The Twin Arginine Translocase system (TAT) is a translocase present both on bacteria plasma membranes and in thylakoid membranes of chloroplast-containing eukaryotes. Cyanobacteria contain both a plasma membrane and a thylakoid membrane but only one set of genes for the TAT system components. This study attempts to identify to which membrane or membranes the products […]
A12: Building a Better Protein: Site-Directed Mutagenesis of cpTatC-Hcf106 using PCR
This research was conducted within the Miami University Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and specifically looked at using common biochemical techniques to modify a protein for ease of study. Proteins are the workhorses of all cells. In order to do their job, proteins need to reach a specific site of activity within the cell, and […]
A13: Periods Rock!! The Severity and Impact of Period Poverty
In the United States, women are more likely to live in poverty due to a plethora of intersecting issues. Period poverty is defined as being too impoverished and under-resourced to afford menstrual products, such as pads, tampons, and other necessary hygiene items. In a community-engaged research project, I used scholarly articles, existing program websites, journalistic […]
A14: Understanding Retinal Regeneration through the Analysis of Integrated Pathways of the Embryonic Chick
There is a substantial segment of the human population that suffers from visual impairments due to common retinal ailments such as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and visual decline with age. However, humans lack the ability to regenerate damaged retinal tissue; therefore, research exploring gene regulation in regenerative animals can provide important insight to combat retinal […]
A15: Eye of Newt: The Role of Macrophages in Lens Regeneration
Regeneration is a fascinating injury response that can be found widely across the animal kingdom. Previous studies have shown that macrophages are required for successful regeneration in a variety of different species and tissues. We wanted to investigate if macrophages have a role to play in lens regeneration in the Spanish newt. To do this, […]
A17: The Danube River: Economics vs Environment
Our general research area for this project was comparing the economic benefits of the Danube River to the problems that it has environmentally. We started out by gathering general information about the Danube to give the audience a little bit of background. With our majors being economics and zoology, we wanted to have those topics […]
A18: Documenting How Mechanical Engineering Students Understand Shear and Moment in Statics
Problem solving is integral to the engineering field. A significant piece of building strong problem-solving skills is having the correct understanding of fundamental engineering concepts. However, students may struggle to make the correct connections between different concepts when first learning material. Additionally, faculty may fail to identify which parts of the material students are not […]
A19: Engaging People with Disabilities in Environmental Education
Environmental education (EE) is a subset of STEM education that focuses on the natural environment, cycles and processes within it, and often one’s place in nature. EE is often not given priority or even taught in schools which tends to result in EE available only through nature centers, parks, zoos, or other–mostly privately owned–facilities. This […]
A20: Body Image in the Miami Student Body
The research conducted in this study focuses on the concepts of body shame and body image within the Miami University student population (specifically first-year students), exemplifying how students have experienced body shame, demonstrating their knowledge of body shame, and questioning if they believe that the culture at Miami University promotes or condemns body shaming. Body […]
A21: Association Between Needle Injection Use and Hepatitis B and C Infection in the United States
Since the 1960s when Hepatitis was discovered, it has been considered as one of the top public health threats in the United States. In 2018 alone, there were a combined 8,000 new cases of Hepatitis B and C reported to the CDC with the actual number certainly being higher with estimates indicating the true number […]