 31

57

Research Poster PresentationsStudent Scholars

Undergraduate Conference on Research, Scholarship, and Performance—Student ScholarsS T U D E N T F A C U L T Y D E P A R T M E N T

Kalpita Abhynkar Dr. Alejandra Alonso Biology

Joseph Adia Ms. Louise Levine English

Elhassan Ahmed Dr. Deborah Sturm Computer Science

Meriem Hadj Ahmed Dr. Alejandra Alonso Biology

Michael Aiello Dr. Shuiqin Zhou Chemistry

Eugenia Alaniz Dr. Alejandra Alonso Biology

Justin Allen Dr. Susan Imberman Computer Science

Diana Almodovar Dr. Patricia Brooks Psychology

Christabel Amadi Dr. Roslyn Bologh Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work

Alan Aurelia Dr. William Bauer Performing and Creative Arts

Vivienne Baldassare Dr. Charles Liu Engineering Science And Physics

Mark Barahman Dr. Alan Lyons Chemistry

Jennifer Barlotta Dr. Judit Kerekes Education

Peter Buratti Dr. Darryl Hill Psychology

Catherine Caesar Dr. Elena McCoy Biology

Jenna Calderon Dr. Athanasios Koutavas Engineering Science And PhysicsDr. William Bauer Performing and Creative Arts

Megan Caldwell Dr. Benjamin Kest Psychology

Shalini Camillus Dr. Alejandra Alonso Biology

Michael Constantino Dr. Susan Imberman Computer Science

Victoria Cooper Dr. Nuria Morgado Modern LanguagesDr. Athanasios Koutavas Engineering Science and Physics

Christopher Corbo Dr. Alejandra Alonso Biology

Amanda Couso Ms. Louise Levine English

Christina M. Cuttitta Dr. William L'Amoreaux Biology

David J. Danischewski Dr. Florette Cohen Psychology

Shawon Debnath Dr. Jimmie Fata Biology

Eric DeMaso Dr. Susan Imberman Computer Science

Meagan Derbyshire Dr. Alan Lyons Chemistry

Dmitriy Dubson Dr. Louis Petingi Computer Science

Dwight Dunkley Dr. Ming Xia Political Science, Economics and Philosophy

Sarah Edkins Dr. Athanasios Koutavas Engineering Science and Physics

Daniel Feldman Dr. Charles Liu Engineering Science And Physics

James Fletcher Dr. William Bauer Performing and Creative Arts

Patricia Gaja Dr. Bertram Ploog Psychology

58

Research Poster Presentations Student Scholars

Grigoriy Gelfand Dr. Fred Naider Chemistry

S T U D E N T F A C U L T Y D E P A R T M E N T

Mallory Gioe Dr. Athanasios Koutavas Engineering Science And Physics

Joseph Giunto Dr. William Bauer Performing and Creative Arts

Jesse Goff Dr. Neo Antoniades Engineering Science and Physics

Alexandra Greenbaum Dr. Charles Liu Engineering Science And Physics

Sajini Gundry Dr. Jimmie Fata Biology

Carene Hadad Dr. Kathleen M. Cumiskey Psychology

Margaret Hampton Dr. William Bauer Performing and Creative Arts

Peter Hannon Dr. Athanasios Koutavas Engineering Science and Physics

Imran Hasan Dr. Charles Liu Engineering Science And Physics

Amy He Dr. Qiao-Sheng Hu Chemistry

Stephanie Helewa Dr. Peter Kabachnik Engineering Science And Physics

Dan Hoizner Dr. Xiaowen Zhang Computer Science

Brian Iskra Dr. Alan Lyons Chemistry

Lindita Ismaili Dr. Patricia Brooks Psychology

Matthew Isreal Dr. Qiao-Sheng Hu Chemistry

Miles James Dr. William Bauer Performing and Creative Arts

Esther Kabalkin Dr. Florette Cohen Psychology

Ziv Karmi Dr. William Bauer Performing and Creative Arts

Brian Kateman Dr. Athanasios Koutavas Engineering Science And Physics

Pawan Kaur Dr. Sarah Berger Psychology

Vladislav Klym Dr. Xiaowen Zhang Computer Science

Amanda Konzelman Dr. Judit Kerekes Education

Goldie Lazarus Dr. Jimmie Fata Biology

Leo Lei Dr. Natacha Gueorguieva Computer Science

Yuan-Xi Liao Dr. Qiao-Sheng Hu Chemistry

Qixin Liu Dr. Qiao-Sheng Hu Chemistry

Lauren LoPrimo Dr. Susan Holak Academic Affairs/Business

Qimei Luo Professor Michael Mandiberg Media Culture

James Lynch Dr. Athanasios Koutavas Engineering Science and Physics

Stephanie Mahalchick Dr. Charles Liu Engineering Science And Physics

Jonathan Maltz Dr. Kevin O'Bryant Mathematics

Ashley Marino Dr. Judit Kerekes Education

Rosemarie Marronaro Dr. Patricia Brooks Psychology

Ashley Mathai Dr. Jimmie Fata Biology

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Research Poster PresentationsStudent Scholars

Keith Miller Dr. Florette Cohen Psychology

Regina Miller Dr. Alejandra Alonso Biology

Boris Mirsaliyev Dr. Alan Zimmerman Business

Daniel Muccio Dr. David Keberle Performing and Creative Arts

Kasuni Nanayakkara Ms. Donna Scimeca Core 100 Program

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Research Poster Presentations URC Committee

Undergraduate Research Conference CommitteeAlejandra Alonso Associate Professor of Biology

Deepa Aravind Assistant Professor of Management

Amanda Arpaia Macaulay Honors College student

Alan Benimoff Chief CLT Engineering, Science, and Physics

Patricia Brooks Professor of Psychology

Joseph Deodato Instructor, Library

Rob Hebron Student Government

Susan Holak Associate Provost for Institutional Effectiveness and

Professor of Marketing

Melissa Horne Verrazano student

David Keberle Associate Professor of Performing and Creative Arts

Joseph Inigo Verrazano student

Athanasios Koutavas Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Physics

Kristen Lindtvedt Media Specialist

Debbie Mahoney Office of Academic Affairs

For comments and questions contact:

Susan L. Holak, PhDCollege of Staten IslandBuilding 1A, Room 305Staten Island, NY 10314Phone: 718.982.2440

The committee gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the manyindividuals who helped make this conference possible.

www.csi.cuny.edu

Documents

Undergraduate Research Conference 2010