Student researchers celebrated at summer symposium

Annual Delaware State University Summer Research Symposium

The 16th annual Delaware State University Summer Research Symposium was held on July 25th in the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Center. The event featured the research of 62 undergraduates from DSU and other universities, 16 high school students, and 40 middle school students. The exhibited research represented the research conducted by participants in numerous programs and camps held on campus.

The programs included the Advanced Quantum Sensing Research Center (AQS), the Center For Integrated Biological & Environmental Research (CIBER), the Delaware Bioscience Center for Advanced Technology, the Historically Black College and Universities Research Experiences for Undergraduates (HBCU REU) Program, the NASA M-STAR program, Elyte Energy Hydrogen Research Training Program, Delaware IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program, Delaware Center for Neuroscience Research Summer Undergraduate Neuroscience Research Program, U-RISE Delaware State University: Student Training in Academic Research, and Biology, Bioinformatics & Chemistry Academy for Research Scholars (B2-CARS) program.

Funding for the programs was provided by the Delaware Biotechnology Institute, Department of Defense, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Energize DE, United States Department of Energy, and the Ratcliffe EcoEntrepreneurship program.

At the event, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place awards were presented in numerous categories, and the below recipients received the following awards:

Agriculture and Food Science

• 1st place – Zubda Khokhar – Effects of a differential increase in vesicular acetylcholine transporter expression on acetylcholine-linked behaviors in Drosophila – Baltimore City Community College – CIBER
• 2nd place – Angel Colon-Zapata – Adaptations of Calico Crayfish Orconectes immunis to Low pH in Freshwater Ecosystems – Delaware State University – CIBER
• 3rd place – Ashley Diaz Martinez – Washing Roma Tomatoes with Syzgium aromaticum (Clove oil) to Inhibit the Growth of Salmonella Typhimurium on Produce and in Washwater – Delaware State University – INBRE

Cell and Molecular Biology

• 1st place – Anne Jacob – The Varying Levels of Gene Expression in Salt Stressed Marsh Grass – Delaware State University – INBRE
• 2nd place – Celina Hoskins – Investigation of cell death in p53 hypomorphic cell lines, P47S and Y107H, after treatment with the MEK inhibitor PD318088 – Delaware State University – INBRE
• 3rd place – Tia Cale – Assessment of the In Vitro Cell Migration and Cell Invasion of an Astrocytoma Grade III Cell Line and a Glioblastoma Multiforme Cell Line – Delaware State University – INBRE

Chemistry and Data Science

• 1st place – Nailah Green (tied) – Examining Cannabinoids for Their Potential as MMP-9 Inhibitors: Findings from Computational Analysis and Molecular Dynamics Simulations – Delaware State University – SUN-R
• 1st place – Teyonna Tucker (tied) – An Integrated VR Platform to Visualize Lunar Regolith for NASA ARTEMIS Mission – Delaware State University – NASA M-STAR
• 2nd place – Kushi Shah – Molecular Dynamics Study Explores Phenylalanine Transport Pathway through LAT 1 – Delaware State University – INBRE
• 3rd place – Nabil Moustafa – Machine Learning Models for Parkinson’s Disease early Diagnosis – Delaware State University – INBRE

Neuroscience and Behavioral Science

• 1st place – Isabel Akey (tied) – Brainstem Neural Network Development of Mouse Model – West Virginia University – SUN-R
• 1 st place – Tamara Bobb-Duberry (tied) – Sleep Disturbances in Emerging Adults: The Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences – Delaware State University – Sun-R
• 2nd place – Kayla Campbell (tied) – Effects of a differential increase in vesicular acetylcholine transporter expression on acetylcholine-linked behaviors in Drosophila – Cheyney University – HBCU REU
• 2nd place – Asia Watson (tied) – Developing a New Methodology for Testing Cognitive Development in Blind Infants: A Modified Violation of Expectations Paradigm – Delaware State university – SUN-R
• 3rd place – Brandy Jacob (tied) – Effect of an Overexpression of the vesicular acetylcholine transporter on Locomotion in Drosophila melanogaster – Delaware State University – INBRE
• 3rd place – Chloe Henton – Relationships between Psychological Distress and Sleep-Related Fears: The Role of Age and Biological Sex – Delaware State University – INBRE

Physics

• 1st place – Marcus Rose – Near and Mid-Infrared Laser Sensing for Water Vapor Detection and Lunar Surface Exploration – Delaware State University – NASA M-STAR program
• 2nd place – Richard Smith Jr. – Integrated Wireless Network of Wind Anemometer Arrays for Trace Gas Flux Measurements – Delaware State University – NASA M-STAR program
• 3rd place – Vishnudev Kanikkannan – Phase Noise Characterizations of a Microwave Synthesizer for Atomic Clock – Ohio State University – AQS program

High School

• 1st place – Bhini Arora – Screening Agro-Transformation of Microalgae Chlorella Using the GUS Gene – MOT Charter – CIBER
• 1st place – Arjun Bharah – Impact of Lentil and Quinoa Protein Fractionation on the Content of Antinutritional Factors – Middletown – CIBER
• 2nd place – Raheel Wahed – Repurposed Drugs from CheMBL as Potential EZH2 Inhibitors: Insights from Computational and Molecular Dynamics Studies – Avon Grove – CIBER
• 3rd place – Layla Sudler – Lentil and Quinoa Protein Isolate: Comparative Evaluation of TechnoFunctionality – DSU Early College – CIBER
• 3rd place – Reagan Squire – Evaluating the Impact of Different Bioactive Compounds on Microalgal Growth – Tower Hill – CIBER

Middle School

• 1st place – Aashirta Chowdavarapu, Eugene Jackson, Amara Nesbit – Saturation Point: A Comparative Analysis of Soil Types in Removing Bacteria and Heavy Metals from Water
• 2nd place – Selena Mujica, Olivia Stewart, Moksha Marri, Syncir Lyles – A Comparative Analysis of Natural Coagulants for Water Treatment
• 3rd place – Kilah Brown, Ryan Cornish, Sarayu Ponnala, Nasir Dixon – A Comparative Study of Bioremediation Potential between Snails and Worms in Degrading Simulated Oil Spills