Kansas State University

MANHATTAN — Undergraduate researchers at Kansas State University involved in the Developing Scholars Program will display their work at the 14th annual Research Poster Symposium from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Sunday, April 13, in the K-State Student Union Ballroom. The event is free and the public is welcome.

The Developing Scholars Program, offered through the university's undergraduate research office, provides underrepresented students opportunities to research projects with a faculty mentor. Students receive academic, social and financial support while participating in the discovery and creation of new knowledge at Kansas State University.

"The research symposium is a celebration. It is the kind of event one can walk through and stay as long as desired," said Anita Cortez, director of the university's undergraduate research office. "It is a great opportunity to see the range of enquiry happening at K-State, from wind energy to green building to the latest advancements in cancer research to Jorge Luis Borges' short stories' back-translations or how actors 'de-role'after a production, and much more. There is something of interest for everyone."

Cortez said the symposium also is a chance for faculty to get ideas on how to engage undergraduates in their research and for students to see how they can enhance their classroom experiences and make learning immediately more relevant.

Student presenters and their presentations include:

Monica Farfan, junior in animal sciences and industry, Andover, "Risk Factors Associated with Corynebacterium Pseudotuberculosis Infection Among Horses Residing in Kansas and Nebraska: A Case Control Study (121 cases)"; Tayler Christian, junior in sociology, Baldwin City, "Brewing Coffee Party Activism in Tea Party Territory: A Grounded Case Study"; Delia Hernandez, junior in microbiology, Deerfield, "Deep Soil Carbon Sequestration: Microbial Community Structure and Carbon Stability in a Maize Agroecosystem."

From Dodge City: Eduardo Acosta, senior in biology, "Riding the Fungal Highway: Motility of Bacteria on Fungal Hyphae"; Nallely Barron-Garcia, senior in microbiology, "Effect of Tamoxifen on Canine Mammary Cancer"; Jenny Barriga, senior in chemistry and biochemistry, "Cell-Based Delivery of Chemotherapeutics and Antibiotics"; Jennifer Delzeit, sophomore in biology, "Isolation and Characterization of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells from Dog Adipose Tissue"; Daniela Guereca, senior in microbiology, "Characterization of T-DNA Insertion Mutants in Pectate Lyase Gene of Rice"; Armando Marquez, junior in electrical engineering, "Wind for the Future"; Yojana Mendoza, senior in microbiology, "Examining the Requirement for Bacteria in the Fungal Disease Sheath Blight of Rice"; and Larry Rodriguez, senior in biochemistry, "The Chemistry of Sex Games: Why Do Male Crickets Transfer Large Amounts of Dopamine to Females During Copulation?"

From Garden City: Thuy Cao, senior in biochemistry, "ACE-like Enzyme in Insect Molting Fluid"; Eddy Gomez, sophomore in engineering, "Net Zero: Advancing In Building Technology And Efficiency"; Hector Martinez, junior in architecture, "A Parametric System for Modularized Gabion Construction"; Daniel Perez, junior in kinesiology, "Evaluation of a Home-based, Wellness Coaching Intervention to Prevent Childhood Obesity in the Community"; Thuan Daniel Quach, senior in biochemistry, "The Effect of Type of Collection Medium and Freezing Extender on Rat Sperm Cryosurvival Rate"; and Eduardo Solorzano-Torres, senior in pre-psychology, "Changing Work, Lives and Communities: Hispanics in Garden City, KS."

From Greater Kansas City: Ismael Hernandez, junior in construction science and management, Kansas City, Kan., "Effectiveness of Lean Construction Through the Implementation of Integrated Project Delivery"; Phillip Hill, junior in marketing Kansas City, Kan., "A Longitudinal Study of Electronic and Mobile Technology Device Attitudes and Internet Services and Applications Usage"; Austin White, senior in electrical engineering, Kansas City, Kan., "Monitoring Nighttime Well-being of Children with Disabilities at Heartspring"; Chayce F.W. Wynn, junior in biology, Kansas City, Kan., "Imposed Sedentary Time and Psychological Health in Young Adults Meeting Physical Activity Guidelines: An Experimental Study"; Branford Harris, junior in journalism and mass communications, Lenexa, "A Trend Analysis of the Composition of Modern Film Trailers"; Monica Diaz-Serrano, sophomore in pre-psychology, Olathe, "The Relationship Between Theory of Mind and Social Reasoning"; Savannah Hoang, freshman in pre-psychology, Olathe, "War, What Is It Good for? Masculine Honor Beliefs, Belief in Pure Good and Evil as Predictors of Attitudes About Intergroup Aggression"; Rebecca Renteria, sophomore in pre-professional secondary education, Olathe, "From Courting to Dating: The Transformation of Courting Rituals in the Last 100 Years"; and Jamilah B. Watkins, junior in life sciences, Olathe, "Identification and Biochemical Characterization of a Kunitz-Type Serine Protease Inhibitor From an Insect, Manduca Sexta"; Kelsey Castinado, junior interior architecture & product design, Overland Park, "Chapel as Healing Place: A Study of Two Spaces on the Kansas State University Campus"; K. Matthew Castinado, senior in kinesiology, Overland Park, "An Intervention to Reduce Sitting Time at Work: Effects on Metabolic Health and Inactivity"; Samantha Knese, sophomore in open option, Overland Park, "Gun Control or Gun Proliferation? State Response to Mass Shootings in Newtown and Aurora"; Felicia Walker, senior in animal sciences and industry, Overland Park, "Development of Immunologic Assay to Determine Serum and Nasal IgG and IgA Production in Response to Streptococcus equi vaccination"; Geordy Williams, freshman in computer science, Overland Park, "Using Recommender Systems for Social Network Applications"; and Arisa Yamashita-Taylor, freshman in animal sciences and industry, Overland Park, "Fusobacterium Necrophorum Isolated From Cattle and Humans Produce Biofilms In Vitro"; and Micke Ramirez, sophomore in animal sciences and industry, Shawnee, "A New Method for Identifying Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Surface Proteins Recognized by Homologous or Broadly Neutralizing Antibody Serum Samples."

Mark Mathis II, sophomore in civil engineering, Hays, "Artificial Storage and Recharge at Hays in Northwestern Kansas."

From Haysville: Abigail Agnew, sophomore in business administration, "Aspects of Cross-cultural Relationships of Buyer/Suppliers and Sales Managers/Sales Persons"; and Navanté Peacock, sophomore in pre-psychology, "Did You See That? Predicting Attributions to Prejudice."

Shaquan White, freshman in business administration, Junction City, "International Financial Reporting Standards vs. U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles"; Sonjay Baker, sophomore in agricultural communications and journalism, Lansing, "The Hatch Project."

From Liberal: Emmanuel Garcia, senior in nutrition and kinesiology, "Wildcat Wellness Coaching Trial: Preliminary Evaluation of a Home-based, Wellness Coaching Intervention on Diet and Body Composition"; Antonio Rodriguez, senior in mechanical engineering, "Stress, Social Capital and Well-Being: The Case of the Gulf Oil Disaster"; Yubisela Toledo, sophomore in biology, "Synthesizing Magnetic Nanoparticles for Hyperthermia Treatment of Cancer"; Obdulia Covarrubias Zambrano, senior in biochemistry, "Investigating the Effects of Elevated Temperature on Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus Accumulation and Expression of Putative Heat-Shock Protein Genes in the Insect Vector, Frankliniella Occidentalis"; and Jazmin Zeledon, senior in psychology, "Characterizing the Insect Vector Response to Rhabdovirus Infection."

From Manhattan: Irma Ailon, senior in public health nutrition, "Portion Size as a Preventative Intervention for Adolescent Unwanted Weight Gain"; Erwin Chege, freshman in business administration, "Educational Empowerment of African-Americans"; Marcus Dominguez, sophomore in sociology, "'New Destinations' Immigration, Legislation and Agriculture in Kansas"; Denise Durham, sophomore in business administration, "A Longitudinal Study of University Student Dissertation Abstract Writing Competency"; Jeffrey Murray, senior in physics, "Visual Cueing and Feedback Influencing Undergraduate Students' Reasoning Resources on Conceptual Physics Problems"; Sterling Muse, freshman in business administration, Manhattan, "Social Media Role on College Choice for Multicultural Students"; Samantha Pratt, junior in communication studies, "What Happens When People Disagree? A Case Study of Citizen Deliberation on High-Speed Internet Access in Rural Communities"; Sofia Sabates, senior in biology, "Effect of Antisperm Antibodies on Viability of Frozen Bovine Semen"; and Natira Staats, senior in psychology, "Phases of Coping for Parents of a Child With a Developmental Disability: Exploring a New Lifespan Model."

Mauri Zumalt, junior in biochemistry, Nickerson, "Degradation of Textile Dyes in Miscanthus Sinesis."

William L. Duren, senior in electrical engineering, Rose Hill, "Wildcat Wind Power Team"; Jonathan Bernard, junior in biology, South Hutchinson, "The Extraction of Forskolin to Increase Cost Efficiency"; Daniel Buyanovsky, sophomore in food science and industry, Spring Hill, "Properties of Sorghum and Wheat Flour Mix"; Breyana Ramsey, sophomore in open option, Topeka, "Differences in Qualitative Instrumental Flavor Profile of Regular and Diet Cola Drinks"; Alejandro Marquez, senior in biology, Ulysses, "Co-loading Nanoparticles and Chemotherapy into Tumor Homing Cells."

From Wichita: Kiera Brown, freshman in pre-psychology, "Incarcerating the Mother-Child Relationship: Investigations into Prison Nursery Programs"; Katherine Nguyen, sophomore in athletic training, "Developing Interaction Diagrams to Design Reinforced Concrete Rectangular Bridge Piers"; Raquel Ortega, sophomore in chemistry, "Protease Detection Through Nanoparticles for Early Cancer Diagnosis"; and Cipriana Sapien, freshman in business administration, "The Effects of Green Initiatives on Initial Public Offerings."

From out of state:

Alaina Littlejohn, junior in animal sciences and industry, Crystal Lake, Ill., "Effects of NSAIDs on Kv1.3 Expression in Rat Small Intestine"; Megan Cantu, sophomore in architecture, Crown Point, Ind., "Playing Naturally: Pilot Study of Nature Access, Mood Regulation and Executive Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and their Typically Developing Peers."

From Missouri: Carlos Cardona, freshman in computer science, Independence, "Introduction into Computer Programming Languages"; Ramone Armstrong, freshman in business administration, Kansas City, "Spatial Distance and Construal Levels of Consumers’ Decision Process"; Michael Cesena, freshman in architectural engineering, Kansas City, "Segregation of Self-consolidating Concrete in Slanted, Reinforced Walls"; Hannah Gray, sophomore in medical technician, Kansas City, "Biomarkers and Anti-cancer Drugs in Spontaneous Mammary Tumors"; Simone Holliday, junior in animal sciences and industry, Kansas City, "Effect of Antisperm Antibodies on Post-thaw Motility of Bovine Spermatozoa"; Sergio Ortiz, sophomore in electrical engineering, Kansas City, "Using Commercial Tools to Validate a Bed Sensor Suite for Nighttime Monitoring of Severely Disabled Children"; Daijah Porchia, freshman in theatre, Kansas City, "Combating Actor's Emotional Hangover"; and Halle Sparks, freshman in biology, St. Louis, "Evolution of Multicellularity by Co-opting Cell-cell Adhesion Genes."

Izabella Carmona, sophomore in animal sciences and industry, Glen Gardner, N.J., "Pain Killers in Dogs"; Daniel Dissmore, sophomore in music education, West Point, N.Y., "Malcolm X and Dr. King: Truths and Misconceptions"; German Cuevas, sophomore in biology, Uniontown, Pa., "Role of a Gene Homologous to Intron-encoded Endonucleases on Baculovirus Replication."

From Texas: Alan Ramirez, sophomore in mechanical engineering, Coppell, "The Segbot (Two Wheel Balancing Robot)"; Miriam Macedo, junior in biology, El Paso, "In Vitro Testing of K6L9 on Cancer and Normal Cell Lines"; Mayra Perez-Fajardo, junior in bakery science and management, Laredo, "The Ins and Outs of Back-Translating Borges's Short Stories Summaries"; and Dominic Deleon, sophomore in business administration, Waco, "Exploring the Pervasiveness of Different Types of Cyberloafing in the Workplace."

Maira Cotton-Caballero, sophomore in animal sciences and industry, Williamsburg, Va., "Recombinant Baculovirus Expression and Immunoreactivity of Schmallenberg Virus Nucelocapsid Protein."