BrockMentorshipProgram

Symposium

February22,2018

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Thisprogramwouldnotrunwithoutthededicatedeffortsoftheteachers,mentors,students,andstaffinvolved.ItwouldalsonotbepossiblewithoutthegenerousdonationsfromtheBrockUniversityStudents’Union,theOfficeofRecruitmentandLiaisonServicesandParkingServices.

Thankyoutoeveryonewhohasmadethisprogrampossible!

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Symposium2018Schedule

Time AS215 AS216 AS217

9:00-9:10 Welcome(AS217)

9:15-9:40 MichaelDonnison

(Dr.EdSternin)

NandanaParakh&KenanElayan(Dr.PingLiang)

HunterMurdoch

(Dr.JoffreMercier)

9:45-10:10 SidneyStefanac

(Dr.AlanCastle)

NourNajem

(Dr.CherylMcCormick)

AnushaChacko

(Dr.CathyMondloch)

10:15-10:40 ConnorScappaticci

(Dr.ThadHarroun)

SpencerHofstee(Dr.ThadHarroun)

LaurenKelly

(Dr.EdSternin)

10:45-11:10 BiancaMarcella

(Dr.PaulZelisko)

SeanKim

(Mr.PhilBoseglav)

JacobZhang

(Dr.AydaTekok-Kilic)

11:15-11:40 ReniqueRobinson

(Mr.AbdulRahimi)

JackWu

(Mr.PhilBoseglav)

ZachCheung

(Dr.StephenCheung)

11:45-12:40 LUNCH(GuernseyMarket)

MeetinAS217

12:45-1:10 SophiaNelson

(Dr.DawnGood)

RoslinChen

(Dr.FrancineMcCarthy)

KirztyndeTorres

(Dr.JeffreyAtkinson)

1:15-1:40 TracyYou

(Mr.PhilBoseglav)

MatthewHyeun

(Dr.BozidarMitrovic)

JaneOleksiw

(Dr.KimGammage)

1:45-2:10 AyeshaAhmad

(Dr.HeatherGordon)

HailinWangandSamLangdon

(Mr.TomMacDonald)

EmilyWarren

(Dr.MichaelPisaric)

2:15-2:40 CallyKokoski

(Dr.FrankFueten)

EsmaElWerfalli

(Dr.DebO’Leary)

2:45 ClosingRemarks(AS217)

Energy-dispersiveX-raySpectrometryExperimentswithSolid-StateSensors

MichaelDonnison–St.PaulCatholicHighSchool

Energy-dispersivex-rayspectroscopyisthetechniqueusedforelementalanalysisofunknowncompounds.ItreliesonaninteractionofsomesourceofX-rayexcitationandasample.Itisbasedonthefundamentalprinciplethateachelementhasauniqueatomicstructure,thusallowingonlyuniquesetsofpeaksonitselectromagneticspectrum.Tostimulatetheemissionofuniquecharacteristicsfromasample,ahigh-energybeamofX-raysisfocusedontothesample,anddeflectedslightlytotheX-raydetector.Alaboratoryexperimentwasdesignedbasedofftheseprinciples,inwhichuniqueidentitiesfoundbythepeaksofcompoundsareusedtodeterminethecompositionofitselements.AcollectionofLinuxmachinery,aSaturnXiA,asolid-statesilicondriftx-raydetectorandavarietyofprogramsincludingEPICS,MEDMandDXPareencouragedtobeutilizedthroughoutthelabexperimenttodiscoverthepropertiesandcompositionsofvaryingmaterials.

MobileDNAinHumans

NandanaParakh&KenanElayan–ANMyerSecondarySchool

Mobileelements,alsoknownas‘jumpinggenes’,areDNAsequencesthatcanduplicatethemselvesandareabletoinsertintonewlocationsinthegenome.Variationsbetweenhumanshavebeenfoundusingthereferencegenome,whicharecalledMobileElementInsertions(MEI’s.)Wemainlyfocusedonnon-referenceMEI’s,whicharepresentinotherindividualgenomes,butarenotseeninthereferencegenome.BylookingatthepolymorphismoftheseMEI’s,wewereabletoseehowindividualpopulationsvary,andthesheerdiversityofourspecies.Overmillionsofyears,variationsinspecieshasledtocontinuedevolution.Doingresearchonthenon-referenceMEI’sprovidesinsightaboutnewandongoinginsertioneventsthatarenotseeninthereferencegenome.Bylookingatthesenon-referenceMEI’s,weareabletoseehowhumansevolveandhowwediversify.MobileElementscanbedividedintotwomaingroups-DNAtransposonsandretrotransposons.Inourlab,weworkedwithretrotransposonsbecausetheyarecurrentlytheonlyactivemobileelementsinthehumangenome.

9:15–9:40

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ToseeifthecomputationallyidentifiedMEI’sareatruepositivecandidate,wegenotypedvariousDNAsamplestoseeiftheinsertionwaspresentinotherhumangenomes.Ourgoalthissemesterhasbeentobothvalidatethatthesesequencesaretruepositives,andtocompletethecomputationallygeneratedsequences.Inordertoachievethesegoals,weusedcomputationalmethods(onlinebrowserssuchasPrimer3Plus,UCSCGenomeBrowser,etc.)andvariouslaboratorytechniqueslikePCRandgelelectrophoresis.

EffectsofanInsectHormoneonFictiveLocomotioninFruitFlyLarvae

HunterMurdoch–St.MichaelCatholicHighSchool

Everythingwedodependsontheactivityof"circuits"ofnervecells.Withineachneuralcircuit,eachnervecellcanexciteorinhibitanothernervecellbyreleasingchemicaltransmittersubstancesthatactonreceptorsonthepost-synaptic,targetcell.Onesuchtransmitterisoctopamine,abiogenicamineininvertebratesthatfunctionslikeadrenaline.Iexaminedtheeffectsofoctopamineonthefrequencyofcontractionsduringfictivelocomotioninsemi-intact,third-instarDrosophilamelanogasterlarvae.Whenlarvalbloodwasreplacedwithphysiologicalsaline,contractionfrequencydecreased.Includingoctopamineinthesalinepreventedthedropincontractionfrequencyifcalciumconcentrationwas1.5mMbutnotifcalciumconcentrationwas0.5mM.Myresultssuggestthatoctopaminemaycirculateasahormonetohelpdrivefictivelocomotionandthatitseffectsarecalcium-dependent.Studiessuchasthishelpelucidatetheroleofhormonesinbehaviour.

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DetectingthePresenceofLysogenicBacteriophageDNAinResistantBacteria

SidneyStefanac–St.PaulCatholicHighSchool

Erwiniaamylovoraisapathogenicbacteriumthatcausesadestructivediseasecalled“fireblight”inappleandpeartrees.Atitsworst,thediseasecankillthetreeanddestroyorchards.Biologicalcontrolagentsarebeingcreatedusingbacteriophagestocombatthisissue.Thepossibilityofbacterialresistancetothebacteriophagesintheformoflysogenyarisingisbeingresearchedtodeterminethelongtermefficacyoftheproduct.Thebacterium,Pantoeaagglomerans,isbeingusedasacarrierofthebacteriophagecontrolagentandthepossibilityoflysogenicresistanceisalsoofconcern.P.agglomeranswastestedwithseveralbacteriophagesuspensions.Withineachzonebacteriallysis,survivorbacteriacolonieswereobserved.Theclearestresultswerewithphagef10-2.Thesecolonieswerecollected,grownandtestedagain.Aftergrowth,bacterialDNAwasisolatedfromsurvivorsandamplifiedwiththePolymeraseChainReaction(PCR)todetectforlysogenicbacteriophageDNAindicatingresistancetothephage.ThesetestsconfirmedthepresenceoflysogenicbacteriophageDNAinmostsamples,thusdeterminingthatthePantoeaagglomeranscarrierisabletobecomeresistantbylysogenyaftercontinuedexposuretof10-2.

TheEffectsofTestosteroneonStressResponseinRats

NourNajem-EdenHighSchool

Thehypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal(HPA)axisisresponsibleforstressresponsivefunctionsandisregulatedbysexhormones.ThispresentationprovidesanoverviewoftheHPAaxis’responsetotestosteroneinadolescentandadultrats.WhiletestosteroneisknowntodampenstressresponseoftheHPAaxis,itcanbeconvertedtoestradiolbyenzymearomatase,whichheightensthestressresponse.Themainquestioniswhydoadolescentshaveahigherand/ormoreprolongedreleaseofcorticosteroneinresponsetoastressorthanadults.Couldthisbeduetoadolescentsbeinggonadallyimmature?Isthereagreaterconversionoftestosteronetoestradiolinadolescentsthanadults?Throughtheuseofimmunohistochemistry,weareabletolookattheexpressionoftheseproteinsinthebrainatdifferentagegroupstobetterunderstandthestressresponseoftheHPAaxis.

9:45–10:10

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HowANewlyEncounteredFaceBecomesFamiliar?

AnushaChacko–St.MichaelCatholicHighSchool

Itisparticularlyeasytorecognizeafamiliarfacedespitechangesinappearanceanddiscriminatethemfromothersimilarlookingfaces;bothofthesetasksaredifficultforunfamiliarfaces(Jenkinsetal.,2011).Oneimageofafacecannotcompletelyportrayanindividual’sappearance;itisonlyoneexampleofthatperson’sappearance.Individualsarebetterabletorecognizeanidentitywhenexposedtomorevariabilityinthatidentity’sappearance(Dowsettetal.,2015).However,aspectsofhowanewlyencounteredfacebecomesfamiliarremainunclear.Inthesestudies,thefaceswerelearnedinisolation.Intherealworld,weareconstantlylearningmanypeopleatthesametime.Wewantedtoexamineiflearninganindividualsimultaneouslywithasimilarlookingidentitywouldhelpparticipantstotellthatidentityapartfromotherindividualsinthefuture.Intwoexperiments,BrockUniversitystudentslearnedthreenewidentities.Twoidentitiesweresimilarinappearanceandtheotherwasdissimilartotheothertwo.(Exp.1.15imagesperidentity;Exp.2fiveimagesperidentity).Afterlearningtheidentities,participants’recognitionofnewimagesofthelearnedidentitieswastested.Acrossbothstudieslearninganidentityinthecontextofasimilarlookingidentitydidnotprovideanyadditionalbenefitforparticipants’performance;however,performancewasmoreaccuratefollowinglearninganidentitywith15(Exp.1)imagesthanwithfiveimages(Exp.2).Theseresultssuggestthatexposuretovariabilityinappearancepromotesfacelearning,howeverthecontextinwhichafacewaslearneddoesnot.

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SolitaryWavePropagationinaNovelGranularChainSetup

ConnorScapaticci–St.PaulCatholicHighSchool

AsolenoidwastestedtostrikeanexperimentalversionofaNewton'scradlewithembeddedmotionsensors.TheapparatuswasmadeofthreeTeflonrodswithsteelmarblesinthecentre.Asolenoidiswirewrappedinacoil.Whenasolenoidispowereditcreatesamagneticfieldthatwillshootoutametalrod,whichwillstrikethemarble.Wehopethatthiscreatesafastandreproduciblestrike.Acircuitwascreatedtoallowthesolenoidtofireandretract.Multipleattemptsatthiscircuitwereperformed,howevertheoptionchosenwasanH-bridge.AprogrammableandcustomizablecomputercalledaPICboardwasused.CodeintheprogramPICLwascreatedtotimethestrikeonthePICboard.Whenthemarbleisstrikedmechanicalenergytravelsthroughthemarbleslikeawavetotheendandback.Intheprocesstheembeddedmotionsensorwillpickupdata.Themotionsensorisapiezoelectricsensor.Whencompressedthesensorwillcreateanelectricchargethatcanbeshowndigitally,whichwillallowmotiontobeobserved.Marblesmadeofdifferentmaterials,suchasbrasscanbetestedtoobservetheireffectsonthewave.

CreationofaSampleCellforX-rayCrystallography

SpencerHofstee–ANMyerSecondarySchool

LastsemesterIwaschallengedtodesignandfabricateatemperaturecontrollingsamplecellforanX-raycrystallographymachine.ThisprojectwasposedbytheBrockUniversityPhysicsDepartmentandcompletedunderthesupervisionofBiophysicsProfessorDr.ThadHarroun.X-raycrystallographyisatechniqueusedfordeterminingtheatomicstructureofacrystal.InanX-raycrystallographymachine,abeamofX-raysisfiredatatestcrystalseatedonthesampleplatform.Thecrystallineatomscausethebeamtodiffractintomanyspecificdirections.Bymeasuringtheanglesandintensitiesofthebeams,acrystallographercancreateathree-dimensionalimageofthedensityoftheelectronswithinthecrystal.Thisdensityisthenusedtodeterminethesubstances.By-productofthisprocessisheat.OrganicorbiologicalLiquid-crystalsamplesaretemperaturesensitiveandwilldegradeiftestedinanuncontrolledenvironment.Thisproblemledtoastallinsomebiophysicalresearchprojectsandtotheneedforacustomdesignedtemperaturecontrolcellthatwouldhousethesampleandmaintainapre-settemperaturewhileitistested.ThecompletionofthissamplecellwillgiveresearchersatBrocktheabilitytotesttemperaturesensitivesubstancesanddiscovermoreabouttheatomicstructureoforganiccompounds.

10:15–10:40

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MultimediainGraduateStudentRecruitment

LaurenKelly–St.MichaelCatholicHighSchool

GraduatestudentswanttomakeeducateddecisionswhenitcomestochoosingaUniversityfortheirfuturestudies.Giventheresearch-orientednatureofamaster’sdegree,toattractstudentstoaprogramoneneedstoprovideinformationonwhatbreadthofresearchstudentswouldbeabletocomplete.Brock’sPhysicsDepartmentdisplaysitsresearchcapabilitiesandopportunitiesforgraduatestudentsonthedepartmentalwebsite:www.physics.brocku.ca.Thechallengewastobuilduponthemethodofwhichthisinformationiscommunicated.Knowingtheamountoftimegraduatestudentsspendengagingwithprofessors;wehypothesizedthataddingvideos,ofprofessors,discussingtheirpersonalresearchwoulddepictarealisticandcasualperspectiveongraduatestudentlife.Thesevideosattachapersonalitytothenamesandfacesstudentsseeonline.Withthispersonaltouch,videosbringstudentsclosertowalkingaroundandbeinginsidethefacilities.Ineachvideo,professorsaddresstheirresearchinterestsandgraduatestudyopportunities.Forpost-productionediting,theAdobePremiereProsoftwarewasusedtocreateappealingvisuals.Twovideoshavebeenuploadedtoanewwebpageonthedepartmentalwebsite.ThiswebpagewascodedinJavaScript,PHP,CSS,andHTML.ItishopedthatincompletingthisprojectprospectivegraduatestudentswillbeinformedofwhyBrock’sPhysicsDepartmentistherightplacefortheirstudies.

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ModelsforEnzymaticSi-CFormation

BiancaMarcella–St.PaulCatholicHighSchool

Greenchemistryisanareaofchemistrythatfocusesoncreatingproductsorreactionsthatdecreaseimpactsontheenvironment.Carbon-siliconbondsaretypicallymadeusingelementssuchasplatinumandrhodium,which,althougharequiteeffective,theyareexpensiveandarelimitedresources.L-Proline,zincacetate,andzincprolinateareinexpensivematerialsthatcouldbeeasilyextractedfromareactionandwereusedinattempttocatalyzeSi-Cbondformationusingtheprinciplesofgreenchemistry.Priortousingsilanes,aldolreactionswithp-nitrobenzaldeydewerecompletedusingthethreecatalysts.Uponcompletionofthesemodelstudies,silaneswereusedtoreplacep-nitrobenzaldehydeinthereactioninanefforttoformaSi-C.Usingthesemethodologiesandanumberofdifferentsilanespecies,theformationofaSi-Cbondwasnotobservedtoanyappreciableextent,requiringfurtherintensificationofthereactionconditionsand/orsilanespecies.

O +

R Si LG

R' R"

R = R' = R" = Me, LG = OEtR = R' = R" = Ph, LG = Cl or OEtR = R' = Me, R" = Ph, LG = Cl

cat. OSiR

R"R'

iOLab:AFocusonWirelessConvenience

SeanKim–ANMyerSecondarySchool

iOLabisahandhelddata-gatheringdevicethatgivesstudentsauniqueopportunitytoseetheconceptsofphysicsinaction.WithiOLabastheresearchsubject,ourpurposewastoresearchthepossibleapplicationsofiOLabinonlinePhysicscourses.OurgoalwastouseiOLabasasubstituteforheavierandinconvenientlabequipment,enablingstudentstoconductlabexperimentswithouttheobligationtoperformallactivitieswithinalabenvironment.TheresearchwasconductedusingTCL,ahighlevelcodinglanguage,tocreateandrevisecomputerprogramsthatcommunicatewirelesslywithiOLabanddisplaycollecteddatainitscorrectunits,inbothnumericalandgraphicalformats.Withexplorationinmind,weworkedonprojectsincorporatingsound,acceleration,lightandidealgaslaw,andthisresearchuncoveredsomeimportant

10:45–11:10

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insightsintothefunctionalityandaccessibilityofiOLab.iOLabhasacountlessnumberofapplications,buttherearesomeobstaclestobeovercomeinconvenienceandaccessibilityforthetargetdemographic.Giventimeandfurtherresearch,theiOLabcanbecomeafocalpointtotheonlinecourseexperienceatBrock,andenablestudentstoexplorethedifferentconceptsofphysicsusingthissmall,redbox.

Temperament:FriendorFoe?Riskandprotectivefactorsofanxiety

JacobZhang–St.MichaelCatholicHighSchool

Ingeneralhumansprefercertaintyandtrytocopewiththeambiguitiesofdailylife.Ontheotherhand,constantworryabouttheunknowncanbemaladaptive.IntoleranceofUncertainty(IU),atendencytoreactnegativelytoambiguoussituations,isacognitivevulnerabilityfactorandastrongpredictorofclinicalandsubclinicalanxiety.Peoplewhoareextremelyuncomfortableinuncertainsituationsaremorelikelytointerpretthesesituationsasthreatening.Although,IUpredictshighanxietyandworry,thisrelationshipmaynotbedirectasbothIUandanxietyarelinkedtomoregeneralregulatoryprocesses,suchastemperamentaldispositionsandcognitivecontrol.Followingthislineofresearch,weinvestigatedtherelationshipbetweenIUandanxietybyexaminingtheroleoftemperamentasapotentialmediatingfactorinthisrelationship.WehypothesizedthatspecificallyEffortfulControlandNegativeAffectmediatetherelationshipbetweenIUandanxiety.Questionnairedatafrom107youngwomenages17-22wereanalyzedforthisstudy.TheparticipantsfilledoutIntoleranceofUncertaintyScale(IUS),AdultTemperamentQuestionnaire(ATQ)andBeckAnxietyInventory(BAI)aspartofanongoingstudy.ThefindingsrevealedthattherelationshipbetweenIUandlevelofanxietywaspartiallymediatedbytemperament,confirmingourstudyhypothesis.Overall,peoplewhoareintoleranttouncertaintyarealsomorepronetohigherlevelsofanxietyiftheyhaveNegativeAffectandlowEffortfulControl.OurresultssupportthepreviousfindingsontemperamentaleffectsinanxietyandalsoaddedIUtothismodel.Currently,wearestudyingthebraindynamicsunderlyingtheeffectsofIU,anxietyandtemperamentoncognitivecontrolusinganevent-relatedpotential(ERP)methodology.

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ChoosingExecutivePrograms:FactorsthatInfluenceaStudent’sDecision

ReniqueRobinson–ThoroldSecondarySchool

Whatfeaturesdostudentslookforwhendecidingbetweensimilarprograms

amongschools?Thepurposeofthisresearchwastoidentifytheprogramfeaturesthatorganizationsusetoattractstudents.Thisdatawascollectedbyusingschools’websitestogatherdetailsaboutaprogram’sbusinessenvironmentscanning(time,locationandcost).DatacollectedwillbeusedtobuildandgrowtheprogramsthattheCentreofInnovationManagementEnterpriseEducation(CIMEE)offers.OneresultisthatmostprogramsareofferedinNovemberwithcostrangingbetween$1237.11and$6826.32.Furtherresearchwillberequiredtodeducewhetherthelocationoftheschoolhasaneffectonthestudentturnoutforeachprogramandwhatspecificelementsinfluencethecostofsimilarprogramsamongtheseorganizations.

iOLab:TechnologyMeetsPhysics

JackWu–SirWinstonChurchillSecondarySchool

TheiOLabisaninteractivedevicethatusessensorstorelayhexadecimaldatawirelesslytoacomputerprogram.WiththeiOLab,studentswillbeabletoeasilystudytheprinciplesofphysicsthroughexperimentation.ThepurposeofthisstudywastopotentiallyincorporatetheiOLabintoanewonlinephysicscoursethatallowsundergraduatelevelstudentstoperformlabsathome.Thegoalofthisstudywastocreateexperimentsthatcouldeffectivelydemonstratefundamentalphysicsconceptsandbeeasilyreplicable.Thescopeofthisstudywaslimitedtoexperimentsthatutilizedsensorscollectingdatafromsoundwavesandlightwaves.HexadecimaldatawascollectedthroughmultipleprogramsandconvertedtoreadabledatathroughthecodinglanguageTCL.ExamplesofthereadabledatathatwasoutputtedbyTCLincludeafunctioningguitartuner,successfulexperimentsinvestigatingtherelationshipbetweendistance-lightintensityandelectricalcurrent-lightintensity.TheresultsofthestudydemonstratedthattheiOLabcanfunctioneffectivelyasaphysicstool.Fromtheseexperiments,students,withoutpriorknowledgetothesephysicsconcepts,willbeabletodiscoverlawsandtheoriesthroughtheirownexperiences.Lookingforward,theiOLabhaslimitlesspotentialtothekindsofexperimentsandprojectsitcouldproduce.

11:15–11:40

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Examiningtheeffectsoflocaltemperatureonforcevariability

ZachCheungMuscleperformancecanbeimpairedbyexposuretohotorcoldenvironments.Animportantpartofmuscleperformanceistheabilitytomaintainaconstantdesiredforce.Thereforewearestudyingtheeffectsoflocaltemperaturechangeonforcevariability.Twotypesofmusclemeasurementelectrodeswillbeused.Surfaceelectrodeswillbeappliedtotheflexorcarpiradialis(FCR)andtheextensorcarpiradialis(ECR);theseelectrodesgiveabroadoverviewofthefunctioningoftheentiremuscle.WewillalsobeusingadecomposedelectrodeontheFCRtoallowustoexaminethefiringpatternsofindividualmotorunits.Electricalstimulationswillbeappliedtofindthecompoundmotorunitactionpotential(m-wave),thiswillberecordedthreetimes.Nexttheparticipantswillperformthreemaximumvoluntarycontractionslastingfoursecondseachwithtwominutesofrestinbetween.Therewillbethreedifferentwaterbathconditionsandthesewillberandomizedforeachparticipanttoensurethatourresultsarenotduetotheorderinwhichthesewillbeperformed.Theparticipantwillsubmergetheirforearminthewaterbathfortwentyminutes,theneutralwaterbathwillbeabout33-34degrees,thehotbathwillbearound45degreesandthecoldbathwillbeabout0degrees.AftereachwaterbathwewilldooneMVCtoseeifwatertempchangesmaximalforce,nextwewillperformasignalqualitycheck.Finallytheparticipantwillperformfivestaircasecontractionslastingtwentysevensecondseach,theywillhavethirtysecondstorestinbetweeneachcontraction.Weareexpectinglittleornochangeinforcevariabilitywithheatingcomparedtoourneutraltemperature.However,therewilllikelybeanincreaseinforcevariabilityinthecold,mostlikelyduetoanincreaseinmusclecoactivationandincreasesinjointstiffness.Wehavegonethroughextensivedevelopmentofthisproject.Thisincludeddesigning,building,andtestingajigfortestingmusclefunction.WehavealsodevelopedsoftwareprogramsformusclestimulationsandEMGanalysis.FulldatacollectionwillbegininearlyFebruary,andweanticipatepartialdataforpresentingatthestudentseminar.

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MildHeadInjuriesandDepressiveSymptoms

SophiaNelson–GrimsbySecondarySchool

Thisstudyinvestigatestherelationshipbetweenmildheadinjuries(MHI)anddepressivesymptoms.Previousstudieshaveshownthattraumaticbraininjury(TBI)patientsareathighriskfordevelopingMajorDepressiveDisorder(MDD)butveryfewstudieshaveexamineddepressioninthemildheadinjurypopulation.275universitystudents,89withahistoryofMHIand192withoutahistoryofMHI,wereaskedtocompleteavarietyofself-reportquestionnaires;including,theEverydayLivingDemographicQuestionnaireandthePersonalityAssessmentInventory.TheoveralldepressivesymptomsscoresdidnotshowasignificantdifferencebetweentheMHIgroupandtheno-MHIgroup,butoncebrokendownintosymptomdomainsatrendingeffectwasfound,suchthattheMHIgroupreportedgreatersomaticsymptomsofdepressioncomparedtotheno-MHIgroup,MHI=(8.44),noMHI=(7.4),p=.068.AlthoughthehypothesisthatoveralldepressivesymptomsareaffectedbyMHIwasnotsupportedbytheanalysis,akeydifferencewasindicatedbetweencognitive,affectiveandsomaticdepressivesymptomsafteramildheadinjury.Thisstudywaslimitedtothepost-secondarystudentpopulationandfurtherresearchcouldbecompletedoutsideofthisagebracket,asthehighlyfunctioningstudentpopulationisnotafullrepresentationofthegeneralpublic.

WaldenPond:PalynologyThroughTime

RoslinChen–SirWinstonChurchillSecondarySchool

Thekeytounderstandinganaturalenvironmentistounderstanditspast;thisisalsoourbestwaytopredictthefuture.ThisprojectexaminesthehistoryofWaldenPond,akettleholelakeinConcord,Massachussetts,thatformed12000yearsagoafterthelastglacialperiod.Ihaveanalyzedtheclimatesbasedonchangesinvegetationrecordedbypollen,andchemicalandphysicalfeaturesofthewater,recordedbythefossilremainsofalgaeandtheirconsumersinsedimentsdepositedinWaldenPondsinceitsformation.Aneight-meter-longmudcorewasretrievedfromWaldenPondinthesummerof2017.Iprocessedthemudsamplesinalaboratory,dissolvingthemineralstoconcentratetheacid-resistantorganics.MicroscopeslidesoftheorganicslurrywereexaminedtointerpretthepastenvironmentsofWaldenPond.Thedeepestsamplefromthecoredatingtoaround12000yearsagocontainsanabundanceofsprucepollen,indicatingaverycoldclimateandParvodiniumumbonatumalgae,indicatinglownutrientavailability(oligotrophicconditions).Anincreaseinalgaegoingupthecorerecordsclimatewarming,andnutrientcontentofthelakeincreasinginresponseto

12:45–1:10

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biologicalproductivity.Atthetopofthecore,anincreaseinpollenofragweedandotherherbaceousplantsreflectslandclearingfromhumanactivities.TheseresultsregardingthehistoryofWaldenPondcanhelpustounderstandhowtoprotecttheenvironmenttodayandinthefuture,anddemonstrateshowmicrofossilsaregreatresourcesforresearchusetoanalyzetheenvironmentofanyecosystem.

ProteinandLipidTransfer

KirztyndeTorres–HolyCrossCatholicSecondarySchool

SpeculationsofSec14yeastproteinsandtocopheroltransferproteinsareassociatedinphosphorylatingthephospholipidbilayerforcellsignallingandlipidhomeostasis.Inthisexperiment,twoproteins;Tocopheroltransferproteinlikeone(TTPAL),andayeastsec14like4(Sec14L4)proteinarebeingexpressedandisolatedinculturesofe.colibacteria.Theproteinsarethenmeasuredthroughligandbindingassays(LBA)toseetheiraffinitytobindtospecificfluorescentligands:NBD-tocopherol,NBD-Phosphotidylcholine,andNBD-cholesteroltodiscoverwhethertheseproteinshaveanyaffiliationwithcellsignallingandlipidhomeostasis.

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AnImprovedandModernizedFirstYear2DCollisionsLab

TracyYou–GovernorSimcoeSecondarySchoolForthisproject,Idevelopedanimprovedmethodofanexistingfirstyear2dimensionalelasticcollisionslabformoreconvenienceandaccuracy.Ihaveconstructedanupdated,camerabasedlabthatfocusesonnewprocedures,equipmentandprograms.Abundanttrialsofcollisions,createdusing2pucks,wererecordedthroughaUSBcamera.DatacollectionwascompletedusingTracker,astraightforwardvideoanalysisandmodellingtool.Thedatawasanalysedandfittedintoafunctionusingthegraphingsoftware,PhysicaLab.Ialsoperformedvariouscalculationsbyhand,usingthedifferencebetweenxandyvectorcomponentstoprovetheconservationofmomentum.Theresultsweremoreconsistentthanexpected,withdifferentcalculationmethodsresultinginsimilarvalues.Theadjustmentsallowedthelabtobemoreaccessibleandforgivingofmistakes,allowingfocustobedirectedtowardsthephysicalaspectsofthelab;momentumandkineticenergy.Furtherresearchmayincludetheanalysisofrotationalkineticenergyduring2dimensionalcollisions,whichcanbestudiedbyaddingaspintothepucksandexaminingtheangularvelocity.Additionalinvestigationsopenthepossibilitiesofwhatisandisnotnecessaryonfirstyearlabs.

AStudyofCelestialMechanicswithPythonProgrammingLanguage

MatthewHyeun–SirWinstonChurchillSecondarySchool

Wehavecreatedseveralprogramstodisplayusefulinformationofcelestialobjectsandtheirorbits.Kepler’sthreelawsofplanetarymotion,Newton’slawofgravitation,andPythonprogramminglanguagewerelearned,integrated,andappliedtocreatetheseprograms.Fromcalculatingsemi-majoraxesandorbitalvelocitiestodisplayingvisualrepresentationsoforbits,thecapabilitiesofintegratedsciencearedisplayedthroughoutthisstudy.

1:15–1:40

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AnExaminationofPhysicalCharacteristics,MentalHealth,andPsychobiologicalMarkersinUniversityMaleAthletesandNon-Exercisers

JaneOleksiw–HolyCrossCatholicSecondarySchool

Whenthesocialselfisthreatened(socialevaluation),psychologicalandphysiologicalreactions,suchasincreasesinshameandcortisol,occur.Thepresentstudywillexamineresponsestobody-relatedsocialevaluativethreatsin50malevarsityathletesfromnon-aestheticsportsand50non-exercisers.Participantswillberandomizedintoahighorlowbodythreatcondition.Inthehighthreatcondition,amaleconfederatewhomeetssociety’sbodyideal,willhavehisanthropometricmeasurementstakenbyanattractivefemaleconfederatewhileshirtlessandinfrontoftheparticipantand3researchersinamirroredfacility.Theparticipantswillundergothesameanthropometricmeasurementsunderthesameconditions.Inthelowthreatcondition,participantswillundergothesameanthropometricmeasureswiththeirshirtson,noconfederatespresent,andonlytworesearcherspresent.Measuresofbodyshameandsalivasamplestoassesscortisolandinflammatorymarkerswillbetakenacrossthesession.

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ModelingtheThree-DimensionalStructureofHeme-BindingProteinsofGiardia

Intestinalis

AyeshaAhmad–GovernorSimcoeSecondarySchool

TheparasiteGiardiaIntestinalispossessesfivedifferentheme-bindingproteins:fourmembersofcytochrome-b5-likeproteinsandaflavohemoglobin.Althoughmostknownhemeproteins,suchashemoglobinormyoglobin,aidinoxygentransferorelectrontransfer,theroleofthehemeproteinsinGiardiaIntestinalisareundiscovered.Thegoalofmyresearchwastoconstructthree-dimensionalmodelsoftheflankingsequencesoftheheme-bindingdomainsoftwocytochrome-b5-likeproteinsofGiardia.Thiswasdonebydenovostructurepredictors,suchasrobetta-,andjNET,incombinationwithsecondarystructurepredictionalgorithms,suchasGOR4.Theresultssuggestthestructuresarepredominantlyhelical.FurtherresearchwillincluderesultsfromNuclearMagneticResonanceSpectroscopy(NMR)studiestoproducefurtherthreedimensionalstructuresfortheseproteins.

InsectFlightMill

SamLangdon–GreaterFortErieSecondarySchool&HailinWang–SirWinstonChurchillSecondarySchool

Ourpurposewastodesignamechanicalandsoftwareprototypethatmeasurestheflightcapabilitiesofaninsect.Collecteddatacanbeanalyzedinstantaneously,reviewedandappliedtoagriculturalandenvironmentalpestcontrol.Ourgoalwastoimproveexistinginsectmilldesignstoenhancethetemporalresolutionofflightbehaviour.Weutilizedaninfraredsensortodetectmotionofaspinningdisccorrespondingtoinsectmovement,whichallowedforaconsistentmeasurementofdistance.DataisquicklyprocessedanddisplayedinvisualformandisabletobeexportedforfurtheranalysisusingRorExcelaftertheexperimentiscompleted.Wefoundthatourimprovedsoftwaredesignmeasureddatathatis200%morepreciseovera10secondtimeframe.Increasedaccuracycanbeusefulindiscoveringconnectionsbetweenflightbehavioursandphysiological,metabolicandthermoregulatoryprocessesininsects.Theexperimentcanbefurtherdevelopedtoincreasethetemporalresolutionthroughimplementationofadjustablediscdetectionandfurthersoftwareoptimization.

1:45–2:10

19

ReconstructingHistoricalFiresInSouthernNorthwestTerritories

EmilyWarren–HolyCrossCatholicSecondarySchoolResearchsuggeststhatclimatechange,specificallyglobalwarming,inthecurrentcenturyislikelytoleadtoanincreaseinthefrequencyofwildfires.However,seeingashowhistoricalrecordsofpastfireactivityarerelativelyshortdatingbackonlyto1965fortheNorthwestTerritories,itisdifficulttomakeassumptionsandinferencesabouttheeffectsoffireinthefuture.Therefore,afirerecorddatingbacktotheearlyHolocenehasbeenreconstructedusinga253cmsedimentcoretakenfromalakeintheNorthwestTerritories.Macroscopiccharcoalwasusedtoreconstructthefirehistorybycountingtotalcharcoalpiecesthroughoutthecoreat0.5cmintervals.Thewetsievingmethodwasusedwherethesedimentwaswashedthrougha150mandtheremainingmaterialwasbackwashedintoapetridish.Radiocarbondatingwasusedtodevelopareliablechronologyforthesedimentrecord.Thisallowedforahistoricalfirerecordreachingbackapproximately12000yearsagotobedetermined.Macroscopiccharcoalanalysisindicatedatotalof41firesthroughouttherecordwithanaveragefirereturnintervalof277years.ThefirefrequencyincreasedaroundtheMedievalClimateAnomalyanddecreasedaroundtheLittleIceAgesuggestingthatfluctuationsinclimatelikelyaffectedthefrequencyoffires.TheresultsofthisresearchhelpustofullyunderstandhowfireregimeshavechangedthroughouttheHoloceneandhowtheymaybecurrentlyshiftinginresponsetoclimaticwarming.Wildlifeisanaturaldisturbanceagentinborealforeststhathasmanysocioeconomicimpactsincludingdamagetoinfrastructureandhumanhealth.Therefore,havinglongtermknowledgeonwildlifeiscrucialtominimizethevariousnegativeimpactsaswellastounderstandhowfireregimesarechangingduringatimeofuncertaintyandenvironmentalchange.

20

VallesMarinaris:aJourneyintoTithoniumsPast

CallyKokoski–DSBNAcademy

ThisresearchlooksatthefeaturesofTithonium,asmallchasmwithintheMarscanonsystemcalledVallesMarineris.ItspurposeistofindevidenceoftheeventsthattookplacewhenformingTithonium.Theissuesthataroseinvolvedbadsatelliteimagery,andlackoflayering.Thismadeitdifficulttofindgoodlayeringwithintheinteriorlayerdeposits(ILD).Todoso,amapofTithoniumwasmadeandusingcomputerprogramsandthestrikeanddipofanyexistinglayeringwasmeasured.ItwasfoundthatthedipofthelayeringwasrelatedtothedescentoftheILD,orlayeringthatwasmeasured.Bothraninthesamedirection.Itwasalsofoundthatthereweremultipleclumpsoflayeringeachdippinginadifferentdirection.ThisconcludesthatthereweremultipleeventsthattookplacewhenformingTithonium.OurpredictionisthatthereweremultipleeventsinwhichwaterranthroughVallesMarineris,eacheventcreatingadifferentsetoflayeringandformingitsownILD.

TheEffectsofEmotionalAbuseandParentalSeparationonBaroreflexSensitivityandSleepImpactScore

EsmaElWerfalli–DenisMorrisCatholicHighSchool

Adversechildhoodexperiences(ACEs)areassociatedwithpoorcardiovascularhealthinadulthoodandincludeemotionalabuseandparentalseparation,amongothers.Baroreflexsensitivity(BRS)isanindicatorofcardiovascularhealth,lowvaluesindicatingpoorcardiovascularhealth.PoorsleepqualityislinkedtolowBRSandahighnumberofACEs.Thisstudyinvestigatedtheeffectofoverallsleepimpactscore,emotionalabuseandparentalseparationonbaroreflexsensitivityinhealthyyoungadults.Fiftyhealthyyoungadultsparticipatedinthepresentstudy.ParticipantscompletedtheSleep-50andChildhoodTrustEventsSurveyquestionnairestomeasuresleepimpactscoreandACEs.Continuousheartratedata(HR)andbeatbybeatbloodpressurewerecollectedforfiveminutesinthesupineposition.BRSwasdeterminedusingtransferanalysisinthelow-frequency(0.04-0.15Hz).AnalysesrevealednosignificantassociationsbetweentotalsleepimpactscoreandemotionalabuseonBRS(11.7±5.9,p>0.05).Similarly,nosignificancewasfoundbetweentotalsleepimpactscoreandparentalseparationonBRS(14.5±6.7,p>0.05).Nosignificantcorrelationwasfoundbetweenemotionalabuse,parentalseparationandtotalsleepimpactscoreonBRSinthisstudy.ACEsandtotalsleepimpactscorecouldpotentiallybeassociatedwithBRSgivenalargerparticipantsample.Addressingtheeffectsofadversechildhoodexperiencesoncardiovascularhealthandsleepqualityisimportanttodetectandreducecardiovascularriskinadulthood.

2:15–2:40