Category: Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) – OSCAR

Multiscale Indentation-based Mechanical Characterization for Advanced Alloys Suitable for Aeroengine Applications

Author(s): Mariah Tammera

Mentor(s): Dr. Ali Beheshti, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Shaheen Mahmood, Graduate Student Advisor

Abstract

Multiscale indentation is a reliable method used to extract basic mechanical properties from
materials, particularly structural metals and alloys. Knowing and understanding the mechanical
properties is critical for engineers to effectively and safely design structures and components
based on specific environments, applications, or loads the materials will be subjected to.
Although indentation techniques have been previously utilized to determine basic mechanical
properties, such as elastic modulus, extensive progress has not been made towards the ability to
employ multiscale indentation for extracting advanced mechanical properties (e.g. creep
parameters and fracture toughness properties) in a reliable manner that produces results closer to
the bulk of the material. This project aimed to evaluate creep and fracture toughness properties
for Inconel 718 by utilizing micro-indentation techniques at room temperature. Analysis of the
material microstructure occurred via the use of the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Due to
the limitation of conducting research in one semester, the learning objectives fulfilled were
performing indentation tests to extract basic mechanical properties (i.e. hardness values and
elastic modulus values) and conducting SEM analysis on the indentation site to evaluate the
success of the indentation tests and note observations about the material. Moving forward, future
work will concentrate on building upon the exploration of indentation techniques at room and
elevated temperatures to improve current ability to determine advanced mechanical properties of
material in an efficient and reliable manner.

Audio Transcript

Hi everyone, my name is Mariah Tammera. This fall, I was working under Dr. Ali Beheshti and
Shaheen Mahmood in the Tribology and Surface Mechanics Lab on Multiscale Indentation-based
Mechanical Characterization for Advanced Alloys Suitable for Aeroengine Applications.
Multiscale indentation is a reliable method used in the field to extract basic mechanical
properties from materials, such as the elastic modulus value, by understanding the relationship
between the indentation load versus penetration depth. However, extensive progress has not been
made towards the ability to employ multiscale indentation for determining advanced mechanical
properties, such as creep parameters and fracture toughness values, to acquire data that is reliable
and closer to the bulk of the material. This project intends to focus on evaluating creep
parameters and fracture toughness values for Inconel 718 by utilizing micro-indentation
techniques at room temperature. After the indentation tests are concluded, the Scanning Electron
Microscope will be utilized to analyze the indentation site. As you can see, Figures 1 and 2
showcase the equipment used in this project.
Before beginning any lab work, I worked on a literature review to learn about creep deformation
and what the fracture toughness of a material is. I conducted a literature search with the guidance
of Dr. Beheshti, to learn about what some of the commonly used experimental methods to extract
creep and fracture toughness are. From this preliminary literature search, it becomes clear that –
based on the findings – the literature has limited research on utilizing multi-scale indentation
techniques to determine creep parameters and fracture toughness properties at both room
temperature and elevated temperatures.
An indentation site matrix is a conventionally utilized technique to systematically map out
measurement locations on the sample surface. On the left, Figure 3 represents a 5×4 matrix that
was used to map out 20 places on the sample surface where the indentation tests will occur. As
noted on my slides it’s important that the location chosen for these indentation tests should be on
a smooth, flat area free of holes, pits and away from the edges of the sample.
Figure 4 represents an example of one of the micro-indentation curves obtained from one of the
20 indentation tests with indentation load on the y-axis and the penetration depth on the x-axis.
I’d like to point out the green box around the horizontal line up on the top right, which indicates
that the indentation load is constant here for 5 seconds.
From the 20 indentation tests, an elastic modulus value and hardness value were derived using
the Anton Paar Indentation software. The average elastic modulus value found was
approximately 160.04 ± 2.04 GPa and the average hardness value found was approximately 2.46
± 0.09 GPa.
After the indentation tests were successfully finished, the sample was taken and analyzed under
the SEM. Figure 5 is a close-up of one indentation sites, showcasing the square pyramid-shaped
Vickers tip and that the Vickers tip is sharp enough due to the precise diagonal lines across the
indentation site. Figures 5 and 6 are indicative of a successful indentation site due to minimal
plastic deformation, as we see minimal surface features, like raised lines or deformation bands
around the indentation site. Lastly, there is no visible cracking along the edges and outer corners
of the indentation site, which signifies that Inconel 718 is more of a ductile material.
Due to the limitation of conducting research in one semester, the learning objectives fulfilled
were performing indentation tests to extract basic mechanical properties and conducting SEM
analysis on the indentation site. Despite not completely fulfilling the projective objectives, the
results tell us that exploring multi-scale indentation techniques is a promising method to
determine advanced mechanical properties at room and elevated temperatures to obtain values
that are reliable and closer to the bulk of the material. The advanced mechanical properties
gleaned will only benefit future researchers and engineers regarding material selection in a
variety of field, particularly aerospace.
I’d like to thank George Mason University’s Undergraduate Research Scholars Program at the
Office of Student Creative Activities and Research for the funding that allowed me to contribute
to this project, and I’d also like to thank Dr. Beheshti and Shaheen for all of the mentoring,
training, and support they have each given to me. They are both dedicated professionals, and it
was a pleasure to work with them.
Lastly, these are my references. Thank you very much for your attention.

College of Science OSCAR Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

Novel Biomaterial for Triple Negative Breast Cancer Dual Drug Immunotherapy Nylon-66 Affinity Thread

Author(s): Grace Lee

Mentor(s): Alessandra Luchini, College of Science

Abstract

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) presents poor outcomes and relapse following chemotherapy. Joint delivery of anti-programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and immune recruiting protein Chemokine Ligand 9 (CXCL9) has shown to be an effective immunotherapy for TNBC. Nylon, a synthetic polymer used in surgical threads, is promising for dual drug delivery due to its biocompatibility and drug-loading capabilities. Functionalizing Nylon 6,6 with Cibacron Blue F3G-A facilitates drug loading. This project assessed the functionality of Nylon 6,6 dyed with Cibacron Blue as a vehicle for dual anti-PD-L1 and CXCL9 TNBC immunotherapy.
Nylon 6,6 was dyed with Cibacron Blue and loaded with anti-PD-L1 antibody Atezolizumab (10 ng/µl) and CXCL9. It was stitched onto the breast tumor site of syngeneic (BALB/c) mice with ~1 cm-sized tumors from the 4T1 cell line. Mice were sacrificed three days post-implantation. Tumors were harvested for immunohistochemistry (IHC) analyses, applying biomarkers for apoptosis and immune cell infiltration. DAB and Hematoxylin staining imaged and characterized drug activity.
The study demonstrated that the thread induced immune cell infiltration and increased tumor cell apoptosis. Results indicate that Nylon 6,6 functionalized with Cibacron Blue is an effective biomaterial for targeted drug delivery. Future work includes confirmation of CXCL9 chemotactic abilities after release from the affinity thread and quantification of immune infiltration.

Audio Transcript

Hello! My name is Grace, and my project is on “Novel Biomateiral for Triple Negative Breast Cancer Dual Drug Immunotherapy Nylon-66 Affinity Thread.”
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a leading cause of cancer mortality in women.1 TNBC cells upregulate programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1), receptors that suppress immune recognition
Joint delivery of anti-PD-L1 and immune recruiting protein Chemokine Ligand 9 (CXCL9) has shown to be an effective immunotherapy treatment for TNBC. Anti-PDL-1 drug block the binding site of PDL-1 receptor on tumor cell and function as stimulator for immune cells to recognize tumor cell and kill it. CXCL9 function as immune cell chemoattractant that entices immune cells to the tumor site
Nylon, a synthetic polymer commonly used in surgical threads, shows promise as a vehicle for dual drug delivery due to its excellent biocompatibility and chemical stability. Moreover, its extensive porous structures and high aggregation capability greatly increases its drug-loading capacity. Nylon can be functionalized with Cibacron Blue F3G-A, which is a reactive textile dye that increases Nylon’s reactive sites while reducing non-specific adsorption, improving drug release accuracy and reducing toxicity. This project assesses the functionality of Nylon 6,6 as a vehicle of dual anti-PD-L1 and CXCL9 TNBC immunotherapy.
Nylon 6,6 was dyed with Cibacron blue and loaded with anti-PD-L1 antibody Atezolizumab (10 ng/ul) and immune cell chemoattractant CXCL9. The loaded thread was stitched onto the breast tumor site of the syngeneic (BALB/c) mice harboring ~ 1 cm-sized tumors from the 4T1 cell line. Mice were sacrificed three days post-implantation. Tumors were harvested for IHC.
Biomarkers for immune cell infiltration (Ly6G and F480) were applied on tumor tissues in a 1:300 and 1:500 dilution, respectively. Staining with DAB and Hematoxylin was performed to image and characterize drug activity.
The dual-loaded thread induced necrosis, whereas non-threaded tumors (control) remained healthy. The brown pigmentation in the right image reflects increased immune cell infiltration to the tumor site. You can also see holes on the right image, which represents dead tumor cells.
The thread can dually capture anti-PD-L1 and CXCL9 molecules (The loaded thread induced macrophage infiltration and increased tumor cell apoptosis The novel biomaterial Nylon 6,6 functionalized with Cibacron blue is an effective vehicle for targeted drug delivery Future directions include further proteomic characterization of thread-induced immune infiltration, quantification of immune infiltration, and confirmation of CXCL9 chemotactic abilities after release from thread

College of Engineering and Computing OSCAR Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

Enhancing Steel Design Learning by Demonstrating Failure Modes in Steel Connections using Virtual and 3D Printed Models

Author(s): Omar Abu-Khalifa

Mentor(s): Doaa Bondok, Civil and Infrastructure Engineering

Abstract

In introductory steel design courses, students often work with complex and empirical design formulas that were developed through intensive research and were verified through observation rather than theory. Students often struggle with applying these design equations and need more visuals and illustrations to comprehend and use these formulas correctly. This research aims to investigate and propose methods to enhance the understanding of steel design concepts. These methods include 3D-printed connection models and creating illustrative interactive models to visualize concepts like buckling modes and block shear failure in tension members.

Audio Transcript

Hello everyone, my name is Omar Abu-Khalifa. I am a Civil Engineering major in my senior year of University and I’m here today to talk about Enhancing Steel Design Learning by Demonstrating Failure Modes in Steel Connections using Virtual and 3D Printed Models. To get started I want to first give a bit of an introduction to what my research project is focused on. Essentially, in introductory steel design courses, students often work with complex, empirical design formulas. Students often struggle with applying these design equations and need more visuals and illustrations to comprehend and use these formulas correctly. This research aims to investigate methods to improve student understanding of steel design concepts. These methods include developing 3D-printed connection models and creating an illustrative interactive model to visualize concepts likebuckling modes and block shear failure in tension members. Now, what were the goals of the research? When starting this research my mentor and I wanted us to print 3-D models of Steel Connections that demonstrate common failure modes, explore an illustrative interactive model that prospers student engagement similar to the model in figure 2, which was provided by AISC model viewer, demonstrates the failure modes for a double angle brace connection. The model shows tensile and block shear rupture failure. As research progressed, we shifted our goals to explore the implementation of Augmented Reality and Virtuality Reality softwares in education. This goal was based on reading I did over the summer when researching ideas. Now that the research goals have been discussed, let’s talk about the methodology. The first thing I did was conduct a thorough literature review. When conducting the literature review, I read articles that talked about utilizing lab spaces to study the failure in steel beams, conducting site visits so that students can see and visualize steel beams, having the professor use prerecorded lectures, among other things. The next step for me was to go to the MIX to get training in 3-D printing and exposure to 3-D printing. After getting exposure, I modeled standard steel beam-column and moment connections on AutoCAD and printed them. Look at figure 2 to see an example of a beam column connection. After printing, I explored the AISC interactive model viewer as seen in figure 2 and 3. Reflecting back on the research, I recognize that there are many more methods that could be done instead of 3-D printing models and using the interactive model viewer such as utilizing labs and conducting site visits but GMU resources do not allow for this, and planning the logistic behind this makes it more complicated. In addition, more research needs to be done on implementing AR and VR softwares in an education setting. In the future, this research can be expanded by evaluating the effectiveness of the teaching aids, further explore AR and VR softwares, and to continue working on the modeler. I’d like to acknowledge OSCAR, the Civil Engineering Department, AISC, Dr. Bondok and Dr. Lee. Thank you all for your time.

College of Engineering and Computing Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

Music and Emotions: The Effects of Commercially Available and Computer-Generated Music on Brain Activity

Author(s): Omar Alsuhaibani

Mentor(s): Nathalia Peixoto, Bioengineering and Electrical Engineering

Abstract

The use of background music while completing mentally stimulating tasks has recently gained popularity. What gives music its potential to improve learning outcomes has to do with characteristics like tempo and tone.

This research investigated the changes in EEG signals under numerous experimental conditions: silence, 3 ascending tempos of commercially available music, and 3 ascending tempos of computer-generated music with two different genres: classic and modern. The order in which music was played was randomized for each participant. The first three trials used commercially available classical music across 3 tempos: slow, moderate, and fast. The other six trials used computer-generated music to test each of the following modern and classic music genres: calm, stimulus, and focus.

During testing, brainwave activity and heart rate were measured by the means of electroencephalography (EEG) and electrocardiography (ECG) respectively. The Muse 2 headband from InteraXon was used to measure alpha, beta, theta, delta, and gamma waves using four different channels. The E4 Empatica wristband measured heart rate throughout the different music tests as a parameter to indicate if spikes in brain activity can have a direct effect on heart rate.

The results indicated that different types of commercially available music had an overall higher power spectral density than that of computer-generated music. This suggests that brain activity was stronger when listening to commercially available music. With the computer-generated music, all the Muse 2 channels were synchronized with one another in terms of brain activity. This indicates that computer-generated music has the effect of causing identical activity in terms of power spectral density, while showing spikes at frequencies in the front and back areas of the right and left hemispheres of the brain. The testing of computer-generated music was used to examine the frequencies to see if the music piece evokes the intended emotion.

Audio Transcript

Slide 1: Hi, my name is Omar Alsuhaibani and today I will be presenting my URSP research, Music and Emotions: The Effects of Commercially-Available and Computer-Generated Music on Brain Activity.

Slide 2: Music is almost everywhere, from shopping malls to elevators and ice cream trucks, that it has essentially embedded itself in the human genome. What gives music its potential to improve learning outcomes has to do with characteristics like tempo and tone. The use of background music while completing mentally stimulating tasks, such as homework, has recently gained popularity. This research aims to examine the effects that computer-generated and commercially available music has on human brain activity and heart rate, and to see if they relate and differ by analyzing the power of different types of brainwaves that indicate the different types of activity. The objective of this research is to identify if computer-generated music that is intended to evoke certain emotions truly achieves that effect by examining physiological signals, such as brainwave activity and heart rate, and comparing it to commercially available music with similar levels of tempos.

Slide 3: To gain a better understanding of the effects of computer-generated music in comparison to commercially available music, this study investigated the changes in EEG signals under numerous experimental conditions: silence, 3 ascending tempos of commercially available music, and 3 ascending tempos of computer-generated music with two different genres: classic and modern. Participants were recruited for an experiment that exposed them to 9 pieces of music for a duration of 56 minutes. The order in which the music played was randomized for each participant. Three of the music pieces were commercially available classic music with slow, moderate, and fast tempos. The other six were different types of computer-generated music, known as classic calm, classic stimulus, classic focus, modern calm, modern stimulus, and modern focus. Each computer-generated music piece was meant to evoke a certain emotion within participants such as calmness, stimulus, and concentration (e.g. calmness when listening to calm music, concentration when listening to focus music). Differences among conditions will be observed through brainwave activity, which was measured by the means of electroencephalography (EEG) using a Muse 2 Headband, and heart rate, measured by the means of electrocardiography (ECG) using the E4 Empatica wristband. The Muse 2 headband from InteraXon was used to measure alpha, beta, theta, delta, and gamma waves. By extracting the data from the Muse 2 headband, the muse monitor app is used to import it into EEGLAB for analyzation. The visualization of this data may be conceived through a spectral density graph which aids in understanding the measured activity across areas (the sulcus and the gyrus) at the right and left hemispheres of the brain. The E4 Empatica wristband measured heart rate throughout the different music pieces as a parameter to indicate if spikes in brain activity can have a direct effect on heart rate. The changes of the music styles and tempos allowed us to determine its influences on physiological modulation. Studies have also shown that music with slow and steady rhythms reduce stress by changing body rhythms like heart rate (Witte et, al.).

Slide 4: We can see here the results with a baseline test of the typical brain activity, a commercially available slow tempo music piece (also known ad adagio), and a computer-generated modern focus music piece. The results indicated that different types of commercially available music had an overall higher power spectral density than that of computer-generated music. This suggests that brain activity was stronger when listening to commercially available music. With the computer-generated music, all the Muse 2 channels were synchronized with one another in terms of brain activity. This indicates that computer-generated music has the effect of causing identical activity in terms of power spectral density, while showing spikes at frequencies in the front and back areas of the right and left hemispheres of the brain. The testing of computer-generated music was used to examine the frequencies to see if the music piece evokes the intended emotion.

Slide 5: The future implication of computer-generated music poses great potential in music therapy development by analyzing how the mind, emotions, and physiological signals can react towards different types of simulations. For upcoming plans for the future, we will be recruiting more students for testing to gather more data. In addition, we will try to gain more understanding on brainwave activity and what certain values in terms of spectral density and frequency can indicate particular emotions. We will also begin to write a paper to be published.

Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

Novel Sleep-Related Genes in Fruit Flies: Focusing on The Voltage-Gated Calcium Channel “straightjacket” (stj)

Author(s): Mounia Hammadi, Matthew Perez

Mentor(s): Ren L. Guerriero, Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience

Abstract

Sleep is a vital part of human life known for rejuvenation and memory consolidation, but the molecular processes of this state are poorly understood. Drosophila melanogaster has been shown to exhibit this similar behavior under circadian and homeostatic control. Thus, to perform genetic manipulations that will enhance or degrade sleep, this model organism will be utilized to present a better understanding of the molecular aspect of sleep in humans. This study’s novel sleep-related gene includes stj (straightjacket). A UAS-Gal4 system will be utilized to carry either an RNAi or knockdown mutation of the gene. The Gal4 targets known sleep-regulating areas in the Drosophila brain, including the mushroom body, fan-shaped body, and ellipsoid-shaped body. Drosophila Activity Monitors (DAM2) will be used to record their locomotor activity over time. Sleep is determined if the infrared beam has not been broken in 5 minutes. Preliminary data has shown that stj in mice (Cacna2d3) codes for a calcium channel protein that interacts with various circadian genes that control the internal clock (Joshi et al., 2019). Thus, it is hypothesized that genetically modified flies will have a modified circadian rhythm. The preliminary data has already begun to show some trends of circadian rhythm modification. The female genetically modified flies with the RNAi modification experience higher activity/awareness during phase changes (from light to dark) compared to their parents. However, to properly understand if the gene is affecting their circadian rhythms, they will have to experience 24-hour Light:Light and Dark:Dark conditions. The importance of validating this novel sleep-related gene is to provide scientists with an understanding of the molecular processes of the circadian rhythm and even the homeostatic responses to sleep. This molecular understanding will allow scientists to develop better medicines or therapies that can counteract sleep-related diseases, including insomnia and restless leg syndrome (RLS).

Audio Transcript

Hello, my name is Mounia Hammadi. I am an undergraduate from Dr. Ren Guerriero’s sleep lab at George Mason University in Virginia.
My ongoing project is looking at novel sleep-related genes in the Drosophila melanogaster through various sleep trials that analyze total sleep trends and sleep bouts.
For the past two semesters, I have been focusing on the straightjacket gene.
We chose straightjacket as the first gene of study due to the paper published by Joshi et al. in 2019. They were analyzing the ortholog of straightjacket known as Cacna2d3. This gene is a calcium channel protein that they found to interact with various circadian genes in knockout mice.
Some of these genes include period 1 (Per1), Clock, Bmal1, and Nalcn. Thus we hypothesize that this ortholog interacts with the mice’s circadian rhythm. We determined the ortholog of Cacna2d3 in flies through the ProteinBlast website where we analyzed protein sequences to determine the fly protein that most closely resembled that of the mice. And since straightjacket is also a voltage-gated calcium channel found in neuronal tissues of Drosophila melanogaster, we believe it is the top candidate to represent the Cacana2d3 in flies.
The knockout mice were deemed a top candidate gene for sleep effects. However, the way in which it is so in the Joshi paper is not specified. There are also no other papers that we have found discussing specifically the sleep effects of this calcium channel protein. Thus, since the ortholog has been shown to acquire interactions with vital circadian genes, it is expected that there will be some alteration in circadian rhythm in the Drosophila melanogaster with a modified straightjacket gene. Thus, our hypothesis states if the voltage-gated calcium channel protein stj interacts with vital genes for the fly’s circadian rhythm, then there will be an abnormal sleep effect through their circadian rhythm.
The flies were kept in 12:12 light-dark conditions at 22 degrees Celsius in vials with cornmeal, molasses, and a yeast mixture one week prior to running (the trials). Total sleep was recorded in Drosophila Activity Monitors made by Tri-Kinetics incorporated. These monitors were placed in a 22-degree Celsius incubator for a week, each holding a max of 32 flies per monitor. The genotypes utilized for straightjacket manipulation include a GAL4 that is expressed throughout all nervous tissue when activated, which is the 8765 that can either activate the 25807, which is a UAS-TRiP which decreases the amount of straightjacket RNA being produced or a MIC-mutant, 34109.
To obtain the activated genome in the flies, we crossed a GAL4 with the UAS genotype flies, as well as the mutant ones. Only virgin females were utilized, females that were within 8 hours of eclosion, as well as just any kind of male. We had a total of four different genotypes of offspring. One where the male was the 8765 which was crossed with either a virgin female 25807 or a virgin female 34109 and vice versa. This was to ensure that any abnormal phenotypical responses were not determined by the sex of the parents. This would indicate that straightjacket were associated with a sex chromosome. Thus ending us with four different genotypes of progeny.
Data analysis was done with the DAM-2 software and a macro Excel sheet created by Paul Shaw. The excel sheets were used to organize the data points on the average beam crosses per fly from ZT0 to ZT 23. The total sleep was graphed with R-Studio. These graphs are showing the total sleep of the flies for four days after two days of allowing the flies to readjust to their new environments. The end value (number of flies) can be found under these figures. I want to strictly emphasize that this is strictly preliminary data since statistics have yet to be run on total sleep. However, qualitatively, the female flies of the offsprings, more specifically 8765 (F) x 25807 (M), which is this blue line here, which is the UAS-GAL4 system, have decreased sleep at a phase change from light to dark, which is ZT11. Qualitatively there is no substantial difference for the males, as shown with this graph here.
Preliminary data of the straightjacket mutated flies shows an increase in sleep during the light phase for both of the crossed progeny. Which is shown in green and blue when compared to the parental 34109, which is shown in red. However, there is a decrease in sleep when compared to the GAL4 8765, which is in purple. The females have a more distinct difference qualitatively than the males. These end values can be found under the figures (number of flies used).
Once more, I am Mounia Hammadi. I am an undergraduate student studying at Dr. Ren Guerriero’s sleep laboratory at George Mason University. As you can see to the right, the laboratory consists of Dr. Guerriero as the principal investigator and the other undergraduate student, Matthew Perez. I would like to thank George Mason’s OSCAR URSP for funding me over the summer as well as OSCAR Undergraduate Student Travel Fund for providing me the financial aid to attend the conference as well as the Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience at George Mason for providing me with the proper resources to run these experiments. Please reach out if you have any questions or comments about this project.

College of Engineering and Computing Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

Study of of Additively Manufactured 316L Stainless Steel

Author(s): Benjamin D. Fuentes Brock

Mentor(s): Mehdi Amiri, Mechanical Engineering

Abstract

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing (AM) is a relatively new manufacturing method in which metal parts are manufactured layer-by-layer through rapid heating and cooling of the powder bed. Consequently, complex geometries can be produced to simplify assemblies and reduce material wastage. These benefits make adopting additive manufacturing enticing, however mechanical and electrochemical properties of AM metals are significantly influenced by their unique microstructural and defect features that are highly dependent on the build parameters. In this experiment, we will investigate the interplay between mechanical and electrochemical effects on additively manufactured stainless steel 316L (SS316L). Tests are designed to perform corrosion characterization on AM coupons in stressed and stress-free conditions. Corrosion properties such as pitting potential, corrosion potential, and corrosion current density will be characterized under both stress conditions. Results of the AM samples will be compared with the results of the wrought SS316L to understand the effects of microstructure and defects on corrosion properties. Conclusions will be made about how significant the impact of additive manufacturing is on key properties of this material and if there are any relevancies to its microstructural characteristics. This increase in insight will reveal how to implement AM SS316L safely so its previously mentioned benefits can be realized when appropriate.

Audio Transcript

Hello everyone, my name is Ben Fuentes and I work with my mentor, Dr. Amiri, in the Reliability and Mechanics of Failure Lab under GMU’s Mechanical Engineering Department. Traditionally, metals parts are manufactured subtractively to their desired shapes with excess material being removed. However, a relatively new technique, called additive manufacturing, operates differently as metal powders are rapidly heated and cooled layer-by-layer to build the part. The effect of this difference in process is a great concern as it could influence important properties of metals. As a result, this project investigates these changes by comparing the corrosion and fatigue, which are two very important factors in aerospace applications, of 316L stainless steel manufactured traditionally and additively. The foundation of this experiment is a fatigue test which examines how many times a material can be loaded and unloaded before failing and is essential for creating safe designs. An everyday example of fatigue is the consistent bending of a paper clip or metal wire which causes it to break clean. With respect to this project, fatigue is tested using the micro-fatigue tester at the lab. A metal sample is attached rigidly through the use of bolts and a load is supplied through an electric motor and gears. On the other side, a load cell is present which measures the amount of force being applied to the sample. The other essential part of any test involving load is measuring the strain. Strain, which is the measure of elongation, is typically measured 1-Dimensionally through the use of an extensometer. However, there is a process called Digital Image Correlation and allows for strain to be traced in 2 and 3-Dimensions. This process consists of imprinting a pattern onto the surface which was accomplished by lightly corroding the sample. Next, a series of photos of the sample are captured throughout its elongation. Finally, the images are passed through a DIC program to track displacements over time. The second portion of this experiment involves corrosion which is the loss of material due to its interactions with the environment. Fundamentally, corrosion is a redox reaction which means that electrons are transferred and positively charged ions are ejected from the material which ultimately results in a loss in mass. This exchange in electrons can be captured as electrical current which ultimately allows for corrosion to be a quantifiable property so it can be compared with other materials tested in a similar environment. This experiment was designed to compare the fatigue strength, or the number of cycles until failure, of traditionally and additively manufactured samples of the same geometries at various loadings and corrosive environments. While this project experienced several difficulties which delayed the collecting of results, predictions can be made through the analysis of other experiments that are similar in nature. For example, researchers at the University of Toledo and University of Memphis found that additive manufactured titanium had worse fatigue strengths which could be explained by the buildup in residual stresses due to the iterative cooling and heating or through other induced defects experienced through manufacturing. Additionally, a research group in Belgium found that resistance to corrosion in additive manufactured aluminum alloys were generally equivalent to or better than their counterparts despite the large number of defects present. Regardless of how additive manufactured metal performs against its traditional counterparts, the primary value in this experiment is understanding the limitations of additive manufactured materials so they can be implemented safely and effectively so that their benefits, such as reduced material wastage and ability to produce complex parts, can be utilized fully. The following slides cite sources where information was obtained from, and I’d also like to acknowledge OSCAR URSP for providing funding and supplemental learning for this project. Thanks for watching!

College of Public Health Honors College Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

The lack and delay of endometriosis diagnosis in black women

Author(s): Nene Uwaomah

Mentor(s): Jhumka Gupta, College of Public Health

Abstract

Endometriosis is a chronically painful condition with poor health related outcomes for those diagnosed with it. These outcomes may include chronic pain, infertility, and experiences with stigma, among others. While there is some research available on the experiences of women of color in other jurisdictions, the experiences of women of color in the DC metro area, who have been diagnosed with endometriosis, have yet to be characterized. This study serves to understand how black women and other women of color with symptoms suggestive of endometriosis experience medical racism. This will be done with a focus group from participants from the ENDO-Served study on endometriosis in women of color based in the DC metro area. The research question: are women of color who report discrimination in the healthcare setting more likely to have a lack or delay of diagnosis of endometriosis? The methodology used in this study was a qualitative methodology, done with interviews of women of color with endometriosis. Through these interviews the participants will express their experience with their diagnosis of endometriosis and the treatment they received from their healthcare provider. Results from this methodology will help us to explore a deeper understanding of the perceptions and stigma of this condition. As well as help to develop programs related to reducing barriers as well as time of diagnosis, addressing racism, and stigma, among black and other women of color. This research was conducted with the funding of OSCAR and URSP at George Mason University. The research was overlooked by Dr. Jhumka Gupta a professor at George Mason University, and Julia Mandeville, Ph. D candidate responsible for the study and creation of Endo-Served.

Audio Transcript

Hello and thank you for coming to my presentation. My name is NeNe Uwaomah and I’m presenting my study are women of color who report discrimination in the healthcare setting more likely to have a lack or delay of diagnosis of endometriosis. My mentor is Dr. Gupta from the Department of Community and Public Health at George Mason University.

Some background from how we got to this topic question; endometriosis is an understudied disorder of the uterus. Endometriosis is a disorder in the female reproductive system that occurs when tissues that normally line the uterus, grow outside of the uterus. It is a chronically painful condition with poor health related outcomes for those diagnosed with it. Endometriosis impacts 1 in 10 women, and is a condition characterized by debilitating pelvic pain and activity impairment that can also lead to infertility. Other than the lack of research into the experiences of women in these populations with endometriosis, there are also disparities in the diagnostic outcomes. Studies have found that Black women were less likely to be diagnosed with endometriosis (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.2 9 -0.8 3)4, or were more likely to have a delay in diagnosis (µ=2.6 years older (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.5-4.6), when compared to white women(Li, et al, 2021).
The methodology used in the study included both qualitative and quantitative formats. First was an IRB approved Qualtrics survey prepared by Endo-Served. A project developed for the study of endometriosis in women of color in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia metropolitan area. The study identified key similarities between volunteers and their experience with endometriosis and the healthcare system. From the survey, significant numbers showed that discrimination was a factor with the women’s diagnosis along with stigma. From the survey participants a few women volunteered to participate in individual meetings to discuss their diagnosis story and experience in healthcare. Authentication of participants was prioritized. Their identities remain anonymous. It was ensured that the participants were aware of and comfortable with the study design and purpose. The interviews allowed the participants shared their difficulties with their diagnosis, as well as answer questions pertaining to their experience. The questions included;
Tell me your diagnosis story
2. Where did you first hear the word “endometriosis”?
a. Probe for family/friends, social media vs health care provider
3. In our data with ENDO-Served (explain what Endo-served is if they are not familiar), we are finding that women who reported learning about endometriosis for the first time from a family member/friend also reported more experiences with racism in a healthcare setting. Why do you think this is?
a. How, if at all, does this relate to your experiences?
4. What do you think needs to change regarding racism in healthcare settings?

The interviews resulted in similar answers between the four participants. ¾ of the women had to receive second and third opinions as their concerns were not taken seriously enough by their first physician. All of the women experienced excruciating pain, heavy bleedings, nausea, extended fatigue and some experienced problems with childbearing. Each woman explained their difficulties as they did not feel heard by their medical professionals and were stereotyped into the stigma that their pain tolerance was higher as black women. They were made to feel isolated and crazy, resulting in trauma of life alterations. When the women were diagnosed, all had to undergo surgery in order to remove cysts, fibroids, and growths. At the point of diagnosis, the women were in moderate and severe stages of endometriosis.
Most women had just first heard of endometriosis when they were being diagnosed, and those that did not first hear it through diagnosis, had looked up their symptoms through non-formal sources and discovered endometriosis. The cause of endometriosis is unknown, but it is believed to be a genetic or hereditary disorder. There is no cure, but a hysterectomy is the medical recommendation to cease major pain.
The lack of representation in research and clinical studies, is of consequence for women of color in the diagnosis, management and treatment of endometriosis which may result in misunderstanding, misdiagnosis and lack of appropriate treatment options when engaging with healthcare providers. This prompts a need for further research and action on this topic as there are many more women suffering in pain due to insufficient knowledge on this topic. Continued work on this study will help to foster a deeper understanding of the perceptions and stigma of this condition and additionally provide evidence for developing programming related to reducing barriers as well as time of diagnosis, addressing racism, and stigma, and facilitating help-seeking among Black women and other women of color.

Thank you for listening and I would like to also thank my mentors and co-organizers at George Mason University; Dr. Jhumka Gupta, Dr. Anna Pollack, Julia Mandeville, and Lauren Kornegey, as well as all the volunteers for the interviews and survey participants. And of course, a big thanks to Dr. Karen Lee and the undergraduate research scholars program and OSCAR for funding my project this semester.

Honors College Schar School of Policy and Government Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

The Persistence and Proliferation of Congressional Caucuses

Author(s): Molly Izer

Mentor(s): Jennifer Victor, Schar School

Abstract

While congressional member organizations (e.g., caucuses) in the U.S.
Congress are frequently trivialized by political punditry, they have been
proliferating over the past 30 years, ever since then-Speaker Newt Gin-
grich changed House rules to de-fund them. If caucuses are nothing more
than performative posturing, why do so many persist, with dozens of new
groups being formed each congress? We theorize that caucus ”birth” is
driven primarily by constituent interests and advocacy groups, while cau-
cus persistence is a function of groups’ effectiveness at connecting legisla-
tors who would be otherwise disconnected from one another. This paper
explores the persistence and proliferation of these campus clubs using a
novel data set comprised of the universe of individual caucus memberships
1993 – 2020. We statistically model caucus characteristics associated with
group survival, which include group size and bipartisan support. We use
quantitative and qualitative evidence from interviews to assess the extent
to which the explosion of caucuses on Capitol Hill has been driven by
advocacy groups. A richer understanding of this pervasive congressional
institution contributes to understanding the many ways that members of
Congress interact with one another. This understanding helps ultimately
to explain the parameters of congressional dysfunction.

Audio Transcript

Hi, I’m Molly Izer. I’m an undergraduate in the Schar school, majoring in government and international politics. And the title of my presentation is the persistence and proliferation of congressional caucuses.
And my mentor on this project is Dr. Victor also in the Schar school. So the point of this project and the research origin stems from a very important to 2013 study that was published by Dr.
Victor as well as her coauthor, Dr. Neils Ringa of the university of Wisconsin in the 2013 study. It was the first time they demonstrated a longitudinal study, which means over time on informal networks in the house of representatives.
Since the 2013 study of there have been massive changes and the ideological administrative and legislative norms governing the house of representatives and as such, it’s important to conduct a further longitudinal study on topic with our expanded dataset and in taking into account, the continuous changes that Congress simply put Congress has changing.
And so should our understanding. So this project in particular, explicitly focuses on the reasons that drive the birth and persistence of congressional member organizations also known as caucuses.
And it’s part of a larger project that explains the importance of informal networks and legislative institutions and how informal connections act as driving forces instead of large deliberative body.
Essentially, we, we hypothesize that congressional member organizations are part of the reason that people are able to coordinate collective action across the term, a broad coalition.
There are 435 members of the house of representatives, meaning one singular member. Isn’t very powerful, but when they’re in groups, they hold a little bit more power.
So a congressional member organization, essentially a way to do that, it’s almost like a informal club that members of Congress can rally around.
And there are some pretty interesting examples of types of caucuses. They range anywhere from the congressional voting caucus to the coalition for autism research to climate change related things.
There are over 700 documented caucuses that we have in Dr. Baker’s data sets and make been continuously growing. So just to emphasize the point that we need to continue to study them over a long period of time, I’m quick a picture of speaker of the house, Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the house, flipping grudge.
And he’s infamous for having changed the rules a while ago on how caucuses operate and what their administrative statuses can be.
And that’s another example of why it’s important to continue to send them over time, to see if changes to the institutions that Gover in informal networks will actually change anything about what they do or why they exist.
So the aims of this research are threefold. The first is that we aim to further understand what drives the birth of congressional member organizations and why they continue over time.
An important thing to understand about the house of representatives is that in the house, the term limits are only two years, meaning every two years, every single member has to go through reelection processes.
And while it can be to you as a voter, it’s even more tedious when you’re actually a member of the house or of their staffers, because it means you have to essentially rebuild your entire coalition every two years.
So it’s important to understand why it is that members continue to engage in certain parts. If it’s going to add on additional work on top of their already very busy schedules, we also want to map connections and social networks within the house of representatives.
And we want to track those networks in relation to broader data on legislative activity and institutional opera, opera realization. This is really important too, because we have to consider not only how institutions bind members of Congress, but also how outside forces informal networks can have a monumental impact on them.
And finally, we want to clarify, emphasize the value of informal institutions and legislative bodies and what benefits they pose to the legislative process as a whole.
So we use two different types of data. It’s really hard to look at informal networks through a solely empirical lens, which is why this year we had to integrate the qualitative data process.
So first to explain the qualitative data process, our qualitative data consists of hours of interview transcripts from various staffers in the house of representatives.
And that includes lobbyists and independent advocates who may engage with them. These were conducted via zoom, and we’re using the transcripts by coding them in NVivo, which they qualitative did software for our quantitative data.
We’re using an original data set, but Dr. Victor created and has kept since the hundred and third Congress, the hundred third Congress heard it in 1993.
And it goes all the way through the 117, which is the current Congress we’re in. Now that will end in November.
So essentially the data records, the party caucus and leadership positions that every single member of Congress occupies at any given time, the master file consists of over 6,000 data points and is managed largely largely in our, and that’s how we manage all of our quantitative and empirical analysis.
So we have many different hypotheses that are staked out in different phrasing so that we can use empirical tests to test each one of them individually.
But our general hypotheses are that caucus birth is driven primarily by constituent interests and then advocacy groups while Congress persistence, meaning keeps going over time is a function of how effective the group is connecting people who would otherwise not really meet each other or interact at all.
So our preliminary findings are a little bit limited because we’re still going through the writing process, but we do have a couple of really interesting visualizations here.
So this first one up here is, um, a one, a one party caucus members. And as we can see, they have increased by party at disproportionate rates with Democrats on average, joining more one party groups than Republicans.
In addition to the sheer number of congressional caucuses has continuously increased up until the 116 Congress. We’re not entirely sure if the, uh, the gap in increasing after 116 Congress is due to the COVID-19 pandemic or because of the January six insurrection we’ve gathered qualitative data that suggests both either or neither of them finally moving forward with this project.
So obviously we’re going to continue the writing process. And Dr. Richter is working on a larger book apart of which this will be integrated into it a little bit, but this paper in itself was accepted to the American political science association annual conference, which this year will take place in the beautiful city of Montreal.
So we’re excited to keep moving forward and continued to report our findings.

College of Education and Human Development Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

The Winning Game: Analyzing the negative implications of the win-at-all-cost mentality on intercollegiate sports

Author(s): Nana Osei-Wusu

Mentor(s): Julie Aylsworth, College of Education and Human Development

https://youtu.be/cW3CpOTlOAg

Abstract

The glorification of winning in intercollegiate sports over the years has taken an unhealthy turn. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has slowly shifted from a governance system based on enforcing its stance on amateurism to one that covertly endorses its slow shift into commercialism. This switch has directly affected the perception of collegiate sports, putting a significant amount of pressure on the coaches to produce winning seasons; thus creating a demand for athletes with high mental toughness. The objective of this study is to research the emphasis on mental toughness in athletes as the win-at-all-cost mentality continues to prevail within the intercollegiate sporting scene. Drawing from pre-existing literature to enhance our understanding of mental toughness. We will be able to determine what programs focused on supporting collegiate athletes will be beneficial, what should be included and how to properly tailor them to combat the negative implications established by a fixation on mental toughness.

Audio Transcript

Introduction:
When this research project began my goal was to analyze the negative implications of the win at all cost mentality in sport. I soon realized 2 months into my research that the effect of the win at all cost mentality was one that could not be dissected in a semester.

We will begin from where I started…… This is currently the world of intercollegiate sports

*Roll 16 second clip*

According to the Washingtons Posts review of thousands of pages of financial records from the athletic department of 48 schools the five wealthiest conferences in intercollegiate sports. In 2014 these 48 schools spent a combined amount of $772 million on athletic facilities, an 89-percent increase from $408 million spent in 2004. These lavish facilities are a result of a perpetual Arms Race between Division 1 institutions. The underlying purpose of this “race” is to attract Blue Chip athletes.

Transition slide: What is the Arms Race and what does it have to do with the win-at-all cost mentality?

*insert video explaining the Arms Race = Audio*

Top tier athletes boost attendance and create winning seasons.

* Edited clips addition *
Top Tier Athlete + School = boost in attendance +winning season (Show clip of Duke audience + show team holding NCAA championship)

Research regarding the win-at-all-cost mentality was getting overwhelming with so many unturned stones, questions and gray areas. From looking into the arms race to the D1 to JUCO to D1 cycle and the effects of that on athletes to reviewing surveys conducted by the NCAA from the years 2015 – 2022 gauging the mental health of athletes and the disappointing results that showed the mental health of male athletes slowly positively progressing while that of female athletes either stayed stagnant or saw little to no progression.
According to NCAA survey records, 26% of male athletes in the Spring of 2020 reported mental exhaustion, this number dropped to 21% in the Fall of 2020 and rose by 1% in the Fall of 2021. Among female athletes the number of student athletes that reported mental exhaustion was 39 % in Spring 2020 in Fall 2020 it stayed at 39% and dropped by 1% in Fall of 2021.

While I had lost my sense of direction these figures were ingrained in my memory. Pushing me onto the path of more specific research. I had an idea of what could possibly be causing our athletes these high levels of mental exhaustion and my new focused research was born. I was going to prove that our current idea of mental toughness is flawed and directly leading to the decline in the mental health of athletes as they reach their breaking points.

My research this semester did not go as I had planned it to but, I am excited for the new path it has created for my research in the upcoming Spring 2023 semester as well as my research in the summer. I will be able to do a more in depth analysis of the win at all cost mentality as well as the effects of our perception of mental toughness.

Honors College School of Business Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

Understanding the Relationship Between Students’ Sense of Belonging in High School and College

Author(s): Dhruv Dewan

Mentor(s): Blake Silver, Sociology and Anthropology

Abstract

My project is a focus on the relationship regarding sense of belonging as someone moves to College from High School. So in other words, what affects the sense of belonging in college students and what affects the sense of belonging in high school students and is there a correlation? I focused on this topic because there was some research on college sense of belonging, less research done on high school sense of belonging, and almost no research done on correlating this information. So I began with gathering information on each survey participant and moved on to asking them questions related to their sense of belonging in college, sense of belonging in high school, and asking them to compare their sense of belonging between these 2 time periods. Creating a collection of responses based on varying factors found in the demographic questions.

Audio Transcript

[Title]
Hello there, my name is Dhruv Dewan and this is a video regarding an OSCAR funded research project that I am currently in the process of concluding. A quick little introduction about me, I am a junior in the Honors college studying finance. So now that’s over let’s get into what the project is about.

[Next Slide]
My project is a focus on the relationship regarding sense of belonging as someone moves to College from High School. So in other words, what affects the sense of belonging in college students and what affects the sense of belonging in high school students and is there a correlation? I focused on this topic because I realized that I had a decrease in my sense of belonging as I came to college but other people had an increase. Trying to see if there was a correlation, I realized that there was some research on college sense of belonging, less research done on high school sense of belonging, and almost no research done on correlating this information. As such, I wanted to be the first one to do such research.

[Next Slide]
So I began with gathering information on each survey participant and moved on to asking them questions related to their sense of belonging in college, sense of belonging in high school, and asking them to compare their sense of belonging between these 2 time periods. Creating a collection of responses based on varying factors found in the demographic questions. Sadly because I am still concluding the survey, there is little to no analysis done at the moment.

[Next Slide]
Now, what can we do with this information? Hopefully later down the line this information can be transmitted into a test for High School students that will be able to inform students what college may be best for their sense of belonging. However, of course, this is if we can find a correlation and do a lot more research. I hope that this research can be done in multiple countries and we can compare if there is a difference among borders.

[Next Slide]
This research project couldn’t have been completed without some help. So thank you to Dr. Blake Silver, Dr. Karen T Lee, URSP, and finally OSCAR for funding this project. Thank you for listening!

Honors College Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

Using image analysis to study the succession of coral reef micro-communities

Author(s): Teagan Corpening

Mentor(s): Jennifer Salerno, Environmental Science and Policy

Abstract

Coral reefs are extremely important ecosystems that support a wide range of species and provide many ecological services. Many young corals react to cues from reef micro-communities that may alter where they choose to grow based on the presence and abundance of recruitment inhibitors and facilitators. Much research has been conducted on coral reef succession at the macroscale, but little research has been conducted on succession at the microscale. This research seeks to answer the question: do benthic micro-communities change over time, in light vs dark? To study this, settlement tiles were placed at three replicate sites on the White Hole coral reef site in Roatán, Honduras and left for one year to allow micro-communities to develop. Monthly images were taken of the top and bottom surfaces of tiles between June 2021 and September 2021. Morphospecies on each tile surface were identified and outlined by hand in ImageJ. Differences in community composition were calculated for each tile using Bray-Curtis distances and compared using permutational analysis of variance tests. There was no significant difference in community composition over time, but there were significantly different communities on the tops and bottoms of the tiles, likely driven by changes in the relative abundance of light. However, the data used in this project is a portion of the total data collected. Once more tile images are included in the analysis, it is expected that change in community composition over time will be significant. The implications of these results could help improve future restoration methods.

Audio Transcript

Title Slide:
Hello, my name is Teagan Corpening, and I will be presenting my research, “Using image analysis to study the succession of coral reef micro-communities”. This work was performed in the Salerno Lab.

Introduction:
Coral reefs are important ecosystems because of the many ecological services they provide, including coastal protection and providing habitat for a wide range of species. Protecting coral reef ecosystems is integral to protecting the biodiversity of marine ecosystems and preventing shoreline degradation. Understanding coral reefs at the microscale is important because of the connection between micro-communities of algae and other invertebrates that live on the sea floor and large-scale coral reef health. Coral recruitment and cover are heavily influenced by micro-communities. By better understanding the influences on coral recruitment, restoration methods can be improved.
I am working with Jordan Sims, who is a PhD student working on a larger settlement project in Roatan, Honduras.
My project seeks to better understand coral reef succession at the micro-scale by studying how micro-communities change through time and how environmental conditions, primarily light, drive community succession. My project seeks to answer the question: Do benthic micro-communities change over time, in light vs dark? This was done by observing community succession focusing on six different functional groups (CCA, fleshy macroalgae, filamentous algae, turf algae, other invertebrates, and biofilm). The presence of different functional groups is important to differentiate between because some groups, like turf algae, are coral recruitment inhibitors while other groups, like CCA, are coral recruitment facilitators.

Study Site:
This study was carried out in Roatan, an island off the coast of Honduras in Central Latin America. My study site is a reef on the northwestern coast of Roatan called White Hole.

Methods:
[1] Ceramic tiles were placed on three platforms across the White Hole reef site in Roatan Honduras. For this project, tile images at each platform were taken once per month between June and September of 2021. Images were taken of both the top and the bottom surfaces of each tile. The primary difference between the top and bottom surfaces of the tiles was the amount of light available to the communities. The tops of the tiles received more light than the bottoms of the tiles.
Here’s an image of one of our tile platforms once it has been secured to the reef. Settlement tiles were secured to the platform using zip ties.
[2] Here are representative unedited tile images after the tiles were removed from one of the platforms. On the left, we have the bottom of the tile and on the right, we have the top of the same tile.
[3] I cropped the unedited images to remove the unnecessary pieces including the collection bag and the sides of the tiles.
[4] These are the labelled tile images. I performed labeling by hand in ImageJ. I identified 85 different morphospecies and traced the boundaries of each morphospecies. The morphospecies were then combined into 6 different functional groups. After labeling, I used ImageJ to calculate the relative abundance of each functional group in each image.
functional groups:
These are examples of the six different functional groups that I combined the morphospecies into. These groups include Crustose Coraline Algae, filamentous algae, fleshy macroalgae, turf algae, biofilm, and other invertebrates.

Results:
[1] Differences in community composition over time and between tile surfaces were calculated using Bray-Curtis distances. To compare the micro-community composition on the tops and bottoms of the tiles and the micro-community composition through time, PERMANOVA tests with 999 permutations were performed. There was no significant change in community composition over time, but there were significantly different communities on the tops and bottoms of the tiles.
[2] On this graph, we can better visualize the drivers of the differences in functional group composition between tops and bottoms of the tiles. Bottom surfaces had a significantly higher percent cover of biofilm than top surfaces. We can also see a higher percent cover of other invertebrates on bottom surfaces. However, top surfaces had higher percent cover of turf algae and fleshy macroalgae.

Discussion:
The tops and the bottoms of the tiles were determined to have different community composition. This is most likely because of the differences in light. These results are supported by other studies that have also seen changes in benthic cover and functional group productivity influenced by the abundance of light (Vooren, 1981). The greater amount of light available to the communities on top surfaces is likely what is driving the observed increase in algal growth.
This study only used a portion of the tile images and data that were collected in the larger settlement project. There are four additional timepoints from this reef site and another full set of images from a replicate reef site. For the next steps of this project, I’ll continue to analyze more tile images so that more timepoints and replicates can be included in statistical analysis in the future. We expect to see a significant pattern of change emerge as more tile images are included in the project’s scope.
Acknowledgements:
Thank you to Dr. Salerno for being my mentor, to Jordan for helping me with the analyses, and to Jennifer Keck for taking the tile photos.

Honors College Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

First-Generation College Students and their Housing Status on College Belonging

Author(s): Joselyn Castellon Almanza

Mentor(s): Blake Silver, Honors College

Abstract

Our population is becoming more diverse with each generation. With many financial and housing options, this has resulted in a big portion of the college student population being first-generation students yearly. This is representative in the literature, especially regarding first-generation identity and housing status. First-generation students struggle with a lack of information and unknown expectations as they face higher education with no reference point. Added to the first-year experience, it could result in a challenging and confusing year. Housing status as a topic has been explored as learning communities, residential dorms, and commuting from home. These living spaces provide different resources that could aid the college experience. Studies have investigated its impact on academic success and retention, but not college belonging. College belonging is about a sense of security, and its investigation has been seen to support academic success. Thus, focusing on this topic could bring about ways to increase the quality of the college experience. As a result of past literature, this study will explore the impact of first-generation and housing status on college belonging with first-year students. I will explore the connotations and feelings behind the statuses of “first-generation” and housing, with specifics to the terms “commuter” and “resident.” I will then see if it may influence a student’s sense of self and how they think others may view them, thus affecting their sense of belonging. My investigation is based on hourly in-person interviews with first-year students that fit those identities. Through this, I will explore the relationship between first-generation and housing status on college belonging. I hope to provide more support for students’ overall success and well-being in college with my anticipated findings.

Audio Transcript

Hello, I am Joselyn Castellon Almanza, and my mentor is Dr. Blake Silver. And this is my project on first-generation college students and their housing status on college belonging.

I then investigated housing status cause housing status as a topic has been explored as learning communities, residential dorms, and commuting from home. These living spaces provide different resources that could aid the college experience. One study looked into housing status on academic performance. It saw that commuters earned a higher academic standing than residential students (Simpson and Burnett, 2019). This was interesting because a lot of past studies stated the opposite. It even went further to say that students’ academic status is based on how much they invest their energy into the college experience instead of the actual living situation (Simpson and Burnett, 297). And since studies have investigated its impact on academic success and retention, it led to me thinking of housing status and how it could impact college belonging.

College belonging is about a sense of security, and its investigation has been seen to support academic success. Thus, focusing on this topic could bring about ways to increase the quality of the college experience. A study has seen that college belonging matters as it works with well-being, high persistence, and graduation. This discussion of belonging can help us see its importance, its complexity, and how it provides a feeling of security (Nunn, 48). Another study has shown that socioeconomic status informs how students experience belonging (Ostrove and Long 2007).

This leads to my research questions; What impact does being a “first-generation college student” have on someone? What impact does housing status, commuting or residential, have on someone? How do these identities influence college belonging?

With these questions, I will explore the connotations and feelings behind the statuses of “first-generation” and housing, with specifics to the terms “commuter” and “resident.” I will then see if it may influence a student’s sense of self and how they think others may view them, thus affecting their sense of belonging.

My investigation is based on hourly in-person interviews with first-year students that fit those identities. There will be 16 interviews with 16 people. Eight will particularly fit under the commuting identity, and eight will fall under the residential identity. With all being under the first-generation college student identity. The interviews will then be coded with Dedoose coding software. It will look at what words or phrases are used frequently. I will then analyze it to see the reoccurring theme and draw conclusions from it.

My interview questions are based on three topics: first-generation identity, housing status, and college belonging. And here are some of my example questions. For example: “What comes to mind when you think of a first-generation student?”, “How do you think others view you based on your housing status?” and “Do you feel like you belong in your college based on your definition?”

Through this, how the first-generation experience and housing status affect college belonging will be further investigated. In the future, I hope it leads to more efficient resources for first-generation college students and college housing. As well as reform programs to help those students that fit those identities.

Thank you. If you have any questions, please contact me at [email protected].