Category: Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) – OSCAR

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

Preliminary Research: Relationships between Correctional Officers and Inmates

Author(s): Sarah Abbas

Mentor(s): Taylor Hartwell, ACE

I am using an existing qualitative data set (interviews with and observations of correctional officers and residents) from The Prison Projects’ prior fieldwork in three prisons’ solitary confinement units (including data from my previous USRP project), I am examining data from the project to examine the conflict dynamics within the structure of prisons through inmate relationships between and across inmates and COs. I am specifically looking at the nature of relationships between both groups to understand them through the lens of various types of interdependence. Since a basic premise of social interdependence theory centers on the participants’ goals structure (which determines how they interact/relate with one another) I am using interview responses to questions about punishment and application from Y1 data in order to understand how inmates understand the common goal of CO’s and the organization. I also will use the CO’s responses about their goals and perceptions of inmates’ goals. Another critical variable for interdependence includes dispositions or cognitive bias. I am taking a look at interviews on race and relations, identity, and extralegal dynamics. So far my preliminary analysis indicates the presence of negative social categorizations; a cognitive process by which individuals are viewed to carry the stereotypical characteristics of the social group they are perceived to belong in. It seems to create relative deprivation among both groups. My research will also take a lot at three important characteristics of interdependencies: outcomes (alignment of individual and group goals), means (the distribution of roles, resources, and tasks in such a way that sharing is necessary in order to achieve a goal), and boundaries (discontinuities that segregate groups from one another). They will be applied to examine the structural influences on relationships that create conflict dynamics.

Introduction
Hello everyone, my name is Sarah Abbas. I am an undergraduate student pursuing an accelerated master’s degree in conflict resolution and analysis, with a concentration in law and justice

Today I will share a little bit about the preliminary research work that I have done for an ongoing investigation of mine regarding the nature of relationships between correctional officers and Inmates

My Research
This Summer I have been using an existing qualitative data set of interviews with and observations of correctional officers and residents from The Prison Projects’ prior in three prisons’ solitary confinement units

(including data from my previous USRP project), I have been examining staff interview data to examine the relationship dynamics between residents and correctional officers. My research is a part of a larger ongoing research initiative: Changing the Hole Mind: Living & Working in Solitary Confinement During Reform

Literature
I am interested in examining the nature of relationships between both groups to understand them through the lens of various types of interdependence since the concept came up a lot in my literature review
. Since a basic premise of social interdependence theory centers on the participants’ goals structure (which determines how they interact/relate with one another), I am digging through CO’s responses about their goals and perceptions of inmates’ goals and characteristics.
In the criminal justice field, research on relationships centers around power dynamics. Specifically how power can be perceived as legitimate in order to maintain order.
In the field, there also seems to be an emphasis on ensuring compliance, order, and obedience
Power is particularly important in the realm of correctional facilities because it plays a key role in prison society and in the interpersonal conflicts that arise between prisoners
The role of coercive power and predictability in literature implies that prison culture might exhibit a destructive kind of order in which violence is the norm
The Conflict field focuses on how power imbalances in relationships can be a source of conflict. A common theme is that conflict is especially likely when ambiguity exists about the nature of power.
Also, research in the field show that a system that has inconsistent status positions can escalate conflict

Research Gap
My research considers broad conflict theories in a specific context. Additionally, there is rarely an intersection between the criminal justice and conflict analysis disciplines. My research will demonstrate how conflict theory can be useful within the criminal justice discipline. Additionally, a gap that I am filling is understanding what specific dynamics of relationships between COs and inmates that are created from the structures of prisons that seem to be seeds to destructive conflicts that negatively impact both groups.

Research Question
Currently, I am examining staff perceptions about the relationships they hold with inmates.
I am using coding to classify if they are Positive or Negative according to the literature and get an idea if they create or prevent unhealthy dynamics that create conflict?

Findings
After taking to code and reflecting, and analyzing my codes, it has come to my attention that the majority of my findings were classified as negative indicators for relationship dynamics that potentially are seeds of conflict.
The main finding is the presence of negative social categorizations- This is a cognitive process by which we place individuals into social groups. This process can be destructive when the group has negative characteristics attributed to them.

Methods

After I received IRB access to all of the interview data, I began the process of coding. I am wrapping up my preliminary analysis of a smaller set of data. I will continue to use more data for qualitative data coding and analysis. I am using an open-coding strategy to code the interview data, and then returning to the data with a set of codes that serve the purpose of organizing, grouping, examining, and analyzing the qualitative data. After an additional round of coding is complete, I will refine my codes and organize them into code groups and themes that will set the stage for a deep analysis.
My next steps are to code the entire data set

My analysis and overall research will reveal insightful data and overall conclusions that describe and explain the structural influences on relationships.
Additionally, this knowledge will provide relevant interdisciplinary knowledge that can strengthen the conflict resolution framework and build a framework in the Criminal Justice field. These findings can also be used to provide recommendations to correctional facilities.

Thank you for taking the time to listen!

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

Around the Isles in 80 Days: A Snail and Crab Adventure

Author(s): Liam Palmer

Mentor(s): Amy Fowler, Environmental Science & Policy Department

Parasites have an important role in the ecosystem. Trematodes are a parasite species that have a three-host life cycle. The first host in the trematode life cycle are snails, which trematodes will asexually reproduce into a larval stage that will encyst the second host. The cycle starts off with trematode eggs that are passed through the feces of the gulls and then are released into marine environments. The first hosts, the snails, are castrated as the trematode asexually reproduces in the gonad region, generating copious cercariae that escape from the snail. The second hosts are encysted with the cercariae, with the cercariae going dormant until the definitive host consumes the second host. Three snail species (Littorina littorea, Littorina obtusata, Littorina saxatilis) were hand collected from nine different locations throughout the Isles of Shoals. The European Green Crab, Carcinus maenas, was collected by hand and with baited traps. During each trip out into the field, birds were counted by eye. Data showed that parasites were more likely to be found in larger snails, and that there was a high likelihood of difference based on the sites collected from. There did not show a strong relationship of sea bird abundance although it could be possible that as long as there are any sea birds present, then the other species in the trematode life cycle have the potential to be infected.

Hello! My name is Liam and I am a senior in Environmental Science. For the GMU OSCAR celebration, I am presenting my project on snail and crab parasite abundance.

When I first got interested in parasites, it’s because I really like the weirder creatures in the world since they are just funky little dudes, then I learned how cool and important parasites are. So, what is so important about parasites? Surprisingly, a lot is. Parasite populations are indicators of a stable environment. The parasites I have been looking at in particular are known as trematodes, which I will touch on more in just a moment. The Isles of Shoals has been used as an important study system for parasites over the past 20 years, and what has been found is that gulls are the driving forces to trematode life cycles.

Speaking of life cycles… I’d like to go over one of the life cycles of the trematode using a graph that shows the life cycle of the trematode microphallus similis. This is just a general overview of these lifecycles, which can be complex and include multiple different hosts. There is a three-stage life cycle which includes both asexual and sexual reproduction. Starting off, the eggs are passed through the feces of the gulls and then are released into marine environments. For Microphallus similis, the first intermediate hosts are either Littorina obtusata or Littorina saxatilis, however the most commonly infected snail is Littorina littorea with the trematode Cryptocotyle lingua.

That leads us to our first hosts, which in this case are snails, which are castrated as the trematode asexually reproduces in the gonad region, generating copious cercariae that escape from the snail. The castration process can lead to not only decreased reproductive function, but also can cause tissue damage as well as organ dysfunction.

Then we go to the second intermediate host, in this case it’s Carcinus maenas but with the aforementioned trematode Cryptocotyle lingua, the second intermediate host would be a fish of some kind. Basically, they go dormant in the secondary host until that host is ideally eaten by the gull, at least ideally for the parasite.

The final host, which are gulls, are where trematodes sexually reproduce and the cycle continues.

I collected 240 snails and 30 crabs from a total of nine different locations by hand and by trap. In the lab, I dissected the specimens and assessed them for trematode presence.

What I found is that parasites were more likely to be found in larger snails

I looked at the prevalence of parasite rate by location and it showed that there is a high likelihood of there being a difference in parasite rate based on location. This was shown to be the same in Littorina obtusata and Littorina saxatilis, although I only show Littorina littorea and Littorina obtusata.

There didn’t show to be strong evidence showing a difference between the numbers of birds present and the parasite percentage for any of the species of snails or for the crabs.

Overall, I found that there was a pretty significant difference between parasite rate and the size of the snail as well as the location the snails were found at. While there doesn’t seem to be a strong relation with the amount of sea birds that are present, it could be possible that as long as there are any seabirds present, then snails and crabs have the potential to be parasitized.

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

Science Communication for Misrepresented Biodiversity

Author(s): Meredith L Hart

Mentor(s): Dr. Rebecca Forkner, Biology

Science Communication for Misrepresented Biodiversity
Meredith Hart
This project, completed over the spring of 2022, focuses on rehabilitating the public image of non-charismatic fauna. As the public has begun to embrace the environmental movement, many individuals have sought to protect charismatic species. But these are not the species that will threaten the collapse of the world if they disappear—as tragic as that would be. Insects are decomposers, pollinators, keystone species, ecological indicators, and are declining at unprecedented rates due to anthropogenic change. As insects decline so do their predators (birds, rodents, etc), so do plants that rely on them for pollination, and eventually this decline will ripple out into the external ecosystem even further than it already has. Working with the general public in a hands-on environment is not always the best case for mitigating unnecessary hatred and/or fear of insects. Such education is better accomplished through illustration, which is what this project focused on. This project’s scope was the creation of an insect mural depicting biodiversity and many different levels of biologically diverse interactions—between insects and plants, insects and other insects, and insects and surrounding fauna. Through illustrating both these interactions and artistically depicting the loss of diversity through shadowy abstraction, this piece will cause its viewers to both feel sympathy for insects, and hopefully help them to analyze their own perceptions of the insect world.

Hello everyone my name is Meredith Hart, thank
you so much for watching this presentation.
My project for the spring semester of 2022 focused
on science communication for misrepresented
biodiversity and my mentor was dr Rebecca forkner
. So what do I mean when I say misrepresented biodiversity?
A lot of the time when people think about the
beautiful parts of the natural world they
are thinking of charismatic megafauna: large
animals that are charismatic towards the general
public. Things like manatees, rhinos, whales, and
lions- while all important parts of the ecosystem,
are charismatic megafanu. As I have the most
research and work experience in entomology,
and Dr. Forkner is an entomologist, we have
seen up close how little respect people have for
insects and their role in the environment. People
fail to recognize the crucial roles that insects play
in our environment in every respect from pollination
to decomposition. thank you so much for watching this
environment people fail to recognize the
crucial roles that insects play in
keeping our ecosystems afloat: everything
from decomposition to pollination
this is damaging because in people in so
that people under do not understand what
insects are providing for the ecosystem
they fail to take care of the ecosystem
and the insects within it when people
fail to recognize how their actions can
impact insect populations they are
willing to continue those actions things
like pesticides along with other harmful
lawn treatments and just a general lack
of recognition for our native species
that can benefit from native plants so i
wanted to do this project to spread
awareness to all the ways that insects
contribute to our way of life and all of
the ways that we take them for granted
and i decided to do this through art
so there are a few different ways to
combat negative perception of insects up
top there is a picture of me completing
a fellowship at bull run mountains
natural area prisoner where i was able
to work within the public to educate
them about the vital role that insects
play in the environment and while these
and many other hands-on methods of
environmental education have been
traditional in educating about insect
importance going the artistic route can
sometimes uh help too because not
everyone wants to get out in the in the
woods and pick up a bug i know i sure do
but that’s not realistic for helping
change the negative perception on a
large scale
so as i just mentioned the general
public is more willing to look at a
picture of an insect then go out into
the woods and pick one up
and so here is another project that i
completed with dr forkner during a
research semester in the fall of 2021
focusing on milkweed. milkweed is one of
these super beneficial species that we
see everywhere in native gardens and it
benefits a huge amount of insect
biodiversity in the garden here’s just
one example of a poster i made
illustrating the importance of insects
and one of the reasons that i decided to
pursue this project
so for this project i decided to
complete my illustrations in watercolor
and surprisingly enough home depot paint
scientific illustration doesn’t always
have to look like the medical
illustrations that we see in textbooks
or the super fine line art from the 18t
century it can encompass a wide variety
of educational tools my preferred method
is in watercolor and all of these
illustrations have been part of science
communication projects i’ve done in one
form or another
to create a natural science illustration
I researched using images from databases
for insects that have been confirmed as
the insect identification i use books i
use websites from
or the university of Florida which has
some amazing insect databases
and I use those information
the information I find on those websites
to compile my information in an
aesthetically pleasing and engaging way
for my reader okay
so here is one of the projects that i
completed this semester that will
hopefully be hung in the biology
department it is common garden insects
of the eastern united states here at
george mason we do have a couple of
native plant gardens where we encourage
pollination and so here is just a tool
for some students walking on campus to
maybe try to identify some of those this
is a fairly large poster and as you can
see i’ve encompassed a wide variety of
natural flowering plant species
everything from goldenrod to milkweed
and a lot of the insects that pollinate
them that we might not even see
the most important part of this project
to me was the creation of a split
perspective ecosystem depicting insect
interactions both above ground and below
to truly highlight their contributions
to the natural world this part of the
project was important to me because we
are in the middle of an insect
apocalypse we have lost over 50 percent
of all species as results from the
entomological society of america show
and we are continuing to lose
insects rapidly as a field site in
germany lost over 76 of its insect
biomass in the last 20 years and we
expect these numbers to keep to keep
declining with
human generated changes to the
environment so for every insect that you
see in the split perspective ecosystem
you will see its shadowy counterpart a
representation of the insect life that
we have lost without even properly
acknowledging it i love this this part
of my project and i hope to complete it
within the next week for display within
the biology department
here ias a time lapse of me creating the
project and i will talk a little bit
about my process so this is my split
perspective ecosystem as you can see i’m
currently working on the dirt uh of the
lake and i’m using a hair dryer in order
to kind of blow out the wet parts of my
watercolor into this really intricate
root system that i use to connect my
shadowy insects to the roots and here’s
a really great picture of me picking up
my phone at the end of it
i would like to acknowledge the gmu
theater department for providing me with
a large number of student canvases which
the rest of my split perspective
ecosystem part two will be carried out
on i’d like to thank everyone at ursula
for making this such a great research
semester and experience and of course my
mentor dr rebecca forkner and thank you
for watching this presentation i hope
that you leave this with a little bit
more love for insects than you may have
had already

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

Study of mechanical properties of 3D printed PLA+HA composite manufactured through different methods

Author(s): Violetta Rostobaya

Mentor(s): Dr. Ali Beheshti, Mechanical Engineering

https://youtu.be/VgMqGT76QLs

PLA polymer is one of the most widely used materials in 3D manufacturing industry. Pure PLA has limited mechanical and tribological properties; however they can be enhanced by adding nanocomposites such as Hydroxyapatite (HA). Even as small portions as 1wt% of HA can make PLA brittle, durable and biocompatible, which is advantageous for biomedical applications like inner body bone and join prosthetics. The mixing manufacturing method is also a factor in achieving highest quality of resulted composite material. The objective of this research is to outline which out of four manufacturing methods: wet mixing, dry speed mixing, magnetic stirring and dry mixing is the most effective in yielding most desirable mechanical properties. Wet mixing and magnetic stirring methods require to liquefy PLA with DCM dissolvent and then add HA into the mixture. Dry speed mixing and dry mixing require dry PLA pellets to be mixed with HA powder. The filament for each of methodologies is prepared with extruder and is used to 3D print testing samples. After manufacturing is finished, the samples are tested for roughness, strength, young’s modulus, hardness, compression, creep, scratch and wear. The testing methodologies are profilometry, indentation, compression tests and SEM scanning. Based on analyzed data the conclusion is drawn about effectiveness of manufacturing method.

My name is Violetta Rostobaya, I am a senior mechanical engineering student and I do undergraduate research under mentorship of Dr. Ali Beheshti. I work on my research in the tribology and surface mechanics lab located at innovation drive at Sci tech campus of George mason university. The topic of my research is Effect of different manufacturing methods on mechanical and tribological properties of 3D printed PLA and HA.

The goal of my research is to study mechanical properties of common 3D printing polymer PLA in composition with biomaterial hydroxyapatatite or HA. The reason why engineers want to fuse PLA with HA is to enhance mechanical properties of the polymer, make it stronger, more brittle, so that it can withstand high loads under compression. PLA in combination with HA are commonly used in biomedical applications for producing prosthetic bones and joints, which is why we want to make material as strong as possible, but also light and porous, so that it imitates structure of a real bone.

There is a nuance of how two components are mixed, since the manufacturing method is also a factor in the quality of the produced material. The differences of the methods in my research are how fast we can mix two components (fast or slow) and in what state PLA is in (liquid or solid), so the total amount of methods are four. For fast or speed mixing I use speed mixer and for slow mixing I use magnetic stirrer. To achieve solid state of PLA no actions are required: PLA already comes in form of solid pellets, and to achieve liquid state, PLA is dissolved using very strong dissolvent called DCM. The proportions of HA to PLA is 1%, usually mixed as 2 grams of HA to 18 grams of PLA.

After the materials for all four methods are ready, they are fed into the extruder machine, which shapes the polymer into filament through melting the plastic material at a high temperature of 180 Celsius degrees. The filament then is used to 3D print the samples shaped as rectangular cuboid with sides of 1 by 1 by 2 inches for indentation and compression testing.

The results of this research will show which manufacturing method is the most successful and effective in yielding the desired properties and hopefully will contribute to the knowledge of growing and expanding 3D printing technology.

I would like to thank you everyone who supported me while I was working on this project including Dr. Beheshiti, Dr. Bagheri, Dr. Lee and Office of Student Scholarships, Creative Activities and Research.

Thank you for watching and I hope this video was informative!

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

Suicidality, Depression, and Victimization Among Sexual Minority, Ethnically Diverse Adolescense

Author(s): Christina Waddell

Mentor(s): Dr. Adam Winsler, Applied Developmental Psychology

Past research has indicated that sexual minorities (SM) are more likely to experience depression, suicidality, and victimization compared to heterosexual individuals. However, this research fails to incorporate intersectionality by race/ethnicity. The purpose of this study is to compare the frequency of suicidality, depression, and victimization in SM adolescents from different racial groups. I used 2019 Fairfax County (VA) Youth Survey data, wherein 48,9115 students were asked a series of multiple-choice questions assessing their subjective experiences and mental well-being using established survey items from well-known scales. I asked the following research questions: 1) Is the frequency of depression, suicidality, and victimization the same across heterosexual and SM groups? 2) Do bisexual adolescents experience a higher frequency of depression, suicidality, and victimization? 3) Are there racial differences in depression, suicidality, and victimization? and 4) Are differences in the outcomes for SM groups the same across all ethnic groups? I hypothesized that 1) SMs will have the highest frequency of suicidality, depression, and victimization in comparison to heterosexuals, 2) bisexual adolescents will experience more suicidality, depression, and victimization in comparison to gay/lesbian and questioning individuals, 3) Black adolescents will experience more suicidality, depression, and victimization compared to other races, and 4) the extent to which sexual minorities experience increased victimization/suicidality/depression will be greater for Black and Hispanic students compared to other racial groups. Three 4 by 5 ANOVA models were run. Results show that sexual and racial identity status are contributing factors to the victimization, depression, and suicidality that youth experience.

For my research project, I examined the suicidality, depression, and victimization of sexual minority, ethnically diverse adolescents. Past research has indicated that sexual minorities are more likely to experience depression, suicidality, and victimization compared to heterosexual individuals. However, this research often fails to incorporate intersectionality by race and ethnicity. The purpose of this study is to compare differences in the frequency of suicidality, depression, and victimization in sexual minority adolescents from different ethnic groups. I used 2019 Fairfax County Youth Survey data, wherein 48,915 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students were asked a series of multiple-choice questions assessing their subjective experiences and mental well-being using established survey items from well-known scales. The survey was 100% confidential and anonymous. Participation was voluntary. Four victimization questions and three suicidality/depression questions were utilized for this study. In reference to the race of the participants, 36.4% were White, 10.5% were Black, 22.8% were Hispanic, 22.6% were Asian, and 7.8% were multiple races. In reference to sexual orientation, 83.3% identified as heterosexual, 2.2%, identified as gay or lesbian, 8.4%, identified as bisexual, and 6.2% identified as not sure of their sexual orientation. I asked the following research questions: 1) Is the frequency of depression, suicidality, and victimization the same across heterosexual and sexual minority groups? 2) Do bisexual adolescents, in particular, experience a higher frequency of depression, suicidality, and victimization? 3) Are there racial differences in depression, suicidality, and victimization? and 4) Are differences in the outcomes for sexual minority groups the same across all ethnic groups? I hypothesized that 1) sexual minorities will have the highest frequency of suicidality, depression, and victimization in comparison to heterosexuals, 2) bisexual adolescents will experience more suicidality, depression, and victimization in comparison to gay/lesbian and questioning individuals, 3) Black adolescents will experience more suicidality, depression, and victimization compared to other races/ethnicities, and 4) the extent to which sexual minorities experience increased victimization/suicidality/depression will be greater for Black and Hispanic students compared to other ethnic groups. Three 4 by 5 ANOVA models run to evaluate the interaction between sexual orientation and race. Results show that sexual and racial identity status are contributing factors to the victimization, depression, and suicidality that youth experience. Heterosexual participants reported to experience less suicidality, depression, and victimization in comparison to sexual minority individuals. Bisexual individuals displayed the highest frequencies of suicidality, depression, and victimization compared to other sexual minority individuals. Lastly, Black and Hispanic sexual minority youth in particular had it hardest overall. Special thanks to Dr. Adam Winsler, Dr. Elizabeth Brielmaier, Dr. Christy Esposito-Smythers, WinsLab, and OSCAR for helping me with this project.

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

Surface Degradation of Additively Manufactured ABS for Naval Applications

Author(s): Daniel Hernandez

Mentor(s): Ali Beheshti, Mechanical Engineering

Additive manufacturing (AM) has an essential role in the manufacturing process of several industries due to its rare shape-making ability that can optimize the creation of parts. Within the marine industry, the application of AM is confined due to the remaining questions regarding the degradation of polymers in a saline environment and whether AM is more viable than its traditional manufacturing (TM) counterpart. In this work, the surface degradation of AM and TM ABS samples is analyzed in a simulated marine environment. The simulated environment is created by having a set temperature of 27°C, 35°C, and 55°C respectively where the samples are aged for a duration of 7, 14, and 21 days. The ABS material is molded and cut into rectangle samples for comparison with its 3D printed counterpart. Upon observation, it was found that the surfaces of the AM samples degraded substantially more and at a faster rate in comparison to the TM samples. The AM samples also experienced a % weight change in the range of 2.5% compared to TM samples where the % weight change was below 1%. This research will help with the widespread adoption of AM ABS in the naval industry as well as provide information regarding the viability of AM material.

Hello, my name is Daniel Hernandez. I am a junior mechanical engineering student, here at GMU working with Dr. Ali Beheshti on the surface degradation of additively manufactured ABS for naval applications. This project is a continuation of my work done in the summer semester to determine the viability of additively manufactured ABS polymers in a saline environment in comparison to their traditionally manufactured counterpart. Additive manufacturing also known as 3D printing is the process of adding successive layers of material on top of each other vertically to create virtually any geometrical 3D structure at exceptional quality. A range of materials from metals to ceramics can be used in the additive manufacturing process, however, polymers such as ABS are an optimal choice given their exceptional mechanical properties and low costs. However, unlike most traditional materials, weathering factors have a substantial effect on polymers. In the maritime environment, polymers can degrade sustainably due to the corrosiveness of the ocean polymers. Thus, the usage of additively manufacture parts for naval applications is rather selective due to the change in resilience and degree of degradation that is imposed by the saline environment.

In terms of the experimental process of this project, samples were initially 3D modeled on CAD Inventor and were made using the lab printer. As for the traditionally manufactured samples identical samples were ordered from a plastic manufacturer. In order to simulate a saline environment aging chamber where setup for the ABS samples. The aging chambers consisted of tanks filled with artificial seawater heated to 27°C, 35°C, and 55°C accordingly using a water heater where these temperatures were selected in coordination to the room temperature and the proper temperatures needed to accelerate the aging of the samples. The set submerged durations of the samples were 7, 14, and 21 days where groups of additively and traditionally manufactured samples were placed in each tank. The water levels of the aging chambers where monitored every other day to ensure water heaters operated at set temperatures. The samples were then weighted every 3- 4-day intervals to record the percentage weight change. Where it was observed that the additively manufacturing samples saw a much greater % weight change in the range of 2.5% compared to their traditional counterpart where the % weight change was below 1%. This is due to the traditionally manufactured parts being much more rigid and compact in comparison to the additively manufactured parts which are susceptible to manufacturing defects. It was also seen that the rate of % weight change was more fluctuated in samples that were in the 35°C tank. Given that the heightened temperature increased the rate of hydrolysis that affects the degree of surface degradation. This was furthered observed in the 21-day aged samples where the surfaces of the additively manufactured samples show major deterioration along the top printing layers. Whereas for the TM samples the surface quality is rather intact though the top edges are showing signs of deterioration. It is important to note that the discoloring of these samples is not correlated to the aging process. This occurred due to the unexpected degradation of the wires used to keep the samples in place. The next steps of the project are to assess the surfaces of the samples through micro indentation and profiling tests. These tests will allow for the observation of the change in surface roughness, Young’s modulus, and hardness of the samples.
Thank you!

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

The Case for Using Storytelling to Combat Colorism within Latinx Communities

Author(s): Jatsuka Pozo

Mentor(s): Dae Young Kim, Department of Sociology and Anthropology

https://youtu.be/qFKLdWZrhjQ

The main focus of my project is to determine the viability of counter-stories in confronting anti-blackness, especially when having discussions around colorism. The counter-stories created during this project are within the context of the lived experiences of second-generation and 1.5 Latinx immigrant college students. Second-generation and 1.5 youth have lived the majority of their lives, if not all, in the United States navigating various racial dynamics, but also have been exposed to the cultural values, norms, and beliefs of their immigrant parents. They are situated in a unique intersection that can offer us a way of understanding multi-generational knowledge/beliefs and are capable of bridging the different worlds they reside in.

I center my project on Latinx youth not only because of my own identity as Latinx but also because counter-stories around racism don’t intentionally focus on Latinx people who are perceived as a homogenous group but vary culturally, racially, and politically. I inquire: Can counter-stories serve as a vehicle to confront anti-blackness?

I aim to investigate the impact of counter-stories on colorism and racism through facilitating a Critical race theory writing workshop for second-generation and 1.5 generation Latinx college students.

Hi, my name is Mikaela Pozo. I am a Sociology major. And I am conducting my research project through the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. My project is titled The Case for Using Storytelling to Combat Colorism within Latinx Communities and my mentor is Prof. Dae Young Kim. I would like to thank OSCAR for funding and supporting my project.

My research project focuses on the narratives about colorism. My research question is: Can counter-stories serve as a vehicle to confront colorism in Latinx communities?
I aim to answer this question through facilitating a Critical race theory writing workshop for second-generation and 1.5 Latinx college students. During the workshop, I want to examine the kind of assumptions, beliefs, and experiences we have and through a collaborative exploration of the racial underpinnings of those narratives start creating counter-narratives in our bodies and mind.

I will be conducting pre-liminary, semi- structured interviews and after the writing workshop, and facilitating a focus group to debrief on the whole writing workshop experience. Due to delays in IRB approval, I will be conducting the workshop during the summer.

Through my project, I aim to problematize the master narrative of mestizaje – cultural and racial mixing that acknowledges the history of colonialism, however now is used as a term to homogenize and gives the impression of color-blindness.

I draw on the works of Richard Delgado Derrick Bell, and Tara Yosso, to name a few, who are prominent critical race theorists for an understanding of counterstories as a method and methodology.

When looking at the history of Latin America, it becomes clear that the idea of mestizaje was born out of a need to challenge colonialism and its clear manifestations: the racial caste system. However, over time, mestizaje was used to homogenize and at times whiten communities.

Today, mestizaje flattens the experiences of those who are indigenous and afro-latino through promoting a belief in homogeneity and faux racial harmony. It invalidates their lived realities of experiencing higher levels of discrimination and poverty.

In direct opposition, counter-stories confront, disaffirm, and critique the stories created by the dominant culture.

Counter-stories are a way of acknowledging and confronting racism by “linking individual experiences with systemic analysis” and centering stories of marginalized people. In other words, they are powerful because they are able to intertwine the individual, collective, and structural. The reason why this project is critical is because We cannot confront racism without first acknowledging its existence and pervasiveness (Richard Delgado, 2017). This project will allow me to understand how counter-stories can be utilized, possibly being implemented into school curriculums or as a framework to have courageous conversations.

Thank you.

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

The Effects of Tigecycline on Pseudomonas aeruginosa with relations to nosocomial infections in patients with Cystic Fibrosis

Author(s): Kenneth Axelbank

Mentor(s): Monique van Hoek, College of Science

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a gram-negative bacterium that can infect and harm plants and animals. One of these infections that are harmful specifically to humans is nosocomial infections which are those that are impacting patients during their time being hospitalized. The research is focused on patients specifically with Cystic Fibrosis due to them being highly susceptible to infections because of how frequently hospitalized they are. This is significant in understanding the correlation between antibiotic treatment, hospitalizations, and susceptibility to Pseudomonas aeruginosa in CF patients. Cystic Fibrosis is an inherited disorder that can be life-threatening due to the damage it has on the digestive system and lungs in the body. As of right now, there is no cure for Cystic Fibrosis and nosocomial infections harm these patients that already have a low immune system. Pseudomonas aeruginosa does not have many known antibiotics that work well against it due to the resistance increasing. Tigecycline is a tetracycline antibiotic that is used often when other known antibiotics stop working against bacterial infections. The research being conducted consists of testing Tigecycline on Pseudomonas aeruginosa through the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration Test, Biofilm inhibition Assay test, and the Kirby Bauer/Disk Diffusion method. These three will result in analyzing the data collected to determine the effectiveness of Tigecycline on Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The importance of finding an effective antibiotic for Pseudomonas aeruginosa will help in identifying more treatment options and lead to an advancement in microbiological research.

Hello My name is Kenneth axelbank and my research was on the effects of Tigecycline on Pseudomonas aeruginosa with relations to nosocomial infections in patients with cystic fibrosis. Nosocomial infections are infections that occur from a patient’s time in a hospital and patients with cystic fibrosis are related due to them being frequently in the hospital due to treatments and checkups which leave them more susceptible to nosocomial infections. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (or pa) is a gram-negative bacterium, meaning that it causes diseases in plants and animals and is more likely to cause infections and become resistant to antibiotics that have been known to inhibit the bacteria. PA is also coccus shaped, meaning that it is circular. Tigecycline is known to work against multi-drug resistant bacteria meaning that when a bacterium becomes resistant to various antibiotics, tigecycline is sometimes an effective alternative. Some other known antibiotics to be effective are amikacin, penicillin, piperacillin, and ciprofloxacin. Amikacin will be used as a positive control. The three tests that will be performed in this experiment are the Minimum inhibitory concentration test, Kirby Bauer disk diffusion, and antibiofilm assay. The results for the MIC tests were shown in these graphs. For the positive control Amikacin which Is shown in the top graph to the left, the MIC was 4 micrograms per milliliter and had approximately a 10 percent survivability rate. For tigecycline, the first trial is shown right below which shows the MIC to be about 64 micrograms per milliliter and this is known to be not too effective, but shows some area of inhibition. For the two other trials of Tigecycline, the MIC came out to be 256 micrograms per milliliter which is not effective in inhibiting PA. This may be due to these two trials being done at a later date and light having an effect on its effectiveness as an antibiotic. For the antibiofilm assay results the top image shows the quantitative data that was collected for Tigecycline. When a t-test was performed, the p-value was greater than 0.05 meaning that the null hypothesis was rejected, and the data was not significant. This would mean that tigecycline would not be an effective inhibitor for biofilm. For the Kirby Bauer test, the image to the left, it shows amikacin and it has a large zone of inhibition for all three disks and the image on the right shows tigecycline as having no zone of inhibition. This would mean that the Kirby Bauer test proves that tigecycline is not an effective antibiotic. In conclusion, tigecycline was proved to be ineffective as an inhibitor against PA and further research could be focused on a different antibiotic that is similar structurally to amikacin and different from tigecycline. A possibility in improving this experiment would be to perform the experiments at the same time or keep tigecycline covered in a material that can block the light from passing through. This is largely due to light being found to reduce tigecycline’s effectiveness which was not previously known before the start of this experiment. Lastly, the three tests showed tigecycline to not have an impact on PA and nosocomial infections in patients with cystic fibrosis. In a MIC, the lower concentrations that it is effective at inhibiting the growth of bacteria, the better it is. In a Kirby Bauer test, the zone of inhibition is necessary to measure the effectiveness of an antibiotic. Sadly, Tigecycline did not prove to be effective, but it can still be useful in leading to hopeful antibiotics in the future that may work. I would like to acknowledge Dr. van Hoek for being a great mentor and for giving me the idea to perform the experiment. I would also like to thank GMU Oscar/URSP for funding this experiment. I would also like to thank my advisor, Tahmina Rahman for introducing me to my mentor, and Morgan Tasseff for training me and for helping out in the lab to be able to perform these experiments. Here are the works cited. Thank you for listening to my presentation!

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

Ecoandrogygy: Examining Environmentalism Beyond the Gender Binary

Author(s): Tulane Simpson

Mentor(s): Jessica Hurley, English

Traditionally, environmentalism has been conceptualized within the framework of binary gender. Ecofeminism developed as a way of articulating the linkages between men’s domination of both women and the environment. As a result, women came to be viewed as closer to nature and as more suitable caretakers of the environment due to their gender-assigned domestic roles. Additionally, a dichotomy has emerged in some schools of ecofeminism in which the stereotypical trappings of masculinity, such as incessant determination and aggression, can be read as antithetical to environmental justice pursuits. However, there is a long history of environmental advocates leveraging both feminine-coded and masculine-coded tactics to advance their mission. Through this OSCAR-URSP project/ English Honors thesis written under the mentorship of Dr. Jessica Hurley, I propose ecoandrogyny as an environmental and cultural alternative to gendered concepts of environmentalism. Ecoandrogyny as an environmental framework seeks to allow people to leverage their gender expressions and identities into effective environmental actions regardless of the traditional gender connotations said actions may hold. To do so, ecoandrogyny must also be a cultural movement so that ecoandrogynous themes can be widely disseminated, especially to young people in the process of developing environmental awareness. Nickelodeon’s animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender provides a useful example of what an ecoandrogynous text can be by depicting a cast of environmentally conscious children and adults who all interact with environmental issues and gender expressions differently. Therefore, Avatar: The Last Airbender serves as an important touchstone for decoupling environmentalism from the gender binary.

Keywords: Environmentalism, Ecoandrogyny, Gender, Children’s Media, Culture

Hi! My name is Tulane Simpson and with the support of GMU OSCAR, the English Honors program, and my mentor, Dr. Jessica Hurley, I will be presenting my project, Ecoandrogyny: Examining Environmentalism Beyond the Gender Binary.

Before I begin, I’d like to do a land acknowledgement. George Mason University is located on the traditional lands of the Kinwaw Paskestikweya and Doeg Peoples. Even though land acknowledgements can sometimes be seen as performative, my research and environmentalism as a whole builds on the work of Indigenous peoples, who have often not been represented or acknowledged in academic institutions.

Historically, environmentalism has been separated along the lines of binary gender with ecofeminism and ecomasculinity. Ecofeminism is the idea the women are better suited to care for the environment as both women and the environment have been dominated by men. Ecomasculinity tries to open a space for men within the environmental conversation by redefining masculinity to center nurturing and caring over aggression and violence. But since environmental destruction is inherently violent, environmentalists should be able to meet these threats head on. Therefore, the question becomes “How can we create and share an environmentalist method that is separate from the gender binary”? I developed the theory of ecoandrogyny as an environmental framework that celebrates the full range of gender expressions in environmentalist spaces. Additionally, several environmentalist scholars have identified media and literature as powerful tools for sharing environmental values. This is especially true for children’s literature as it can help young people develop their environmental awareness. Through my research, I’ve identified Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender as an example of an ecoandrogynous text.

The show takes place in a fictional world where members of the four nations can control, or bend, the element that their nation is associated with, either air, water, earth, or fire. After the genocide of the Air Nomads by the Fire Nation, the sole survivor of the attack, a twelve-year-old named Aang, travels the world with other environmentally conscious young people to confront the settler-colonial power of the Fire Nation.

As an ecoandrogynyous text, Avatar does not prioritize any one gender expression over any other in environmentalist spaces. Rather, the characters are allowed to express their gender as they see fit whether it fits binary conceptions of gender or not. This is seen very clearly through the character of Aang. He was raised in a society that prioritizes more feminine-coded expressions of environmentalism like passivity and empathy. However, he still engages in masculine-coded environmentalism through his intentional use of violence. Within the show, the fact that Aang embraces and moves between the two is seen as a strength.

Avatar is also careful not to reconstruct gender hierarchies as it does not place androgynous gender expressions over those that are more closely associated with the gender binary. Instead, the show demonstrates that less-androgynous gender expressions can still be leveraged toward an environmental goal. This is seen in General Iroh, who uses the threat of violence to protect the earthly manifestation of the moon, a koi fish, from being destroyed by a fellow firebender. Even though Iroh is part of the settler-colonial power responsible for much of the environmental destruction seen in the show, he still leverages his highly masculine gender expression toward an environmental goal. Therefore, Avatar demonstrates how an ecoandrogynous text can make environmentalism accessible to people across the full gender spectrum, whether one identifies as androgynous or not.

Here is a list of the key sources I used for this project. Thank you so much for listening!

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

X-Ray Scaling for SMBH Mass of NGC4151

Author(s): Kyle Bockwoldt

Mentor(s): Dr Mario Gliozzi, Physics and Astronomy

In the case of heavily obscured or inclined AGN, direct dynamical methods fail and a new measurement technique must be used. Employment of x-ray wavelength spectral modelling yield highly accurate replication of observed continuum. These models can be either physically or phenomenologically motivated and both can produce equally accurate products. Fitting parameters that are certain (i.e., cosmological element abundance) are fixed within the model, and uncertain variables are allowed to “walk” as a function of the Monte Carlo Markov Chain simulation to provide insight into the specific AGN structure. The walking variables settle into values that most closely resemble required values to approximate the observed spectrum. Once the high-fidelity model is attained, the black hole mass can be directly computed from the continuum model. For the target NGC 4151 this method yielded values within 2-3times M☉ which is consistent with values attained in literature via primary methods. From comparison with dynamical methods, our independent reproduction of a similar mass indicates the x-ray scaling method could be employed to more secluded or poorly studied AGN. Ideally more targets that have existing dynamically calculated black hole masses will be used to further corroborate these findings.

Title slide – Hello, My name is Kyle Bockwoldt and I am a Senior Undergraduate Physics Major with Astrophysics Concentration at George Mason University. This is my spring 2022 OSCAR URSP research project involving Xray Scaling to determine Supermassive black hole mass in AGN NGC4151. Working alongside my mentor Dr Mario Gliozzi and group member James Williams. Slide 2 – So Active Galactic Nuclei, or AGN, are structures at the centers of galaxies. They have supermassive black holes in their centers which gravitationally bind the galaxy together. Constraining the mass of a black hole is imperative because it alone can tell you crucial details about the black hole system like its gravitational radius, or how strong its pull is. Interactions between the black hole and its surroundings produce astrophysically distinct and highly penetrating X-rays that we can reproducibly see from far distances. In the case of AGN that are far away or visually obscured, we can’t determine the mass with traditional methods, or primary methods as they’re known motivating us to further develop the X-ray scaling method which works in cases where primary methods fail. Slide 3 – In order to do this, we need X-rays! So we used archival observations from the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, from the NASA HEASARC database. We chose 3 observation ID’s of an AGN called NGC4151, and processed the data on a GMU computer server called BGC01. Slide 4 – This is an example of what those observations actually look like, where there are 2 images per observation due to NuSTAR’s 2 parallel instrument panels. Slide 6 – And here on top we have a visual representation of our observed data overlayed with the model. Here in the higher energies, you can see the model line is so close to the data that its entirely consumed by the data points. Below that we have another representation of how close our model and data are, with commensurately large errors in the upper regime due to the high energy photon’s intrinsically larger propagated errors. The tighter these points are to a ratio of 1, the better our model performed. Slide 7 – Here we have the same data on top as before but also we have a visual display of the individual model components and their corresponding energies. Slide 5 – Here is an example of one of the two models we implemented to explain the X-ray Spectra we observed. At the top here we can see the model and its parameters and boxed in here at the bottom we see our reduced chi squared of 1.02 for this particular fit, which is pretty close to that of the other observations and indicates our model closely represents the observation. Slide 8 – So once we have our X-ray spectra fitted, we save the BMC normalization and a quantity called the Photon Index, which is this capital symbol Gamma here, which indicates how much the AGN is accreting at a given time, and we plug it into these equations along with those same parameters of a reference black hole to get our calculated mass. These equations precipitate out of assumed symmetries between all black holes, that is if they have a certain mass, they should behave in the same ways proportionate to how much larger the target is relative to the reference in X-ray production. Slide 9 – As a validation of the fidelity of the scaling method, here we compare our masses on the right to that of previous works using primary methods on the left. A good sign is that these are close enough to agree within a factor of 2-3 to that of the primary methods. This shows that our method is in agreement with prior calculations for this target. Slide 10 – Of course I would like to thank my Mentor Dr Mario Gliozzi, our group member James Williams, GMU OSCAR for funding the project, as well as Justin Brown from the GMU Physics IT Department for his support as well as Dr Karen Lee. Thanks so much, I hope you enjoyed!

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

First Look at the Reproductive Biology of the Endangered Tropical Fish Betta channoides

Author(s): Thomas Lopez

Mentor(s): Valerie Olmo, Biology

Betta channoides is an understudied and underprotected fish from Borneo. The IUCN categorizes this fish as Endangered due to habitat loss, and its population in the wild is declining. Despite this situation, there is no legislation protecting this species anywhere in the world, and no research dedicated to this species has ever been published. This project addresses this knowledge gap by documenting the reproductive biology of Betta channoides. A male-female pair were brought from their habitat in Borneo to a lab setting in Exploratory Hall. Investigators housed them in aquaria which simulated their natural environment in order to induce and study their behaviors as closely as possible in captivity. These measures were successful in encouraging the pair to spawn, and investigators successfully documented their reproduction for the first time in a scientific setting. Betta channoides was shown to use a unique color-changing ability to communicate with conspecifics, and used this trait in an elaborate 3-hour mating ritual not seen in other Betta species. Investigators also confirmed that the species is a paternal mouthbrooder, recording a brooding period of 14 days. Behavioral evidence also suggests that B. channoides may engage in bi-parental care of the offspring, a behavior never observed in other Betta fish. Overall, these findings challenge established knowledge about B. channoides and the genus as a whole, suggesting that this fish may be much more social in nature than previously thought. Investigators hope to continue studying the reproduction of this species so that biologists and conservation workers alike may learn from their evolution.

Hello, my name is Tom Lopez and I’m currently a junior biology student at George Mason University. Today I will be presenting my work on the reproductive biology and conservation of an endangered tropical fish.

Betta channoides is a small understudied fish endemic to the province of East Kalimantan in Indonesian Borneo. It is related to the common Betta or Siamese Fighting Fish often seen in pet stores, but only distantly. This species occurs exclusively in the middle Mahakam river basin, where it inhabits the shallow jungle pools that tassel the river’s edge. Unfortunately, it is severely imperiled throughout its range.

The IUCN Red List categorizes this fish as Endangered, and it is primarily threatened by the mass clearing of forests for the construction of palm oil plantations. As of 2019, its population trend in the wild is sharply decreasing. Representing one of only two species within its taxonomic rank, this species is highly endemic and unique to this part of the world. Its extinction would represent the erasure of an entire species complex within the genus Betta. All of these factors combined makes Betta channoides a conservation priority; despite this, this fish is severely understudied and underprotected. Despite its IUCN listing, this species is not protected by any legislation anywhere in the world. The IUCN report is one of just a handful of mentions in scientific literature, with no dedicated research ever conducted on this species. This knowledge gap is why I decided to focus on Betta channoides for my research. I have had the pleasure of working hands-on with this little fish for over a semester; this presentation will explore my discoveries while keeping them in the lab.

Coming at the issue from a conservation standpoint, I decided to focus on the reproduction of this species. Scientific literature currently states that Betta channoides is a paternal mouthbrooder, which means that the male fish holds its offspring within his mouth for a portion of their development. However, this assertion is only attributed to a single source, which assumes this fact given its close genetic relation to another mouthbrooding betta.. After realizing this, I decided to design this project as an ex-situ conservation breeding program; my goal was to induce and record their breeding behavior and parental care for the first time.

To achieve this, I acquired two individuals collected from their habitat in Borneo- a male and a female. I kept them in an aquarium which simulated their natural habitat- a shallow, murky pool filled with sand and leaf litter from jungle trees. By doing this, I hoped to encourage natural behaviors from the fish as accurately as possible in a captive setting.

Before I could breed them successfully, however, I had to observe and learn about their behavior. As it turns out, Betta channoides possess an elaborate and meticulous form of communication that they use for reproducing. This fish can change its coloration and patterning at will. The male fish is normally brown when calm, but is capable of flushing an intense red when excited, aggressive or looking to breed. The female fish has less dramatic colors, but a significantly higher degree of control over her pattern, able to appear solid yellow, horizontally striped, vertically banded, or even varying combinations of these patterns. Most notable is the “bee stripe” pattern exhibited only when she has eggs. During this phase, the female fish grows a large white spot on her left lateral flank, presumed to be an egg spot. Once I learned this language of colors, I was able to introduce them to one another at the right time for them to spawn.

The male fish approaches the female first and uses his coloration to initiate their tedious mating ritual. He repeatedly opens his mouth and flares his fins; if the female reciprocates, she will do the same, repeatedly arching her back and flashing her egg spot. They engage in this dance for several minutes before the female begins laying eggs. She lays a single egg at a time; after laying, she picks the egg up with her mouth and initiates an embrace with the male fish. It is at this point where it is believed that the male fertilizes the egg. After this, the female will engage in an unusual behavior where she repeatedly spits out the newly fertilized embryo, only to suck it back into her mouth. Each time she does this, the male will attempt to grab the embryo from her; this will go on until the male successfully takes the embryo. After this, the process repeats for each new egg. This elaborate ritual goes for an average of three hours, taking a considerable amount of time and energy to complete.

After mating, the male will hold the clutch of embryos in his mouth for the next 14 days. During this period, he does not eat, and barely moves. The male and female stay near each other at all times, but the female was not observed contributing to the care of the offspring. For now, the nature of this relationship is unknown. Within his mouth, the embryos develop into larvae, then metamorphose into fully-developed juveniles called fry. This process has never been documented in Betta channoides and is incredibly difficult to observe due to their mouthbrooding behavior; as such, it is currently unknown how these offspring survive in there for so long.

After 14 days, the male releases 13 tiny, 4mm long juveniles into the water column. They are immediately able to swim and feed themselves, so the parents no longer provide any care for them. Despite this, neither the male nor the female have been observed being aggressive with the young; this, combined with their complex communication, points to Betta channoides being a much more social species than seen in other Betta fish.

This is all the information that has been compiled so far. By keeping Betta channoides in an environment which closely resembles their habitat, we were able to successfully induce, observe, and record their breeding behavior multiple times. This is the first time that this species; reproduction has been characterized in a scientific study. Throughout the process, we confirmed that Betta channoides was a paternal mouthbrooding fish; we also made several discoveries which challenge established knowledge about Betta fish as we know them. We have compiled evidence that Betta channoides may be the only Betta fish which exhibits bi-parental care, and its ability to communicate with colors point to an active social life living in high densities. More research must be done in their habitats to learn more about these reclusive fish- and more importantly, work must be done to stop these little gems from going extinct before we can learn from them. By the end of the semester, several questions were answered, but even more remain; I am excited to keep working with this beautiful fish and discover more about them for the scientific and conservation communities to learn from.

College of Humanities and Social Science OSCAR Top Presenter Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

Hannibal

Author(s): Luke Beverley

Mentor(s): Daniel Normandin, English

I’ve heard a lot of people ask the question ‘why did the Romans do what they did? Why was Rome so violent and weird?’ To me, this question is very easy: why wouldn’t they do what they did? Why would they not be violent and weird? All you need to understand Rome is to understand people and the situations they are in. I’m Luke Beverley, and my creative dissertation is Hannibal, a historical fiction novel that aims to discuss these people and situations. It is set in Italy during the Second Punic War, and centres around two characters: Hannibal and Scipio, legendary rivals. Through these characters and the situations they’re in, I seek to contextualise Roman exceptionalism in the terms of the modern world, phrasing the strange and distant civilisations of antiquity in ways a modern audience can both comprehend and even relate to. Carthage, as a coded metaphor for Britain, speaks to empires of the past; Rome, as a coded metaphor for America, speaks to empires of the present. The crux of my project is thinking about people in history. Travelling to Rome and speaking to local scholars helped me realise that people in history do what we do, but in very different situations and cultures. I believe the best histories come when we understand the cultures that created a series of events, and being in Rome gave me a lot of that culture. I look forward to sharing my work.

Scipio (saluting): *Salve amici*! I am Publius Cornelius Scipio, and I’m here on—

Hannibal: I AM HANNIBAL BARCA, THE BLOOD-SWORN CONQUEROR OF ROME!

Scipio: He’s just cranky because he lost his last elephant.

Hannibal (looking around): WHERE DID YOU GO, BIG TUSK?

Scipio: I’m here on Luke Beverley’s behalf to tell you a little about his exciting novel *Hannibal*, a story about—

Hannibal: WHAT? Did you say the name of the dreaded scourge of Italy HANNIBAL BAR—

Scipio: *A story about* the Second Punic War, and the rise of my beautiful, messed-up country, (hand over heart) the Roman Republic. *Hannibal* is full of gripping historical characters, heartbreaking emotional moments, epic battles—

Hannibal (elephant in his hand): AND ELEPHANTS! Oh there you are, Big Tusk. (kisses elephant)

Scipio: And elephants, (bashfully) and a little bit of romance, too. Look out for a sweetie-pie named Felix. (winks)

Hannibal (stroking beard): Yes, it is a most excellent biography, befitting my strategic genius.

Scipio: Mmm, I’m pretty sure it’s about other people, too.

Hannibal: WHAT?! How could something with my name be about ANYTHING ELSE THAN ME?

Scipio: Well, Luke wanted to add some pathos to the ordinary people living in this period of time, so he included perspectives from foot soldiers, lowly farmers, grief-stricken citizens of Rome, and so on, all in his quest to portray this tumultuous period of war.

Hannibal: Hmmph, he should’ve written more about how I tumultuously kicked your butt. Four times in a row. After crossing the Alps. With an army.

Scipio: Oh hush, I defeat you in the Battle of Zama.

Hannibal (gaping): What the hell, man, I didn’t get to that part yet!

Scipio: Okay, okay, sorry!

(hard cut) Scipio: Anyway, Luke explores complex themes in *Hannibal*, such as imperialism, militarism, history, and the terrible cost of one man’s revenge. Looking at you, Hanny.

Hannibal: Grrr, I only took that blood-oath to destroy your civilisation because my father wanted me to.

Scipio: We do a lot of things we don’t like to honour our families, I would know. This is also something Luke explores, the generational nature of martial duty and the impact it has on young men like me. The scars that trauma leaves on soldiers just trying to serve their families and societies. I love Rome, but a lot of what we did wasn’t pretty, and I struggled for a long time to try and figure out where I belonged in that cruel, messed-up world.

Hannibal: Read *Hannibal*, and see how I crossed the Alps to kick 900,000 Roman asses at Cannae!

Scipio: Well, come for the battles, but stay for the feels. It’s an ambitious story of war and pain and family, all pulled together with rich characters and drama. I hope you guys enjoy it. (waving goodbye) *Vale, amici*!