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University of Tennessee’s  5th Annual Women in STEM Research 

Symposium  

Tuesday, March 26th and Wednesday, March 27th, 2019 Strong Hall and Student Union 

  

Welcome to the 5th Annual Women in STEM Research Symposium!                   Although women are graduating high school with equal interest in                   science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to their male                 counterparts, and although women make up half the overall                 workforce, they make up only 24 % of the STEM workforce. And these                         numbers are even worse for women of color and at the leadership                       level. This not only indicates that there is a leak in the STEM career                           “pipeline” but also that scientific innovation is being held back and                     ideas are being left on the table.  

This year, Pipeline is excited to have our annual research symposium                     take place as part of UTK’s first ever Women in STEM Week. This                         initiative was pushed forward by Dr. Bhavya Sharma and Dr. David                     Jenkins from UTK Chemistry.  

As part of Women in STEM Week, we’ve expanded our traditional                     full-day research symposium to include a networking night and                 organization fair. This event will be followed up by our introductory                     keynote speaker, Dr. Karen Lloyd, from UTK Microbiology. 

Our research symposium will commence on Wednesday morning in                 the new Student Union. This event is a hallmark feature of Pipeline:                       Vols for Women in STEM. This full day symposium will include poster                       and oral presentations from undergraduate students, graduate             students, and post-docs from UT Knoxville and surrounding areas,                 including Oak Ridge National Lab and East Tennessee State University.                   Awards will be given to the top student presenters at the end of the                           day! The symposium will conclude will a plenary lecture by Dr.                     Heather Allen from Ohio State University. We hope you enjoy these                     events! 

   

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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS  

Tuesday, March 26th Career/Networking Fair + Student Organization Fair  4:00 – 6:00 PM Strong Hall Atrium  Keynote Speaker 6:00 – 7:00 PM Dr. Karen Lloyd- Associate Professor of Microbiology Strong Hall 101- Auditorium  

Wednesday, March 27th Coffee, Check-in, & Presenter Setup  8:00 – 8:30 AM Student Union Ballroom  Welcoming Remarks 8:30 – 8:55 AM Jasmine Kreig, Chair of Pipeline: Vols for Women in STEM Student Union Auditorium  Poster and Oral Presentations, Session A 9:00 – 11:30 AM Poster Presentations, SU Ballroom (272) Oral Presentations, 362A   Lunch (For Presenters and Invited Guests)  12:00 – 1:00 PM Pick up lunch boxes in Student Union Ballroom  Networking Bingo 1:00 – 1:50 PM Student Union Ballroom  Poster and Oral Presentations, Sessions B/C 2:00 – 4:30 PM Poster Presentations, SU Ballroom (272) Oral Presentations, 362A and 362B  Plenary Lecture Reception 5:15 – 6:00 PM Refreshments outside of Student Union Auditorium  

Plenary Lecture 6:00 – 6:50 PM Dr. Heather Allen- Professor of Chemistry at The Ohio State University Student Union Auditorium  

Awards and Closing Remarks 6:50 – 7:00 PM 

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Meet the Keynote Speaker  

Dr. Karen Lloyd is an Associate           Professor of Microbiology at the         University of Tennessee. Her       research focuses on uncultured,       and therefore unknown microbes       that populate many different Earth         systems. Her recent projects       include examining how deep       subsurface microorganisms   interact with surface phenomena       in the Central America subduction         zone, combining metagenomics,     single cell genomics,     metabolomics, enzyme assays,     and geochemistry to identify       

mechanisms by which microbes subsist for thousands of years in                   Baltic Sea sediments, and growing methanogens at extremely low                 energy yields, which may help define the habitable zone for                   extraterrestrial life. 

 

Meet the Plenary Lecturer  Professor Heather C. Allen was         born in 1960, the youngest of 5             children. After 10 years in the           workforce and with life       experience in an array of jobs, she             began her pursuit of a formal           college education. She attended       Saddleback College beginning at       age 28 from 1989-1992,       completing much of her       undergraduate science and     general education coursework     

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before transferring to the University of California, Irvine in 1992. After                     her second year at Saddleback, she focused on the sciences, targeting                     chemistry as her major, winning a Saddleback College Science                 Scholarship Award to continue advancement toward her chemistry               degree. This was a pivotal step. She then received her B.S. degree in                         Chemistry in 1993, and Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry in 1997 at the                       University of California Irvine working with Nobel Laureate F. S.                   Rowland, and Professors D. Blake, J. Hemminger, and B.                 Finlayson-Pitts. She continued her postdoctoral studies in 1997 at the                   University of Oregon advised by Professor G. L. Richmond. Following                   the Saddleback Science Scholarship, as a student and postdoctoral                 researcher, she was also recognized with other scholarships and                 fellowships: Fannie and John Hertz Fellowship, EPA, NSF Traineeship,                 and a NOAA Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Climate and Global Change.                   She began her Professorial career at Ohio State in 2000 at age 39, and                           has since been recognized for many research accomplishments:               Research Innovation Award from Research Corp., NSF CAREER Award,                 Beckman Young Investigator Award, Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow                 Award, Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, Fellow of the               American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Ohio                 State Distinguished Scholar Award, the Alexander von Humboldt               Research Award from Germany, and most recently the Tohoku Forum                   for Creativity awarded in Japan. In addition, Dr. Allen has been                     recognized for several mentoring awards over the years including the                   Ohio State Office of Minority Affairs Mentor Award, an Empowered                   Woman Award from the City of Columbus, and the American Chemical                     Society National Award for Encouraging Women into Careers in the                   Chemical Sciences. She is a Full Professor in the Department of                     Chemistry and Biochemistry, and in the Department of Pathology. Her                   research specialization is in molecular organization, ion pairing, and                 hydration at aqueous interfaces.     

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Conference Proceedings  

Poster Session A, 9:00 – 11:30 AM Student Union Ballroom A 

Note: “G” and “U” in poster numbers indicate graduate or undergraduate student, respectively, unless otherwise noted. Abstract titles are organized by 

morning and afternoon sessions, and display board number.   

#1G “Receptor interactions within multiple chemotaxis systems in Rhizobium                 leguminosarum” Kathleen King, BCMB, University of Tennessee  #2G “Investigating the role that conserved amino acid residues in                   Transmembrane Protein X (TMX) play in regulating membrane fluidity of                   Escherichia coli.” Maddison Melchionna, Biochemistry, Cellular, and Molecular               Biology, University of Tennessee  #3G “Raman Spectroscopic Detection of Biosignatures for Exploration of Celestial                   Bodies” Grace Sarabia, Chemistry, University of Tennessee  #4G “Identification of Post-Mortem Interval (PMI) Biomarkers by Spatially Offset                   Raman Spectroscopy” Alyssa Daniel, Chemistry, University of Tennessee  #5G “The Effect of Ocean Acidification on Microalgae Growth” Amber Gray,                     Chemistry, University of Tennessee  #6G “Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopic (SERS) Detection of               Neurotransmitters” Paula Pimiento, Chemistry, University of Tennessee  #7G “Microalgae Protein Profiles as Environmental Monitors” Natalie Dunn,                 Chemistry, University of Tennessee  #8G “Calcium-triggered release of contents from liposomes for drug delivery                   applications” Jinchao Lou, Chemistry, University of Tennessee   #9G “Boronic acid materials for glycoprotein recognition and enhanced cellular                   delivery” Xiaoyu Zhang, Chemistry, University of Tennessee  #10G “Determining the Structure of Thermoelectric La3-xTe4-Ni Composites               using High-Resolution TEM” Melonie Thomas, Chemistry, Oak Ridge National                 Laboratory, University of Kentucky  #11G “Analysis and classification of sEMG signals using neural networks” Sri                     Ravali Sadhu, EECS, University of Tennessee  

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#12G “IDENTIFYING STRUCTURE AND IMPORTANT FEATURES IN BACTERIA               POPULATIONS USING UNSUPERVISED CLUSTERING” Katrina Schlum, Life             Sciences, University of Tennessee  #13G “Investigation of lutetium-yttrium monoclinic aluminate crystals grown by                 the micro-pulling down method” Kaycee Gass, Materials Science and Engineering,                   University of Tennessee  #20G “Photodynamic Inactivation of Tulane Virus by Gingerol and Methylene                   Blue” Mayuri Patwardhan, Food Science, University of Tennessee  #1U “The Role of HIPP1 in Genome Stability” Stacey Davenport, BCMB, University                       of Tennessee  #2U “The Effect of Nanoparticle Organic Hybrid Material (NOHM) Structures on                       Metal Cation Uptake” Maria Bruce, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering,                 University of Tennessee  #4U “Characterization of Microemulsions as Novel Electrolytes” Lacey Roberts,                 Chemical Engineering, University of Tennessee  #5U “Charge Transport and Dynamics of Polymerized Ionic Liquid Blends” Kaitlin                      Glynn, Chemical Engineering, University of Tennessee  #6U “Flexible and Transparent All-Solid-State Supercapacitors Based on Reduced                 Graphene Oxide Electrodes” Lydia Skolrood, Materials Chemistry Group - CSD,                   Oak Ridge National Laboratory     

Oral Session A, 9:00 – 11:30 AM  

Room 362-A – Session Title: Energy, Sustainability, Electronics, and Computing 

 

9:00 AM Megan Lilly, Graduate Student, Bredesen Center, University of Tennessee “Characterization Testing for Noisy Quantum Processing Units”  9:20 AM Erica Grant Graduate Student, Bredesen Center, University of Tennessee  9:40 AM Christine Fisher Post Bachelor’s, Critical Materials Institute, Oak Ridge                 National Laboratory 

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“Methods of synthesis and characterization of uniform nanodispersions of                 doped polyaniline for next-generation electronics applications”  10:00 AM Michelle Lehmann Graduate Student, Bredesen Center, University of               Tennessee “Membranes for Non-Aqueous Redox Flow Batteries”  10:20 AM Deeksha Rastogi Graduate Student, Bredesen Center, University of Tennessee “Shift in Seasonal Climate Patterns Likely to Impact Residential Energy                   Consumption in the United States”  10:40 AM Bethany Hudak Post-doc, Center for Nanophase Materials, Oak Ridge National                   Laboratory “Atomic-Scale Imaging and Control in the Electron Microscope”  11:00 AM Tyler Spano Post-doc, Nuclear Nonproliferation Division, Oak Ridge National                 Laboratory “STEM for U: Structural Transitions Elucidated Multidisciplinarily for               Uranium”  

Poster Session B, 2:00-4:30 PM Student Union Ballroom A 

Note: “G” and “U” in poster numbers indicate graduate or undergraduate student, respectively, unless otherwise noted. Abstract titles are organized by 

morning and afternoon sessions, and display board number.  

 #14G* “THE EFFECTS OF SPATIAL CUEING ON NEURAL CORRELATES OF INFANT                     ATTENTION AND PERCEPTUAL PROCESSING” Hannah Miller, Psychology,             University of Tennessee  #15G “Phylogenetic relationships of 200+ isolates of the ectomycorrhizal fungus                   Cenococcum geophilum from Populus trichocarpa soils in the Pacific Northwest,                   USA and comparison to globally distributed representatives.” Jessica Velez,                 Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Tennessee, Oak Ridge                   National Laboratory  #16G “Sociodemographic Determinants of Acute Myocardial Infarction             Hospitalization Risks in Florida” Evah Odoi, CEM, University of Tennessee  #17G “Cyclosporine-induced Erythromelalgia” Randi Winter, Dermatology,             

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University of Tennessee, East Tennessee State University Quillen College of Medicine  #18G “Elaiosome chemistry may explain disperser preference for the seeds of                     widespread Trillium species compared to their endemic congeners” Chelsea                 Miller, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee  #19G “Math skills in biology education: A Principles-Focused Evaluation (PFE) of                       Community College faculty needs” Sondra LoRe, Evaluation, Statistics, and                 Measurement, University of Tennessee  #21G “Molecular Drivers of Liking for Culinary Sage (Salvia officinalis L.)” Lindsay                       Jenkinson, Food Science, University of Tennessee  #22G “Cross-resistance of Listeria monocytogenes Serotype 1/2a Strains to a                   Diverse Collection of Bacteriophages” Danielle Trudelle, Food Science, University                 of Tennessee  #24G “Antimicrobial Activity of Natural Products Isolated from the Late-fall                   Polypore: Ischnoderma resinosum” Purni Wickramasinghe, Food Science,             University of Tennessee  #25G “Identification of pulegone as a character impact odorant of hoary                     mountain mint, Pycnanthemum incanum” Melissa Dein, Food Science, University                 of Tennessee  #26G “Theoretical Understanding of Forecasted Natural Hazard Risk via a                   Spatiotemporal Analysis of Twitter Data” Alyssa Cannistraci, Geography,               University of Tennessee  #27G “INTERSENSORY REDUNDANCY, SELECTIVE ATTENTION, AND NEURAL             CORRELATES OF PERCEPTUAL PROCESSING IN INFANCY” Kelly Roth, Psychology,                 University of Tennessee  #28G “Preparing, Not Repairing: A Case Study and Best Practices in Proactive Link                         Management” Leah Cannon, School of Information Sciences, University of                 Tennessee  #3U “Lithium extraction from geothermal brine solutions through a novel                   composite sorbent material” Yuniba Yagues, Chemical and Materials Sciences                 Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory  #7U “Toxoplasma gondii in Black Vultures” Liberty Wood, Animal Biology,                   University of Tennessee  #8U “Aichi virus inactivation on Formica coupons by curcumin, grapeseed extract,                     

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and light” Janie Hetu, Animal Science, University of Tennessee  #9U “Using Behavioral Variation to Explain Wolf Spider Community Structure”                   Isabella Ritchie, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee  #10U “Effects of Sphagnum angustifolium on litter decomposition in a                   changing climate” Sarah Shelley, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University                 of Tennessee, Oak Ridge National Laboratory  #11U “First Report of Hemp Leaf Spot Caused by Chaetomium globosum in                       Tennessee” Angel Grace Chaffin, Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of                   Tennessee  #12U “Parameter Estimation in models of Sphagnum gross primary production                   using advanced Markov chain Monte Carlo methods” Abbey Johnson,                 Environmental Sciences Division and Climate Change Science Institute, University of                   Tennessee, Oak Ridge National Laboratory  #13U “Neuroendocrine Correlates of Dominance Relationships in Female Syrian                 Hamsters” Annie Loewen, Psychology, University of Tennessee  #14U “THE IMPACT OF RACE AND AFFECT ON INFANT VISUAL ATTENTION TO                       FACES” Emily Grimes, Psychology, University of Tennessee  #15U “THE EFFECTS OF STATIC AND DYNAMIC VISUAL STIMULI ON SPEECH                     PREFERENCE IN INFANCY” Jennifer Shearon, Psychology, University of Tennessee  #16U “THE EFFECTS OF INTERSENSORY REDUNDANCY ON INFANT ATTENTION TO                   PROSODY IN NATIVE AND NON-NATIVE SPEECH” Cathryn Pryor, Psychology,                 University of Tennessee   

Oral Session B 2:00 – 4:30 PM   

Room 362-B – Session Title: Plants, human and veterinary science Metal organics, protein synthesis, and bacteria  

 

2:00 PM Megan Cannon Graduate Student, Psychology, University of Tennessee “The Link Between Dominance Status and Passive and Active Coping Strategies”  2:20 PM Shelby Peel Graduate Student, Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport Studies,                 University of Tennessee “Lower Extremity Muscle Contributions to Ground Reaction Force during a                   Stop-Jump Task”  

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2:40 PM Jaime Ragos Senior, Food Science and Technology, University of Tennessee “A Pilot Study on Teaching Food Safety to Bilingual Students with Hands On                         Activities”  3:00 PM Chloe Lash Graduate Student, Department of Ecology and Biology, University of                     Tennessee “Social Immunity in Ants: The interplay of immune priming, colony size and                       grooming behaviors”  3:20 PM Amanda Lee Graduate Student, Animal Science, University of Tennessee “Evaluating the effects of stocking density on Holstein cows’ milk production                     using automatic milking systems”  3:40 PM Rachael Wolters Graduate Student, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of                   Tennessee “The effect of polynucleotide kinase phosphatase (PNKP) on ZIKV replication”  4:00 PM Shelby Pate Graduate Student, Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of                   Tennessee “Analyzing Populations of Cotton Seedling Disease and Evaluating Seed                 Treatment Efficacy”   

Oral Session C 2:00 – 4:30 PM   

Room 362-A – Session Title: Metal organics, protein synthesis, and bacteria   

2:00 PM Tracey Peters Graduate Student, Food Science, University of Tennessee “A dynamic duo: exploring the coevolution of Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria                     phages”  2:20 PM Swapneeta Date Post-doc, Energy and Environmental Sciences, Oak Ridge                 National Laboratory “Insights into the Biomolecular Mechanisms of Mercury Methylation by Anaerobic                   Bacteria”  2:40 PM Anwesha Dawgupta Graduate Student, BCMB, University of Tennessee “Investigating the Biochemical and Physiological Significance of Ribosomal               Protein S6 Phosphorylation”  

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3:00 PM Sawson Ammar Graduate Student, Comparative and Experimental Medicine,               University of Tennessee “Unexpected high Toxoplasma gondii prevalence in waterfowl and seagulls”  3:20 PM Lindsey Miller Graduate Student, Chemistry, University of Tennessee “Probing living bacteria membrane dynamics using second harmonic generation                 spectroscopy”  3:40 PM Kristina Vailonis Graduate Student, Chemistry, University of Tennessee “Illuminating the Growth of Metal-Organic Nanotubes Through Synthesis and                 Liquid-Cell Transmission Electron Microscopy”  

            

About the Commission for Women The Commission for Women (CFW) is a body on appointed by the Chancellor                         to advise on the planning, implementation, and evaluation of university                   programs, policies, and services designed to improve the status of women on                       the Knoxville campus of the University of Tennessee. Its main purpose is to                         cultivate a welcoming and inclusive campus environment with special                 attention given to the needs of women. 

Chair, Dr. Rachel Chen Professor, Retail, Hospitality & Tourism

About “Pipeline: Vols for Women in STEM” Pipeline was first established as a committee within the Commission for                     Women in the Fall of 2014 and hosted the first-ever Women in STEM Research                           Symposium in Spring of 2015. Now an official student organization,  Pipeline                     has grown to include motivated undergraduate and graduate students from                   multiple STEM fields focused on improving the status and representation of                     women and minorities in STEM fields here at UT. Pipeline aims to serve as a                             campus-wide support system that fosters an environment of interdisciplinary                 

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and intersectional engagement while providing networking and professional               development opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.             Pipeline is committed to promoting diversity and equity on campus and                     within the academic and professional research communities. To accomplish                 these goals, we have created multiple committees and programs:   

● Our Data & Statistics Committee collects and evaluates data to                    empirically evaluate the status and representation of women in STEM at                     UT, and then disseminate that data to the campus community. 

● Our new Intersectionality Committee to start Fall 2019 will aim to                     encourage dialogue that explicitly acknowledges the intersectional nature               of STEM research and the unique concerns of marginalized groups                   including but not limited to, women of color & women of different ability,                         socioeconomic status, gender identity, sexual orientation, political             perspective, nationality, and/or religion.

● Our Undergraduate Mentoring Program links undergraduate STEM             majors with upperclassmen and graduate students to discuss personal and                   professional topics over lunches scheduled throughout the semester to                 help foster academic and professional advancement.

● The Symposium Planning Committee begins work in the Fall semester to                     procure funds, contact speakers, and book venues to provide an annual                     event each spring to highlight the research and projects that women and                       minorities in STEM here at UT are involved in.

Meet the Symposium Planning Committee 

Laura Casto  Department of Chemistry  Analytical Chemistry, Capillary Electrophoresis 

Becca O’Toole  Chemical Engineering  Sustainable carbon fiber composites 

Jasmine Kreig Bredesen Center for 

Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education 

Mathematical Ecology 

Shika Bangar  Physics  First year graduate students 

Allison Tomcyzk  Department of Chemistry  Analytical Chemistry, Immunoassays 

Sarah Roe  Biochemistry Major (English Minor)  Undergraduate  

  

Want to learn more? We’re online too!  /pipelineutk Email: cfwstem@utk.edu   

 

@pipelineutk Website: http://cfwstem.weebly.com    

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Special Thanks To: 

Judges: Janna Mannik, Chengyun HUA, Shaghayegh Aslanzadeh, Stephanie               Madison, Veronica Brown, Lauren Hudson, Swapneeta Date, Rose Borden,                 Alyssa Cannistraci, Beth White, Nahla Hatab, Karen Lloyd, Lena Elenchin, Ava                     Hedayatipour, Farnaz Foroughian, Albina Borisevich, Debjani Sihi, Eva               Zarkadoula, Anne Murray, Gyanender Singh, Dawn Sepehr, and Heather Allen. Thank you all for volunteering your time and efforts to supporting these                       women at a critical stage in their careers. Your flexibility and commitment is                         appreciated more than you know!

Volunteers: Allison Tomczyk, Sarah Roe, Jasmine Kreig, Becca O’Toole,                 Brandon Barker, Lilly Wallsinger, Lindsey Miller, Alison Willette, Sara O’Brien,                   Laura Vanelli, Lauren Meyers, Emily Hundley, Kevin Do, Claire Smith, Megan                     Patterson, Alex Pawlowski, and Reed Wittman  

We'd also like to especially thank the UT Research Foundation, the Office of                       the Chancellor, and the Commission for Women. Without their support and                     encouragement, this event would not have been possible. We would also like                       to thank Nothing Too Fancy, Magpies Bakery, Lo & Sons, Bliss, Alumni Hall                         and the Vol Shop for their generous prize donations. Finally, we'd also like to                           thank all of our panelists, volunteers, and attendees for making this                     important annual event a success! We hope to see you all again next year! 

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