The UWEC Mathematics retreat is a celebration of the research done in the Math department at UWEC. The event features talks given by students and faculty members on topics that they have been researching independently, in the context of student-faculty research, and during their classes. During the afternoon it concludes with a keynote speaker and a fun team-based mathematics competition.
Monday April 21, 2025 7:59am - 3:00pm CDT Hibbard Hall
A complex-valued function f is considered analytic on a domain D when its derivative f’ is defined for all points z in D. Many complex functions can be extended to larger domains while still being analytic. Such a function F is considered an analytic continuation of f. These functions have a variety of uses, including extending functions beyond their traditional contexts, as in the case of the geometric sum formula. This presentation will discuss relevant notions within complex analysis, formally define analytic continuation, provide some examples of analytic continuation's use, and present some theorems of interest.
Motivation in mathematics classrooms has been researched in various ways, from teacher burnout to Wigfield and Eccles' theory of student expectancy-value. After examining the existing literature on student and teacher motivations, the results showed a need to focus on teacher and student connections within the mathematics classroom to improve learning environments. The purpose of this research is to use survey instruments to extend previous research by examining potential relationships between teachers’ motivations when teaching mathematics and students’ motivations when learning mathematics. The study consists of completing one of two survey instruments, one for teachers and one for middle and high school students. Both have a set of Likert scale questions and open-ended questions about mathematics teaching or learning along with relevant demographic questions. The data collected from both surveys will be used to examine potential relationships between mathematics teacher and student motivations. These results and implications will be discussed.
The Shannon-Whittaker Sampling Theorem states that a band-limited signal can be reconstructed from its sample values on a uniformly spaced lattice. Erasures can occur when some of the sample values are lost or corrupted. We aim to recover the signal despite these erased samples. One such algorithm to accomplish this is called Reduced Direct Inversion. We provide error bounds and supporting experiments for this algorithm.
I will be presenting on the Boy-Girl Paradox, an intriguing concept in probability theory that explores the surprising outcomes when trying to determine the gender of children in a family based on limited information. The paradox challenges our intuitive understanding of statistics and probability, highlighting how seemingly irrelevant information can drastically change probability.
Oh no! You've forgotten your four-digit pin to unlock your bike, and you are running late for a class! However, six incorrect attempts locks your bike for good, and you REALLY don't want to have to run to your class! You've already used FIVE attempts- given some hints, and seeing the first five attempts, will you be able to plug in the correct pin on the last possible attempt? In this presentation, we will discuss the logic, problem solving, and reasoning it takes to get through this problem, all while audience members get to try it themselves!
Proven impossible by Pierre Wantzel in 1837 and Ferdinand von Lindemann in 1882, the classical problems of squaring the circle, doubling the cube, and trisecting an arbitrary angle using only a compass and straightedge have been of mathematical interest since Greek antiquity. Through advances in mathematics in the 17th-19th centuries, we discovered the set of constructible numbers in abstract algebra, which showed deep connections to our classic problems. We explore the constructible numbers, a field extension of the rational numbers, and the set of numbers discoverable using a straightedge and compass. In this talk we will present these classic geometric problems from ancient Greece, their history, and discuss how the set of constructible numbers relates back to the problems’ impossibility.
Analytics have been less utilized in women’s professional tennis (WTA), compared to other professional sports. Despite unique difficulties in predicting match outcomes, there has been a spate of recent articles that utilize prediction tools applied to men’s professional tennis (ATP) data. Our research adds efficiencies and new features to previously-created probabilistic models for longitudinal predictions of WTA matches. We compute, update, and analyze a set of related summary statistics along with specific match details for individual players and integrate these with Bradley-Terry algorithmic modeling of match probabilities to incorporate strength of schedule. Data for player statistics and results of WTA tournaments was obtained from a GitHub repository under a Creative Commons license. We edited and created original functions in R: wrangling the data across an appropriate time window, court surface, and player rank; and implementing an existing algorithm for prediction and assessment. We also apply Elo ratings for comparative prediction, utilizing a longitudinal update and weighting by strength of win. We discuss the methods, data cleaning, and coding, and apply elevated error analysis of match predictions compared to observed match outcomes to determine the overall accuracy of our model; accurate predictions could further inform the ranking of WTA players. Additional collaborator: Brynn Bergeson.
Professor, Department of Mathematics, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
I have been teaching at UW - Eau Claire since 2006, covering courses in undergraduate statistics (introductory and upper-level) and Master’s-level data mining and programming. My research is in data-mining techniques, with a focus on penalized regression. My recent (last ~ 6 years... Read More →
Monday April 21, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am CDT Hibbard Hall 322154 Garfield Ave, Eau Claire, WI 54701, USA
Liouville’s theorem is a fundamental result in complex analysis which has profound implications across various fields. The theorem states that if a function is both bounded and entire, then it must be constant. These seemingly simple constraints on a function lead to powerful conclusions, as Liouville’s theorem demonstrates its importance in proofs such as that of the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra. This presentation will explore the proof of Liouville’s theorem, highlighting its reliance on Cauchy's integral formula.
Fractional Linear Transformations, also known as Mōbius Transformations, play a fundamental role in complex analysis and have significant applications in geometry, physics, and engineering. This presentation explores the mathematical structure of these transformations, defined as functions of the form f(z) = (cz+d)/(az+b), where a, b, c, and d are complex numbers satisfying ad – bc ≠ 0. We will examine their geometric properties, including how they map lines and circles to other lines and circles, and their role in conformal mappings. Additionally, we will discuss applications in computer graphics, control theory, and relativity. Through visual demonstrations and problem-solving exercises, this presentation aims to provide an intuitive understanding of Fractional Linear Transformations and their relevance in various fields.
Scheduling classes is a challenging and time-consuming task. The mathematical technique of linear programming has the potential to simplify this challenge by building a model of linear constraints to find the most optimal solution that satisfies all the constraints. In this project, we are implementing a linear programming model using the DOCplex library in Python. The objective function represents instructor satisfaction with different courses and the constraints represent limitations such as the fact that one instructor cannot teach two courses at the same time. These constraints allow many ways to build a schedule. The goal of our program is to identify the most optimal solution, that maximizes the professor's satisfaction and class availability. We will present a system for encoding the preferences about number of preps and back-to-back courses, as well as discussing the advantages of using binary variables to represent combinations of courses, professors, and meeting patterns (such as MWF 9-9:50) instead of individual day-time pairs. We will also present results from adding constraints and preferences about course distribution throughout the day, depending on whether the number of sections is above or below a threshold. Additional Collaborators: Theodore Schwantes and Annabelle Piotrowski.
The project that we will be presenting today is on the importance of restrictions or rules in a problem in order to make any problem easier to solve. We will be discussing this using a problem called the Tower of Hanoi, which is a puzzle problem of moving a tower of disks from one side of the board to the other in the least amount of moves possible. We will explain the original restrictions of the problem and then change or remove them to see what effects that has on the problem's pattern, and the ability to solve it. As a problem that has a lot of rules in place in order to keep its structure, the changes we make to this problem might greatly affect the puzzle this problem is considered to be.
Zorn's Lemma was proven under the assumption of the Axiom of Choice in 1922 by Kazimierz Kuratowksi, but was proven without well-ordering in 1935 by Max August Zorn. The Axiom of Choice states that for any collection of sets, a choice function exists. Zorn's Lemma states that in every nonempty partially ordered set with upper bounds for each chain, there exists a maximal element. These claims are in fact equivalent. In this presentation, we will introduce basic set theory notions, prove the equivalence of the Axiom of Choice and Zorn's Lemma, and show its applications in other disciplines of mathematics.
This problem is suited for individual and/or group work. Together we will explore the color theorem by having you explore a map of the United States and try coloring each state with different colors. In doing so in such a way where there are no two states touching each other that are the same color. What is the least number of colors in which this is possible to do? This presentation will include presenting the problem, providing work and discussion time, as well as a detailed solution and explanation of why the color theorem works.
Iterated function systems offer a framework for generating complex, self-similar patterns through the iterative plotting of points. An iterated function system is a family of functions that map ℝ2 to ℝ2. For each iteration of the system, a variation is chosen with a certain probability. The asymptotic points make up the final fractal image. In this work, we examine specific variations using various heuristics that measure behavior between iterations and reveal the system's deeper patterns that improve our understanding of the system's intrinsic behavior. Our research focuses on developing and applying a multitude of heuristics designed to analyze the dynamic behavior of individual variations within these systems. Through visualizations produced by each heuristic, we illustrate the distinct characteristics of each heuristic across multiple variations.
Have you ever been walking your dog and the leash got tangled around a lamp post? Are you wondering what this has to do with Complex Analysis? Don’t worry, we are here to tell you! Our goal is to explore and explain Rouché’s Theorem through an accessible analogy and mathematical proof. The theorem states: If f and h are each functions that are analytic inside and on a simple closed contour C and if the strict inequality h(z) < f(z) holds at each point on C, then f and f + h must have the same total number of zeros (counting multiplicities) inside C. Therefore, this theorem is typically used to find the location of zeros of a complicated analytic function. In our presentation, we will explain Rouché's Theorem using this dog-walking analogy, discuss why this theorem is valuable, and prove the theorem.
Community Detection of Indigenous Beaders on Instagram involves roots in coding theory and graph theory. Given a data set, the objective is to detect underlying communities within a population. We view the given data set as the output of a noisy communication channel and use decoding techniques to reveal the underlying communities. Essentially, any population of a particular size has a set of allowed possibilities for clusters. Using techniques from coding theory, we hope to unveil a “best fit” community cluster formation from our gathered data. Through a sampling of 50 Indigenous beaders on Instagram, we gather data about Instagram follows to eventually decode to smaller community clusters. We imagine the community clusters could reveal tribal affiliation, stitching techniques, or geographic location.
In this presentation the classic game of rock, paper, scissors as well as rock, paper, scissors minus one will be used to understand the basic concepts of probability. This presentation will give students the chance to engage in the concepts of probability by playing several rounds of each game. Before students participate in their own game against others, a demonstration will be provided to allow for a thorough understanding of the topic being presented. These games will be followed up with a discussion to allow students to analyze the difference between each version which allows them the best chances at victory.
Adversarial networks model communication through a graph of edges where information is sent from sender to receiver using a code. This presentation discusses the scenario in which a hostile adversary can corrupt along a restricted subset of edges within a “claw” network structure. In particular, we examine claw networks in which the sender sends a symbol along 2n edges, with n edges in each claw. We examine the families of claws with varying n, and give results on communication capacity as the influence of an adversary grows.
This Scholarship of Teaching and Learning project aims to learn more about students’ perceptions of their learning opportunities and barriers in a developmental mathematics classroom through a mixed methods analysis of data gained from surveys of current and former students. Often with high DFW rates, developmental mathematics courses can reinforce negative feelings about mathematics and keep some students from moving forward with their degree path, often disproportionately impacting first generation and other minoritized populations. Many supports and interaction opportunities have been added to the course over previous semesters, and yet there continues to be an achievement gap between students who make use of resources and succeed, and those who do not. Additionally, we will examine factors related to college readiness such as attitudes toward the content being presented and ownership of learning and factors related to classroom engagement such as motivation to learn and sense of belongingness.
Homotopical combinatorics uses tools from combinatorics to explore and understand structures in equivariant homotopy theory. One object of study in homotopical combinatorics is a G-transfer system, which is defined by five axioms. In this talk, we define transfer systems, and we present the difference between abelian transfer systems, where the order of operation on group elements doesn't matter, and nonabelian transfer systems, where order does matter. We describe how to find transfer system for cyclic groups, and contrast this with transfer systems for dihedral groups, which are nonabelian.
The Gambler's Fallacy is the idea that if an event occurs less than expected, it is due to happen sometime soon. In other words, if you flip a coin and it lands on heads three times in a row a tail is bound to land on the next flip. Right? In this session we will discuss and evaluate our flawed perception of chance and how to properly view probability through our own rigorous testing, in-room experiments, and logical evaluation of scenarios.
In continuation of the previous talk on transfer systems by Koki Shibata, we explore the width of non-abelian transfer systems. A transfer system of G is said to be complete if it contains all possible arrows. The width of a G-Transfer System, defined in 2025 by Adamyk, Balchin, Barrero, Scheirer, Wisdom, and Zapata Castro is the number of relations needed to force a G-transfer system to be complete. We explore how the width is related to the prime factorization of the order of the group. In this talk, we present a proof that the width of is Cpnqmis n +m. Further, we show the width of D2nis 5 and the width of DP1ɑ1P2ɑ2...Pnɑn is equal to the number of maximal subgroups.
An n-user arbitrarily varying multiple-access channel (AV-MAC) is an information channel that, given n codewords and an adversarial input, outputs a separate word. A channel's capacity is the maximum amount of information that can be sent per bit used over all possible codes. One of the main challenges in information theory is determining what criteria a given channel must have to guarantee that there exists a code such that, with high probability, a given output can be decoded to obtain the original inputs. Any channel that satisfies that criteria is said to have nonzero capacity. A similar, but less restrictive notion is that of partial correction. For a multiple user channel W and real number γ between 0 and 1, we say W is γ partially correctable if it is possible to recover at least a γ fraction of the users' inputs when the adversary acts and recover all users' messages when the adversary does not act. A necessary condition for an AV-MAC to be partially correctable has been found, although the sufficiency of this condition is still an open question. This presentation will focus on sufficiency of this condition after discussing some relevant basic notions in information theory.
Area proofs of the Pythagorean theorem provide a geometric approach to understanding the relationship between the sides of a right triangle. These visual proofs use the additivity and moving principles to demonstrate equality of area and convey the theorem clearly without relying on algebraic manipulation. Students enrolled in the Spring 2025 Math 304 course will engage attendees in a variety of area proofs in this informal presentation.
Within the last two years, rapid advancements have made AI chatbot tools such as ChatGPT widely accessible to students. The novelty of these generative AI tools means that research on how students regard and use them is still emerging. Throughout our research, we have applied the theories of mathematical proof as a genre (Selden and Selden, 2013) to study AI generated proofs and how they adhere to these genre conventions. In this talk, we discuss how the knowledge that a mathematical argument was generated by ChatGPT impacts student perceptions of proof validity. We will share initial findings from a survey developed to explore this question and will discuss the pedagogical implications of these AI tools for students’ ability to validate mathematical proofs. We will also discuss how generative AI can be used to assist teachers and students within their classroom and how it can be incorporated into mathematics curriculums.
We will discuss cryptarithms, what they are and some strategies for solving. Specifically, our presentation will tell a brief history and origin of cryptarithms, present a problem, offer some time for solving, and explain the solution. A small sheet of various cryptarithms will be provided for further exploration at the end of the presentation.
Graph based codes allow us to visualize codes and can construct systems of decoding. In graph-based decoding of error correcting codes, it is possible to run into roadblocks called stopping sets which prevent further error correction. How could we construct encoding methods which avoid these roadblocks? We investigate a setting where we must look at partitions of variable nodes with the goal of avoiding stopping sets in at least one part. We examine a particular example with 6 vertices represented by a Tanner graph and corresponding parity check matrix.
Knowing what types of enzymes a molecule will interact with can aid drug development by minimizing side effects due to unwanted interactions. In this project, we built and interpreted models for classifying enzyme substrates. We utilized the machine learning technique XGBoost in Python to build a predictive model for each enzyme class using the original molecular data as well as top linear combinations of the data obtained using Principal Components Analysis. We will discuss the process of developing code to automatically tune the parameters of XGBoost to optimize the model. We will also present examples of how to interpret these models by writing code to visualize the impact of variables in each model and identifying common factors in the top contributing variables of significant principal components to characterize each enzyme class. For example, we found that the probability of a molecule interacting with oxidoreductase enzymes is positively associated with the number of nonpolar regions. A particular descriptor is NOCount, the number of (polar) NO groups in the molecule, which was negatively associated with the probability of interacting with oxidoreductases.
In the 1950s Milnor defined the notion of link homotopy. Since then, its study has been central to the field of knot theory. In the 1980s, Joyce, building on the work of Takasaki, defined a mathematical object called a quandle which is well adapted to the transformation of knot theoretic questions into algebraic questions. Trivial orbit quandles, defined in 2007 by Harrell and Nelson, are a type of quandle useful for studying link homotopy. In this presentation, we define a new trivial orbit quandle called the reduced free quandle, and we go about classifying it for 2 and 3 generators. This gives a classification of 2 and 3 component links up to link homotopy.
The limit definition of a derivative is as rigorous as it is tedious. Thankfully there are a handful of rules which act as short-hand for the difference quotient’s evaluation. Once we learn these, the limit definition becomes an antiquated theorem seemingly used only for exam questions. Rather than a line, the complex numbers form a plane with one variable. Instead of left and right, a limit there must account for the infinitely many paths one could take to the point in question. We will explore this restriction and show how it leads to the Cauchy-Reimann Equations and how a power series follows from a complex derivative.
While decentralized machine learning offers several advantages, this process introduces the potential danger of adversarial agents. Rather than changing the learning protocol to accommodate possible adversaries, our work seeks to develop a short, low-overhead validation procedure that allows each honest agent to determine if there is adversarial presence in the network’s learned models. The validation procedure essentially checks whether the local models of neighboring agents differ by too much to reasonably belong to honest nodes. To test the robustness of the algorithm, we simulated a “worst-case” adversarial attack operating in our learning scheme that makes no specific assumptions about how the adversary is able to act on the network. The simulation seeks to quantify how much noise the adversary can inject into the trained non adversarial model trained on MNIST such that our algorithm still accepts it at the validation step. However, results of the simulations revealed a major flaw in our approach and raised subsequent questions which will be discussed in the talk.
In this talk, I will describe the discipline of quantitative finance, why it may be a great choice for people with strong STEM skills, and different paths to enter the field. Along the way, I will describe my journey and share some lessons learned.
The 33rd Annual Math Retreat will conclude with the Mathematics Competition. Join our students as they compete to solve a series of challenging Mathematics problems.
Monday April 21, 2025 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT Hibbard Hall 102155 Garfield Ave, Eau Claire, WI 54701, USA
Allergen immunotherapy or “allergy shots” are delivered as fast-acting intravenous (IV) injections given to patients suffering from chronic allergies. However, in rural settings, patients must travel long distances for a single injection, significantly adding to patient costs, and costs to an already over-burdened health-care system. We hypothesized that minimally invasive, painless, self-administered 3D (three-dimensional) printed microneedles could be a better alternative in these scenarios and could be provided in conjunction with tele-medicine. For this study, 3D printed microneedles were printed using Formlabs stereolithography (SLA) printers and clear V4 material. Different parameters were calibrated including layer thickness, size, shape, material, and needle orientation, to enable dermal puncture with minimal breakage. Our results show that a Pyramid Needle Model (needle array: 1(L)x1(W)x0.5(H) cm; needle dimensions: 200(L)x200(W)x800(H) µm; 500µm (spacing); 1µm (tip diameter); 45° angle; 0.025mm layer-thickness) was the best microneedle model produced through our experiments. Microscopy and porcine skin puncture testing confirmed the functionality of these needles in the laboratory. Taken together, our results showcase the feasibility of fabrication of transdermal microneedles through 3D printing, providing a fast and effective solution for self-administered painless drug delivery. Future work will focus on improving microneedle design to enable allergy-drug loading and delivery.
Development of a system that can deploy a stent graft to peripheral artery with a collateral vessel without blocking the collateral vessel has been undertaken to assist in treating different arterial conditions like atherosclerosis. Currently no commercially available system exists that can deploy a stent graft without inhibiting flow to the collateral vessel; surgeons must create a fenestration in the main graft through which to deploy a smaller device. The fabrication of this system involved modifying and combining prefabricated catheters to make a complete system that can deploy the stent with good turnability. The system has a port to both inject dye and insert a wire to probe for correct placement of the device fenestration. The research effort has produced prototypes of a multi-lumen intravascular catheter deployment system for stent graft placement where a stent graft can be placed via the system and proper fenestration alignment to the collateral vessel can be confirmed. This project could improve patient outcomes by providing a cost effective and safe option for inserting stents into major arteries that have a collateral vessel which is currently treated by surgeons using makeshift solutions with existing stents and ablation tools.
Tumor ablation is an effective, minimally invasive technique for cancer removal. The procedure uses medical imaging and a needle-like probe, which is guided to the target cancerous tissue where it is subsequently heated or cooled to a cytotoxic level. Thus, surrounding tissue must be separated from the cancerous tissue to prevent damage to healthy tissue. Saline and carbon dioxide are current methods of separation, but both migrate from the site due to gravity and cause risk of postoperative pain. To create a stable, stationary, and thermally protective barrier, a biocompatible foam has been developed with FDA-approved materials to optimize tissue separation for a typical 60 minute procedure. As progress continues, further characterization of the foam is being tested using rheology, which mimics deformation during foam injection and quantifies stability as a function of time and deformation rate. Current project goals involve developing a freeze-dried procedure that maximizes the shelf life of the foam and minimizes preparation steps for future commercialization and clinical use. Continued testing is essential for confirming previous qualitative tests of the foam’s material properties and providing data required for publication and implementation of these foams in a clinical setting.
As the use of car dashboard cameras (dashcams) has increased, the availability of dashcam imagery has also increased. In recent years, dashcam imagery has been predominantly used in conjunction with computer vision techniques for autonomous vehicle systems. However, this research explores an alternative application of these technologies in the domain of public safety and security. Specifically, we apply object detection to dashcam imagery to address the challenge of identifying vehicles associated with active Amber Alerts. With the goal of aiding law enforcement in locating abducted children more efficiently, we employ the YOLO (You Only Look Once) object detection model, a state-of-the-art deep learning framework known for its real-time performance and accuracy. Our methodology involves training and fine-tuning the YOLO model on a custom dataset of dashcam footage, incorporating diverse environmental conditions such as varying lighting, weather, and traffic scenarios. Experimental results demonstrate that the model achieves high precision and recall rates in detecting target vehicles, validating its effectiveness for real-world deployment. This research highlights the potential of leveraging deep learning and computer vision techniques to address critical public safety challenges, offering a novel application of these technologies beyond their traditional use in autonomous driving. Our findings contribute to the growing body of work in computer science that seeks to harness AI for societal benefit.
Blockages in sewerage systems may lead to backups and can be costly to clear. To better understand the composition of non-degraded solid waste in Eau Claire’s sewage, we conducted three audits of the solid waste captured by the bar screens at the Eau Claire Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). Wearing personal protective equipment, we collected solids that had been captured over a two-hour period and sorted the waste into six categories: 1-4) disposable wipes in various stages of decay (intact, mostly intact, mostly shredded, and shreds entangled with hair), 5) feminine hygiene products, and 6) miscellaneous items (e.g., plastic, latex, leaves, and food). Waste groupings were measured by volume. Our findings show consistent trends across the three sampling dates: disposable wipes accounted for 81.3% (±5.6%), feminine hygiene products 11.3% (±1.6%), and miscellaneous waste 7.3% (±4.2%). Our study demonstrates that disposable wipes account for most non-degraded waste that reaches the WWTP. Beyond the potential for causing blockages, non-degraded waste must be collected and transported to the municipal landfill, increasing the costs for taxpayers. Our next step is to conduct outreach efforts to raise public awareness of the need for proper disposal of non-woven wipes and feminine hygiene products.
Plastic pollutants are a significant environmental concern. Biodegradable plastics are a large area of research because if plastics are accidentally released into the environment, biodegradable plastics will break down into harmless byproducts. A blister pack is a type of packaging that consists of plastic pockets that hold individual pills. Current blister packs on the market are not biodegradable and contribute to environmental harm. The goal for this research project is to find an eco-friendly material to replace current blister packs that can also handle chemical reagents (such as medical reagents). Initial testing focused on developing a film from cassava starch that was adapted from the literature. The standard ASTM D543 was used to evaluate the resistance of the material to chemical reagents. The samples were placed under strain using a 3D printed strain jig, the chemical reagent was applied, and the samples were held at fixed temperature for varied amounts of time. After chemical exposure, the samples were tested to determine changes in mechanical properties. These results will be used to determine if cassava starch can replace traditional plastic blister packs to open the door to many environmentally friendly swaps in the medical field.
This study aims to investigate the presence of exosolar planets by utilizing multi-aperture photometry to detect subtle changes in star brightness. This method to detect exosolar planets is currently one of the most successful ways to do this. Existing methods of exoplanet detection, such as radial velocity and direct imaging, have some limitations that the transit method we will be using can address. Direct imaging methods do not work well for planets close to their stars, and radial velocity methods do not allow for a determination of the planetary radius. In our research, we will use AstroImageJ to perform photometry on star systems, monitoring their light curves for periodic dimming indicating an orbiting planet. Our findings will suggest whether or not we can successfully perform photometry with the system we will be using.
This project seeks to develop a mechanically flexible cooling pad that can be used by medical patients to provide targeted pain or inflammation relief to injured or surgical areas. We are seeking to develop a device that is fully temperature controlled and can be used for long intervals of time up to several hours. We have identified several possible configurations to maximize cooling power while retaining as much geometrical flexibility as possible. We are currently pursuing two distinct cooling methods, and working to engineer a complete system for both methods that is able to sense and adjust temperatures produced by the cooling pad. In this poster we will describe some of the key geometrical and experimental variables under study, and work needed for continued improvement.
Expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) grafts are commonly used to repair and reconstruct blood vessels in vascular bypass surgeries and peripheral arterial reconstructions. However, current ePTFE grafts often cause scar tissue formation due to their dense structure, limiting long-term effectiveness and integration with the body. The goal of this research is to create an ePTFE graft with properties similar to cells found in an organism so it can fully penetrate, and not have a reaction making a scar tissue. To reach our goal, we expanded and characterized Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), transforming it into ePTFE. The research is currently in a testing phase, where we are evaluating the graft’s performance using Tensile Test, to test their break point, Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) to evaluate how the material behaves under different thermal conditions, and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) to evaluate the melting and thermal behaviors of the sample. These tests help optimize the graft's properties, thermal stability, and biocompatibility, ensuring it can perform effectively within the body and integrate with surrounding tissues.
Obesity affects about 42% of adults in the United States. Most states report obesity in 30% of adults (the State of Obesity 2022: Better Policies for a Healthier America), with health-related costs estimated around $150 billion (Zamosky, 2013). As multimodal therapies are most effective in reducing obesity’s effects, this study seeks to determine if cholecystokinin (CCK), a hormone released upon food consumption that reduces meal size and duration, affects the discriminative stimulus effects of 22-hrs food deprivation. Sprague-Dawley rats (24 females, 24 males) were trained to press the left lever after 22-hr food deprivation. Fifteen responses earned a 45 mg food pellet, and 15 right lever presses resulted in 8 seconds of darkness. Contingencies reversed under 2-hr food deprivation. After acquiring discrimination (males: M=76, SEM 7, females: M=83, SEM 7 sessions to criteria), subjects were injected with saline (1 ml/kg body weight) or CCK (1 to 10 mg/kg, i.p.) 15 minutes before a 5-minute test session. Food intake was then measured. CCK did not alter "hunger"-like responses nor affect lever pressing rates or food intake. In food tests under 22-hr deprivation, male rats ate more grams of food, while female rats ate similarly in both deprivation conditions.
Caviar refers to processed salted roe obtained from large fish, and it often requires the sacrifice of a pregnant female. With the increasing global human population, the demand for caviar is rapidly growing, threatening wildlife fish populations everywhere. While many improved versions of caviar analogs have been created, they are unable to mimic natural caviar color, texture, structure, popping (while chewing), and taste. The goal of this project is to develop a scalable method for developing caviar analogs using engineering techniques. For this study, we investigated the use of sodium alginate and calcium chloride (CaCl₂) in the production of engineered caviar analogs that replicate the texture, appearance, and sensory characteristics of natural caviar. Alginate solutions of different concentrations (1-5%) and needles of different gauges were calibrated to achieve structural integrity and mimicry of caviar analog size. Furthermore, CaCl₂ was frozen in liquid nitrogen before soaking in a bath of alginate to form caviar analogs with an outer crusty shell and a softer center, to re-create the popping-effect. Future work will include incorporating our findings within a microfluidic device for a scalable way of producing engineered caviar analogs, furthering the broader pursuit of sustainable food design.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents are transforming healthcare by automating tasks, enhancing diagnostic precision, and enabling personalized care. Our project aims to develop an AI-based system to automate the detection of IVC filters and complications, such as extravascular extension, in CT scans. IVC filters are crucial for patients with venous blood clots but are meant to be temporary, and delays in their removal can cause harm. Interventional radiology (IR) practices often rely on manual tracking methods, which are inadequate when patients transfer care. Many patients forget their filter’s presence, leaving new providers unaware. Building on previous research with Mayo Clinic NWWI, we aim to enhance an existing deep learning algorithm for IVC flagging and extend it to detect extravascular extension, flagging patients for closer follow-up. The system will also integrate large language models (LLMs) to process electronic health records (EHRs) and be modular for future expansion. Our goal is to create a reliable AI algorithm for detecting IVC filters and implement it in hospital settings.
In patients with atrial fibrillation, many stroke-causing clots originate in the left atrial appendage. The WATCHMAN Procedure takes a minimally invasive approach by threading a catheter through the left femoral vein and deploying the WATCHMAN device into the left atrial appendage to decrease risk of atrial fibrillation-related strokes. Currently, no tailored surgical models exist for this procedure. This means surgeons who are learning the procedure must perform on patients instead of practice models. This project aims to fill that gap and create an interactive leg and torso model for surgical practice of the WATCHMAN device insertion procedure. Using software within the Materialise Suite, student researchers can convert 2D DICOM files into 3D stereolithography files (3D). These 3D files can be read by the 3D printer software, producing a physical model of the original 2D images. The patient’s leg is printed in a flexible material in the same manner utilizing SolidWorks. Models of customizable patient heart and femoral vein anatomy will be printed in a flexible material for surgical practice. A Raspberry Pi computer and 4 small cameras mimic the fluoroscopy used during surgery, allowing surgeons to practice the surgery with views of the heart that they would use in an actual procedure. Surgical outcomes utilizing the educational model will be compared with previous outcomes for surgeons of various education and experience levels. This project will reveal if customizable practice models are significantly beneficial to surgical practice by observing patient outcomes.
Grazing steers partner with their rumen microbiomes to efficiently convert plant-derived carbohydrates into meat. Considering the socioeconomic importance of the beef industry, it is critical to develop strategies that maintain quality while lessening negative environmental impacts. Diet supplementation and hormonal implants have been shown to variably impact methane emissions and animal performance. The response of the rumen microbiome to such treatments remains unknown. Here, we will analyze 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of the rumen microbiome from grazing steers across four treatment groups: diet supplemented, hormonal implanted, combined diet and implant, and no intervention. The diet, implant, and combined treatment showed no significant impact on methane emission or N excretion over the 90-day grazing trial. Given this lack of difference, we hypothesize the rumen microbial communities will not be different across treatments. However, we hypothesize the 90 days of grazing will significantly alter the rumen microbiome. Results from this study will provide insight into rumen microbiome dynamics during the life cycle of a grazing steer, further informing management strategies.
Amanita muscaria, commonly known as fly agaric or fly amanita, is a mushroom renowned for its distinctive appearance and psychoactive properties attributed to its compounds, ibotenic acid, and muscimol. Contemporary interest in Amanita muscaria has surged, driven by anecdotal reports of perceived psychological and medicinal benefits. However, no clinical studies exist thus far. This study employs thematic analysis of discussions from the “r/AmanitaMuscaria” subreddit on Reddit to explore users’ reasons for its consumption and the positive and negative experiences associated with this mushroom. A total of 998 principal posts and their associated 9,542 comments were analyzed, revealing thematic trends in adverse effects, perceived positive outcomes, reasons for use, modes of consumption, and thought perceptions. Findings highlight that users experienced more positive than adverse effects, and adverse effects experienced were minimal and primarily self-limiting. These findings may be particularly salient in clinical settings, as medical providers might find it challenging to uncover Amanita muscaria use among their patients unless presented with severe adverse effects. Future research is recommended to investigate Amanita muscaria’s pharmacology further to inform patients and medical providers of safe practices. Finally, an innovative methodological strategy is warranted to examine Reddit posts in-depth to understand users’ perceptions and attitudes.
Understanding the effects of chemical exposure is important for human health and environmental regulations. We are particularly interested in toxicity related to early development because embryos are often more sensitive to toxicity when compared to adult tissues. To address questions of embryonic toxicity, we use the zebrafish system to test how chemical exposure affects early development. I am currently training in lab techniques to use zebrafish for these types of experiments and also conducting literature analysis to define a chemical of interest for future experiments.
Knot Theory, Link Homotopy, and QuandlesIn the 1950s Milnor defined the notion of link homotopy. Since then, its study has been central to the field of knot theory. In the 1980s, Joyce, building on the work of Takasaki, defined a mathematical object called a quandle which is well adapted to the transformation of knot theoretic questions into algebraic questions. Trivial orbit quandles, defined in 2007 by Harrell and Nelson, are a type of quandle useful for studying link homotopy. In this poster, we define a new trivial orbit quandle called the reduced free quandle, and we go about classifying it for 2 and 3 generators. This gives classification of 2 and 3 component links up to link homotopy.
For my research, I am studying why musicians appear to be involved in stronger emotionally connected groups than other subjects. Throughout the beginning process of this research project, I have been studying the brain’s reaction to listening to music and interacting with other musicians. I have learned that music has made a great impact on society and health. As I continue to do more research, I will work at finding more reasoning behind the tightly knit connections and relationships that continuously become established through music settings. Learning and understanding how music works within our brains is important because it can be a universal language that can work to improve the unity of humanity. The current plan for the completion of my project is to get a solid understanding and base of knowledge regarding the brain’s reaction to music and how individuals can form connections through those reactions. Once I understand how music impacts relationships, I will conduct interviews with a wide range of musicians to hear their perspectives on their experiences with music and relationships. The end goal is to update part of the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire’s music major page to provide more insight and information to future Blugolds regarding the impact of the music program on individual lives. Through my project, I hope the audience will find the value and importance of having music in their lives for more than the auditory sensation.
Small-diameter grafts have revolutionized artery repair since their introduction in 1954, providing life-saving solutions for patients with vascular diseases. These grafts are typically manufactured by extruding expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) into tubes. This research focuses on optimizing the tooling and flow cavity design for paste extrusion of small-diameter vascular graft components. One critical parameter in the extrusion process is the reduction ratio, or the ratio of cross-sectional areas of the material before and after extrusion. By varying tooling position and dimensions, we aim to create optimal reduction ratio profiles for various graft dimensions to facilitate successful extrusion processes.
Understanding how proteins and ligands interact is essential for drug discovery, especially for prolyl-tRNA synthetase (ProRS), which is responsible for attaching proline to the corresponding tRNA molecule, a key step in protein biosynthesis in all living organisms. Thus, species-specific inhibitor design for this target holds a key promise in the development of antibiotics with minimal side effects. In the current study, the binding affinities of ligands as well as protein-ligand interactions have been studied for several ProRSs across different host species. Both the physics-based and machine learning models have been utilized, as the latter group of models are computationally inexpensive. The classical physics-based model predicts the affinities by combining the hydrogen bonding, electrostatic, van der Waals, and implicit solvation, while the machine learning model utilizes a deep learning architecture through graph convolutional neural network stitched to artificial neural network. The latter approach enables a faster and more scalable screening of potential drug candidates. Results obtained from the screening method will be compared against a physics-based simulation of molecular interactions and their corresponding binding affinities for the various ProRS enzymes. This research has the potential to enhance drug discovery by improving the speed and scalability of molecular interaction predictions.
Our project aims to discover the effects that solar winds have on the orbital pathways of planets around massive stars. This will allow us to understand why some planets survive in the habitable zone while others are terminated. With the usage of the computer program MESA, we have been able to closely model the mass loss rates of stars while simultaneously tracking the evolution of test planet orbits. This newly discovered knowledge will allow us to develop a deeper understanding about the life and development of star systems outside our solar system.
Physics and Astronomy, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
Dr. Bill Wolf is an associate professor of physics and astronomy at UWEC. He conducts research in computational stellar astrophysics with a team of undergraduate students and also serves as the director of the L.E. Phillips Planetarium.
Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a flexible, non-toxic polymer. It is considered biologically inert and has numerous applications in medicine and industry. PEG is often attached to drug molecules in a process called PEGylation to enhance their stability and solubility, decrease the immune response, and increase circulation time throughout the body. Recently, PEGylated lipids have been included as an ingredient in COVID-19 vaccines. Additionally, PEG molecules of variable sizes are commonly used for studying the effects of molecular crowding and confinement on the conformation and function of proteins and nucleic acids. Despite being considered biologically inert, recent studies have shown that PEG interacts with biomolecules such as proteins. To gain a deeper understanding of PEG-protein interactions, we are using Raman Spectroscopy to investigate the effect of PEG of variable sizes on the vibrational modes of amino acids and proteins. This vibrational spectroscopic technique identifies unique fingerprints of molecules based on the inelastic scattering of monochromatic light. We will present the preliminary results of our study.
Universities have traditionally been thought of as places where individuals can safely exercise their “civic muscles,” that is, engage in intense and thoughtful conversations with their peers about difficult issues. However, national survey data suggest that many college students today do not feel comfortable sharing their views with others. We are interested in understanding the specific hopes and fears that students have about engaging in conversations with students who differ from them politically. To develop our study materials, we asked 80 college students to imagine going into a conversation with someone who differs from them politically, and to list out (1) what they would hope for (“hopeful outcomes”) and (2) what they would be anxious about (“feared outcomes”) going into the conversation. We categorized students’ responses and selected clear exemplars from each category to form a concise list of hopeful outcomes and feared outcomes. In the current study, a large sample of students imagined going into a conversation with a fellow student who differs from them politically, and they rated the likelihood of experiencing each of the hopeful outcomes and feared outcomes. We are analyzing the data and will present the results at CERCA.
The purpose of my project entails bringing awareness to the linguistic and cultural diversity of Yucatec Mayan Sign Language (YMSL) by analyzing the unique qualities of this indigenous language through a sociolinguistic lens. Many visual/manual languages such as British Sign Language and Mexican Sign Language are well-studied and categorized as national languages because the majority of the country’s signers already use them – the language is widespread. On the other end of the spectrum, Yucatec Mayan Sign Language is categorized according to the progression of its usage. Therefore, this language is classified as emerging, meaning it is relatively new to linguistic knowledge and coming from a smaller group of communicators. To fully grasp the multifaceted nature of YMSL’s presence and impact, I analyzed various sources that explore the language’s characteristics, uses, and sociolinguistic contexts within two Mayan communities: Chicán and Nokhop. By researching this field, I hope to bring visibility to the sign language utilized by residents with and without hearing disabilities in communities of the Yucatán Peninsula, unveiling diverse knowledge regarding the multimodality of Yucatec Mayan Sign Language.
Distinguishing peaks in the fingerprint region of an infrared spectra can be extremely difficult and is often ignored due to the large number of overlapping peaks from various molecular vibrations. The specific peak associated with the carbon sulfur bond within a thiocyanate ligand is located in the fingerprint region. To determine the spectral shift, two copper containing compounds were synthesized and isolated. The metal centers were coordinated to two varied thiocyanate complexes, one containing natural abundance sulfur and one with isotopically labeled sulfur. The individual vibrations were analyzed using a Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy and the small chemical shift was identified within the fingerprint region a spectral subtraction was completed. The unit cell structure and space groups were found using X-ray crystallography.
Comparing the biochemical activity of Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 grown in separate medias with La3+ and Ca2+ as cofactors of methanol dehydrogenase (MDH). Recent studies have demonstrated that some enzymes in bacteria isolated from lanthanide-rich areas use lanthanides as metal cofactors in place of more common metals like calcium and that these lanthanide-enzymes have enhanced catalytic properties. The bioelectrocatalytic activity of MDH from M. extorquens grown in La3+ rich media is compared to MDH from M. extorquens grown in typical Ca2+ rich media. A coupled assay of phenazine methosulfate-dichlorophenolindophenol is performed to determine the enzyme activity. Different redox polymer films have been tested to determine the optimal film to immobilize the bacteria while still allowing bioelectrocatalysis to be performed. The bioelectrochemical activities from these bacteria have not previously been compared. If La3+ grown M. extorquens has higher bioelectrochemical activity than Ca2+ grown M. extorquens, then improved biofuel cells and sensors can be created.
Jamie E. Neumann, Bailee C. Higgins, and Jennifer A. DahlA series of organic-inorganic composite films composed of close-packed, alkanethiol-capped gold nanoparticles and rigid, aromatic dithiol crosslinking molecules were assembled upon the air-water interface within a Langmuir trough. The mechanical properties of films were assessed by the Langmuir isotherm, yielding measurements of minimum collapse pressures and structural responses to collapse. The results of this study address the individual roles of nanoscale materials components, further enabling the rational design of nanoarchitectures with specific chemical, physical, and mechanical properties.
Our research is focused on the synthesis of a bridged biphenyl molecule with an amino donor and tetraethylene glycol solubilizing groups (TEG). This three-state biphenyl molecule, due to its chemical properties, will find applications as nanoscale fluorescent sensors and molecular mechanical devices. Biphenyl molecules have known dihedral angles, leading to differing optical and conducting properties when manipulated. Utilizing a lactone-bridge, we can force the molecule into and out of planarity. At low pH, the molecule takes a planar conformation (“ON”), while at high pH it's non-planar (“OFF”). Previous research has shown similar two-state molecules’ effectiveness at readily switching conformations when exposed to different chemical environments. Prior research combined cyano and nitro acceptors with differing amino donors within biphenyl molecules to enhance optical properties and pH sensitivity. This pH sensitivity will be more precise with the addition of a third “OFF” state. At low pH, the amino group should become protonated, leading to the second “OFF” state and giving a narrow “ON” state. The “ON” state results in visible color differences from the “OFF” states of the molecule. These characteristics improve the usefulness of these molecules as pH sensors. Our research aims to synthesize a biphenyl molecule with a cyano acceptor, and TEGs. Prior research shows nitrile fluoresces better than its nitro counterpart. Long TEGs will increase the solubility of the molecule, enhancing the practicality of the planar biphenyl molecule as a dye. We have successfully synthesized one of our target molecules, a benzene ring with an iodine and a para-TEG group. We will be continuing our work to synthesize a three-state donor-acceptor biaryl lactone molecular switch with a cyano acceptor and TEGs, enhancing solubility and fluorescence.
Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) is the most common form of open-heart surgery in the United States and is performed hundreds of thousands of times annually. This surgery can be performed via on-pump, which utilizes a machine to keep the heart beating, or off-pump, where the patient’s heart beats like normal. One of the main complications associated with CABG is acute kidney injury (AKI) which has a high mortality rate, making our research goals to identify the important risk factors behind why a patient would experience acute kidney injury, and to compare the on-pump and off-pump surgical techniques. We used datasets from Mayo Clinic comprised of approximately 2000 patients and several hundred features. We analyzed this dataset using several statistical models, including Random Forest, XGBoost, and Propensity Analysis, with Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting (IPTW) as our propensity analysis technique. From this analysis, we gathered a list of key features which can predict if a patient will experience AKI when performed with the on-pump method. We also found that there was no statistically significant difference in success rates of the on-pump and off-pump techniques, however the high imbalance in the dataset requires further investigation. Mayo Choice Award: Our project is intended to help patient outcomes by providing physicians with key predictors of whether a patient will experience AKI or not during surgery. The physician will then be able to make a better-informed decision about whether the surgery should be performed given the patient’s characteristics and associated risk factors.
This study proposes an AI driven pipeline that combines, pancreas segmentation outcome for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) diagnosis with a large language model (LLM) agent to enhance diagnostic and clinical analysis. Building upon already established deep learning approaches in medical imaging, our project aims to extend traditional UNet segmentation methods by integrating the capabilities of an LLM agent to provide detailed diagnostic information for medical practitioners. Using the Pancreas Decathlon dataset, 3D CT scans are processed and trained over multiple different iterations utilizing attention mechanisms, sparse categorical cross entropy and Tversky loss. The predicted segmentation labels are used by the LLM to infer diagnostic details such as the stage of the disease progression and integrate results with the electronic health records for longitudinal study. Ultimately, this integrated framework aims to assist medical practitioners in diagnosing PDAC more effectively while offering additional supplemental information.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents are transforming healthcare by automating tasks, enhancing diagnostic precision, and enabling personalized care. Our project aims to develop an AI-based system to automate the detection of IVC filters and complications, such as extravascular extension, in CT scans. IVC filters are crucial for patients with venous blood clots but are meant to be temporary, and delays in their removal can cause harm. Interventional radiology (IR) practices often rely on manual tracking methods, which are inadequate when patients transfer care. Many patients forget their filter’s presence, leaving new providers unaware. Building on previous research with Mayo Clinic NWWI, we aim to enhance an existing deep learning algorithm for IVC flagging and extend it to detect extravascular extension, flagging patients for closer follow-up. The system will also integrate large language models (LLMs) to process electronic health records (EHRs) and be modular for future expansion. Our goal is to create a reliable AI algorithm for detecting IVC filters and implement it in hospital settings.
In patients with atrial fibrillation, many stroke-causing clots originate in the left atrial appendage. The WATCHMAN Procedure takes a minimally invasive approach by threading a catheter through the left femoral vein and deploying the WATCHMAN device into the left atrial appendage to decrease risk of atrial fibrillation-related strokes. Currently, no tailored surgical models exist for this procedure. This means surgeons who are learning the procedure must perform on patients instead of practice models. This project aims to fill that gap and create an interactive leg and torso model for surgical practice of the WATCHMAN device insertion procedure. Using software within the Materialise Suite, student researchers can convert 2D DICOM files into 3D stereolithography files (3D). These 3D files can be read by the 3D printer software, producing a physical model of the original 2D images. The patient’s leg is printed in a flexible material in the same manner utilizing SolidWorks. Models of customizable patient heart and femoral vein anatomy will be printed in a flexible material for surgical practice. A Raspberry Pi computer and 4 small cameras mimic the fluoroscopy used during surgery, allowing surgeons to practice the surgery with views of the heart that they would use in an actual procedure. Surgical outcomes utilizing the educational model will be compared with previous outcomes for surgeons of various education and experience levels. This project will reveal if customizable practice models are significantly beneficial to surgical practice by observing patient outcomes.
Development of a system that can deploy a stent graft to peripheral artery with a collateral vessel without blocking the collateral vessel has been undertaken to assist in treating different arterial conditions like atherosclerosis. Currently no commercially available system exists that can deploy a stent graft without inhibiting flow to the collateral vessel; surgeons must create a fenestration in the main graft through which to deploy a smaller device. The fabrication of this system involved modifying and combining prefabricated catheters to make a complete system that can deploy the stent with good turnability. The system has a port to both inject dye and insert a wire to probe for correct placement of the device fenestration. The research effort has produced prototypes of a multi-lumen intravascular catheter deployment system for stent graft placement where a stent graft can be placed via the system and proper fenestration alignment to the collateral vessel can be confirmed. This project could improve patient outcomes by providing a cost effective and safe option for inserting stents into major arteries that have a collateral vessel which is currently treated by surgeons using makeshift solutions with existing stents and ablation tools.
Caviar refers to processed salted roe obtained from large fish, and it often requires the sacrifice of a pregnant female. With the increasing global human population, the demand for caviar is rapidly growing, threatening wildlife fish populations everywhere. While many improved versions of caviar analogs have been created, they are unable to mimic natural caviar color, texture, structure, popping (while chewing), and taste. The goal of this project is to develop a scalable method for developing caviar analogs using engineering techniques. For this study, we investigated the use of sodium alginate and calcium chloride (CaCl₂) in the production of engineered caviar analogs that replicate the texture, appearance, and sensory characteristics of natural caviar. Alginate solutions of different concentrations (1-5%) and needles of different gauges were calibrated to achieve structural integrity and mimicry of caviar analog size. Furthermore, CaCl₂ was frozen in liquid nitrogen before soaking in a bath of alginate to form caviar analogs with an outer crusty shell and a softer center, to re-create the popping-effect. Future work will include incorporating our findings within a microfluidic device for a scalable way of producing engineered caviar analogs, furthering the broader pursuit of sustainable food design.
Superconductors are materials that can carry electricity without resistance at cryogenic temperatures, which is useful for large magnet applications such as particle accelerators. Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8-x (Bi-2212) is a superconductor capable of producing very large magnetic fields (>20 Tesla). However, processing Bi-2212 into usable, filamentary round wire poses significant challenges. These wires undergo a densification process that increases the wire’s critical current density but introduces variations in filament size and shape within composite wires. These variations can impact both processing capability and performance. In this study, Bi-2212 wires with and without densification were sectioned and imaged five times at 1 mm depth intervals to evaluate the longitudinal homogeneity of their filaments. ImageJ was used to analyze filament area and circularity, while Minitab provided graphical interpretations of the variations. These findings offer insights into the impact of the densification process on filament homogeneity.
Allergen immunotherapy or “allergy shots” are delivered as fast-acting intravenous (IV) injections given to patients suffering from chronic allergies. However, in rural settings, patients must travel long distances for a single injection, significantly adding to patient costs, and costs to an already over-burdened health-care system. We hypothesized that minimally invasive, painless, self-administered 3D (three-dimensional) printed microneedles could be a better alternative in these scenarios and could be provided in conjunction with tele-medicine. For this study, 3D printed microneedles were printed using Formlabs stereolithography (SLA) printers and clear V4 material. Different parameters were calibrated including layer thickness, size, shape, material, and needle orientation, to enable dermal puncture with minimal breakage. Our results show that a Pyramid Needle Model (needle array: 1(L)x1(W)x0.5(H) cm; needle dimensions: 200(L)x200(W)x800(H) µm; 500µm (spacing); 1µm (tip diameter); 45° angle; 0.025mm layer-thickness) was the best microneedle model produced through our experiments. Microscopy and porcine skin puncture testing confirmed the functionality of these needles in the laboratory. Taken together, our results showcase the feasibility of fabrication of transdermal microneedles through 3D printing, providing a fast and effective solution for self-administered painless drug delivery. Future work will focus on improving microneedle design to enable allergy-drug loading and delivery.
Many technologically important materials are used in amorphous form, and a fundamental understanding of their structure is crucial for optimization of their performance. Due to the disordered nature of amorphous materials, experimental structural characterization is challenging. Computational techniques such as ab initio molecular dynamics simulations have been widely used to reveal atomistic insights into the structural characteristics of amorphous materials. The simulated melt-quench process is typically used to generate the amorphous structure. Such generated structures contain varying amounts of defects due to differences in system sizes and simulation history. Consequently, reported structures for amorphous materials are subject to substantial variations and inconsistencies. Using silicon dioxide (SiO2) as a model system, the effects of simulation history on the structural characteristics of amorphous SiO2 have been studied. By manipulating simulation parameters such as time, temperature, and thermodynamic ensemble, this research examines which conditions eliminate the most defects in an amorphous structure through a statistical analysis. The optimal parameters for generating high-quality, defect-free amorphous SiO2 structures were proposed. The same protocol is expected to be applicable to other materials, thus advancing the study of amorphous materials by providing a reliable computational protocol for producing amorphous structures with minimal defects.
Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic condition affecting millions worldwide, associated with factors like age, body mass index, blood pressure, and social determinants such as income level, education, and healthcare access. This study uses a mix of these factors derived from a public health survey to train machine learners for diabetes prediction. The data includes 29 features and 223,022 records. A key goal here is to investigate levels of feature importance in risk factors to assess the impact of social determinants on diabetes. We employ six machine learning models, including XGBoost, AdaBoost, LightGBM, Random Forest, Naive Bayes, and Logistic Regression, and utilize SHapley Additive exPlanations to measure feature importance. Predictive performance metrics include accuracy, precision, recall, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Empirical results show that five out of six models achieved 85% accuracy, with blood pressure, body mass index, cholesterol, weekly alcohol consumption, and time since the last checkup being the most significant predictive attributes. These initial findings highlight the potential of machine learners to predict diabetes and contribute to early monitoring of the identified risk factors. In related future research, a planned work will investigate whether identifying and incorporating other factors would improve overall predictive performance.
The recent advancements in LLMs and Gen-AI technology, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Llamas, have widespread applications. Such AI-based solutions strive to achieve extremely high levels of effectiveness in identifying and modeling a multitude of complex patterns and characteristics in textual data. In related literature, recently there is an increased focus on solutions to detect and model the complex characteristics and semantic formulations in textual data that are respectively unique to AI-generated and human-developed responses to a given input query or data. This research work is a preliminary study on investigating NLP-based approaches that are applicable to our research question: for a given query or input data, can we differentiate between the AI-generated responses from that is developed by a human expert. The case study dataset has about 2,000 records (about published research articles) and four attributes: title of a published article; its AI-generated abstract; its human-developed abstract; and a class label. The two NLP-based approaches we are currently investigating are: similarity metric(s) based assessment paired with the known class labels of the respective abstracts, and an LLM-based approach for modeling. We will present the respective results and provide their individual and comparative analysis as well as important conclusion points.
Ozone is an important aspect of characterizing local air quality due to its effects as a respiratory irritant, causing inflammation of the respiratory system, coughing, exacerbation of asthma symptoms and can lead to respiratory infections over long term exposure. Formation of ozone in low altitude conditions comes as a byproduct of reactions between NOx emissions and VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) in the presence of sunlight. This is of particular concern around heavy industrial areas as NOx emissions are a common byproduct of many industrial processes. The focus of the WiscoDISCO-22 field campaign was to characterize the local atmospheric conditions around the Lake Michigan shoreline in southeastern Wisconsin, with the specific focus of determining the lake breeze’s effect on local air mixing. Data was collected by flying unmanned aerial systems equipped with instruments to measure ozone concentration, and meteorological variables over both land and water. The current focus is on removing surface effects from the start of each flight and optimizing each data set to best showcase the vertical profile to be interpreted in continuing analysis of the different profiles seen between overland and overwater flights.
Residents on the shoreline of Lake Michigan in southwest Wisconsin are subject to air quality issues from high ozone concentrations near ground level. Meteorological data was collected for the August 2023 AGES+ campaign concerning ozone concentration, temperature, wind speed, and wind direction. Measurements were conducted using a DJI M300, with two IMETs and POM sensors attached, with flights occurring over Lake Michigan near the Chiwaukee Prairie area. Results were then correlated with the Wisconsin DNR’s ground station in Chiwaukee Prairie, which found moderate correlation of data between measurements conducted above water and on land.
Air quality is of concern to the communities along Lake Michigan’s shores in easternWisconsin. In the troposphere oxides of nitrogen, like NO2, react with volatile organic compounds, like formaldehyde, to form ozone,which is a harmful pollutant to human health. Lake Michigan traps these harmful chemicals in the troposphere, which results in ahigher-than-normal amount of ozone in these communities’ air. During the summer of 2023 in Kenosha, WI, the OPSIS DOASinstrument was placed on the Kenosha Municipal Building and the water treatment plant and took measurements of O3, NO2 and SO2 during the months of July and August. During this time, the AGES+ field campaign was also taking place, where ground, satellite, and aircraft observations were targeted around the Chicago, New York and Toronto regions. This data has been uploaded a repository that is part of the field campaign, AGES+. My poster will display the OPSIS DOAS data from the Kenosha, Wisconsin and data gathered from overwater aircraft sampling by University of Alabama Huntsville and perform an analysis to determine data correlations and find possible trends.
The development of sustainable routes to organic building blocks is a critical endeavor for reducing the environmental impact of traditional organic chemical synthesis. Biocatalysts offer an alternative method to facilitate sustainable synthesis, as they perform highly selective reactions at an increased rate. Ring-cleaving dioxygenases (RCDs) are a class of enzymes responsible for selectively breaking open the ring of benzene derivatives to provide a carbon source for microorganisms in bioremediation. To access the biocatalysts, many microbiology methods were utilized. The E. coli cells were transformed to contain the desired gene, the cells were then grown until there optical density was at the ideal value for cell viability (0.6-0.8) and induced with IPTG to facilitate protein expression. After heterologous expression, the enzyme was purified to homogeneity by immobilized metal affinity chromatography. We continue to analyze RCD types (type I, II, and III) through endpoint screening and product isolation using various substituted catechols. We envision that this approach to muconic acid synthesis will contribute to ongoing efforts to streamline synthesis of these important organic building blocks and reduce the usage of fossil fuels for organic synthesis.
The Foster Gallery hosts and exhibition by May 2025 Bachelor of Fine Arts degree candidates. Students will displayed their creative research spanning disciplines such as graphic design, illustration, and sculpture. Each student designs and executes their own creative project and participates in professional practices of presentation, installation, curating, and writing artist statements. The exhibition opens to the public on Friday, April 25 in the Foster Gallery. The creative research is documented in a video presentation highlighting each individual student's creative project and will be available prior to the opening of the exhibition.
The Fall 2024 Bachelor of Fine Arts exhibition featured artwork by BFA degree candidates who graduated in December 2024. The exhibition displayed the students' creative research spanning disciplines such as graphic design, illustration, and printmaking. Each student designed and executed their own creative project and participated in professional practices of presentation, installation, curating, and writing artist statements. Although the exhibition has concluded, this creative research is documented in a video presentation highlighting each individual student's creative project.
This research examines how the ‘Beyond the Gaze’ exhibition improved accessibility within Foster Gallery and provides recommendations for museums and other cultural institutions to ensure access for all visitors. Existing guidelines, such as the 2010 American with Disability Act (ADA) Guidelines, outline only basic requirements. A 2020 LA County Arts and Culture report highlights accessibility challenges in the arts through interviews with disabled artists. It emphasizes that while accessibility broadens engagement, barriers persist. Some artworks remain inaccessible unless designed inclusively, and modifications can sometimes alter interpretation. My approach includes evaluating the Foster Gallery's physical space, signage, exhibition design, and visitor experience to identify both strengths and areas for improvement. I used feedback from artists and accessibility professionals to create practical solutions. This research reveals that while the exhibition made strides in accessibility within Foster Gallery, such as improved signage, wider circulation routes, and tactile exhibition elements, more improvements are needed. Key recommendations for galleries include alternative text formats, interactive audio guides, adequate seating, and accessible exhibition layouts that meet and exceed ADA standards. By prioritizing accessibility, institutions can create environments where all individuals can fully engage with and enjoy artistic and historical experiences.
Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), also known as “forever chemicals”, are man-made chemicals consisting of C-chains, either poly- or per-fluorinated. PFASs have long been detected in the environment, but recent studies found their presence in the human body too. Due to the stable C-F bonds, these compounds resist degradation, and the long-term effects and toxicity on the human body are still unknown. In humans, PFASs have been associated with xenobiotic metabolism, immunity, hepatic steatosis, kidney cancer, liver toxicity, and more. Moreover, PFASs have been detected in the human brain, and it’s hypothesized their potential interference with neurotransmitter synthesis and act as receptor-binding site competitors, potentially leading to cognitive and developmental dysfunctions. However, the mechanism by which these chemicals enter the brain and can cross or bypass the blood-brain barrier transporters is still unclear. Thus, in this study, we aim to conduct a systematic study of PFASs and their binding into some of the known target proteins using computational chemistry tools, including cheminformatics, quantum chemical computation, and molecular docking. The presentation will document the absolute hardnesses, absolute electronegativities, and binding affinities to some known targets in our body, including human serum albumin, liver fatty acid binding proteins, organic anion-transporting polypeptides, and dopamine transporter.
Understanding how proteins and ligands interact is essential for drug discovery, especially for prolyl-tRNA synthetase (ProRS), which is responsible for attaching proline to the corresponding tRNA molecule, a key step in protein biosynthesis in all living organisms. Thus, species-specific inhibitor design for this target holds a key promise in the development of antibiotics with minimal side effects. In the current study, the binding affinities of ligands as well as protein-ligand interactions have been studied for several ProRSs across different host species. Both the physics-based and machine learning models have been utilized, as the latter group of models are computationally inexpensive. The classical physics-based model predicts the affinities by combining the hydrogen bonding, electrostatic, van der Waals, and implicit solvation, while the machine learning model utilizes a deep learning architecture through graph convolutional neural network stitched to artificial neural network. The latter approach enables a faster and more scalable screening of potential drug candidates. Results obtained from the screening method will be compared against a physics-based simulation of molecular interactions and their corresponding binding affinities for the various ProRS enzymes. This research has the potential to enhance drug discovery by improving the speed and scalability of molecular interaction predictions.
The field of electronic textiles (e-textiles) combines digital technology with textile objects, and has applications in fields such as wearable computing, theatrical design, and medicine. Prior work has examined deploying this technology in educational settings, to teach such skills as circuit design, computer programming, and iterative design. However, e-textile-based learning materials are still not commonly used, and more validated examples of such interventions would be valuable. The aim of this project is to investigate the state of the art in e-textile technology, especially in educational contexts, and to develop and evaluate an e-textiles intervention which could be deployed in a classroom or extra-curricular setting to teach introductory programming skills. So far, we have conducted a literature review examining applications of e-textiles in learning environments. For example, in one study [Seo et al. 2017], the researchers provided a safe environment for children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) to create their own sensory haptic toy. We found that many of the studies targeted middle and high school age children as a way to gauge and increase their knowledge of electricity and sewing techniques, but not many examined undergraduates. Therefore, in future work, we plan to conduct an experiment investigating the effectiveness of e-textiles in undergraduate learning.
The emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has facilitated the creation of targeted, mass-produced, and highly effective phishing messages with unprecedented ease. Unlike previous methods, attackers no longer face the dilemma of choosing between investing time in crafting personalized spear phishing messages or opting for less effective, but broadly distributed, general phishing campaigns. Despite continuous warnings from security researchers and academics spanning over a year, there remains a notable scarcity of AI-generated phishing messages available for comprehensive study and analysis. The establishment of a comprehensive corpus of AI-generated phishing messages would provide researchers with the data to devise effective strategies for detecting and thwarting these sophisticated techniques. To address this gap, we propose leveraging the computational capabilities of UWEC’s Blugold Center for High Performance Computing with local Large Language Models (LLMs) to generate a diverse and extensive collection of malicious phishing messages for analysis and new techniques to better detect AI generated phishing attacks.
Background: Patient education is linked to better health outcomes and is a core component of Family Medicine, where providers see a variety of patient health problems (Simonsmeier, 2022). Developing and maintaining an evidence-based and inclusive patient education library is a resource-intensive. Content libraries at academic medical centers often are not inclusive of Family Medicine. Moreover, users cannot tailor content to individual patient needs, and accessing content is cumbersome. Objective: We aimed to close this education gap by developing an AI-assisted tool where clinicians can easily generate trustworthy education content for diverse patient needs. Methods: Our tool combines a web-scraper that pulls data from mayoclinic.org, feeds it into a standalone user interface (UI) enabled by a large language model (LLM), which allows users to generate printable education based on inputs, such as disease name, content headers, text size, and patient reading level. We validated the LLM’s accuracy and completeness using volunteer medical students. We plan to evaluate the tool’s usability, time savings, and user satisfaction with a pilot study comparing the traditional workflow to our tool. Results & Future Work: Two times during the development process, output forms were evaluated by multiple different clinicians to confirm medical accuracy and readability. Post-pilot, we will investigate translating the tool into clinical practice. Mayo Choice Award Family medicine providers handle an incredibly large volume of diseases and diagnoses, so having easy-to-access, adjustable educational material is incredibly important as it decreases clerical burden for clinicians and increases patient health literacy (Hart, 2015). Currently, even if providers are able to locate the educational forms without interrupting their workflow to visit the public website, they cannot adjust educational material reading level or text sizes to tailor to individual patient needs without extra steps, which inhibits patients from fully understanding their diagnosis and relevant follow-up, including vital self-care instructions that lead to better patient outcomes (Simonsmeier, 2022). Overall, this tool provides the educational materials for over 400 diagnoses commonly seen in family medicine all in one place, while also allowing providers to tailor the reading level and text size to each patient, which will lead to overall better health outcomes. Works Cited Hart, S., 2015. Patient education accessibility. Medical Writing 24, 190– 194. Simonsmeier BA, Flaig M, Simacek T, Schneider M. What sixty years of research says about the effectiveness of patient education on health: a second order meta-analysis. Health Psychol Rev. 2022 Sep;16(3):450-474. doi: 10.1080/17437199.2021.1967184. Epub 2021 Aug 24. PMID: 34384337.
This website was developed as an educational tool to train students in accurately identifying different types of stuttering. The platform provides audio samples, allowing users to practice distinguishing between various stutter types, such as repetitions, prolongations, and blocks. As students classify these speech patterns, their responses are recorded and stored, with hopes to eventually form a structured dataset. This dataset serves a dual purpose: enhancing student learning through hands-on experience and creating a valuable resource for future AI applications in speech therapy and automated stutter detection. The project aims to bridges the gap between AI and stutter disfluency detection. The resulting dataset can support the development of AI-driven tools for diagnosing and assisting individuals with speech disorders, ultimately improving accessibility to speech therapy solutions.
This project aims to standardize follow-up recommendations for colonoscopies by leveraging Generative AI and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to analyze colonoscopy and pathology reports. Current follow-up guidelines vary based on multiple factors, including polyp type, size, number, and patient history, often leading to inconsistencies in clinical recommendations. The AI system processes unstructured text from medical reports, extracting key diagnostic details and cross-referencing them with established guidelines to generate personalized return date recommendations. By automating this process, the project enhances accuracy, reduces variability in clinical decision-making, and improves workflow efficiency for healthcare providers. The standardized recommendations ensure that patients receive appropriate follow-up care, minimizing the risk of delayed or unnecessary procedures. This initiative demonstrates the potential of AI in streamlining medical decision-making, ultimately contributing to better patient outcomes and more consistent adherence to evidence-based guidelines in gastroenterology.
Variable Rate Agriculture (VRA) is a data-driven approach aimed at reducing the environmental impact of commercial farming. It leverages machine learning models (MLMs) to enhance crop yield predictions more rapidly than traditional soil analyses. However, MLMs require large datasets, and agricultural data is often limited. Cross-validation (CV) techniques help improve model generalization by testing model performance on reserved subsets of data, even with limited data. This study used a three-year dataset on hybrid wheat, covering pre-planting, crop growth, and yield mass from Minnesota. Four machine learning models—linear regression, random forest, XGBoost, and feed-forward neural networks (FFNN)—were developed to link pre-growing conditions with yield outcomes. Two CV methods, Random CV and Spatial Grid CV, were applied to compare model performance, assessing overfitting using the coefficient of determination (R²) and Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE). Feature selection was performed to pinpoint critical spectral indices impacting model output. Findings indicated that Random CV generally outperformed Spatial Grid CV across both full and reduced feature sets. While linear regression suffered from feature selection limitations, FFNN showed occasional improvement. Overall, Random CV proved more effective, especially with a diverse dataset, enhancing model reliability in VRA applications.
Transportation is a fundamental human activity, and cycling offers significant potential to improve community health, reduce carbon emissions, and lower transportation costs both for individuals and the community at large. To foster widespread adoption, sufficient cycling infrastructure is essential, as safety issues present a major barrier to ridership. Understanding cyclists' perceptions of safety, location, and the built environment is crucial for enhancing safety and increasing participation. This poster presents findings from a study on spatial perceptions of cycling safety in Marburg, Germany. Through a web-based survey, respondents identified two major clusters of unsafe areas. In general, unsafe locations were identified as such due to inadequate infrastructure and potential conflicts with motor vehicles. The study reveals that while women and men share similar levels of confidence in cycling, safety concerns have a greater influence on where women choose to ride. The insights from this study are valuable for identifying specific areas in Marburg that require improvement, but they also offer guidance for urban planners seeking to design safer and more equitable transportation systems.
Our research is focused on the geomorphic history of the Niobrara River, located in northern Nebraska. This river exhibits noteworthy landforms, including a large number of terraces. The goal is to determine what event(s) may have taken place to cause these formations. Through analyzing the terraces, it’s apparent that it has drastically aggraded and degraded to form a complex series of terraces. The Niobrara is located just north of the Nebraska Sand Hills, which is a crucial aspect of the landscape that contributes to the river’s geologic history. To understand what happened, we mapped all the terraces within the Niobrara Scenic River Corridor. We utilized ArcGIS Pro to digitize each terrace, then calculated their average height above the river. Once completed, we classified the terrace heights into categories to reveal geographic patterns. We hypothesize that there was a river piracy event that caused the Niobrara to reroute towards the Keya Paha River, a tributary to the Niobrara, and abandon the ancestral course that is now the Elkhorn River. A possible explanation includes the transport of sediment from the Sand Hills to create a sand dam on the river, which would have formed an overflowing lake, spilling over the dam boundaries.
Within college organizations, very few encompass certifications that promote environmental health, students’ physical well-being, and the community. With the Eau Claire community being 75k+ members, a center that has good quality access to health care is vital to seniors, children and young adults. The UWEC Sonnentag Center has Gold LEED certification, which states the building has outstanding sustainability energy efficiency and environmental design. However, this is not enough to tackle the environmental issues in Eau Claire. Within our research to achieve the WELL certification, we collected data on the clarity of the water (turbidity), total and free chlorine, the pH levels of the water; levels of volatile inorganic compounds (carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide), ozone levels, and humidity in the air. Interestingly, what our team found was that the turbidity, as well as, free and total chlorine levels were low, and the pH was slightly higher but within range. In addition, the air quality was above and beyond good standards for the WELL Certification, due to the ventilation systems in and around the building. However, nightly cleaning procedures caused a rise in VOC’s and low humidity. Overall, the measures of WELL Certification build upon the LEED certification principles, allowing for the best achievable environmental impact.
Two Holocaust-era trenches sit between the Abava River and a local road near Sabile, Latvia. The mass murder of Sabile Jews took place on August 6,1941. The intended execution of Sabile’s Roma population never occurred leaving an open trench. The goal of the project is to locate the filled in trench containing 240 Jewish citizens and compare it to the open Roma trench. To find the Jewish trench, an 8x9m grid was laid down and ground penetrating radar (GPR) lines were collected every 0.25m using a Sensors & Software pulseEKKO Pro system with 500MHz antennae. The GPR data was then geometrically corrected using a Topcon laser leveler. Results show horizontal, to sub-horizontal semi-continuous reflection patterns with erosional truncations from 2-4m across the grid. These truncations were filled with concave upward reflection patterns. In comparison to the open Roma trench, it is hypothesized that the Jewish trench lays partially within the imaged lines and is roughly 2-4m wide and 5m deep. The study, for the first time, has been able to compare two Holocaust trenches (one open and one filled in). The results can be used by others to compare mass execution sites worldwide.
During the early stages of the Holocaust in 1941, over 5,470 people were shot by bullets within the city limits of Liepāja, Latvia. Near the Liepāja Lighthouse, a film recorded by Reinhard Wiener captures the scene of active killings while a 1945 Soviet Commissions Map illustrates four execution trenches. The map and film present geographic reference points that suggest trench locations near the Lighthouse. The research aims to build upon prior research to map the continuation of execution trenches. The primary method, ground penetrating radar (GPR), a non-invasive technique that transmits high-frequency electromagnetic pulses into the subsurface. Seven grids were laid out using survey tapes with a 0.25m line spacing and ranging from 4.5-29m in length and 12-33m in width. All seven grids used an antennae frequency of 500MHz with an odometer wheel triggered step size of 0.02m. The data was processed using Sensors and Software pulseEKKO Pro V6 software. Pairs of erosional truncation reflections are interpreted as trench outlines within local subhorizontal semicontinuous coastal aeolian sediments. Two possible trenches extend in grids 1 and 5. The project builds an understanding of how to detect mass burial sites worldwide and help the Liepāja Jewish community identify memorial locations for execution trenches.
This project aims to map buried river channels beneath the desert sands to identify potential agricultural sites, particularly focusing on areas within irrigatable distance of the Nile River in Sudan. With fertile land along the Nile becoming increasingly limited, there is a growing need to explore new areas that can support farming. Sudan, a country in northeastern Africa, was once lush with river systems and vegetation but is now mostly covered by the Sahara Desert. Beneath the sands lie palaeochannels (ancient riverbeds and drainage systems) that contain fertile sediments and are highly suitable for agriculture. Agriculture has expanded into the desert over the past decade, revealing the potential of buried channels, but more fertile land is needed to continue this growth. In this study, we utilized a radar remote sensing sensor called PALSAR (Phased Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar) to image subsurface hydrologic and geomorphic features. This sensor is capable of penetrating deeper into the ground from space, detecting buried palaeochannels and revealing areas that may harbour soil. Our reconnaissance mapping has uncovered a vast network of palaeochannels within a 40-mile radius of the Nile River, offering potential locations for agricultural expansion.
Libya lacks a permanent natural body of water, causing it to rely on fossil water from underground aquifers that originate more than tens of thousands of years ago. The ancient aquifers are a relic from a time when the Sahara was green and home to rivers and lakes. Since this water is not naturally replenished, there is an increasing need to explore more sources of fossil water under the Sahara's sands. Remote sensing data from the Phased Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) sensor, onboard the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS), has been shown to penetrate and reveal subsurface features up to several meters deep. This is especially useful in regions such as Libya, where dry, shallow sand cover allows effective PALSAR’s L-Band Penetration. PALSAR, along with optical remote sensing and topographic data within the Google Earth Engine platform, provides new capabilities to conduct multi-level spatial analysis. Preliminary results reveal a previously unidentified and/ under-appreciated network of ancient drainages, streams, and small-scale deltas or alluvial fans, many of which are connected to previously identified megalakes. These findings will provide valuable insight into the region's ancient hydrological system and its potential for future water resources.
Poplar trees (Populus) provide vital ecosystem services for humans and are a critical species within their wide range of habitats. Our research goal was to investigate whether hybridization between Populus trichocharpa (Black Cottonwood) and P. balsamifera (Balsam Poplar) alters their resistance to a fungal pathogen Melampsora, or rust. Rust is apotential threat to proper development in many poplar species. Our garden is within a multi-institution poplar research project, consisting of 19 common gardens across North America with clones of 47 poplar genotypes. All genotypes exhibit a hybrid class, or percentage of DNA from the two focal species. Each garden collected general presence or absence of rust data. At our garden we conducted a detailed assessment of the proportion of leaves exhibiting rust damage. For our garden and across the larger project we used ANOVAs, linear models, and correlation tests to determine if there was a relationship between the presence of rust disease and genetic background. For both data sets, no significant relationships were found between rust presence and hybrid class. However, in the larger set, there was a significant relationship between rust and transect, or original location. Also, in our smaller set, rust was positively correlated with leaf area.
For early spring wildflowers in Wisconsin, global climate change may lead to warmer, drier climates with more day-to-day variability, which in turn can impact flower and pollinator phenology, plant-pollinator network structure, and reproductive security for plants and pollinators. Inter-annual changes to plant-pollinator interactions are often only noticeable with long-term data sets. Here, we present our goal to establish a multi-year study monitoring plant-pollinator interactions in early spring wildflowers in Putnam Park. We will use AutoPollS (Autonomous Pollinator Samplers) camera traps with temperature sensors to record flower visitors to early spring wildflowers. We will deploy six camera traps with four cameras from the start of bloom through mid-May, aiming to document all flowering species. After we collect images of flower visitors, we will filter out images with insects and use BeeMachine to identify flower visitors. To analyze our data, we will use bipartite plots to evaluate network dynamics and complexity and link temperature with pollinator activity and wildflower phenology. Over time, we will evaluate multi-year patterns and evidence of climate change-mediated shifts to plant-pollinator interactions. We expect as the climate warms, spring wildflowers will bloom earlier, bloom duration will decrease, and pollinators will shift their dietary preferences in response.
Global change is predicted to result in warmer and more variable temperatures, which may impact insect learning. Learning is critical to social insects, like bumble bees, where colony success relies on worker memory. We used a foraging arena to investigate whether bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) learning is influenced by temperature. We wanted the bees to learn that yellow flowers had a higher reward (50% sugar) than blue flowers (25% sugar). Bee colonies were connected to a training arena with half-blue, half-yellow flowers with ad-libitum nectar for one week, then individual workers were removed from the training arena to be tested in the foraging arena. Before foraging, bees were starved for six hours, then introduced to the foraging arena and allowed to forage for 10 minutes on two subsequent days. We recorded the color of the first flower visited, the duration foraging on both high- and low-reward flowers, and the number and type of each flower, per foraging visit. In total, we tested nine temperature combinations of 18, 25, and 32°C across days 1 and 2. As a control, we also evaluated whether bees had an innate preference for blue or yellow flowers when floral reward was equal (both 50% sugar).
Cortisol is a stress hormone essential for fetal development in humans. Increased prenatal cortisol exposure due to maternal stress can alter fetal neurodevelopment. Previous studies in our lab identified morphological changes in zebrafish larvae due to embryonic cortisol exposure. Cortisol primarily acts through two receptors, the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), which are crucial to the regulation and development of many physiological processes. MRs are crucial to the regulation and development of many physiological processes. Deoxycorticosterone (DOC) is a synthetic glucocorticoid that binds selectively to the MR. In this study, we tested how activating the mineralocorticoid receptors affects the morphology of embryonic development in zebrafish. Zebrafish embryos were treated with different concentrations of DOC at 3 hours post fertilization (hpf). Embryos were then imaged at 72 hpf with brightfield microscopy. Images were scored for morphological phenotypes and the severity of phenotypes. Results show a dose-dependent change in morphological phenotypes due to DOC treatment. These experiments inform our understanding of how different corticosteroid receptors affect zebrafish morphology in embryonic development.
Methylmercury (MeHg) is a common water pollutant in the Great Lakes region with known toxicity in wildlife and humans. The glutathione (GSH) pathway plays a crucial role in detoxifying cells from substances like MeHg. While variants in GSH genotypes have been linked to differential MeHg retention and toxicity in adult tissues, less is known about these gene-environment interactions during embryonic development. To investigate this context, a mutant line of zebrafish was created utilizing CRISPR techniques targeting the gclm gene, a gene involved in the GSH pathway. In this study, we characterized the mutant allele in the F3 generation using high-resolution melting analysis (HRMA) along with PCR + restriction enzyme digestion. Suspected mutant zebrafish were genotyped to detect a change in DNA sequence at the CRISPR target area using PCR + restriction enzyme digestion with gel electrophoresis. Gel extraction of the altered PCR fragment and subsequent DNA sequencing revealed a consistent deletion at the CRISPR target area. Subsequent analysis of predicted protein products of the mutant sequences indicated a loss-of-function allele. Characterizing the functional impact of this mutant gclm allele will help clarify how the gclm gene contributes to MeHg detoxification in the context of embryonic development.
This research looks at the effect of inert environments on the structures of pyridine-SO2 complexes. These effects were able to be observed both experimentally through low temperature FTIR as well as computational models. Experimental FTIR data illustrates environmental effects through measured vibrational frequency shifts between the fragments and the complex. Computational models provide detailed structural information as well as predicted frequencies that can be compared to experimental data. At this point we have observed the spectra of both pyridine-SO2 and 3,5-Difluoropyridine-SO2 in solid Ne at 6K, and we note no difference between most of these data and the predicted values. The exception is the SO2 asymmetric stretching vibration, and the discrepancy here may indicate a solvent effect on the structure, or a failure of the theory to accurately predict the gas-phase structure. In the 3,5-Difuoropyride-SO2 spectra, this peak is observed at a slightly higher frequency, consistent with a weaker interaction upon addition of the fluorenes. Collection and analysis of spectra in solid N2 are in progress.
This project is concerned with solvent effects on the structural properties of nitrogen-donor-SO2 complexes, including: H3N-SO2, and its methylated (CH3 containing) analogues. The goal is to assess the extent to which inert, condensed-phase environments (solid neon, argon, and nitrogen) induce structural change in these systems. Experimentally, we utilize infrared spectroscopy to observe shifts in key vibrational modes that parallel the compression of the N-S bond. Theoretically, we use quantum-chemical calculations (computer simulations of the bonding) to predict gas-phase structural properties, bond energies, vibrational frequencies as well as the energy profile along the N-S bond. Our preliminary computational results indicate that these complexes will undergo significant structural changes. A great deal of effort went into identifying the optimal computational methods to make this determination. The first consideration was identifying which among twelve methods tested best predicated the experimental frequencies of SO2, and using this method, we will report gas-phase and structures and predicted frequencies for H3N-SO2, CH3H2N-SO2, (CH3)2HN-SO2 and (CH3)3N-SO2. Collectively these complexes span a great range of interaction strengths, specifically: H3N-SO2: –6.6 kcal/mol (RNS=2.685 Å), CH3H2N-SO2: -8.4 kcal/mol (RNS=2.509 Å), (CH3)2H2N-SO2: -11.0 kcal/mol (RNS=2.334 Å), (CH3)3H2N-SO2: -13.4 kcal/mol (RNS=2.302 Å). We also explored the performance of various computational methods for energetic results by comparing them to a very high-level model and also compared predicted frequencies to those previously measured in solid nitrogen.
Kin selection theory (Hamilton 1964) is a widely invoked explanation for the evolution of cooperation in animal societies. A major assumption of this theory is that individuals must discriminate among individuals based on genetic relationships to bias helpful behaviors toward kin. In the context of alarm calls, a common danger signal, kin selection is expected to favor inclusive fitness through increased attention to closely related (indirect benefits) and reliable (direct benefits) callers. Here we quantified individual differences in acoustic properties of alarm calls (i.e., chatters) for members of two long-term populations of California ground squirrels. We used Raven Pro to measure the acoustic properties of chatters produced by marked individual squirrels over time. As expected, the acoustic properties of calls were explained by the age, sex, and location of callers. Beyond this, individuals’ calls were repeatable across the study, providing evidence for individuality in call structure. Our findings suggest these animals have the potential to discriminate among individual callers based on acoustic information produced in alarm calls. These findings are important because individuals could support a suite of other behavioral processes important for social animals that include parent-offspring interactions, mate choice, and recognition of social partners.
Understanding why some individuals within populations are more prone to harbor parasites (and diseases) than others is an important biological question. Repeated measures on marked individuals over time are required to assess the extent to which individual identity, age, sex, or year of study most strongly shape prevalence in nature. Here, we studied the potential for age and sex to structure parasite prevalence in the California ground squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi). This native rodent is common across California and frequently interacts with humans. Its fleas have been studied extensively in the context of bubonic plague, but their endoparasites have not been the subject of systematic study. As part of a long-term study, we collected fleas in 70% ethanol and fecal samples in formalin from live-trapped individual ground squirrels of known ages and sexes in situ for two consecutive years. We microscopically identified parasite prevalence in the lab. We explored individual squirrels’ parasitic profiles for members of two study populations that vary in levels of human disturbance. Our findings offer an in-depth understanding of how identity, age, and sex of hosts influence parasite prevalence in our two study populations but also have implications for understanding zoonotic diseases in human-altered landscapes.
Cortisol is a stress hormone that is vital to human development. Previous studies in the lab have found that embryonic exposure to cortisol alters morphological development in zebrafish. Cortisol primarily acts through two receptors, the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), which are crucial to the regulation and development of many physiological processes. Dexamethasone is a synthetic glucocorticoid that binds selectively to the GR. This study aimed to identify the lowest observable adverse effect limit (LOAEL) of exposure on embryonic zebrafish in order to better understand which developmental effects may be directly related to GR activation. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to various concentrations of dexamethasone between 3 and 72 hours post fertilization (hpf) and then imaged with a brightfield microscope to qualitatively evaluate any observable phenotypic abnormalities. Preliminary results showed morphological phenotypes increased as the concentration of dexamethasone increased. These data suggest that an excess of GR regulation results in developmental abnormalities. Additional experiments are needed to determine the LOAEL and confirm the results with statistical analyses. These experiments inform our understanding of how corticosteroid receptors affect zebrafish morphology in embryonic development.
This study explored patterns of spatial and temporal variability in the structure of coral reef fish assemblages around San Salvador Island, The Bahamas. For 25 years, students from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire have conducted reef surveys, generating a long-term dataset that provides a unique opportunity to assess reef fish community changes in response to ecological disturbances. Surveys across six reefs were conducted in 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2014, and 2025, generating quantitative presence-absence data. These surveys captured the effects of two major stressors: the invasion of Pterois volitans (lionfish) in 2007 and a severe coral bleaching event in 2023. The six reefs varied in size, depth, and visitation patterns, enabling comparisons of fish assemblages across different environmental conditions. All observed fish species were recorded during snorkeling surveys, and multivariate analyses were applied to assess changes in fish community composition over time and across reef sites. Coral bleaching was quantified using a standardized assessment protocol. By examining how reef fish communities respond to disturbances, this study enhances our understanding of reef resilience and ecosystem shifts.
We investigated how stress (low moisture and mineral nutrients) influences how functional community assembly differs from random drift assembly. Plant strategy theory suggests that stressful habitats should be dominated by short species with adaptations for conserving resources. The “stress-dominance hypothesis” suggests that stressful habitats should have low functional diversity, and both have been confirmed in European grasslands. We sampled plants at 19 locations along well-known moisture gradients from dry prairies to wet sedge meadows. At each location, three nested sample plots were established using three grain sizes (0.1 m^2, 1.0 m^2, 10 m^2). Four functional traits (two size traits and two leaf economics traits) were measured in every instance of each plant species. We used Monte Carlo simulations to estimate the standardized effect size of abundance-weighted mean and functional diversity using the observed species. Results for weighted mean traits were consistent with strategy theory in terms of size traits only. Results for functional diversity were consistent with the stress-dominance hypothesis in terms of leaf economics traits, while the results for plant height were opposite of theory. We know of no other study that has observed these alternative patterns across the two main axes of plant functional traits.
Microbial species that fix atmospheric nitrogen can benefit plants by colonizing the area around the roots or internal plant tissues and increasing nutrient availability. This process can reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers, therefore maintaining healthy soil and promoting environmental sustainability. Three endophytic bacterial species (Herbaspirillum, Gluconacetobacter, Methylobacterium) are gaining attention as potentially effective plant growth promoters when applied to the leaves directly, whereas an associative species Azospirillum is conventionally applied to soil. This field study investigated the impact of the foliar application of these four bacterial species independently and in combination, on the growth, physiological performance, and yield of corn and soybean. Overall, corn plants treated with the endophytic bacteria had increased leaf nitrogen content, chlorophyll, and greater reproductive yield compared to the untreated plants. However, the associative Azospirillum showed no growth benefits. In soybean, chlorophyll content was enhanced when all microbe species were combined in mixture, while seed mass was increased under only some of the endophytic microbes compared to the control. These results suggest that foliar treatments could be effective when using bacterial species classified as endophytic for boosting crop productivity, offering a more environmentally friendly way to supply nitrogen to plants than conventional synthetic fertilizers.
Introgression is the incorporation of genetic material from one species into another and can contribute to evolution. The goal of this research was to detect if introgression occurred in population of three sunflower species in Wisconsin, Helianthus giganteus, H. grosseserratus, and H. maximiliani. Previous studies have detected introgression in other sunflower species and there are both historical records of morphological intermediates and evidence for hybridization from crossing experiments for these species. I used the bioinformatics pipeline ipyrad on raw RADseq data from 357 samples to clean, align, and detect SNPs across the dataset. I then used TreeMix to create a maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree for the set of populations to look for evidence for introgression. I found no detectable introgression among the sunflower populations in this study. Instead, it appears that two samples of unknown populations are not of hybrid origin, and instead likely belong to Helianthus giganteus.
The Mineral Lake Intrusive Complex is an example of a layered and differentiated mafic intrusive complex within the Mesopaleozoic Mid-Continent Rift in the Lake Superior region. This intrusive complex hosts Ni-Cu-PGE mineralization discovered in the 1960’s via electromagnetic geophysical surveys and at least 16 drill holes were completed. Within increasing demand for domestic critical mineral product to supply metals for energy, communication, and miliary infrastructure, prospects like the Mineral Lake Ni-Cu-PGE showing are increasingly important. This project aims to describe the mineralogy of the sulfide inclusions and the host intrusion geochemistry to better understand the geological characteristics of the mineralized portion of the Mineral Lake Complex. Two drill holes were re-logged (WIS-12 and WIS-11) and samples were collected to represent the range of intrusive phases and mineralization types. Micron-scale PGE-bearing mineral phases are described using the SEM-EDS. Mineralization is hosted in either gabbro or anorthosite phases of the intrusion and are found as mm-scale sulfide segregations composing 1-10% of the rock. Analysis on the SEM-EDS has shown PGE mineralization is commonly hosted in Fe-Ni sulfides. Preliminary results are improving our understanding of economic significance of Mid-continent Rift magmatism.
The Eau Claire Volcanic Complex (ECVC) was thought to have formed on an Archean crustal block (~2.6-3.0 Ga) called the Marshfield Terrane during the Penokean Orogen along the southern margin of the Superior craton. The other volcanic terrane within the Penokean Orogen, the Pembine-Wausau terrane, is interpreted to have formed without older crust and hosts about 150 million tonnes of metallic sulfide ores. The ‘continental’ setting of the Marshfield Terrane assumes this region is not prospective for the same ores. However, U/Pb isotopic and other geochemical data from the ECVC challenges this current model. The ECVC is challenging to study because of a lack of mineral exploration (and drilling) coupled with rare outcrop exposure due to glacial/fluvial sediment and Paleozoic rock cover. This project studies remote, inaccessible outcrops along the Eau Claire River to refine the tectonic model and terrane boundaries. Samples were collected from the limited outcrop exposure along the North Fork of the Eau Claire River. These samples were then processed in order to isolate zircon grains. Zircons are a common mineral used for U/Pb radiometric dating. The zircons were then analyzed at Laurentian University (Sudbury, Ontario, Canada) via Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS). This type of laser ablation allows us to collect U/Pb and trace element geochemistry from each individual grain that was analyzed. This data combined with petrology and geochemistry data from the previous year can provide a deeper understanding of the formation conditions, metamorphic history, and potential alteration processes that formed the bedrock.
The Jewish Cemetery in Vikija, Lithuania has been abandoned since the Nazi and Soviet occupation of Lithuania. The Karnofsky family were a prominent Jewish family who moved to New Orleans in 1900 where they met Louis Armstrong and his family. Honoring this relationship inspired the restoration of the cemetery. Geographic research was conducted using ground penetrating radar (GPR) to image disturbances in the subsurface to locate cemetery features. GPR transmits electromagnetic pulses into the ground and reflects off changes in the natural sediments and anthropogenic features and data is displayed on a digital video logger (DVL). A pulseEKKO Pro 500 MHz antennae GPR unit with 0.25m spacing between lines, and a Topcon RL-H4C self-leveling laser and receiver are used to geometrically correct the GPR data. Between the road and the grassy edge of the cemetery three grids and one line were recorded, Grid 1 was 13.5x22m , Grid 2 was 5x12m, Grid 3 was 10x10m, and a 34m line. The reflections are interpreted to be boundaries of a mourning room and/or ritual purification building. Research on this site will continue to locate boundaries to allow for restoration of the site.
Ten kilometers outside Riga, a city located on the northern coast of Latvia, stands a public park that may seem mundane, but beneath the surface lies a dark past. Today the site is known as Mazjumpramuizha Park, but it was once the location of the Jungfernhof concentration camp during WWII. while there is one interpretive sign that acknowledges this history, it does not tell the full story and even locals remain unaware of what happened here. This silenced history is the focus of my research project, which aims to locate the prisoner barracks that once stood on the site and have been described by survivor testimonies. To accomplish this, I worked alongside a team commissioned by The Jews of Latvia Museum, utilizing ground penetrating radar— a non-invasive scanning technology that transmits electromagnetic pulses into the subsurface—to reveal what lies beneath. In conjunction with a Topcon-RL-H4C self-leveling laser to determine ground elevation, our team unearthed evidence of the camp’s barracks, including barbwire and the building’s rock foundation. For survivors, our findings provide evidence to help bring closure and launch memorial efforts via the creation of a steel monument inscribed with the victims’ names known as the Locker of Memory.
Environmental stability is vital to achieving overall health within communities. Where families reside is an important factor in determining whether they can prosper in other aspects of health, such as education, nutrition, and disease prevention. To fulfill communities' needs for a stable, healthy atmosphere, environmental justice must be addressed to provide these essential health requirements. The purpose of this project is to raise awareness of current environmental health challenges faced by community members in Beloit, Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire students will analyze particulate matter 2.5 reported through PurpleAir Monitors distributed throughout Beloit to help facilitate the awareness needed for positive change. The collaborative process involves meeting with Beloit air quality advocates from the Stateline Clean Air Coalition and the Midwest Environmental Health Advocates group, as well as working alongside past researchers who analyzed similar data. Using PurpleAir Monitors will give researchers access to PM 2.5 trends from 2023 to the present, helping to establish a timeline of possible effects correlated with particulate matter. By analyzing PM 2.5, we can identify key trends that future advocacy groups can use to drive positive change for families in Beloit, Wisconsin.
Water quality plays a crucial role in achieving WELL certification, ensuring a safe and healthy indoor environment. This study assessed the water quality at the newly constructed Sonnentag Center at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, focusing on key parameters such as turbidity, chlorine levels, and microbial contamination. Using the Hanna Instruments HI93414 Turbidity and Chlorine Meter, we observed an unexpected absence of chlorine (0 µg/mL) in all tested samples. A control test with bleached water confirmed the instrument’s accuracy, suggesting a genuine lack of chlorine in the water supply. Additionally, coliform and E. coli tests verified the absence of bacterial contamination, indicating that the water met microbial safety standards. The findings highlight both the strengths and challenges of water quality monitoring in WELL certification. While microbial safety was confirmed, the absence of chlorine raises concerns about potential regulatory non-compliance and long-term water safety. This study underscores the importance of continuous monitoring and evaluating disinfection protocols to maintain WELL standards. Future work will focus on investigating water treatment processes and identifying solutions to ensure consistent compliance with health and safety regulations.
Our project aims to achieve WELL certification, specifically air quality standards at the new Sonnentag Center. My project is important because it emphasizes the importance of human health, even in new buildings. Thousands of people are present in this building at a time, we need to ensure the air quality levels are safe for visitors. Our project offers new knowledge for people who may not know about WELL certification or the air quality parameters involved. We are motivated to investigate the reasoning behind the air quality levels so we can come up with appropriate intervention strategies where needed. Our poster consists of data from the spring semester, focusing on VOCs and Humidity levels at the Sonnentag. The project is still ongoing, so this data has brought new interpretations, which will be discussed to those viewing the poster. We are currently investigating low humidity levels, while not a part of WELL, it is still significant when it comes to human health. Data collection is still ongoing, so this project will be well rounded with fall and spring semester data and interpretation. Our audience shall be informed on what is being done in our local facility, and find comfort in knowing that we care about population health.
The purpose of this project is to improve public health practice by having University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire students investigate a Third Ward home for multiple environmental health hazards. Undergraduate students will also learn the importance of building safety and addressing concerns that will negatively impact health and safety. University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire students will conduct an Environmental Health Building Assessment to identify potential hazards such as radon, moisture, air contaminants, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and lead. Previous evaluation of the older vehicle located at this home investigated a potential carbon monoxide leak. This project will include retesting of the vehicle with improvements to the calibration of the testing equipment. By analyzing the data collected from both inspections, we can identify hazards that pose a health risk to the residents.
This research explores how various factors, particularly parenthood and employment, influence the cognitive dimensions of gendered well-being in Brazil, the Netherlands, and the United States. Using data from the World Values Survey Wave 7, we find that the impact of parenthood on women’s well-being varies across countries. For husbands, occupational status has a greater effect on happiness than fatherhood, while wives’ employment appears to have little to no significant relationship with their well-being. We discuss the implications of these findings and offer policy recommendations to address the motherhood dilemma, advance gender equality, and support female workforce participation.
Rural residents have lower levels of access to health care and health services, and health insurance coverage rates are lower as well; as a result, the health of rural residents is poorer compared to their urban counterparts. The lack of healthcare providers, longer distances to healthcare facilities, and lower economic status for rural populations place extra burdens on both providers and patients to meet and receive needed care. The COVID-19 pandemic not only highlighted these disparities but also spurred new forms of care delivery. Telehealth, through synchronous and asynchronous remote appointments, provided healthcare providers with opportunities to connect with patients outside of physical office visits. The rise of Telehealth not only increased options for patients but also protected all parties from the spread of the COVID-19 (Hirko et al. 2020). Yet, throughout much of the United States rural broadband options are limited or nonexistent.This project is an extension of a previous collaboration with the Mayo Clinic (please see “A Spatial Analysis of Cellular Singal Strength in Western Wisconsin”). It has been determined that a strength of less than -115 dBm will not produce a viewable telehealth appointment. This poster will discuss one of the outcomes of this project (1) kriging analyses and a probability map of cellar strength for Verizon and AT&T near Menomonie, WI. Such analysis will provide Mayo Clinic with a better understanding of where telehealth opportunities are possible in rural areas for patients who lack internet access.
A standard crossword puzzle grid contains words of at least three letters, has no completely black rows or columns, and is symmetric. These grids are combinatorial in nature, making them an interesting object of mathematical study. We present code that generates all possible 5×5 crossword grids under specific symmetry constraints, inspired by the format of The New York Times Mini crosswords. Our work builds on existing research by Cote and Merrill (2021) which gave a representation of crossword grids as bipartite graphs with a node for each word and an edge connecting any intersecting words. We construct crossword graphs for all 5x5 grids with various symmetries and study their graph theoretic features. This project contributes new results to the mathematical study of crossword puzzles by exploring non-traditional symmetries in puzzle grids (diagonal, horizontal, vertical) which have not previously been studied.
This project aims to assess groundwater quality in rural Eau Claire County by collecting and testing water samples from 244 private wells between June 2023 and December 2024. Samples were analyzed for contaminants such as nitrate, coliform, E. coli, hardness, and metals like arsenic, lead, copper, and manganese at the Eau Claire Public Health Laboratory. This data complements existing information in the Eau Claire City-County Health Department database. Well construction logs were also reviewed to understand well depth and geology, helping identify spatial patterns related to contamination. The project responds to the 2018 Eau Claire County Groundwater Advisory Committee’s recommendations in the “State of the Groundwater Report,” which called for systematic well testing, identifying high-risk areas, and reviewing groundwater protection regulations. With around 9,000 private wells serving 25% of the population, most are infrequently tested due to financial barriers and lack of accessible educational materials. This initiative, funded through an American Rescue Plan Act grant, aims to address these challenges and support environmental public health in rural communities.
PFAS, a group of widely used chemicals, are known as "forever chemicals" due to their persistence in the environment. They are linked to various health concerns, including cancer, thyroid disorders, and reproductive issues. In July 2021, PFAS contamination was discovered in the Eau Claire municipal well field in northwest Eau Claire County, likely from firefighting foam. By 2023, elevated levels of PFAS were found in several private wells in rural southwest Eau Claire County, prompting a county-wide testing initiative in collaboration with the Eau Claire City-County Health Department. Wells were selected based on land use, homeowner consent, and available construction logs. A public service announcement was also released by the Health Department to facilitate broadscale testing across the county, not limited by land use. Between June 2023 and December 2024, student researchers from UWEC sampled 97 private wells for PFAS. The samples were analyzed at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene for 33 PFAS compounds. Approximately 30% of the samples tested positive for PFAS, with 8% exceeding the EPA’s proposed limit of 4 ppt for combined PFOA and PFOS, and 2% surpassing the Wisconsin Hazard Index. This study highlights the need for ongoing monitoring of PFAS contamination in private wells.
Blockages in sewerage systems may lead to backups and can be costly to clear. To better understand the composition of non-degraded solid waste in Eau Claire’s sewage, we conducted three audits of the solid waste captured by the bar screens at the Eau Claire Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). Wearing personal protective equipment, we collected solids that had been captured over a two-hour period and sorted the waste into six categories: 1-4) disposable wipes in various stages of decay (intact, mostly intact, mostly shredded, and shreds entangled with hair), 5) feminine hygiene products, and 6) miscellaneous items (e.g., plastic, latex, leaves, and food). Waste groupings were measured by volume. Our findings show consistent trends across the three sampling dates: disposable wipes accounted for 81.3% (±5.6%), feminine hygiene products 11.3% (±1.6%), and miscellaneous waste 7.3% (±4.2%). Our study demonstrates that disposable wipes account for most non-degraded waste that reaches the WWTP. Beyond the potential for causing blockages, non-degraded waste must be collected and transported to the municipal landfill, increasing the costs for taxpayers. Our next step is to conduct outreach efforts to raise public awareness of the need for proper disposal of non-woven wipes and feminine hygiene products.
The ongoing rise of antibiotic-resistant microbes is a major concern in the medical field. Many pathogenic bacteria that were once vulnerable to common antibiotics have developed resistance, posing significant challenges to medicine and public health. Infections caused by these resistant bacteria are both expensive and challenging to treat. To address this growing crisis, we aim to identify new antibiotic-producing microbes isolated from soil samples obtained from beneath a wood pile. Following the collection of the soil, testing was done to determine the presence of any substances produced that either inhibit or kill any of the tester strains used (Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus subtilis). We have identified three strains of microbes that show evidence of producing an antimicrobial substance. We are working to identify these strains and determine if the antimicrobial substance they are producing is novel.
Mangrove communities play a significant role in shaping coastal communities such as San Salvador Island, Bahamas. Communities consisting of red, black, white, and buttonwood trees are commonly divided into specific regions of growth through the process of zonation with red mangroves growing along the coast, black mangroves along the muddy soils, white mangroves farther inland, and buttonwood located the farthest inland, which is dependent on soil salinity concentrations. Our goal was to define how salinity stress impacts the four mangrove species and their current health. We collected data across two sites: a high salinity body of water and a low salinity body of water. We expected an inverse relationship between salinity concentrations with tree diameter at breast height (DBH) and height. We also predicted chlorophyll content, specific leaf area (SLA), and stomata density would be greater for trees with lower salinity. Contrary to our predictions, DBH, height, and SLA did not depend on the salinity of the soil. White mangroves and buttonwoods from both sites differed in stomatal density (p-value < 0.001); however, stomatal density was not affected by salinity between sites. There was a higher chlorophyll content in higher salinity conditions compared to lower (p-value < 0.001).
In this project we evaluated the distribution, diversity, and activity patterns of bat communities on San Salvador Island in The Bahamas. This study is important because bat populations on the island were last studied 30 years ago. The goal of this study was to get updated information on different species previously encountered on the island, including: Erophylla sezikorni (buffy flower bat), Natalus tumidifrons (Bahamian funnel eared bat), Eptesicus fuscus (big brown bat), Tadarida brasiliensis (Brazilian free-tailed bat), and Macrotus waterhousii (big eared bat). Four Audiomoth sensors were deployed in various locations around the island over a period of seven days in January 2025. Each sensor recorded data for 12 hours each day, from dusk to dawn. From these recordings, we obtained data on the presence/absence of bat species, as well as the timing of their activity. Due to the variability in bat populations from day to day, our focus was on identifying species rather than counting the exact number of individuals in any specific area. Additionally, the team collected observational data in two caves where bats were visibly present. We also evaluated the correlation between bat activity patterns and the locations of the deployed sensors.
Plants have evolved a sophisticated set of pathways to detect and respond to light which allows them to adjust their development in response to changing conditions. The plant Arabidopsis thaliana contains three genes LRB1, LRB2, and LRB3 (Light-Response BTB 1, 2, and 3) that encode similar proteins functioning as target adaptors in E3 ubiquitin-ligase complexes. These complexes select target proteins for degradation. Plants containing mutations in the LRB1 and 2 genes are hypersensitive to red light due to reduced degradation of phytochromes, receptors for red and far-red light. Initial investigation of plants with disruption of the LRB3 gene suggested it does not participate in red-light response like LRB1 and 2. Previously, the laboratory performed genetic screens to identify enhancer mutations which exaggerate the effect of the LRB1/LRB2 mutations. Two of these enhancer mutations are in the Phytochrome B gene. Each of the mutations increases sensitivity to red light and in each case this hypersensitivity is increased when LRB1 and LRB2 are disrupted. To further investigate whether LRB3 might play a role in red light response, we created a line with one of the enhancer mutations in combination with disruption of LRB3. Data from analysis of these mutants will be presented.
We will evaluate the cytotoxic effects of ginger oil on cultured MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. Essential oils, commonly used through topical application or aromatherapy, have been explored for their potential to alleviate the adverse effects of cancer and its treatments, such as chemotherapy. Previous research has demonstrated that ginger oil can trigger cell death in cervical cancer cells within hours in vitro. In our study, MCF-7 cells will be exposed to varying concentrations of ginger oil for two hours, and cytotoxicity will be assessed by measuring lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels in the culture medium We hypothesize that ginger oil will exhibit dose-dependent cytotoxic effects on breast cancer cells.
Our project aims to discover the effects that solar winds have on the orbital pathways of planets around massive stars. This will allow us to understand why some planets survive in the habitable zone while others are terminated. With the usage of the computer program MESA, we have been able to closely model the mass loss rates of stars while simultaneously tracking the evolution of test planet orbits. This newly discovered knowledge will allow us to develop a deeper understanding about the life and development of star systems outside our solar system.
Physics and Astronomy, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
Dr. Bill Wolf is an associate professor of physics and astronomy at UWEC. He conducts research in computational stellar astrophysics with a team of undergraduate students and also serves as the director of the L.E. Phillips Planetarium.
Our research focuses on the fabrication of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). To produce efficient OLEDs, charges must be injected into the active organic layer where they can recombine to emit light. In our project, we focused on three ways to improve this process. A nitrogen glovebox with an oxygen sensor was designed and built to slow the oxidation process of the active organic layer and to provide an oxygen-sparse environment to store OLEDs. An additional layer (the polymer PEDOT) was introduced into our fabrication process to assist with the injection of charge carriers. Finally, a plasma cleaner was employed in our sample preparation. This both helps remove unwanted material from substrates and improves the work function of the device’s anode to aid in charge injection. With the implementation of these processes, we expect an improvement in OLED light emission, and a more favorable magnetoresistance.
We are investigating how smartphone presence influences attention-related EEG (electroencephalographic) activity. Participants first perform a task attending and responding to infrequent targets but not frequent nontargets; we find the classic P3 effect (larger attention-related EEG signal evoked by targets) but not the predicted attenuation of this effect in the presence of one’s phone. When participants then engage in passive viewing of their phone (versus a control object), we observe EEG power in the alpha range (8-13 Hz; associated with a relaxed, inwardly-focused state) is decreased over anterior and posterior electrode sites. Meanwhile, posterior electrodes show power in the beta range (13-32 Hz; associated with an externally-oriented state of arousal/attention) that is positively correlated with participants’ daily hours of phone use, phone dependence, and fear of lacking functional access to their phone. We do not, however, find correlations between alpha or beta and self-reported attention difficulties. These findings demonstrate how phones may take up attentional resources, and the beta correlations with phone measures in particular suggest that more (or more problematic) phone use may be associated with a greater impact of phone presence on attention.
Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and eating disorders (ED) require a disregard for one’s body to engage in them. Previous literature has shown that a lack of self-compassion and body appreciation are associated with greater NSSI and ED symptoms, but could be mitigated through therapies like yoga, which emphasize the union between body and mind. Our study aimed to investigate if body appreciation and self-compassion act as mediators between participation in an integrative yoga therapy and changes in NSSI urges and ED behaviors. To date, 37 participants have completed the study (Mage = 31.23, SD = 12.2; 45.9% cisgender female, 46.8% white/European). Linear regression mediation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro (model 4) in SPSS. The full model was not significant for either outcome (ps = .34 - .42) and there were no observed indirect effects. Aligned with prior literature, self-compassion had a significant direct relationship with changes in NSSI urges (b = -0.31) and body appreciation had a direct effect on changes in ED symptoms (b = -0.56). The non-significant effects could be due to having a limited amount of preliminary data. Additional data is being collected. At the time of the conference, updated analyses and results will be presented.
Recent work suggests that hopelessness about specific experiences may provide a better understanding of suicide risk, or contribute to the general hopelessness motivating suicidal thoughts, but most of this data comes from cross-sectional studies. The current study examined how specific life stressor hopelessness related to concurrent suicidal urges directly, and indirectly through the effects of general hopelessness. Participants, 25 outpatient adults with current suicide ideation, completed a 21-day EMA study with three prompts per day. Items assessed general hopelessness, hopelessness about specific stressors, and suicide urge intensity. We conducted a nested within-person (1-1-1) mediation model. All variables were person mean-centered, with scores reflecting deviations from each person’s averages. All specific hopelessness facets, except financial, were correlated with general hopelessness, which was related to suicidal urges. Partner, social, home, and health hopelessness had direct associations with suicidal urges, but only social, home, and health hopelessness remained significant after accounting for general hopelessness. General hopelessness fully mediated the specific hopelessness effects of work and partner, and partially mediated social, home, and health hopelessness on suicide urges. This study provides evidence of the nuanced role of hopelessness on suicide urges and the importance of targeting specific facets of hopelessness in interventions.
Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is the intentional injuring of one’s body without the intent to die. Efforts are needed to understand the motivation and recovery process of NSSI. Recovery can be experienced differently by individuals and may be related to various mechanisms, (Lewis & Hasking, 2021) . Andersson et al. (2024) qualitatively found three themes of recovery that encompass facets of self-compassion, social support, resiliency, and mental health distress. Our study expands upon current research by quantitatively examining variables related to perceived NSSI recovery. We hypothesized that self-perceived recovered individuals would score higher in self-compassion, social support, and resiliency and lower in mental health distress and self-criticism. We also explored which of these factors would predict perceived recovery. Young adults (N = 712, Mage = 19.55, SD = 1.46, 73.4% female, 90.8% White) from a Midwest University were recruited to answer questions about the variables above. ANOVA and Regression analysis indicated that the variables studied significantly differed between groups and were significant predictors of perceived recovery highlighting the importance of promoting these factors when treating NSSI.
Japanese café culture has evolved overtime, moving from the traditional kissaten to modern, pop culture-themed cafés. This shift gives us a great way to look at how Japan’s society has changed, including its consumer habits, cultural identity, and relationship with global brands. While local cafés used to be the main focus, today’s café scene mixes traditional Japanese styles with more modern trends. In this unique environment, global coffee chains like Starbucks now sit alongside traditional Japanese cafés. The way international coffee brands have become part of Japan’s café culture is an interesting example of how brands adapt to different cultures. Starbucks, for example, has found a way to blend traditional Japanese hospitality with pop culture, helping it build a brand that connects with local people. This study will explore the history of café culture in Japan and how it reflects the country’s changing social dynamics. It will examine how cafés have evolved alongside shifts in Japanese society, and how Starbucks has adapted to these changes. By looking at this evolution, this research highlights how Starbucks has successfully aligned itself with Japan’s café culture while remaining true to its own brand identity.
Tang Ping (躺平) and Quiet Quitting have become popular concepts embraced by many young people in China and the U.S., referring to a simple lifestyle without effort making. This research project explores the impact and similarities between Tang Ping and Quiet Quitting and their impact on the younger generations between China and the U.S. In this comparative study, the research team collected data through surveys and semi-structured interviews with instructors and students in both countries, to investigate whether this is a generational or cultural issue, looking at how this will impact the student’s future as they advance into the workforce. This study will take an integrated lens to examine this concept in relation to other sociocultural aspects. This study will illuminate the connections between these two cultural issues and their prominent impact on the young generation and society, as well as offer suggestions for teaching and learning.
The research topic addressed in this project was the constitutional protections of the “fighting words” exception to the First Amendment and reevaluating constitutional protections for this category of speech. This research aimed to contextualize the fighting words classification of speech within recent Supreme Court decisions, legal scholarship, and the greater research into the harms of hate speech on individuals. This research was conducted by reading relevant court cases, both federal and state supreme court decisions, as well as legal research, and social science research. In conducting this research, I found that the fighting words doctrine remains a present restriction on speech in state courts and serves a valuable purpose in protecting individuals from the real harms that can be caused by speech. This being said, the fighting words category of speech needs to be carefully drawn to only proscribe a narrowly tailored category of speech, including by ensuring that speech restrictions do not discriminate on the basis of viewpoint, which is something the Supreme Court and other courts have struggled with since the doctrine’s inception.
Global conflicts arise when power imbalances create tensions that can escalate into war. In World War II, the invasion of Poland in 1939 reignited the Axis and Allied struggle. While historians widely acknowledge the causes of the war, they often focus more on genocide, particularly of the Roma people. This study examines the impact of Allied intentions on the Roma genocide, emphasizing political censorship in East Germany. We qualitatively analyzed constitutional law concerning foreign relations and humanitarian crises. By comparing U.S. democratic principles, such as the First Amendment, with Eastern European authoritarian regimes, we assessed the role of international relations in genocide and justice. The Nazi rise to power and Soviet influence deepened divisions and censorship, leaving many in East Germany unaware of the atrocities occurring across Europe. The Roma people were rendered voiceless as Nazi forces exterminated them en masse. The Soviet Union’s suppression of information about these crimes contributed to their historical obscurity. Our research highlights how censorship shaped global awareness of the Roma genocide, demonstrating its lasting impact on historical memory and justice efforts.
The research project aims to discuss how modern “Trumpism” simply reflects broader historical issues in America. Political polarization is often blamed for continued political deadlock, especially within the American federal representative democracy, where two parties dominate the political climate. Through the historical examination of the electoral college, insight can be gained on why these issues exist today. This study draws on congressional data and historical records to analyze their impact on these problems. Diversifying American sociopolitical, economic, and cultural frameworks also beckons further study. Creating a third political party will strengthen American democracy by providing more popular choices. Therefore, American political cynicism can be dissuaded with other mainstream political parties.
This project aims to highlight how people navigate gender through medieval reenactment within intentional communities. Medieval reenactment is one of many forms of historical reenactment that focuses on European history during the Middle Ages (5th century to 15th century CE), a period of unquestioned patriarchal, heteronormative dominance of men over women. To what extent do Medieval reenactors recreate the patriarchy in their subculture in modern times? Data for this project come from four in-depth interviews, participant observation at three events, and seven short journalistic interviews with participants at those events. We find that status and belonging in the reenactment community is determined by how faithfully participants recreate original conditions of life regarding clothing, jobs, food, etc. However, attitudes and practices regarding gender are more mixed; in some respects, women are relegated to subordinate roles in the community in ways consistent with patriarchy, but in other respects, reenactors reject aspects of the patriarchy. In conclusion, our data show that patriarchal values and norms are still recreated within these intentional communities, although it remains to be seen whether they are merely performative or deeply held by individual participants.
Roughly 17% of college students identify as Queer. Compared to their peers, Queer students are more likely to face harassment and discrimination on campus and experience a lower sense of belonging, which is associated with decreased retention and increased mental health issues. The Campus Pride Index (CPI) provides a nationally benchmarked database of campuses that have come out to improve the academic experience and quality of campus life for Queer students. As such, it is a fundamental tool for prospective students to identify campuses where they will feel safe and supported. Because the CPI does not capture the lived campus experiences of Queer students, it recommends campuses to conduct and report findings of cultural climate surveys. To determine if this occurred, the websites for a census of colleges and universities in the CPI database (N=214) were searched. Ninety institutions (42.3%) reported having conducted a cultural climate survey, and an independent t-test indicated they had a statistically higher CPI score. However, of those who reported having conducted a cultural climate survey, less than half (46.7%) reported the results publicly. An independent t-test indicated these institutions had a significantly higher CPI score than those who did not publicly report their findings. Additional analyses revealed that residential campuses had a statistically significant difference in CPI scores and a moderate positive association with campus size. There were no statistically significant differences in CPI scores by region, religious affiliation, or minority-serving status. To provide Queer students with the support and safety they need, campuses need to conduct Cultural climate surveys and have them easily accessible to the public. Such transparency of the results demonstrates their commitment to creating and fostering an inclusive environment.
For my research, I am studying why musicians appear to be involved in stronger emotionally connected groups than other subjects. Throughout the beginning process of this research project, I have been studying the brain’s reaction to listening to music and interacting with other musicians. I have learned that music has made a great impact on society and health. As I continue to do more research, I will work at finding more reasoning behind the tightly knit connections and relationships that continuously become established through music settings. Learning and understanding how music works within our brains is important because it can be a universal language that can work to improve the unity of humanity. The current plan for the completion of my project is to get a solid understanding and base of knowledge regarding the brain’s reaction to music and how individuals can form connections through those reactions. Once I understand how music impacts relationships, I will conduct interviews with a wide range of musicians to hear their perspectives on their experiences with music and relationships. The end goal is to update part of the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire’s music major page to provide more insight and information to future Blugolds regarding the impact of the music program on individual lives. Through my project, I hope the audience will find the value and importance of having music in their lives for more than the auditory sensation.
Our research project addresses health care equity in the Eau Claire Metropolitan Area (ECMA) at a precipitous time. In early 2024 the closure of two hospitals and 19 urgent care clinics in the ECMA eroded access to healthcare. Hospital closures in rural and urban regions exacerbate healthcare barriers for people in minoritized communities, increase ambulance transport times, and worsen morbidity and mortality for time-sensitive conditions (Niewijk 2024). To contextualize the impact of these closures we consolidated news stories into a timeline of events from January 2024 to the present. We also reviewed literature within medical sociology and public health to help us understand barriers to health equity in the ECMA. We will conduct interviews with city, health department, and healthcare-related organizational leaders in Summer 2025, and then analyze the data using MAXQDA, a qualitative software program. Our policy brief will summarize changes to healthcare equity since these closures and strategies for building a more equitable healthcare landscape in the ECMA. In Spring 2026 we will convene a university symposium with stakeholders to discuss health equity in our region.
Despite only making up 13% of the American population, Black Americans comprise 53% of the 3,466 exonerations listed in the National Registry of Exonerations (NRE). There has been minimal criminological research conducted exploring how race impacts exonerations. Throughout history evidence of differential treatment in prescribing penalties for people convicted of sexual assault depending on race is well documented in statutes, disparities in execution data, and the presence and impact of lynch mobs. This study explores the intersections of race and sexual assault wrongful convictions. Using a content analysis of the 387 sexual assault wrongful conviction cases included in the NRE, a mixed-methods analytical approach considered: (a) victim and offender case demographics, (b) types of contributing factors present, (c) victim-offender relationship, and (d) how race impacts the narratives and outcomes.
This research is titled American Islamophobia: What Does the History of American Nativism Teach Us? The study is predicated on examining the treatment of other minority groups in American history. We look to see if any trends exist between groups, and if lessons of assimilation and tolerance can be applied to American Muslims. This research coincides with a period of Islamophobia which has been increasing since 9/11. Case studies were the primary methodology of the research. We examined immigration waves throughout American history: the Irish, Chinese, non-Western Europeans, Japanese, and Latin influxes. These are then compared to the modern realities of Muslim immigration. We find that the same xenophobic arguments reoccur for every wave, divided into economic, social/racial/cultural, and political fears. We find that immigrants have constantly been used as scapegoats in times of national distress. In addition, we find American politics to be rather paranoid. A tolerant nation requires alleviating the underpinnings of nativism: economic insecurity, homogenous interactions, media literacy, and immigration reform.
Faculty in higher education have expectations across three domains: teaching, research/scholarship, and service. However, research suggests that expectations in each area can sometimes be vague, especially between different faculty ranks and instructional positions. The purpose of this study was to examine the clarity, specificity, and consistency of department evaluation plan (DEP) review criteria for each of the three domains. To do this, we developed a checklist that measured 18 criteria for each domain. The coding process using the checklist involved independent reviews by two team members followed by a collaborative discussion to form consensus for any coding disagreements. Currently, we have completed reviews for 12 of 24 DEPs from one college at UWEC. Preliminary results suggest that teaching expectations in DEPs are significantly clearer than scholarship expectations. There is also significantly greater clarity within all three domains for DEPs that separate expectations by faculty rank compared to DEPs that do not separate by rank. We plan to finish analyzing the remaining DEPs prior to CERCA in order to present the complete results. Overall, this research is important because review expectations can guide engagement in work activities, relate to department culture, and support overall faculty and staff retention.
Although fractions are challenging for many students, children as young as four demonstrate informal fraction understanding (Hurst, et al., 2020). Everyday experiences, like sharing food, expose children to fraction concepts. First graders’ fraction knowledge predicts later math achievement (Viegut et al., 2023). Children demonstrate conceptualization of “half” earlier than other fraction words (Brizuela, 2006), but also hold misconceptions, like believing half means “a little bit” or is equivalent to any divided object (Björklund, 2018). This study examined children’s understandings and misunderstandings of half from preschool to second grade as well as the role of children’s Home Math Environment (HME) (Lefevre et al., 2009). This study included 55 children and their guardians. Children completed three fraction tasks: Matching (identifying correct depictions of half), Equal Sharing (dividing items fairly), and Endorsement of Misconceptions (judging the “cleverness” of fictional definitions of half). Guardians completed a survey on background characteristics and HME. As hypothesized, an ANOVA showed statistically significant differences in performance on all tasks between the two younger grades (preschool/4K, kindergarten) and the two older grades (1st, 2nd). Unexpectedly, regression analyses showed no significant correlation between task performance and HME. We discuss how our findings may inform early instruction to support fraction learning.
Children show understanding of fraction-related ideas years before learning about fractions in school (Begolli et al., 2020). We measured developmental changes in this understanding by tracking children’s production of fraction words across first and second grade. We investigated two questions: (1) Does frequency and accuracy of children’s fraction word use change over time? (2) How do children’s errors with these words change over time? As part of a larger study, 77 children completed the Informal Fraction Knowledge Assessment (Viegut et al., 2023) three times: start of first grade, end of first grade, and end of second grade. We analyzed the first 7 items, in which children helped characters share fairly (e.g., two bunnies share 6 carrot sticks) and explained their answer choice. We coded children’s explanations for the presence or absence of fraction words (e.g., “half”, “quarter”), the correctness of that usage, and the type of error if incorrect. Results highlight that children’s use of fraction words increases across 1st and 2nd grades (50% to 84%), even without formal fraction instruction, but errors with fraction words also increase. These findings raise new questions about how children’s growing informal knowledge can be leveraged to support formal fraction learning.
We are interested in how people share information strategically to address mating rivalry. Previous research has shown that women are more likely to spread negative information about a woman’s sexual promiscuity when she is described as a potential mating rival compared to not (Reynolds et al., 2018). Here, we investigate how women’s and men’s reported likelihood of sharing information about a same-sex newcomer to their social group is influenced by describing the newcomer as attractive and flirting with their romantic partner (i.e., as a mating rival). We used information that would (1) harm primarily men’s reputation (e.g., being a coward), (2) harm primarily women's reputation (e.g., being promiscuous), (3) harm both sexes’ reputation (e.g., using drugs), and (4) enhance both sexes' reputation (e.g., being smart). As hypothesized, participants were less likely to pass along reputation-enhancing information when the newcomer was described as a mating rival. Both men and women were more likely to pass along both male-harming and female-harming information when the newcomer was described as a mating rival. Men were more likely than women to pass along male-relevant reputation-harming information and, contrary to our prediction, men were also more likely than women to pass along female-relevant reputation-harming information.
We are interested in deception between young adult friends. Using previous research (Lewis et al., 2012; Bleske & Shackelford, 2001), we generated predictions about sex differences (male/female) and friendship differences (same-sex/opposite-sex) in the content of deceptions. For example, we predicted that heterosexual men and women would report deceiving their opposite-sex friends more than their same-sex friends about their current romantic relationship involvement, and that both sexes would deceive their female friends more often than their male friends about their friends’ appearance or attractiveness. Using a paper and pencil questionnaire, we defined deception for participants as “directly lying, misleading, or failing to tell a person something” and then asked them to report what they have deceived a male friend about and what they have deceived a female friend about (order was counterbalanced across participants). We provided blank lines for participants to provide open-ended responses. To code the responses, we divided into two teams of two coders, with each team categorizing the responses into predetermined categories based on our predictions. After both teams finished the first round of categorizing, we collectively discussed nominations that had been tagged as difficult to code. We will analyze the data and present the results at CERCA.
This study aims to investigate the presence of exosolar planets by utilizing multi-aperture photometry to detect subtle changes in star brightness. This method to detect exosolar planets is currently one of the most successful ways to do this. Existing methods of exoplanet detection, such as radial velocity and direct imaging, have some limitations that the transit method we will be using can address. Direct imaging methods do not work well for planets close to their stars, and radial velocity methods do not allow for a determination of the planetary radius. In our research, we will use AstroImageJ to perform photometry on star systems, monitoring their light curves for periodic dimming indicating an orbiting planet. Our findings will suggest whether or not we can successfully perform photometry with the system we will be using.
After searching for planets around other stars for hundreds of years, astronomers confirmed the first one in 1992. Very surprisingly, this planet orbited a neutron star rather than a Sun-like star. In the salamander scenario (so called because the planet would have passed through the fire of the supernova explosion), this planet was formed at the same time as its host stars formed, an analogous situation to our own solar system. A second hypothesis — considered more likely — was that the planet would have been formed out of the debris of the supernova explosion, independent of any possible exoplanets orbiting during the star’s main sequence lifetime. Since the 1990s, thousands of exoplanets have been discovered, allowing us to compare the properties of the planet orbiting the neutron stars to the planets currently orbiting stars that will become neutron stars later in their evolution. To that end, we combed NASA’s Exoplanet Archive and the NASA Astrophysics Data System for hot and massive stars that are known to host planets. We then compare the properties of those planets to the properties of that first planet discovered.
Some sex differences are viewed as more problematic than others. For example, people express more concern about male-dominated occupations such as engineering than about female-dominated occupations such as nursing. This asymmetry might be explained, in part, by the fact that male-dominated jobs tend to be perceived as higher in status than female-dominated jobs. We investigated perceptions of male and female-dominated jobs of equal salary. In Study 1a (N=423), participants reviewed U.S. statistics about two male-dominated or two female-dominated jobs, one with an annual salary of 30K and one with an annual salary of 90K. Study 1b (N=387) was identical, except that the jobs had salaries of 50K and >110K. In Study 2 (N=612), participants again reviewed either male-dominated or female-dominated jobs but at two of the four salary levels. In both studies, women rated gender disparities in jobs as more problematic than men did. In addition, participants perceived male-dominated jobs as more problematic than female-dominated jobs, particularly those with higher salaries. These trends were not explained by participants’ perceptions of the status of the jobs, nor by (in Study 2) their reported desire for the jobs.
Universities have traditionally been thought of as places where individuals can safely exercise their “civic muscles,” that is, engage in intense and thoughtful conversations with their peers about difficult issues. However, national survey data suggest that many college students today do not feel comfortable sharing their views with others. We are interested in understanding the specific hopes and fears that students have about engaging in conversations with students who differ from them politically. To develop our study materials, we asked 80 college students to imagine going into a conversation with someone who differs from them politically, and to list out (1) what they would hope for (“hopeful outcomes”) and (2) what they would be anxious about (“feared outcomes”) going into the conversation. We categorized students’ responses and selected clear exemplars from each category to form a concise list of hopeful outcomes and feared outcomes. In the current study, a large sample of students imagined going into a conversation with a fellow student who differs from them politically, and they rated the likelihood of experiencing each of the hopeful outcomes and feared outcomes. We are analyzing the data and will present the results at CERCA.
Previous research has shown that people are not impartial recipients of information. They lean into information provided by experts (Clark et al., 2012) and those with personal (or “lived”) experience with the issue at hand (Mounk, 2023). People also are more receptive to information that coincides with their own personal experience and beliefs (Lord et al., 1979; Edwards & Smith, 1996). With these lines of research in mind, we conducted two experiments to investigate how people react to scientific information that is critical of psychiatric medications. In both experiments, we used vignettes to investigate how three specific factors predict individuals’ reactions to such information: (1) the expertise of the messenger providing the information (doctor/not a doctor); (2) the messenger’s personal experience with taking psychiatric medications (does/does not take); and (3) individuals’ own personal experience with taking psychiatric medications (does/does not take). In both Experiment 1 (N=431) and Experiment 2 (N=999), messenger expertise mattered: participants rated the messenger and information as more credible and were less inclined to censor the information when the messenger was a “doctor.” In both experiments, participants who used psychiatric medications rated the information as more harmful compared to those who did not use medications.
I aimed to understand the experiences of college students who engage in conversations about socio-political issues with students who differ from them politically. In fall 2023, a pilot group of 47 UWEC students volunteered to participate in the Unify America’s College Bowl. In the College Bowl, students engage in an online, guided political conversation with a student from another university who differs from them in political affiliation. In spring 2024, Dr. Bleske-Rechek conducted a randomized controlled trial in which she surveyed students at three time points over the semester; at mid-semester, one group of students was assigned to participate in the College Bowl while a control group was tasked with watching a neutral video. I thematically analyzed the content of students’ open-ended responses about their College Bowl experience. Students’ open-ended responses were overwhelmingly positive. Students commonly mentioned having respectful conversation partners, finding common ground, and learning new perspectives. These findings suggest that although many students may be anxious about engaging with people who differ from them politically, a guided conversation such as that provided by Unify America has the potential to facilitate productive and thoughtful interactions.
Research on social emotional learning (SEL) programs with at-risk adolescents is scant, resulting in limited available literature to inform educational professionals on how to best deliver SEL to this population. The intention of SEL programs is to foster social and emotional development within educational curricula at a universal level. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of the implementation of an SEL program on knowledge retainment and behavior modification following brief (i.e., 45-minute) lessons on anger and stress management. The intervention was delivered to 7 at-risk adolescents participating in a credit recovery/GED program in the community. The lessons were delivered over eight weeks, and were derived from Merrell’s Strong Teens, an evidence based SEL program for adolescents, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles. The lessons aimed to increase students’ emotional and behavioral awareness on the two topics using a pre- and post- survey design. Results were mixed, with findings suggesting that emotional and behavioral awareness increased for some participants but not others. In addition, t-tests revealed improvements across some, but not all, outcome variables. Discussion focuses on the implementation of SEL programs with this population and how program developers might enhance SEL models in future iterations.
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is an under-researched condition that results in debilitating symptoms for people assigned female at birth (AFAB). It is characterized by extreme mental and physical symptoms that occur in the two weeks before a person’s menstrual cycle, such as depression, fits of rage, and joint pain. Researchers have been unable to narrow down a cause for this disorder, although it’s suspected to be due to abnormal hormonal activity. PMDD has been found to be more prevalent in Latin American countries, prompting a study that synthesizes prior peer-reviewed literature about this disorder in Latin America. This study seeks to educate its audience on PMDD, evaluate the impact of PMDD in Latin America, and draw implications about AFAB healthcare there. It is valuable because it could inspire future studies regarding an under researched medical condition that impacts AFAB people, a group that already experiences barriers to healthcare. The findings indicate that PMDD may be more prevalent in some areas of Latin America than in the United States due to unique socioeconomic factors, and that not all Latin American countries view the disorder the same.
What are the best practices for creating an inclusive, collaborative experience for pre-college artists? How can programming and pedagogy be tailored to support 14-18-year-old artists in an array of disciplines? This proposal seeks to build from past research to ensure that the most current and inclusive practices will be integrated into season 5 of the Midwest Artist Academy, ensuring a safe and supportive experience for all.
B.J. Hollars is the author of several books, most recently and From the Mouths of Dogs: What Our Pets Teach Us About Life, Death, and Being Human. In spring of 2018, his latest work, The Road South: Personal Stories of the Freedom Riders, will be published Hollars serves as a mentor... Read More →
The Permanent Art Collection (PAC) at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire began in the 1930s, with regular donations made by members of the public beginning in the 1960s. Materials acquired by the PAC were housed across campus in the Haas Fine Arts building and McIntyre Library. Dr. Karen O’Day identified a group of African artworks in the fall of 2023. Since July 2024, researchers have worked to study the provenance and condition of the 46 Ghanaian metal objects in the University's possession through the lens of art history, geography, materials science, and archival research. Questions fell into function, cultural use and meaning, and the acquisition of the pieces by the University. Research was also done into the material composition of each of the pieces using an X-Ray Fluorescence machine through the Materials Science department of the University. Creation of administrative practices for materials acquired by the PAC is guided by methodologies of exhibition, archival collection management, and public history within the discipline of museum sciences. This research aims to develop and implement a standard of acquisition within UWEC’s Permanent art collection, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration to develop robust, publicly available catalogs of material objects owned by the University.
The purpose of this project is to learn about Fabric Manipulation for the Spring 2025 UWEC productions of A Dolls House and Guys and Dolls. This will develop professional skills not available in the current UWEC theatre arts curriculum. Learning these skills will also help with future professional development. To learn these skills, we used pattern making books and body blocks to make a half scale costume. Then we took the actor's measurements and created a pattern for them. Starting with half scales gave us a good through line from start to finish in making costumes for both casts.
Motivation in mathematics classrooms has been researched in various ways, from teacher burnout to to Wigfield and Eccles' theory of student expectancy-value. After examining the existing literature on student and teacher motivations, the results showed a need to focus on teacher and student connections within the mathematics classroom to improve learning environments. The purpose of this research is to use survey instruments to extend previous research by examining potential relationships between teachers’ motivations when teaching mathematics and students’ motivations when learning mathematics. The study consists of completing one of two survey instruments, one for teachers and one for middle and high school students. Both have a set of Likert scale questions and open-ended questions about mathematics teaching or learning along with relevant demographic questions. The data collected from both surveys will be used to examine potential relationships between mathematics teacher and student motivations. These results and implications will be discussed.
In the latter half of the eighteenth century, English physicians and alleged “Ladies” wrote many advice manuals full of methods for “preserving and improving beauty.” Manuals offered home-made remedies for ailments like pimples, freckles, dark skin, deformed breasts, wrinkles, etc. The authors praised English women for their desire to use art to enhance their nature. They upheld the idea that the English were more civilized than other nations and they should use their bodies as a symbol of pride and identity. Beauty standards were more than shallow and aesthetic ideals. Rather, they existed in the context of British imperialism and the Enlightenment. The eighteenth century was tumultuous, both nationally and globally. The British were colonizing the Americas and India while fighting a war against France and eventually the American Continental Army. This presentation will use a rhetorical analysis of English advice manuals from the eighteenth century, with a feminist perspective based on Kathleen Canning’s “The Body as Method? Reflections on the Place of the Body in Gender History.” Previous work on conduct manuals in the eighteenth century focused largely on the progress of science or the role of women in maintaining a clean and healthy household. However, this presentation argues that English advice manual authors in the eighteenth century used the Enlightenment idea of civilizing nature to police women’s bodies through prescriptive literature about the necessity of modesty and cleanliness.
Depression affects millions worldwide, with the effectiveness of antidepressants often linked to interactions between medication and neuroreceptors. Laboratory testing and clinical studies of these interactions are extremely expensive and time consuming, which makes the computational approach an increasingly important step for drug discovery. The relationship between frontier molecular orbitals (HOMO-LUMO) and ligand-protein interactions is not well understood. In the present study, the interactions of neurotransmitters and antidepressants with several neuroreceptors are thoroughly examined using classical mechanical, quantum chemical, and machine learning methods. The quantum chemistry-based computations use electronic structure theory to compute molecular orbitals, while the machine learning architecture utilizes a large volume of pre-computed data and a deep learning architecture involving graph convolutional neural networks resulting in a faster and accurate prediction of molecular properties. The binding of these molecules has been simulated in selected neuroreceptors using docking and classical physics-based calculations. Our initial results suggest correlations between molecular hardness, substructures, HOMO-LUMO energy gaps, and binding affinity, potentially offering a cost-effective approach to predict drug-receptor interactions and accelerate antidepressant development.
Given the rapid expansion of human presence across the globe, coping with humans is an important aspect of life in the modern world for most animals. The California ground squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi) is a facultatively social rodent that has a long evolutionary history of residing near humans. While it is well understood that humans disrupt their foraging and social behavior, the role of humans and dogs on the stress physiology of these animals is unclear. As part of a long-term study, we live-trapped and released California ground squirrels and measured “stress” levels from fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGMs) using a fully validated enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA). Drawing from 12 years of data, we show that FGM levels vary across years but are elevated in areas with high exposure to humans and dogs. These patterns tracked variation in human activity across a gradient from high to low disturbance across our study site (from the south to the north). FGMs were repeatable for individual squirrels within and between years. Our findings offer insights into the relationships between anthropogenic disturbance and stress physiology over small temporal and spatial scales.
This project aims to explore how parents in dual immersion programs conceptualize their needs and how their social environment influences the identification and articulation of these needs. While community needs assessments typically focus on identifying essential resources, fewer studies examine how individuals perceive their needs, particularly in the context of dual immersion programs, which often face under-resourced academic conditions but are socioeconomically diverse. Using a mixed-methods approach, my project focuses on developing a community needs assessments with parents/guardians of children in dual immersion programs. I will be presenting on my pilot project which is composed of 3 families from the dual immersion program. My presentation will show how social context influences the way parents understand and request resources, shedding light on the interplay between personal and institutional needs. These findings will inform the larger research project and support practices and policies to better address the needs of families in dual immersion programs.
This research examines the forced internal displacement of individuals during the armed conflict between the Peruvian state and Sendero Luminoso in the 1980s. It specifically addresses the findings of the Comisión de la Verdad y Reconciliación (CVR), Truth and Reconciliation Commission, regarding internal displacement and analyzes why it was not prioritized in public policy. Despite the widespread internal displacement of Peruvians, state responses remained limited, leading to long-term socio-economic marginalization. This study takes on a historical and policy analysis approach using sources to evaluate state policies addressing the internal displacement. Particular attention is given to the Programa de Apoyo al Repoblamiento (PAR), Program for Support to the Repopulation of Peru, a state initiative aimed at reintegrating internally displaced populations. The research assesses its implementation, challenges, and impact on affected communities. This research highlights how internal displacement occurred during the conflict, how the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recognized it, and how the Program for Support to the Repopulation of Peru addressed it. It examines the plan’s recommendations, achievements, and obstacles, providing insight into Peru’s displacement crisis and the state’s challenges in supporting affected communities.
The purpose of this project is to review the history and curriculum of the School of The Americas, examine its graduates that ran oppressive regimes in four Latin American countries, and, finally, take a brief look at where the military institution is today. Throughout the Cold War, the US, in its desperation to prevent the spread of communism, intervened heavily in Latin America’s governments, installing US-trained, fascist dictators and aiding them in civil wars and genocides against their citizens; the current economic, social, and health conditions of these countries are directly tied to these times of turmoil. Through an examination of declassified US government documents, journalists’ reports, and resources from organizations that spread awareness of the human rights violations associated with the military institution, I seek to explain the consequences of the School of The Americas and US interventionism in Latin America.
We investigate the enduring complexities of South Korean-Japanese-Chinese relations, focusing on the territorial disputes over the Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo/Takeshima) and the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. These disputes, deeply rooted in historical, geographical, and political factors, have long been contentious, complicating diplomatic negotiations. Over the past century, fluctuations in mutual perceptions and attitudes have been exacerbated by misperceptions and a lack of understanding among the parties involved. Using Herman and Chomsky's Propaganda Model, we explore how global political institutions shape media interpretations, particularly through news framing. We examine how foreign policies and national ideologies influence the coverage of international conflicts and territorial issues. Our analysis focuses on the persistent news frames of three prominent global news agencies—AP, Xinhua, and Reuters—whose extensive coverage of these territorial disputes between 2020 and 2024 provides a valuable basis for comparison. We combine traditional content analysis, focusing on the quantity, sources, and types of foreign news coverage, with a qualitative assessment of the framing of images and roles in the reports. Variations in coverage reflect the dominant ideologies and national interests of each agency's home nation, revealing distinct journalistic norms. The divergent news framing of territorial disputes underscores how media outlets prioritize their respective geopolitical concerns, shaping public perception and policy responses. We contribute to the understanding of mediated public diplomacy and propaganda in the Asia-Pacific region, offering insights into the role of media in framing global issues and influencing public opinion.
It is well known that the usefulness of a machinelearning model is due to its ability to generalize to unseendata. This study uses three popular cyberbullying datasets toexplore the effects of data, how it’s collected, and how it’slabeled, on the resulting machine learning models. The biasintroduced from differing definitions of cyberbullying and fromdata collection is discussed in detail. An emphasis is made onthe impact of dataset expansion methods, which utilize currentdata points to fetch and label new ones. Furthermore, explicittesting is performed to evaluate the ability of a model togeneralize to unseen datasets through cross-dataset evaluation.As hypothesized, the models have a significant drop in theMacro F1 Score, with an average drop of 0.222. As such, thisstudy effectively highlights the importance of dataset curationand cross-dataset testing for creating models with real-worldapplicability. The experiments and other code can be found athttps://github.com/rootdrew27/cyberbullying-ml.
This study investigates how financial security shapes the cognitive dimensions of well-being in China, India, and the United States. Utilizing data from the World Values Survey Wave 7, we find that different saving behaviors influence well-being—measured by happiness and life satisfaction—differently across countries. We examine the implications of these findings and propose policy measures to enhance financial literacy.
The purpose of this project, completed with Dr. Joanne Jahnke-Wegner, was to “flip” the UWEC survey course History 114 to facilitate more discussion and critical thinking during class time. In my presentation, I will explore our main goals in flipping History 114, the advantages this model has over a traditional classroom, how the project worked in practice, and how I can apply this when I become a K-12 teacher. The main idea of flipping a classroom involves having students interact with material for the first time outside of class by completing readings, watching lectures, or interacting with other media. This frees up time during class to focus on group discussions. We aimed to bring the class more in line with our goals of developing students' critical thinking and historical skills, students developing their own opinions and conclusions, and increasing student engagement. After reading several books on the flipped pedagogy, we assessed the class, constructed lesson plans and instruction specifically suited for flipped learning, and implemented the plan in the fall semester of 2024. The results indicated that while time-consuming and challenging to implement, flipping a classroom facilitated a deeper understanding of historical concepts for students, who better achieved course goals.
The decades preceding the Civil War were marked by stalwart political division and congressional violence. While the ensuing debate surrounding the expansion or containment of slavery raged in the halls of Congress, one key factor in many Southerners’ strategy to subdue their Northern counterparts, was the strategic usage of the “affair of honor,” or the duel. In contrast to the period of the Early Republic, sentiment around the affair of honor diverged starkly between North and South, with Southerners championing the practice, and Northerners rejecting it. The flashpoint for this divergence can be traced to the morning of July 11th, 1804, when Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr met in Weehawken, NJ to settle an honor dispute with a duel. After only one exchange of fire, Burr emerged physically unscathed, while Hamilton died the next day from the fatal wound Burr had inflicted. What followed, at least in the northern states, was the outright rejection of both Burr, and the ritual of honor that facilitated his part in killing Hamilton. The south gradually integrated the affair of honor as both a facet of their identity, and a political tool to be used against Northerners. By using what congressman Henry Wise dubbed “the rule of force,” Southerners would use their knowledge and public approval of the affair to silence any congressional debate pertaining to slavery.
This research examines the accessibility of gender-affirming surgery and its impact on the health of transgender persons. It focuses on the outcomes of gender-affirming surgery, including overall satisfaction. As such, I integrate academic research with personal narratives and the historical and present development of medical technology and practices related to gender-affirming surgery. In so doing, I examine the benefits and potential side effects of gender-affirming surgery. Ultimately this research demonstrates that when transgender people who desire gender-affirming surgery are able to obtain it, they report less psychological pain and fewer suicidal ideations. Additionally, this research demonstrates strong correlations between transgender activism and cultural production. The relentless fight for transgender rights and equitable access to healthcare reflected in transgender activism and cultural production further support my argument that gender-affirming surgeries greatly enhance mental well-being. However, while comprehensive support is essential for favorable results of gender affirming surgery, economic, professional, and socio-political obstacles impede access. Therefore, ongoing activism and cultural productions that amplify activism are crucial for advocating for and advancing gender affirming surgery.
A sense of belonging reflects how connected and accepted students feel on university campuses. Sexual and gender minority students (SGM) often feel excluded and experience bullying, harassment, and assault related to their sexual orientation and gender identity, putting them at a greater risk for experiencing negative mental and physical health outcomes, including increased suicide risk. An online survey of UWEC students who self-identified as LGBTIA+ was conducted through Qualtrics (N=84). Nearly 20% indicated they did not feel a sense of belonging or included, and have considered leaving UWEC because they felt isolated or unwelcomed. Respondents witnessed or experienced discrimination based on sexual orientation (59.5% and 40.5% respectively) and gender identity or expression (65.5% and 39.3% respectively). All respondents experienced one or more microaggressions on campus. Nearly one-third report having anxiety; 25% report experiencing depression. Protective factors and recommendations for respondents' suggestions for improving belonging will be discussed, as well as select qualitative responses of lived experiences and public health implications.
Enoate reductase from Bacillus coagulans (ERBC) is a promising biocatalyst that has been shown to reduce the carbon-carbon double bonds of cis,cis-muconic acid in vivo, generating adipic acid, an important precursor used in the synthesis nylon-6,6. Our research has shown that ERBC is capable of reducing carbon-carbon double bonds in a variety of molecules produced using the extradiol dioxygenase BphC. Since the native substrate of ERBC is unknown, studying its activity with a variety of similar substrates will be beneficial for evaluating the scope of its reactivity. Our research aims to identify promising substrates using UV-visible light spectroscopy and to characterize enzymatic products through high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. Identification of possible substrates and subsequent engineering and enhancement of the catalytic activity of ERBC can enable the development of environmentally benign synthetic methods for the production of a variety of commodity chemicals.
Dichloromethane (DCM) is an organic solvent with complimentary properties such as low boiling point, slight polarity, and efficiency in dissolving organic molecules that have resulted in DCM being used in many chemical industries with various important applications in synthesis and purification. New restrictions of DCM use are taking effect May 2025, that aim to minimize the risk to human and environmental health via controlled exposure limits. In our undergraduate organic synthesis research, DCM is used in separations during the purification process and as a reaction solvent, therefore it is ideal to find viable alternatives to DCM to have an informed decision on when to opt into using DCM. Alternative solvents and mixtures that possess similar properties regarding solubility and volatility have been identified by the American Chemical Society and career chemists, but each reaction needs to be independently optimized. Diethyl ether, ethyl acetate/ethanol (3:1), and dioxane will be tested as both reaction solvents and purification solvents for several organic synthesis reactions and evaluated based on purity and percent yield for viability as replacement for DCM use. Spectroscopic methods including 1H-NMR and FT-IR will be used to compare the effectiveness of the chosen alternatives.
Biomolecular condensates (BMCs) are naturally occurring membraneless organelles formed through liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). They play significant roles in various cellular processes, including signal transduction, gene expression, and stress response. The thermodynamics of condensate formation involve a complex interplay between entropy and enthalpy. The loss in entropy due to ordered assembly formation inside the liquid-like condensate is compensated by the increase in intermolecular interaction enthalpy. The main factors that promote LLPS include changes in biomolecule concentration and intermolecular interactions. The LLPS process is sensitive to pH, temperature, and ionic strength. LLPS of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and unstructured domains/regions of proteins (IDPRs) are well documented. Recent studies suggest that globular proteins also form crowder-induced biomolecular condensates. However, the precise role of molecular crowding in LLPS-driven biomolecular condensate formation remains understudied, especially for globular proteins. A thorough understanding of the molecular mechanism of protein condensate formation and the impact of phase separation on enzymatic reactions is crucial to addressing issues related to cellular physiology. To investigate the molecular mechanism of condensate formation in crowded environments, globular proteins such as bovine serum albumin and prolyl-tRNA synthetase are being used alongside synthetic crowders like polyethylene glycols of variable sizes. Additionally, variable salt concentrations are employed to understand the effects of multivalent interactions in BMC formation. We will present the preliminary results of different globular protein samples with and without polyethylene glycol (PEG) as crowding agents at high and low salt concentrations.
I am a Biochemistry/Molecular Biology Major with an interest in healthcare. Currently a student at UWEC, I aspire to attend medical school with the dream of becoming a doctor.
Light is important for plants as an energy source for photosynthesis, as a measure of day/night and seasonal cycles, and as information about the surrounding environment. For this reason, plants have evolved a sophisticated set of pathways to detect and respond to light, which allows them to adjust their development in response to changing conditions. Red and far-red light are detected by photoreceptors called phytochromes. A genetic screen for Arabidopsis thaliana mutants altered in red-light response conducted by the Gingerich lab identified mutations in PHYB, the gene encoding the major phytochrome involved in red-light responses. We have found that one of these mutations, which is predicted to alter a single amino acid in the phyB protein, increases sensitivity to not only red-light but also blue. Furthermore, this increased blue sensitivity is exacerbated when the genes LRB1 and LRB2 (which encode proteins functioning in complexes that initiate red-induced degradation of the phytochromes) are disrupted. This suggests a previously unrecognized interaction between blue-light response and the red-light phytochrome response pathway. Characterization of the blue-light response of this mutant will be presented.
Biologists have long recognized the importance of two native rodent species – California ground squirrels and voles – as important ecosystem engineers and prey for a suite of predators in California ecosystems. However, in the twelfth year of studying California ground squirrels at Briones Regional Park, for the first time, we observed ground squirrels shifting their diets from primarily granivorous to actively consuming vole prey. In 2024, our team documented a total of 74 events involving the hunting, killing, and/or consuming of voles by ground squirrels. Here we explored associations between vole density and these events. First, we extracted iNaturalist data to quantify vole numbers. Vole sightings in 2024 were regionally high at our site and seven times greater than the 10-year average statewide. Second, we created heat maps to show that vole-squirrel events occurred mostly where vole and ground squirrel burrows were the closest at our site. Our findings reveal important associations between this unusual peak in vole numbers, close spatial proximity between voles and squirrels, and the emergence of novel carnivorous behaviors by squirrels. Thus, spatial overlap with a locally abundant prey in a boom year likely contributed to the emergence of unusual dietary shift by a granivorous mammal.
Natural selection is expected to favor foraging behaviors that allow animals to maximize energy gain in novel situations. Whereas many species are known to regularly hunt prey and eat meat, squirrels are largely considered to be flexible omnivores that consume mainly grasses and seeds. However, our team recently documented the widespread hunting of California voles (Microtus californicus) by California ground squirrels (Otospermophilus beecheyi). This novel behavior is unusual for the species and has not been studied before. Here, we analyze the behavior of ground squirrels during these predation events (N=22 events). We characterized the hunting sequence for the first time in the California ground squirrel. We define hunting as the active pursuit of prey. We know that some mammalian hunters (cursors) chase prey over distances whereas sit-and-wait predators use stealth to ambush prey. We found that California ground squirrels were successful in 59% of their hunts, typically chasing, pouncing, and then biting the neck or head of the vole before consuming it. Revealing these opportunistic patterns of behavior contributes to our broader understanding of mammalian hunting styles.
Anthropogenic changes are expected to influence behavior, stress physiology, and ultimately, lifetime fitness of animals. For social animals, external stressors imposed by human activities may interact with the social environment to either exacerbate or buffer stressors. In the context of human-induced rapid environmental change, long-term data on individually recognized social mammals has the potential to offer novel insights into the extent to which organisms can cope with social and ecological stressors. In this research, we established a new project focused on the behavioral ecology of North American beavers (Castor canadensis), a native ecosystem engineer, through monitoring using camera traps. We surveyed various public lands and identified several active family groups of beavers in West-Central Wisconsin. Our camera trap data indicate that the behavioral patterns and their interactions with other local fauna vary temporally within days and across seasons. Future research will focus on their social behaviors, including their monogamous lifestyles, dominance structures, communication systems, and movement ecology. The plethora of wildlife we monitored on our camera traps illustrates how beavers play a key role in shaping diverse and healthy wetland ecosystems. This research therefore has important implications for the management of wetlands and conservation of beaver populations in the region.
The goal of Clarifying JONAH is to design and implement data collection methods within JONAH to establish a baseline, track progress towards goals, and communicate impacts in the Chippewa Valley. Since 2007, JONAH has been working with individuals, agencies, and organizations to help make our communities healthier, safer and better places for everyone to live and work. Their work is important, yet little has been done to evaluate their impact on the Chippewa Valley. In this study, localized data will be gathered, analyzed, and shared to provide feedback on how the taskforces are advancing the goals of JONAH. I will attend and observe their meetings and conduct interviews to gather data on existing attitudes, norms, perceived behavioral control, and intentions, which I will then analyze with theory of planned behavior. This program will improve the existing communication and coordination between the stakeholders within JONAH such as WISDOM (the statewide organizer), the community organizer in Eau Claire, the seven taskforces, the volunteers partnering with JONAH, and the community at large. By tracking the relationship between JONAH’s efforts and their results, JONAH and their partners can better demonstrate their ability to resolve critical social issues impacting the Chippewa Valley.
Dunn County Potter’s Field contains over 100 unmarked graves of persons from the County Poor House and the County Asylum (both now demolished) in Menomonie, Wisconsin. Community interest in locating the graves prompted non-invasive scans of Potter’s Field using ground penetrating radar (GPR). GPR transmits electromagnetic (EM) pulses into the ground, which reflect off subsurface changes before being received and recorded digitally. A 16x50m grid was collected along the site’s western boundary with a Sensors and Software pulseEKKO Pro GPR unit with 500MHz antennae. GPR traces were triggered every 0.02m via odometer wheel, and lines were collected with a spacing of 0.25m. Alternating strong and weak reflections are repeated in a sub-parallel, semicontinuous pattern throughout the grid. The strong reflections are often underlain by steep-angled hyperbolics. The reflections were identified 0.6–1.5m below the surface, each measuring 1.0m by 2.25m, and spaced 1.0m apart. Reflections were interpreted as two probable rows of individual graves. In Fall 2024, 42 crosses were placed at each probable grave, however further scanning is recommended to locate remaining lost graves. The GPR work at Dunn County Potter’s Field is a model for other cemeteries; providing means of locating and restoring honor upon unmarked graves worldwide.
Geography and Anthropology, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
I am a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. I have worked in the private sector and the public sectors in the 13 years I have been involved in Land Information. I have worked within a wide array of Geospatial and Land Information projects from development to implementation... Read More →
During the Holocaust from the 15-17 of December 1941, ~2,749 Jewish women and children were massacred behind a foredune along the coastline of Šķēde, Latvia. The execution trench has not been located, despite numerous photos of the killings. The research aims to identify the location of the trench using shallow, non-invasive subsurface imaging tools to respect Jewish Halacha burial laws, avoiding disruption of the deceased. Based on earlier research including current and past aerial imagery, witness testimonies, and historical photos of the killings, a 15x30m (NW-SE) GPR grid was laid down within the foredune. Using a Sensors & Software pulseEKKO Pro GPR system, lines were collected every 0.25m with 500MHz antennae and a step size of 0.02m, which allowed subsurface depths of ~4m (0.10m/ns velocity). The subsurface reflections dip at a 30-34° angle, with erosional truncation occurring at ~17-21m and extending ~3.1m below the surface; these dipping layers are interpreted as a probable trench ~5m wide throughout the grid. Based on witness testimonies, the trench is hypothesized to be ~100m long (S-N). The findings have been shared with the local Jewish community for memorialization, and the research provides a framework for identifying unmarked graves worldwide.
Geography and Anthropology, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
I am a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. I have worked in the private sector and the public sectors in the 13 years I have been involved in Land Information. I have worked within a wide array of Geospatial and Land Information projects from development to implementation... Read More →
This project, focusing on the Wisconsin rural-urban political divide in historical perspective, aims to answer the following research question: Is there evidence of urban-rural electoral polarization in Wisconsin from the mid-20th to the early 21st century and, if so, what were the causal factors? Researchers who have studied political polarization in recent presidential elections have sought primarily to correlate single election results to ideological differences between urban and rural communities. In contrast, this project adopts a longitudinal approach by comparing presidential election results from the Wisconsin Historical Society for the periods 1948-1968 and 1992-2020. Our research demonstrates that electoral polarization among urban cities in our sample grew between 1948-1968 and 1992-2020. However, this urban polarization was greater than polarization between the sampled urban and rural communities. Similarly, electoral polarization increased among rural towns between 1948-1968 and 1992-2020. It too, however, was greater than polarization between the sampled urban and rural communities. These conclusions suggest that standard assumptions regarding the rural-urban “political divide” in Wisconsin presidential elections are overly simplistic. Specifically, they fail to account for causal factors such as regional geography among and between urban and rural communities from the mid-20th century to the present.
Seafaring and coastal women around the Americas during the 18th and 19th centuries lived on the periphery of a male dominated world, where cultural gender prescriptions ran into the reality of women’s work roles expanding and economic needs. This trend is reflected in the work of women within various Atlantic world industries such as piracy, whaling, and coastal and port activity. While women’s roles and agency changed because of new expectations caused by the formation of Atlantic world society, they were still unable to completely transgress the world’s standard expectations for women during the 18th and 19th centuries. While women were participating in this new society and found new agency, Atlantic seafaring still upheld gendered separation and expected roles across the various industries within that limited full transgression of gender roles. Using the practices introduced by gender historians Jeanne Boydston and Joan Scott, this poster presentation will study both women and gender in the Atlantic world and also examine the power structures within. Expanding the study of women in the seafaring world beyond focus on transgressive women like pirates Anny Bonny and Mary Read helps us to see how women involved as shopkeepers, tavern and boarding house owners, laundresses, and dependent widows sought personal and economic opportunities but still faced constraints from the societal gendered power structure.
As the use of car dashboard cameras (dashcams) has increased, the availability of dashcam imagery has also increased. In recent years, dashcam imagery has been predominantly used in conjunction with computer vision techniques for autonomous vehicle systems. However, this research explores an alternative application of these technologies in the domain of public safety and security. Specifically, we apply object detection to dashcam imagery to address the challenge of identifying vehicles associated with active Amber Alerts. With the goal of aiding law enforcement in locating abducted children more efficiently, we employ the YOLO (You Only Look Once) object detection model, a state-of-the-art deep learning framework known for its real-time performance and accuracy. Our methodology involves training and fine-tuning the YOLO model on a custom dataset of dashcam footage, incorporating diverse environmental conditions such as varying lighting, weather, and traffic scenarios. Experimental results demonstrate that the model achieves high precision and recall rates in detecting target vehicles, validating its effectiveness for real-world deployment. This research highlights the potential of leveraging deep learning and computer vision techniques to address critical public safety challenges, offering a novel application of these technologies beyond their traditional use in autonomous driving. Our findings contribute to the growing body of work in computer science that seeks to harness AI for societal benefit.
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most common form of pancreatic cancer, accounting for over 90% of cases, and is characterized by aggressive growth, early metastasis, and resistance to therapy. A comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving PDAC is essential for improving diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. In this study, a multiomics approach was applied by analyzing both DNA methylation and RNA-sequencing datasets obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma project.The methylation dataset included significantly more tumor samples than normal samples, and a similar imbalance was observed in the RNA-seq dataset. This disparity posed a challenge for direct feature selection, as it could lead to a model biased toward tumor-associated features. To address this issue, six data imbalance correction techniques were evaluated and compared: Random Oversampling, Synthetic Minority Over-sampling Technique (SMOTE), and Adaptive Synthetic (ADASYN) for oversampling, along with Random Undersampling, Cluster Centroids, and AllKNN for undersampling. Identifying the most effective imbalance correction method is essential for improving feature selection accuracy and facilitating the discovery of novel genes associated with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). A deeper understanding of these oncogenes could contribute to the development of non-invasive diagnostic tests and personalized treatment strategies for PDAC.
Curling is a strategic ice sport that presents unique challenges for AI research due to its combination of complex decision-making and intricate physical dynamics. This project aims to develop a physics-based curling simulator to address these challenges, enabling accurate modeling of stone movement, ice conditions, and sweeping effects. Our approach involves utilizing an existing physics engine, MoJuCo, to simulate realistic curling interactions. We implemented physics models based on leading theories for basic curling shot selections. The simulator initially focuses on stone dynamics and shot selection, with more complex features such as sweeping effects being added in later iterations. A visualization web app displays shot outcomes and will eventually support AI training and data analysis.In addition to the simulation application for curling research, we developed a training module for both the physics of curling and interacting with the MoJuCo library. This module is designed to help new student learn about the complicated physics of curling. This module also helps students learn how to implement and maintain MuJuCo based features into the simulator.
This project explores Costa Rica’s universal healthcare system, focusing on its approach to serving urban, rural, and Indigenous communities, as well as its role in enhancing population health. During a faculty-led intercultural immersion, we partnered with local experts and healthcare providers in the country and engaged in site visits to learn more about their healthcare system. The system has notably contributed to increased life expectancy, reduced infectious disease transmission, and lower rates of infant mortality while adapting to the growing burden of chronic disease in an aging population. Unlike the privatized and fragmented U.S. healthcare system, Costa Rica provides universal access, offering a valuable case study in alternative care models. By comparing the Costa Rican and U.S. healthcare systems, this project underscores the benefits and challenges of universal care, contributing to a more holistic approach to improving healthcare access and equity.
As climate change continues to escalate, it is evident that some countries are making substantial efforts, while others fall behind. Through participation in a Faculty-Led Intercultural Immersion program, we observed that Costa Rica has emerged as is a pioneer in developing a green economy, prioritizing sustainability, and implementing environmental protections. This project investigates Costa Rica’s existing policies and future initiatives aimed at improving planetary health, with the goal of identifying strategies that may inspire global efforts. Additionally, we seek to raise awareness of the urgent effects of climate change and emphasize the importance of international collaboration, particularly the role of the United States, in promoting a healthier and more sustainable planet.
Mosquitoes are harmful, disease-carrying vectors that pose significant publichealth risks worldwide. Aedes aegypti, known for transmitting Zika Virus, Dengue, andyellow fever, poses a threat in various climates, while Aedes triseriatus—native toWisconsin—transmits the La Crosse virus.While much is known about adult mosquito behavior, less is understood about thesensory behaviors of mosquito larvae. To address this gap, our lab is investigating thechemosensory behaviors of Ae. aegypti and Ae. triseriatus larvae, particularly in relation toforaging. We have refined protocols using the InVision device, a high-resolution camerasystem designed for tracking aquatic invertebrates, to monitor and quantify the behavior ofmosquito larvae in response to chemical gradients emitted from a point source.With these methodologies, our research now focuses on sensory behaviorvariations across all mosquito larval and pupal stages. The mosquito life cycle consists offour instar (larval) stages, followed by a pupal stage before emerging into adulthood. Ourprevious findings suggest that L1 Ae. triseriatus and Ae. aegypti larvae do not rely onchemosensory modalities to locate food. Preliminary results indicate that foragingbehavior increases in L2-L4 instars, suggesting a developmental shift in foraging strategiesas larvae progress through these stages.
Dietary flexibility allows animals to respond adaptively to food pulses in the environment. Here we document the novel emergence of widespread hunting of California voles and carnivorous feeding behavior by California ground squirrels. Specifically, we aimed to investigate whether the age and sex of squirrels explained the extent to which they engaged in hunting, consumption, and/or competition over voles. This work is part of a long-term study at Briones Regional Park in California where squirrels of known ages and sexes are regularly live-trapped, marked, and released. In 2024, from June 10th to July 30th, we recorded all sightings of squirrels hunting, killing and/or consuming voles both opportunistically on trapping days and during formal behavioral observations. We found no significant difference in the age-sex composition of those individuals that engaged in any of these behaviors compared to those that did not hunt, consume, or compete over voles. Thus, juvenile and adult ground squirrels of both sexes depredate, consume, and/or compete over vole prey. Given that participation in hunting and consumption of voles was so widespread across members of the study population, future studies are required to understand whether these novel foraging behaviors were learned individually or spread socially throughout the study population.
Squirrels (Rodentia; Sciuridae) are a well-known and diverse group of rodents, including the charismatic ground-dwelling members of the Tribe Marmotini. In particular, the California ground squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi) is an emerging model system for the study of social and risk-sensitive behaviors in a rapidly changing world, as well as the physiology of resistance to snake venoms. To complement extensive natural history information for O. beecheyi, we provide a chromosome-scale genome to facilitate molecular studies focused on the genetic basis of ecologically important traits, population genetics, comparative genomics, and social evolution. The final scaffolded genome was 2.27 Gb contained in 9,960 contigs and placed into 28 1,383 scaffolds. The scaffold N50 was just over 125 Mb. We used the presence of 10,248 complete genes detected by BUSCO v5 specifically to compare broad patterns of chromosomal synteny between chromosomal scaffolds for O. beecheyi and two other sciurid rodents. The recovered pattern of synteny suggests several fusion and fission events for O. beecheyi to the other two species. This new information should advance our understanding of O. beecheyi, particularly concerning the study of social and risk-taking behaviors, and comparative studies of mammalian genomic biology and evolution.
Aging is a complex biological process influenced by a range of genetic, environmental, and physiological factors. Studying normal aging can help us better comprehend age related diseases and potentially lead to the identification of therapeutic targets. In this study, we use large transcriptomes collected from mouse and human brains (Tabula Muris and GTEx) to investigate genes, gene networks, and biological pathways that are selectively engaged at different biological ages through brain aging. We use a novel network biology platform called NetDecoder to determine which genes are highly utilized within brain specific biological networks; high utility genes are those that encode for important proteins that are crucial to a specific function, even if they are not differentially expressed. Our approach is unique because we can recover genes relating to the aging brain that are not differentially expressed, meaning they likely would not be pinpointed by other labs.
Cattle that eat the same feed and come from the same environment can emit methane (CH4), a potent greenhouse gas, at vastly different levels. An estimated 32% of anthropogenic CH4 can be traced to ‘enteric fermentation’ in livestock production. During enteric fermentation, specialized microorganisms will digest complex plant fiber to create compounds like acetate and hydrogen (H2). Some of these organisms, called methanogens, will consume and use these products to produce CH4. Emerging data suggests natural inter-animal variation in CH4 emissions could derive from host genetics or differences in rumen microbial digestion. Here, we will analyze 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing from rumen microbiomes to look for differences in the structure and composition of microbial communities from the rumen of twenty beef cattle of varying CH4 emission levels. There is no significant difference in microbial community diversity by CH4 emission level. We will analyze microbial community structure and composition to identify microbial taxa associated with high and low CH4 emissions. The findings of our work will begin to explain why some cattle emit higher methane levels compared to others, and may aid in finding solutions to reduce methane emissions in cattle while keeping their feeding efficiency and meat production high.
Grazing steers partner with their rumen microbiomes to efficiently convert plant-derived carbohydrates into meat. Considering the socioeconomic importance of the beef industry, it is critical to develop strategies that maintain quality while lessening negative environmental impacts. Diet supplementation and hormonal implants have been shown to variably impact methane emissions and animal performance. The response of the rumen microbiome to such treatments remains unknown. Here, we will analyze 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of the rumen microbiome from grazing steers across four treatment groups: diet supplemented, hormonal implanted, combined diet and implant, and no intervention. The diet, implant, and combined treatment showed no significant impact on methane emission or N excretion over the 90-day grazing trial. Given this lack of difference, we hypothesize the rumen microbial communities will not be different across treatments. However, we hypothesize the 90 days of grazing will significantly alter the rumen microbiome. Results from this study will provide insight into rumen microbiome dynamics during the life cycle of a grazing steer, further informing management strategies.
Extradiol dioxygenases are known to oxidatively cleave aromatic pollutants, such as catechol. DfdB is an extradiol dioxygenase whose activity on substituted catechols has not been studied. Catechols and other aromatic hydrocarbons are a by-product of coal conversion, coal tar chemical production and other coal industries and are found in the air and wastewater surrounding these facilities. As catechol substrates are possible human carcinogens, their potential breakdown by DfdB is a significant area of interest. Ultimately, this research aims to define the conditions under which DfdB breaks down catechol substrates most efficiently and characterize the products of this bioremediation pathway. To accomplish this goal, the enzyme kinetics of DfdB were measured with varying concentrations of catechol substrates using Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-vis) Spectroscopy, and initial rates of reaction were calculated. Upon analysis, the data suggests that DfdB experiences concentration-dependent substrate inhibition, which has been noted for other extradiol dioxygenases. By measuring kinetic profiles for a variety of substituted catechols, we have better defined the characteristics of DfdB as a potential bioremediation catalyst. This information will be leveraged to improve the utility of this catalyst broadly for synthesis and bioremediation.
A satisfactory understanding of the electron, including the nature of its structure and dynamics, has remained elusive since its discovery by JJ Thomson over a century ago. Recently, one of us has developed a working model for the electron that can explain its most enigmatic properties, including: 1) its dual wave/particle behavior; 2) its spin=1/2 nature; and 3) its ability to orbit a positively-charged atomic nucleus without spiraling into its core. Here, we present a visual depiction of two orbiting electrons in the n=1, s-orbital (helium) shell. We employ the animation program, Blender, to incorporate the time-dependent behavior of the different components of the electron, and show how its spinning components work together, simply following Maxwell’s Laws, to generate a stable electron shell surrounding the atom.
The cell of an organism is a complex environment filled with molecules, which are essential for survival. To fully understand the cellular environment, it is imperative to have powerful techniques that can be used to analyze molecular interactions. Spectroscopy, which is the study of the interaction of light with matter, is one of the primary ways to analyze molecules within a sample. Two spectroscopic techniques that are especially useful in identifying properties of molecules are Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Raman Spectroscopy. While both techniques analyze light interactions, each provides different types of information. Fluorescence Spectroscopy is useful in identifying structural changes in a molecule due to any perturbations in the surrounding area. Raman Spectroscopy identifies the molecules present within a sample, generating a spectral fingerprint of the sample and allowing us to view how a sample changes in composition over time. We are currently using Fluorescence Spectroscopy to analyze how molecular crowding impacts protein function. Furthermore, we are using Raman Spectroscopy to analyze the difference between saliva samples of healthy individuals and saliva samples of individuals affected by breast or lung cancer.
Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a flexible, non-toxic polymer. It is considered biologically inert and has numerous applications in medicine and industry. PEG is often attached to drug molecules in a process called PEGylation to enhance their stability and solubility, decrease the immune response, and increase circulation time throughout the body. Recently, PEGylated lipids have been included as an ingredient in COVID-19 vaccines. Additionally, PEG molecules of variable sizes are commonly used for studying the effects of molecular crowding and confinement on the conformation and function of proteins and nucleic acids. Despite being considered biologically inert, recent studies have shown that PEG interacts with biomolecules such as proteins. To gain a deeper understanding of PEG-protein interactions, we are using Raman Spectroscopy to investigate the effect of PEG of variable sizes on the vibrational modes of amino acids and proteins. This vibrational spectroscopic technique identifies unique fingerprints of molecules based on the inelastic scattering of monochromatic light. We will present the preliminary results of our study.
Menstrual cups have become increasingly popular in recent years for their environmental benefits, cost-effectiveness, and user comfort. Most menstrual cups are made using silicone, taking advantage of its flexible and leak-proof material properties. However, there has been limited research on the hydrolytic degradation of silicone biomaterials, particularly in the acidic vaginal environment, raising potential safety concerns. The objective of this research project is to study the hydrolytic degradation of silicone under acidic conditions to better understand the safety profile of biomedical devices like menstrual cups. Our initial study tested 40 silicone samples over a 29-day period at 37 °C and 67 °C in a 1 M hydrochloric acid (HCl) solution. Results of this accelerated study indicated a maximum mass loss of 11.4 %. Future studies will be performed using a vaginal fluid simulant (VFS) primarily composed of a lactic acid buffer system to assess physiologically relevant degradation behavior and to characterize potentially toxic degradation products. Ultimately, this research aims to develop a standardized workflow for studying the degradation of polymeric biomaterials in a VFS that could also be applied to other biomedical devices such as intravaginal ring (IVR) drug delivery systems.
Cortisol is a hormone released in response to stress that is also vital to human development. Previous studies in lab have shown that cortisol exposure of zebrafish embryos resulted in hypolocomotion with increasing cortisol concentration. Cortisol acts through two receptors, the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and mineralocorticoid receptor (MR). We tested if the activation of the GR receptor would produce similar effects on behavior to cortisol exposure. Dexamethasone is a synthetic gluccocorticoid that selectively binds to the GR. Zebrafish embryos were collected and treated with different concentrations of dexamethasone at 4-6 hours post-fertilization (hpf) in a 12-well plate. The resulting zebrafish were transferred at 5dpf to a 96-well plate, which was then measured in an 18-minute alternating light-dark assay to assess their locomotor behavior using a commercial motor tracking system. Two rounds of experiments, consisting of concentrations ranging from 100 to 1 uM showed differential relative behavioral phenotypes at different concentrations. These experiments inform our understanding of how corticosteroid receptors affect zebrafish behavior in embryonic development.
Glucocorticoids are steroid hormones vital to development and many physiological responses. The body’s primary glucocorticoid, cortisol, is released in response to stress and binds to two receptors: mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid receptors (GR). Excess prenatal exposure to glucocorticoids has been linked to adverse effects on neurodevelopment. Previous work in the lab found that an increase in embryonic exposure to cortisol resulted in decreased swim behavior in zebrafish larvae 5 days post-fertilization (dpf). The goal of this study was to identify how selective MR exposure would affect behavior in larval zebrafish using deoxycorticosterone (DOC), a natural precursor to cortisol that binds to MR. Zebrafish embryos were treated with decreasing concentrations of DOC (1 µM, 0.3 µM, and 0.1 µM) at 4-6 hours post-fertilization (hpf) in a 12-well plate. Larvae were transferred at 5dpf to a 96-well plate and assayed using a commercial motor tracking system (Noldus DanioVision). Initial results indicate that the swim velocities for larvae exposed to 0.3 µM DOC were higher than control groups in the first dark cycle, but no other significant differences were observed. By investigating how DOC affects neurodevelopment in zebrafish, these results can inform future studies on the role of MR agonists in development.
This study investigated the diversity, growth, and abundance of macroalgal species on reefs surrounding San Salvador Island, The Bahamas, amid ongoing ecological change. Coral reef ecosystems are undergoing significant shifts due to climate change, habitat degradation, and the spread of invasive species. Understanding macroalgal communities during this transition is critical, as these organisms play a key role in reef structure and function. We conducted quadrat sampling and photo surveys across three reefs representing different levels of degradation. Algal diversity, including variations in growth forms and color patterns, was estimated from photographic data collected at over 50 quadrat locations. A subset of samples was analyzed to confirm species identifications and to assess photosynthetic capacity and growth strategies through quantitative measurements of biomass and chlorophyll content. Reefs around San Salvador Island support a diverse macroalgal community, including calcareous algae (Halimeda spp.), fleshy browns (Dictyota spp.), greens (Udotea spp.), and filamentous species. This study establishes a valuable baseline for understanding macroalgal responses to environmental change and contributes to ongoing reef conservation efforts.
Schistosomes are parasitic flatworms that cause schistosomiasis, a highly prevalent neglected tropical disease impacting over 250-million people worldwide. Life cycle progression through a snail intermediate host during their first larval stage, which are called miracidia, is required for worms to become infective to humans. The mechanism miracidia use to locate snails is not known. However, a secreted snail peptide known as P12 has been shown to elicit responses from miracidia that suggest it may serve as a cue for them in locating their snail hosts. The objective of this study was to investigate the role and structural requirements of P12 in Schistosoma mansoni miracidia host-seeking. P12 was cloned and sequenced from five snail species, revealing natural variation at 7 key residues. Quantitative methods were employed to characterize miracidia behavioral responses to snail cues and synthesized P12 variants. Preliminary findings suggest that stimulant gradients are required to elicit behavioral changes in miracidia. Infection experiments with live snails were carried out to determine if P12-rich solutions can disrupt these gradients and dysregulate miracidia sensation. Miracidia dysregulation control strategies are an under-researched approach to reducing the prevalence of schistosomiasis, but they could have especially significant impacts in endemic regions of the world.
I'm a junior at UWEC majoring in microbiology. I am a researcher in the Wheeler lab here on campus (in the Biology Department). My research focuses on using quantitative methods to study parasite chemosensory behaviors. At CERCA, I'll be presenting a poster (Poster 036: Investigating... Read More →
This project is titled Tick-Borne Disease Risk and Climate Change: A Survey-Based Analysis of Eau Claire County Residents’ Knowledge and Perception. Tick-borne diseases are an increasing concern in the United States, including Wisconsin, where they are common. Evidence suggests that climate change is contributing to this rise, as warming temperatures expand the geographical range of ticks and extend their active season. The aim is to assess Eau Claire County residents’ awareness and understanding of the rise in tick-borne diseases, as well as their perceptions of the role climate change plays in this issue. Data is being collected through an anonymous online survey, with 75 participants so far. Preliminary results show that most participants (76%) are between the ages of 18-24, and 92% live in suburban areas. Regarding tick-borne disease concern, 48% are somewhat concerned about contracting one, and 33% somewhat agree that the risk in their area is high. While 74% report taking preventative measures, 43% feel they are not well informed about tick-borne diseases and prevention steps. Concerning climate change, 61% of participants express being extremely concerned, and opinions about its link to tick-borne diseases are divided, with 36% strongly agreeing and 36% remaining neutral. Data collection is ongoing.
At the Costa Rican-Panamanian border, Indigenous migration has historically supported both Costa Rica’s economy and the livelihoods of Indigenous populations throughout Central America. In this project, “From Bean to Border”, we examine cyclic migratory patterns of indigenous people and the role it plays in Costa Rican coffee production. This project was inspired by our Faculty-Led Immersion program, “Global Health in Costa Rica” in which our group spent ten days in Costa Rica learning about how migration, labor, and public health are all interconnected. By learning directly from small-scale coffee producers, we traced the journey of the coffee bean from cultivation and harvesting to processing and roasting. This provided insight into how labor-intensive coffee production can be for those who are a part of the industry. Our findings highlight the intricate connections between Indigenous migration, economic structures, and health outcomes, underscoring the need for a more equitable and sustainable coffee industry.
Curling is a strategic team sport that presents unique challenges for artificial intelligence (AI) research, particularly in decision-making and physical simulation. However, a significant barrier to AI development in curling is the lack of structured and accessible datasets. This project aims to address this gap by leveraging standardized video feeds from Curling Stadium to generate datasets suitable for AI research.Our approach involves developing software that uses image detection models YOLO (You Only Look Once) and SAM (Segment Anything Model) to analyze YouTube videos of curling matches, tracking objects such as rocks and players to gather data on their positions and movements.The expected outcome of the larger project is a structured and scalable dataset that can be used for AI-based curling research, including game strategy analysis and predictive modeling. This project lays the foundation for broader AI applications in curling by automating data collection, enabling machine learning models to analyze strategic decision-making, and fostering human-AI collaboration in sports analytics.
The Internet of Things (IoT) encompasses a variety of systems and devices that enable data exchange across networks. With this interleaved connectivity comes an inherent vulnerability to attacks. Traditional intrusion detection in IoT environments has been primarily human-reliant, but modern malicious methods surpass manual approaches. Machine Learning (ML)-based Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) show promise but require refinement to match human-monitored IDS effectiveness.This study involved a literature review of research involving the NetFlow dataset NF-ToN-IoT-v2, created in 2022 to enable ML-based IDS development. With balancing, the dataset includes approximately 16 million net-flows, with 63.99% attack and 36.01% benign. The data’s imbalanced nature was addressed through methods like down sampling to reduce training bias. A hyper-parameter tuning pipeline was used to optimize algorithm testing and cross-validation, especially for different data balancing methods.The algorithms tested based on previous research found during literature review include Naïve Bayes, Random Forest, K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), Support Vector Machines (SVM), and XGBoost. Comparative analysis using confusion matrices and bar plots enabled the evaluation of algorithm effectiveness. Overall, this research highlights the potential of ML approaches in IoT IDS development, through leveraging NF-ToN-IoT-v2 to enhance detection accuracy and bridge the gap between human-monitored and ML-driven solutions.
Isolated cases of plague and widespread paranoia infected San Francisco. Fledgling practices of bacteriology debuted the ability to identify Petis bacteria. No longer was it the faceless enemy of the Black Death. Yet a contentious set of unknowns remained — competing medical groups clashed politically, socially, and professionally over the plague's transmission, treatment, and existence. Often to the detriment of Chinese Immigrants. Previous scholarship documented the outcomes of the plague and subsequent political battles as a vector to the construction of race, intertwining it with public health. This paper then looks at the commonality between these competing groups; the absence of critical epidemiological knowledge. It utilizes a study of ignorance, intentional or incidental, through the analysis of archival court cases, medical journals, correspondence, and newly translated Chinese newspapers. Rather than focusing on the outcomes of these battles, it shifts its focus to the underlying foundations. In this poster presentation, I then argue that the insertion of each group's respective ideology into the unknown variables formed the results of the plague; ignorantly shaping knowledge, and racist systems of policy while conversely allowing the Chinese to counteract them. Thus revealing how knowledge itself is the battleground for power.
This research explores how Chinese cuisine has evolved in the United States, focusing on the historical adaptations made by early Chinese immigrants and the ongoing cultural shifts reflected in contemporary Chinese food. Existing scholarship highlights how immigrant communities modify traditional cuisine to align with local tastes, often creating a hybrid culinary identity. To investigate this phenomenon, I conducted interviews with Chinese exchange students to compare authentic Chinese food with its American counterpart and surveyed American students to understand their perceptions of American Chinese cuisine. The findings suggest that the evolution of Chinese food in the U.S. reflects broader cultural adaptation processes, where historical necessity has given way to modern innovation and cross-cultural exchange. As cultural identity continues to shape perceptions of authenticity, food remains a powerful medium for connection and mutual understanding. Future research should further examine how cultural adaptation extends beyond cuisine into markets, traditions, and perspectives, deepening our understanding of how cultures influence and reshape one another.
We aimed to increase awareness of the local flora and fauna that many people may not be awarelive in the Chippewa River. We decided to create glass mosaics to adorn the windows of the busstop in front of Haas Fine Arts Center as it is an accessible location for many people passingthrough Water Street.We used glass for its translucent properties, durability, and longevity to ensure that no harmwould be brought to the local environment through use of toxic materials and to make sure itwill last for years to come with little need for maintenance.The various colors of the glass pieces and the location result in the appearance changingthroughout the day and seasons as the available light differs, keeping it intriguing for andvisible for both visitors and the bus drivers they are waiting for.Our project resulted in a beautiful piece of art that succeeds in showcasing many local endangeredfish and demonstrating the talents of graduates from the art program. The location nearby theriver may also tempt curious minds to see if they can spot any of the creatures themselves.
This research project seeks to compare the craftsmanship and performance of commercially available handmade oboereeds produced by ten professional oboe reed makers and share our observations via ourOboeForEveryone.com website. By focusing on key parameters such as pitch, response,dynamic capabilities, and ease of playing, we aim to help adult amateur and student oboistsmake informed decisions regarding reed selection for purchase.
This research highlights the differences between Japanese pop music from other pop music and examines Japan in relation to the country's popular music genres including insight to globalization. This in-person research conducted in Japan analyzes the impact of the U.S. and Japan’s relationship in regards to the music industry.The central questions of this research is how Japanese and American fandoms differ in the context of cultural exchange and how Japan’s relationship with the U.S. has affected this exchange. Fan communities, data from album and concert sales of Japanese Pop and Rock artists are analyzed in order to evaluate the reception of these genres in domestic and foreign markets. This research considers the historical relationship between Japan and the U.S. before and during the development of this genre.This study provides insight into Japan’s global cultural identity by showcasing globalization in Japan through the lens of the Japanese music industry. Japan’s history with the U.S. sheds a new perspective on the pop culture breakout of Japanese media, and the growing collaborative relationship with America. From using weapons of war to culturally influencing one another, this research lends insight to the changing relationship between these two countries.
In this paper I will be discussing the relation between Japanese manga and anime, and the changes from the transition from manga to anime due to censorship laws and changes within post-WWII Japan. Continuing, I will discuss what these laws and changes within Japan are meant to accomplish and what their application/results could have on their media as a whole. Next, I will be discussing what changes are made to media when exported to other countries to adhere to their redactive laws. The definition of censorship that I will be using for this paper is: “Places where media that has been changed to limit the themes, concepts, or actions that are deemed unsensible or unwanted by a large, usually government, body.” This definition is meant to include things that are commonplace such as blurring or black boxes, or even censorship that’s more transformative via cutting out parts of original material completely.This research will make people aware of how media can be changed to convey a certain culture's beliefs on what is “appropriate” for a certain group of people. To take it to a more extreme level, this research will also convey how strict/effective censorship can be at a non-concerning level- not censoring certain content to prevent learning about certain information. And how potentially concerning censorship could be put in place with similar laws. And finally how censorship reflects a culture as a whole.
One of the most controversial topics of conversation among scholars and a lay audience in the United States is how much protection the First Amendment should give people, specifically regarding freedom of speech. The political theory aspect of this project focused on what paternalism is and its potential uses through Mill’s “On Liberty”, Dworkin’s “Paternalism,” and secondary literature that discusses freedom of speech in a paternalistic context. The legal aspect of this project focused on court cases that showcased people’s thoughts on the limitations of one’s freedom of speech. Through my research, I found that paternalism, in theory, could be used to limit someone’s freedom of speech if they are under the age of majority; however, limiting an adult’s freedom of speech has not been successfully done in the courts. This is due to the difficulty of proving that by limiting an adult’s freedom of speech, the government is saving the person from themselves while also not violating the Harm Principle set out by Mill.
Candida albicans is the most frequently isolated human fungal pathogen and is an important agent of hospital acquired infections. To determine if a gene encodes a protein that contributes to its ability to cause disease, both alleles of a gene are typically disrupted. Historically, gene disruption in C. albicans utilizes the URA3 gene as a selectable marker in a URA3 auxotrophic strain. It was discovered that some of the mutant strains created using the “URA-blaster” technique had reduced levels of URA3 expression that affected the phenotypes of the mutant strains. Previously, we created a mutant strain of Candida albicans in which the MBP1 gene has been disrupted using the “URA-blaster” technique. To determine if the mutant phenotype observed is due to the disruption of the MBP1 gene or is an artifact due to reduced levels of URA3 expression, we are assessing URA3 gene functionality by assaying for OMP decarboxylase activity using protein lysates from wild-type and MBP1 mutant strains. Currently, we are making protein lysates which will be assessed for URA3 activity. Once we obtain the results of this experiment it will help to clarify the significance of the phenotypes observed in the MBP1 null mutant strains.
The aim of this study is to understand how flatworms use their sensory capacities in their environments. Parasitic flatworms are a threat to human health globally. Understanding how these worms can find hosts to infect would help advance parasite control. This study focuses on Girardia dorotocephala, a species of free-living planaria we are developing as a flatworm model, uses chemoreceptors located in their auricles to sense their surroundings. While planaria are not parasites, they possess many of the same traits as parasites within the phylum. Both planaria and parasitic flatworms belong to the Platyhelminthes and have some of the same morphological features and molecular pathways. Because of the similarity between the two clades, we can use planaria as a model organism to better understand flatworm behavior. To initiate this project, we recorded and tracked planaria when placed in separate controlled environments. Experiment followed the planaria’s movements when placed in the presence or absence of food, or under different light conditions. We were also working on sequencing the genome to help identify genes potentially involved in sensation, setting up G. dorotocephala as a model flatworm for sensory experiments.
Schistosomiasis, a neglected tropical disease caused by three parasitic flatworm species,including Schistosoma mansoni, relies on freshwater snails as intermediate hosts. Interrupting theparasite’s ability to locate snails could provide a novel strategy for disease control. Praziquantelis the current treatment of choice for human infections, and it exerts its effect by targetingtransient receptor potential (TRP) channels on the parasite, leading to death of the worm. Despiteits effectiveness in eliminating adult parasites, treated individuals remain susceptible toreinfection.In this study, a drug screening approach was used to identify compounds targeting the transientTRP receptors in miracidia, a larval stage of the parasite. A custom 96-well acrylic device wasdesigned; worms were added to each well and treated with 10 µM of drug.The impact of eachcompound on miracidia behavior was assessed to identify potential drug candidates. Toaccurately monitor their responses, a high-resolution recording device was utilized. This systemenabled precise observation of miracidia motility and orientation, allowing identification ofcompounds that disrupt general movement or host-seeking behavior. Preliminary findingssuggest that TRP channel modulators play a role in altering miracidia navigation, offering apromising avenue for disrupting the parasite’s life cycle.
I'm a junior at UWEC majoring in microbiology. I am a researcher in the Wheeler lab here on campus (in the Biology Department). My research focuses on using quantitative methods to study parasite chemosensory behaviors. At CERCA, I'll be presenting a poster (Poster 036: Investigating... Read More →
Schistosomiasis is a tropical disease caused by human-infective parasites of the genus Schistosoma. The larval stage, called miracidia, infects a snail intermediate host and matures into cercariae that are shed into water. Cercariae penetrate human skin and migrate to blood vessels connecting the intestines and liver. Here, mature parasites lay eggs that follow the flow of blood into the liver or against the flow into the intestines. Intestinal eggs will mature, be defecated into fresh water, and hatch to miracidia to continue the cycle of infection. In contrast, liver eggs have reached a dead end, but these are routinely harvested from rodent lab hosts for research use and maintenance of the life cycle. Previous evaluation of transcriptomic differences between the liver and intestine eggs revealed distinct functional differences, yet nothing is known about differences between miracidia derived from these eggs. We isolated distinct infected mice tissues and hatched miracidia. Using these miracidia, we performed RNA-seq analysis and found distinct transcriptomic clusters and differentially expressed genes between the samples. Future directions include experiments to test for differences between these miracidia in behavior and infection capacity. These findings will lead to deeper insights about relevant differences between miracidia from different tissues.
I'm a junior at UWEC majoring in microbiology. I am a researcher in the Wheeler lab here on campus (in the Biology Department). My research focuses on using quantitative methods to study parasite chemosensory behaviors. At CERCA, I'll be presenting a poster (Poster 036: Investigating... Read More →
Plastic pollutants are a significant environmental concern. Biodegradable plastics are a large area of research because if plastics are accidentally released into the environment, biodegradable plastics will break down into harmless byproducts. A blister pack is a type of packaging that consists of plastic pockets that hold individual pills. Current blister packs on the market are not biodegradable and contribute to environmental harm. The goal for this research project is to find an eco-friendly material to replace current blister packs that can also handle chemical reagents (such as medical reagents). Initial testing focused on developing a film from cassava starch that was adapted from the literature. The standard ASTM D543 was used to evaluate the resistance of the material to chemical reagents. The samples were placed under strain using a 3D printed strain jig, the chemical reagent was applied, and the samples were held at fixed temperature for varied amounts of time. After chemical exposure, the samples were tested to determine changes in mechanical properties. These results will be used to determine if cassava starch can replace traditional plastic blister packs to open the door to many environmentally friendly swaps in the medical field.
Tumor ablation is an effective, minimally invasive technique for cancer removal. The procedure uses medical imaging and a needle-like probe, which is guided to the target cancerous tissue where it is subsequently heated or cooled to a cytotoxic level. Thus, surrounding tissue must be separated from the cancerous tissue to prevent damage to healthy tissue. Saline and carbon dioxide are current methods of separation, but both migrate from the site due to gravity and cause risk of postoperative pain. To create a stable, stationary, and thermally protective barrier, a biocompatible foam has been developed with FDA-approved materials to optimize tissue separation for a typical 60 minute procedure. As progress continues, further characterization of the foam is being tested using rheology, which mimics deformation during foam injection and quantifies stability as a function of time and deformation rate. Current project goals involve developing a freeze-dried procedure that maximizes the shelf life of the foam and minimizes preparation steps for future commercialization and clinical use. Continued testing is essential for confirming previous qualitative tests of the foam’s material properties and providing data required for publication and implementation of these foams in a clinical setting.
This project seeks to develop a mechanically flexible cooling pad that can be used by medical patients to provide targeted pain or inflammation relief to injured or surgical areas. We are seeking to develop a device that is fully temperature controlled and can be used for long intervals of time up to several hours. We have identified several possible configurations to maximize cooling power while retaining as much geometrical flexibility as possible. We are currently pursuing two distinct cooling methods, and working to engineer a complete system for both methods that is able to sense and adjust temperatures produced by the cooling pad. In this poster we will describe some of the key geometrical and experimental variables under study, and work needed for continued improvement.
Architectural coatings are categorized as either solvent-based or water-based, with the latter gaining popularity due to their lower volatile organic compound (VOC) content and simplified manufacturing process. However, their performance can be limited compared to oil-based alternatives. To address these challenges, dispersants are incorporated to enhance stability and prevent titanium dioxide (TiO₂) particle aggregation, the primary pigment in the majority of architectural coatings. Our research investigates the structure-property relations of stimuli responsive polyethylene glycol:poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) [PEG:PDMAEMA] block copolymers and specifically their application as an eco-friendly TiO₂ dispersant in water-based coatings. These block copolymers were synthesized via ARGET ATRP (Activators ReGenerated by Electron Transfer - Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization), a process which allows for precise control of block length with minimal catalyst use. Various block length ratios were synthesized and characterized, with stress-dependent flow properties analyzed using rheometry and interfacial activity assessed via pendant drop tensiometry. Paint formulation performance was compared to a market standard through Leneta chart and water droplet testing, evaluating opacity, gloss, and resistance to leeching. These findings highlight the potential of incorporating PEG:PDMAEMA polymer dispersants into architectural coatings as a viable alternative to solvent-based coatings while maintaining essential performance properties.
Small-diameter grafts have revolutionized artery repair since their introduction in 1954, providing life-saving solutions for patients with vascular diseases. These grafts are typically manufactured by extruding expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) into tubes. This research focuses on optimizing the tooling and flow cavity design for paste extrusion of small-diameter vascular graft components. One critical parameter in the extrusion process is the reduction ratio, or the ratio of cross-sectional areas of the material before and after extrusion. By varying tooling position and dimensions, we aim to create optimal reduction ratio profiles for various graft dimensions to facilitate successful extrusion processes.
Expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) grafts are commonly used to repair and reconstruct blood vessels in vascular bypass surgeries and peripheral arterial reconstructions. However, current ePTFE grafts often cause scar tissue formation due to their dense structure, limiting long-term effectiveness and integration with the body. The goal of this research is to create an ePTFE graft with properties similar to cells found in an organism so it can fully penetrate, and not have a reaction making a scar tissue. To reach our goal, we expanded and characterized Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), transforming it into ePTFE. The research is currently in a testing phase, where we are evaluating the graft’s performance using Tensile Test, to test their break point, Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) to evaluate how the material behaves under different thermal conditions, and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) to evaluate the melting and thermal behaviors of the sample. These tests help optimize the graft's properties, thermal stability, and biocompatibility, ensuring it can perform effectively within the body and integrate with surrounding tissues.
In lakes, mosses are distributed in deeper waters than any other form of plant life. Little is known about these plant communities, and this ongoing study by Dr. Lonzarich and his students is the most comprehensive of its kind. Prior work in this lab has explored the distribution and factors affecting the occurrence of mosses from 70 lakes in Wisconsin. The objectives of this study were to identify the mosses collected from these lakes using a DNA barcoding approach, which involves DNA extraction, PCR amplification of the LTS gene (barcoding gene), and sequencing using the Sanger method. An altermative method using the RBCL gene and next-generation sequencing is also being used. By identifying the species through online gene databases, the study intends to unravel the geographic distribution patterns of deep-water moss species in the state. The study builds on previous work that found difficulties in identifying moss species based on morphological characteristics due to their unique growth forms in deep-water habitats. Initial indications from morphological assessments suggest the presence of distinct geographic patterns in the distribution of deep-water mosses within Wisconsin's lakes.
Mobile applications like PictureThis use artificial intelligence to identify plant species, providing a convenient tool for users without botanical expertise. However, the accuracy of these applications remains uncertain, which is particularly important in ecological and conservation contexts, as misidentifications can have serious consequences. This study evaluated the reliability of PictureThis by comparing its identifications with genetic sequencing results from plant samples collected on the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire campus. Ninety-four plant samples were analyzed, with sixty-five yielding positive genetic identifications. Of these, thirty-three (51%) matched the species-level identification provided by PictureThis, while twelve (18%) were confirmed at the genus level and five (8%) at the family level. The remaining fifteen (23%) showed no correspondence between genetic sequencing and app-based identifications. Discrepancies may stem from the app’s inability to identify certain plants, such as grasses, or its reliance on superficial similarities. Notably, genetic analysis confirmed that twelve plants identified by the app as non-native were actually native to Wisconsin, indicating an overestimation of non-native species. These findings highlight the limitations of AI-based plant identification apps and emphasize the need to supplement such tools with scientific validation when making ecological or conservation decisions.
Obesity affects about 42% of adults in the United States. Most states report obesity in 30% of adults (the State of Obesity 2022: Better Policies for a Healthier America), with health-related costs estimated around $150 billion (Zamosky, 2013). As multimodal therapies are most effective in reducing obesity’s effects, this study seeks to determine if cholecystokinin (CCK), a hormone released upon food consumption that reduces meal size and duration, affects the discriminative stimulus effects of 22-hrs food deprivation. Sprague-Dawley rats (24 females, 24 males) were trained to press the left lever after 22-hr food deprivation. Fifteen responses earned a 45 mg food pellet, and 15 right lever presses resulted in 8 seconds of darkness. Contingencies reversed under 2-hr food deprivation. After acquiring discrimination (males: M=76, SEM 7, females: M=83, SEM 7 sessions to criteria), subjects were injected with saline (1 ml/kg body weight) or CCK (1 to 10 mg/kg, i.p.) 15 minutes before a 5-minute test session. Food intake was then measured. CCK did not alter "hunger"-like responses nor affect lever pressing rates or food intake. In food tests under 22-hr deprivation, male rats ate more grams of food, while female rats ate similarly in both deprivation conditions.
The aim of this project is to research and conceptualize the current as well as historical nuance of the tolerance of religion. The question this research will answer is whether society should embrace a more tolerant view of religion and instill the views of free speech and religion into the younger generation. This research comes at a time of significant differences among the population surrounding the topic of freedom of religion. Although many Americans continue to embrace the freedom of conscience behind the First Amendment, there is increasing polarization around how far religious freedom should go, which freedoms “count” as religious, and how the religious and irreligious should coexist with one another. This project's approach will use political theory, constitutional law, and historical writings to examine this question. The political theory aspect will characterize views of tolerance within scholarly works and how it applies to religious expression. The findings will be used to evaluate the standing of tolerance in today’s discourse and attempt to find changes. The findings of the research conclude that tolerance is still a heavily raised issue and has been since political discourse entered into the sphere of human interaction.
The purpose of this research is to explore the increasing threats of censorship in libraries, the laws supporting or opposing censorship, and the impact of censorship on librarians through the use of language and rhetoric. Through examining the current political climate surrounding libraries, censorshipm and diversity, I hope to emphasize how libraries can become involved in the promotion and protection of intellectual freedom and democracy by advocacy, policy making, and popular mobilization (i.e. solidarity with each other). The primary method of research is comparing legislative texts, national advocacy organizations, and case studies. Restrictive and protective approaches to intellectual freedom were compared using Idaho HB710, Alabama HB385, California AB1825, and Vermont Act 150 legislative documents. Idaho and Alabama bills were used for their definition of “harmful materials” and for procedural aspects of criminal charges as examples of state policies restricting free inquiry; California and Vermont bills were used as examples of states protecting intellectual freedom. The primary conclusion is that libraries cannot afford to be censored in order to provide equal access to information and to promote the democratic principles they serve. Through lobbying for protective policies, raising public awareness, forming legal relationships, and obtaining continued federal support, libraries will be able to stand up against these pressures and restate their commitment of delivering needed services to all members of society.
I will be examining the history of Disney and Nintendo, how they have helped construct the childhoods of Japanese and Americans alike, and how they have helped the two countries heal from the second World War.Disney first took off around the start of WWII when they released Snow White and The Seven Dwarves in 1937. During the American occupation of Japan in the 1950's, as their movies flooded into the country, they helped to create a new, thriving animation and entertainment industry. Following WWII, Nintendo found growing success in this new entertainment landscape after a striking a partnership with Disney in 1958 to produce playing cards. Come the 1970s and 80s, they took the world by storm with revolutionary gaming systems. Come today, Disney and Nintendo are two of the biggest companies in the world. Disney is responsible for a sizable amount of popular animated movies and champions theme parks globally. Nintendo has pioneered the video game market and has greatly influenced positive public perception on gaming. Though both companies market towards children and families, they’ve found large fan bases with adults.
Can the clarinet learn to play with a singing quality by studying vocal repertoire and technique? This was the central research question addressed in our UWEC Student-Faculty Research that we considered through the study of repertoire and historical context of Bel Canto music written by French composer Pauline Viardot as well as a vocal approach to the selected pieces. Dr. Alyssa Powell guided my study of three pieces that demanded slightly different artistic approaches. These were, Fleur desséchée, Povera me, and L’innamorata, all by the remarkable and lesser-known composer, Pauline Viardot. For each piece, I learned the French and Italian diction with the help of Dr. Ken Pereira, considered agogic stress of the text with the music, determined the articulations needed to convey the many vowels and consonants present in the language via the clarinet, considered registration as a singer would, and combined the results of this work in a performance. I performed the three works alongside Shawn Muench, local pianist, in a recital. Examining the tone colors, breathing habits, and articulations from a vocalist’s perspective was especially helpful in stretching my musical interpretive skills.
This ongoing study investigates how psychological flexibility correlates with teacher burnout across three populations with different professional demands: preservice teachers, primary teachers, and college professors. Teacher burnout is common, which creates multiple concerns like teacher turnover and worse student outcomes (Chang, 2009). One promising intervention used to decrease teacher burnout in K-12 teachers is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which targets psychological flexibility – the ability to adapt to different situations to pursue one’s goals (Emery, 2011). By administering questionnaires related to psychological flexibility and teacher burnout to preservice teachers, primary teachers, and college professors, we seek to show how these components connect in different populations. If psychological flexibility is negatively correlated with burnout across all three populations, ACT may be effective for all three populations. When data collection is complete, we expect to see a difference in correlations due to the diverse demands of the job. We also expect overall burnout to differ across groups: if individual factors are more significant, we hypothesize that preservice teachers will experience the highest level of burnout. Alternatively, if contextual factors are more important, we hypothesize that inservice teachers will experience the most burnout.
Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI; injuring oneself without intent to die) is prevalent among college students. Many report using NSSI as a coping mechanism, including managing suicidal thoughts and urges. Due to the coping-regulatory effects of NSSI for individuals, perceptions of NSSI coping effectiveness may relate to increased ability to resist attempting suicide. This study aimed to examine individuals’ perceived effectiveness of NSSI on the ability to resist suicidal thoughts and urges the next day. 132 participants with a recent history of NSSI and suicidal ideation completed a daily diary protocol assessing engagement in NSSI, perceived effectiveness of the NSSI, suicidal urges and the ability to resist suicide attempts. Multi-level dynamic structural equation analyses will be conducted with individual responses mean-centered to capture within-person differences across days. It’s anticipated that on days participants perceive their NSSI as effective, they will report lower suicide urges and greater ability to resist attempting suicide the next day. This would support the role of NSSI being a coping mechanism and suggests suicide risk may increase if NSSI effectiveness lessens over time. Additional clinical implications of the results will be discussed.
Building on prior sexual abuse research that has retrospectively examined sexual abuse in institutional settings, this project examined files from the Boy Scouts of America “Ineligible Volunteer” database. Through a retrospective content analysis, the research team analyzed BSA files of 49 individuals in Wisconsin deemed “ineligible volunteers” by the organization. Several patterns emerged from the content analysis. This poster introduces multiple case studies that highlight various patterns of institutional abuse observed in the BSA IV files. Implications of the results and directions for future research also are discussed.
Everyday policing during the pandemic was both critical and challenging. A handful of studies focus on COVID-19 in relationship to the change of police officer’s perceptions toward police performance and departmental change. This study attempts to identify perceived differences between pre-COVID and post-COVID policing. This research utilizes four domains: Normal Policing, COVID-19 Policing, Protective Measures, as well as, Gender Roles and Social Ostracization, to distinguish key differences in policing. To achieve the objective, this qualitative research conducted a semi-structured interview process with local front-line officers in the State of Wisconsin. Preliminary results indicated substantial changes between normal policing and COVID-19 policing. Moreover, police officers perceived differences in how protective measures were being enforced differently at the departmental level and at the individual level. Officers expressed changes in shift structure resulted in animosity between day and night scheduled officers. Finally, police officers sensed how gender roles and social ostracization could affect the atmosphere of departments and police performance. Future work should investigate if these departmental changes are generalizable.
Amanita muscaria, commonly known as fly agaric or fly amanita, is a mushroom renowned for its distinctive appearance and psychoactive properties attributed to its compounds, ibotenic acid, and muscimol. Contemporary interest in Amanita muscaria has surged, driven by anecdotal reports of perceived psychological and medicinal benefits. However, no clinical studies exist thus far. This study employs thematic analysis of discussions from the “r/AmanitaMuscaria” subreddit on Reddit to explore users’ reasons for its consumption and the positive and negative experiences associated with this mushroom. A total of 998 principal posts and their associated 9,542 comments were analyzed, revealing thematic trends in adverse effects, perceived positive outcomes, reasons for use, modes of consumption, and thought perceptions. Findings highlight that users experienced more positive than adverse effects, and adverse effects experienced were minimal and primarily self-limiting. These findings may be particularly salient in clinical settings, as medical providers might find it challenging to uncover Amanita muscaria use among their patients unless presented with severe adverse effects. Future research is recommended to investigate Amanita muscaria’s pharmacology further to inform patients and medical providers of safe practices. Finally, an innovative methodological strategy is warranted to examine Reddit posts in-depth to understand users’ perceptions and attitudes.
Scheduling classes is a challenging and time-consuming task. The mathematical technique of linear programming has the potential to simplify this challenge by building a model of linear constraints to find the most optimal solution that satisfies all the constraints. In this project, we are implementing a linear programming model using the DOCplex library in Python. The objective function represents instructor satisfaction with different courses and the constraints represent limitations such as the fact that one instructor cannot teach two courses at the same time. These constraints allow many ways to build a schedule. The goal of our program is to identify the most optimal solution, that maximizes the professor's satisfaction and class availability. We will present a system for encoding the preferences about number of preps and back-to-back courses, as well as discussing the advantages of using binary variables to represent combinations of courses, professors, and meeting patterns (such as MWF 9-9:50) instead of individual day-time pairs. We will also present results from adding constraints and preferences about course distribution throughout the day, depending on whether the number of sections is above or below a threshold.
Knowing what types of enzymes a molecule will interact with can aid drug development by minimizing side effects due to unwanted interactions. In this project, we built and interpreted models for classifying enzyme substrates. We utilized the machine learning technique XGBoost in Python to build a predictive model for each enzyme class using the original molecular data as well as top linear combinations of the data obtained using Principal Components Analysis. We will discuss the process of developing code to automatically tune the parameters of XGBoost to optimize the model. We will also present examples of how to interpret these models by writing code to visualize the impact of variables in each model and identifying common factors in the top contributing variables of significant principal components to characterize each enzyme class. For example, we found that the probability of a molecule interacting with oxidoreductase enzymes is positively associated with the number of nonpolar regions. A particular descriptor is NOCount, the number of (polar) NO groups in the molecule, which was negatively associated with the probability of interacting with oxidoreductases.
Composite Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8-x (Bi-2212) wire has great potential as a material for high temperature superconducting magnets, which can conduct electricity with no resistance and achieve magnetic fields exceeding 20 T. However, Bi-2212 wire needs to realize improved geometrical homogeneity in order to be effective for large magnet applications, and there are a large number of geometrical variables that can impact the overall homogeneity. By measuring intrinsic characteristics of the wire and submitting them to a Principal Component Analysis (PCA), high dimensional data can be diminished, while identifying important trends in the data. The broader goal of this algorithm is to specify the variables that contribute to the inhomogeneity and allow us to give design feedback to wire manufacturers, so that they can improve their wire fabrication techniques. An example of this is the ability of the PCA to find trends between the area and the coefficient of variation of area, such that the uniformity of the wire area can be seen.
Rare-earth doped barium copper oxide, more commonly referred to as REBCO, is a high temperature superconductor that can carry extraordinarily high levels of electric current (many kiloamps) at magnetic fields above 20T. In previous research, we discovered that the secondary phases in the tap can vary in size from 0.24µm2 to 0.41µm2, reducing the tape homogeneity and limiting its performance capacity. To explore the source of these defects, 30 cm long samples were obtained from 6 different manufacturers and 1 cm samples were cut from each end. Samples were etched and imaged using scanning electron microscopy, then thresholded to isolate secondary particles located on the REBCO layer through ImageJ software. Python code was developed to compare trends between samples. Manufacturers A and B have an average particle area of 0.701µm2 and 0.368µm2, respectfully. Manufacturer A also has an increase of 42.5% in particle area from edge to edge at the same longitudinal position, showing variation along the width, length, and between the producers. This research provides valuable insight for manufactures into the discrepancies present among different samples and helps establish a baseline for variation along the length.
Superconductors are materials that can carry electricity without resistance at cryogenic temperatures, which is useful for large magnet applications such as particle accelerators. Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8-x (Bi-2212) is a superconductor capable of producing very large magnetic fields (>20 Tesla), but processing the Bi-2212 into usable, filamentary round wire forms is challenging. The fluctuations in the size and shape of Bi-2212 filaments in a composite wire can affect processing capability and wire performance. The focus of this project was to create a programmed application that would simplify the image analysis process. The program takes as input a series of black-and-white thresholds of transverse wire cross-sections. The program then returns as output a spreadsheet with filament measurements and basic statistical data on the filaments over the series of images. The key measurements of a filament are its area and circularity. The key statistical data of a filament is its coefficient of variation, which provides information about its homogeneity along the wire. Previously, this analysis took up to 5 hours of manual analysis and data manipulation. Using the new program has reduced this time to up to 5 minutes of automatic analysis, improving productivity by 60 times.
Curling is a strategic ice sport that presents unique challenges for AI research due to its combination of complex decision-making and intricate physical dynamics. This project aims to develop a physics-based curling simulator to address these challenges, enabling accurate modeling of stone movement, ice conditions, and sweeping effects. Our approach involves utilizing an existing physics engine, MoJuCo, to simulate realistic curling interactions. We implemented physics models based on leading theories for basic curling shot selections. The simulator initially focuses on stone dynamics and shot selection, with more complex features such as sweeping effects being added in later iterations. A visualization web app displays shot outcomes and will eventually support AI training and data analysis.In addition to the simulation application for curling research, we developed a training module for both the physics of curling and interacting with the MoJuCo library. This module is designed to help new student learn about the complicated physics of curling. This module also helps students learn how to implement and maintain MuJuCo based features into the simulator.
Curling is a strategic team sport that presents unique challenges for artificial intelligence (AI) research, particularly in decision-making and physical simulation. However, a significant barrier to AI development in curling is the lack of structured and accessible datasets. This project aims to address this gap by leveraging standardized video feeds from Curling Stadium to generate datasets suitable for AI research.Our approach involves developing software that uses image detection models YOLO (You Only Look Once) and SAM (Segment Anything Model) to analyze YouTube videos of curling matches, tracking objects such as rocks and players to gather data on their positions and movements.The expected outcome of the larger project is a structured and scalable dataset that can be used for AI-based curling research, including game strategy analysis and predictive modeling. This project lays the foundation for broader AI applications in curling by automating data collection, enabling machine learning models to analyze strategic decision-making, and fostering human-AI collaboration in sports analytics.
The Internet of Things (IoT) encompasses a variety of systems and devices that enable data exchange across networks. With this interleaved connectivity comes an inherent vulnerability to attacks. Traditional intrusion detection in IoT environments has been primarily human-reliant, but modern malicious methods surpass manual approaches. Machine Learning (ML)-based Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) show promise but require refinement to match human-monitored IDS effectiveness.This study involved a literature review of research involving the NetFlow dataset NF-ToN-IoT-v2, created in 2022 to enable ML-based IDS development. With balancing, the dataset includes approximately 16 million net-flows, with 63.99% attack and 36.01% benign. The data’s imbalanced nature was addressed through methods like down sampling to reduce training bias. A hyper-parameter tuning pipeline was used to optimize algorithm testing and cross-validation, especially for different data balancing methods.The algorithms tested based on previous research found during literature review include Naïve Bayes, Random Forest, K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), Support Vector Machines (SVM), and XGBoost. Comparative analysis using confusion matrices and bar plots enabled the evaluation of algorithm effectiveness. Overall, this research highlights the potential of ML approaches in IoT IDS development, through leveraging NF-ToN-IoT-v2 to enhance detection accuracy and bridge the gap between human-monitored and ML-driven solutions.
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most common form of pancreatic cancer, accounting for over 90% of cases, and is characterized by aggressive growth, early metastasis, and resistance to therapy. A comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving PDAC is essential for improving diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. In this study, a multiomics approach was applied by analyzing both DNA methylation and RNA-sequencing datasets obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma project.The methylation dataset included significantly more tumor samples than normal samples, and a similar imbalance was observed in the RNA-seq dataset. This disparity posed a challenge for direct feature selection, as it could lead to a model biased toward tumor-associated features. To address this issue, six data imbalance correction techniques were evaluated and compared: Random Oversampling, Synthetic Minority Over-sampling Technique (SMOTE), and Adaptive Synthetic (ADASYN) for oversampling, along with Random Undersampling, Cluster Centroids, and AllKNN for undersampling. Identifying the most effective imbalance correction method is essential for improving feature selection accuracy and facilitating the discovery of novel genes associated with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). A deeper understanding of these oncogenes could contribute to the development of non-invasive diagnostic tests and personalized treatment strategies for PDAC.
As the use of car dashboard cameras (dashcams) has increased, the availability of dashcam imagery has also increased. In recent years, dashcam imagery has been predominantly used in conjunction with computer vision techniques for autonomous vehicle systems. However, this research explores an alternative application of these technologies in the domain of public safety and security. Specifically, we apply object detection to dashcam imagery to address the challenge of identifying vehicles associated with active Amber Alerts. With the goal of aiding law enforcement in locating abducted children more efficiently, we employ the YOLO (You Only Look Once) object detection model, a state-of-the-art deep learning framework known for its real-time performance and accuracy. Our methodology involves training and fine-tuning the YOLO model on a custom dataset of dashcam footage, incorporating diverse environmental conditions such as varying lighting, weather, and traffic scenarios. Experimental results demonstrate that the model achieves high precision and recall rates in detecting target vehicles, validating its effectiveness for real-world deployment. This research highlights the potential of leveraging deep learning and computer vision techniques to address critical public safety challenges, offering a novel application of these technologies beyond their traditional use in autonomous driving. Our findings contribute to the growing body of work in computer science that seeks to harness AI for societal benefit.
Analytics have been less utilized in women’s professional tennis (WTA), compared to other professional sports. Despite unique difficulties in predicting match outcomes, there has been a spate of recent articles that utilize prediction tools applied to men’s profession tennis (ATP) data. Our research adds efficiencies and new features to previously-created probabilistic models for longitudinal predictions of WTA matches. We compute, update, and analyze a set of related summary statistics along with specific match details for individual players and integrate these with Bradley-Terry algorithmic modeling of match probabilities to incorporate strength of schedule. Data for player statistics and results of WTA tournaments was obtained from a GitHub repository under a Creative Commons license. We edited and created original functions in R: wrangling the data across an appropriate time window, court surface, and player rank; and implementing an existing algorithm for prediction and assessment. We also apply Elo ratings for comparative prediction, utilizing a longitudinal update and weighting by strength of win. We discuss the methods and coding, and apply elevated error analysis of match predictions compared to observed match outcomes to determine the overall accuracy of our model; accurate predictions could further inform the ranking of WTA players.
Professor, Department of Mathematics, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
I have been teaching at UW - Eau Claire since 2006, covering courses in undergraduate statistics (introductory and upper-level) and Master’s-level data mining and programming. My research is in data-mining techniques, with a focus on penalized regression. My recent (last ~ 6 years... Read More →
Alcohol use disorders (AUD) are a critical public health issue in the United States linked to elevated morbidity and mortality. Mutual help groups (MHGs), which provide peer advice and support, are among the most widespread forms of treatment for individuals with AUD. Twelve-step MHGs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), are the most utilized and evidence-based interventions for AUD. In recent years, several secular 12-step/AA alternative MHGs have emerged, including Self-Management and Recovery Training (SMART) Recovery, LifeRing, and Women For Sobriety (WFS). The outcomes and mechanisms of these 12-step alternative MHGs are poorly understood. In the present study, we conducted a systematic review with the goal of updating the scientific literature on outcomes, moderators, and mechanisms of change of SMART Recovery, LifeRing, and WFS for alcohol use problems in adults with AUD. Our review was pre-registered with PROSPERO and followed PRISMA guidelines. Alcohol-related outcomes, such as alcohol abstinence/reduction in alcohol use, heavy drinking, and other negative consequences were examined. Additionally, we included analysis of engagement-related outcomes, like membership characteristics, moderators of engagement/involvement, and mechanisms of change for MHOs. Preliminary Results from our qualitative review suggest differential alcohol-related and engagement-related outcomes by MHG. These findings highlight the importance of defining similarities and differences between MHGs, as individual differences in patient history and/or ideology disprove notions of universal MHG suitability. Study findings provide valuable insights into the different mechanisms and moderators of 12-step alternative MHGs that may inform future precision medicine strategies.
Individuals meeting NSSI-Disorder (NSSI-D) criteria differ from those who do not on key psychological and behavioral factors. NSSI is strongly associated with suicide ideation and research suggests it may increase suicide risk by reducing fearlessness about death, aversion to death/self-injury, and altering cognitive biases toward suicide. However, limited research examines these differences. This study tested whether individuals meeting current NSSI-D criteria reported higher levels of fearlessness about death, suicide-related biases, suicide ideation and plans, and lower aversion to death than those not meeting criteria. Participants (N = 308; 83.4% female, 87.7% White, 28.9% current NSSI-D) with past-year NSSI or suicide ideation completed assessments in our research lab. Independent samples t-tests found significant group differences across all variables except fearlessness and aversion toward death. Hypotheses were partially supported. Aligning with prior work, those meeting NSSI-D criteria reported lower aversion to death and higher suicidal thoughts and behaviors than those not meeting criteria. Findings highlight the need for further research on NSSI-D’s role in suicide risk and intervention development.
Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicide are major public health concerns and represent behaviors most practitioners will encounter during their career. Unfortunately, many mental health providers lack confidence in their skills for treating suicidal and/or self-injuring patients. Factors such as concerns about liability, emotional contagion and suicide severity appeared to moderate willingness to treat. There is a lack of research whether these patterns emerge regarding providers’ willingness to treat NSSI, a known risk factor for suicide. This study aimed to explore therapists’ willingness to treat clients with NSSI, Depression, or suicide risk. Participants were emailed through midwestern state licensing lists and asked to answer questions about a hypothetical patient from one of the three conditions. Analyses included chi-square, ANOVA, and regression. Participants showed a lower willingness to treat or accept a patient who has a history of Suicide compared to NSSI or Depression. In addition, both regression models identified significant variables, those being confidence, negative attitudes towards self-harm, and liability concerns that associated with willingness to accept or treat. We also found that the perceived risk of the patient negatvely correlated with willingness to treat. Mental health providers could benefit from increased training about suicide to build their skills and confidence.
An exploration of an Afrocentric Pedagogy within Higher Education: A review of LiteratureAfrican Pedagogy in Education is an examination of an Afrocentric model of learning and teaching that could potentially enhance student learning outcomes. This method of teaching revolves around a more universalistic vs. individualistic worldview, alternative modes of teaching to supplement student learning, and more. As test scores and average grades have been consistently dropping among students in America, it is important to recognize what this negative trend might be rooted in- perhaps our Eurocentric way of teaching in America. Furthermore, it is essential to recognize who is often at a disadvantage when learning from a Eurocentric perspective. Through an analysis of literature revolving around the Afrocentric perspective, academic motivation, models of Afrocentric teaching, and student outcomes from learning from an Afrocentric perspective, the goal is to bring to light a means of teaching and learning that could produce enhanced student outcomes. This literature review will lay out the historical context, benefits of, and means of teaching, through the lens of Afrocentric pedagogy. Keywords: Afrocentric pedagogy, Eurocentrism, academic motivation.
Knot Theory, Link Homotopy, and QuandlesIn the 1950s Milnor defined the notion of link homotopy. Since then, its study has been central to the field of knot theory. In the 1980s, Joyce, building on the work of Takasaki, defined a mathematical object called a quandle which is well adapted to the transformation of knot theoretic questions into algebraic questions. Trivial orbit quandles, defined in 2007 by Harrell and Nelson, are a type of quandle useful for studying link homotopy. In this poster, we define a new trivial orbit quandle called the reduced free quandle, and we go about classifying it for 2 and 3 generators. This gives classification of 2 and 3 component links up to link homotopy.
Iterated function systems offer a framework for generating complex, self-similar patterns through the iterative plotting of points. An iterated function system is a family of functions that map R^2 to R^2. For each iteration of the system, a variation is chosen with a certain probability. The asymptotic points make up the final fractal image. In this work, we examine specific variations using various heuristics that measure behavior between iterations and reveal the system's deeper patterns that improve our understanding of the system's intrinsic behavior. Our research focuses on developing and applying a multitude of heuristics designed to analyze the dynamic behavior of individual variations within these systems. Through visualizations produced by each heuristic, we illustrate the distinct characteristics of each heuristic across multiple variations.
Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) displays use organic compounds to emit light of many different colors on screen technologies. They can produce a wider range of colors and have higher energy efficiency than traditional LEDs. For this research, I will be working with Dr. Radue to investigate OLEDs assembled by Dr. Rybicki’s research group. The OLEDs consist of a glass slide, indium tin oxide (ITO), tris- (8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (AlQ3), calcium, and aluminum. Last year’s research revealed that exposing an OLED sample to short wave UV light leads to a reduction in peak transmittance amplitudes. Measurements were taken using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and data from samples exposed and unexposed to UV light was compared and analyzed. Currently, Dr. Radue and I are focusing on changes in magnetoresistance and the IV (current-voltage) curve as the OLED devices are exposed to short wave UV light. If no significant changes occur from the UV light, devices will instead be exposed to an x-ray source. After determining the minimum exposure needed to change magnetoresistance, measurements will be conducted on an uncoated AlQ3 sample exposed to the same amount of radiation. Said measurements will be performed using FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, ellipsometry, and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy.
When we look up to the stars, we only see a brief snapshot of the universe’s life. The stars change over the course of many millions of years, making it difficult to observe their behaviors. Consequently, astrophysicists who wish to study the lives of stars turn to computers to model them. This project utilizes Modules for Experimentation in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA), specifically the wd_builder module, to model the behaviors of white dwarf stars. These are the leftovers of average-sized stars, like our Sun, that have reached the ends of their lives and collapsed into hot, dense stellar remnants. We have developed a suite that allows computational astrophysicists of all backgrounds to easily and efficiently build models of white dwarf stars that they can utilize for their own research purposes. By streamlining the process of modeling a white dwarf computationally, and by employing the power of modern physics, we can trim the process of white dwarf building from hours down to minutes. For the future of this project, this suite could push the boundaries of stellar astrophysics physics, allowing us to study kinds of white dwarfs that haven’t been observed in space, or to dissect more puzzling real-world white dwarfs with unexplained behaviors and characteristics.
Physics and Astronomy, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
Dr. Bill Wolf is an associate professor of physics and astronomy at UWEC. He conducts research in computational stellar astrophysics with a team of undergraduate students and also serves as the director of the L.E. Phillips Planetarium.
The purpose of this project is to build a data collection system that can obtain pressure readings in a wind tunnel to determine the speed of the airflow. In this project, data is collected by a pressure sensor and then is interpreted by a microcontroller. This involved building the circuit and programming the microcontroller to receive data from the sensor. We then used an equation that relates the readings from the sensor to a pressure value. When this is complete, we will be able to obtain real time pressure readings from a wind tunnel, which can be used to interpret the impact objects in the wind tunnel have on the airflow. The next step of this project will be to calibrate the sensor with the wind tunnel and determine the baseline airflow profile of the wind tunnel.
Understanding the aerodynamics of systems is crucial in the design of vehicles and structures. Wind tunnels provide a controlled environment to analyze airflow around models that help inform the design process. Large scale wind tunnels are expensive and in this project, we are investigating whether we can observe similar behavior to large wind tunnels using a smaller scale version that can be constructed at significantly lower cost. In this poster we describe our design and present measurements of the airflow showing the effectiveness of design features such as a flow straightener, screen, and baffles to reduce turbulence. Construction of the wind tunnel also provides a platform for future research opportunities.
This research details the results of work done in Modules for Experiments in StellarAstrophysics (MESA) on cataclysmic variables. Cataclysmic variables are binary systems ofstars that orbit each other with a period of a few hours. In these systems, mass is transferredbetween one star and the other, often alternating between times where mass is transferredquickly, and other times where it is transferred slowly. Recent work has suggested that thetransferred matter is rapidly processed from hydrogen and helium to carbon and oxygen,resulting in the long-term growth of the star that received the matter. Our model uses MESAto track the variable mass transfer at small time scales. We show that long-term growth isinhibited by periodic explosions known as classical novae that eject most of the matter thatwas transferred, casting doubt on the earlier results indicating efficient stellar growth.
Physics and Astronomy, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
Dr. Bill Wolf is an associate professor of physics and astronomy at UWEC. He conducts research in computational stellar astrophysics with a team of undergraduate students and also serves as the director of the L.E. Phillips Planetarium.
Aim: To explore the use of various definitions for the exact moment a collapsing cloud of gas and dust becomes a star, often called the zero-age main sequence (ZAMS).Context: In stellar models, the definition of when a collapsing cloud of gas becomes a fully-fledged (hydrogen burning) star, can be characterized in many ways. To obtain data, we stop a computational star model when each of the various “definitions” is met, graph, and analyze to determine how well the data represents a newly matured star.Methods: This study uses MESA (Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics) to generate computational star models for 30 stars of initial masses between 0.126 solar mass and 100.0 solar mass. The stopping conditions explored involve the central hydrogen abundance, the ratio of power created by fusion to total power leaving the star, and, most notably, a quantity that compares the local luminosity gradient with the nuclear energy generation rate, which should balance for a star that is powered primarily by nuclear fusion.Results: We present Hertzsprung Russell diagrams depicting the isochrones of star models using the different stopping conditions. While the investigated stopping conditions typically generate similar star populations, some are able to catch stars slightly earlier in their evolution. We make a subjective argument for favoring a luminosity gradient vs. nuclear energy generation rate definition of the ZAMS.
Physics and Astronomy, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
Dr. Bill Wolf is an associate professor of physics and astronomy at UWEC. He conducts research in computational stellar astrophysics with a team of undergraduate students and also serves as the director of the L.E. Phillips Planetarium.
Once roughly five times the size of the Lake Superior in the United States, Megalake Chad was a vast inland lake that has drastically receded over the past 5,000 years, leaving behind geomorphic features and drainage patterns indicative of its former expanse. This study investigates the geomorphic features and hydrology of this ancient lake using topographic data. Specifically, we utilized the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) 30-meter Digital Elevation Model (DEM) for analyses, generating slope maps to enhance our understanding of surface drainage patterns. To identify drainage features potentially overlooked by slope analyses, radar remote sensing data was used. Because much of Megalake Chad's northern basin is in the Sahara Desert radar sensors like PALSAR and RADARSAT are valuable for their ability to reveal subsurface features under the sand. Integrated topographic surface analysis and subsurface mapping offers a promising approach to uncovering buried channels and alluvial fans/deltas. Our findings not only reinforce evidence of a large ancient lake, but also reveal previously underexplored drainage patterns with potential valuable water resources and arable land.
This project is investigating the nature of gold mineralization at the Atlas Mine, western Montana. Rock and powder samples were provided by LJB Explorations Ltd. to characterize the textural and mineralogical associations of gold mineralization at the mine. These samples included rocks from ore stockpiles, waste piles, and crushed, high-grade samples. The rock powder was processed for heavy mineral concentrates, including gold, using gold panning and a Gemini Table. The rock samples and heavy mineral concentrates were mounted in epoxy then polished to a finish of 1 µm. These samples were then examined using an SEM-EDS with a goal of determining textural and mineralogical associations with gold that could assist LJB Exploration Ltd. in targeting additional gold concentrations on a larger scale. Results from the SEM for the high-grade powder sample produced flakes of gold, roughly 20-30 µm, with associated heavy elements consisting of iron, silver, lead, and trace yttrium. Rock samples had flakes of gold in the range of roughly 20-100 µm in size, with associated heavy elements consisting of primarily iron, with a more substantial amount of silver as well.
The Paleoproterozoic Penokean Orogen in Northern Wisconsin is known to host multiple volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits which are important sources of Cu, Zn, Pb, Ag, and Au. Despite known large and potentially economic VMS deposits, limited outcrop exposure has hindered detailed reconstructions of the VMS-hosting environment to guide future exploration. Zircon petrochronology can help us give a more complete understanding of the magmatic environment in which they formed. This study sampled felsic igneous rocks to determine the timing and tectonic settings of VMS deposits in the western Penokean Orogen. Samples were pulverized and heavy mineral separates were obtained by various magnetic and density separation techniques. The zircon mineral grains were imaged by cathodoluminescence and backscattered electron microscopy at Laurentian University, Canada. Zircon isotopic (U/Pb, Lu-Hf) and trace element data were analyzed via laser ablation inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometer (LA-ICPMS). U/Pb isotopic data constrains timing of magmatism. Trace elements and Lu-Hf data constrain the tectonic setting and crustal architecture. Preliminary results have indicated two distinct VMS-forming magmatic events during the Penokean Orogeny that have similar tectonic and magmatic styles.
The Plover Au deposit, located in Marathon County, WI, is host to a series of andesite, schist, and felsic/mafic intrusives which have undergone at least 3 phases of deformation, hydrothermal alteration, and greenschist grade metamorphism. With its proximity to the larger and better explored Reef Deposit, a more complete understanding of the formational history and geochemical footprint of the Plover prospect can add to regional understanding and better gold exploration models. For this study, two holes (PL-76-1 & PL-76-4), totaling ~1,180 linear feet of core were logged and described to highlight the volcanic stratigraphy and lithologic variety. Cores and samples were characterized by petrographic and geochemical analyses. Mineralization at the Plover deposit is characterized by cross-cutting vein networks containing boudins and vugs, and zones of brecciation. Hydrothermal alteration is suggested based on sericite/talc alteration within volcanic strata and zoned sulfide (pyrite, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite), quartz, and calcite veins and vugs. Since high Au concentrations are typically present within brittle massive/semi-massive sulfide veins, formation of these deposits likely occurred after Penokean deformation/metamorphism and are related to a younger tectonic/magmatic event.
Modern technology and renewable energy require large amounts of metals that are derived from minerals. Many of these resources are imported, and there is a tremendous effort to domesticate our mineral extraction and processing. Several of these critical minerals, such as Ti, are found in Wisconsin, but little data is available to guide future mineral exploration efforts. This study describes the petrology and geochemistry of the Round Lake Ti Deposit in northern Wisconsin using historic drill cores stored at the WGNHS. The Round Lake intrusion that hosts the Ti mineralization is related to 1.1 Ga Mid-Continent Rift magmatism. The main intrusion is a magnetite-ilmenite rich gabbro, ranging from 35-50% magnetite-ilmenite and 15-50% coarse grained plagioclase laths. Movement and flow of magmas during emplacement formed porphyritic and trachytic textures with aligned plagioclase crystals. In addition, there are other intrusive phases associated with the magnetite-ilmenite gabbro intrusion. The anorthosite has 55-90% euhedral plagioclase, 10-15% magnetite, and 5-15% pyroxene. The magnetite rich gabbro and anorthosite make up the intrusion and is crosscut by a fine-grained gabbro and granitic dikes. Petrographic and geochemical data and interpretations improve our understanding of Ti-bearing magmatism in the Mid-Continent Rift system.
The Ritchie Creek Cu-Zn deposit, located in the Paleoproterozoic Penokean Volcanic Belt (PVB) of northern Wisconsin, is one of many volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits known in the region. Previous studies suggest that VMS mineralization is concentrated on the western edge of a felsic volcanic center, likely formed in a back-arc or intra-arc rift environment, with mineralization occurring within bimodal volcanic sequences. These interpretations were largely based on core descriptions and comparisons to other global VMS deposits. This study aims to improve the understanding of the tectonic and volcanic setting of the Ritchie Creek deposit by re-examining historical drill cores and stratigraphic units. Over 1,000 feet of historic drill core was logged, and 22 samples were collected for petrographic and geochemical analysis, focusing on trace element characterization to better constrain the volcanic and tectonic setting. Sulfide mineralization is hosted in three main units: a quartz mica schist with disseminated sulfides, a sericite- and chlorite-altered quartz mica schist, and an intermediate meta-felsite that transitions into a rhyolitic tuff with localized sulfides and quartz veins. This project provides insights into the volcanic and tectonic processes that shaped the Ritchie Creek deposit, enhancing the understanding of VMS mineralization within the Penokean Volcanic Belt.
Minerals, such as monazite and xenotime, are an important source of rare earth (La, Ce, Nd) and high field strength (Th, Nb, Zr) elements which are essential for modern energy, communication, and military technologies. These critical minerals are often sourced in pegmatites associated with alkalic complexes, such as mines at Mountain Pass, USA, and Mount Weld, Australia. The Paleoproterozoic Eau Claire Volcanic Complex is intruded by granitic pegmatite dikes that postdate peak metamorphism, potentially linking them to 1.7 to 1.4 Ga fractionated alkalic magmas in the region. These pegmatites are highly fractionated, garnet-bearing, and low in calcium. The high concentration U, Th, La, Ce, and other rare earth elements put this pegmatite in niobium-yttrium-fluorine (NYF) class of pegmatites. This study collected bedrock samples from several locations across the Eau Claire Volcanic Complex (Little Falls, North Fork, Muskeg) to describe the trace mineral compositions. The minerals in the pegmatite samples were geochemically analyzed using a scanning electron microscope energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM-EDS). The major minerals in the samples are mainly plagioclase, quartz, and biotite. They contain minor mineral chemistry of Fe- and Mn-garnets, samarskites, xenotimes, monazites, thorites, and barites and may represent a potential source for critical minerals in Wisconsin.
The Mineral Lake Intrusive Complex (MLIC) is a relatively large (50 x 6 km) layered mafic intrusion (LMI) located in northern Wisconsin. Because LMIs are typically rich in platinum, chromium, vanadium, and titanium deposits, the MLIC has excited much interest for its potential to host valuable economic deposits. However, the entire southern boundary of the MLIC is defined by a significant thrust fault that placed the plutonic body on top of older Archaean crust. The fault separated the upper half of the intrusion from much of its lower half (not exposed), where the bulk of the economic deposits are expected to be found. There is an orphan, ~8 km^2 ultramafic intrusion (the Rearing Pond intrusion; RPI) adjacent to and of the same age as the MLIC. The RPI is composed of minerals expected at the base of a large LMI and may represent early crystallization within the MLIC. LMIs are characterized by distinct top-to-bottom stratigraphy in their Mg/Fe and Ca/Na ratios. We present whole-rock and mineral Mg/Fe and Ca/Na ratios using XRF and SEM analyses to test the hypothesis that the RPI represents the earliest crystallization in the MLIC, and to estimate the volume of missing material.
