ARTH 115 Modern Art Honor's Contract Project with Dr. Kathleen Wentrack. "A Brief Commentary on the Conceptualized Reforms of Adrian Piper's Body of Work.". Angelica Pomar and Kathleen Wentrack. Art and Design Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

During the Fall 2018 Semester, I have done integral research on the well-known modern artist Adrian Piper. For my honor's contract, I was designated to develop an in-depth research analysis of the artist's body of work, starting from the 1970s to today. My research focuses on how Piper's studies of philosophy, social racial perceptions, and conceptual work are integrated to perform as a statement of progressive transformation and inspiration to change particularly in the preconceived judgments people have when introduced with radically unknown states of being. Along with this, her work resembles her intellectual curiosity aligning her research with her artwork, which is not always based on visuals but rather on experiments and observations. Some of the work included in this research project specifically aligns with the work included in Piper's most recent exhibition and retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art entitled "A Synthesis of Institutions 1965-2016." Through my project, I captured a few vital works of Piper which I believe are significant to the social reforms that should take place in society today.

Expression of the S.coelicolor rhomboid SCO3855. Juan Mesa, Naydu Carmona, and Monica Trujillo. Biological Sciences and Geology Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

We are interested in developing in vitro assays to characterize the enzymatic activity of the Streptomyces coelicolor rhomboid protein encoded by the gene SCO3855. In parallel our group is also expressing and purifying the putative substrate for this enzyme. This project aims to express and purify an active SCO3855. Two vectors expressing a recombinant SCO3855 have been constructed: 1- pET28_SCO3855_His-tag: the SCO3855-His tag gene is under the T7 promoter . 2- pBAD_SCO3855_His-tag: the SCO3855 gene under the Arabinose promoter and fused to a C-terminus 6X-His tag. Here we show the results of expressing the first vector in two different host strains and report the results of the optimization for the expression of pET28_SCO3855_His-tag.

Characterization of the antimicrobial and biofilm activity of natural compounds. Altagracia Lopez and Monica Trujillo. Biological Sciences and Geology Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

There is growing interest in identifying bacterial signals in natural microbiomes. Our collaborators at Hunter College have developed a protocol to identify inducible bacterial signals from perturbed co-cultures (unpublished results). They have isolated and purified four putative bacterial signals from co-cultures experiments. We are interested in characterizing the antimicrobial and anti-film forming properties of these compounds. Preliminary results have shown that one of the compounds has antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus (Trujillo, personal communication). Here we report the characterization of the bacterial growth curves for E. coli and S. aureus and the preliminary antibiotic activity of one of the compounds.

Proteomic Analysis of an Overexpressing Rhomboid Protease Streptomyces coelicolor Mutant. Tia Robinson and Monica Trujillo. Biological Sciences and Geology Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Our group is interested in understanding the role that rhomboid proteases play the signaling mechanisms of S. coelicolor. We have identified SCO3855, a functional rhomboid protease in Streptomyces coelicolor and have constructed a mutant that overexpresses SCO3855. In a parallel approach, our group has discovered that an active rhomboid is required for a functional twin arginine transport (Tat) system that exports secreted proteins outside of the cell and directs other proteins into the membrane. Here we report the preliminary comparison of the secreted proteins profile for the overexpression mutant and the control strain.

Cloning and expressing S. coelicolor TatA. Kevin Almeida and Monica Trujillo. Biological Sciences and Geology Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

We are interested in developing in vitro assays to characterize the enzymatic activity of the Streptomyces coelicolor rhomboid protein encoded by the gene SCO3855. Based on previous work done by our group, we hypothesize that TatA, a component of the twin arginine translocon system (Tat) is the substrate for SCO3855. A Fluorescent Transmembrane Protein Substrate (FRET) based assay has been developed for rhomboids. In this vector, the putative substrate is cloned flanking two fluorescent proteins. Here we report the construction of the pBAD_FRET_scoTatA plasmid. The preliminary optimization of the expression of the FRET_scoTatA protein in TOP10 cells is also shown.

Examining the prevalence of Salmonella spp and Salmonella enteritidis in standing water using an inexpensive method LAMP, an alternative method to PCR. Kaylynn Pubill and Andrew Nguyen. Biological Sciences and Geology Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Salmonellosis is a condition caused by salmonella bacteria, which results in an infection leading to symptoms of diarrhea, fever, and chills. Environmental samples of Salmonella spp has been known to spread via birds and fowls but the most commonly spread mechanism is via contaminated food or water. Effectively detecting salmonella bacteria can be used as a prevention method to lower rate of outbreaks and infection. The goal of this project is to detect the presence of Salmonella spp. or more specifically Salmonella enteritidis in standing water around Queens. We will employ a newly developed method known as loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). LAMP is a well-known method for its sensitivity and specificity and yet inexpensive making it an ideal test for the detection of Salmonella spp. This method requires only a Bst enzyme, buffer solution, dNTP's, primers, a water bath, and a gel electrophoresis apparatus. A single reaction can be performed at an optimal temperature of 65ºC in less than an hour. To detect the presence of Salmonella spp., we will target the amplification of the fim-Y gene while the detection of the Prot6E gene will be linked to the presence of Salmonella enteritidis. Our preliminary result indicates that LAMP can amplify the fim-Y gene in the isolated samples of S. typhimurium, but not S. enteriditis, S. Heidelberg, S. Newport, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus faecalis. We are in the process of optimizing the reaction before testing water samples in surrounding areas of Queens.

Investigating the Prevalence of Genetically Modified Corn and Soybeans obtained from grocery stores and farmer's market in New York City using a PCR based method. Verdah Liaquat, Anuradha Srivastava, Anmol Kaur, Kamla Rambaran, Lisa Ramdat, and Vimala Persaud. Biological Sciences and Geology Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Over the years, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) have ignited many debates on the positive and negative impacts of their use in our daily food and is a topic of grave public health concern. The Co-presenters of this research study are currently enrolled in BI 520, Introduction to Public Health Course of Queensborough Community College and have conducted an investigation to address this important public health issue. The primary goal of this assignment is to evaluate presence of genetically modified corn and soybeans obtained from local grocery chains and farmer's market in NewYork City. For this, the students worked in small groups, collected food samples, isolated DNA and performed PCR and Agarose Gel Electrophoresis. For PCR, the first set of primers target the promoter from Cauliflower Mosaic Virus (CaMV) which is commonly used in GMOs. A second set of primers target an insecticide gene isolated from Bacillus thuringiensis (cry1F). This gene is found in corn, soy and cotton. As a positive control, a plant chloroplast gene is amplified. Following PCR, the mixture of DNA fragments was analyzed using agarose gel electrophoresis. The DNA bands were compared with GMO positive and negative controls. The outcomes of the study will be shared. This opportunity allowed the students  to get familiarized with basic research skills including data collection, data entry and analysis on one hand and on the other allowed them to make connections to real world public health issues and be career ready in the field.

Measures of Sustained Attention in a Rat Model of Sporadic Alzheimer's Disease. Kaiming Wang, Patricia Schneider, Francisco Villegas, and Julio Salas. Biological Sciences and Geology Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is used as a treatment for several neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease, = and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Sporadic Alzheimer's disease (sAD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder associated with cognitive deficits and disturbances in behavior. Multiple treatment options are currently available to slow the progression of sAD. In this study, DBS was delivered in a rat model of sAD through a surgically implanted bipolar electrode which stimulated the medial forebrain bundle (MFB) at the level of the lateral hypothalamus, a region associated with reward and "pleasurable" sensations. Long-Evans rats were organized into (1) ICV-aCSF controls, (2) ICV-STZ controls, (3-4) ICV-STZ injection and electrode implantations. Measures of sustained attention were observed based on the time of DBS administration. The naturally occurring alkylating neurotoxin Streptozotocin (STZ) was administered via an intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection to induce the rodent model of sAD. We hypothesized that DBS administered to the animals after the sustained attentional task would lead to an increase in correct responses and decrease in incorrect responses. The data showed that animals that received ICV injections of STZ performed less reliably in all measures tested than that of the aCSF group when tested in the sustained attentional task. However, contrary to our original hypothesis, our results have shown that rats administered DBS before the sustained attentional task demonstrated an increase in correct responses and decrease in incorrect responses as opposed to the rats that received DBS after the sustained attentional task.

Developing a Colorimetric Assay to Detect Staphylocccus aureus and MRSA Using Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification. Jonathan Santana and Andrew Nguyen. Biological Sciences and Geology Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterium that causes a range of disease from mild skin infection to more serious pneumonia. MRSA has increasingly become more difficult to treat because the bacterium is resistant to antibiotic. S. aureus can be found everywhere but not all S. aureus are MRSA. The aim of this project is to develop a newer system to detect S. aureus and MRSA. Previous students in the laboratory have optimized the new method known as Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification, or LAMP and have shown that LAMP can be used to amplify specifically S. aureus and MRSA. As a continuation of the work, I will develop a better method to see the amplified products. Whereas the previous method required agarose gel electrophoresis and stained with ethidium bromide, an intercalating agent, to see the amplified products, I will the use of Hydroxynapthol Blue (HNB). HNB is a metal indicator typically used to detect calcium. HNB can be used as a colorimetric assay to detect the presence of Mg+2, presumably, as more nucleotides are incorporated into the amplified products more pyrophosphate (pp) will be released. High pp can bind to Mg+2, thus, reduce the level of Mg+2 which allows for color change. Alternatively, SYBR Green may be added directly to the LAMP reaction, if there is a product, SYBR Green can be incorporated into the product which fluorescents under UV light. These new assays will make LAMP reaction very easy to use in detection of S. aureus and specifically MRSA.

Analysis of the Genome of Mycobacterium Phage Mainiac. Taehyung An, Urszula Golebiewska, and Carmen Signarino. Biological Sciences and Geology Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Mycrobacterium phage Mainiac is a double-stranded DNA virus that was isolated using Mycobacerium smegmatis mc2 155 as a host. The virus belongs to A cluster, subclaster A3. We received the sequence of its entire genome through the adopt a phage platform from the Phage Hunters program of Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The virus's genomic length is 50828 base pairs and it has total of 93 protein coding genes. We used bioinformatics tools such as DNAmaster, BLAST, HHpred, GeneMark, Glimmer, Aragorn and TRNAscanSE to annotate and analyze the genome. Using BLAST we identified that the closest relatives of Mainiac are BreSam8, Stagni, StepMih and Lilith. Mainiac has a genome typical of cluster A, the first half has genes in forward direction and the second half in reversed. It is a temperate phage and we identify multiple genes involved in lysogenic cycle, such as: repressor, integrase and HNH endonuclease. We identified 3 tRNA genes, it is possible that they also play a role in the lysogenic cycle. Here we will present our detailed findings of Mainiac genes and their relationship with genes from other phages.

Phag Hunters at QCC. Urszula Golebiewska. Biological Sciences and Geology Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), renowned for its role in biomedical research and science education, selected QCC, to be the first community college to become an associate member of its Science Education Alliance (SEA) Phage-Hunters program. The two-part, year-long SEA Phage-Hunters course is designed to engage students in authentic research. First semester students isolate, identify and extract DNA from unique bacterial viruses. In fall 2010, the SEA course replaced the standard lab curriculum in one section of BI-201. The wet-lab portion of the SEA course was dropped. However, we continue to offer in BI-202 in silico part, in which bioinformatics is used to analyze and annotate the genomes of phages isolated by other schools. This activity usually occupies three to four labs and is continued outside of the classroom. The program administers Persistence in the Sciences (PITS) Survey every semester. The results show consistently that our students' weakest perception is in the project ownership and scientific networking, which might be due to the phage adoption rather than discovery. One SEA section of BI-202 has run since 2011 for a total of 14 semesters. Two hundred four students completed the course and 22 are enrolled in Fall 2018.QCC students co-authored multiple Gene Bank Submissions and presentations for the HHMI Annual Symposium, regional Phage-hunters symposium, and general scientific conferences. Several students received awards for presenting their genomic research at regional and national conferences. In addition, students from several classes were listed as co-authors of a peer-reviewed publication in eLife.

Environmental Monitoring of a Vernal Pool Restoration Site by BI-480 Environmental Science students: a UR in the Classroom Experience. Nikita Alim, Joan Petersen, Clifford Blanc, Diandra Coke, Danielle Dulligan, Shaina Durand, Natasha Holley, Karena Kellman, Chris Kodetsky, Nicolas Lugo, Safraz Rasheed, Johnathan Shields, and Sky To. Biological Sciences and Geology Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Vernal pools are seasonal bodies of shallow water that provide habitat for many plants and animals, such as duckweed and dragonflies. These pools, by definition, generally reach maximum depth in the spring (due to rain and snowmelt at the end of the winter season) and become dry during at least part of the year. We conducted several tests on water and soil samples taken from a vernal pool restoration site located in Bayside, NY. Our samples were taken from four vernal pools-one naturally occurring pool, two pools restored (by NYC Parks Department) with a liner, and one pool restored without a liner. The purpose of our experiments was to 1) provide baseline monitoring data about soil and water quality parameters at the restoration site and 2) detect any differences between the individual pools. To do this, we extracted multiple samples of water and soil from each site. Water samples were tested for several parameters including pH, nitrate and phosphate. We also screened water samples for the presence of coliform bacteria and determined the total heterotrophic plate count for each vernal pool. Soil samples were tested for texture, macronutrients and micronutrients. In addition, we isolated actinomycetes from soil samples and screened them for antibacterial activity. Total community DNA was extracted from both water and soil samples, and next-generation sequencing was used for microbial community analyses. Our results will provide preliminary data to the NYC Parks Department to inform both future monitoring studies and possible modifications of the vernal pool restoration.

Ecological Studies of Oakland Lake and Oakland Meadow by BI-160 Students - a UR in the Classroom Experience. Justin Allen, Joan Petersen, Valeria Cruz, Michael Grossman, Eden Ha, Karena Kellman, Chris Kodetsky, Lenee Mason, Ashley Mercado, Shanik Negron, Kyrsten Tyler, Sky To, and Sara Valenzuela. Biological Sciences and Geology Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

The BI-160 (Ecology) class investigated factors that affect our natural environment. Our experiments were focused on natural areas near the QCC campus- Oakland Lake and Oakland Lake Wildflower Meadow. Oakland Lake is located in an urban area and is therefore subject to the effects of contaminated runoff that may alter water chemistry and have negative impacts on its living organisms. Oakland Lake Wildflower Meadow, located across the street from the lake, is a former construction landfill that is currently undergoing restoration. The restoration has included planting of native wildflowers and removal of an invasive weed known as mugwort. The mugwort is routinely removed physically from the meadow but has also been sprayed with Roundup- an herbicide whose safety has been increasingly called into question in recent years.  Our experiments were designed to answer the following research questions: 1) how does Roundup affect the survivorship of two types of invertebrates (brine shrimp and mealworms)? 2) how does Roundup change soil chemistry?  3) how does decreasing pH affect lake phytoplankton and zooplankton, and 4) how does flooded soil affect mugwort growth? We applied the scientific method to design, carry out and analyze experiments to answer these questions. The results of our experiments will provide insight about some of the factors that affect urban meadow and lake ecosystems.  

Effect of Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes on the Young's Modulus of Breast Cancer. ¹Yingxian Tan, ¹Regina Sullivan, and ²Sunil Dehipawala. ¹Biological Sciences and Geology Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364, ²Physics Department, Queensborough Community College of CUNY.

Single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) have the potential to expand treatment options for cancer patients. Carbon nanotubes have a high surface area to volume ratio which allows for surface functionalization. Recent studies have shown that unfunctionalized nanotubes enter cells via endocytosis. In addition the nanotubes may enter cells through cellular gap junctions and ion channels. In previous studies we have shown that nanotubes inhibit the migration of breast cancer cells. We will test the hypothesis that functionalized single walled carbon nanotubes incorporate into the actin cytoskeleton and thereby reducing the Young's modulus of these cells. Our studies have been limited by aggregation of the nanotubes in aqueous solutions which decreases cellular uptake and increases cytotoxicity in in vitro studies. In this study, we will use nanotubes functionalized with KOH to improve solubility. In addition, we will use Atomic Force Microscopy. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is a powerful tool not only to study the surface morphology but also the mechanics in nanometer scale regions. While AFM provide surface morphological information of carbon nanotubes in triple negative breast cancer cells, quantitative determination of Young's modulus provide valuable information of elastic properties of nanometer scale regions of cancer cells with carbon nanotubes. Penetration of carbon nanotubes into the cancer cells will result in changes in deformation of affected areas. Our overall goal is to correlate decreased cellular flexibility with reduced breast cancer cell migration with potential for possible new cancer therapeutic targets.

Effects of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes on the Young's Modulus of Breast Cancer. Tobore Edema and Regina Sullivan. Biological Sciences and Geology Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Triple Negative Breast Cancer is a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer. We have been using the triple negative breast cancer cell line as a model system to study the effects of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) on the migration of these cells. Results from our lab show that SWCNT inhibit the rate of breast cancer cell migration. Cell migration involves complex inside-out and inside-in signaling pathways, as well as reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. We will test the hypothesis that functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes incorporate into the actin cytoskeleton and thereby decrease the ability of the cell to perform which facilitates cell migration. In this study, we will use carbon nanotubes functionalized with potassium hydroxide (KOH) to improve solubility. The breast cancer cells will be treated with SWCNT and stained with Rhodamine Phalloidin.  The Phalloidin will bind to the actin and the Rhodamine allows for visualization by confocal microscopy.  Our goal is to correlate the structural differences in the actin cytoskeleton after SWCNT treatment. These findings may lead to further understanding of the migration process in breast cancer cells. 

Microbial Diversity in Urban Environments: Concern for Antibiotic Resistance. Ality Aghedo and Mangala Tawde. Biological Sciences and Geology Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Antibiotic resistance is a serious concern in the field of medicine as the recent increase in antibiotic-resistant microbes can threaten infectious disease treatments. Overuse of antibiotics in modern daily life may lead to microbial resistance as bacteria exposed to various chemicals mutate enabling them to reduce the effectiveness of antimicrobial drugs that are designed to kill them. Overuse of antibiotics in animal feed, crops and plants fertilizers etc. could lead to increased concentration of antibiotics in our waters and soil. As bacteria mutate, they acquire new genetic elements contributing to antibiotic resistance. Soil being a large reservoir of environmental microbes, these elements find their way in soil bacteria. Therefore, we decided to identify the bacteria found in various soil environments of New York City and to determine their sensitivity (or resistance) to commonly used antibiotics. We identified bacterial isolates by Biolog system and tested their susceptibility to various antibiotics using Kirby-Baur method. Fortunately, most of the bacteria isolated from different soil samples exhibited sensitivity to most of the antibiotics; however, high percentage of isolates were found to be resistant to Penicillin. Resistance to Penicillin is plausible since Penicillin is one of the most widely used antibiotic. Awareness about microbial antibiotic resistance amongst the general public is warranted.

Antibiotic resistance in microbes from water bodies of New York. Jasmine Ku and Mangala Tawde. Biological Sciences and Geology Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Antibiotic resistance is a major concern in modern day medicine. Overuse of antibiotics in animal feed and increased use of chemical plants fertilizers, pesticides etc. leads to increased concentration of antibiotics in our waters and soil. The wastes from animal and human activity could end up in water bodies as the runoff water. When exposed to excessive amounts of chemicals including antimicrobial drugs, bacteria mutate and adapt to the drugs thus becoming antibiotic resistant. Since water bodies are heavy reservoir of environmental microbes, antibiotic resistant microbes could be found in highly polluted water bodies. Therefore, we decided to test the hypothesis that polluted water may lead to antimicrobial resistance. We identified the bacteria found in various water bodies in New York City especially more polluted (such as sewage or human activity) and determined their sensitivity (or resistance) to commonly used antibiotics. We compared various water sources such as lake and river water to potable water samples. We identified bacterial isolates by Biolog system and tested their susceptibility to various antibiotics using Kirby-Baur method. We found that Water pollution may lead to antibiotic resistant bacteria. Different bacteria from the same water sample had different levels of resistance to various antibiotics. Less polluted water bodies may also contain antibiotic resistant bacteria. This warrants awareness about potential antimicrobial resistance in water resources amongst the general public.

Testing for antibiotic resistance in food bacteria. Brianna Barrera and Mangala Tawde. Biological Sciences and Geology Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Overuse of antibiotics in animal feed and increased use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides etc. can lead to increased amounts of antimicrobial drugs in our foods as the meats and vegetables will have higher loads of residual antibiotics. The wastes from animal and human activity could end up in water bodies as the runoff water. When exposed to excessive amounts of chemicals such as antimicrobial drugs, bacteria mutate and adapt to the drugs thus becoming antibiotic resistant. Thus consumption of antibiotic rich foods threatens increased resistance in normal human microbiota as well as common pathogens. We investigated various food types for the presence of any antibiotic-resistant bacteria. We isolated and identified the bacteria found in various food types such as meats, dairy, vegetables, and fruits and determined their sensitivity (or resistance) to commonly used antibiotics. We identified bacterial isolates using the Biolog system and tested their susceptibility to various antibiotics using Kirby-Baur method. Almost all food types and samples exhibited the presence of bacterial isolates that are resistant to at least one antibiotic that is commonly used in clinical practice. Several isolates showed marginal resistance to several antibiotics, a finding that can be alarming.

Foreign Corrupt Practices Act allows deduction of bribes in certain Foreign countries. Sebastian Murolo. Business Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Students are required to write a 3 to 5 page research paper excluding cover sheet and reference pages. Their research includes using the online Tax Law research service called Checkpoint [Thomson Reuters] as one source of information and two other sources. To prepare for the paper The whole class must attend a library session explaining how to use the library online research and how to cite their sources of information. My mode of delivery is online for all items. The topic the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act is also explained by me in class prior to the Library meeting. The project is due December 5th

Thermodynamic Study of Esterification of Acetic Acid and n-Amyl Alcohol Using a Microwave Reactor. Keiann Simon and Jun Shin. Chemistry Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Microwave reactor is a new technology and has become an invaluable tool adopted in many areas of science laboratories due to the convenience including temperature, pressure and power controls. The enthalpy and entropy changes of esterification reactions have been studied between acetic acid and many alcohols such as propanol, butanol and their isomers by using a microwave reactor. The thermodynamic study of esterification has been further extended to amyl alcohol series, especially n-amyl alcohol. The equilibrium constants of the esterification reaction between acetic acid and n-amyl alcohol at the temperatures of 40 - 80°C were determined from the initial and equilibrium concentrations of acetic acid through the acid-base titration using a 0.5M NaOH solution. Thereafter, the thermodynamic data of the reaction were calculated from the linear relationship between the equilibrium constants obtained (lnK) and the equilibrium temperatures (1/T). Interestingly, the thermodynamic data of n-amyl alcohol showed two sets of data while the esterification reactions of other alcohols gave only one set of data. The reason why n-amyl alcohol gave two sets of data is in investigation. The obtained data were also compared to the data calculated from the esterification of ethanol, two propanols, four butanols and isoamyl alcohol with acetic acid. Application a microwave reactor will make the thermodynamic study easy, simple and faster due to the convenience of the temperature control of the instrument and its safety feature.

Determination of pesticide residues in imported food samples via the ReQuEChERS (Quick Easy Cheap Effective Rugged Safe) extraction process. ¹HaEun Kim, ¹Paris Svoronos, and ²Marianna Viner. ¹Chemistry Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364, ²Pesticides Lab, Jamaica NY, Food and Drug Administration.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Regional Field Office, Northeast Region in Jamaica, NY includes a division that tests for the presence of pesticide residues in any food sample. The ReQuEChERS (Quick Easy Cheap Effective Rugged Safe) extraction process is combined with liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), gas chromatography/mass spectrometry with a mass selective detector (GC-MS/MSD) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry with triple quadrupole (GC-MS/QQQ) to serve this purpose. The procedure involves a series of selective acetonitrile extractions and centrifugations before the instrumental analysis that emphasizes linearity, precision and an estimate of the detection limit. The description of the experimental procedure and case studies will be presented

Oxidation of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes. Fei Li and Tirandai Hemraj-Benny. Chemistry Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Although several physical and chemical methods have been used to remove azo dye contaminants from wastewater, there is still a need to develop and to improve processes which are fast and effective. The catalytic effect of magnetic Fe₃O₄nanoparticles, stabilized on single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) support, inazo dye degradation has never been studied and reported. The overall goal ofthis project is to explore the use of magnetic Fe₃O₄nanoparticle-SWCNT composites as a catalyst for the degradation of Congo reddye, which can be of significant benefit in wastewater treatment applications. Ithas been noted that the presence of oxygenated surface functionalities displays a strong affinity to iron ions, which is favorablefor the robust formation of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles onto SWCNTs.Herein, the optimum technique for the oxidation of SWCNTs was initially investigated where a sonicationmethod was compared to a stirring method. Various reaction times were also studied.The oxygenated functionalized SWCNTs wereanalyzed by Mid-IR spectroscopy and UV-Visible spectroscopy.

Ionic liquid-single-walled carbon nanotube based electrolytes for dye-sensitized solar cells. ¹Rawlric Sumner, ¹Sharon Lall-Ramnarine, ¹Tirandai Hemraj-Benny, and ²James Wishart. ¹Chemistry Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364, ²Chemistry Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973.

The use of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) to replace silicon-based solar cells is attracting increased attention. However, it is necessary for more efficient electrolytes to be developed in order to facilitate their increased commercialization. It has been reported that ionic liquids (ILs) with intrinsic high conductivities are ideal media for dispersing single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) improving their ion diffusion properties. In this study, the transport properties of mixtures containing SWNTs in 1-(alkyl or ether)-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide ILs were determined to assess their potential as electrolytes in DSSCs. The ionic liquids were prepared by reaction of 1-methylimidazole with the alkyl halide or alkoxyalkyl halide to yield imidazolium halide salts. The halide salts were then converted to bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide (NTf₂ ) ILs. H-1 and C-13 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy were used to confirm the structures of the ILs. SWNT-IL mixtures were prepared using ultrasonication. The temperature dependent conductivity, viscosity and the thermal profile of the pure ILs and SWNT-IL mixtures were measured and compared. Preliminarily, conductivity values greater than 5.0 mS/cm at 25 °C were obtained for SWNT-IL mixtures, showing that SWNTs have the ability to raise conductivity, therefore, making them promising electrolytes for use in electrochemical devices. This work was supported in part by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences under contract DE-SC0012704.

Synthesis of pentabromopseudiline. ¹Biling Chen, ¹Sasan Karimi, ¹Michelle Qu, and ²Shuai Ma. ¹Chemistry Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364, ²Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Queens College, Flushing, NY 11367.

We have recently reported syntheses of a number of pyrroles based on an approach developed by Cadogan and Sundberg towards synthesis of indoles and carbazoles. Triethylphosphite was the agent Cadogan discovered and Sundberg was responsible for the use of carbon monoxide with a Palladium catalyst (e.g. Pd(OAc)2).  Our work involves the use of triphenyl phosphine in the presence of a Mo catalyst which considerably improves the yield of the cyclization reaction. Using this method, we have shown that pyrroles can be synthesized, for the first time, from nitrodienes. The aim of this research is to utilize our methodology to include the synthesis of the biologically active pentabromopseudiline.

Kinetic study of the Adsorption of Methyl Orange on synthesized Polyrhodanine micro/nanospheres. ¹Yousif Saleh, ¹Moni Chauhan, and ²Anjali Gaba. ¹Chemistry Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364, ²City College of New York, New York, NY 10031.

A number of methods are used to detox the dye including photolytic degradation, separation by membrane, electrolysis and adsorption. Nowadays, the textile industry discharges about 15% of the dye in the environment. Hence, that required some methods to degrade the dye in effluents and decolorizing them. Among them, adsorption is considered the cheapest and the most efficient for dye removal. The most commonly used dye is methyl orange (MO), which belongs to a group of azo dyes and poses higher toxic nature.  In our recent published research, we have developed a green synthetic protocol for polyRhodanine nanospheres without involving tedious multistep synthesis and the complication of template removal. These nano spheres were investigated for the removal of dye MO from the contaminated waste water. Since Polyrhodanine has coordination sites N, O and S with lone pair of electrons, it is known to complex with heavy metals and remove them from aqueous solutions. The studies in our lab have shown 80% degradation of MO within 3 hrs via adsorption when treated with polyrhodanine nanocomposite. The adsorption behavior of MO upon polyrhodanine nanosphere was also examined at higher temperatures and we are in the process of determining the kinetic order of the reaction.

Imidazole as a Novel and Robust Gold Binding Group at STM-BJ Method. ¹Shanelle Smith, ¹Sujun Wei, ¹Jiayi Xue, ²Tianren Fu, ²Latha Venkataraman, and ³Xiaofang Yu. ¹Chemistry Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364, ²Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, ³Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Recent technological advances allow for the fabrication of single molecule electronic circuits. In particular, the Scanning Tunneling Microscopy based Breaking Junction method (STM-BJ) developed in 2003 provides reliable, reproducible generation and measurement of electronic properties of molecular circuits. In order to complete the circuit with gold electrodes, special gold atom binding groups are installed at both terminals of organic compound of interest. Typical gold binding groups include amino, thiol, methyl sulfide, thiochroman and pyridine. To expand this toolbox, we plan to investigate the imidazole as a potential candidate for the first time. We have quickly synthesized a series of di(imidazolyl) alkanes (Im-n-Im, n=3, 4, 5 & 6) by one-step S_N2 reaction. Their conductance results by STM-BJ shows exponential decay as the molecules expands longer. These initial promising results confirm our original hypothesis - imidazole can be utilized as gold atom binding group in STM-BJ. Further explorations into the detail of binding-releasing mechanism as well as synthetic application of imidazole in conjugated systems are underway.

Morphology of poly(2,5-dimethylaniline) prepared from W/O/W double emulsions. Megan Pirtle and David Sarno. Chemistry Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

A method to prepare porous microspheres through a water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) double emulsion has been developed using the conducting polymer polyaniline (PANI) and a selection of its derivatives. The double emulsion is generated when excess 4 M ammonium hydroxide is rapidly added to an HCl dispersion containing the preformed polymer and a monomer such as o-toluidine (OT). The monomer is soluble in acidic solutions, but spontaneously forms immiscible droplets upon addition of a sufficiently alkaline solution. The polymer dissolves in the monomer droplets to form the spheres, and pores are formed by water droplets trapped in the polymer matrix. The amphiphilic monomer serves as a single small molecular surfactant that stabilizes both the oil-water and water-oil interfaces of the double emulsion, which is rare among W/O/W systems. We have recently applied this method to poly(2,5-dimethylaniline) (P25DMA). SEM images reveal that P25DMA produces a variety of morphologies: irregular particles, porous spheres, and open porous networks. The latter material has not been previously observed in our studies and could be useful in applications requiring high-surface areas, such as sensors and catalysis. In this project, we demonstrate how the specific monomer surfactant and its concentration effects the polymer morphology.

Impact of Molecular Length on Oligocarbazole Single Molecule Wires. ¹Muhabbat Ahmedova, ¹Sujun Wei, ¹Jiayi Xue, ¹Patrick Tuttle, ¹Xiaofang Yu, and ²Gina Florio. ¹Chemistry Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364, ²St. John's University, Queens, NY 11439.

Scanning Tunneling Microscopy based Breaking Junction method (STM-BJ) developed in 2003 provides reliable, reproducible generation and measurement of electronic properties of molecular circuits. Encouraged by the great performance of polycarbazole material in electronic devices, we plan to synthesize three carbazole oligomers---monomer, dimer and trimer. Each molecule is terminated with two methyl sulfides as the gold atom linkers, with an eight carbon chain on nitrogen atoms. We will first investigate the impact of molecular length on electron transport through their backbones via STM-BJ technology. An exponential decay of conductance from monomer to trimer as the molecular length extends is expected. 5 grams of key intermediate 2,7-dibromo-9-octyl-9H-carbazole has been synthesized from commercially available 2,7-dibromo-9H-carbazole by a S_N2 reaction in high yield. With standard Lithium-Halogen Exchange and Suzuki Coupling protocols, we have synthesized three carbazole oligomers. Our initial results are very promising.

Exploring the effect of fluorinated side chains in a family of sulfonamide ionic liquids. ¹Jasodra Ramdihal, ¹Sharon Lall-Ramnarine, ¹Chanele Rodriguez, ¹Kristina Papacostas, ¹Eddie Fernandez, ²Edward Castner, and ³James Wishart. ¹Chemistry Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364, ²Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, ³Chemistry Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973.

The development of ionic liquids (ILs) with reduced viscosities and increased conductivities would be advantageous for many practical applications including as non-flammable electrolytes in energy storage devices like batteries. ILs containing bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide (NTf₂^-) anions have been shown to exhibit many favorable properties including reduced viscosities and recently ILs with related sulfonamide anions have been reported.In this work we explore the effect of varying the lengths and fluorination of side chains on sulfonamide anions of pyrrolidinium and imidazolium ILs on their physical properties. The ILs were prepared by first reacting 1-methylimidazole or 1-methylpyrrolidine with an alkylhalide of the desired chain length to produce the imidazolium or pyrrolidinium halide salts. The halide salts were then converted to ionic liquids via metathesis in water with the lithium or potassium salts of the fluorous anions: NTf₂, bis(pentafluoroethylsulfonyl)amide (BETI), bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide (FSA), (nonafluorobutyl)sulfonyl(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl amide (IM₁₄) and (fluorosulfonyl) (trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl amide (IM₁₀). The structures of the ILs were confirmed using ¹H, ¹³C, and ¹⁹F Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The ILs were characterized for their physical properties including conductivity, viscosity and thermal profile. Results reveal that (nonafluorobutylsulfonyl)(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide (IM_1,4) ILs have the least favorable transport properties while bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide (FSA) ILs have the most favorable transport properties in this family of ILs. This work was supported in part by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences under contract DE-SC0012704.

Polyaniline nanofibers as a scaffolding material for ruthenium nanoparticles. Harpreet Singh and David Sarno. Chemistry Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Our goal is to prepare hybrid materials composed of ruthenium nanoparticles (Ru-NPs) and polyaniline nanofibers (PANI-NFs). These will be deployed as catalysts for the degradation of the toxic azo dye congo red, a model compound that is representative of a variety of industrial pollutants. We expect that NP aggregation will be minimized by their dispersal throughout a high surface area nanofiber scaffold. This is based on literature evidence of Ru-NPs rapidly synthesized from RuCl₃ and glucose by microwave irradiation in the presence of polyethyleneglycol. In our work, preformed PANI-NFs are dispersed in water and then microwave irradiated at 150 °C with RuCl₃ or RuI₃ as the source of Ru⁺³ and NaBH₄ or glucose as the reducing agent. Of the combinations tested, only RuI₃ and NaBH₄ have produced Ru-NPs as shown by scanning electron microscopy; however, NP formation has been inconsistent. We intend to optimize our results by varying the reactant concentrations and the reaction time and temperature.

Syntheis of bimetopyrole. ¹Michelle Qu, ¹Sasan Karimi, ¹Biling Chen, and ²Shuai Ma. ¹Chemistry Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364, ²Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Queens College, Flushing, NY 11367.

We have recently reported syntheses of a number of pyrroles based on an approach developed by Cadogan and Sundberg towards synthesis of indoles and carbazoles. Triethylphosphite was the agent Cadogan discovered and Sundberg was responsible for the use of carbon monoxide with a Palladium catalyst (e.g. Pd(OAc)2).  Our work involves use of triphenyl phosphine in the presence of a Mo catalyst which considerably improves the yield of the cyclization reaction. Using this method, we have shown that pyrroles can be synthesized, for the first time, from nitrodienes. The aim of this research is to utilize our methodology to include the synthesis of the biologically active bimetopyrole. 

Investigating the interactions between imidazolium-based ionic liquids and single-walled carbon nanotubes. ¹Katelyn Urena, ¹Tirandai Hemraj-Benny, ¹Sharon Lall-Ramnarine, ²Rawlric Sumner, and ³James Wishart. ¹Chemistry Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364, ²Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Queens College, Flushing, NY 11367, ³Chemistry Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973.

There is a great need for the development of renewable green energy sources. In general, solar cell technology, which converts solar energy into electrical energy through the use of photovoltaic technology, has shown great promise. Specifically, the use of dye-sensitized solar cells, otherwise known as the Grätzel cell, have attracted increasing amounts of attention as an advancement in pre-existing solar cell technology. It is critical to develop more efficient electrolytes in order to facilitate the increased commercialization of dye-sensitized solar cells. In this study, the specific interactions between single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide (BMIM NTf₂) ionic liquid (IL) were investigated to contribute to the development of optimal electrolytes for dye-sensitized solar cells. The SWNT-IL mixtures were prepared by an ultrasonic vibration method. The interactions between the IL and the SWNTs were analyzed by UV-Visible spectroscopy. Preliminary data suggest that BMIM NTf₂ IL structural properties were not affected when sonicated in the presence of SWNTs for 20 or 60 minutes. Well-dispersed and stable SWNT- BMIM NTf₂  IL mixtures were obtained after sonication for 20, 60 and 120 minutes. This work was supported in part by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences under contract DE-SC0012704.

Investigating the Inorganic Complexes of Noble Metals with Rhodanine. Sameen Zahra, Moni Chauhan, and Yousif Saleh. Chemistry Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

The high quality conducting polymers with metal nanoparticles have interesting applications like catalysis, sensors, colored films and memory devices. In addition, these composite materials have unique properties of electrical conductivity, environmental and thermal stability, and protection against corrosion of metals in aqueous medium. They behave as biosensors, and have the ability to transfer electric changes and serve as immobilizing matrices for biochemical reactions. In our recent publication, we have reported a template free green synthesis of nano-micro spheres of polyrhodanine with copper salt. These nanospheres have positive charge localized over its backbone and the CHN analysis shows around 55% percent of Copper in the polymer. We have experimented successful degradation of methyl orange dye to about 80% within 3 hrs with polyrhodanine microspheres. Recently we are investigating complexes of Noble metals (Au, Pd) with Rhodanine and studying their morphology via Infra-red (IR) spectroscopy, SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) and TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy) analysis. Rhodanine-Pd(II) complexes analyzed via IR shows great resemblance to the Rhodanine-Cu(II) complex. UV-vis spectroscopy shows complete conversion of Rhodanine to the complex and we are further investigating the material via SEM analysis.

Surfactant-Assisted Hydrothermal Synthesis of LiFePO4. Hui Zhu and Paul Sideris. Chemistry Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

LiFePO₄ has attracted a lot of attention as a next-generation cathode material for lithium ion batteries. It is typically synthesized using solid state or solvothermal methods. Solvothermal syntheses allow for more control over the particle size and morphology. Both the particle size and morphology play a crucial role in the electrochemical performance. Here, the hydrothermal synthesis of LiFePO₄ was attempted in the presence sodium dodecylbenzenesulphonate (SDBS), an anionic surfactant. Two experimental parameters were varied - the SDBS concentration and the heating time. The SDBS concentration was varied from ~ 10 mM - 30 mM. The reactions were heated for 3, 6, or 12 hours. Scanning electron microscopy was used to characterize the resulting solids. Preliminary scanning electron microscopy images reveal the formation of micron-sized particles predominantly adopting either a diamond-like or cuboidal morphology for reactions that were heated 6 or 12 hours. Many of the diamond-shaped particles appear to be chemically etched and contain rough surfaces.

Estimation of the voltage from solar photovoltaic power and utility grid in the grid-tied solar power system under various solar radiation conditions. Kevin Vo and Dugwon Seo. Engineering Technology Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Solar photovoltaic (PV) power is an attractive resource due to its high Return of Investment (ROI) and its installation rate has been increasing. Grid-tied solar power systems have access to electricity from both solar Photovoltaic (PV) generated and utility grid provided. The Technology Building in Queensborough Community College (QCC) is grid-tied solar power system that receives electricity from both solar PV panels and utility grid provided. The grid-tied solar power system is essential since solar energy by itself does not provide enough electricity that the Technology Building demands. The main objective of this research is to quantify the amount of voltage from each source: solar PV power and grid provided, under various solar radiation conditions. In addition, with the known fact that the amount of solar energy generated power is limited by solar radiation, the project will provide the analysis of the power usage and the relationship between the sources and demands at different solar radiation receiving conditions. This project will evaluate the economic benefits of subsidizing the energy requirements necessary to operate a modern facility using solar power sources in tandem to a metropolitan power grid while considering the variability of the natural environment.

Retrospective Method for Re-evaluating Lighting Devices. Nyi Zin and Jerry Sitbon. Engineering Technology Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

The conventional incandescent lamp hasn't changed since its original conception. The methodology of how calculating how much light is delivered from these devices has not changed. Evaluating the richness of colors offered by these lighting lamps is misunderstood. We are now in a new dawn from incandescent lighting to fluorescent and CFL then today's modern lighting appliance, the LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulb. It is essential to understand the correlation between the energy used, spectrum of color delivered and overall illumination. While it's common to explain these criteria in statistical form, it has been shown to be more effective by displaying the actual outcome of these specifications. An apparatus was assembled that clearly demonstrate the results based on the specification in a real-world environment. The apparatus will allow an easy method to evaluate the type of lighting, color spectrum, and power usage to achieve a proper and desirable illumination area.

Degradation Analysis of Solar Photovoltaic Panels from Various Manufacturers. William Damaso and Dugwon Seo. Engineering Technology Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Use of solar power in New York State has grown 575% from 2012 to 2015. The increase of solar power users in spite of the relatively high upfront cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) module installation is due to the high estimation of Return on Investment. However, most ROI estimation neglects the functional decline of efficiency of power generation over time (degradation rate). As use of solar power is growing, the accurate prediction of power delivery over time in PV modules is important. The total power delivery to the electric system with a certain amount of solar radiation depends on both how efficiently a solar PV module converts sunlight into power and how this relationship changes over time. The Engineering Technology Department at Queensborough Community College has installed three major types of PV modules: monocrystalline, polycrystalline and thin film by four different manufacturers, on the southeast roof of the Technology Building. The main goal of this research is to estimate each type of solar PV module's degradation rate and compare the changes of the efficiencies with seven years of datasets in New York's climate. Knowing which type of solar PV module degrades slower or faster will provide crucial information to potential solar power users in New York.

Coexistence and Roaming in WLANs - Wireless Local Area Networks. Chi Sun Kwok and Merlinda Drini. Engineering Technology Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Each day, we use wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) at the office, or roaming from office to conference room. At home, we get connected to the Internet through our cable modem and wireless residential gateway, using the laptops anywhere in the house. When we travel, we use our Mobile Network subscription to connect to the Internet. There is no doubt that wireless LAN became a part of our everyday life. A wireless local area network (WLAN) is a wireless computer network that links two or more devices using wireless communication within a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building. This gives users the ability to move around within a local coverage area and yet still be connected to the network. WLANs are based on IEEE 802.11 standards and are known differently with the Wi-Fi brand name. The purpose of this project is to demonstrate some of the implemented features and algorithms of the wireless LAN technology, specified in IEEE's 802.11, a,b,g,e,n, ac standards, and their coexistence. We will research WLAN backbone configuration, Physical layer technologies and data rates specified in each of the standards. Further, we will investigate the methods which support the communication distances that are longer than 100 m. and roaming of mobile WLAN nodes.

Noncommutative Geometry, Finite Sets, and Symmetries. ¹Gurpal Singh and ²David Pham. ¹Engineering Technology Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364, ²Mathematics and Computer Science Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Let X be a finite set and let F(X) be the algebra of functions on X. A first order differential calculus (FODC) over F(X) is an algebraic structure which generalizes the notion of differentiation to functions on X. For cardinality |X|=n, there are exactly 3ⁿ isomorphism classes of FODC over F(X). Roughly speaking, this means that there are 3ⁿ different ways of differentiating functions on X. Each isomorphism class can be encoded as a digraph whose vertices consist of the elements of X and whose directed edges satisfy certain conditions. In this project, we focus on the case where |X|=3 and we determine the various symmetries of the 27 possible isomorphism classes of FODC over F(X). To be more precise, for each FODC (A,d) over F(X) and each subgroup G of S₃, we determine if (A,d) satisfies a certain compatibility condition with the natural action of G on X. This compatibility condition can be expressed very nicely in terms of the digraph associated with A. However, the significance of this compatibility condition is understood from the point of view of algebra (specifically noncommutative geometry) as follows: the digraph of A is compatible with the action of G on X if and only if the natural left coaction of the Hopf algebra F(G) on A is left covariant.

Study the impact on the morphological behavior of a solid substrate due to Abrasive Waterjet Machining. Forhad Hasan, MD.Shahadat Hossain, and Joshua Olatunji. Engineering Technology Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Abrasive Waterjet Machining (AWJM) is a rapidly evolving machining technology to machine hard material objects that are extremely difficult to machine by conventional machining process. A high velocity water jet mixed with abrasive particles provides a relatively easier abrasive machining with relatively high material removal rate (MRR). AWJM is extensively used in many industrial applications. This process involves numerous process parameters which are related to the waterjet, the abrasive particles, and the substrate material. These parameters are expected to affect the material removal rates, the depth of cut, substrate surface characteristics. The purpose of the present work is to propose a model which will be created using Solidwork software. The model will be converted in STL (Stereolithography) file that is compatible with Waterjet cutting machine. It will be shaped on different substrates such as aluminum and iron. The effect of the process perimeters on different solid substrates due to Abrasive Waterjet Machining using OMAX 2652 Waterjet Machining System will be observed by using an optical microscope. 

Laser-Induced Graphene Microsupercapacitors. ¹Sung Hwan Ahn, ¹Michael Lawrence, ¹Jerry Sitbon, ²Paul Sideris, and ³Alex Sullivan. ¹Engineering Technology Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364, ²Chemistry Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364, ³Mechanical Engineering Department, City College of New York, New York, NY 10031.

Supercapacitors, in general, have a few comparative advantages over many battery technologies, namely: faster charge/discharge rates, higher power density, longer cycle life, and a wider operating temperature. Traditional supercapacitors have a vertical, "sandwich" structure composed of two electrodes, a separator, and electrolyte. Microsupercapacitors (MSCs), in contrast, have a planar architecture featuring interdigitated electrodes separated by short distances and immersed in electrolyte. MSCs containing interdigitated laser-induced graphene (LIG) electrodes have recently attracted attention as potential energy storage units in miniaturized electronic devices. In this work, a computer-controlled laser cutter was used to prepare interdigitated LIG electrodes on a flexible polyimide sheet. Two types of poly(vinyl alcohol) gel electrolytes were synthesized - one with lithium chloride and another with sulfuric acid. Prototype microsupercapacitors containing each gel electrolyte were successfully assembled.

A low cost of 3-D Printing of Simulation Prosthetic Hand. Huixin Wu. Engineering Technology Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

This study verified the possibility to lower cost and easy maintenance of the 3D printing of simulation prosthetic hand, meanwhile, this hand is still able to do the same basic functions that others provide. We were taking into account the cost of material and the quality of the product, we ran several tests to the prototype and compared the characteristics of each electrical component and material that would give the best fit and support in our prosthetic hand. We predicted the cost of this particular mode should be affordable to the main population (excluding the 3D printer). To carry out the design of the hand, we created a position control system that was using the myoelectric muscle sensor, the Arduino Uno board, and the servo motors to determine the finger movements. Moreover, we chose to use the Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene as our prosthetic hand material due to its flexibility and strength. In fact, this prosthetic hand was capable to do some simple hand movements such as okay gesture, L gesture, squeezing hands, and holding an object during our testing. Essential, the whole prosthetic hand only cost less than $100 and it was easy to repair and replace the component because of its design. However, our prosthetic hand had its own limitations like the narrow capacity of the instructions storage, the few amounts of the gestures or hand movements to present, the short lifetime of the strength wire, the long time to respond input signal and the limited weight to grab.

Modern Resistance and Allyship: Understanding Indigenous Perspective. ¹Karla Medina and ²Katherine Griefen. ¹Kupferberg Holocaust Center, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364, ²Art and Design Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

The central theme of my research project revolves around an exhibition set to open Fall 2019 at the Kuperberg Holocaust Center. The exhibition is titled Survivance on Turtle Island: Engaging with Native American Cultural Survival, Resistance, and Allyship. I knew this project would be challenging. I was taking on the task of first understanding a culture that I knew nothing about, become familiar with the collection of social injustices indigenous people have bared, understanding the deeply rooted effects, and understanding how contemporary Native artists are choosing to address some of those injustices today.  Professor Griefen presented a list of contemporary native artists who have agreed to contribute work into the exhibition. I was matched with contemporary artist Ryan Elizabeth Feddersen, accompanied by her thermochromatic work titled Unveiling the Romantic West. My task was to write interpretive wall text that would display alongside the work in hopes of enhancing the viewers' interpretation.  This led into a deep dive into better understanding the work, the artist perspective and figuring out how Unveiling the Romantic West relates to the theme of the Survivance exhibition, represents the mission of the KHC and understanding how this work can mean something to the 10,000 students attending Queensborough community college. I began my research with gaining knowledge on indigenous people, native culture, vocabulary, and pronunciation. The tragedy of native history coincides with the mission of the KHC. visitors are urged to learn from the mistakes of our past, stand against injustice behavior and stand together in Allyship.  

Kupferberg Holocaust Center Fall 2018 Fellow, part of the Curatorial Process and Programming of the Upcoming Exhibition: Survivance and Sovereignty on Turtle Island: Engaging with Native American Cultural Survival, Resistance, and Allyship.. ¹Angelica Pomar and ²Katherine Griefen. ¹Kupferberg Holocaust Center, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364, ²Art and Design Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

My tasks as a KHC Fellow for the upcoming, Survivance and Sovereignty: Engaging in Contemporary Native American Art exhibition is to assist with the curatorial process and to be a part of presenting and assisting many of the programs that take place during Fall 2018 as part of the KHC NEH colloquium. Previously, during Spring 2018, I had taken an Art Curating class with Professor and Curator in Residence at KHC, Kat Griefen. This is where my official research and the beginnings of the curatorial process began. Then, like now, I conducted in-depth research looking at articles, artworks, and discussing with scholars, and the curatorial team to develop wall texts on a specific Indigenous Contemporary Artist's work, which will be featured in the show along with my wall text. The artist I chose to research specifically is a Tlingit and Unangax̂ multidisciplinary artist, Nicholas Galanin. Through researching this artist's artwork, being a part of this curatorial process and programming, I became more knowledgeable about Indigenous cultures and rights that have been misunderstood throughout history. Additionally, I was able to respond to these incorrect written histories through my work on Nicholas Galanin.  Essentially, this exhibition is intended to enlighten students on the existing narratives told through the lens of Native American Contemporary artists' artwork. With this being said, my experience here as a Fellow allowed me to grow a deeper appreciation of the cultural expression of Indigenous Contemporary artists, which is one of the overall goals of the upcoming exhibition.

Curatorial Fellow for KHC/NHC 2018-19 Colloquium. ¹Julio Meza-Juarez and ²Katherine Griefen. ¹Kupferberg Holocaust Center, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364, ²Art and Design Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

During my time as a Curatorial Fellow at the Kupferberg Holocaust Center, I was tasked with a multitude of things such as meeting with a Community Committee, writing and designing a wall text, taking part in an Instagram takeover, doing research for outreach for the KHC NEH colloquium programs and other assignments. I also presented two programs (with one also being self-curated) for the KHC/NEH 2018-19 Colloquium, Survivance on Turtle Island, Engaging with Native American Cultural Survival, Resistance and Allyship. I curated and presented a screening of two films titled Indigenous Peoples & Genocide in The American as part of the Cinema Series. Most of my time was spent reading articles about films and watching films so I could provide a detailed description of them and get them approved for viewing. Once the films where chosen, the next big step was writing an introduction to the program. This involved doing in-depth research about the people who made the films and the context of the time or audience they were made for. I got a chance to speak with some of the people who came to the event regarding learning about Indigenous history on this continent. I took this as a chance to speak about all the other research I did relate to events such as the battle of Wounded Knee, The Sand Creek Massacre, Indian boarding schools, contemporary issues and how it opened my mind up. I think there are several lessons that we can all learn from Indigenous communities who are resisting, surviving and fighting for freedom.

The Representation of Jews in Comic Books. ¹Semoy Booker, ¹Marisa Hollywood, and ²Jennifer Hickey. ¹Kupferberg Holocaust Center, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364, ²History Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Comic books were created for entertainment. However, this has changed, instead of entertainment, it acknowledges the Holocaust. Many young people do not fully understand the purpose of learning about genocide. Comic books such as Marvel and DC have introduced holocaust survivors and Nazis in their stories. This engages younger viewers to learn more about the Holocaust, and how it affected many Jews. Comic books can reach more attention than the movies that also introduce the Holocaust because comic books reach out to more kids.

The Nuremberg Trials: Setting a Precedent for Human Rights Law for the Future. ¹Shristi Sookram, ¹Marisa Hollywood, and ²Jennifer Hickey. ¹Kupferberg Holocaust Center, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364, ²History Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

The horrific breach of human rights that was exalted during the Holocaust and the Nuremberg Trial was an effort to criminalize those who institutionalized the dehumanization of human beings. The Nuremberg Trials set the precedent for future cases of genocides and human rights violations to be criminalized thereafter. The Nuremberg trials were a series of trials held between 1945 and 1949 in which the Allies prosecuted German military leaders, political officials, industrialists, and financiers for crimes they had committed during World War II. I aim to pursue Human Rights law on an international basis. I believe that every human being has unalienable rights that are to be protected and if ever are these rights violated, it is the responsibility of a lager unbiased organization/group to give justice and criminalize those who are wrong. The Holocaust was a turning point in which the nuances of human rights law was being held to an objective standard. I hope the audience takes away the importance of the value of life. The value of a single life which gets burned and subdued down to a single story that creates and perpetuates stereotypes and generalizations that are detrimental to assessing the value subjectively of a human life.

The relationship of anti-Semitism sentiment and international human rights law. ¹Lawrence Khoo, ¹Marisa Hollywood, and ²Jennifer Hickey. ¹Kupferberg Holocaust Center, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364, ²Social Sciences Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

This paper concerns how collective anti-Semitism sentiment shapes international legislation of human rights during and after the war. The shift from the laws of the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the 1919 League of Nations Covenant to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights was argued to be caused by the atrocities of the Holocaust. The international shared belief of the immoral actions of the Nazi Regime contributed to the radical shift in international humanitarian law. Despite such a straightforward argument, most international actors were slow to respond to the situation and prioritize other interests first. Although the presence of war strengthened the relationship greatly, other external variables contributed to the changes as well. The reason for my choice of topic is because I am interested in understanding how other factors changed international human rights law and how it affects us today. I expect the audience to gain an understanding of how human nature makes radical changes in any part of history

The Holocaust and its effects on other genocides and the world. ¹Fatima Bhutta, ¹Marisa Hollywood, and ²Jennifer Hickey. ¹Kupferberg Holocaust Center, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364, ²History Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Studying the history of the Holocaust is a central task to relate to other genocides "history repeats itself " is a phrase we often hear, but never take the time to realize its impact on the world. Comparing the Holocaust to other genocides and crimes against humanity is a way to sharpen our understandings of not only the similarities and differences of genocides but also its impact globally. This topic specifically interested me because being apart of such an amazing opportunity at the Kupferberg Holocaust Center fellowship, I got the chance to not only do my own research on this certain topic but to also discuss the impact of the Holocaust as a whole and its effects on genocides. I was able to discuss certain sensitive topics like these with my Professor and group members openly and get a sense of how everyone felt as a whole. This impacted to want to do my own research and along the way to share my knowledge with others. As an audience, you will learn how understanding human rights violations, mass atrocities and different genocides in distinct parts of the world, is impactful and how each violation can still relate to each other. Due to the analysis of the Holocaust, studying genocides has developed over time. With more research being done on this topic, does not necessarily mean crimes against humanity can be completely stopped but educating others and restoring faith in humanity by bringing awareness to such events can be very impactful to the world.

Big Data Information Inference on the Infinite Communication Tree Network. Jiayao Sun and Wenjian Liu. Mathematics and Computer Science Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

The big data information reconstruction problem on the infinite communication tree network, is to collect and analyze massive samples at the n-th level of the phylogenetic tree to identify whether there is non-vanishing information of the root, as n goes to infinity. Although it has been studied in numerous contexts such as information theory, genetics and statistical physics, the existing literatures with rigorous reconstruction thresholds established are very limited. In this project, we focus on the form of signals' probability transition matrix corresponding to a classical DNA evolution model, the Felsenstein 1981 (F81) model, while further allow the existence of a guanine-cytosine content bias. The corresponding information reconstruction problem in molecular phylogenetics will be explored, by means of the refined analysis of moment recursion on a weighted version of the magnetization, concentration investigation and in-depth investigation on the resulting nonlinear second order dynamical system. Our purpose is to figure out under what condition of the base frequencies of adenine and thymine is the reconstruction solvable.

The Uniqueness of the Portfolio that Pays the Maximum Dividend Rate. Zhenyi Wang and Wenjian Liu. Mathematics and Computer Science Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Recently, Hansen and Scheinkman (2009) and Steve Ross (2013) have shown applications of principal eigenvalues and eigenfunctions and its appropriate generalizations to recovering market beliefs from option prices. The main purpose of this project is to show the uniqueness and calculate maximal dividend yields for financial portfolios under multiple driving state variables, by means of generalizing Ross' principal eigenvalue skills. Specifically, a financial portfolio typically pays dividend based on its value. We want to show that there is a unique portfolio that pays the maximum dividend rate while remaining solvent, under appropriate assumptions. The mentee will try to characterize the maximum dividend yield and the portfolio itself by the eigenfunction of a certain second order partial differential equation. Then in order to optimize the dividend yield, the mentee will analyze some basic properties of eigenvalues of this PDE with the knowledge of differential equations. Moreover, the mentee will develop an algorithm based on the preceding theory to calculate and simulate the portfolio paying the maximum dividend rate.

The Barrier Problems of Dice Sums. Amy Zhang and Haishen Yao. Mathematics and Computer Science Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

In the real world, dice are polyhedra made of plastic, wood, ivory, or other hard material. Each face of the die is numbered, or marked in some way. Mathematically, we consider a die to be a random variable that takes on only finitely many distinct values. Usually, these values will constitute a set of positive integers {1, 2,..., n} in such cases, we will refer to the die as n-sided. A die is rolled repeatedly and summed. What can you say about the expected number of rolls until the sum is greater than or equal to some given number x? In other words, we are interested in the expected time of rolls to hit or pass a given number. The mentee is expected to apply the recursive method and generating function to give a delicate analysis of the sum barriers by estimating order of convergence, and obtain a general asymptotic result. Moreover, we will utilize MAPLE/MATLAB to simulate the rolling process.

Space-filling curves. Nikola Baci and Daniel Garbin. Mathematics and Computer Science Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

In this research project, we study space-filling curves. As an example of such curves, fractals are mathematical models that resemble various phenomena from nature. We see them every day in the tree branches, water bubbles, and even seashells such as the chambered nautilus. Understanding space filling curves gives us a better grasp of the world around us and allows us to apply this knowledge in other fields of science such as physics or biology. We start our research with the Cantor set from which we construct several variations. In this direction, we need to handle mathematical concepts such as measure of the set and the base n representation of numbers. The latter allows for generalizations on the Cantor set. Aside from the understanding the mathematics behind fractals, we also make use of computer graphics to graph such recursively defined structures.

Using the eigenvalues of transition matrix of Markov chains. Jiawei Ren and Haishen Yao. Mathematics and Computer Science Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

The Markov chain is a type of random process, of which that the future states only depend on current state rather than the history of the process. Therefore the transition probability matrix is the essential part of the markov chain. According to the property of the markov chain, it can be classified to ergodic, irreducible chain, and periodic chain. The states can be classified to transient and persistent. We use linear algebra to find the eigenvalues and eigenvectors, so that we can classify the type Markov chains fast.

Implementation of n*n Tic Tac Toe Using React and Styled Component. Brian Ryu and Kwang Hyun Kim. Mathematics and Computer Science Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

The final goal of our project is to create a class schedule website for the Math and CS department here at QCC. In order to do so, we need to test which web frame (Angular, React, Vue) is rich enough to make our website. We started with React by using a 3x3 Tic Tac Toe example in a React tutorial and further expanded on this concept into a nxn game. We used a dynamic layout system and used styled components. To create the dynamic win condition, we optimized by creating a winning verification algorithm. Came to the conclusion that React is very flexible and has many third party libraries for various uses. Decided on React as the web frame to use. The next concept we will be exploring is a calendar library and a Drag and Drop system to incorporate into our web development.

Integer Values of Generating Functions. Danial Mokhtari Sharghi and Andrew Bulawa. Mathematics and Computer Science Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

The generating function F(x) of a sequence a(n) is the power series having that sequence as its coefficients. Let I denote the interval of convergence of F(x). The generating function for the Fibonacci sequence has been shown to exhibit the following property: any rational number x in I is of the form x=a(n)/a(n+1) if and only if F(x) is an integer. In my project I investigate other sequences that have this property, focusing in particular on the case where a(n) is an integer valued polynomial.

Correlation Between Mentoring and Mentee Academics, Career and Overall Well-Being. Cassandra Lee, Georgina Colalillo, Susan Riekert, and Selina Chin. Nursing Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Mentorship is a vital component of professional development. Traditionally, mentoring has been a relationship between faculty and student or a novice nurse being mentored by a more experienced senior. Based upon the literature review, mentoring is a positive experience, with both parties benefiting. However, the initial impact of peer mentoring's effect on incoming nursing students has not yet been recorded. Limited research has been done on the impact of student-to-student mentoring with beginning nursing students. A literature review from ProQuest as well as a student survey was utilized to determine the impact of mentoring on first semester nursing students. A hybrid qualitative-quantitative survey will be given to second semester nursing students who participated as a mentee in the mentorship program in their first semester. First semester nursing students will provide their perception of mentoring based academic success and emotional wellbeing/confidence levels. The data will be analyzed and aggregated with charts and themes used to determine effectiveness of peer mentoring. With the foundation of this research data, future studies may indicate a correlation between peer mentoring, and academics and prospective career.

Acoustic Modeling of Concert Halls to Enhance Student practice Methods. Kypros Andrianou and Kimberly Riegel. Physics Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Most amateur musicians suffer from anxiety before and during their performance on stage. One possible contribution to that anxiety is that the sound they hear differs from the sound they hear in the practice rooms. The aim of this study is to create an augmented reality practice room for amateur musicians, which will make a practice room sound the same as a performance space. This project uses an acoustic modeling software called I-Simpa to model the acoustics of any room so that the listening environment can be simulated. This method will be tested with a simple geometry room. The simulated room will then be compared to actual acoustic measurements to determine accuracy of the simulation. The actual measurements are made by using the Larson Davis 831 sound level meter. Once the simple geometry acoustics have been validated, a more complicated performance space will be simulated the same way as the simple geometry room.

Sonic Boom Propagation in Urban Environments. William Costa and Kimberly Riegel. Physics Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Supersonic flight capabilities have been available for decades, yet supersonic travel has been banned over the continental United States and many other countries. These bans cite excessive noise pollution due to the sonic booms generated during flight. In the decades since, significant research has been conducted that determined that shaping the sonic boom via the aircraft design parameters can reduce its impact on people and their environments. However, the current unlawful nature of flyover testing prevents researchers from acquiring valuable data on how sonic booms propagate in these environments. In order to determine the effects of a sonic boom in a city, the resulting sound fields need to be determined using numerical simulations. A successful implementation of this software currently exists, coded in the Fortran programming language. The original software is difficult for the user to implement and takes anywhere from several hours to a week to run for simple geometry configurations. This project is working on porting the original code to the Python programming language. The goal of porting the software is to improve the user experience and to make the code more efficient and easier to parallelize. The software has been ported to python and has produced similar results. The current efforts aim to reduce the total runtime and optimize the code to better suit the new Python environment. Once complete, the software will be parallelized in order to efficiently simulate large-scale urban environments.

Correlation between amount of Arsenic in plants and presence of iron ions in soil. Huiwei Zhou and Sunil Dehipawala. Physics Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Arsenic poisoning is a major health hazard affecting millions of people worldwide.  Arsenic contamination of soil is due to repeated use of fertilizers or pesticides and results in higher amounts of arsenic in vegetables.  We explored amount of Arsenic present in plants that grow in soil containing different amounts of iron ions.  X-Ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (XANES), Extended X-ray absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS), X-ray florescence spectroscopy (XFS), were utilized to determine the amount and chemical nature of Arsenic present in selected plants to iron in the soil. Preliminary analysis of data indicates higher amount of arsenic in plants grown in soil containing extra amount of Fe³⁺compared to arsenic in soil containing extra Fe²⁺.

Comparing Dst and SYM-H indices. Amir M. Maghsoudi, M. Chantale Damas, Shaina Durand, Javed Sulaiman, Wan Chao Pu, and Jamie Asan. Physics Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Space weather results from the variability of the Sun. It has become an increasingly important topic due to its potential impact on human life, society and economy. Geomagnetic Storms are one type of space weather events emitted from the Sun that can damage satellites, GPS, and the power grid. Therefore, we need to know how to forecast them. This investigation focuses on space weather impact on the ionosphere, a layer of electrically charged particles important for satellite-based communication and navigation. As a first step, in order to understand how Earth's respond to the geomagnetic storms, we look at the values of two indices: disturbance storm time (Dst) and the symmetric horizontal component of Earth's magnetic field magnetic field (SYM-H). SYM‐H has a 1‐min time resolution as compared to the 1‐hour time resolution of Dst. Our goal is to determine which of the two indices is the best one to use for our research. We look at more than 1500+ geomagnetic storms from 1996-2018, with values of Dst and SYM-H < -40 nT. Dst data was extracted from the Kyoto database and SYM-H data from NASA cdaweb database. We plotted both indices, and so far, we have obtained a correlation (R-squared) value of .82. We conclude based on the correlation value that the indices can be used interchangeably. Correlation will increase as we add more data and eliminate outliers.

What Does Gender Have to Do With It? A Descriptive Analysis of Differences in Emotional and Behavioural Problems in Dizygotic Twins. Audrey Oscar and Anissa Moody. Social Sciences Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Twin studies are often used to display nature vs. nurture argument. Dizygotic, unlike gender twins, are the perfect test cases to explore gender differences. This descriptive study seeks to understand if males of dizygotic twins are more prone to emotional and behavioral problems as opposed to their female counterpart. Numerous studies identify gender differences in infant mortality rates, physical health outcomes, and other biological differences within dizygotic twins. This study will focus on exploring the less documented differences in emotional and behavioual outcomes. Recently, there are many studies displaying the differences in personality, mental health disorders, academic performance, and interpersonal skills, with males displaying more negative outcomes. These findings are often part of larger studies focused on biological or genetic differences. Therefore, a secondary goal of this study is to identify the environmental influencers underlying the differences in dizygotic, unlike gender twins emotional and behavioral outcomes. A descriptive approach will be utilized to examine and document these patterns and differences. This examination will hopefully underscore the need for more studies that differentiate the influence of biology and the environment in understanding behavior and creating more efficacious interventions.

Identity Politics: Examining the Impact of Anti-Immigration Rhetoric and Policies on Student Identity. Ashley Torres and Anissa Moody. Social Sciences Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Recent increases in anti-immigration policies and rhetoric prompt the need to understand how youth are affected and shaped by these changes. Institutions tasked with studying youth have not gone beyond measuring economic impacts like college attendance and participation of international students. However, increases in reports of hate crimes and attacks, increases in social isolation, and decreases in employment among youth who identify as immigrant (IMI), suggest the need to examine the effects of anti-immigration policies and rhetoric on students' socio-emotional health, including identity. Identity is critical to understand as most of the anti-immigration attacks are targeted to specific groups and are coming from the highest ranks of American government. Previous studies have identified links between negative political attention to ethnocultural dimensions of identity and emotional and behavioral responses. Current global research also displays a pattern of new immigrants struggling with connecting to institutions known for providing footholds for readjustment in a new society, like colleges. This study will explore students' experiences as it relates to anti-immigration policies and rhetoric. Since QCC is located in the most racially and ethnically diverse community with the majority of the students identifying as directly or indirectly immigrant, this campus is uniquely situated to answer questions regarding students' experiences on campus, how they view themselves, and how or if there is an impact to their identity. Marcia's Identity Status Theory, which looks at the impact of societal factors on identity development, will be utilized to guide the quantitative and qualitative analysis.

Does Identifying as Multiracial Increase Stress, Anxiety and Reports of Discrimination. Tiffany Cabezas and Anissa Moody. Social Sciences Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Recent census data revealed that over 9 million individuals identify with two or more races, making multiracial (MTR) people the fastest growing racial group in the last decade. Prior research shows people who identify in MTR categories often report higher levels of stress and anxiety in response to their self- identity. For example, Franco & O'Brien (2018) stated that "there is misalignment between an individual's self-defined racial identity and the way that others perceive them within a particular context". Individuals in these categories also report higher levels of racial discrimination and identify higher rates of marginalization. This study will compare the experiences of MTR and people who identify within a single racial category (UNI) to see if there are differences in reports of racially motivated stress and anxiety and discrimination. Utilizing Marcia's Identity Status Theory, participants' responses will also be organized by identity statuses to see if there are patterns based on racial category, i.e., MST vs. UNI. We predict that people who identify as MTR are more likely to report higher levels of anxiety and stress than people who self-report as UNI. It is also expected that there will be a specific pattern of responses indicating differences in how MST endorse identity statuses versus UNI. By identifying sources of discrimination, we can develop better therapies and programs.

ONE-WAY VS. TWO-WAY ENGLISH IMMERSION PROGRAMS. Anny Mariano Rodriguez and Anissa Moody. Social Sciences Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

The purpose of this research is to see if there is a difference between teaching English to children using one-way immersion (OWI) programs versus two-way (TWI) programs. While one-way programs focus on teaching non-native English speakers a new language by providing all instruction in the new language, two-way or dual programs allow for the learners to retain and use their original language to learn a new language. Researchers have documented the pros and cons of both with many negatives for the one-way program. This study will focus on children from local language immersion classes who will be divided into two groups, OWI and TWI. Researchers will observe how the children from each group perform in the programs and then they will be given English and oral assessment tests. Through the assessment, the children learning skills will be measured. This will allow us to figure out the impact of a common teaching technique to learning new languages. The findings of this study will indicate whether or not this program would be beneficial for elementary school children's learning skills.

DOES SOCIAL MEDIA PROMOTE OR HINDER RELATIONSHIP INTIMACY?. Gabriel Kesten, Anissa Moody, and Patrick Byers. Social Sciences Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

The purpose of this study is to show how social media use affects intimacy in relationships and what promotes or inhibits them. Millennials are growing up in an age of social media. The use of social networking sites is changing the way they relate to each other. In real life, we have access to fewer people compared to how people meet each other on social media. The distracting possibilities of social media platforms mediate the correlation between the number of connections and achievement of intimacy. Survey questionnaire will be used to note the number of connections per platform and usage frequency/intensity. Then for each platform, subjects will be asked if they interact within the ones they consider intimate relationships. For each platform indicated previously as having hosted interactions within intimate relationships. It is known that relationships can be started on or offline. What is yet to be determined are the social connections millennials are looking to gain through the use of social media. If distractions are indeed a cause of deter in intimacy, operant/classical conditioning may be able to explain a tendency towards distraction and will help further define the boundaries of relationship enhancement via social media practices.

FACTORS INFLUENCING PARENTAL FOOD MANAGEMENT: AN ECOLOGICAL APPROACH ON CHILDHOOD OBESITY. Monique Fisher and Anissa Moody. Social Sciences Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

The purpose of this study is to identify external and internal factors that influence how parents' manage the food intake of children thereby impacting childhood obesity rates. These factors include the parents' views and self-management of food, socioeconomic status, culture, and larger economic and global forces. According to the Centers for Disease Control, "In the United States, the percentage of children and adolescents with obesity has more than tripled since the 1970s." Current research focuses on school menus, decrease in exercise due to a lack of physical play related to the rise of entertainment technology, the increase in fast food culture, and the decrease in nuclear families. What is missing is an analysis that looks at how all of these factors influence parents in a real way on a daily basis. This topic is significant because children born after 1999 have a lower mortality rate than their parents due to illnesses related to obesity, and this issue seems to affect minorities and poor Americans more than any other group. This study uses Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Model to measure the internal and external factors that influence parents' food management decisions. The anticipated outcome of this research is that parents are managing numerous conflicts in various areas of their life, which may impact their ability to provide nutritional and portioned meals. With these findings, we hope to discover or create family programs that will help decrease childhood obesity.

ATTITUDES ON VOCATIONAL SCHOOL AND THE IMPACT ON ENROLLMENT. Hernan Heredia and Anissa Moody. Social Sciences Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

The purpose of this study is to identify if a high school student's attitude about vocational schools impacts their decision to enroll in a vocational school or program. Commonly known as Career and Technical Education (CTE), these schools provide students rich academic environments, hands-on training in specific fields, and valuable technical skills. However, there has been a negative stigma associated since the start of CTE schools. These schools are often seen as last resorts for students who have low motivation or academic skills, rather than an active choice for students of all levels. To examine if there is a relationship between attitude and choice, I will recruit high school students from academic schools and CTE certified schools. These students will take pre and post attitude scales in the form of a survey questionnaire about CTE. They will also take a brief assessment to see how much they know about CTE. In between the assessments, the students will learn about the benefits of attending CTE schools, along with a list of credible jobs and well-known persons who attended vocational programs or schools. It is assumed that the students who started with limited knowledge and negative attitudes about CTE will display a larger shift in both areas than those who were the opposite. The most significant impact will be for students who had the least information. Understanding this relationship is necessary to increase awareness of the benefits of CTE, and to impact low retention rates within CTE and academic colleges.

Toward a New Understanding of Marijuana: Can Cannabis Oil Decrease Physical Pain?. Ivonne Concepcion and Anissa Moody. Social Sciences Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Cannabis use is often associated with illicit drug use, delinquency, and depravity. At the same time, the medicinal benefits of cannabis are widely known, and there is burgeoning clinical research examining its numerous applications. The purpose of this research is to center cannabis use on pain management, to determine if cannabis oil can significantly reduce physical pain in chronic pain patients. Though there are many anecdotal and clinical studies documenting cannabis in reducing physical pain, there is limited focus on cannabis implementation. Most studies focus on oral ingestion or inhalation, but recent studies show that cannabis can be helpful in many different forms. Cannabis oil has been shown to be useful because of its broad applicability and variety, which makes it efficacious for managing pain. To study this relationship, I will recruit from pain clinics across NYC and evaluate participant's pain prior to and post using the Mankoski Pain Scale. I will also assess their beliefs about being able to control their pain using the self-efficacy scale from the Health Competency Beliefs Inventory. Those measuring above the minimum threshold on the Mankoski, but below the seriously severe, will be given CBD oil, and a recommended dosing four-week schedule. After four weeks I will evaluate the participant's ratings of pain as well as their belief that they can control the pain they experience. It is expected that all who were consistent with treatment will report a decrease in pain and an increase in self-efficacy related to managing their pain.

Meditation vs Physical Exercise: Examining Impact on Need for Cognition in College Students. Anthony Vancol and Anissa Moody. Social Sciences Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

The term "Need for Cognition" (NIG) refers to the tendency for an individual to seek out cognitive activities and to engage in higher-level processing and complex tasks. NIG is shown to be highly related to a variety of desired student learning outcomes, including motivation, engagement, test performance, and grit. Students with high NIG are more likely to have high achievement goals, to be more self-motivated, and to seek out challenges. Stress is a known factor impacting students' well-being and their academic performance. It is well-documented that meditation and physical exercise not only decreases stress but also increases executing functioning. Though the impact of stress on academic functioning is well known, an equifinality model does not exist to explain the mechanisms modulating stress and academic performance. The purpose of this study is to center the relationship between stress and NIG and to examine established stress reduction techniques to increasing college students' NIG and academic performance. Given that meditation and physical exercise reduce stress through different mechanisms, this comparison study will provide a more detailed understanding of NIG and the impact of stress. Further, results will likely yield options for targeted interventions to increase student well-being and academic performance. Since stress and poor coping skills are now identified as major factors affecting the current college student mental health crisis, this study is a step toward addressing this national problem.

Adult Relationships, Attachment Styles, and Incest. Nisa Syeda and Anissa Moody. Social Sciences Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

The purpose of this study is to reveal the effects incest has on attachment style and relationships. Previous studies have identified incest as having severe long-term impacts. Much of these studies have focused on the individual's psychological functioning, identifying adverse effects on a woman's psychological orientation and emotional stability. When interpersonal relationships are considered, self-esteem and poor boundaries are identified as causes of poor relationship patterns. There is hardly any research on how the perversion of the natural bond between family members, especially parent and child, impacts future relationships. Attachment styles measure the bond between parent and child. There is much literature suggesting that attachment style to a parent is a good predictor of future relationships. This research will describe the impact of incest on relationships, by examining attachment styles of people who report being in an incest relationship as a child. Participants will be recruited from public support groups for survivors of incest and from Child Protective Services. This research will utilize archival data from Child Protective Services and consents will be collected from adult female adult survivors from the groups and referred from CPS. The Child Trauma Questionnaire, the Attachment Style Questionnaire, and the Life Experiences Survey will be used to understand the impact of early experiences on adult relationships. This study adds more value to the existing proof of the negative effects of incest by providing an understanding of the pathways and outcomes. Also, this study can provide helpful information for therapy and programs.

THE DIFFERENTIAL IMPACT OF POVERTY ON CRIME: EXPLAINING PATTERNS OF CRIME BY RACE AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS. Tyler Martin and Anissa Moody. Social Sciences Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

This study will focus on describing patterns of criminal behavior as determined by socioeconomic status (SES) and race. Statistics link SES with crime with those at the lower levels more likely to be victims and to engage in crime. These simplistic analyses often identify African-Americans as being more likely to commit crimes. However, more complex studies indicate that other factors are impacting the crime rate like higher policing of poor people and the disproportionate poverty of minorities. Also, crimes committed by non-minorities are less likely to be prosecuted. To examine all of these factors I will use an ecological model to explain how SES and race are linked to determine crime rates and types of crimes committed. Also, this study will challenge stereotypes of race and crime by displaying nuanced patterns of crime correlated with SES and racial/ethnic group. Archival data, including national crime statistics and urban development data will be utilized in this descriptive study. This research will help bring to light the differences in patterns of crime by race and socioeconomic status and will begin a conversation on how we can appropriately address these issues and not perpetuate harmful racial stereotypes.

Does Inquiry-Based Learning Change Students' Attitudes and Beliefs about Race and Identity: A Qualitative Review. Anna Romero and Anissa Moody. Social Sciences Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Do students change their attitudes and beliefs about race when faced with hard evidence? Are there teaching methods that are more likely to create a shift in how students think about race and ethnicity? This research will examine these questions by examining the impact of an inquiry-based learning method (IBLM), reflective writing, to teach about race and ethnicity. Numerous studies have identified IBLM as an effective way to teach students about abstract concepts and to help them consider complex ideas. Students enrolled in Anthropology 101, Spring 2017, participated in a lab experience where they uncovered their mitochondrial DNA. Along with DNA testing, throughout the semester, students completed essays and participated in discussions centered on culture, race, identity, and ethnicity. By the end of the course, students were queried to learn if their understanding shifted from the understanding of race as a social construct instead of a biological one. This sub-study focuses on one of the methods used to achieve the study's overall goal, IBLM. A qualitative review of students' pre and post essays will be conducted to see if IBLM is impactful and if students' attitudes and beliefs shifted. Further, a pattern of responses will be identified to help understand how reflective writings shift students' beliefs and attitudes on race, identity, culture, and ethnicity.

Using DNA as a Transformational Learning Experience. Anna Romero and Larisa Honey. Social Sciences Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

This research will examine the impact of class discussions and inquiry-based learning along with DNA tests to teach students about race as a socially constructed concept. Previous studies have shown that centering class discussions on the social construction of race and providing assignments that explore identity and performances of race, helps students to develop an understanding of social and biological determinants of race. Though there is a growing body of research on pedagogy connecting biological content to social issues, the studies focus on teaching concepts. There is no well-documented attempt at transformational learning using biological concepts. This study is a sub-study of a broader analysis to determine if providing students with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) results while participating in classroom exercises and assignments that foster self-reflection on racial identity will shift their understanding of race.  Students enrolled in Anthropology 101, Spring 2017, uncovered information regarding their ancestors' homage and location as it traces from the originally shared ancestry in Africa. Students' DNA results are used as a point of discussion in essays and class discussions throughout the course. This sub-study is analyzing student essays, using a phenomenological approach, to see if their understanding of race change, and if this change is more complex and will increase a deeper understanding of racism, identity, culture, and ethnicity.  

Preliminary Reactions to the Implementation of Problem-Based Learning in Introductory Psychology Courses: A Qualitative Review. Ashley Torres and Anissa Moody. Social Sciences Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is a method of teaching that enables students to engage in learning in a collaborative environment actively. To date, few studies investigate the impact of PBL in a community college context. This study will examine the effect of implementing PBL exercises in Psychology 101 courses, Fall 2018. Specifically, we will explore students' reactions to participating in these courses requiring teamwork and deconstructing concepts organized within case studies. It is well documented that students learn at a deeper level with PBL and increase their learning skills in general. An analysis of Psychology 101 student learning outcomes identified the need for students to meet higher level learning goals. While students often view PBL as fun, enjoyable and dynamic, there are many criticisms including conflicts with students' need for autonomy, the ambiguity of learned concepts, and application to standardized tests. Current observations of student participation in PBL in this study are similar to documented patterns in other studies. Using a phenomenological qualitative approach, we will explore themes in observed behaviors to students' reports of their responses to PBL.

A Comparison of Perceived Stress of Parents with Children living with ASD: Military Supports versus Non-Military. Anissa Moody, Ashley Torres, and Rommel Robertson. Social Sciences Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Children living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are characterized by difficulties in their social interactions, verbal and nonverbal communication, and restricted repetitive behaviors, interests and activities. This study will compare the perceived stress of military and non-military parents of children with ASD. While military families are just as likely to have children diagnosed with ASD at the same rate as those in the general population, they are less likely to receive consistent services. There are gaps in the literature regarding stress of parents in the military with developmentally disabled children, including ASD, and as a result the factors predicting stress in the parents of children with autism remain poorly understood. The proposed study will examine if military parents with children identified with having moderate (level 2) to severe (level 3) Autism will report significantly higher levels of perceived stress compared to non-military parents with Autistic children in levels 2 or 3. It is predicted that parents in the military with children with level 2 and above autism will be more likely to report higher levels of stress compared to non-military parents. This finding will be helpful for developing programs and interventions to identify and support parents of children in the military with ASD.

Is there a relationship between childhood overindulgence and adulthood psychological entitlement?. Andrea Tucker and Anissa Moody. Social Sciences Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

Psychological Entitlement (PE) is the belief that a person deserves more than others or that they should be given more than others. This style of functioning is a problem given the impact to others, in relationships, at work, or in general. Much of the research examines PE as part of Narcissistic personality disorder, but does not talk about this behavior individually. This study will examine the development of PE by looking at attachment styles. I argue that insecure attachment style, avoidant or disorganized, is more likely to create PE. Using Mary Ainsworth's Attachment model, I will assess individuals who score moderate and above on the Psychological Entitlement Scale (PES-Campbell) from the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, on their attachment styles. The expected outcome will be that the majority of participants who experienced overindulgence during childhood will also feel a sense of entitlement in adulthood.

Narrative Maps of Immigrant Trajectories to Queens. NY: A Qualitative Research Study for HIP UR. Supriya Karudapuram. Speech Communication and Theatre Arts Department, Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY 11364.

This project involves students in gathering narratives or stories from various immigrant communities who reside in Queens, NY. Through multiple methods such as interviewing, conversation analysis, focus groups, and ethnographic methods such as participant-observation, doing field research, and keeping field notes, students will identify and gather a narrative on why these groups arrived in Queens and how they are conducting their immigrant lives including experiencing conflict across generations or cultures. We will maximize diversity of demographics among research participants. Upon accumulating and analyzing findings using multiple data analytic modalities such as textual, interpretive, critical, and aesthetic students have the creative license to transform knowledge gathered into digital artifacts. texts, writing. and publishable artifacts. The professor will strive to write a signature piece on the topic based on data collected in the course of the class research project.