Research Conference - Boise State University · 2014-11-16 · Idaho EPSCoR “Water Resources in a...

Greetings, and welcome to the 3rd Annual Summer UndergraduateResearch Conference. The conference supports the dissemination of research conducted by more than 100 undergraduate and high school students hailing from 26 institutions from across the country and internationally. These researchers represent some of the best young minds in the academy, as the competition to secure positions in their programs was quite fierce. In some fields, for example, fewer than 4% of the applicants earned a spot in the program. Their work is funded by a number of agencies and entities, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), U.S. Department of Education, and Boise State University.

It’s a privilege and a pleasure to host these students on our campus and in our laboratories. This event would not be possible were it not for the tireless efforts of our dedicated faculty and staff. As you’re talking to the presenters about their research, be sure to ask about their mentoring faculty. The level of enthusiasm and admiration that you’ll hear in response is an indication of an important truth: the next generation of innovators in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics need not only intrinsically interesting challenges, but also supportive, passionate mentors to be as successful as these students clearly are.

On behalf of Boise State University and all of the researchers presenting their work, thank you for your interest and support.

Tony RoarkDean of the Colleges of Arts and Sciences

2013 Summer Undergraduate Research Conference

Poster PresentationsAugust 2nd, 4:00 - 6:00 PM

Simplot Ballroom Student Union Building

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Participating ProgramsSTEM StationThe STEM Station is a catalyst, a connector, and a community. STEM Station involves a consortium of more than a dozen National Science Foundation-supported STEM education initiatives and research programs, in conjunction with the academic departments, Student Affairs, Research and Economic Development and others. The STEM Station builds upon campus STEM programs by providing val-ue added activities including: 1) a campus hub for STEM resources, research and programs, 2) a peer Learning Assistants program that supports core STEM courses for majors and non-majors, 3) com-munity seminars to foster interdisciplinary research, teaching and student support, 4) STEM pedagogy workshops, learning communities and research groups for faculty, and 5) leadership for special proj-ects, such as the Summer Research Community, to build a strong culture in STEM education. STEM Sta-tion provides services and support to a broad STEM community, from K-12 students to tenured faculty.

Boise State Student Research InitiativeThe Boise State Student Research Initiative (SRI) program provides funded opportunities for students to pursue independent research and scholarship activity under the supervision of a faculty mentor in all aca-demic disciplines. The program seeks to foster and expand student research at Boise State by increasing the number of students participating in these activities and increasing the number of student co-authored publications and presentations. The students conduct a variety of research projects, in areas ranging from cancer prevention to art and history, substance abuse to alternative energy, political science to nursing. Students share the results of their scholarly activity at conferences and seminars at Boise State Univer-sity, and at professional and student conferences nationwide. The program is supported by the Division of Research, the Office of the Provost, the Division of Student Affairs, the Student Involvement & Leadership Center, and the Office of Undergraduate Studies at Boise State University.

Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority ParticipationThe Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) is designed to support students and give them the tools they need to succeed with their academic and career goals. Some of the highlights that the LSAMP program offers are sponsorships to conferences, the annual LSAMP conference, mentoring programs, ca-reer building and life skill seminars, informational sessions on graduate school, LSAMP community events, LSAMP retreats, and the paid summer Undergraduate Research Experience (LSAMP UREs). The aim is to increase the number of degrees earned by underrepresented minority (URM) students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) majors.

Idaho INBREThe Idaho INBRE Program, funded by the National Institutes of Health, has the express purpose to in-crease Idaho researchers’ competitiveness for federal biomedical research funding in all regions of our state. The vision of INBRE is to provide all faculty and students in Idaho who have an interest in biomedi-cal research the opportunity to pursue that goal within our own institutions. By improving access to edu-cational and scientific opportunities as well as to high caliber research faculty and facilities, INBRE helps to prepare Idaho’s next generation of scientists. The INBRE Summer Fellows Program matches under-graduates with faculty research mentors for a 10 week research experience. Since the inaugural Fellows class in 2002, many former Fellows have gone on to pursue PhD programs, Medical, Dental, Veterinary, Physician Assistant and Nursing degrees, as well as Pharmacy and Master’s degree programs. Boise State INBRE is proud to participate in this conference showcasing the outstanding accomplishments of our 2013 Summer Research Students.

McNair Scholars ProgramThe Boise State McNair Scholars Program serves first generation college students from low-income back-grounds and students from groups underrepresented in graduate education. The two year program pre-pares its Scholars for graduate studies and careers in university teaching and research. While in the pro-gram, McNair Scholars conduct research under the guidance of a faculty mentor. The program is open to all research focused disciplines, so research projects are diverse. Current McNair Research Fellows are conducting research in History, English Literature, Political Science, Sociology, Criminal Justice, Civil Engineering, Psychology, Materials Science, and Economics.

Idaho EPSCoR “Water Resources in a Changing Climate” is the theme of the NSF EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Im-provement Award, which involves Boise State faculty and student researchers from geosciences, econom-ics, biological sciences, civil engineering and others. Research on climate impacts focuses on the two-way coupling between hydrology, ecology, and economics and policy; greatly improved modeling of surface and groundwater connections in managed river systems; utilizing long-term datasets of ecological change in pristine river systems; understanding economic systems; understanding economic ramifications of increased climate variability; collection and management of disparate data types and large datasets from multiple disciplines through cyber infrastructure. Research in adaptation strategies focuses on understand-ing how climate change impacts may be buffered through effective utilization of groundwater and on better long-term management of water in an area that serves over half the population of Idaho. The primary objec-tive of EPSCoR is to stimulate research in niche areas that can become fully competitive in the disciplinary and multidisciplinary research programs of the NSF and other relevant agencies.

NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates in Mathematics The REU site in Mathematics is an NSF funded program that engages undergraduate students in all facets of mathematical research. Teams of undergraduate researchers work alongside faculty mentors in a col-laborative approach to solve scientific and mathematical problems. The program aims to produce cohorts of well-rounded, intellectually independent researchers whose work and vision transcend traditional con-ceptions of mathematics and its applications. The research projects feature applications of mathematics to problems motivated by information security or the life sciences. The program brings together students of various disciplines including computer science, physics, biology, and mathematics, from international and nationwide institutions. The REU fellows participate in a broad array of professional development events aimed at developing skills in disseminating research findings in several communication formats and sce-narios, increasing interdisciplinary exposure, and promoting integrity in the conduct of research and col-laboration. The participating students’ work continues to contribute substantially to the body of knowledge. The results of their summer research are presented orally at an end of program research symposium and at subsequent professional conferences, in poster format at the annual multidisciplinary summer undergradu-ate research conference, and in peer reviewed research articles. The program is funded by the National Science Foundation under award number DMS 1062857.

Boise State Microgravity Program NASA’s Microgravity University, or the Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program, provides a unique academic experience for undergraduate students to propose, design, fabricate, fly and evaluate a reduced gravity experiment of their choice. The overall experience includes scientific research, hands-on experimental design, test operations and educational/public outreach activities. Each year, teams from universities around the nation submit their research proposals to NASA and a select number of teams are chosen, based on the quality of their proposals, to perform their experiments in a reduced gravity environ-ment. The successful proposal from the Boise State team aimed to study the effect of a pharmaceutical on the calcium signaling in bone cells relative to periods of micro- and hypergravity. In June, eight students traveled to NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas to fly their experiment. Projects are conducted during a series of parabolic reduced-gravity flights in a specially-equipped C9 aircraft that reach 35,000 feet above the earth’s surface and executes maneuvers that simulate a zero gravity environment.

NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates in Chemistry The NSF-sponsored REU Program in Chemistry and Biochemistry offers ten undergraduate students each summer the opportunity to work on research projects that span all disciplines of chemistry. The three primary objectives of the Chemistry REU include 1) providing REU students a transformational research experience by pairing novice undergraduate researchers with undergraduate peer mentors who have pre-vious research experience and offering opportunities to serve as mentors by participating for a second year; 2) exposing students to research early enough in their career to impact their future career choices; 3) providing research opportunities to students who are a) not typically afforded opportunities to participate in undergraduate research, b) at risk for high attrition in STEM disciplines, and c) members of populations with low retention rates for continuation of their college education.

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Interruption of MTN Activity Causes Decreased Vitamin Dependent Metabolism in E. coliJohn Arriola and Ken Cornell (Faculty Mentor)Oral Roberts University and Boise State UniversityNSF REU FEllow

The bacterial enzyme Methylthioadenosine/S-adenosyl-homocysteine (MTA/SAH) nucleosidase (MTN) recycles methionine and adenine from the byproducts of S-adeno-sylmethionine (SAM) dependent reactions. The MTN path-way includes, vitamin synthesis, and autoinducer signals. In this investigation, the impact of MTN enzyme activity on central carbon metabolism was studied by compar-ing enzyme activities of two E. coli MTN gene knock-out (MTN KO) strains to their respective isogenic parental wild type strains. The data indicate that enzymes requiring li-poate, biotin, or thiamine cofactors derived from radical S-adenosylmethionine reactions show decreased activ-ity in the MTN KO strains. The enzymes assayed include pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, and α ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex. These enzymes are important for efficient carbohydrate metabolism generating energy for the cell. The results suggest novel drugs that inhibit MTN could exert their antibiotic effect by product inhibi-tion of radical SAM dependent vitamin synthesis ultimately disrupting efficient carbon metabolism in bacterial cells.

Replicating the Mechanism of Carbonic AnhydraseCurtis Heishman and Eric Brown (Faculty Mentor)Davis & Elkins College and Boise State UniversityNSF REU FEllow

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) is a metalloenzyme that plays a critical role in many biological processes among plants and animals processing carbon dioxide (CO2). Surprising, CA has also been determined to be the enzyme in plants that reacts with atmospheric carbonyl sulfide (COS). Research directed at understanding the mechanism of COS activation by CA has been very limited and is the impetus for this re-search. Tetradentate Zn complexes were synthesized with various ligands and their reaction with COS was explored. Compounds relevant to intermediates in the proposed catalytic cycle of CA were observed and characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and infrared (IR) spec-troscopy. Details concerning the synthesis, characteriza-tion and reactivity of these compounds will be discussed.

Anti-bacterial Properties of Synthetic AziridinomitosenesKayla Johnson, Chris Mallory, and Don Warner (Faculty Mentor)Lewis-Clark State College and Boise State UniversityNSF REU FEllow

Mitomycin C (MMC) was first discovered in the 1950s as an antibiotic and has since been used as a chemothera-peutic. MMC has been shown to cross-link DNA, result-ing in cellular death. Synthetic aziridinomitosenes (AZMs) are structurally similar to MMC and have been shown to produce more DNA crosslinks than MMC, resulting in po-tential use as a new cancer treatment. Due to MMC’s prop-erties as a potent antibiotic, the synthetic AZMs also have possible use as antibiotics due to their similar structures. MMC, an unsubstituted AZM, and a C6-Methyl AZM were tested against various gram positive and gram negative bacteria. Initial results conclude that synthetic AZMs are able to decrease bacterial growth with treatment as low as 1 nM in MRSA. Additional investigations have provided evidence that cell survival is lower in AZM-treated bacteria over MMC. Along with reduced survival rate, biofilm pro-duction also decreased upon AZM and MMC treatment.

Chemistry and BiochemistryPolymer Encapsulation and DNA Functionalization of Upconversion NanoparticlesPatricia Johnson and Jeunghoon Lee (Faculty Mentor)State University of New York at Buffalo and Boise State UniversityNSF REU FEllow

Upconversion nanoparticles exhibit optical properties use-ful in bioimaging and nanoelectronics. The energy upcon-version occurs through two-photon absorption of infrared photons and emission of one photon in visible spectrum. We first encausulated hydrophobic β-NaYF:Gd/Yb/Er nanoparticles of diameter 9nm-17nm using an amphi-philic polymer. The polymer was prepared by modifying poly(acrylic acid) with different amounts of octylamine. The nanoparticles were then functionalized with ssDNA modified with an amine group. Based on higher emission intensity, the encapsulation process works best when 15% of the carboxyl groups on the polymer are modified with octylamine when compared with polymer on which 40% of carboxyl groups were modified. The encapsulation pro-cess decreases emission intensity to some extent. Prelimi-nary tests of DNA functionalization also show a decrease in intensity. In the future, we plan to hybridize the nanopar-ticles with complementary ssDNA with a 5(6)-Carboxy-X-rhodamine dye attached and measure fluorescence energy transfer between the nanoparticles and the dye.

Synthesis of 2,2’-dimethylhexanoyl ACP to investigate beta-keto substrate specificity for Pantoea stewartii EsaI AHL synthase enzymeMarie Claudio and Rajesh Nagarajan (Faculty Mentor)University of Puerto Rico and Boise State UniversityNSF REU FEllow

The plant pathogen Pantoea stewartii uses quorum sens-ing, a mechanism for communication amongst bacteria, to cause Stewart’s wilt and leaf blight disease in a variety of plants. P. stewartii utilizes 3-oxohexanoylhomoserine lactone autoinducers (AHL) made by EsaI AHL synthase enzyme in quorum sensing. Autoinducers are small mol-ecules that serve as signals in quorum sensing. EsaI, a bisubstrate enzyme, makes AHL using S-Adenosyl-L-

Influence of pH on Alkaloid Extraction Efficiency and Biological Activity from Veratrum californicumAnna Nielsen and Owen McDougal (Faculty Mentor)Brigham Young University-Idaho and Boise State UniversityNSF REU FEllow

Veratrum californicum is a plant rich in steroidal alkaloids including cyclopamine, a known Hedgehog (Hh) pathway inhibitor. Extraction of cyclopamine from Veratrum californi-cum has been performed using benzene and recently etha-nol as the Soxhlet extraction solvent under basic conditions. In this study, we analyzed the effect of pH on the extraction efficiency of cyclopamine using ethanol as the Soxhlet sol-vent. Separation and identification of steroidal alkaloids was achieved using HPLC-MS. Preliminary results demonstrat-ing the effect of pH on extraction efficiency will be presented.

Since beta-ketoacyl-ACP is difficult to isolate, we made the 2,2’-dimethyl substrate analogs for EsaI enzyme. We aim to study substrate specificity of beta-keto group by comparing the catalytic efficiencies of 2,2’-dimethyl hexanoyl ACP with 2,2’-dimethyl-3-oxohexanoyl ACP substrates in EsaI catal-ysis. We used methyl iodide to dimethylate, reduced the carbonyl group using NaBH3CN, made the acyl-CoA via N-acyl imidazole intermediate and finally used an enzymatic approach to make acyl-ACP. The kcat/Km for this substrate-with EsaI will be determined using a colorimetric assay.

Chemistry and Biochemistry


Synthesis of 2,2’-dimethyldodecanoyl ACP to understand substrate specificity in LasI catalyzed Pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum sensingSusan Knox and Rajesh Nagarajan (Faculty Mentor)The College of New Jersey and Boise State UniversityNSF REU FEllow

Bacteria use signal molecules called autoinducers to esti-mate local cell population densities. This mechanism, re-ferred to as quorum sensing, aids bacteria to form biofilms. The LasI AHL (acylated homoserine lactone) synthase en-zyme in Pseudomonas aeruginosa uses 3-oxododecano-yl-ACP and S-Adenosyl-L-methionine substrates to make 3-oxododecanoyl homoserine lactone autoinducer. Our project is focused on understanding the importance of a carbonyl group in C3 position of acyl-ACP substrate in LasI catalyzed AHL synthesis. Therefore, we decided to compare the catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) of 2,2’-dimethyldodecanoyl-ACP substrate with 2,2’-dimethyl-3-oxododecanoyl ACP to understand substrate specificity at the 3-oxo position. We used a Meldrum’s acid procedure to make the beta-ke-toester, dimethylated at C2 position, reduced the carbonyl at C3 via a hydrazone intermediate, and then prepared acyl-CoA through an N-acyl imidazole intermediate. The final acyl-ACP purification will be done using phosphop-antetheinyl transfer enzyme. We will use a colorimetric as-say to determine the catalytic efficiency of this substrate.

Advancement towards the synthesis of a C7-ethyl aziridinomitoseneElizabeth De Leon, Carrie Hill and Don Warner (Faculty Mentor)Mount Holyoke College and Boise State UniversityNSF REU FEllow

This project aims to synthesize a C7-ethyl modified aziridi-nomitosene (AZM) for future studies of its anticancer and an-tibiotic activity. The origin of the project stems from the toxic anti-cancer drug mitomycin C (MC), which is the structural model for C7-ethyl analog. Previous studies involving relat-ed AZMs and MC indicate that the source of the AZMs’ anti-cancer properties originates from their ability to form inter-strand DNA crosslinks that lead to programmed cell death. The C7-ethyl analog is fabricated by means of a twenty step

sequence that proves challenging as a result of early forma-tion of a sensitive aziridine ring. Thus far, the synthesis has progressed to oxazole addition to a serine-derived aldehyde. The amino alcohol product is the immediate precursor to the unstable aziridine. Ultimately, this synthesis will produce a compound that will be tested for anticancer and antibiotic activity and, ideally, a more potent analog will be derived.

Investigation of the Unusual Metal Dependency of Peptide Deformylase Using Zn(II) and Cd(II) Synthetic Model ComplexesMartin Garcia Chavez and Eric Brown (Faculty Mentor)Manchester University and Boise State UniversityNSF REU FEllow

The function of the metalloenzyme peptide deformylase (PDF) is to deformylate proteins that contain N-formylated methionine. Our interest in studying PDF stems from the unusual finding that the most active form of PDF contains a different metal than previously hypothesized. Initially, it was predicted that the metal ion contained zinc but recently it was discovered that iron is utilized instead. This unusual metal dependency on PDF activity is hypothesized to be link to the different geometric coordination preferences of iron versus zinc (i.e. Zn prefers to be four-coordinate and Fe five-coor-dinate). In order to test this hypothesis, we have prepared Zn and Cd compounds that are complexed by a N2S ligand that is designed to mimic the two histidine and cysteine amino acid residues that bind the metal ion in the active site of PDF. Details of the synthetic procedures, characteriza-tion data and reactivity of our complexes will be presented.


Kinetic Studies of EsaI AHL-SynthaseRyan Brecht and Rajesh Nagarajan (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversityINBRE FEllow

Quorum sensing (QS) is a signaling pathway between individual bacterial cells using small signaling mole-cules deemed “autoinducers” (AI). Gram-negative bac-teria use N-acylhomoserine lactone (AHL) signals in quorum sensing. These signal molecules act as a way for a quorum of cells to sense each other’s presence and as a means to regulate gene expression, including the expression of virulence factors. It is proposed that

Visible Detection of Adenosine: Utilization of an Aptamer and Gold NanoparticlesSarah Rehn and Jeunghoon Lee (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University INBRE FEllow

Color change due to plasmonic coupling of gold nanopar-ticles allows for their applications in biosensing. Through utilization of DNA-functionalized nanoparticles and a DNA aptamer for adenosine, colorimetric detection of adenosine can be achieved. Adenosine transforms an aptamer hair-pin to cause hybridization of DNA strands on nanoparticles, creating a linkage between two nanoparticles. In the past, detection of specific DNA sequences has been success-ful, but now we have been able to detect adenosine using the aptamer method and can apply this to a wide variety of biomolecules. This system can be designed such that multiple binding events occur per adenosine molecule add-ed; a catalytic aggregation mechanism rather than a direct one. This catalytic mechanism involves the release of a DNA signal strand when aptamer-driven binding occurs. This signal strand causes other binding events, increasing signal output without the use of enzymes.

Synthetic Preparation of Aziridinomitosenes Containing Alkyl Substituents at the C6/C7 PositionsRyan Reeves and Don Warner (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversityINBRE FEllow

Aziridinomitosenes (AZMs) are compounds similar in struc-ture and function to the clinically-used DNA alkylating agent mitomycin C (MC). AZMs and MC are capable of forming

Chemistry and Biochemistryquorum sensing inhibitors would significantly decrease bacterial virulence, while not imposing evolutionary to develop resistance to antibiotics. Therefore, QS presents itself as a novel target to inhibit bacterial pathogenicity. BMAI is a QS initiator enzyme which generates the AHL signal used by bacteria. By studying BMAI through en-zyme kinetics, important information such as substrate/product binding order and energies, and catalytically rele-vant residues, can aid in developing QS inhibitors for BMAI as well as other AHL based quorum sensing systems.

The Effects of the MTN Gene Deletion on Nucleoside and Metabolite Pools in Pathogenic and Nonpathogenic BacteriaDaniela Olivas, Reece Knippel and Ken Cornell (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversityINBRE FEllow

The rise in drug resistant microbes is a huge health prob-lem that requires the development of new antibiotics with novel mechanisms of action. In order to develop these drugs, novel targets in bacterial metabolic pathways must be identified and understood. In Escherichia coli, 5’methylthioadenosine/S-adenosyl-homocysteine nucleo-sidase (MTN) is a potential target for novel drug devel-opment since it is thought to be important for nucleoside breakdown and formation required for essential polyamine synthesis. To determine how MTN inhibitors might work, we studied the effect of loss of MTN enzyme activity using liq-uid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) to identify and quantify nucleoside and related metabolite levels in two strains of E. coli. The results suggest that drug interruption of MTN may work by increasing nucleoside levels that sub-sequently work to block polyamine synthase activity and de-crease polyamine concentrations required for cell growth.

interstrand crosslinks (ICLs) that ultimately result in cell death. Unlike MC, AZMs possess additional electrophilic centers at the C6 and C7 position that presumably play a role in cytotoxicity. In order to understand the importance of these positions, several AZM analogs are being synthe-sized. Starting from commercial materials, the synthesis of AZM analogs containing an ethyl or benzyl group at C6, and C6/C7-dimethyl substituents involves several key steps, in-cluding the addition of an aziridine ring at C1, formation of a tetracyclic core, and installation of a carbamate at C10. To date, a cyclized aziridine ring in the C6-ethyl compound has been achieved, and the remaining compounds have reached the step just prior to this important functional group. These results and additional studies are presented herein.


MTN Deficiency Decreases Expression of Type III Secretory System ProteinsMayra Estrada and Ken Cornell (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversitylSAMPType III Secretory System (TTSS) Proteins are used by many pathogenic bacteria to adhere to mammalian cells and inject them with proteins that are important for set-ting up infections. The role of the MTA/SAH nucleosidase (MTN) on TTSS expression was investigated to determine if this represented a potential mechanism of drug action in E. coli. The capacity of E. coli wildtype (WT), MTN knockout (KO) and MTN knock-in (KI) strains to secrete the two specific TTSS proteins, EspB and Tir, was mea-sured by enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA). EspB, but not Tir, was significantly decreased in the KO strain relative to the WT and KI strains. The results sug-gest that inhibitors of MTN activity might work as antibi-otics by decreasing the virulence of pathogenic bacteria.

MTN activity regulates toxin production in pathogenic E. coli O157:H7Octavio Rodriguez and Ken Cornell (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversitylSAMPThe enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 causes dysentery, hemolytic uremic syndrome and death. The bacterium is spread by consumption of fecal contaminated food and water. Infections and virulence are sponsored by the production of hemolysin and shiga toxins (STXs) that are responsible for the damage to kidney endothe-lial cells. In this study, we examined the effect of loss of the enzyme MTA/SAH nucleosidase (MTN) activity in E. coli O157:H7 on hemolysin and STX expression. Toxin

expression in wild-type and MTN knockout strains of E. coli were compared using western blot analysis and ELISA. The results of our collaborative work showed that hemolysin and STX production were decreased in the MTN knockout strain relative to the wild-type, and suggest a role for MTN in toxin production. Our analysis also pre-dicts that MTN inhibitors could work as antibiotics by de-creasing toxin production required for virulence in E. coli.

Preparation of Aldehyde and Ketone Variants for Incorporation at the C6/C7 Positions of AziridinomitosenesFrank Gigray and Don Warner (Faculty Mentor)Caldwell Senior High School and Boise State UniversityPRojEct SEEDAziridinomitosenes (AZMs) are functionally and structurally similar to Mitomycin C (MC), a clinical anti-cancer agent. AZMs and MC function by forming interstrand cross-links (ICLs) with DNA, restricting cell replication. To form ICLs, MC requires a reductive activation step that presumably results in dose-limiting toxic side effects. AZMs, however, form ICLs without the activation step, which potentially al-leviates these concerns. Currently, the linear synthesis of AZMs is expensive and inefficient. Consequently, a more convergent method of preparation is being tested and

Multiple Binding Events Per One DNA Target as Means of Colorimetric DNA SensingSamantha Ward and Jeunghoon Lee (Faculty Mentor)Borah High School and Boise State UniversityPRojEct SEEDWe have designed a colorimetric test by utilizing the prox-imity dependent plasmonic absorbances of gold nanopar-ticles. When the distance between particles is greatly re-duced through the use of a DNA bridge, the nanoparticle solution changes from red to blue. This is performed by the attachment of complementary DNA strands to differ-ent nanoparticles, with the addition of a target that bridg-es the particles together. You can increase sensitivity in this test by using a catalytic hairpin reaction, in which the target releases another target that starts a new reaction. However, this test often suffers from false positives due to the need to supply nanoparticles with a pre-attached target. Catalytic Hairpin Assembly overcomes this prob-lem by releasing the initially added target strand back into solution to begin other reactions. This data comes from a series of aggregation experiments and gel electrophoresis tests that indicate the system is catalytic. Eventually, this method of colorimetric detection could offer a faster and less labor-intensive DNA sensing test that would be ideal for areas with less access to high-tech medical equipment.


Chemical Warfare Agents in Plants: Bio-defensive Terpenes from SagebrushBelinda Stierman and Dale Russell, Owen McDougal (Faculty Mentors)Boise State UniversityStUDENt RESEARch INItIAtIvE

To prevent being eaten, plants create compounds that are toxic to herbivores, and herbivores respond by creating new ways to metabolize these toxins. Here is one such example of bio-defensive terpenes synthesized by sage-brush to deter foraging by sage grouse. Recent work in the laboratory of Dr. Jen Forbey, Boise State University, resulted in the characterization of plant secondary metabo-lites (PSM’s); their investigation correlated terpene con-centration and nutritional content in local sagebrush on the habitat selection of sage grouse. Though terpenes have been well researched, the current project is to identify an important PSM that significantly affects sage grouse for-aging. The purpose of this work is to identify the struc-ture of this PSM, as well as other unknown PSM’s found in sagebrush, in order to better understand the role as chemical warfare agents to defray foraging. Sagebrush extracts will be analyzed and components identified using Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Volatile PSM’s will be identified using headspace analy-sis and less volatile PSM’s will be extracted with methy-lene chloride followed by direct injection into the GC-MS.

Chemistry and Biochemistryshould allow for a wider variety of AZMs to be more readily constructed. As part of this effort, a series of short-chain ketones and aldehydes are being prepared for incorpora-tion into the AZM framework. Specifically, these carbonyl compounds will allow for variation at the C6 and/or C7 positions. In turn, the biological importance of these sites can be tested. This and related work will be presented.

Np-EFFFKatherine Thornock and Dale Russell (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversityStUDENt RESEARch INItIAtIvE

The purpose of the Np-EFFF project is to explore a novel method of isolating membrane and lipophilic proteins from adipose tissues. Existing methods rely on water-based sol-vents and the use of surfactants which can destroy the protein function. The non-polar solutions are expected to maintain the native conformation and function of the proteins and to permit their study. We will design and construct the Np-EFFF instru-ment which comprises two oppositely charged electrodes, a channel between the plates, a sample inlet to the channel, and a protein detector at the end. Proteins are extracted from tissue samples and the material is suspended in the non-polar solvent. In the EFFF channel, proteins are attract-ed to the plate of opposite charge and progress through the channel depending on size and charge. If successful, this method will allow for the understudied proteins that are crit-ical to many life functions to be isolated and characterized.

Autoinducer-2 altered due to MTN gene knockout and radical SAM pathway disruptionKyle Murray and Kenneth Cornell (Faculty Mentor)College of Southern Idaho and Boise StateUniversityEPScoRQuorum sensing signals like autoinducer-2 (AI-2) are used by Escherichia coli and other bacteria for interspecies com-munication to regulate population wide gene expression. Due to the role of quorum sensing pathways in bacterial biofilm production and virulence, it is being explored as a potential target for antibiotic development. The bacte-rial enzyme MTA/SAH nucleosidase is part of a metabolic pathway that leads to AI-2 synthesis. MTN gene disruption resulted in loss of autoinducer-2 production as assessed by a Vibrio harveyi bioassay and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) studies. However, loss of AI-2 sig-naling had no apparent effect on growth in E. coli. Rather, growth and biofilm formation appears to be affected by loss of MTN dependent vitamin synthesis. These results could help explain how drugs designed to block MTN activity would cause their antibiotic effect to attenuate bacterial growth.


Human Carbonyl Reductase as Target for Alleviating Anthracycline Cardiotoxicity: Understanding Small Molecule Binding by Human Carbonyl ReductaseLeanna Brown and Henry Charlier (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversityAnthracyclines, commonly used chemotherapy drugs, are reduced by the enzyme Human Carbonyl Reductase (HCBR) into their alcohol metabolites, which lack cytotox-icity and possess cardiotoxic properties. Understanding how HCBR recognizes and binds small molecules such as anthracyclines promises to provide insight into the design of non-substrate anthracyclines or inhibitors that could be coadministered with the anthracyclines. A novel substrate, 2-acetyl-1-tetralone, was identified. Steady-state kinetic measurements estimated values of 2.5±0.5s-1, 220±20μM, and 0.011±0.002μM -1s-1 for kcat, Km, and kcat/Km values, re-spectively. Substrate inhibition was observed for concentra-tions above 400μM, and its kinetic properties were similar to that of the anthracycline Daunorubicin, suggesting its regi-oselective reduction by HCBR. Molecular modeling experi-ments led to the identification of a novel inhibitor candidate and to the hypothesis that the Met234 residue plays a role in anthracycline substrate specificity. The rate observed for 2-acetyl-1-tetralone compared to known substrates was an-ticipated by other molecular modeling experiment results.

Chemistry and BiochemistryAntibody responses in mice following intranasal vaccination with recombinant WNV antigens.Panos Panayiotou and Ken Cornell (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversityThe epidemic of West Nile Virus (WNV) infections began in the U.S. in 1999, and has since caused over 30,000 cases of severe disease and over 1,000 deaths. There is still no vaccine available to prevent disease in humans. To begin to explore the efficacy of a mucosal WNV vaccine, groups of BALB/c mice were intranasally immunized with formulations containing WNV DIII antigen. At the conclu-sion of the study, serum samples from the various vac-cine groups were pooled and analyzed for DIII specific antibodies using ELISA and western blotting. Secreted antibody responses in nasal washes and fecal pellet ex-tracts were also measured. The results showed that mice immunized with a cholera toxin-DIII fusion (“chimera”) or refolded DIII antigen alone developed high serum IgG ti-ters and significant levels of secreted IgA. These results promote the future development of an intranasal WNV vaccine consisting of DIII antigen for use in humans.

Computational Molecular Models for the Internal Isomerization of PerfluoroazapropeneBenjamin Greenwood and Cliff LeMaster (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversityDynamic nuclear magnetic resonance experimental val-ues for the internal isomerization of perfluorazapropene (PAP) have been obtained and can be modeled by two mechanisms found among imines. Nitrogen inversion, or the lateral shift mechanism, is supported by the low barri-ers found for imines substituted with phenyl groups where the aromatic ring stabilizes the transition state. The ro-tation mechanism is supported by imines with lone pair substituents attached to the imino carbon causing the barrier to be lowered. Using the proposed mechanisms, a computational study will be done to explore the tran-sition states with increasingly higher orders of theory. The resulting models will be compared for a theoreti-cal fit with the experimentally obtained values for PAP.

Transition State Analogs as Anti-parasitic AgentsGerald Cortright and Ken Cornell (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversityEntamoeba histolytica and Giardia intestinalis are unicellu-lar protozoan parasites that are responsible for widespread disease and mortality, especially in developing countries where emerging resistant strains are hard to treat with the currently available drugs. We are currently develop-ing new anti-parasitic agents that target the parasite en-zyme MTA nucleosidase. The drugs under investigation are transition state analogs(TSAs) that are potent inhibi-tors of MTA nucleosidase enzyme activity. The results of our studies show that TSAs are effective anti-parasitic drugs in in vitro studies, with IC50’s in the low micromo-lar to submicromolar range. Furthermore, TSAs appear to be as effective as metronidazole (MTZ). Future work will explore the utility of using TSAs to cure experimental infec-tions in mice and to potentiate the effectiveness of stan-dard anti-parasitics in treating drug-resistant organisms.

The impact of diet diversity and prey delivery rates on American Kestrel brood reduction and nestling survival in a drought yearAlia. W. Parrish and Julie A. Heath (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversityNSF REU FEllow

Climate change is affecting temperatures and precipitation patterns. In 2013, southwestern Idaho had one of the dri-est springs in the past 30 years. Small mammal popula-tions were low and American kestrel (Falco sparverius) fledging rates were lower than normal. We developed methods to evaluate kestrel diet and prey provisioning dur-ing the nestling period. Through video and photographs taken by trail cameras as well as with observations aided by a telescope, we observed several pairs of American kestrels and recorded prey delivery rates, diet diversity, and gender-specific rates of provisioning. We evaluated relationships between feeding patterns and nest fates. Results from this study will be useful for predicting im-pacts of extreme weather events on trophic-interactions.

The Influence of Integrins on Notch Signaling and AngiogenesisPeter DeFord, Katherine Westover and Allan Albig (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University INBRE FEllow

The Notch pathway is an important juxtacrine signaling mechanism that controls gene expression during cell de-velopment and angiogenesis. Unbalanced Notch signal-ing can provoke an excess of angiogenesis and capillary growth to tumors, providing nutrients and a pathway for metastasis. It has been demonstrated that the extracellular matrix (ECM) protein microfibril-associated glycoprotein-2 (MAGP-2) inhibits Notch signaling in endothelial cells, thereby promoting angiogenic cell sprouting. MAGP-2 contains an RGD integrin-binding domain that, when mu-tated, converted MAGP2 from an inhibitor of Notch to a signaling promoter. We hypothesize that integrin signaling suppresses Notch signaling. To test our hypothesis, we will experimentally add or remove RGD integrin-binding domains to and from other ECM molecules with various

Notch activities, and compare the ability of the different mutants to control Notch signaling. Results from these experiments may be useful to help design new molecules to disrupt integrin-Notch signaling, and suppress inap-propriate angiogenesis critical for cancer and metastasis.

Characterization of Mouse Mammary Tumor Cells with Reduced Inflammatory Cytokine Receptor ExpressionIva Stojkovska and Cheryl L. Jorcyk (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University INBRE FEllow

In the US, approximately 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. Metastasis frequent-ly occurs in breast cancer leading to patient lethality. Evi-dence suggests that inflammatory cytokines, involved in a number of biological processes including inflammation, he-matopoiesis, and development, contribute greatly to breast tumor invasion and metastasis. We investigated whether a particular inflammatory cytokine receptor plays a role in breast cancer metastasis by the knockdown of its expres-sion in 4T1.2 mouse mammary tumor cells. 4T1.2 knock-down cells were characterized and found to have reduced receptor expression by Western blot analysis and RT-PCR and decreased signaling activation by Western blot analy-sis of the transcription factor pSTAT3. These tumor cells will be used for in vitro experiments evaluating metastatic potential by measuring changes in proliferation, detach-ment, and migration between control and 4T1.2 receptor knockdown cells. Our results will help in understanding the role of inflammatory cytokines in breast cancer metastasis.

Biological Sciences


Embryonic mammary mesenchyme markers are re-expressed in Wntdriven mammary tumorsJessica Goldsberry, Hannah Parker and Minoti Hiremath (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversityINBRE FEllow

Parathyroid hormone related protein (PTHrP) and Wnt sig-naling pathways interact to direct mammary gland forma-tion in the embryo. These pathways induce the expression of various embryonic mammary mesenchyme (MM) mark-ers such as β-catenin, estrogen receptor (ER), androgen receptor (AR), tenascin-C, and OB-cadherin, which have been linked to breast cancer. Over expression of Wnt sig-naling, β-catenin, and tenascin-C promote tumor formation and growth; and OB-cadherin in epithelial cells of carci-nomas can induce metastasis. Furthermore, cellular com-munications in mammary development and neoplasia are similar, indicating the processes involved in tumorigenesis may be analogous to embryonic mammary development. In this study we examined Wnt1 driven tumors to deter-mine if Wnt1 drove expression of MM markers. As pre-dicted, high levels of β-catenin were observed. Preliminary results indicate ER and AR are present in Wnt tumors. By defining the expression of embryonic MM markers in mammary tumors, we can justify the use of the simple embryonic mammary development system in under-standing the complex signaling involved in breast cancer.

Morphological and molecular studies of trichomycetes in Idaho: systematic advances with local collections of arthropod gut endosymbionts from BoiseJustin Gause, Nicole Reynolds, Eric Tretter and Merlin White (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University INBRE FEllow

The trichomycetes constitute a cosmopolitan group of early diverging fungal and protistan obligate gut endo-symbionts that inhabit a wide range of arthropod hosts. Multiple genera, including the protistans Enterobryus and Paramoebidium and the fungus Orchesellaria, were

collected locally as part of preliminary surveys of under-sampled host taxa in Boise, Idaho. Preserved vouchers of some of these, including gut dissected specimens, were DNA extracted, PCR-amplified, sequenced, aligned and phylogenetically analyzed to determine where they belong evolutionarily. Their molecular placement, com-bined with morphological characterization, will augment our understanding of host specificity and offer a broader geographic context. This will contribute to ongoing inves-tigations into the diversity of our earliest protist ancestors, which is of particular interest, since some of the relatives of this group are parasites of vertebrates, including humans.

Aerial Warfare Between Bats and MothsJacqueline Peña and Jesse Barber (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University lSAMPEcholocating bats and their insect prey, moths, have been in aerial warfare for approximately 65 million years. Moths evolved defensive mechanisms against bats such as ul-trasonic bat detecting ears and the ability to answer bats with their own ultrasonic clicks. Earlier work has shown the purpose of the moth sounds are to warn of unpalat-ability, mimic other sound-producing moths, and to jam bat biosonar. We want to know: Do moth sounds match bat call echos? We predict that moth sounds match bat call echos to provide optimal interference with the echoloca-tion processing (i.e., jamming). We performed bioacous-tic analyses of moth sounds from Borneo and Panama to determine if they meet the requirements for biosonar jamming. This showed that the larger the frequency of bat calls, had a higher percentage of moth responses. This is important to know the prey and predator interac-tion and to understand the evolution of anti-bat defenses.

Biological SciencesReclassifying the subgeneric boundaries within Columnea (Gesneriaceae) to reflect evolutionary historyJadiel P. Rodriguez and James F. Smith (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversitylSAMPGenera with large numbers of species pose unique chal-lenges to understanding evolutionary history and the evolution of characters within such taxa. In such cases, breaking the taxon into smaller, manageable numbers is a means of making the project tractable. The genus Colum-nea (Gesneriaceae) comprises an estimated 250-300 spe-cies distributed in the Neotropics. Numerous subgeneric classifications proposed each relied on different characters to define sections. The present study analyses DNA se-quence data from representatives of all previous phyloge-netic classifications. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that no previous classification system defined sections that were exclusively monophyletic. Sections Pentadenia, Colum-nea, and Collandra most closely correspond to monophy-letic groups. Section Stygnanthe comprises two, relatively unrelated monophyletic clades and unsurprisingly, section Ortholoma is split into several clades. A new classification system is proposed that recircumscribes sections based on the phylogenetic analysis using morphological char-acters that are synapomorphies for each of the clades.

Localization of R-spondin1 complexes in the developing mammary glandJ. Tyler Bates and Minoti Hiremath (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversityStUDENt RESEARch INItIAtIvE

Mammary gland formation in the developing embryo en-tails signaling between the mammary epithelium and the underlying mammary mesenchyme. Parathyroid hormone related protein (PTHrP) signaling is essential for mammary development and is one of the many factors that relay sig-nals from the epithelium to the mammary mesenchyme. Studies have shown that PTHrP activates Wnt signaling in the mammary mesenchyme, although the mechanism by which this occurs, remains to be determined. Stud-ies in our laboratory have demonstrated that R-spondin1 (Rspo1) is upregulated by PTHrP. We hypothesize that PTHrP-induced Rspo1, forms a complex with lipopro-tein receptor-related protein 6 (LRP6) and leucine-rich repeat containing G-protein coupled receptor 5 (Lgr5) to activate Wnt signaling and maintain early mammary stem cells. Our goal is to localize Rspo1, LRP6 and Lgr5 in the developing mammary gland to determine if the physi-cal location of these proteins will permit them to interact and regulate mammary development. By understand-ing the role Rspo1 plays in normal development, we will be able to establish a model for Rspo1 in breast cancer.

Biological Sciences

Resolving evolutionary relationships of Malagasy Piper within the family Piperaceae using phylogenetic data and analysesSteven Lineses and James F. Smith (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University LSAMP

Dispersion of plants across the world remains important to biological and ecological studies. Detailed analyses of these dispersions can provide insights into the processes that result in biological distributions. One method to un-derstand biogeography is phylogenetic analysis. Pipera-ceae, distributed pantropically, has nearly all species in either Piper or Peperomia. Previous studies in Piper in-dicate that monophyletic groups in the Neotropics, Asia, and Pacific islands are present. In Africa we find species

derived from both the Pacific island and Asian clades. The goal of this analysis was to examine Malagasy Piper species not included in previous analyses. We generated DNA sequence data and used these data to compare Malagasy Piper to related taxa as a means to resolve evolutionary relationships. We see that Malagasy Piper is directly related to the Asia clade leading into Africa. We continue to add data in order to resolve these evolutionary relationships within Piperaceae.


Mating System Analysis of Native Populations of Medusahead (Tae-niatherum caputmedusae): Potential for Evolutionary Shifts During Biologi-cal InvasionsCarly Prior and Stephen Novak (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University StUDENt RESEARch INItIAtIvE

Taeniatherum caput-medusae (medusahead) is a highly invasive grass in the Western United States (U.S.). Using enzyme electrophoresis, I determined the mating system of native populations using two approaches: the Inbreeding Coefficient (F) method and progeny array analysis. These results were compared with data for invasive populations to determine whether an evolution of mating system is associ-ated with this invasion. Previous data indicated that 10 in-vasive populations were 99.8% self-pollinating, with a 0.2% outcrossing rate. Both approaches I used were in agree-ment, and indicate that the 10 native populations I analyzed are 100.0% self-pollinating (and 0.0% outcrossing). These data indicate an extremely high self-pollination rate for both native and invasive populations, and do not suggest a mat-ing system shift has occurred. Rather, high levels of self-pollination within native populations suggest that this highly selfing mating system may be a pre-adaptation contributing to the invasion of T. caput-medusae in the Western U.S.

Intra-annual patterns in rainfall, NDVI, and small mammal availability for southwestern IdahoMargaret Lisa Courchane and Julie A. Heath (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University EPScoRThere is increasing evidence that climate change and the resulting changes in growing seasons can influence floral and faunal phenology. Over the past 28 years, American kestrels have advanced their nesting season by ~ 30 days. We hypothesized that this species has advanced their breeding season to synchronize reproductive behavior with food resources that are available earlier as a result of warmer temperatures and early growing seasons. We collected historical weather data, gathered satellite-de-rived NDVI data, and captured small mammals to evalu-ate relationships between temperatures, plant germination

Biological Sciencesand prey seasonality in Southwest Idaho. In addition, we analyzed remote sensing data to assess the response of vegetation to changes in season over a 26 year span. Findings from this study will contribute to long term stud-ies on kestrel population dynamics and give insight on the factors that allow for advanced nest initiation dates.

Effects of Teriparatide on Bone CellsTravis Baker, Nic Baughman, Ashley Kelly, Daniel Lambert, Kellen Mather, Shaun Milard, Landon Nye, Jim Pelton, Tara Smith, Libby Stewart and Elisa Barney Smith, Julia Oxford, Liliana Mellor, Barbara Morgan (Faculty Mentors)Boise State UniversityMIcRogRAvIty

Astronauts in prolonged space flight and bedridden pa-tients experience bone density loss due to a lack of me-chanical stimuli. The mechanisms by which cells trans-duce physical stimuli to chemical signals are poorly understood. The goal of this experiment is to investigate the molecular mechanisms of calcium flux in response to hyper- and microgravity. Thus, the “Weightless Wonder” is an ideal environment in which to conduct the experi-ment. The primary focus of this experiment is to determine if the pharmaceutical teriparatide will alter calcium fluc-tuation in response to hyper- and microgravity. The FDA approved pharmaceutical teriparatide is known to induce bone formation in bedridden and osteoporotic patients. During the team’s research, no references to the testing of teriparatide in hyper- and microgravity conditions were found. Research proposed by the 2012-2013 Boise State Microgravity Team will be the initial real-time exploration of teriparatide at the cellular level in hyper- and microgravity.

Characterization of Shiga toxin expressed by Escherichia coli for use as a potential mucosal vaccineadjuvantKimberly Brown and Juliette Tinker (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University Many strains of Escherichia coli reside in the mammalian gastrointestinal tract and are known to be harmless and actually helpful in maintaining nutrient absorption. How-ever, E. coli strains that produce Shiga toxin (Stx) can cause serious illness. While native Stx is highly toxic, the b subunit (Stxb) is not, and can be exploited for use as a potential mucosal vaccine adjuvant. Stx, when cou-pled with an exogenous antigen, targets the MHC class I pathway and is then presented on the surface of den-dritic cells. This action emphasizes the function of Stx as a delivery system for vaccine antigens. A plasmid was previously constructed in the laboratory to express the non-toxic E. coli Shiga toxin b subunit (SxtIb). I used two variations of this plasmid, pNL001E/pNL001F, to perform assays to further characterize StxIb. Proteins were ex-pressed from these plasmids and purified from the E. coli periplasm. Analysis of non-toxic SxtIb production was fa-cilitated by performing affinity chromatography and SDS-PAGE. Once Stxb is purified, it will be used on dendritic cells in vitro to characterize cytokine production and com-pare to adjuvant effects of cholera toxin b subunit (CTB).

Herbicide Impacts on Forb Performace in Degraded Sagebrush Steppe EcosystemsAislinn Johns and Marie-Anne de Graaff (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University Frequent fires have led to increased invasion of sage-brush steppe ecosystem by Bromus tectorum (hereaf-ter: cheatgrass). This threatens sagebrush dependent species such as sage-grouse, a candidate for protec-tion under the Endangered Species Act. The pre-emer-gence herbicide containing imazapic has been found to successfully suppress cheatgrass in restoration proj-ects, however its impact on important native forbs uti-lized by sage-grouse is unknown. This study aims to as-sess how imazapic affects forbs in degraded unburned and recently burned sagebrush steppe ecosystems.

Since fire affects soil microbial activity and nutrient avail-ability to plants, imazapic may affect forb performance differently in recently burned areas. To this aim, we grew three forbs (Achillea millefolium, Astragalus filipes, and Sphaeralcea grossulariifolia) at four imazapic concentra-tions (0, 2, 4 and 8 oz./acre) in burned and unburned soils, in a controlled greenhouse study. We found: (1) imazapic concentration, significantly impacts forb performance, and (2) altered microbial activity resulting from recent fire does not mediate the impact of imazapic on forb performance.

Biological Sciences

Dryland Detritus Input and Removal Treatments (D-DIRT): Relating soil organic matter to carbon storage and climate changeLeslie Nichols and Marie-Anne de Graaff (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University Soil organic matter (SOM) aids in soil carbon (C) storage. Soil C storage regulates atmospheric CO2 concentrations relating to climate change. SOM input changes affect soil C cycling and atmospheric CO2 concentrations. However, the fundamental processes that control soil C cycling from SOM input changes are poorly understood. This D-DIRT project will investigate how SOM input changes affect soil C dynamics. We manipulated SOM inputs in dry shrublands at the Reynold’s Creek Experimental Watershed (ID). We selected sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) and bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata) shrubs and applied one of three SOM input treatments: (1) control (normal litter inputs); (2) no litter inputs (all litter removed annually); (3) double litter in-puts (litter from no litter plots added to these plots). Soil samples will be tested for soil C concentrations. Results will allow researchers to assess how rates and sources of plant litter inputs control C levels in dry shrublands over time.


Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi associations with Sagebrush and Cheatgrass in Idaho Sage SteppeIan DuVall and Marie-Anne deGraaff (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) invasion of semiarid shrublands in the intermountain west of North America has led to ecosystem degradation, including the loss of important ecosystem functions such as soil nutrient cy-cling, and a shorter fire cycle. Restoration efforts may be hampered by a lack of understanding the relationships between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and native plants. With this study, we evaluate whether invasion of sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) dominated ecosystems by cheatgrass alters AMF communities and native plant performance. Soil and root samples were collected from the Idaho Army National Guard’s Orchard Training Area at ten sample sites to represent native (pure sagebrush) and invasive (pure cheatgrass) communities, as well as a community in transition (50/50% sagebrush-cheat-grass). We extracted soil and root DNA and will use py-rosequencing to identify AMF species associated with cheatgrass and sagebrush communities. Understand-ing how invasion may alter AMF communities may help combat cheatgrass invasion in sage steppe ecosystems.

Precipitation impacts on plant-derived soil C input and soil C dynamicsAriane Shannon and Marie-Anne de Graaff (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University Precipitation shifts induced by climate change may alter litter decomposition rates in semi-arid ecosystems, as microbial activity in these systems is water limited. De-composition changes will directly affect soil carbon (C) cycling and C stored in soil. Since semi-arid ecosystems comprise 40% of global land mass, these changes may affect atmospheric CO2 concentrations, and thus climate change. Currently it is uncertain how changes in precipi-tation will affect decomposition rates. In this study we as-sessed how shifts in the amount and timing of precipitation affects sagebrush (Artemisia tridentate) litter decomposi-tion. Mesh bags containing sagebrush litter were installed underneath individual sagebrush shrubs at an ongoing ecohydrology experiment in a reciprocal design at INL. The experiment consists of a control (no manipulation) and two increased precipitations (200 mm yr-1) that differ in the timing of application of summer or winter. Over a three month period we quantified litter decomposition rates by mass loss and changes in litter C and nitrogen. Data will allow us to better understand impacts on the decomposi-tion and carbon sequestration in semi- arid ecosystems.

Biological Sciences

Genetic variation of a local American kestrel populationJade Weeks and Julie Heath (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversityGenetic analysis and genotyping of wildlife populations pro-vides molecular markers to answer ecological questions. For example, genetic diversity on a population level allows for adaptation and population change over time and indi-vidual heterozygosity may be indicative of fitness (survival or reproduction). We examined microsatellites of Ameri-can kestrels (Falco sparverius) in South Boise, Nampa and Caldwell area. We extracted DNA from blood samples of adult American kestrels, amplified the DNA in PCR, and ran the products through gel electrophoresis. We looked at six microsatellite regions to score alleles and whether that kestrel is homozygous or heterozygous for that al-lele. Results from this study will be useful for understand-ing genetic diversity within a local population of kestrels.

Purification of a cholera toxin – mecA fusion for use as a potential Staphylococcus aureus vaccineLaura Rogers and Juliette K. Tinker (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversityStaphylococcus aureus represents a leading cause of nos-ocomial and community-acquired infection worldwide. This gram positive bacterium has recently emerged as a major public health threat. Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) contains a gene called mecA. This gene encodes a virulence factor that is a penicillin binding pro-tein which allows the bacteria to be resistant to most beta lactam antibiotics. We have constructed a plasmid with the non-toxic subunit from Vibrio cholerae cholera toxin (CTB) and mecA to produce a chimeric protein for development as a potential vaccine against MRSA infections. We are cur-rently using E. coli to express the protein and the protein is then analyzed on an SDS-PAGE gel. We hope to isolate this protein and continue characterizing it in vitro using western blot, ELISA assay, confocal microscopy and tissue culture.

Switchgrass cultivars differentially affect soil carbon stabilizationJaron Adkins and Marie-Anne de Graaff (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversitySoil organic carbon (SOC) storage depends on the amount and quality of plant-derived carbon (C) inputs to soil, which is largely regulated by plant roots via the processes of root turnover and exudation. While we know that plant roots me-diate SOC stabilization, we do not fully understand which root characteristics specifically promote soil C storage. With this study we asked whether roots with coarse root systems versus roots with finely branched root systems dif-ferentially affect soil C stabilization. In order to answer this question, we used isotopic fractionation techniques to as-sess differences in soil C input and stabilization. We found significant differences in the amount of plant derived soil C among switchgrass cultivars, and these differences were positively correlated with some aspects of root architecture.

Biological SciencesAt The Root Of Sustainable Bioenergy: Using Genetic Variation In Root Traits To Maximize Soil Carbon SequestrationMary Finnell and Marie-Anne de Graaff (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University Cellulosic biofuel production may be a viable option to re-duce CO2 emissions from fossil fuel burning which can help mitigate global climate change. However soil disturbance required to prepare land for biofuel production can result in significant CO2 emissions back to the atmosphere. When grown in diverse mixtures plants may rapidly sequester this CO2 back into terrestrial ecosystems by enhancing soil C sequestration upon land-use change. With this project we wish to assess if increasing species or genetic diver-sity promotes C sequestration rates. To this end an experi-ment was set up at the Fermilab National Environmental Research Park (IL) in 2008, where diversity is manipulated at both the species (switchgrass [Panicum virgatum L.] and big bluestem [Andropogon gerardii]) and cultivar level. Soil cores were collected (0-15 cm depth) to assess the impact of species and cultivar diversity on soil C seques-tration. Preliminary results show that intraspecific diversity in big bluestem significantly affects soil C sequestration.

The Role of Inflammatory Cytokines in Metastatic Prostate CancerRobert Navert and Cheryl Jorcyk (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University Metastasis is the major complication that contributes to prostate cancer’s lethality in men. Previously, members of the interleukin-6 (IL-6) family of cytokines have been shown to play an integral role in the metastasis of various cancers including breast, liver, and pancreatic. Yet, little is known whether these cytokines are important in prostate cancer. IL-6 cytokines can induce a variety of changes in gene expression via signal transduction pathway media-tors such as STAT3. Phospho-STAT3-mediated transcrip-tion regulation may result in changes to prostate tumor cell proliferation and invasive potential. To study this in vitro, we utilized the human prostate carcinoma cell lines PC-3 and DU-145 to test whether IL-6 cytokines induce invasive capacity and metastatic potential in prostate car-cinoma. Our studies indicate that IL-6 cytokines increase both tumor cell detachment and proliferation. The role of STAT3 in these processes is currently being investigated. Collectively, this data suggests that inflammatory cyto-kines may play a critical role in prostate cancer tumorigen-esis and could one day provide novel therapeutic targets. Funded by ACS RSG-09-276-01-CSM, Komen KG100513


Factor Groups of Knot and LOT GroupsRenata Gerecke, Ryan Manheimer, Bryan Oakley, Sifat Rahman and Jens Harlander (Faculty Mentor)Pomona College, The College of New Jersey, University of Georgia, University of Michigan and Boise State UniversityNSF REU FEllowS

It is difficult to determine whether, given a finite, balanced group presentation, the group is finite or infinite. We study this problem in the context of knot groups and label orien-tated tree (LOT) groups. More specifically, we are looking at factor groups of knot & LOT groups by powers of meridians. This is in the spirit of Coxeter’s work on the factor groups of braid groups. Indeed, our findings generalize Coxeter’s work from the three-strand braid groups to knot groups.

Games, Genomes and GraphsK. Adamyk, E. Holmes, G. Mayfield, D. Moritz and Marion Scheepers (Faculty Mentor)Cordon College, Boise State University, Willamette University and Montana Tech NSF REU FEllowS

Ciliates, a single celled organism, upgrade their genome by reordering the encrypted DNA of their micro nuclei into readable strands. The decryption process uses context guided operations which can be modeled on permutations. Using a graphical representation of the permutation we have characterized which strings can be decrypted using one of these operations. Strands that cannot be decrypted by this operation can be analyzed using finite, determined games between two players. Utilizing graphical represen-tation, we have found criteria for deciding which of the two players has the winning strategy for certain permutations.

Whirlpool Hash Function: Generalization, Applications and ConnectionsDavid Albertson, Alexander Hegedus, Henry-Louis de Kergorlay, Desislava Nikolov, Laura Wells and Liljana Babinkostova (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University, Alma College, Wesleyan University, Stellenbosch University, and Providence College NSF REU FEllowS

In the fast-paced world of cryptography innovations, it is essential to anticipate attacks that will result in insecure electronic communication. Hash functions are used for password storage, message integrity verification, pseu-dorandom number generation, and non-repudiation in digital security. A hash function takes a string of arbitrary length and returns a string of a fixed length. Whirlpool is a state of the art hash function developed in 2003 and accepted by NESSIE, an international organization for selecting quality cryptographic functions for widespread use. We generalize the standard version of Whirlpool and explore its algebraic properties. In particular, we consider the group generated by the function; the larger that group is, the more secure the data will be after multiple encryp-tions. One challenge in the future will be to find a design method for building a secure hash function. This makes it particularly relevant to study the algebraic structures underlying the generalized hash function. Our analysis of the component functions has diverse applications, espe-cially in solving combinatorial problems from other areas of science, such as computer science and neuroscience.

MathematicsMathematics


Dendrochronologic reconstruction of fire frequency in the upper Dry Creek WatershedKayla Kinkead and David Wilkins (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University NSF REU FEllow

Rapid climate change may alter fire frequency regimes in the Boise Front range. The purpose of this study is to use dendrochronology in addition to cross-dating fire scars to determine the fire recurrence interval within the Boise Front. Fire scar wedges and tree cores were collected in the at-tempt to reconstruct a fire history in the upper Dry Creek watershed. This reconstruction will allow for a better un-derstanding of how the frequency of wild fires has changed over approximately the past 400 years. Tree cores and fire scar samples were collected from Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) along S-SE aspects in the upper Dry Creek wa-tershed. In the lab samples were mounted, planed, sand-ed, and micro-polished in order to be analyzed with a mi-croscope. The resulting fire history can be combined with other similar records in the area to understand the frequen-cy and variability of disturbance at a larger spatial scale.

Measuring Wind-Blown Sediments in the Boise FoothillsPhill Hummer, Jen Pierce and Shawn Benner (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversityStUDENt RESEARch INItIAtIvE

Wind-blown sediments are an important part of geomor-phic and hydrologic processes. Dust deposition has a significant influence on soil development, soil fertility and other soil characteristics. A rigorous study of the move-ment of dust in the Boise Foothills has not been com-pleted. Measurements of wind-blown sediments can be used to quantify the amount of dust deposition in the Boise Foothills. Elemental analysis will be conducted to provide an elemental fingerprint to “Boise dust” and to allow comparisons between the dusts of other regions. The measurement of wind-blown sediments in Dry Creek Experimental Watershed (DCEW) will be made using passive marble samplers. Complete instrumentation of DCEW will follow evaluation of the design and will include trap installment at boundary elevations, representative aspects, and near other important hydrologic locations.

Assessing the reliability of stable isotopes in fossil bone: a unique case study of prehistoric lung pathologyKathleen Bundy and Sam Matson (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University StUDENt RESEARch INItIAtIvE

Mammals at Ashfall Fossil Beds (NE) offer a unique op-portunity to test for the preservation of primary isotopic sig-natures in fossilized materials. At this site, large herbivores such as rhinoceroses, horses, and camels are buried in volcanic ash sourced from an eruption of the Bruneau-Jarbridge caldera (ID/NV) ca. 12 million years ago. Most fossils from Ashfall display pathologic bone symptomatic of a lung disease (hypertrophic osteopathy or “Marie’s Dis-ease”) likely related to inhalation of volcanic ash. Since high fever is also a symptom associated with acute Marie’s Disease, the Ashfall mammals likely experienced elevated body temperatures during precipitation of the pathologic bone. In this study, we test whether body temperature differences can be reconstructed from the Ashfall fossils by comparing the stable oxygen isotopic ratio (d18O) of pathologic bone with that of normal cortical bone. Ini-tial results show lighter d18O values in pathologic bone, suggesting preservation of original isotopic signatures.

GeosciencesUsing Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) to Evaluate Wildfire Hazards in the Boise FrontBrian M. Lawless and Jennifer Pierce (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversityIDotEAch

Photogrammetry and Orthophotography are technologies that create three-dimensional models from two-dimensional images using a process called Structure from Motion. Imag-ery can originate from a traditional camera, aerial photog-raphy, and recently, stereoscopic or broad-spectrum cam-eras mounted on an unmanned aerial system (UAS). In this project we will be using dual cameras mounted on a UAS to image a region of the Boise Foothills located northeast of Boise in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). We will then process the images using Photoscan software designed to create very accurate 3D models. This detailed information can be used to determine vegetation type and coverage, geomorphological structure, and anthropological impact of an area. We will be using the information to assess risks of fire and post-fire erosion in the Boise WUI. Our project will involve interaction with local, state, and federal agen-cies, as well as education of the public due to perceptions of the safety and privacy concerns of unmanned aircraft.

Dendrochronological Reconstruction of Fire, Bogus Basin Area Boise National ForestAmy Cutter and David Wilkins (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversityStUDENt RESEARch INItIAtIvE

Since people have settled within the Boise Front, there is very little documented fire disturbances due to the out-come of fire suppression policies. There is evidence that the old growth ponderosa pines have withstood multiple fires, located on the East Side Trail, in the Boise National Forest. Samples were collected using a chainsaw to re-move small partial cross-sections from trees that indicate multiple firescars. These cut samples where mounted; the surface was planned and sanded using progressively finer sandpaper. The Boise Front master chronology was used to accurately cross-date samples, and measured for sta-tistical analysis, using FHX2 software. Analyzing the fire-scared samples allows us to better understand past fire events, which may help us better understand future im-plications regarding fires caused by increasing tempera-tures and severity of drought. This climate change is pro-jected to impact sagebrush-forest ecotone for the region.

Geosciences

PhysicsA Comparison of the Wavelengths of Light from Distant Active GalaxiesJohn Kramis and Daryl Macomb (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversityThis project employs the Challis Astronomical Observatory (CAO) to examine the B, V, R, and I-band (optical) brightness of blazars to compare optical flaring activity with observations of high-energy x-ray and gamma-ray flares from other observa-tories. Blazars are black holes with millions to billions of times the mass of the Sun, located in distant galaxies, emitting huge amounts of radiation. It is valuable to examine the relationship between these flares so that we can confidently make inferences about the nature of particle acceleration and radiation mechanisms in these sources. The CAO records nightly images (when possible) of numerous blazar sources. The magnitude of the optical light bands of each source and for some reference stars in each image are recorded, compared, and graphed. These light-curves are then compared with Fermi gamma-ray obser-vations. We look at examples of the optical/gamma-ray correlations and discuss possible connections to science education.


Computer ScienceOpenCUDA+MPIKenny Ballou and Alark Joshi (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University StUDENt RESEARch INItIAtIvE

The introduction and rise of General Purpose Graphics Computing has significantly impacted parallel and high-performance computing. It has introduced challenges when it comes to distributed computing with GPUs. Cur-rent solutions target specifics: specific hardware, specific network topology, a specific level of processing. Those restrictions on GPU computing limit scientists and re-searchers in various ways. The goal of OpenCUDA+MPI project is to develop a framework that allows research-ers and scientists to write a general algorithm without the overhead of worrying about the specifics of the hardware and the cluster it will run against while taking full advan-tage of parallel and distributed computing on GPUs. As work toward the solution continues to progress, we have proven the need for the framework and expect to find the framework enables scientists to focus on their research.

Visualization of Large Animal Colonies in a Scalable and Distributed EnvironmentJonathan Stohler and Alark Joshi (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversitylSAMPVisualization and effective management of large animal colonies demonstrate a major challenge for Biological re-searchers. The Boise State Visualization Group has previ-ously developed a framework called Colony Visualization Environment (CoVE) specifically for this need. The current framework, however, is too demanding, inaccessible, and complex for many researchers. Our goal is to develop CoVE into a more user friendly and distributive environment. To achieve this goal, we are required to translate the current framework into an environment that is easily accessible and understandable to researchers. This will challenge us to vi-sualize large amount of data sets into a scalable and easily understandable format while maximizing the perception of the entirety of the data. We are also challenged to store all of this data into a central location, allowing all researchers to have access to the same updated information anywhere. This new environment will allow for more effective manage-ment, distribution, and visualization of large animal colonies.

Electrical & Computer EngineeringDocument Analysis of Melville’s MarginaliaAlexandro Vega, Blake Dietz, and Elisa Barney Smith (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University lSAMPMelville was one of the first true “American authors” who had a writing style and creative process almost his own. The goal of this project is to research the mind of one of the most prolific and original authors in American his-tory. With the destruction of his original manuscripts, we look toward the marginalia of the many books he owned to give us insight into the mind of one of America’s most prolific authors. In order to convert the marginalia into a digital version for us to search and analyze, we must use optical character recognition (OCR). This technol-ogy allows us to turn scanned documents, works or im-ages into editable and searchable data. The technolo-gies included in our project is a Linux computer as well as the PHP, Python and XML programming languages. We are very excited to continue work on this project.

Neuromorphic LearningCarlos Berrocal, Bianca Bologa, Kyle Straub, Nathaniel Weissinger and Elisa Barney Smith (Faculty Mentor)University of New Mexico, Capital High School and Boise State UniversitylSAMP, cRA-w & DREU FEllow

Memristors are resistive circuit elements that allow chang-es in resistance using voltage pulses. The neuromorphic computing group at Boise State University has been build-ing memristors and using them in neural networks, where they represent synaptic weights for neurons. Learning in the network is done an unsupervised manner using spike-timing-dependent-plasticity (STDP). Unsupervised learn-ing occurs without explicit signals controlling the neuron’s learning. Through STDP, the neuron becomes sensitive to repeating spike patterns in a spike train. The synaptic weights are increased on early firing afferents and the post-synaptic latencies are decreased. We are currently evalu-ating how the learning algorithm works. Simulations in Mat-lab are being conducted focusing on unsupervised learning using STDP. These simulations will provide a good applica-tion for memristors. Since STDP might be the mechanism through which the synapses in the brain operate, modeling it using memristors is a good choice for neural networks.

Memristive Device ResearchJesse Reyna and Kris Campbell (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversitylSAMPThe objective of this research is to enhance a new type of integrated circuit continuously-variable resistor devel-oped at Boise State University called a memory resistor, or memristor. The device is capable of being programmed to many resistance values, unlike current integrated cir-cuit technology which requires a constant voltage ap-plied to a device in order to achieve a variable resistance. Device enhancements include the use of new materials that may make it more accurate and easily programmed. Through the Boise State Idaho Microfabrication Labo-ratory we are able to fabricate memristor devices with new materials and then electrically characterize them in the research laboratory using semiconductor param-eter analyzers. The intention is to develop the memris-tor for the use in artificial neural networks because of their similar electrical response to neurons in the brain.


Materials Science & Engineering

Thermodynamic Design Optimization of DNA-Based Chemical Reaction NetworksAnn Delaney, William L. Hughes, and Elton Graugnard (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversityINBRE FEllow

A potential method of disease diagnosis involves detection of microRNAs (miRNAs), which appear in low concentra-tions in human blood. Current miRNA detection involves expensive methods, such as Polymerase Chain Reaction. An alternative chemical reaction network has been designed using synthetic DNA. This modular system entails a trans-lator, which accepts the target miRNA as input and outputs an independent “catalyst” DNA strand, and an amplifier, which is triggered by the catalyst strand to produce expo-nential signal amplification. The translator network consists of a three-strand substrate complex and single-stranded fuel. The target miRNA initiates translator operation via

Developing a Researchers Plan: Kinetics of Dysprosium OxidationKelci Lester and Darryl Butt (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University NoycE RESEARch INtERNShIP

In the Advanced Materials Laboratory at Boise State Uni-versity the project of study is the affects of oxidation on Dysprosium. Dysprosium is element 66 on the periodic table that is soft rare earth metal with a metallic luster to it. A research assistant’s job consists of completing a variety of small task to reach the main objective. Some tasks consist of sample preparation by mounting, sec-tioning, and polishing dysprosium so that the microstruc-ture is visible in a scanning electron microscope. The steps taken are similar to executing a lesson plan for a school year. When teaching a broad subject it is prudent to divide the topic into smaller lesson plans, which are as-sessed using exams. In research, the same technique is used to access the process for preparing samples. Being a research assistant teaches hands on knowledge with the math and sciences, as well as skills that are communi-cable with lesson planning and presenting your research.

Civil EngineeringComparison of laboratory and field results of concrete sealersRafael Flores Estrada and George Murgel (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversitylSAMPThe Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) has interest in comparing results from using the same sealer treat-ment on Portland Cement Concrete Pavements (PCCP) during laboratory tests as compared to applications made in the field on actual roadways and bridges. The intent of the treatments is to lower maintenance time and cost by slowing PCCP deterioration due the physical and chemical process. Laboratory tests on PCCP samples included: Saltwater absorption test to measure the abil-ity of the sealer to limit the ingress of chlorides into the concrete, Alkali resistance test to determine the ability of the sealer to resist penetration from alkali solutions. The laboratory tests included several sealers that had been field applied as well as a number of newer formulations that have not previously been available for field applica-tion. Cores samples were taken annually from several lo-cations around the state. These core samples were tested for water absorption using methods based on Alberta In-frastructure BT005 test procedure. These results will be compared to laboratory applications of the sealer to de-termine the relationship of laboratory to field performance.

The Cusp Parabolic WeirOsvaldo Lozoya and Jairo Hernandez (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University lSAMPWeirs are a type of hydraulic structure used to measure and control the amount of water discharge in rivers, ca-nals, and streams. Weirs have two types of flow associated with them, submerged flow and free flow. Submerged flow has water discharge partially underwater and flow rate is governed by changes in downstream depth. Free flow oc-curs when water is discharged in the air. Research is being performed on a cusp parabolic weir under submerged and free flow. The cusp parabolic weir is etched out from steel and placed in a flume channel. A literature review was per-formed as summer research activity for future weir testing. Testing results will be compared to other weir types, consid-ering optimization and uncertainty, and a conclusion will be drawn. This work is being performed in an effort to reintro-duce an efficient weir for measuring water flow accurately.

Mechanical & Biomedical EngineeringDevelopment of a fibrous gel to model ligament healingNoelia Caloca and Trevor Lujan (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversitylSAMPLigaments are fibrous tissues that stabilize joints by con-necting bone to bone. Ligament injuries result in over sev-en million hospital visits per year and one-third of patients have significant symptoms for three years post-injury. A reason for this slow healing time is related to fiber align-ment. In a healthy ligament, the fiber networks are aligned for optimal mechanical strength, but the fiber network in healing ligament is disorganized. The specific impact of fiber alignment on ligament function can be investigat-ed using tissue-equivalent surrogates. The objective of

this research is to synthesize and test a collagen-agarose material that has a disorganized fiber pattern similar to a healing ligament. Results from this work are supporting ef-forts to mathematically model healing ligaments and to de-velop therapies that increase the rate of ligament healing.

Maximizing Gold Nanoparticle Attachment onto DNA OrigamiAndres Correa, Juan Flores-Estrada, JT Sam, Lejmarc Snowball and Wan Kuang, William L. Hughes (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University tRIo PRogRAM, lSAMP, McNAIR, INBREHigh yield, proximal assembly of metallic nanoparticle arrays is essential for near-field, diffraction-limited, opto-electronic applications. Nanoparticle arrays, with con-trolled spacing, have been assembled onto DNA origami nanostructures. Studies of quantum dot attachment us-ing biotin have shown that using multiple biotin tethers per binding site significantly increases attachment yield. Extending this approach, here we report multi-tether at-tachment yields for DNA functionalized gold nanoparticles. To explore multi-tether attachment of gold nanoparticles, three binding site strategies were designed. Designs in-cluded 1 tether per binding site (1x), 2 tethers per bind-ing site (2x), and 4 tethers per binding site (4x). The 1x and 2x designs used existing DNA origami nanotubes,2 while the 4x design required side-by-side dimerization of two parallel nanotubes to increase the axial concentra-tion of tethers per binding site. All three designs incorpo-rated 9 binding sites separated by 43 nm. The 4x tether design had the highest attachment probability (p = 0.95).

toehold-mediated strand invasion with the substrate. The stability and selectivity of the network depend largely on the location and length of the toehold region on the substrate. Thermodynamic design optimization was performed (using NUPACK) to identify substrate designs that promote maxi-mum stability of the translator. Select designs were char-acterized experimentally to verify this design methodology.


Materials Science & EngineeringEffects of Heat Treatment on Grain Structure of Oxide-Dispersion Strengthened (ODS) SteelsEric Lyons, Cassie Runyan and Janelle Wharry (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversityOxide-dispersion strengthened (ODS) steels are leading candidate materials for fuel cladding tubes in advanced nuclear reactors. Their desirable properties include high strength at extreme operating temperatures and resistance to radiation. A potential issue, is that fabrication heat treat-ments could modify the grain boundary character, acceler-ating cracking or corrosion in-service. The objective of this project is to understand the effect of the fabrication heat treatments on the grain boundary character of Fe-9Cr ODS steels. We will focus on two Fe-9Cr ODS steels that have been subject to four different fabrication heat treatments. The project involves two components: specimen prepara-tion and specimen analysis. Specimen surfaces will be pre-pared by mechanical polishing followed by etching. Speci-men analysis will be conducted with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) to observe the grain structure and ori-entations. The outcome will be an understanding of how to optimize heat treatments to minimally affect grain structure.

Study of Microstructure in 9YWTV ODS by Correlation of EBSD and TEM AnalysesTasha J. Buss and Janelle P. Wharry (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University Oxide-dispersion strengthened (ODS) steels are currently the leading candidates for fuel cladding tubes in advanced nuclear reactors. ODS steels contain dispersed oxide nanoparticles, which provide increased strength and irra-diation resistance. However, there remains a problem with consistent fabrication and manufacturing of these materials with regards to varying grain structure, grain size, and ox-ide particle distribution pre- and post-heat treatments. In an attempt to solve this problem, the objective of this project is to understand the microstructure of these as-received ma-terials and determine if the fabrication process is efficient and useful. Two related Fe-9Cr ODS steels are investigated in this project: 9YWTV-PM1, and 9YWTV-PM2, each with various heat treatments. To analyze the microstructure of 9YWTV-PM1 and 9YWTV-PM2, the as-received condition will be imaged using a combination of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to correlate the results and aid a further understand-ing of the grain structure and distribution of nanoparticles.

McNair Scholars ProgramThe effects of past parental involvement and expectations on college students motivationEricka Hill and Jennifer Weaver (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University An abundance of empirical studies suggests a link be-tween parental involvement and parental expectations in their child’s schooling and the educational development of their child. Considering the large body of research, this study examines how past parental involvement and past parental expectations impact college students’ level of mo-tivation. For this research college students from various majors, who attend a nontraditional university in the north-western region of the United States, completed a question-naire concerning their parents’ level of involvement and level of academic expectations during their child’s k-12 education. The questionnaire focuses on the student’s perceptions of their own academic competence and their perceived perceptions of their autonomy within academia as well as the reasons they attend a university. This re-search will focus on three main motivational outcomes; intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and amotivation.

Gender Differences in Depression and Maladaptive Decision-MakingThomas Weekes and Matthew Genuchi (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University Women are twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), as presently defined in the DSM-IV-TR (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). More research has been devoted towards understanding this difference, specifically investigating a masculine or atypical symptom presentation. Furthermore, it has been established that persons with MDD have a proclivity for mal-adaptive decision-making styles; however, no investigation has yet to be conducted on the relationship between specif-ic decision-making styles and depression. I anticipate find-ing that participants (both male and female) who rate high on the Masculine Depression Scale will also demonstrate an affinity for more maladaptive decision-making styles (i.e. procrastination, buck-passing, and hypervigilance) as measured by the Melbourne Decision Making Question-naire. These research findings will help to further establish the validity of the MDS as means of measuring atypical de-pression symptomology and draw links between patterns of depression and maladaptive decision-making styles.

Avida Checkpoint/Restart ImplementationNilab Mohammad Mousa and Dirk Colbry(Faculty Mentor)Boise State University and Michigan State UniversityAvida software is a platform to study self-replicating and evolving digital organisms. Currently its efficacy is limited by the processing power available, due to the fact that the checkpoint/restart ability is not implemented. This restric-tion constrains the potential of the software. In hopes of reducing those limitations, this research examines whether or not Berkeley Lab Checkpoint/Restart (BLCR) can be in-tegrated with the run script that is used for Avida. Adding checkpoint/restart functionality to Avida will have multiple im-pacts on effectiveness of the software and future research.

Mexico: A History of the Sixties Through CorridosJ. Osciel Salazar and Emily Wakild (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University For Mexico, the sixties was a time of social movements, modernization attempts, and economic growth for the middle class. Yet, the history of Mexico during the sixties is a period that is often overlooked by historians. History is recorded through many different sources but often times many sourc-es intended for the lower class are seldom analyzed. This project will utilize corridos, or narrative Mexican ballads, as primary sources to depict a history of the oppressed during the sixties. For the project significant stanzas of the cor-ridos are translated into English, analyzed and historically interpreted. A few common themes have been extracted from the numerous corridos. Some of these themes include student movements, land reforms, and natural disasters. This project will contribute to the history of the sixties and demonstrate the importance of other primary sources.

Oxidation Study of Cerium MonosulfideSumit R. Tamrakar, Brian Jaques, Joshua Kane, and Darryl P. Butt (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University

Cerium monosulfide is an attractive crucible material for most molten materials including actinide, lanthanide, alkali, and alkaline earth metals. It has a high melting point, low electri-cal resistivity, and low vapor pressure. Cerium monosulfide shows little, if any, interaction with nearly all metals except for platinum. The kinetics of thermal oxidation of Cerium monosulfide with molecular oxygen was studied in the tem-perature range of 300°C – 600°C using thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry (TGA-DSC), scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectros-copy, and x-ray diffraction. Isothermal and non-isothermal TGA experiments suggest a complex gas-solid reaction mechanism with highly energetic intermediate reactions.

Use of Global Electrochemical Techniques to Characterize Localized Corrosion Behavior on Aluminum AlloysJoseph R. Croteau, Kerry N. Allahar, Darryl P. Butt, Michael F. Hurley (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University Precipitated intermetallic phases strengthen aluminum air-craft alloys; these inclusions also establish localized elec-trochemical environments, significantly influencing the bulk corrosion behavior of such alloys. To gain insight on the ef-fects of intermetallic phases on the bulk corrosion behavior, two forms of electrochemical characterization techniques were used, polarization scans and impedance spectrosco-py. Aluminum alloys 1100 and 2024-T3 were tested in solu-tions ranging in both pH and chloride concentrations. Differ-ences in the corrosion behavior of the alloys compared to pure aluminum can be attributed to the localized corrosion sites resulting from the presence of intermetallic phases.


McNair Scholars Program“The Melville-Hawthorne Friendship and its Impact on Moby-Dick.”Connie Townley and Steven Olsen-Smith (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University My research seeks to explore the friendship between Her-man Melville and Nathanial Hawthorne and its influence on Melville’s writing of Moby-Dick. Through my review of existing scholarship on the composition of Moby-Dick, including Melville’s changing of the narrative from an ad-venture tale to what became a work of substantial artistic and philosophical significance, I wish to highlight the role Hawthorne played as a creative catalyst in Melville’s life and work. I also seek to make a connection between the Melville-Hawthorne friendship and how it specifically influ-enced the rewriting of the opening chapters of the book, which Melville expanded to highlight the friendship of the main character, Ishmael, and his close fraternal bond with the harpooner Queequeg. More than any other change to the narrative, I argue, these late additions grew from and mirror the fraternal bond Melville developed with Hawthorne during the composition of his masterwork.

A Matter of Principle: The Influence of America’s Declaration of Independence on Post-Declaration LiteratureKenneth Winkleman, Steven Olsen-Smith, and Scott Yenor (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversityThis study explores the ways in which selected principles contained within America’s Declaration of Independence are addressed in various works of post-Declaration lit-erature, both fictional and non-fictional. Most of the ex-amined works are from the nineteenth-century as it was during this time that America’s writers were attempting to establish a uniquely American literature, and the Dec-laration of Independence is uniquely American. Drawing upon scholarship from the document itself, I discuss the Declaration and provide brief explications of three princi-ples contained within the preamble. I then compare and contrast how those same principles are incorporated and interpreted in passages from each piece of writing. The purpose of the study is to demonstrate how important political ideas and values often become part of the pub-lic discourse and are imbued into public consciousness, not necessarily by way of official state documents or philo-sophical treatises, but through the medium of literature.

Dynamic decision making innon-irrigated corn production: Farmer incentives to delay inputs under climate changeZachary M. Turk and Kelly Cobourn (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University This research explores whether an incentive will exist for agricultural producers to adjust input strategies under cli-mate change. The analysis is conducted in non-irrigated corn production, as part of corn-soybean crop rotations, in Humboldt and Webster counties, Iowa. Within a theo-retical framework of producer decision making to minimize uncertainty and maximize profits, a process-based crop simulation model, the Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) Model, is used to test different agricultural input strategies. EPIC is validated against historical yield data, and probable climate change scenarios are derived from the REGCM4 regional climate model. The outcome is an assessment of whether and to what extent farmers under neoclassical assumptions will choose to delay pro-duction inputs within a multiyear production environment when faced with climate change. This research can be used to preemptively adjust agricultural and development policies to protect producers and markets from weather severity and variance components of climate change.

McNair Scholars Program

Dis-Empowered Spaces: the politics of Mexican immigrant community engagementAbraham Calderon and Arthur Scarritt (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University This study addresses how the unique experiences of Mexi-can immigrants affect worker mobilization in the US. Previ-ous investigations into successful mobilizations establish the possibility of immigrant organization given appropri-ate opportunities. Questions remain, however, regarding how the process materializes in absence of opportunities. The severe anti-worker and anti-immigrant environment in Idaho presents a perfect place to study this because it provides insight into how limited opportunity influences im-migrant methods of addressing workplace and community grievances. Drawing from 20 qualitative interviews of Mexi-can immigrants residing in Idaho, this study identifies key processes that enable and curtail Mexican immigrant com-munity engagement as part of their daily struggle for full incorporation into US society. I argue that immigrants who have succeeded in defying pressures to acculturate and acquired knowledge of their rights have not only begun to reclaim the agency they exercised in Mexico but have ac-tually acquired a more substantive level of empowerment.

Expanding the Conversation: An Analysis of Multicultural Literature Selection Process in Western United States Elementary SchoolsMaria Elena Martinez and Claudia Peralta (Faculty Mentor)Boise State University This study is a follow-up analysis of the 2012 study titled “A Study of the Availability of Multicultural Children’s Litera-ture in Treasure Valley Schools: Quality, Access, and Inclu-sion”. This follow up study will focus on children’s literature selection process in elementary schools. Quality multicul-tural literature encourages children to reaffirm the values of their own culture and come to appreciate those of oth-ers. Thus multicultural literature has a significant impact on students’ developing identities. This article seeks to inves-tigate factors that effect elementary school’s quality multi-cultural literature acquisition process. Of particular interest

are several elementary schools that have a relatively high content of multicultural children’s literature. Librarians from these elementary schools were interviewed, regarding the school’s literature acquisition process and the librarian’s personal accounts of multicultural children’s literature. Through this analysis this study examines the elementary schools’ success in attaining quality multicultural literature.

Exposure to Trauma: An Insight to Officer Coping MechanismsMarybel Cortez and Jeremy D. Ball (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversityPolicing is a vital aspect of society; therefore, it is vital to fully understand how police officers react to trauma. Stud-ies have shown that officers endure a distinctive source of stress, and are presented with the risk of exposure to traumatic events. Direct exposure to trauma is any first-hand involvement with trauma—such as engaging in fire—and indirect exposure to trauma is as a second-hand interaction—like hearing about an assault. In or-der to better understand the availability of employee as-sistance programs, officers’ use of these resources, and the effectiveness of such programs, this study seeks to identify coping mechanisms police officers utilize to over-come trauma. Using a survey and collecting data from the participating agencies, the purpose of this study is to improve policies and procedures and to offer administra-tions a better understanding of what officers need to over-come the effects of being exposed to traumatic events.

The Misogyny of the CrossEric Schooley and Leslie Madsen-Brooks (Faculty Mentor)Boise State UniversityThis project explores familial and political roles of women in Scandinavia during the seventh through tenth centuries. In Pre-Christian Scandinavia, women’s roles were much more equal than under the Church. Before the massive influx of Christians into the area, women enjoyed political agency, property rights, military service, and unquestioned authority in the home. These long-held practices were eradicated by Christian missionaries over the course of these few centuries. The questions addressed in this proj-ect include: how did women’s roles change, what would their future options as women be, and what did they lose or gain in the process? The answers to these questions are drawn from such sources as epic poetry, material culture, and church records. The long-term effects of the “Christian Invasion” of Scandinavia were primarily negative, especial-ly for women. This project seeks to describe the evolution from an egalitarian ideology to a more repressive culture.

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