1.  Timing of Birth and the Expression of Genes in Serotonin Signaling 

        Presenter(s): Zamira Caldwell (McNair Scholar, University at Buffalo) 

The timing of human birth is difficult to predict compared to other species due to evolutionary differences. While the causes of these specific differences have been identified, the data collected on gene expression in the mother and fetus hasn’t been synthesized enough to be directly applied to predicting the timing of birth. This is detrimental because “preterm birth is the leading cause of infant and under 5 year old child mortality worldwide” and without a precise understanding of how gene expression changes throughout pregnancy, we cannot adequately prevent it. We examined the location and expression of the genes involved in serotonin signaling pathways using the Single Cell Gene Expression Atlas to figure out which cells express serotonin receptors, how this expression changes throughout pregnancy, and how it differs in humans compared to other mammals with placentas. Understanding where these genes are expressed, in the mother’s cells or placental cells, and what their role is during normal pregnancies and those with complications will make it possible to decrease the rates of preterm births and develop ways to treat conditions that lead to increased risk of preterm births. 

2.   Cortisol Reactivity as a Precursor to Social Problem-Solving 

        Presenter(s): Marissa Hendrickson (McNair Scholar, The University of Rochester) 

This independent research study centers around social development. It is theorized that cortisol production (which leads to an increase in available resources to the body and brain), in response to stressful situations, helps the brain process/consolidate information from the environment and aids in the ability to construct responses to challenging situations. Using cortisol reactivity (a measure of cortisol production in response to cognitively stressful tasks) and STEP-P Provocation (a series of videos and questions used to measure social problem-solving), findings show that cortisol reactivity was associated with lower interpersonal hostility (less endorsement of behaviors that show intent to harm a peer) and marginally associated with greater constructive problem-solving (the ability to devise constructive solutions to social situations and/or regulate one’s emotions). Cortisol reactivity, however, was not associated with hostile intent attribution (attribution negative/malevolent intent to someone else’s actions). This study was done with 100 children ages 4-6. 

3.    Infrared Position Sensing for an Adaptive Treadmill 

         Presenter(s): Anoop Kiran (McNair Scholar, University at Buffalo) 

Adaptive treadmills improve virtual reality (VR) immersion by creating a realistic walking experience. These devices measure the position of the user to regulate the speed of the treadmill based on their pace. Often, expensive position-sensing systems based on image processing, such as VICON, are utilized for this task. Our research investigates the feasibility of using inexpensive infrared (IR) range sensor, but IR sensors often struggle to get an accurate position estimate, which we look to resolve by interpreting signals from multiple sensors. This presentation will discuss the adoption of adaptive treadmill technology based on results from our sensor comparison test.

4.   Cognitive Impairments of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence: A Review 

         Presenter(s): Tasnim Tarannum (McNair Scholar, University at Buffalo) 

One in four women has suffered intimate partner violence (IPV) while one in five experiences severe physical violence (CDC, 2020). Intimate partner violence is violence perpetrated by a current intimate partner which can lead to mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), which is a physical hit to the head. One critical aspect that is often overlooked in the healthcare setting is the effects of IPV-related mTBI on the health and daily participation of survivors. This narrative review examines the cognitive effects of mTBI in survivors of IPV. This review also discusses how impaired cognition can impact participation such as engagement in daily functioning in survivors of IPV-related mTBI. Data regarding IPV, mTBI, and participation were extracted. Ten scholarly articles state that IPV-related mTBI causes cognitive impairment in survivors. IPV-related mTBI can damage parts of the brain, but a scholarly article on sports-related injuries reveals that sports-related mTBI is linked to weakened daily participation in athletes. For survivors of IPV, there is no research published on how IPV-related mTBI affects daily participation. Therefore, more research is needed to learn more about the effect of mTBI on survivors and remediate the effects of mTBI on survivors of IPV. 

5.   Super-Wicking Super-Absorbing Surfaces for Water Desalination and Purification 

       Presenter(s): Joshua Teague (McNair Scholar, The University of Rochester) 

Water is arguably the single most fundamental human resource. However, it is estimated that one third of individuals across the planet have limited access to clean drinking water. Solar-based water sanitation could be a viable, economically friendly answer to the current water crisis across the globe, but current solar-based water sanitation methods cannot remove several harmful pollutants from water. Since water can be purified by evaporating a water source, and condensing the resulting water vapor into a liquid, harnessing the suns energy to generate steam at a fast rate could aid greatly in the development of a solar-based water purification system. In my research, I present the usage of femtosecond laser-treated metals, which are super-hydrophilic, for solar-based water purification and desalination.