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JONATHAN BARNBROOK: GRAPHIC DESIGNER. Danielle Diaz and Kathleen Wentrack. Art and Design Department.

This presentation will focus on works by the graphic designer, filmmaker, and typographer Jonathan Barnbrook. The analysis will dive into the meaning behind each piece, how elements connect to one another, and the details that Barnbrook uses to convey each message. Through this analysis, we will be able to understand how Barnbrook uses his art to speak his mind about certain topics and their importance, as well as his contributions alongside other graphic designers.

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FEMINIST DESIGNS THROUGH A FEMALE PERSPECTIVE. Fabianna Fuentes Mosqueda and Kathleen Wentrack. Art and Design Department.

Hanna Barczyk is a German-born graphic designer whose work, inspired by the Modernism movement, conceptualizes the idea of women's experiences and femininity. Aided by her modern and simplistic style, she brings awareness to problems that women are currently facing. Barczyk's work goes beyond only Feminism since she also makes sure to emphasize the struggles that people of color face in addition to gender discrimination.

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AN OVERVIEW OF THE IMPOSTER PHENOMENON IN RESEARCH LITERATURE. Valerie Muse and Rochelle Nelson. Biological Sciences and Geology Department.

The imposter phenomenon, also called imposter syndrome, is a debilitating experience where individuals have extreme doubts about their accomplishments, skills, talents, and goals. These individuals fear being discovered as imposters, fakes, or frauds, regardless of their knowledge and capabilities. The imposter phenomenon is not classified as a mental health disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and cannot be diagnosed. Although, the imposter phenomenon is observed in many individuals experiencing various mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, etc. Therefore, its importance has expanded and has been thoroughly researched throughout multiple disciplines in hopes of better understanding its causes, effects, and possible treatments. Imposter phenomenon research has spread throughout scholarly and mainstream publications, targeting various populations. In this study, we reviewed PubMed, ERIC, and EBSCO Education Source to identify available research on the imposter phenomenon amongst multiple research populations. The search query, "imposter syndrome or imposter phenomenon or impostor syndrome or impostor phenomenon," was used throughout each database, each containing literature published between 1976 to 2023. This study aims to understand how the impostor phenomenon has been studied and observed in various research populations.

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STUDENT INTERNSHIPS TO ADDRESS RACIAL AND ETHNIC HEALTH INEQUITY. Shawn Mathew, Amandaly Diaz, Selena Torres, Punita Bhansali, and Anuradha Srivastava. Biological Sciences and Geology Department.

Across the United States, racial and ethnic minority groups are at higher risk for poor health outcomes compared to their white counterparts. These differences are typically referred to as health disparities and reflect social inequities between different racial and ethnic groups. Through CUNY's Black, Race, and Ethnic Studies Initiative (BRESI) grant, Drs. Punita Bhansali & Anuradha Srivastava have developed a program to provide Public Health and Health Sciences A.S. degree students with opportunities to promote racial health equity. This presentation will include three students' descriptions of their experiences of working with community health partners in Queens to reduce health disparities. They will discuss the missions of their organizations (Grameen Primacare, Strong Children Wellness, New Life Community Health Center), how their activities helped specific patient populations and communities, and what they learned. Two students will describe their roles as patient navigators and health promoters, and one student will describe her mission to help underserved women receive prenatal care.

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WHICH AQUATIC EUKARYOTIC ORGANISMS FORM COMMUNITIES IN QUEENS?. Nina Zabat Borja, Carol Litroff, and Urszula Golebiewska. Biological Sciences and Geology Department.

Water dominates the Earth's surface, and aquatic ecosystems are found across the reach of the globe. In these habitats, the microorganisms that dwell here are of great fascination for their unique adaptability and evolutionary traits. Seasonal changes in aquatic environments between freshwater and saltwater communities are currently being analyzed through sample collection and observation via light microscopy. Photosynthetic protists, protozoans, and animals at different stages of development have been distinguished from both environments with a difference in populations for different environmental conditions. This study dives into aquatic ecology which is critically important as it is a reflection of the current state of the Earth's environment. The presence of microorganisms and photosynthetic creatures demonstrate the health of the ecosystem. Temperature, water pollution, and climate change are examples of factors that influence aquatic ecosystems, of which this study could explore and contribute. iNaturalist app and reference books will aide in the identification of observed organisms, and in turn in the establishment of patterns resulting from seasonal changes between the two aquatic environments.

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BEAUTY AND DIVERSITY OF EUKARYOTIC AQUATIC ORGANISMS. Carol Litroff, Nina Zabat Borja, and Urszula Golebiewska. Biological Sciences and Geology Department.

Aquatic ecosystems comprise about 71 percent of the Earth's surface. The microorganisms that live in these habitats are the subject of great fascination for their unique adaptations and evolutionary history. Seasonal changes in aquatic environments between freshwater and saltwater communities are an important area of research, as they provide insights into the ecology and biology of organisms surrounding us. This project aims to understand and identify these organisms through sample collection and observation via light microscopy. Images have been collected of diverse organisms from both environments with a difference in populations for different environmental conditions, such as varying tides and increase in ambient temperature. The project aims to glimpse at the aquatic ecology which is critically important as it is a reflection of the current state of the Earth's environment. The presence of phytoplankton and other microorganisms is related to the health of the ecosystem. Temperature, salinity and water pollution are examples of factors that influence aquatic ecosystems, of which this study aims to explore and contribute in the future. The iNaturalist app and reference books will aide in the identification of observed organisms, and in turn in the establishment of patterns resulting from seasonal changes between the two aquatic environments. The project also aims to showcase the diversity and beauty of these aquatic microorganisms through tridimensional canvas art that has been inspired by our observations throughout the project. We will highlight the intricate patterns, shapes, and colors present in these organisms as we will have observed images of various microorganisms found in these ecosystems. The presentation will also provide a unique perspective on the world of microorganisms, in efforts to bridge the gap between science and art by showcasing the beauty and wonder of aquatic microorganisms through research and art.

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CYTOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF HUMAN PANCREATIC CANCER CELL LINES, CFPAC AND ASPC. Sahiba Safeer, Muhammad Dawoud, and Sanjay Koul. Biological Sciences and Geology Department.

Cell division occurs during growth, development, and regeneration of living organisms. This process involves replication of DNA followed by proper segregation of genetic material, which is essential for the normal physiological functioning of the cells, the tissues, and the organisms as whole at the systemic level throughout their life. The process of cell division is regulated by complex network of extrinsic and intrinsic molecular signaling pathways through large number of factors and regulators which also include various checkpoints. These checkpoints are critical in preventing errors in cell division that otherwise can lead to the cells perpetuating and carrying chromosomal abnormalities which further down the line can result in genetic disorders of broad spectrum. e.g., Failure to regulate these checkpoints correctly can result in developmental abnormalities on one side of the spectrum, or even cancers of different types at the other end. Cytogenetic analysis is one of the powerful diagnostic tools used to study chromosomal abnormalities in the diseased cells or tissues of an organism. This technique involves preparation of cells or tissues and examination of chromosomes under microscope and organizing them into a Karyotype and comparing them with normal human karyotype to identify gross changes in their number, structure, or arrangement in the cells. This analysis can also reveal other types of chromosomal abnormalities like translocations, deletions, duplications, inversions, and/or aneuploidies or polyploidies commonly referred as copy number losses or gains. Cytogenetic analysis is used in a wide range of applications, including clinical diagnosis, cancer research, genetic counseling, and prenatal testing. As a proof of principle here we will be showing through the cytogenetic study the chromosomal abnormalities harbored in human pancreatic cancer cell lines CFPAC and ASPC1.

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ATTENUATION OF VIABILITY OF LUNG CANCER CELLS BY TREATMENT OF POLYRHODANINE COPPER NANOCOMPOSITES. ¹Rose Felix, ¹Hafiz Tariq, ¹Sarbani Ghoshal, ²Nickayla Spence, ²Qiaxian Johnson, ²Moni Chauhan, and ²Bhanu Chauhan. ¹Biological Sciences and Geology Department, ²Chemistry Department.

Rhodanine (derived from thiazolidine), a heterocyclic compound, plays an essential role in the biological system of humans. Its derivatives are present in drugs used in antibiotics, antiviruses, antidiabetics, and antifungals. We hypothesize that the shape-controlled synthesis of PolyRhodanine will provide an exciting perspective for diagnosing and treating diseases, including cancer. In our research, we investigated the synthesis of PolyRhodanine in a single-step oxidation-reduction reaction in the presence of transition metals in the microwave. Two morphologies for PolyRhodanine have been identified depending on the metal: core-shell and nanotubular. In the first step of the reaction, the Rhodanine monomer forms a one-dimensional complex with the metal ions (Copper (I) Acetate) due to coordinative interaction. In the second step, the oxidation of Rhodanine and the reduction of metal ions result in the polymerization of Rhodanine into core-shell nano-micro spheres with embedded metal nanoparticles. Subsequently, we tested our compound in a human lung cancer cell line, namely A549, to measure cell viability by the colorimetric MTT (3- [4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay. In our experiment, 20,000 cells were plated in each well of a 96-well plate and treated with the compound for 48 hours to investigate the viability of lung cancer cells. Our data shows the viability of A549 cells decreases in a dose-dependent manner with treatment concentrations ranging from 0.01µM to 1µM in comparison to cells in the DMSO control treatment group. Our present focus is to investigate the cell signaling pathways, by real-time PCR and Western blotting, that could be altered by our compound to identify the expression of key genes and protein that are known to be dysregulated in lung cancer. Future studies will focus on investigating the effect in other cancer cell lines, including triple-negative breast cancer cells.

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MONITORING INFLUENZA A AND SARS-COV2 IN NYC PUBLIC HOSPITALS WASTEWATER. Anna Liu and Monica Trujillo. Biological Sciences and Geology Department.

Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) is a new tool that monitors pathogen levels in collected sewage water. Infected individuals, regardless of being symptomatic or asymptomatic, shed pathogens in their stools. This data therefore is more inclusive than clinical data that is mostly collected from symptomatic individuals. WBE is an emerging technology and it is starting to be used to make public health decisions. Our group has developed and filed a patent for a passive in situ concentration device which can be easily deployed at any water source. Using a chemically inert compound, cells are easily absorbed by the material. The device is deployed in either manholes or sewer pipes from NYC Health and Hospitals (NYC H+H) across the Bronx and Queens and removed after 24 hours. It is then brought to the laboratory where, using proprietary buffers and a commercial kit, total nucleic acids are extracted. Following the CDC RT-qPCR protocols and commercially available standards the concentration of Influenza-A and SARS-CoV2 in each sample is determined. The purpose of this study is to conduct wastewater surveillance for Influenza-A and SARS-CoV2 and compare wastewater data with clinical data provided by NYSDOH, NYC DOHMH and NYC H+H to understand the correlation between wastewater data and clinical cases. Here we present the timeline of both virus concentrations from November 2022 to March 2023 and compare it with clinical data.

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EXAMINING THE FUNCTIONS OF STAT3 IN REGULATING GENES ASSOCIATED WITH RAW264.7 CELL APOPTOSIS. Chris Na and Andrew Nguyen. Biological Sciences and Geology Department.

The skeletal system lays the foundation for our body's mobility and security of vital organs and manages stability in mineral homeostasis. The principal mineral homeostasis actions depend on crucial interactions between the osteoblasts, osteoclasts, and osteocytes. The coordinated efforts between two contrasting cells, osteoblasts and osteoclasts, sustain average bone growth. Osteoblasts are responsible for producing bones, whereas osteoclasts are liable for the reabsorption of bones. The abnormalities in the skeletal system seem to be induced by the alteration of STAT3 in osteoblasts and osteoclasts. The reduction of STAT3 gene expression showed signs of scoliosis, reduced bone density, increased risk of bone fracture caused by Job Syndrome, etc. In addition, the deletion of STAT3 insinuates adverse outcomes solely in female mice, with lowered bone mineral content and bone mineral density, and abnormal bone structure. This suggests the possibility of STAT3 being impacted by sex hormones, which we examine using a cell line, RAW264.7 cell, to visualize the functions through estrogen stimulation. Similarly, we observed that cells with STAT3 deletion showed more apoptotic cells while stimulated with 17β-estradiol or alendronate. We hypothesize that STAT3 induces the creation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), modulates the cells' redox potential, and/or regulates intracellular proteins associated with apoptosis. This will be done by evaluating the gene expression affiliated with apoptosis induced by 17β-estradiol or alendronate in the RAW264.7 cell line.

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INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTS OF SINGLE WALLED CARBON NANOTUBES ON GENE EXPRESSION OF LUNG CANCER CELLS. James Babo and Regina Sullivan. Biological Sciences and Geology Department.

Lung cancer is a significant cause of death in the United States. Although treatment options have expanded recently, the need for novel therapeutics remains. Many studies have suggested that biomedical applications of Single-walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWCNT) can potentially expand cancer treatment options particularly as drug delivery vehicles. However, the effects of unfunctionalized pristine CNTs on both cancer cells and normal cells are still not fully understood. In our studies we have shown that unfunctionalized pristine SWCNTs inhibit the migration rate of lung cancer and breast cancer cells in scratch assays. To determine if this is a toxicity effect, we performed a series of viability assays on cancer cells and normal cells which have been treated with SWCNT concentrations ranging from 1.6microgram/ml to 50microgram/ml for treatment between 1-24hours. Our results show high cell viability after SWCNT treatment with trypan blue, but MTT assays revealed lower cell viability. Trypan blue is a DNA stain which will only enter cells with compromised membrane integrity. MTT is a colorimetric assay which measures cell viability by determining the activity of a key enzyme in aerobic respiration pathways. Based on these results, we conclude that SWCNTs may be reducing the rate of migration by effecting mitochondrial functions resulting in increased amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Our future studies will determine the levels of ROS after SWCNT treatment and analysis of key cancer migration genes by real-time PCR.

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DETECTION OF THE SICKLE CELL GENE BY SOUTHERN BLOTTING. Olivia Walker, Mickel Walcott, and Sarbani Ghoshal. Biological Sciences and Geology Department.

Sickle cell anemia (SCD) is an autosomal recessive hereditary disease that affects about 100,000 people in the United States. The disease is caused by a mutation in the hemoglobin (Hb) beta gene located on chromosome 11. Such mutated Hb molecules stick to one another and cause red blood cells (RBC) assume a sickle or crescent shape. This shape in turn causes RBC to pile up, causing blockages and damaging vital organs and tissues. A part of the sequence of normal Hb allele is CCTGAGG, which happens to correspond to the restriction site of the enzyme MSTII (CCTNAG, where N can represent any of ATGC). In a genetic test determining SCD, DNA samples are digested with MSTII first and subsequently a Southern Blot can be conducted to identify the mutated allelic sequence. In our experiment, two parents wished to determine the odds of their child being affected by SCD. MSTII digested samples from both parents and child were run on a gel and a Southern Blot with non-isotopic detection was conducted. Our data shows that both parents were carriers of the disease (heterozygous, otherwise denoted as SCT) and their child had a normal genotype for the condition studied. Mendelian inheritance pattern revealed that there was a 25% probability that SCT parents can bear a child with normal genotype.

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MICROSCOPY OF CIPROFLOXACIN RESISTANT PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA STRAINS. Anna Liu, Jesus Batista, Olivia Walker, Vicente Ortiz, Divya Ishmael, and Monica Trujillo. Biological Sciences and Geology Department.

In many habitats, either natural or artificial, microorganisms attach themselves to surfaces, either abiotic or biotic, forming a complex matrix of biopolymers known as biofilm that protect them from hazards. Biofilms allow bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics and to phages. Surfaces such as human airways, implants, and human teeth allow certain pathogenic bacteria to form biofilms and cause severe bacterial infections that are difficult to treat due to the ability of biofilms to be resistant to antibiotics. To study biofilms, we used a chemostat, a tank that has fresh culture media constantly added while metabolic byproducts and old culture media is removed. Chemostats allow bacteria to constantly be in the exponential phase when the bacteria has been already adjusted to the new environment and begins to reproduce rapidly. In our research, we are using chemostat to study the resistance of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain, (FS11), to ciprofloxacin. Low concentrations of ciprofloxacin (cipro) were added to the chemostat to characterize antibiotic resistance evolution in biofilms. Cipro-resistant colonies were isolated and characterized.Our group used microscopy to differentiate cipro resistant mutants from the wild-type. Our results showed that cipro resistant mutants had an elongated morphology compared to the wild type. These results are supported by previous work done in Escherichia coli.

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DYNAMICS OF A PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA PHAGE. Allison Mapes, Erika Juarez, Leila Shanley, Sky Zheng, Alexander Tilas, and Monica Trujillo. Biological Sciences and Geology Department.

In many habitats, either natural or artificial, microorganisms attach themselves to surfaces, either abiotic or biotic, forming a complex matrix of biopolymers known as biofilm that protect them from hazards. Biofilms allow bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics and to phages. Surfaces such as human airways, implants, and human teeth allow certain pathogenic bacteria to form biofilms and cause severe bacterial infections that are difficult to treat due to the ability of biofilms to be resistant to antibiotics.To study biofilms, we used a chemostat, a tank that has fresh culture media constantly added while metabolic byproducts and old culture media is removed. Chemostats allow bacteria to constantly be in the exponential phase when the bacteria has been already adjusted to the new environment and begins to reproduce rapidly. Low concentrations of ciprofloxacin (cipro) were added to the chemostat to characterize antibiotic resistance evolution in biofilms. Cipro-resistant colonies were isolated and characterized. Our group looked into the dynamics of a filamentous phage integrated into the chromosome of our Pseudomonas strain. Plaque Assays were conducted to compare the extrusion of free Pf4 the wild type and the cipro-resistant mutants. Moreover, PCR and qPCR tests will be used to detect the presence of and quantify Pf4 prophages.

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HEAVY MINERAL CONCENTRATES IN SEDIMENT FROM LONG ISLAND: INSIGHTS INTO THE ORIGIN OF GLACIERS IN WESTERN LONG ISLAND. Olivia Ovide, Jalen Nicolas, and Rondi Davies. Biological Sciences and Geology Department.

New York State's geological history has been shaped substantially by ice glaciers, dating back to the Pleistocene Ice Age. A formation of glaciers passed through New York City and Long Island, leaving behind the numerous glacial landforms seen today. For example, Long Island consists of several distinct moraines, those being the Harbor Hill, Roanoke Point, and Ronkonkoma moraines. Our research is focused on five locations spanning the length of Long Island: Hither Hills, Green Port, Huntington, Caumsett, Oakland Lake. Our goal is to determine the proportions of heavy minerals (>2.7 gm/cm3) in glacier sand (250 125 microns) to identify their source rocks. Samples of undisturbed glacial sediment were collected, sorted by size using a sieve, cleaned using HCl acid, and separated by density using sodium polytungstate in order to isolate heavy minerals. At each location we sorted 500 grains and determined the proportions of mineral types in each sample. We measured compositions of representative grains with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Heavy mineral analysis allows us to research Long Islands geological past, giving insight into how sediments have traveled and past climate conditions. This can teach us much about the origin of the materials that make up the glaciers from the Pleistocene Age. The resulting data can give insight informing us about the direction of glacial movement.

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ANALYSIS OF DIMORPHIC ALU INSERTION AT THE PV92 LOCUS OF A SPECIFIC STUDENT COHORT. Giselle Vera and Sarbani Ghoshal. Biological Sciences and Geology Department.

Alu elements are short repetitive sequences of DNA and the most abundant transposable elements in humans and primates. Though initially thought to be parasitic or selfish DNA, Alu elements are now considered to be important genetic markers and can be used to trace ancestry. It is estimated that approx. 10.7% of human genome contains Alu sequences. Modern Alu elements are about 300bp (base pairs) in size. In humans, a dimorphic Alu insertion can be found at the PV92 locus of chromosome 16. An individual can be homozygous, heterozygous, or null for the presence of Alu at that locus. The present study was conducted by isolating DNA from cheek cells of students in the BI-453 Biotechnology class, to gain an insight into their ancestry. A set of primers were directed to the area surrounding the PV92 locus and the PCR product was run on a 2% agarose gel. Our results show that if the insertion was present on both chromosomes, one 700 bp band was visible on the gel and thus the individual was homozygous for presence of Alu at PV92 locus. Similarly, a heterozygous individual showed two specific bands at 700bp and 400bp. Individuals without any Alu sequence at PV92 locus were considered null genotype and showed one band of 400bp size. The PV92 Alu insertion was found to be most frequent in Asians and Hispanic students. Our findings shed light on the genetic variety and relatedness of individual students.

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THE SEARCH FOR THE OPTIMAL BID BY SELLERS IN ONLINE AD AUCTIONS: ANALYSIS OF EXPERIMENTAL DATA. Arafat Akon and Roumen Vragov. Business Department.

Many digital sales platforms list items for free but require a commission when a sale occurs, while others charge a listing fee or a fee based on the numbers of visits. Since it is hard to know in advance how much to pay to list an item, initially sellers often experiment until they find the optimal bid to participate. This process is free of losses under commission-based payment because the seller knows the item's cost, however, if payment is based on the number of exposures or visits(clicks) the process can involve losses. In a previous work we reported the design of a laboratory experiment with humans as subjects to investigate how the possibility of incurring losses affects sellers' optimization behavior. In this presentation we plan to report the various data analytics techniques we used to analyze the data generated by these experiments.

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PARTICIPATING IN THE ANNUAL FED CHALLENGE COMPETITION. Hyun Yu, Ali Syed, Meng Sun, and Roumen Vragov. Business Department.

The Fed Challenge is a competition organized by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Teams of students from colleges in New York State are invited to analyze and discuss current economic conditions and provide a recommendation for the monetary policy that the Federal reserve should adopt. More specifically students have to decide by how much the Federal Funds rate should be adjusted during the next meeting of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.We participated in the latest Fed Challenge and received an Honorable Mention. In this presentation we plan to discuss the competition's requirements, what we did to prepare, and what we learned by participating. We also plan to discuss how our economic forecast and recommendation has changed since the third quarter of last year by focusing our analysis on current GDP, unemployment, inflation, and labor market trends.

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COLLABORATIVE VISUALIZATION OF ARGUMENTS. ¹Thomas Romero, ¹Jovan Lema, ¹Reshawn Chaitram, ¹Shabik Sherchan, ¹Roumen Vragov, and ²Tanya Zhelezcheva. ¹Business Department, ²English Department.

During the Spring 2023 Semester while taking a CIS152 class we joined forces with students from an ENG 102 class to collaboratively design and implement a computer application that can assist a user in creating a visual argument map. We plan to present the results of our collaboration as well as share our experiences from working in teams on a interdisciplinary project from a CIS perspective.

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DEVELOPMENT OF AN OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE LABORATORY MANUAL FOR NONMAJORS CHEMISTRY AND THE ENVIRONMENT. Kevin Kolack. Chemistry Department.

The laboratory manual for CH111 (Chemistry and the Environment, a lab-science WI course for nonmajors) was formerly published by Pearson, but was out of print. In need of updating, Pearson returned copyright to the authors (Dr. Irina Rutenburg and Dr. Sharon Lall-Ramnarine). During the pandemic, Dr. Kevin Kolack began the process of updating and reformatting the lab manual as a fully ADA-compliant Open Educational Resource for distribution to students via the Queensborough Community College learning management system, Blackboard. The manual is complete, though with the new flexibility of "printing in house," further changes/updates are now easy to make. This presentation will describe the process of making this material OER and student feedback.

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EXPLORING THE PROPERTIES OF ETHER- AND THIOETHER-FUNCTIONALIZED IMIDAZOLIUM IONIC LIQUIDS. Ho Martin Yuen, Mehreen Mughal, and Sharon Lall-Ramnarine. Chemistry Department.

The growing global demand for energy gives rise to the need for safer, more efficient energy storage and process devices. Ionic liquids (ILs) hold the potential to enable superior alternative technological solutions for efficient energy systems. ILs are liquid salts at room temperature and their nanostructure can be tailored to optimize physical properties needed for different applications. However, their relatively high viscosity is a major obstacle to the use of ILs for certain applications. It contributes to slower charge transport and reduces the effectiveness of ILs as electrolytes. Previous research work from our group and collaborators has shown that the inter- and intramolecular interactions between ions and side chains with different lengths and functionalization influence the viscosities of imidazolium ILs. We report here on the synthesis and characterization of a series of alkyl-, ether-, and thioether-functionalized methyl and dimethyl imidazolium ILs with various anions. Target ILs were synthesized by reacting 1-methylimidazole or 1,2-dimethylimidazole with selected halogenated substituents followed by the metathesis with different fluorinated sulfonamide metal salts. The structures of the ILs were confirmed by ¹H, ¹⁹F, and ¹³C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Physical properties including conductivity, viscosity, and thermal profile will be discussed and compared. Preliminary results reveal that ether-functionalization leads to ILs with the lowest viscosity (EOEmim NTf₂: 46 cP @25 °C) compared to analogous thioether- (ESEmim NTf₂: 82 cP @25 °C) and alkyl-substituted (C₅mim NTf₂: 58 cP @25 °C) imidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide ILs. The results are expected to make important contributions to the design of ILs for large-scale applications. This work was supported by the CUNY Research Scholars Program (CRSP) at QCC. The work done at Brookhaven National Laboratory was supported in part by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Science, Geosciences and Biosciences, under contract # DE-SC0012704.

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EXPLORING THE PROPERTIES OF PYRROLIDINIUM THIOETHER IONIC LIQUIDS. Mehreen Mughal, Sharon Lall-Ramnarine, and Gopal Subramaniam. Chemistry Department.

Ionic liquids are receiving an upsurge of interest as green solvents, primarily due to their impactful applications in devices (for the production, storage, and efficient utilization of energy). They are considered safer alternative electrolytes in electrochemical devices, including rechargeable lithium cells, solar cells, and supercapacitors. However, their relatively high viscosities result in slower charge transport, limiting potential applications. It is established that substituting ether side chains in place of alkyl side chains attached to the cations, lower the viscosities of ILs. More recently, ILs with thioether-functionalized side chains have been attracting attention. However, data is largely missing from the literature on ILs with thioether chains covalently linked to the N atom of pyrrolidinium cation rings. We report here on the synthesis and characterization of a series of alkyl-, ether-, a nd thioether-functionalized pyrrolidinium ILs with different anions. Target ILs were synthesized by reacting N-methylpyrrolidine with respective halogenated thioethers, followed by metathesis with fluorinated sulfonamide metal salts. The structures of the ILs were confirmed using ¹H and ¹³C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Physical properties studied include density, thermal profile, viscosity, and conductivity. Preliminary results reveal that at 25 °C, pyrrolidinium NTf₂ ILs with five atom side chains containing ether groups have the lowest viscosity (EOEmPyrr NTf₂: 53 cP), compared to alkyl side chains (C₅mPyrr NTf₂: 90 cP) and thioether side chains (ESEmPyrr NTf₂: 171 cP). This work is part of a larger collaborative project where we seek to examine the atomistic origin of viscosity by comparing ILs with alkyl, ether, and thioether side chains. Results are expected to make influential contributions in the design of ILs, optimized for large scale use in energy storage devices such as batteries.

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ENCAPSULATION AND RELEASE OF FLUORESCEIN FROM POROUS POLY(O-TOLUIDINE) MICROSPHERES. Yen Yi Shak and David Sarno. Chemistry Department.

Porous polymer capsules are of interest for cargo loading and delivery and have biomedical and anticorrosion applications. We have previously developed a single surfactant water-in-oil-in-water double emulsion method that produces porous microspheres of poly(o-toluidine) (POT) and related polymers. Briefly, POT is dispersed in 1 M HCl containing o-toluidine (OT) as a surfactant, and addition of 4 M NH₄OH converts the granular polymer into porous microspheres. Our goal is to determine if soluble payloads can be encapsulated during sphere formation and subsequently released. Fluorescein was chosen as a model payload because its presence is easily detected under UV light. It was added to either the NH₄OH solution or the POT/OT-HCl dispersion prior to combining them, and SEM images verified typical sphere formation. After redispersing the dried capsules in 1 M NH₄OH, there is no fluorescence under UV illumination; however, after briefly sonicating the mixture, the solution fluoresces brightly, indicating the release of the fluorescein payload. Further characterization by FTIR and UV-Vis spectroscopy is underway. In addition to testing a range of polymer/payload ratios, we plan to determine if molecular weight of the fluorophore plays a role in its encapsulation.

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SYNTHESIS OF CYANINE DYES WITH DOUBLE ACTIVATION SITES. Chen Wu and Zhou Zhou. Chemistry Department.

Small organic fluorophores are powerful research tools in biological imaging that have enabled unprecedented insights into mechanisms of bio-functions. From tumor scanning in human patients to cell imaging in the research lab, to shooting real-time movies of living virus, small organic fluorophores have been extensively used as imaging probes or light sources in the life science and health industry. Among these fluorophores, cyanine dyes are one of the most widely studied owing to their photophysical properties and structural variety. In this presentation, we report the synthesis of a novel amino cyanine dye with built-in amino and carboxylic acid groups. It offers two orthogonal reactive groups, which would allow more choices in site-specific fluorescent labeling and healing agent coupling. This fluorophore also feature four sulfonic groups to improve its water solubility.

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POLYANILINE AS AN ADSORBENT FOR THE REMOVAL OF METAL CATIONS FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTION. Mariia Ihnatiuk and David Sarno. Chemistry Department.

Polyaniline (PANI) is a widely used conductive polymer with a variety of applications. This includes remediation of wastewater as the amine groups on the polymer backbone are reported to bind to certain metal cations. High surface area morphologies such as nanofibers can provide more active sites to interact with the ions; however, PANI dispersed in an aqueous solution may pollute the systems in which it is deployed. To avoid such contamination, we deposited PANI as thin films on glass microscope slides. These were immersed in aqueous copper (II) sulfate, and although PANI particles were kept out of the solution, no measurable amount of copper ion was detected in the polymer. More promising results have been obtained using aqueous dispersions of PANI nanofibers, which contain far more polymer. After stirring overnight with 0.1 M CuSO₄, preliminary energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) data indicated the presence of copper after washing and filtering the nanofibers. Higher concentrations of copper were observed in the neutral emeraldine base (PANI-EB) compared to the emeraldine salt (PANI-ES) whose cationic backbone may repel the metal cations. Shifts in the FTIR spectra further suggested interactions between PANI and Cu²⁺. The viability of PANI-EB and ES dispersions as adsorbents for Cu²⁺ will be determined over a range of concentrations via SEM, EDS, FTIR and UV-VIS. Our future plans include testing additional metal cations and also containing the dispersion in dialysis tubing to minimize losses to the environment.

CH-7

DEVELOPMENT OF IONIC LIQUID & SOLVATE IONIC LIQUID ELECTROLYTES FOR LOW TEMPERATURE LI-METAL BATTERIES. Elijah Bernard and Sharon Lall-Ramnarine. Chemistry Department.

Lithium-Ion batteries are used for energy storage in everyday electronics such as cellphones, and computers. However, the limited energy density capacity cannot keep up with advancing demands and there are safety concerns of the organic electrolytes within the batteries owing to their high flammability. We attempt to solve this issue by developing new electrolytes, containing a mixture of ionic liquids and lithium-based solvate ionic liquid complexes (SILs). Ionic liquids are molten salts below 100°C, which exhibit properties such as non-flammability, high conductivity and a wide electrochemical window. SILs are formed via mixing equimolar amounts of glymes with Li-salts, such as lithium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI). Further, ILs with ether side chains are expected to modify and interact with the SIL structure, leading to an improvement in the electrolyte's low temperature and electrochemical properties such as: remaining a liquid through a wider temperature range, maintaining a large electrochemical window (>5V) and higher conductivity. They demonstrate similar properties as ILs but offer higher Li⁺ concentration and better Li⁺ transport. In this work, SILs were mixed with pyrrolidinium based ILs containing various ether functionalized side chains. They were characterized for physical and electrochemical properties. Conductivity measurements were done via electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The phase transitions were measured from -85 °C to 120 °C using Differential Scanning Calorimetry. Lithium transport properties were determined by measuring the lithium transference number.

CTMP-1

THE D-14 INCIDENT: A SHORT FILM. Jacob Rubin, Eileen White, and Kahlil Garner. Communication, Theatre & Media Production.

Queensborough Film and Media Production students learn the creation and aesthetics of intermediate level video production in FMP 241 - Digital Media Field Production. There has been an incident in D-14. This is the report.

CTMP-2

2D TO 3D MODELING. Sade Alleyne and Jonathan Kilom. Communication, Theatre & Media Production.

Queensborough Theatre majors have the opportunity to work on advanced projects in technical theatre through co-curricular activities. In this presentation, theatre major Sade Alleyne will share their design and construction of a scaled scenic model inspired by Audrey II (Twoey) puppet from 'Little Shop of Horrors.' This is a culmination of research that began last semester when they created a smaller prototype. The original model was created with arts, crafts, and sculpting materials. This newer scaled model uses more typical stagecraft materials, including wood, metal, and foam.

CTMP-3

MY BEST FRIEND: A SHORT FILM. Luke Travers, Eileen White, and Kahlil Garner. Communication, Theatre & Media Production.

Queensborough Film and Media Production students learn the creation and aesthetics of video production in FMP 141 - Introduction to Digital Media Production. In Luke Travers' creepy short film, My Best Friend, sometimes you just need to talk to your best friend no matter what.

CTMP-4

PERFORMING THE WORLD OF WUNDERKAMMER. Chris Cortes, Sade Alleyne, C. Julian Jimenez, and Heather Huggins. Communication, Theatre & Media Production.

Queensborough Theatre produces live performances on campus every semester. Each production is a collaboration between students, faculty, and staff. For the Spring 2023 production, the community collaborated on a new work, 'Wunderkammer' by Francesa Pazniokas. Students in Actor's Workshop TH-122/222 conducted a multi-month research process into the play's given circumstances, including creating a character, and interpreting text. Students also collaborated with the playwright on this new work. For Spring Student Symposium, Chris Cortes (Kid) and Sade Alleyne (Dog Lady) will perform the final scene. Following the performance, they will reflect on their experience engaging with the themes of the play, including how their positionalities shape, challenge, and inform the creation of their characters.

CTMP-5

QUICKSAND: A SHORT FILM. Jenica Dela Cruz, Eileen White, and Kahlil Garner. Communication, Theatre & Media Production.

Queensborough Film and Media Production students learn the creation and aesthetics of intermediate level video production in FMP 241 - Digital Media Field Production. In Jenica Franz Dela Cruz's evocative short film, Quicksand, a young woman struggling with feelings of hopelessness deals with life the only way she knows, proving it's hard to be human.

CTMP-6

STAGE MANAGEMENT IN PRODUCTION. Rosa Gonzalez, C. Julian Jimenez, and Jess Kreisler. Communication, Theatre & Media Production.

Queensborough Theatre produces live performances on campus every semester. Each production is a collaboration between students, faculty, and staff. Queensborough Theatre majors have the opportunity to serve in leadership roles on the production team. In this presentation, Rosa Gonzalez will share her experience in technical theatre, serving as stage manager for the Spring 2023 Theatre Program production 'Wunderkammer.' This research is the culmination of two current classes: Stage Management (TH-235) and Production Practicum (TH-132). Rosa will discuss navigating interpersonal communication, including being a liaison between the cast and the director and collaborating with peers, faculty, staff, and guest designers on the production team. She will also share about creating a prompt book to "call the show," including a live demonstration. Finally, she will reflect on the impact that the experience has had on her personal development.

CTMP-7

THE HACKER: A SHORT FILM. Naveed Bhuiyan, Eileen White, and Kahlil Garner. Communication, Theatre & Media Production.

Queensborough Film and Media Production students learn the creation and aesthetics of intermediate level video production in FMP 241 - Digital Media Field Production. In Naveed Bhuiyan's action-packed short film, The Hacker, a hacker bites off a bit more than he can chew.

CTMP-8

THE POWER OF GO: LIGHT BOARD OPERATION. Brittni Galindo and Jonathan Kilom. Communication, Theatre & Media Production.

Queensborough Theatre produces live performances on campus every semester. Each production is a collaboration between students, faculty, and staff. Queensborough Theatre majors have the opportunity to serve in leadership roles on the production team. Brittni Galindo will recount her experience as light board operator for the Theatre program's Spring 2023 production of 'Wunderkammer.' She will discuss her experience working with professional lighting designer, Christopher Wong, and her classmate and Stage Manager, Rosa Gonzalez. The presentation will also include a live demonstration. Finally, she will reflect on the impact that the experience has had on her personal development. This research is the culmination of two current classes: Stage Management (TH-235) and Production Practicum II (TH-232).

CTMP-9

WHAT'S HAPPENING: NEWS SEGMENT. Usman Ali Chohan, Eileen White, and Kahlil Garner. Communication, Theatre & Media Production.

Queensborough Film and Media Production students learn the theory and practice of television production in FMP 342 - Television Studio Production. From trouble in the subway to Comic Con 2022, Usman Ali Chohan's news program, What's Happening, covers a wide range of issues and stories facing New York City.

CTMP-10

WHERE I'M FROM: A SHORT DOCUMENTARY. Ajani Hunt, Eileen White, and Kahlil Garner. Communication, Theatre & Media Production.

Queensborough Film and Media Production students learn the creation and aesthetics of intermediate level video production in FMP 241 - Digital Media Field Production. Ajani Hunt's moving documentary, Where I'm From, is a wonderful homage to the Bronx.

CTMP-11

YOU HAVE ME: A SHORT FILM. Adrian Casado, Eileen White, and Kahlil Garner. Communication, Theatre & Media Production.

Queensborough Film and Media Production students learn the creation and aesthetics of video production in FMP 141 - Introduction to Digital Media Production. In Adrian Casado's psychological thriller, You Have Me, a happy couple turns out to be neither happy nor a couple.

ET-1

WEB TECHNOLOGY OER WEBSITE. Huixin Wu. Engineering Technology Department.

This OER material is intended for use as the first level of web technology development. It focuses on the skills needed to build, maintain, and administrate a website. At the beginning of the courses, students will learn how to construct and test code in different web technology such as HTML, HTML5, CSS, CSS3, and CSS framework. The OER material is separated into four chapters (Web Technology, HTML Basic, CSS3 Essential, and Bootstrap 5) and two supporting chapters (Publishing Website and Resource Communities. Each chapter has its learning outcomes, support materials, and some chapters have support videos. The support materials are downloadable and are in .pdf format. The OER material also has activities on HTML, CSS, and Bootstrap5. The activities are carried out as a complement to the learning of each chapter. Most of the activity have an activity description and an exemplary video. At the end of this OER website is the projects section. The projects are intended to test how students can link what they learned from the chapters and build a project from scratch. Each project has a description of the project, how the project will be graded (rubrics), and samples of work done by previous students.

ET-2

3D PRINTING: A COST-EFFECTIVE BUT TIME-CONSUMING RESOURCE FOR ENTRY-LEVEL ENGINEERS. Matthew Smith and Huixin Wu. Engineering Technology Department.

Designing and prototyping in engineering proves costly and time-consuming for creators. 3D printing aids creators in lowering the cost-of-entry into creating and prototyping. Using 3D printing, the current project sought to make a mobile robotic arm with Mecanum wheels, printed with polylactic acid (PLA) plastic. The robot is controlled by an Arduino and Bluetooth receiver and is powered by two lithium-ion batteries. It utilizes line sensors to follow a lined path and utilizes ultrasonic sensors to avoid obstacles. The project began by determining the best overall design to be used for the mobile robotic arm from the models designed. The best overall design was then 3D printed with the aid from the 3D Printing Lab at Queensborough Community College's Engineering Department. The 3D printed parts were sanded and painted, and a rubber coating was applied to the rollers for the Mecanum wheels. An Arduino board circuit was installed on the 3D printed robot along with four DC motors, line sensors, and ultrasonic sensors. A smartphone application by Arduino was used to control the robot wirelessly. It was found that although 3D printing can be a cost-effective tool to design and prototype in engineering, it takes a significant amount of time to 3D print prototypes. Therefore, entry-level creators should consider the costs and benefits of 3D printing.

EN-1

LOVE ACROSS CLASS LINES IN PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND WUTHERING HEIGHTS. Ameera Samiha and Matthew Lau. English Department.

In Professor Lau's Introduction to Literature class, we read the classic romantic-comic novel Pride and Prejudice (1813). The theme for Matt's class overall is growing up in the modern world and learning to think for yourself. We looked at Pride and Prejudice and its charismatic hero, Lizzy Bennett, from this perspective. Lizzy falls in love, almost by accident, with a man significantly above her station in life. He is first taken with her because she challenges him and she assumes they are equals. To marry him she must defy the wishes of one of his nearest relatives, his cruel and selfish aunt. I was taken by the class dimension of this love story, and Matt suggested I also read another classic love story of love-across-class-lines: Wuthering Heights (1847). I will compare both novels using this theme of falling in love despite a class barrier to the marriage. I will also discuss how gender plays a role in the different endings of each love story.

EN-2

THE GROWTH OF THE INDIVIDUAL IN THE SHORT NOVELS OF VOLTAIRE: ZADIG WITH AND AGAINST CANDIDE.. Philip Park and Matthew Lau. English Department.

In Professor Lau's Introduction to Literature class, the primary theme we used to study literature was coming of age in the modern world by learning to think for yourself. The very first text we read was Voltaire's Candide (1759), which follows the young hero Candide as he discovers things are not always for the best in a series of comical and sometimes violent adventures. I had never read a book like this and enjoyed its fast pace and dark humor. Professor Lau suggested I read Voltaire's similar short novel written about a decade prior: Zadig (1747). This novel is less comic and is set in Ancient Babylon rather than in Voltaire's own time, but in other ways it resembles Candide or differs from it interesting ways. My talk will explore the main themes of each book, including love and optimism, fate and chance, and how free-thinking threatens the government.

EN-3

HEALING FROM COVID THROUGH REFLECTION, ARTS AND CRAFTS: COMMUNITY BUILDING WITH HARPER'S THE BEAUTY IN BREAKING. Ilse Schrynemakers, Tanya Zhelezcheva, and Charissa Che. English Department.

This presentation shares the process of putting together a Common Read event for students enrolled in English 99, English 101, and English 102. Three faculty members created an "Arts and Crafts" workshop, inspired by the reference to kintsugi in Michele Harper's The Beauty in Breaking. The presentation will present the event's conceptualization, the scaffolded activities presented to students, and faculty reflections on those activities. The pandemic impacted all aspects of life, and its trauma has yet to be recognized, validated, and addressed locally and globally. Harper's memoir acknowledges and affirms the healing potential of traumatic experiences and their transformative effects on self and community. A healing process that prioritizes creating spaces for self-awareness leads to self-advocacy, empathy, and positive social change, all of which Harper models in her book. The Japanese art of kintsugi captures the different phases of healing from trauma and the conceptual reorientation such recovery entails: the practice of abandoning broken pottery due to imperfections is replaced by learning to read the imperfections as the artifact's history and uniqueness. Building on the concepts of kintsugi and healing spaces, this Common Read event was structured in stages. First, students wrote reflections on the pandemic. Students voluntarily sharing these reflections. Next, students were invited to vividly visualize the brokenness caused by the pandemic by ripping up these reflections (written on the colorful pieces of paper). The final stage consisted of students working towards communal healing: each table created one collage from the broken-torn pieces. Next, students focused on individual healing; each student created a personal collage onto pre-printed pottery silhouettes.. In the end, the healing space honored individual groups of students and the venue: faculty photographed students with their collective and individual collages.

EN-4

CONSIDERING STATE VIOLENCE IN LA HAINE AND WALTER BENJAMIN'S CRITIQUE OF VIOLENCE. River Fleischner and Matthew Lau. English Department.

My paper will discuss one of the fundamental themes from Professor Lau's Introduction to Literature: when is violence justified? Professor Lau had us read Voltaire's classic short, coming-of-age novel Candide (1759). He had us study it in comparison with the contemporary classic, coming-of-age dramedy from France, Mathieu Kassovitz's film La Haine (1995). Both stories focus of the difficulties young people face in modern times. My presentation will focus on La Haine's criticisms of police brutality and its suggestions about how young people of color living in Parisian banlieues might defend themselves. I will connect the film's depictions of unjustified police violence to the philosopher Walter Benjamin's consideration of different ways of responding to injustice in his famed essay, Critique of Violence. Both Benjamin and Kassovitz address the question: when do the people have the right to fight back?

PE-1

WHO AM I. Zarina Medwinter and Nicole McClam. Health, Physical Education, and Dance Department.

"Who am I" is about finding myself through my journey, creating my own pathway leading to my future, finding what is important to me and loving who I am as a person.

PE-2

HIGH IMPACT PRACTICE: GLOBAL DIVERSITY LEARNING PROJECT IMPLICIT BIAS IN HEALTHCARE. Rezan Akpinar. Health, Physical Education, and Dance Department.

Implicit bias refers to unconscious attitudes or stereotypes that individuals hold toward certain groups of people. In healthcare, implicit bias has been identified as a key factor contributing to health disparities. These disparities refer to differences in access to healthcare, health outcomes, and quality of care experienced by different population groups. As an ongoing project in my massage therapy classes, students work on a Global Diversity Project that aims to identify and address implicit bias in healthcare. The project involves a thorough examination of how implicit bias contributes to healthcare disparities, particularly regarding the experiences of marginalized communities. By recognizing and addressing implicit bias in healthcare, massage therapy students aim to promote greater equity and inclusivity in the healthcare system. This project highlights the importance of ongoing efforts to address implicit bias in healthcare and the need for greater awareness and education around this issue. During our presentation, we will examine how the project has evolved from traditional in-person classes to an online format. This online approach ensures that class time is utilized efficiently while providing students with the opportunity to develop their skills in navigating the asynchronous aspects of the class. By familiarizing them with online settings, students are better equipped to work and learn in virtual environments.

PE-3

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE HIGH IMPACT PRACTICE: GLOBAL AND DIVERSITY IN LEARNING, IN THE UNDERGRADUATE CLASS HEALTH BEHAVIOR AND SOCIETY DURING SPRING 2023. PROGRESS REPORT.. Jonggu Moon. Health, Physical Education, and Dance Department.

After completing training in HIP GDL in the Fall of 2022, I began its implementation in the Queensborough Community College class He102 Health Behavior and Society in the Spring of 2023. It is an entry-level class on personal health concepts. For their individual term paper, the students will consider the resistance among some members of the public against scientific and medical recommendations. The student will find one such contrarian viewpoint from an author from outside the United States. The student will seek to understand this other point of view by studying the reasoning and motivations of the author(s) and restating them in the student's own words. The class has completed the first phase of the GDL portion involving a pre-survey and class discussion forum. Their chosen article and outline is due April 16 with the final paper due May 7. A post-survey is due May 14. The presentation will include aggregated results of the pre-survey, discussions, and a list of students' chosen articles.

PE-4

UR IN THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES PROMOTES DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION. ¹Aviva Geismar, ²Heather Huggins, and ²Jodi Van Der Horn-Gibson. ¹Health, Physical Education, and Dance Department, ²Communication, Theatre & Media Production.

At QCC, Undergraduate Research (UR) continues to expand beyond traditional STEM disciplines. This expansion reflects, aligns with, and builds upon QCC's 5-year strategic plan to strengthen equity and inclusion on campus. In this presentation, QCC Arts and Humanities faculty will share their research in the classroom (RIC) projects. The expansion of these experiential learning strategies involves more students and different students than previous undergraduate research in STEM. The projects also add distinct methodologies and forms of research to the campus community, expanding access to reflexive research. The projects engage culturally responsive pedagogy, valuing distinct ways of being, knowing, and doing. In Choreography I, Geismar mentors students in the creation of original dances and in viewing and responding to each other's works. This fosters a liberatory environment in which students are the authorities about their own and each other's developing works. In Voice and Speech for the Actor, Huggins supports students as they learn to interpret text into performance. The unique voice of each student is celebrated, uplifting the linguistic diversity inherent in the campus community, and disrupting enforcement of prestige dialects. In Film Elements, Van Der Horn-Gibson's students develop an active film vocabulary and achieve critical perspectives of U.S. history and cinema. Students choose media texts to compare, while also reflecting on their own perspectives and experiences, along with the contexts in which those perspectives develop. Faculty will also reflect on their experiences transforming their pedagogical approach to include more ways of being, knowing, and doing, as well as cultivating a community of support within and beyond the HIPs community.

PE-5

ROLE OF MASSAGE THERAPY ON POST-COVID SYNDROME. HA100 Students and Rezan Akpinar. Health, Physical Education, and Dance Department.

Post-Covid syndrome, also known as long-Covid, refers to a set of symptoms that persist beyond the initial acute phase of Covid-19 infection. The symptoms associated with post-Covid syndrome can impact various bodily systems, including the respiratory, cardiovascular, and nervous systems. These symptoms can lead to serious outcomes such as dyspnea, lung fibrosis, arrhythmias, palpitations, hypotension, increased heart rate, venous thromboembolic disease, myocarditis, and acute heart failure. Additionally, less severe outcomes such as fatigue, loss of taste and smell, anxiety, depression, and musculoskeletal pain may occur. As part of their semester-long research project, the HA 100 Foundations of Massage Therapy class students identified and conducted a limited literature review to investigate the impact of massage therapy on these symptoms. However, since there is a lack of research studying the effects of massage therapy on post-covid syndrome, the students drew upon previous research done on similar symptoms to argue for further research. The findings of their research will be presented in a poster presentation.

PE-6

DANCE AS A THERAPEUTIC TOOL: HOW TO GET BALLET OUT OF ITS OWN WAY. Shelli Ligonde and Nicole McClam. Health, Physical Education, and Dance Department.

Most people fail to fully realize their maximum range of motion, an issue that oftentimes presents opportunity for injury. Though dancers, athletes and the like would seemingly be immune to this issue, they may be even more susceptible. As such, I've been researching the ideal qualities of training that offer improved functional mobility. Ballet continuously presented itself as "the answer," but there are a number of social factors that make Ballet a difficult sell. In this presentation, I will offer the results of my continuing research through both lecture and demonstration to share the therapeutic applications of dance, particularly Ballet, and some potential solutions for "getting Ballet out of it's own way" as a social stigma to offer functional mobility practices to the athlete, dancer and 9-5er alike.

PE-7

FOR THE ONES WE LOST. Vanessa Whyte and Nicole McClam. Health, Physical Education, and Dance Department.

This Dance is Dedicated to the ones we love and lost but will never forget. Daisy, Devin, Jeannette, Ko-won, Q, Rice, Vaneska, Sean, and Steve. Thank you for everything. Dancers: Amaya Thompson, Bridget Chirinos, Nya Browne, Nyale Mabry, Quincy Vincent, Vanessa Whyte

PE-8

LETTING US GO. Bridget Chirinos and Aviva Geismar. Health, Physical Education, and Dance Department.

This original piece of choreography portrays the impact of an abusive relationship. The dancer is manipulated and tries to escape, despite the fact that abusive relationships are all she knows.

PE-9

HEALTH EDUCATION AND HEALTH PROMOTION IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS. Valerie Muse, Mariana Ramirez, and Parisa Assassi. Health, Physical Education, and Dance Department.

Health education is important for acquiring essential health knowledge and strengthening attitudes, beliefs, and practice skills needed to maintain healthy behaviors throughout life. Health education is a critical factor used throughout public health interventions to promote the health of all individuals, especially children, and adolescents. In this study, we plan to examine the effectiveness of health promotion for children and adolescent students. We will conduct a needs and capacity assessment of the students at the Parson Community After School Center in Queens to develop a specific health education and promotion program plan. Before the intervention, the students will be divided into intervention and control groups and given a pre-survey questionnaire. Students will then be presented with two 60-minute oral educational presentations. After, the students will complete a post-survey questionnaire to see the effectiveness of our health education and promotion program in these adolescents. A T-Test will be conducted and interpreted to compare the results of both groups. We predict our intervention will improve students' knowledge and attitudes toward health issues. Future works aim to present our results in a presentation.

PE-10

LEARNING THROUGH STUDENT LENS: INTERPROFESSIONAL EDUCATION (IPE) SIMULATION IN HEALTH SCIENCES EDUCATION. ¹Valerie Muse, ¹Parisa Assassi, and ²Susan Riekert. ¹Health, Physical Education, and Dance Department, ²Nursing Department.

Productive and successful patient care depends on the teamwork of multidisciplinary healthcare professionals. Although, the healthcare field needs more education and practice in enhanced team-based care of patients to avoid challenges, which include lack of accountability, conflict management, decision-making, and progress report reflections, resulting in poor patient health outcomes. The World Health Organization defines interprofessional education (IPE) as students from different disciplines collaborating and learning about, from, and with each other to develop effective healthcare teams and improve health outcomes. The Interprofessional Education Collaborative states that interprofessional education aims to teach students values/ethics of interprofessional practice, roles/responsibilities, interprofessional communication, and groups and teamwork within the healthcare field amongst different disciplines. In Spring 2023, the CUNY Health & Human Services Program and the Queensborough Community College held two virtual and in-person IPE sessions focused on in-patient, patient safety, community-based, and public health case scenarios. Faculty facilitators assisted student participants through team grand rounds, discussions, huddles, and debriefs. In addition, students were instructed on Implicit Bias in the Clinical Setting and health disparities before the sessions. In this study, we will evaluate and reflect on the effectiveness of IPE sessions in public health education and the impact of IPE through a student participant lens, who will share thoughts, reactions, and educational learning experiences.

*KHC-1

KHC COLLECTIONS RESEARCH - ACCESSIBLE LIBRARY AND TRANSPARENT ARCHIVE PROJECT. Alexia Bin Wang, Marisa Hollywood, and Laura Cohen. Kupferberg Holocaust Center.

In this presentation, KHC Curatorial Fellow Alexia Wang shares her role in developing an accessible library and a transparent archive collection management system in a Post-COVID era. To improve the accessibility of its library, the KHC is continuing to digitize and upgrade its video collections on Holocaust history. While preserving, protecting, and digitizing the archival materials of the KHC, Alexia Wang has developed comprehensive reports for collection management and scholarly research. Illustrating the skills of museum registration and preservation, this presentation shares the interesting works behind the scenes.

*KHC-2

KHC EXHIBITION RESEARCH - CONCENTRATION CAMP JACKET. Seraya Titley and Marisa Hollywood. Kupferberg Holocaust Center.

In this presentation, KHC Student Intern Seraya Titley discusses the process of being a curatorial intern during the Spring 2023 semester and how it relates to her study of art and design. Titley will explore her research on an artifact - a concentration camp prisoner jacket currently on display at the KHC. She will discuss its significance in the history of the Holocaust, and why she interested in learning more about it.

*KHC-3

KHC EXHIBITION RESEARCH - HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR TESTIMONIES. Guadalupe Mesa Ruiz and Marisa Hollywood. Kupferberg Holocaust Center.

In this presentation, KHC Student Intern Guadalupe Mesa Ruiz discusses the process of being a curatorial intern during the Spring 2023 semester. Ruiz explores research she conducted into Holocaust survivor testimonies that the KHC produced and that are featured as part of their exhibition, "The Concentration Camps: Inside the Nazi System of Incarceration and Genocide." Here she shares one survivor's story and explains how it impacted her.

MA-1

STATISTICAL METHODS FOR COLLECTING DATA ON DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN HEALTH RESEARCH AND PRACTICE. Venessa Singhroy. Mathematics and Computer Science Department.

There is a dearth of teaching datasets with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in public health practice and research on human health . Such datasets would be an invaluable resource, as they offer students "hands on" training in exploring the effects of racism on health using real data, and in ensuring DEI in study design, data analysis, and reporting. The following presentation proposes methods of collection that could be used to construct such a data set with an emphasis on "rich" variable types, which allow for multiple types of statistical analyses.

MA-2

USING SERIES TO FIND SOLUTIONS TO DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS. Martina Hove and Carolyn King. Mathematics and Computer Science Department.

How can we model the spread of COVID, the unequal distribution of wealth, and the behavior of electric and magnetic fields? Differential Equations (DE's) prove to be very important in creating models of real-world situations. Initial value DE's, especially those that represent real-world applications can often be analyzed by computing the higher derivatives of the unknown function. This research began with the use of series and the computer algebra system MAPLE to find solutions to DE's. We then focused on DE's that model the launch of rockets.

MA-3

THE PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION OF N-SIDED DICE SUM. Xiaolin Huang and Wenjian Liu. Mathematics and Computer Science Department.

In this project, we explore a dice problem, the polyhedra of n faces that are numbered by the positive integers {1, 2,..., n}. A dice is rolled repeatedly and summed. We are interested in the probability that the sum will ever be a given value x, and the expected number of rolls until the sum satisfies some condition, such as the expected time of rolls to hit or pass a given number x. We 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.

MA-4

END-TO-END DATA TRANSFER THROUGHPUT PREDICTION IN THE CLOUD USING NEURAL NETWORKS. Arafat Akon and Esma Yildirim. Mathematics and Computer Science Department.

Prediction of end-to-end data transfer throughput of cloud networks plays an important role in several applications such as cloud resource utilization, replica selection, and load balancing of requests. However, the constant short-term variations in cloud networks makes the prediction of end-to-end data transfer throughput a very challenging task. There are promising results from the use of neural networks, but the datasets are limited and only measure memory-to-memory transfers where end-system parameters such as I/O bandwidth and CPU utilization are not considered as part of the problem. In this research project, we have collected multi-variate time series data to develop prediction models using neural networks such as Multi-level Perceptrons (MLPs), Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs), and Long Short-term Memory Networks (LSTMs). The data was collected using a cloud monitoring service (CloudWatch) in Amazon Web Services cloud from computing (EC2), object storage (S3) and block storage (EBS) services. Using boto3 library of Python, we collected the data in JSON format for each data transfer we conducted between S3 and EC2 services and transformed them to store in a NoSQL Database Service (DynamoDB) as individual table items. These datasets were later used as input to the neural network models. From a group of CloudWatch metrics data, we focused more on the NetworkIn (# of bytes received at the network interface) and VolumeWriteBytes (#bytes received at the disk) as a measure of data transfer throughput and calculated mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) for our different neural network models. For the NetworkIn metric, we have observed that the CNN model has the least MAPE (~3.5%). On the other hand, the RNN model has the least MAPE (~6%) and provides better accuracy for the VolumeWriteBytes metric compared with other models.

MA-5

COMPARING DIFFERENT CROSS VALIDATION TECHNIQUES FOR CLASSIFICATION PROBLEMS IN FINANCE. Sean He and Yusuf Danisman. Mathematics and Computer Science Department.

Machine learning models can be used to achieve better stock market direction predictions on unseen (new) data. One of the main steps of building a machine learning model is to evaluate the performance of a model in a robust way to avoid failure in the prediction of unseen data. Cross validation is a very common method to check the generalization (learning) performance of a model by repeatedly splitting the training data into folds and building a model for each split. Because of the nature of the financial data and being a time series, regular cross validation methods do not work well for stock data. For instance, it is not proper to use future data to predict past data. In the literature, there are various cross validation methods that have been offered for robust evaluation of the time series. In this project, different cross validation techniques will be compared by using various classification machine learning algorithms including Support Vector Classifier, Logistic regression and XGBoost Classifier for stock data.

MA-6

PREDICTING STUDENT SUCCESS IN COLLEGE ALGEBRA CLASSES USING MACHINE LEARNING. Yuanhong Yu and Akcay Ozkan Zeynep. Mathematics and Computer Science Department.

Algebra is a gateway course for STEM majors with large enrollment and low passing rates. We analyze the factors which contribute to student success in College Algebra (MA 119) courses at Queensborough Community College. Characteristics and grades of over two thousand students who were enrolled in College Algebra courses between the years 2017 and 2021 are analyzed. Among the students' characteristics being studied are age, gender, ethnicity, grade point averages, placement exam scores, total number of credits received prior to enrollment, and number of attempts made on College Algebra. The course modalities include online, hybrid or in-person. Using powerful data science tools with the Python programming language, we identify the factors that contribute to students' success. We share visual representations that show correlations between students' features and grades. Using supervised machine learning models, we predict whether students pass or fail based on these features. The models used include K-Nearest Neighbor, Decision Tree, Support Vector Machines, Naive Bayes, Random Forest, and Logistic Regression algorithms. We evaluate and compare the accuracy of the models using Jaccard index and F1-scores. Our initial analysis showed that students older than age 22, female students and students from Asian or Pacific Islander origin tend to perform better compared to their peers. There was no correlation between first-generation college status and student grades. Positive correlation between students' GPA and performance in this course was also observed. After comparing all the models, Logistic regression produced the best prediction in predicting student success in college algebra courses. The results of this study can be utilized by the college administration to make predictions about student success in College Algebra courses to be able to provide better advisement to incoming students regarding course selection.

MA-7

COMPARING DIFFERENT CROSS VALIDATION TECHNIQUES FOR REGRESSION PROBLEMS IN FINANCE. Maximillan Yam and Yusuf Danisman. Mathematics and Computer Science Department.

Machine learning algorithms play an important role in many fields including stock market predictions. One of the main steps of building a machine learning model is to evaluate the performance of a model in a robust way to avoid failure in the prediction of unseen data. Cross validation is a very common method to check the generalization (learning) performance of a model by repeatedly splitting the training data into folds and building a model for each split. Because of the nature of the financial data and being a time series, regular cross validation methods do not work well for stock data. For instance, it is not proper to use future data to predict past data. In the literature, there are various cross validation methods that have been offered for robust evaluation of the time series. In this project, different cross validation techniques will be compared by using various regression machine learning algorithms including Support Vector Machine Regressor, Linear Regression, Ridge, Lasso and XGBoost Regressor for stock data.

MA-8

EFFECT OF PERFORMANCE MEASURES ON BACK TESTING. Feruz Zohidov, Lei Han, and Yusuf Danisman. Mathematics and Computer Science Department.

Stock market prediction strategies are complex and depend on many different features including technical, nontechnical, and global ones. In recent years, different Machine Learning techniques have been used to predict direction or value of the stock prices. The objective for this project is to compare different metrics that are used to measure the performance of the Machine Learning models. In particular, the effect of performance measures on backtesting (testing the predictive model) is examined.

MA-9

THE GEOMETRY OF EINSTEIN-ROSEN WAVES. Hiba Ouadii and Andrew Bulawa. Mathematics and Computer Science Department.

Einstein-Rosen waves are a special case of general relativity under the assumption of symmetry conditions which reduce the standard four-dimensional framework of space-time to three-dimensions. In this framework, the Einstein equations are reduced to three relatively simple partial differential equations, one of which is the axisymmetric wave equation in just two variables. We will use tools from calculus and differential equations and perform numerical approximations of solutions to the wave equation to draw conclusions about the geometry of spacetime in this special setting.

MU-1

THE MUSIC INDUSTRY AND WOMEN IN AUDIO: TRANSFORMING TOMORROW TODAY. Camila Delgado and Svjetlana Bukvich. Music Department.

How is gender constructed in the recording studio? What is artist representation in the music industry? Why are there so little women working 'behind the scenes' as music producers, music supervisors, executive producers, sound engineers, sound mixers, and heads of artists and repertoire (A&R)?The presentation focuses on the rapidly changing music industry and the practical techniques and methods for promotion, legal representation, and monetization of musical content, with special regard to women working in audio and the way in which they can be successfully branded.The branding pitch consists of three elements: a story, a 2D picture, and a 30-seconds video. The goal was to create an effective pitch that can be used to 'sell' a female audio specialist to a record label, publishing company, music industry investor, publicist, agent, and manager. This project was created as part of Music Department's MUS-201 The Business of Music course.

MU-2

ELECTROACOUSTIC SOUNDTRACK TO AN ANIMATION. Joshua Guzman and Svjetlana Bukvich. Music Department.

The purpose of the project was to score a soundtrack to a visual in the form of an abstract animation accompanied with electroacoustic sound. Logic Pro audio software was used to execute the project. The student, Joshua Guzman, edited a standard MIDI file provided by the professor and assigned patches (sounds) to the tracks. The editing of MIDI data employed copying, pitch shifting, cutting, pasting, quantization and velocity attenuation. Joshua then added original MIDI and audio components to the piece utilizing basic concepts in sound synthesis along with track automation, emulating an orchestra. In addition to plug-in automation, the Master Fader's Pan, Delays, Volume, Pitch bend, and Mutes were also automated. The project showcases how the application of live plug-in track automation can dictate the dramaturgy of a soundtrack and make it hyper responsive to an abstract visual. Additionally, the project demonstrates an understanding of the architecture of electronic keyboards, and of fundamental concepts related to computer systems, digital audio, MIDI, sound synthesis, sound effects processing, and mixing and mastering. This project was created as part of Music Production's MP-102 Digital Music Sequencing course.

NU-1

BARRIERS TO HAND HYGIENE COMPLIANCE: A LITERATURE REVIEW 2020-2023. Zennova Davis, Veena Harilall, and Georgina Colalillo. Nursing Department.

Issue: Hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers continues to be problematic and averages about 50% across hospitals nationwide. Poor hand hygiene practices contribute to healthcare-associated infections (HAI) resulting in prolonged hospital stays, disability, antibiotic resistance, increased mortality, and high healthcare costs. There is a need to re-examine handwashing compliance and patterns post-pandemic and to understand nurses' perceptions of the contributing factors to the low hand hygiene rates. Description: A limited literature research was done using the databases of ProQuest, CINAHL, and PubMed for articles 2019-2023. The STAR-ICU study dataset was also reviewed. Results: Hand hygiene compliance was significantly higher among nurses than physicians and other healthcare workers. High patient workload and understaffing (51%) were the main reasons for handwashing non-compliance. The percentage of hand hygiene opportunities performed by nurses and healthcare workers increased significantly with increased patient load and complexity of tasks resulting in an overall decrease in hand hygiene compliance. In addition, compliance associated with isolation precautions decreased as the workload increased. Conclusion: Addressing understaffing and patient workload and making environmental modifications that allow easy access to hand hygiene opportunities and practices may improve hand hygiene compliance. Further studies on the barriers and facilitators of hand hygiene compliance are needed to ensure patient safety.

NU-2

THE NECESSITY OF EARLY INTERVENTION OF CPR AND DEFIBRILLATION FOR THE RETURN OF SPONTANEOUS CIRCULATION. Aslim Amile, Tiffany Beau, Daria Gregory, Santos Ramos, Dominique Wu, Philip Nelan, Jessica Prepetit, Michelle Rossi, and Christine Pagano. Nursing Department.

Issue: It is estimated that only 7 out of 100 people will survive a cardiac arrest outside of the hospital setting. Over time, research and practice have established the importance of early initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Recent studies demonstrated that initiation of CPR within three minutes increases the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and survival rates while a delay of more than five minutes results in adverse outcomes. In January 2023, NFL safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field and survived due to early initiation of CPR with the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED). A literature review examined the effectiveness of early CPR and the use of an (AED) for effective patient survival rates and outcomes. Description: This systematic search and limited literature review was conducted using CINAHL, ProQuest, and Medline databases to examine scholarly articles published between 2018-2023. Keywords used included CPR, defibrillation, early intervention, return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), survival rate, neurological impact. Results included systematic reviews, quantitative and qualitative studies. Results: Key findings indicate that early initiation of CPR and defibrillation to ROSC significantly improves the survival rate for the patient and lowers the risks of permanent neurological impact in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA). Early CPR is associated with slower deterioration of good neurological outcome and survival discharge. Conclusions and Recommendations: In the U.S., failure to perform CPR results in over 356,000 OHCA annually with an estimated 90% fatality rate. Cardiac arrest continues to be a public health emergency, demonstrating a need for increased awareness of early CPR benefits. Performing CPR and using an AED within three to five minutes of cardiac arrest will increase the chance of a patient's survival by 100%.

NU-3

BARRIERS TO USE OF BASAL-BOLUS INSULIN THERAPY FOR INPATIENT, NONCRITICAL, ADULT TYPE 2 DIABETES PATIENTS: A LIMITED LITERATURE REVIEW. Corinne Vizconde and Randelle Sasa. Nursing Department.

In 2019, the American Diabetes Association estimated 37.3 million Americans have diabetes mellitus. As much as 95% of diabetes cases are type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Inpatient care of T2DM patients typically involve use of insulin for better glycemic control. Among insulin modalities, there is evidence to support that basal-bolus insulin therapy is superior to sliding-scale insulin in preventing hyperglycemia. Nonetheless, use of sliding-scale insulin therapy persists despite studies and treatment guidelines that discourage its use. This led the proponents to conduct a limited literature review, with the aim of answering the following question: "What are the barriers to use of the basal-bolus insulin for inpatient, noncritical, adulty type 2 diabetes patients?" Eight articles were included in this review. Some of the barriers identified in the literature include: (1) fear of hypoglycemic episodes, (2) underutilization of treatment guidelines and order sets, (3) concurrent use of oral hypoglycemic agents, (4) provider preference, and (5) lack of endocrinology consultation. Findings indicate a need for more education and multidisciplinary approaches to ensure use of basal-bolus insulin therapy.

PH-1

QUASI-STARS IN SIMULATIONS. Matthew Fennell and Jillian Bellovary. Physics Department.

Quasi-stars are star-like formations consisting of a black hole encased in an "envelope" of gas. Formation requires very specific conditions, namely, the gas must be atomic hydrogen and helium with low metallicity and a low concentration of molecular hydrogen. In my research, I am using Mystique, a ChaNGa simulation that is able to replicate these formation requirements. I have run Mystique at several different black hole formation density thresholds, restricting black hole formation. The restriction of the density limits allows me to see how different amounts of black holes will behave in terms of formation conditions and merger rates. Using pynbody to interface with snapshots of Mystique, I have analyzed the initial conditions of the quasi-stars, such as how often, when, and where they form. I have examined the distributions of formation temperatures, densities, and times. I have also measured the distance of each black hole from the center of its host halo, as well as the overall quasi-star formation frequency. This research will give us clues to how the seeds to supermassive blackholes form in the early universe.

PH-2

TEXTBOOKS' PRESENTATION OF RADIATION RISKS: COMMUNICATION AND INTERDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVE. Nina Zabat Borja and Rex Taibu. Physics Department.

Radiation is an interdisciplinary concept often discussed in physics, chemistry, and biology, playing an important component in medicine, industry, and research. In medicine, scientists are actively exploring the use of radiation in medical treatment, especially cancer treatment. Although beneficial, the risks of medical applications of radiation are commonly highlighted, specifically the risk of developing cancer, which results in misconceptions, doubt, and fear of the public towards radiation; therefore, in understanding the nature of radiation and its biological effects, presentation and communication of information is key. Science education is the backbone of communicating and molding perceptions of concepts such as 'radiation risks'. Thus, science educators play a vital role in relaying current and relevant information to the public. In this study, various general science textbooks are being examined with respect to their communication of radiation's risks and cancer development. The analysis focuses on the inclusion of interdisciplinary views and establishment of patterns of communication of cancer development due to radiation. Using a hybrid approach of a priori and a posteriori coding, content analysis methods are used to develop a coding scheme to facilitate data analysis. Significant differences between physics, chemistry, and biology textbooks have been observed in the presentation of the nature of radiation and its biological effects.

PH-3

MASS GROWTH OF SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES. Yuantong Luo and Jillian Bellovary. Physics Department.

The goal of this research is to find how supermassive black holes grow, and if growth is dominated by black hole mergers or accretion of gas and dust. We study the mass growth of black holes using a smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) cosmological simulation. Specifically, we examine the DC Justice League simulation suite, which consists of four SPH simulations of milky way type galaxies with surrounding dwarf satellites. The simulation starts at the start of the universe until current time, so we can study how a black hole grows over time. Deep analysis of one of the four simulations shows several black hole mergers occurring in the early universe, and thus mergers appear to be the dominant growth mechanism for black holes in low-mass galaxies. Through our analysis, we found evidence for an inverse correlation between black hole mass and the percentage of mass gained by accretion; generally black holes gain 1-10% of their mass through accretion. Also, we see that merger events last between 0.5 and 3 gigayears. We also investigate how different intrinsic properties such as the inclination angle and the eccentricity of the merging black hole's orbit affect the duration of the merger. Our goal is to use these mergers to predict gravitational waves that will be observed by the upcoming LISA mission.

PH-4

THE EFFECTS OF RISING TEMPERATURES ON HURRICANE OCCURRENCE. Yaakoub Muslemani and Paul Marchese. Physics Department.

Hurricanes require specific conditions to form, including a high concentration of energy. As tropical storms develop in regions with high temperatures, global warming and climate change likely influence their frequency and intensity. We will analyze data from the North Atlantic region, starting in 1995, to study storm frequency, rotational velocities, and the average rotational and linear velocities of each tropical storm. Our analysis will help us estimate the energy collected and dissipated by these storms. We have observed increased intensity in storm rotation over time. In future analyses, we will compare storms and seasons to evaluate climate change's impact on hurricanes.

SS-1

ANXIETY INFLUENCES OUR COMMUNICATION VIA ONLINE VS IN PERSON. Nicole Zara and Jaqueline Mulone. Social Sciences Department.

Anxiety is a natural response to constant fear. Anxiety is a mental disorder that can be a reaction to stress or a difficult time. Due to anxiety, we often face challenges that prevent us from living to our full potential. Studies have shown that individuals with higher levels of anxiety are more likely to communicate their feelings online with more ease than in person. This research aims to evaluate the impact of anxiety and how it can affect communication whether online or in person.  I hypothesize that individuals with higher anxiety levels are more likely to communicate their feelings online (via text messenger) vs. in person. In my presentation, I will discuss current research on this topic. This presentation will examine research and statistics consistent with my hypothesis. The data demonstrated in this presentation was collected from United States surveys and statistical data using databases such as Academic Research Complete (EBSCO), the National Library of Medicine, and more.  A trend found is that most individuals with higher anxiety levels have an easier time communicating online via SITs (Social interactive technologies), resulting in individuals preferring to talk/communicate online than face to face. Furthermore, age and sex can affect the outcomes of in-person communication. 

SS-2

ACADEMIC PERSISTENCE AMONG FIRST GENERATION COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS: AN ANALYSIS ON SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CAPITALS. Stephany Platero and Jody Resko. Social Sciences Department.

First-generation community college students (FGS) regularly enter college with no frame of reference of the academic experience and are frequently confronted with a unique set of challenges and systematic disadvantages. Studies have found that FGS differ significantly from non-FGS in areas such as academic preparation (i.e., SAT prep), racial/ethnic demographics, socioeconomic status, network resources and academic readiness. The literature has also revealed that FGS students report greater dropout rates and lower degree objectives. Accordingly, interpersonal resources and parental involvement have been identified as common themes for confidence in their academic security, network resources, resilience and adjustment to the college setting. These factors have been characterized as social capital (i.e., qualitative resources that are inherited by interpersonal relationships such as parents with postsecondary degree) and cultural capital (i.e., inherited norms and values that can help an individual advance their goals and successfully navigate their environment). This research aims to investigate the foundations of social and cultural capital in FGS and analyze the role social and cultural capitals play on the academic persistence of first generation students.

SS-3

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BULLYING AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. Brandon Jallorina and Jacqueline Mulone. Social Sciences Department.

This research concerns the relationship between bullying and domestic violence. My hypothesis is that teens become more aggressive when they are victims of bullying or are bullies, especially in relationships. This presentation will discuss current research and statistical data on this topic. I hope to show data that is consistent with my research. Data on this topic will be collected from the United States, not internationally. This research will also bring up questions of what gender is most likely to experience TDV (Teen Dating Violence), what age group is more likely to experience TDV, and what forms of bullying (cyber, physical, verbal) are more likely to cause TDV. Data on this topic was gained though school surveys and examination of statistical data. I believe that my hypothesis is correct due to the statistical data that I discovered, provided by the US government.

SS-4

PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES FOR NON-PRACTICING MEMBERS OF RELIGIOUS HOUSEHOLDS. Daniel Yusupov and Jacqueline Mulone. Social Sciences Department.

I have been researching religious households and how living in them negatively affects people who are non-religious in those households. A religious household is a family of people who keep a significant number of rules, those who engage in services/rituals, and even those who do not if they keep most of the rules that come with religion. I hypothesize that people in any religion, no matter the place or time, who are in highly religious households that are non-practicing are more likely to experience negative thoughts/emotions/behaviors than individuals who are practicing. Non-practicing people would be people who reject the religion entirely, people who don't practice the religion but express some belief and could be people who are forced to practice the religion because of their circumstances/family who don't believe in the religion. My reasoning for this hypothesis is that I believe as we progress forward, many people who believe in religion are being forced to by circumstances outside of their control, such as family or country they live in, and would not practice religion if they were born in different circumstances. I also believe that people who are children of religious families who don't believe in that religion/don't practice their religion are more likely to be ostracized by their family and are more likely to receive less support from their families because of how non-religious people's beliefs go against the beliefs of religious people. I will be looking for studies that could relate to my hypothesis or support my hypothesis. I will try to find studies on atheism, minority peoples, and other things that could relate to my hypothesis.

SS-5

PIAGET'S CONSERVATION THEORY: HOW CHILD DEVELOPED HAS EVOLVED THROUGH THE DECADES. Shantal Edwards and Patrick Byers. Social Sciences Department.

Jean Piaget's research showed profound changes in children's thinking occurring during the late preschool and early elementary school years. Piaget created a variety of tests that revealed these distinctive ways of thinking, such as the well-known conservation experiments. While many of Piaget's studies are widely accepted and have been replicated numerous times, processes of child development vary widely and it is important to continue to assess whether Piaget's conclusions still hold in our current context. This presentation will describe a proposed project that will assess Piaget's conclusions in young children in 2023. The project will attempt to replicate Piaget's findings and also try to understand whether and how the particular forms of thinking he identified manifest in today's children.

SS-6

HOW DOES THE EXPERIENCE OF CHINESE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS EFFECT THEIR ACADEMIC GOALS. Ziyue Du, Michael DeMarco, and Mark Zelcer. Social Sciences Department.

In fall 2020, according to CUNYfirst and CUNY IRDB, 4.5% of registered students in Queensborough Community College's country of birth is China. (This does not include 3,296 students who do not report their country of birth.) More students at QCC are born in China than any other country other than the United States. Because of the large number, this group is well studied. Previous research investigated the factors that may impacted the academic performance of Asian international students. Heggins & Jackson (2003) identified seven factors that influence Asian international students, which are: adjustment, communication, learning, participation, internal family pressure, and traditional values. More recently, in 2020, Nasirudden & Xiao found that English language difficulties affected Asian international students' GPA scores. Also, some research finds that these factors would not effect students' academic performance, but may effect their mental health. (Liao & Wei, 2014) This study will focus on factors that may affect Chinese students' (in Queensborough Community College) achievement of their academic goals and mental health. Which are language difficulties, family pressure, and fear of seeking help. Other factors including racial problems and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic are being studied by Jing Yu (2022), which are not being focused in this study. Researchers had personal experiences and close observation of the target group, familiar with the Chinese traditional cultural and value. The experiment is conducted in form of a survey and interviews. The interview includes 12 related questions, the participant is a student of Queensborough Community College. And the survey includes 21 choice questions, participants are anonymous students that are also from QCC. Questions include their study abroad experience, difficulties, the factors affecting them, and whether or not they are meeting their academic goals.

SS-7

"BEYOND THE OUTFIT: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF CLOTHING AND HOW IT AFFECTS OUR EMOTIONS AND BEHAVIOR". Paula Echeverri and Jacqueline Mulone. Social Sciences Department.

This study aims to explore the relationship between clothing and its impact on emotions and behavior, with a particular focus on the role of clothing in shaping self-confidence. The hypothesis of the study is that rating your physical appearance positively may lead to higher self-confidence. The study utilizes a mixed-methods approach, with both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. The quantitative data was collected through an online survey, which included measures of clothing choices, self-confidence, and emotional states. The qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews, which explored participants' experiences with clothing and self-confidence. Preliminary findings suggest that clothing choices can have a significant impact on self-confidence, with participants reporting higher levels of confidence when they rated their physical appearance positively. Additionally, the study found that clothing choices can influence emotional states, with participants reporting feeling more positive emotions when they wore clothing that made them feel confident and comfortable. The study's implications highlight the importance of considering clothing choices as a factor in promoting positive self-image and self-confidence. By understanding the ways in which clothing can impact emotions and behavior, individuals can make more informed choices about what they wear and how they present themselves to the world. In conclusion, this study sheds light on the relationship between clothing and its impact on emotions and behavior, with a specific focus on self-confidence. The findings suggest that clothing choices play a significant role in shaping self-confidence and emotional states. By promoting positive self-image through clothing choices, individuals may experience higher levels of self-confidence and improved well-being. The study's implications have relevance for a range of fields, including psychology, fashion, and personal development.

SS-8

TRANSFORMATIONS OF TRUTH AND REALITY THROUGH THE USE OF NARRATIVE AND GENRE. Kaitlyn Murphy and Patrick Byers. Social Sciences Department.

There is a widespread perception in recent years that the USA and other countries are experiencing a crisis of truth, sometimes referred to as a post-truth era. While this view of the present has been the focus of extensive research attempting to understand how false information may spread, appear legitimate, and how this is aided by new digital technologies and social media, prevailing analyses fail to consider two centrally important issues: (1) First, the role of the narrative form. As the existence of fiction demonstrates, narratives may be compelling and convincingly real to an extent that renders the issue of veracity irrelevant. (2) Secondly, prevailing analyses fail to consider the historical re-occurrence of crises of truth. Historical evidence makes clear that the current crisis is hardly unique. This paper examines how technological changes and the use of the narrative form accomplished a blurring of fact and fiction (or the importance of this distinction?) in crime reporting in the Victorian era. The serialized accounts of crime popular in the Victorian era were made possible by advances in printing technology and the rise in literacy in 19th-century England, which contributed significantly to the spread, severity, and reception of misinformation. Journalists and newspaper publishers found overstepping of poetic license to be profitable, mirroring the current profitability of mis/disinformation online. Through an analysis of the function of narrative, and the relationship between the reader and the story, a deeper understanding can be inferred about misinformation and its deceptive nature, along with how and why misinformation has been historically persistent and successful.