Tag: Award winner

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Surface Transmission of Viruses in a Healthcare Facility

Author: Sydney Bush – 1st year
Author: Atef Choudhury – 1st year
Author: Sanjanasri Pothuraju – 2nd year
Author: Blake Potvin – 1st year
Faculty Mentor: Volodymyr Tarabara, PhD. – Civil and Environmental Engineering
Mentor: Xunhao Wang – PhD student , Civil and Environmental Engineering 

Abstract:

In the world today there are many viruses that are a concern to human health. These viruses are especially prone to be found in a hospital setting where individuals are being treated for viral infections. Fomites play an important role in the spread of viruses. Higher probability of transfer is associated with fomites in indoor environments and especially with surfaces that are frequently touched. In this study, we numerically estimated adhesion of several viruses (human respiratory syncytial virus, human adenovirus, and coronavirus) to a number of different surfaces (stainless steel, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride) commonly encountered in settings typical for health care facilities. Adhesion was quantified and interpreted based on physicochemical properties of viruses and fomites. Surface charge and hydrophobicity data were obtained in part from published literature and in part by experimental measurements. Hydrophobicity was determined based on measurements of contact angle on the surfaces of selected fomites. Virus-fomites interactions are predicted using the extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory. The obtained data can guide screening and selection of materials that discourage virus adhesion, help design anti-adhesive surfaces and develop surface cleaning solutions and protocols.

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Gender Differences in Academia & COVID-19

Widening the Gap: Gender Differences in Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Early-Career Scholars

2021 MSUFCU Best History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Science presentation for the Lyman Briggs Research Showcase
Lexi Nadolsky, 2nd year
Arika Hawkins, 4th year
Guizhen Ma, 1st-year postdoctoral fellow

Abstract

Despite noticeable progress in recent years towards increasing representation of female academics at all career levels, gender disparities in opportunity, institutional support, and inclusivity remain in academia. For early-career scholars, these gender differences in work climate can manifest as disparities in opportunity, lack of access to resources, and a myriad of other inequitable factors that can hinder opportunity for success.
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Degradation of “Disposable” Face Masks

2021 MSUFCU Runner up Biology poster for the Lyman Briggs Research Showcase
Degradation of Single Use “Disposable” Face Masks as It Relates to Effectiveness in Disease Prevention and Associated Mask Hygiene

Erika L. Buhk, 2nd-year

Abstract:

Due to the current COVID-19 Pandemic, many Americans are wearing face covering in public to reduce the spread and prevent further outbreak. As a result, controversy has spread regarding the effectiveness and usage of such face coverings.
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DHA Suppression of Inflammation

2021 MSUFCU Best Biology poster for the Lyman Briggs Research Showcase
Omega-3-Fatty Acid Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) Suppresses Silica-triggered Cathepsin B release, Cell Death, and Proinflammatory Cytokine/Chemokine Secretion in Alveolar Macrophage-like MPI cells

Adrianna Kirby, 3rd year

Abstract:

Respiratory exposure to crystalline silica (cSiO2), an occupational toxicant, leads to the development of pulmonary inflammation, which can contribute to the autoimmune disease lupus. Alveolar macrophages (AM) phagocytose cSiO2 which induces a cycle of phagolysosomal permeabilization, inflammasome activation, proinflammatory cytokine/chemokine release, and cell death. These actions generate initial unresolved pulmonary inflammation and subsequent systemic autoimmunity in genetically susceptible individuals.
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Education, Exposure & Transphobia in the ER

2021 MSUFCU Honorable Mention Award for the Lyman Briggs Research Showcase
Differentiating the Effects of Exposure versus Medical Education on Transphobia Among a Sample of Emergency Room Practitioners
Ishaan Modi, 2nd year

Abstract

Transgender individuals are a marginalized population in the United States, facing systemic discrimination from housing to employment to education. However, an area of discrimination that is equally as omnipresent is in healthcare. Transgender individuals may often face microaggressions or explicit discrimination from providers or staff; when this occurs in the emergency room, this transphobia (prejudice against transgender people) could be deadly.
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Saccade Vigor in Schizophrenia

2021 MSUFCU Runner up History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Science presentation for the Lyman Briggs Research Showcase
Saccade Vigor in Individuals with Schizophrenia
Zeeba Ali , 2nd-year

Abstract:

Schizophrenia is a debilitating psychiatric disorder that is associated with huge personal and societal costs. Along with hallucinations and delusions, individuals with schizophrenia often experience profound amotivation and anhedonia—the inability to seek out activities and to derive pleasure. These so-called negative symptoms are gravely impairing and are more predictive of meaningful functional outcome measures, like employment and relationships, than the florid psychosis that is more commonly associated with schizophrenia.
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College Students Supporting Healthy Eating

2021 MSUFCU Outreach Award for the Lyman Briggs Research Showcase

Investigating College-Aged Students as Agents of Change to Support Healthy Eating Among Their Families and Friends

Lasya Marla, 2nd-year

Background:  10.5% of Americans adults have Type 2 Diabetes which costs $237B in medical costs annually (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) . Additionally, 25% of American adult deaths are a result of cardiovascular disease which costs $219B in medical costs annually (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
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GNAO1 Mutant Mice and Movement Disorders

2021 MSUFCU Honorable Mention Award for the Lyman Briggs Research Showcase
GNA01 Mutant Mice and Movement Disorders
Alex Roy, 3rd year

Abstract

Mutations in the gene GNAO1 have been associated with ultra-rare (ca. 200 patients) neurologic abnormalities including movement disorders, epilepsy, and developmental delay. Patients with these mutations often display symptoms at birth or in early childhood. GNAO1 codes for the alpha subunit (Gαo) of the G-protein Go, which is the most abundant membrane protein in the central nervous system.
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Lactation and the Gut Microbiota

2021 MSUFCU Best Biology oral presentation for the Lyman Briggs Research Showcase

Fecal Bacterial Communities Differ by Lactation Status in Post-Partum Women and Their Infants
Eliot Haddad, 3rd year

Abstract:

Breastfeeding has numerous benefits for both the mother and her infant after birth. The gut microbiota, the collection of microorganisms inhabiting the human gastrointestinal tract, has been shown to be modulated in infants by human milk exposure.
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Marijuana, Cigarette Smoking, and Adenomyosis Risk

2021 MSUFCU Runner up Biology oral presentation for the Lyman Briggs Research Showcase
A Novel Case-Control Study on Marijuana and Cigarette Smoking and the Risk of Adenomyosis
Grace Joachim, 4th year

Abstract

The uterine condition adenomyosis can produce substantial symptoms, including painful menses and heavy menstrual bleeding. Although the etiology of adenomyosis remains enigmatic, estrogen plays a central role in disease development. Two common exposures that may alter estrogen concentrations and affect adenomyosis risk are marijuana and cigarette smoking.
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