Spring 2023 Abstracts
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Biological Science
Effects of ocean warming and acidification on the rates of suspension feeding for two reef invertebrates in the northern Gulf of Mexico
Haley Beaulieu
Undergraduate Student, Poster
Mentor: Traci Erin Cox
Poster #107
March 8, 2023 at 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
LIB 410
Ocean acidification and warming often have species-specific consequences on organismal behavior and physiology that in turn can scale to influence ecosystem processes. Suspension-feeding invertebrates couple benthic and pelagic processes and are prominent taxa at artificial reefs throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGoM) - a region where effects of global ocean change are relatively understudied. Our purpose was to evaluate whether predicted ocean changes will impact the feeding rates of two suspension-feeding invertebrates abundant on nGoM reefs, the Leafy jewel box clam (Chama macerophylla) and Titan acorn barnacle (Megabalanus coccopoma). In a laboratory mesocosm, organisms were exposed to single- and multi-stressor treatments. Treatments mimicked current conditions as well as modest and extreme scenarios of warming and acidification predicted for the end of the 21st century. Feeding rates were measured within isolated chambers. Organisms were fed algae and the remaining algae were assessed at set time intervals (5, 20, 40, and 80 minutes) using images slides, analyzed with image-J. Bivalve feeding appeared unaffected yet, barnacles kept at the more extreme acidification scenario (corresponding to pHT of 7.5) had significantly increased feeding rates (p < 0.001) compared to other conditions(pHT of 8.1 and 7.8). This effect, however, was not observed in multi-stressor treatments. Therefore, barnacles may only be able to compensate for moderate stress by taking up more energy. This interpretation is consistent with survivorship measured in the same study and is concerning given suspension feeders improve water clarity and serve to transfer primary productivity from the water column into secondary fish production.
Beyond the accession: Are herbaria a reliable window into past and present plant-fungal interactions?
Dr. Charles Bell
Faculty, Poster
Mentor: N/A
Poster #128
March 9, 2023 at 1:00 - 2:30 PM
LIB 410
No Abstract Provided
The discovery of novel genes in insect genomes
Samer Lane with An Vu, Payal Jain, Alexander Sherpa, Christopher Latournerie, Jacy Haynes
Undergraduate Student, Poster
Mentor: Joel Atallah
Collaborators: Raquel Nin Blanchard, Jeremy Guidry, Joanne Kim
Poster #114
March 8, 2023 at 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
LIB 410
While many genes are highly conserved on the tree of life, some genes have no orthologs in other species. The recent sequencing of dozens and even hundreds of genomes from specific lineages has allowed researchers to identify candidate novel genes. In addition to novel genes that have been generated through duplication and divergence, a small number of genes appear to have emerged de novo from syntenic non-coding sequence in the putative ancestor. We are using Drosophilid transcriptomes (with a focus on two remarkable Hawaiian fly radiations) to annotate recently sequenced genomes in an attempt to identify putative de novo genes. While the transcriptomes have been sequenced through Illumina technology, we and our collaborators are using third-generation Oxford Nanopore long-read technology to sequence the genomes. The results of our study are expected to yield insight into the origin and nature of de novo genes.
Ecological Niche Modelling of the Leptosiphon
Sable Murphy
Undergraduate Student, Oral
Mentor: Charles Bell
Collaborators: Caitlyn Bumby
March 8, 2023 at 1:30-1:45 PM
LIB 407
To better predict the potential impacts of climate change on species ranges it is critical to understand their current distributions and ecologies. The goal of this study is to create models for the geographic ranges of 36 Californian and other western species of the Leptosiphon (Polemoniaceae) using a limited set of climatological variables through a process known as ecological niche modelling (ENM). These models can be used to both generate and test hypotheses of ecological relationships and important factors dictating the current distribution of these rather small, arid-adapted flowering plant species. Ecological niche models in this study were generated using the R packages ENMeval and Maxent on RStudio. Climatological predictor variables used in model training were sourced from WorldClim 2.1 with a resolution of 2.5 arc seconds. The most common predictor variables used in model inputs were the minimum temperature of the coldest month, temperature annual range, mean temperature of the wettest quarter, and precipitation of the warmest quarter. Our next goal is to predict the future range shifts of study species using various climate change scenarios predicted by both low and high emission models.
Chlorophyll a Production on Artificial Reefs in the Northern Gulf of Mexico
Emalee Swisshelm
Undergraduate Student, Poster
Mentor: T. Erin Cox
Collaborators: Haley R. Beaulieu, Sable Murphy, Amanda Kirkland, Mark Albins, Sean Powers
Poster #116
March 8, 2023 at 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
LIB 410
Algae are prominent members of benthic communities at artificial reefs in the northern Gulf of Mexico where they serve as a food source to support higher tropich levels. Despite importance, reef algal abundance and the environmental factors that influence it, are little described in the region. Our goal is to describe the spatial and temporal variation in algal abundance (using Chlorophyll a production as a proxy) at artificial reefs off the coast of Alabama to better understand carbon production and inform on ecosystem management. As a first step, we investigated changes in Chl-a production with light availability due to depth both among and across reef structures. In October 2021, 137 plugs of the reef (with organisms attached) were collected from the top, middle, and bottom of 16 pyramid modules of similar age and construction, located at depths of 11 to 33 m. Pigments were extracted in acetone and a fluorometer was used to measure Chl-a (µgL-1) standardized to plug surface area. Chlorophyll a production ranged from 0.38 – 11.40 µg m-2 and did not differ with depth. Thus there is no evidence that light limited algal abundance up to 33 m depth. Production was also highly variable between replicates from the same reef and this likely reflects the patchy distribution of organisms that we observed. As a next step, we will investigate for temporal variation in Chl-a production indicative of seasonal changes and we will test for patterns in production with distance from Mobile Bay, a variable source of riverine inputs.
Northern Hogsucker AEP Experimentation of Frequency in Comparison to Size
Kaitlyn Tillman
Undergraduate Student, Poster
Mentor: Kelly Boyle
Poster #101
March 8, 2023 at 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
LIB 410
We tested hearing in the Northern Hogsucker using the auditory evoked potential (AEP) recording technique, a non-invasive electrophysiological approach that allows rapid evaluation of hearing and repeated testing of animals. The AEP technique is used to study the effects of sound/noise levels on hearing by measuring the temporary threshold shifts after exposure to the sound/noise. Northern Hogsucker are members of the otophysan lineage of fishes, which share an anatomical modification for enhanced hearing sensitivity relative to most non-otophysan fishes. This special hearing anatomy (Weberian apparatus) involves a chain of small bones, called Weberian ossicles, that connect the swim bladder to the ears. The Weberian apparatus of otophysans is associated with increased sensitivity to a wider range of sound frequencies, however, the auditory sensitivity of most otophysans is unknown. Further, how size-related changes in Weberian apparatus function and hearing sensitivity are largely unknown. We set out to determine the frequency range and sensitivity of hearing in the Northern Hogsucker (Hypentelium nigricans).
Chemistry
Ammonia for Renewable Energy Storage: Novel Heterogeneous Catalysts for NH3 Decomposition
Janelle Do
Graduate Student, Poster
Mentor: Viktor Poltavets
Poster #124
March 9, 2023 at 1:00 - 2:30 PM
LIB 410
To enable widespread usage of renewable energy, which is generated both intermittently and distant from its point of use, energy must be stored either in a battery or as a fuel. Hydrogen is difficult to store and transfer due to its low density. In contrast, ammonia can be liquefied at 9.2 bar pressure at room temperature. Ammonia has a very high, 17.6%, hydrogen content. The most efficient catalyst for NH decomposition, ruthenium (Ru) metal, is expensive. A series of mixed metal oxides with perovskite structure, e. g. LaCrO , LaMnO , LaFeO , LaCoO , and LaNiO , were studied as catalysts for ammonia decomposition. The results indicate that they are all either reduced to metal or transformed to metal nitride and lanthanum oxide. This study shows that perovskites have negligible activity toward ammonia decomposition reaction. However, after the reduction in ammonia, they are transformed into highly active catalysts. We have discovered that cobalt metal on lanthanum oxide (La2O3) support demonstrates 4 times higher activity at 450°C than on other supports. In our study, the activity of new heterogeneous catalysts for ammonia decomposition (cobalt and nickel alloys on lanthanum oxide support) was determined in the range of temperatures using a fixed bed flow reactor. Co Ni with x = 0.05 is five-times more active than pure cobalt at 400°C. The low cost and, potentially, the high catalytic activity of these alloys will enable cost-effective NH3 to H2 conversion.
Temperature dependence of aldehyde and ketone photoproduct generation from crude oil-water systems under solar irradiation
Mohamed Elsheref
Graduate Student, Poster
Mentor: Matthew Tarr
Poster #125
March 9, 2023 at 1:00 - 2:30 PM
LIB 410
Oil exposed to sunlight has been shown to produce oxygenated photoproducts, including aldehydes and ketones. Time-dependent studies have shown increasing concentrations of these photoproducts with irradiation time. However, the temperature dependence of these reactions has not been studied. Aldehyde and ketone photoproducts in the aqueous phase from irradiated oil on the water were determined by electrospray ionization−tandem mass spectrometry (ESI−MS/MS) after derivatization with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH). Several oils from different wells were spread over pure water and exposed to simulated sunlight for 6 h (equivalent to 1.5 days of exposure to average Northern Gulf of Mexico sunlight) at different temperatures (12 C, 25 C, and 35 C). The aqueous phase was collected after irradiation and derivatized with DNPH, which selectively reacts with aldehydes and ketones. Solid phase extraction with C18 cartridges was used to enrich the derivatized hydrazones before analysis by (-) ESI-MS/MS. The effect of temperature was complex, and the different oils showed different behaviors with temperature. Total organic carbon (TOC) analysis of the aqueous phase demonstrated a distinct increase in photogenerated TOC with increasing temperature. These findings broaden our understanding of the photochemical product formation of oil spilled in aquatic systems and increase the applicability of laboratory results to a wider range of environmental conditions.
Investigating the effects of doping on the scrolling and photocatalytic behavior of hexaniobate nanoscrolls
Mark Granier
Graduate Student, Poster
Mentor: John Wiley
Poster #113
March 9, 2023 at 1:00 - 2:30 PM
LIB 410
Hexaniobate nanoscrolls of K4Nb6O17 have been extensively studied due to both their unusual architecture, photocatalytic activity, and potential as hosts for photocatalytically active nanoparticles.1 Partial substitutions of potassium and/or niobium are of interest in terms of their influence on both convolution and photoactivity. A report by Zhou and coworkers highlights the impact of composition on increased photocatalytic performance in a mixed valence hexaniobate compound.2 In this study we are examining the exchange on the potassium site with other alkali ions (AxK4-xNb6O17; A = Li, Na, Rb, Cs; x = 1, 2) and the effects of incorporating a small amount of transition metal (M) on the niobium site (K4MyNb6-yO17; y ≤ 1). Such compositional variations could influence scrolling and catalytic response.
Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Dyes using TiO2@Hexaniobate Nanopeapod Composites
Kirsten Jones
Graduate Student, Poster
Mentor: John Wiley
Poster #129
March 9, 2023 at 1:00 - 2:30 PM
LIB 410
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) and hexaniobate (HNB) nanoscrolls (NScs) are both well-known photocatalysts. The combination of TiO2 NPs with HNB NScs, in the form of TiO2@HNB nanopeapods (NPPs), leads to a new nanocomposite material with enhanced photocatalytic activity. Solvothermal processing is effective in the synthesis of TiO2@HNB NPPs where TiO2 NPs and surfactant are combined with dispersed HNB nanosheets to achieve the NPP composite structure. Surface modification of the NPPs, for greater dispersibility in an aqueous medium, can then be carried via methylation. The NPP morphology where NPs are encapsulated in NScs was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Photocatalytic activity of the NPPs was investigated through the degradation of different dyes (methylene blue, brilliant green, and rhodamine B) under an in-house 460 nm LED reactor. UV-Vis spectroscopy was used to monitor the disappearance of the dyes. Dye degradation was found to be significantly faster in the presence of TiO2@HNB nanopeapods than with either TiO2 NPs or HNB nanoscrolls.
Development of Density Separated Layered Molten Salt Battery
Levon LeBan
Graduate Student, Poster
Mentor: Viktor Poltavets
Poster #131
March 9, 2023 at 1:00 - 2:30 PM
LIB 410
The need for possible alternatives to lithium in electrical energy storage systems (EES) grows in a world of increasing energy demands. This project is focused on establishing the fundamental aspects of the cell. The component solubility and chemical compatibility of the density-separated components of molten sodium, ionic liquid, nickel salt. The design of this molten salt battery is reminiscent of molten sodium–nickel–chloride battery (ZEBRA) systems sodium - sulfur (NaS) and Na || NiCl2. The problem with ZEBRA cells is the use Beta-alumina solid which forces these cells to operate at high temperatures ~300C. -alumina is expensive, prone to failure (cracking), and has a high contact impedance with Na that increases over time. This density-separated cell differentiates itself with a lower operating temperature, 100C, a lack of separators, and minimization of inactive components. The solubility of nickel salts within the ionic liquid impacted the overall nickel utilization of the density-separated cell. The more soluble Ni(TFSI)2 had a higher percentage nickel utilization (49%) compared to the relatively insoluble NiCl2 (0.12 %) despite the higher theoretical capacity of the later (86 mAh/g vs 431mAh/g). Using Cyclic voltammetry, the upper and lower potential limits of the density-separated cell, examining upper limit potentials ranging from 2.8-4 V vs Na and lower limit potentials ranging from 1.5-0.5V vs Na were tested. Lastly charge/discharge profiles of the Ni(TFSI)2 cathode cell were taken to examine the oxidation and reduction peaks in more detail.
Synthesis of rilmenidine analogues as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of breast cancer.
Danielle Poussard
Undergraduate Student, Poster
Mentor: Mark Trudell
Poster #109
March 8, 2023 at 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
LIB 410
No Abstract Provided
Development of green methods for the synthesis of drug scaffolds
Prof. Mark Trudell
Faculty, Oral
Mentor: N/A
March 8, 2023 at 2:15-2:30 PM
LIB 407
There are numerous privileged structures used as drug scaffolds in variety of medicinal chemistry applications. As part of a broader program at UNO aimed at developing “green chemistry” for organic synthesis, conditions were developed for the preparation of several privileged structures using green heterogenous transition metal catalyzed reactions. The new catalyst employed for these reactions are nanocomposite materials of transition metal nanoparticles encapsulated in the natural clay halloysite (M@Hal). Several cross-coupling reactions and the alkyne-azide cycloaddition reaction have been developed using recyclable high yielding M@Hal nanocomposites (M = Pd, Cu). The scope and limitations of Pd@Hal catalyzed cross-coupling reactions and the Cu@Hal catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition reaction will be presented.
Civil & Environmental Engineering
A Water Level Sensor Network and SWMM Model for the Design and Assessment of Low Impact Development Techniques
Dr. Dimitrios Charalampidis
Faculty, Poster
Mentor: N/A
Poster #132
March 9, 2023 at 1:00 - 2:30 PM
LIB 410
Large cities like New Orleans have embraced green infrastructure (GI) strategies to help absorb, delay, and treat stormwater to reduce flood risk and improve environmental resilience. With the University of New Orleans (UNO) Lakefront campus located within the area along the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, it is an ideal location for this campus-wide case-study. UNO investigators are developing a cost-effective network of water level sensors for real-time monitoring and calibration of a Stormwater Management Model (SWMM) for the campus and will implement this tool to study the effectiveness of GI systems. The SWMM model can be used to design/assess low impact development (LID) storage structures with respect to volume, peak flow, timing and provide comparison to required permitting of peaks and volumes for evaluating long-term impacts of LID structures. The development of this system will allow the designers to assess the condition of the stormwater drainage system and the efficiency of the LID alternatives.
GIS-SWMM based LID Design Evaluation
Dr. Gianna Cothren with Dimitrios Charalampides
Faculty, Poster
Mentor: I will have a student accompany my poster because I will be at a conference in Mobile, AL the day/time of this presentation
Poster #130
March 9, 2023 at 1:00 - 2:30 PM
LIB 410
No Abstract Provided
Stormwater analysis of Gato Park neighborhood Low Impact Development using PCSWMM
Shannon Tracy with Ashley Robichaux, Will Peteres
Undergraduate Student, Poster
Mentor: Gianna Cothren
Poster #111
March 8, 2023 at 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
LIB 410
No Abstract Provided
Computer Science
Detecting DDoS Attacks with Deep Learning: A Contractive Autoencoder-Based Approach
Sharmin Aktar
Graduate Student, Poster
Mentor: Abdullah Yasin Nur
Poster #104
March 9, 2023 at 1:00 - 2:30 PM
LIB 410
Due to the extensive use and evolution in the cyber world, different network attacks have recently increased significantly. Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack has become one of the fatal threats to the Internet, where attackers send massive amounts of packets to the target system to make online systems unavailable to legitimate users. Proper attack detection measurement is crucial to defend against these attacks. This work proposes a deep learning-based model using a contractive autoencoder to detect anomalies. We train our model to learn the normal traffic pattern from the compacted representation of the input data, and then apply a stochastic threshold method to detect the attack. Three renowned Intrusion Detection System datasets have been used for evaluation—CICIDS2017, NSL-KDD, and CIC-DDoS2019. We have assessed the results against a basic autoencoder and other deep learning approaches to show our model efficacy. Our results indicate a successful intrusion detection of the proposed method with an accuracy ranging between 93.41% and 97.58% on the CIC-DDoS2019 dataset. Moreover, it achieved an accuracy of 96.08% and 92.45% on NSL-KDD and CIC-IDS2017 datasets, respectively.
EGRC: Efficient Gene Regulatory Network inference using graph convolution network
Duaa Alawad with Md Tamjidul Hoque Dr. Ataur Katebi :arkatebi@gmail.com
Graduate Student, Poster
Mentor: Md Tamjidul Hoque
Poster #127
March 9, 2023 at 1:00 - 2:30 PM
LIB 410
Biological processes are regulated by underlying genes and their interactions that form gene regulatory networks (GRNs). These GRNs can be dysregulated to cause complex diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes. Therefore, accurate GRN inference is crucial for elucidating gene function, as it expedites identifying and prioritizing candidate genes for functional investigation. We propose a gene regulatory graph convolution network (EGRC) method to reconstruct GRNs using gene expression data profiles in a supervised framework. We formulate GRN inference as a graph classification to identify whether a subgraph centered on two nodes contains the links between the nodes. Transcription factors (TF) that link with target genes and their neighbors are labeled as a positive subgraph, whereas an unlinked TF and target gene pair and their neighbors are labeled as a negative subgraph. The graph convolution network (GCN) model employs node features collected by explicit gene expression profiles and graph embedding. We extract noisy initial subgraphs built using Spearman’s correlation and mutual information, which can help guide the GRN inference using an ensemble technique. We have analyzed the performance of EGRC using the datasets from the DREAM4 and DREAM5 challenges for GRN inference. The proposed method, EGRC--an ensemble graph convolution neural network method outperforms the existing methods in the DREAM4 and DREAM5 datasets. With improved accuracy, we believe that EGRC-inferred GRNs would enhance our mechanistic understanding of biological processes in health and disease
Accurate inferring Gene Regulatory Network-based ensemble machine learning methods
Duaa Alawad
Graduate Student, Poster
Mentor: Md Tamjidul Hoque
Collaborators: Md Wasi Ul Kabir, Ataur Katebi
Poster #126
March 9, 2023 at 1:00 - 2:30 PM
LIB 410
Inferring gene regulatory networks from high-throughput omics data is a long-standing open challenge in computational systems biology. Hence, reliable GRN inference is essential for understanding gene function since it enables the identification and prioritizing of candidate genes for functional inquiry more rapidly. Various statistical and machine learning-based approaches for deducing GRNs from biological and synthetic datasets have been developed. Using an ensemble of machine-learning techniques, we have developed an approach dubbed AGRN that infers GRNs. We construct gene significance scores using three machine learning approaches - random forest, additional tree, and support vector regressors - based on the assumption that a single method may not perform well on all datasets. A recently published method for explaining machine learning models, Shapley Additive Explanations, is used to derive the importance ratings. In the majority of benchmark datasets, we discovered that the significance scores derived from Shapley values outperform the traditional important scoring approaches. Using the datasets from the DREAM4 and DREAM5 challenges for GRN inference, we evaluated the performance of AGRN. AGRN, an ensemble machine learning approach utilizing Shapley values, beats previous methods in both the DREAM4 and DREAM5 datasets. With increased precision, we hope that AGRN-inferred GRNs will improve our mechanistic understanding of biological processes in health and disease.
Utilizing the OpenCV Machine Learning Library to Remove Commercials from the Streaming Experience
Steven Bordelon
Graduate Student, Poster
Mentor: Ben Samuel, Tamjidul Hoque
Poster #133
March 9, 2023 at 1:00 - 2:30 PM
LIB 410
Commercials are intrinsic to a user’s streaming experience, though they can quickly grow to be tiresome. Using a open source machine learning library called as OpenCV, I have created an application that detects when a viewed primary broadcast transitions its state between its content (in this case an NFL football game) and its commercials. The application accordingly changes the user's view to a secondary video instead, and stays showing that secondary video until the primary broadcast's set of commercials ends, at which time the application will suspend the secondary video and resume showing the primary. This process will cycle as long as the primary broadcast continues, effectively minimizing the impact of commercials on the user experience.
Prediction of Conformational Ensembles of Disorder Proteins
Michael Carbone
Graduate Student, Poster
Mentor: Md Wasi UI Kabir
Poster #110
March 9, 2023 at 1:00 - 2:30 PM
LIB 410
No Abstract Provided
Prediction of Conformational Ensembles of Disorder Proteins
Md Wasi Ul Kabir with Michael Carbone
Graduate Student, Poster
Mentor: Md Tamjidul Hoque
Poster #120
March 9, 2023 at 1:00 - 2:30 PM
LIB 410
Many proteins do not have a stable 3D shape under physiological conditions and are therefore referred to as intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) or disordered regions in proteins (IDRs). These proteins, also known as flexible proteins (FPs), lack a defined structure and have variable conformations due to their flexible backbone atom coordinates. IDPs play a crucial role in functional proteomics, and their molecular recognition functions (MoRF) regions are responsible for important biological processes such as signaling, recognition, regulation, and cell division. However, the structural heterogeneity of IDPs is closely related to critical human diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, type II diabetes, and cancer. To understand the behavior of IDPs, predicting a single structural conformation is often insufficient, and an ensemble of predicted structures is needed. Additionally, an energy function applicable to intrinsically disordered proteins is necessary to rank and differentiate low-energy conformations from the large ensemble of conformations generated during the search process. In this study, we propose a flexible energy function and an ab initio conformational ensemble generator to predict the conformational ensembles of disordered proteins.
Memory Cannot Tell a Lie: Establishing Independent Database Logs through Memory Analysis
Mahfuzul Nissan
Graduate Student, Poster
Mentor: James Wagner
Poster #102
March 9, 2023 at 1:00 - 2:30 PM
LIB 410
Cyberattacks constantly evolve and become more sophisticated, making it crucial for security experts to regularly inspect audit logs to identify complex security breaches. Detecting cyberattacks against a database management system (DBMS) can be a challenging task, particularly if attackers are able to circumvent or manipulate audit logs. One way attackers can achieve this is by obfuscating their actions, such as encoding malicious queries in binary or hex format. Even tamper-proof audit logs are not foolproof, as attackers can avoid detection by the audit logs that are designed to capture the activity in plain text. Attackers may also create a view that allows them to modify data in a table undetected by audit logs that are configured to capture only table-level activity by lower-privileged users. Furthermore, creating views often logged with less detail or not logged at all compared to actual table access. In this work, we propose a novel approach that accurately captures database query activity independent of the DBMS. Our method utilizes memory forensics techniques to extract valuable information from the DBMS memory, including query execution plans, most recent queries output, and database pages. By analyzing these forensic artifacts, we gain insights into the queries executed, which enables us to detect anomalous activities indicative of a security breach. We provide a proof-of-concept implementation of our approach and demonstrate its effectiveness in detecting obfuscated queries. This method is demonstrated using two representative DBMSes, MySQL and PostgreSQL.
Identifying Disordered Proteins using AlphaFold2 and ESMFold
Amrit Rajbhandari
Graduate Student, Poster
Mentor: Md Tamjidul Hoque
Collaborators: Md Wasi Ul Kabir
Poster #122
March 9, 2023 at 1:00 - 2:30 PM
LIB 410
Disordered proteins are a class of proteins that lack a well-defined three-dimensional structure under physiological conditions. Unlike structured proteins, which typically have a specific shape that is critical to their function, disordered proteins are highly flexible and can adopt a wide range of conformations. They are also sometimes referred to as intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) or intrinsically unstructured proteins (IUPs). Disordered proteins are present in all domains of life, and they play critical roles in various cellular processes, including signaling, transcription, translation, and regulation of protein-protein interactions. They are also involved in a number of diseases, including cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and infectious diseases. Recently, the development of AlphaFold2 and ESMFold marked a paradigm shift in the structural biology community. AlphaFold2 and ESMFold are neural network-based models that predict protein structures only from amino acid sequences. ESMfold adapts the same AlphaFold2 architecture but removes AlphaFold2 dependence on MSAs with a protein language model. Compared to AlphaFold2, ESMFold predicts protein structure significantly faster. Successes of these two state-of-the-art methods (AlphaFold2 and ESMfold) motivates us to assess their ability for disordered protein prediction.
Neural Network
Ayush Sharma
Undergraduate Student, Oral
Mentor: Atriya Sen
March 8, 2023 at 1:15-1:30 PM
LIB 407
In our research, we used AI tools to see how they can help people remember their passwords more easily. We used AI algorithms to generate unique phrases based on the password, which serves as a mnemonic device. Additionally, we used the Dalle-mini model to generate images out of those phrases, providing users with a visual representation of their passwords. We believe that AI-generated phrases and images to represent passwords will significantly improve users' ability to recall their passwords accurately. This method provides a more user-friendly alternative to traditional password management methods. Overall, our research demonstrates the potential of AI to enhance password security and user experience. By providing users with personalized, memorable phrases and images, we can make password management more accessible and effective.
Implementation and testing of a novel free energy calculation method in GROMACS
Dr. Christopher Summa with Steven Rick, Stephen Mouch, Dillon Langford
Faculty, Poster
Mentor: N/A
Poster #106
March 9, 2023 at 1:00 - 2:30 PM
LIB 410
An implementation of the novel sampling algorithm REDS (Replica Exchange with Dynamical Scaling) was ported into the most recent GROMACS release. We discuss details of the design and challenges in porting this algorithm into the more object-oriented codebase of GROMACS_2023. An approach to apply the REDS method to determining free energies is presented and results for the binding of inhibitors to a protein target are also discussed.
Intrinsically Disordered Protein prediction using Pretrained Language Model
Marco Tabora with Md Wasi Kabir
Undergraduate Student, Poster
Mentor: N/A
Collaborators: Md Wasi Ul Kabir, Md Tamjidul Hoque
Poster #118
March 8, 2023 at 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
LIB 410
Proteins that lack a stable three-dimensional structure, known as Intrinsically Disordered Proteins (IDPs) or regions (IDRs), play significant biological roles despite their structural instability. They differ considerably from ordered proteins and can lead to a variety of severe illnesses. Identifying IDPs and IDRs is a challenging and time-consuming process that requires specialized experimental tools for analysis and identification. Hence, developing a reliable and efficient computational method for predicting disordered proteins is important. Recent advances in deep learning techniques for protein language models have enabled the learning of evolutionary information from billions of protein sequences. Our lab has recently developed a computational method for predicting protein IDRs using structural and evolutionary information from a protein language model. To improve the performance of disorder prediction, we are studying the recently published two new protein language models, Evolutionary Scale Modeling-2 (ESM2) and Ankh. Both of these models have outperformed other state-of-the-art methods for protein language models. ESM2 is a deep learning-based protein language model trained on billions of amino acid sequences and has published six different pre-trained modes with a large number of parameters ranging from 8 million to 15 billion. On the other hand, Ankh, also a deep learning-based protein language model, requires fewer parameters and has published two different models (Ankh large and Ankh base). In this study, we evaluate the performance of predicting disordered proteins/regions using the latest language models.
Earth & Environmental Sciences
Community experimentation - building an open, accessible future in hydraulics, geomorphology, ecohydraulics, and sedimentology
Prof. Robert Mahon
Faculty, Poster
Mentor: N/A
Poster #112
March 9, 2023 at 1:00 - 2:30 PM
LIB 410
Community driven science offers opportunities for collective growth and learning, creating a sense of belonging across many minoritized scholars who often do not have equivalent access to resources. Open sharing of experimental data provides opportunities for moving the field forward efficiently while maximizing accessibility of data to scientists regardless of access and proximity to large laboratory facilities. Building, operating, and maintaining laboratory facilities can be prohibitively expensive for most institutions. Experimentalists trained in Universities with state-of-the-art laboratories tend to look for (and are sought by) institutions with similar capabilities, creating a loop that limits access to both facilities and expertise. We propose to establish a community for open, accessible experimentation in which researchers at institutions that lack specialized laboratory facilities can learn about experimental techniques and processes by participating remotely in the planning, implementation, and analysis of experimental work. The proposed community experimentation framework will address barriers in access to laboratory facilities, including a) costs to establish and operate them, b) travel expenses to visit and participate in experimental programs, c) personal limitations such as family and dependent care, and d) limited availability of specialized training that disproportionately preclude minoritized scholars from participating.
Beach Nourishment of Sabine Bank, Texas
Breanna Roberts
Undergraduate Student, Poster
Mentor: Mark Kulp
Poster #103
March 8, 2023 at 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
LIB 410
Sabine Lake is an estuary fed by the Sabine and Neches rivers. Historically, it has received deposits from fluvial, deltaic, central-basin, tidal inlet/delta, and chenier systems. During the Holocene, the preservation of these deposits occurred from flooding due to rapid sea-level rise. Each type of deposit, which is bounded by flooding surfaces, is representative of different environmental changes that transpired during this time. Throughout geologic history, there has been a large-scale accumulation of sediment in this region, which led to a reconnaissance search to find sediment resources. These sediment resources would then be used for a beach nourishment project on Sabine Bank. For a nourishment project to be successful, the borrowed sediment needs to be as similar to the natural environment as possible. Twenty vibracores were taken at a depth of twenty feet to determine the appropriate sediment location. After the successful acquisition of the core samples, the analysis phase was able to proceed. The core samples were first bisected longitudinally to provide two mirrored halves. Half of the core was used for sample extraction, while the other half was used for descriptive and photographic purposes. Once the samples were collected, they required baking and sieving to filter out unwanted shell fragments. The baked and sieved samples were then analyzed with a Mastersizer 3000 to get precise data on the sediment size. The core descriptions and grain size analysis results indicate a predominant composition of very-fine sand to medium-grain sand with lesser amounts of silt and shell hash.
Growth and Decay of River Dunes at Slow, Medium, and Fast Flood Rates Within a Flume
Victoria Sanchez with Giancarlo Portocarrero, Mayson Wagner, Brittany Johnson
Undergraduate Student, Poster
Mentor: N/A
Poster #121
March 8, 2023 at 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
LIB 410
No Abstract Provided
Economics & Finance
No Title Provided
Leon Zubkov
Undergraduate Student, Oral
Mentor: Kabir Hassan
March 9, 2023 at 2:30-2:45 PM
LIB 407
No Abstract Provided
Electrical Engineering
The Regenerator
Zavier Jacob Matlock
Undergraduate Student, Oral
Mentor: Dimitrios Charalampidis
March 9, 2023 at 10:30-10:45 AM
LIB 407
In an attempt to discover zero point technology a power generation system was created that sorts of "breathes" in order to power itself.
Literature & Language
Joyce Carol Oates and the Need for Belief
Dr. David Rutledge
Faculty, Oral
Mentor: N/A
March 9, 2023 at 2:45 - 3:00 PM
LIB 407
Among the many themes in Joyce Carol Oates’s wide body of work, there is one that has remained consistent throughout her career: the need for belief. Her characters tend to live in a world where traditional religion is no longer central to daily life. As if people have a need to fill the place where faith once resided, her characters turn to substitutes for religion. Belief in celebrity is one such faith; others include a naïve belief in evolution, a hunger for permanence or a belief in revenge or mercy. Oates often uses food and literal hunger to represent this spiritual hunger. Ultimately, Oatesean faith turns to storytelling.
Mechanical Engineering
Investigation of the Effects of Biofouling on the Boundary Layer
Adam Bacon
Graduate Student, Oral
Mentor: Brandon Taravella
March 9, 2023 at 11:00-11:15 AM
LIB 407
No Abstract Provided
Frequency Variation of Sweeping Jets
Grayson Goolsby
Undergraduate Student, Oral
Mentor: Ting Wang
March 9, 2023 at 10:45-11:00 AM
LIB 407
Fluidic oscillators are devices that create a sweeping motion with a liquid or gas without moving parts and just fluid dynamics. There are different types of fluidic oscillators, one being a feedback, wall-attachment type. Fluidic oscillators have been researched in roles for heat transfer (such as impingement cooling) against steady jets since the fluidic oscillators can cover a larger area than a steady jet. An important characteristic of fluidic oscillators is the frequency of the jet, which can be varied by different ways. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was used to begin studies into the variation of the frequency and its effect on heat transfer capabilities on a heated impingement surface. The inlet velocity of the fluidic oscillator varied from a baseline velocity to twice and quadruple the baseline velocities. This has shown an increase in the sweeping frequency but shows variation in other characteristics as well. The design of a physical experiment has begun to eventually compare the CFD data with real data.
Physics
Using Wavelets to Compress Ocean Data
Brandon Howe
Graduate Student, Oral
Mentor: Juliette Ioup
Collaborators: Bradley Sciacca, Shaun Pies, Avery Landeche
March 8, 2023 at 2:00-2:15 PM
LIB 407
Wavelets are a tool in signal processing to compress or denoise a signal, and it was applied to ocean data in order to see how well this tool could be applied for compression. With little data loss, a 75% compression was possible, and with more data loss, a near 90% compression was possible.
Using Wavelets to Compress Acoustic Data
Avery Landeche
Undergraduate Student, Oral
Mentor: Kendal Leftwich, Juliette Ioup
Collaborators: Shaun Pies
March 8, 2023 at 1:00-1:15 PM
LIB 407
This research investigates the use of wavelets to compress acoustical data. The power spectral densities of acoustic data before and after wavelet decomposition, compression, and recomposition are compared to assess the quality of compression. Cross-correlation is used to compare the amplitude peaks of the power spectral densities.
Planning & Urban Studies
Pocket Parks and Student Murals
Rowan Lambert
Undergraduate Student, Oral
Mentor: Carol Lunn
March 8, 2023 at 9:45-10:00 AM
LIB 407
The Office of Research collaborated with Fine Arts students for a public-art initiative raising awareness about the devastating effects of climate change on local bird populations. Murals were painted around specific areas on campus that were then transformed into pocket parks full of native plants. These beautification projects are part of the Audubon Mural Project and Keep UNO Beautiful, a Keep Louisiana Beautiful affiliate. Fine Arts students received service learning credit for their work on the murals. Members of Audubon Society gave students presentations about the Audubon Mural Project, opening the door for networking opportunities and further collaboration with students. The Native Plant Initiative provided plants for the beautification projects, utilizing native plants to benefit the overall environment, provide habitat and shelter for native insect species as well as provide an abundant food source for native bird populations. The Office of Research hosted a community outreach event where the Native Plant Initiative gave away hundreds of free native plants. The community was informed about the efforts of UNO Fine Arts students, the Audubon Mural Project, the beautification projects as part of Keep UNO Beautiful, and the importance of native plants.
Development of Methods and Applications Utilizing Emergent Datasets for Infrastructure Planning
Tara Tolford with Ellis Combes
Staff, Poster
Mentor: N/A
Poster #119
March 9, 2023 at 1:00 - 2:30 PM
LIB 410
This SCoRE-supported research seeks to develop a foundation of knowledge and technical skill for UNOTI to compete for RFPs focused on the use of emergent datasets and "big data" in urban planning, with a focus on geospatial economic and infrastructure data analysis to address equity and resilience goals. This effort is exploring, analyzing, and applying (through preliminary case studies) several newly available datasets including but not limited to sensor-driven asset inventory geodata, the FEMA National Risk Index, and real estate data (e.g. parcel-level assessed property values and zip-code level sales and rental indices). The objective of this analysis is to develop feasible methodologies for utilizing such datasets to evaluate equity and economic impacts of infrastructure investment (or lack thereof).
Political Science
Do Anger Appeals Affect Black Audiences Differently Than White Audiences?
Ami Brooks
Undergraduate Student, Poster
Mentor: Monique Turner
Collaborators: Monique Turner
Poster #105
March 8, 2023 at 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
LIB 410
African Americans and White Americans are likely to have different reactions to political anger appeals. We aim to analyze emotional responses from audience members as they react to anger and non-angering appeals to race-related and race-neutral speeches. A specific emotional appeal used successfully over time known to invoke feelings of anger to achieve results with high efficacy is known as anger appeal. Dr. Davin Phoenix found that though successful for the majority, anger appeals do not affect black audiences, and invoke feelings of resignation instead of anger. Though an interesting theory, it has not been systematically tested. Dr. Monique Turner and I have devised an experimental survey study on Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) to systematically test Dr. Phoenix’s theory. We hypothesize that African American survey participants will display more feelings of resignation compared to their white counterparts whom we hypothesize will respond with more feelings of anger.
Psychology
Tides of Stress: The Impact of Hurricanes on Emotion Regulation During a Pandemic
Dr. Sarah Black with Vaishnavi Kumbala
Faculty, Poster
Mentor: Sarah Black
Collaborators: Lauren Herbert
Poster #115
March 9, 2023 at 1:00 - 2:30 PM
LIB 410
Emotion regulation is the way individuals manage, experience, and exhibit their emotions. This study investigated how emotion regulation strategies were used during the COVID-19 pandemic. The population was organized into two groups, based on whether participants had reported experiencing a local hurricane or not. The student researcher was provided de-identified data regarding survey participants’ backgrounds. Data such as demographics, hurricane experience, emotion regulation, and stressors was analyzed. Participants were adults with at least one child under the age of 18, with a majority residing in the Greater New Orleans area. Participants’ usage of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, two different emotion regulation strategies, was assessed using the 10-item self-report Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. Two independent-samples t-tests were conducted to compare cognitive reappraisal usage and expressive suppression usage in the two groups, comparing means and standard deviations. For both cognitive reappraisal usage (p=0.004) and expressive suppression usage (p=0.002), there was a significant difference in the scores for the previous hurricane-affected group and the non-hurricane-affected group. Results showed that the non-hurricane-affected group utilized both cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression more than the individuals in the previous hurricane-affected group during the global pandemic. Results indicate that for members of the previous hurricane-affected group, their prior experience regarding coping with emotions in stressful disaster situations and disruption of normative routines may contribute to the negative effects on their emotion regulation abilities. Understanding the negative effects on the emotion regulation of disaster survivors can help mental health providers identify vulnerable populations.
Thalamocortical Connectivity and Language in Typically Developing Children and Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Caitlin Dyer
Graduate Student, Poster
Mentor: Tracey Knaus
Collaborators: Elliot Beaton
Poster #108
March 9, 2023 at 1:00 - 2:30 PM
LIB 410
While the thalamus has primarily been thought of as a relay for sensory processing, there is evidence that it also plays a role in language functions. The thalamus has been examined in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), however, mainly in relation to sensory or motor processing. ASD includes impairments in social communication, with many having language delays or deficits. The purpose of this study was to explore the thalamus and its cortical connections in relation to language abilities in children with and without ASD. Volume of the ventral anterior/ventral lateral (VA/VL) subregions of the thalamus and integrity of connections to the inferior frontal gyrus were examined in 54 children with ASD and 48 typically developing controls, 3-17 years. Language subgroups within ASD were also created and compared. There were no differences between the ASD and control groups in VA/VL volume or pathway integrity, based on fractional anisotropy (FA) measures. Within controls, left and right VA/VL volume and left and right pathway FA were significantly correlated with expressive language scores, which was not found in ASD. Further within ASD, there were no volume or FA differences between the language subgroups. Our findings confirm the existence of these pathways in both typically developing children and children with ASD, which has not been previously demonstrated. The associations with expressive language scores in controls also confirm a role for these regions and pathways in language. The lack of associations and group differences within ASD suggests that these regions and pathways are structurally intact in ASD.
Exploring language center connectivity in children with ASD to improve understanding of brain based learning techniques in the neurodivergent brain.
Jennifer Gumpert
Graduate Student, Oral
Mentor: Tracey Knaus
Collaborators: Megan Goldfarb, Mel Martino
March 8, 2023 at 1:45-2:00 PM
LIB 407
This presentation examines the pervasive neurobiological disorder of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in four parts. The first section examines the definition, diagnosis, heterogenous presentation and significant impact of language on overall functioning in persons with ASD. Next the neurobiological regions historically associated with language, including both comprehension and production, are defined and illustrated, specifically Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas. The neurobiological interhemispheric and intrahemispheric connectivity of the language centers between the typically developing and the ASD brain are further explored, respectively, in the final two sections. First the interconnectivity between the two hemispheres, primarily through the corpus callosum is explored, specifically in the portions that intersect Broca’s and Wernicke’s, respectively. Then the connectivity of the arcuate faciculus from Broca’s to Wernicke’s is considered in left hemisphere and compared against the right hemisphere in typically developing and ASD populations. Within the investigation of the connectivity in the ASD brain, three main language subgroups are observed: severe language impairment, moderate language impairment and no language impairment. The micro exploration of neurobiological differences within the subgroupings of language in ASD is a novel inquiry ripe for research especially considering the impact that language has on overall functioning to consider language laterality of the atypical pathways of the ASD brain.
School of Education
Project SEED: Progress & Preliminary Implications of an Applied EcoLeadership Experience
Dr. Christopher Belser
Faculty, Poster
Mentor: N/A
Poster #123
March 9, 2023 at 1:00 - 2:30 PM
LIB 410
Project SEED (Supporting EcoLeadership and EcoWellness Development) is a hands-on campus-based experience for undergraduates in majors related to the environment and eco-sustainability. Through Project SEED, students work with a faculty member to plan and implement a native plant habitat on campus and utilize that as a space for environmental education. Additionally, participants use the experience to complete the National Wildlife Federation’s Campus EcoLeader Certification. This presentation will highlight progress and challenges from the project’s first year, future directions, and implications of the work for both student development and campus sustainability.
Collective Mental Health Interventions in a Post-COVID World
Dr. Anabel Mifsud
Faculty, Oral
Mentor: N/A
March 8, 2023 at 10:00-10:15 AM
LIB 407
The cataclysmic events of the past two years have plunged humanity into an unparalleled crisis that upended millions of lives worldwide and created an urgent need for mental health counseling to help individuals, families, and communities deal with grief, loss, and trauma. Against this backdrop of pervasive suffering and disruption and the magnitude of the threats facing families and communities in the United States and across the globe, professional counselors must be prepared to respond to current mental health challenges in creative, culturally responsive, and ethical ways. Professional counselors will be increasingly called upon to provide collective mental health services to promote healing and wellness in affected communities and groups as the need for help far surpasses what can be met through conventional individual or family counseling.
School of the Arts: Film
To Get By
Jami'L Carter
Graduate Student, Film
Mentor: Katie Garagiola, James Roe
March 9, 2023 at 11:45 AM-12:00 PM
LIB 407
In, To Get By, an ex-convict, Red, attempts to secure a job but can't because of her record. Navigating her second chance with her friends, Red has a sick mother and a pending foreclosure. When an unexpected opportunity is presented, Red must decide what to do with her life. To Get By explores social perspective and understanding. The struggles of those from low socioeconomic backgrounds are often misunderstood because people focus on the "what" instead of the "why". With this drama, I illustrate the perspective of someone in an unfortunate circumstance despite their best efforts who must do what they need to survive. To Get By begs the audience to think about the decisions people make when they are out of options. Hopefully, the more we understand each other, the more we can help one another to live instead of simply getting by.
The Style of Christopher Doyle
Frank Lechler
Undergraduate Student, Film
Mentor: John Overton
March 9, 2023 at 11:30-11:45 AM
LIB 407
This video essay highlights the film making techniques used by Australian cinematographer Christopher Doyle throughout his career in both Chinese and American cinema. The video discusses Doyle's distinctive use of composition, lenses, lighting, color, manipulation of time, and camera movement, with specific examples from five of his films: Chungking Express, Fallen Angles, In the Mood for Love, Hero, and The Limits of Control.
School of the Arts: Fine Arts
A Night in The Life
Cas Berni
Undergraduate Student, Visual Arts
Mentor: Jennifer Jones
March 8, 2023 at 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Fine Arts Gallery
Depicting moments just before chaos erupts is a path my work often takes. As a woman working in an environment often dominated by men, overcoming difficult and sometimes abusive situations are not sparse occurrences. In this piece I wanted to capture the moment right before I got hit in the face by a man who called me a "bitch". This image was captured by the security footage in the bar I worked at.
The Defilement of St. Peter
Hannah Bianchini
Undergraduate Student, Visual Arts
Mentor: Jeff Rinehart
March 8, 2023 at 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Fine Arts Gallery
The piece entitled The Defilement of St. Peter is a five minute video that utilizes the dimension of time to emphasize the subtlety of change. This artwork deals with the concept of “corruption”: the process in which something pure becomes spoiled by some other element. Here, Peter the Apostle is used as a symbol of purity or righteousness as his visual appearance becomes slowly and progressively tarnished. My creation of this work was influenced by the stories of the fall of Adam and Eve and the fall of Satan from the bible, as well as Paradise Lost by John Milton, in which each of the characters are negatively affected by giving into sin. The goal of this piece is to reflect on how our own human souls may have been unnoticeably altered over the course of our lives.
The Beginning of Life and Death
Melodie Caire
Undergraduate Student, Visual Arts
Mentor: Kathy Rodriguez
March 8, 2023 at 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Fine Arts Gallery
I have three 8in x Gin pieces on canvas of stippling artwork. Each piece resembles the beginning of life, the act of living, and death.
Double Portrait
Zen Castro
Undergraduate Student, Visual Arts
Mentor: Kathy Rodriguez
March 8, 2023 at 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Fine Arts Gallery
No Abstract Provided
Acute Fluff
Brandon Clark
Undergraduate Student, Visual Arts
Mentor: N/A
March 8, 2023 at 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Fine Arts Gallery
I have taken the sight of my cat for granted for many years. This portrait of Fluffy was created to closely study the details of her face so that I would not forget them when separated from her. It was made by layering marks of hard, medium and soft compressed charcoal sticks and charcoal pencils. A variety of erasing and blending tools were also used to soften or sharpen edges. This piece was a challenge to make as charcoal can be a very messy medium. However, this was fitting for the goal to commit her face to memory. Carefully planning out my approach with charcoal has imprinted her likeness into my mind for what I can imagine will be a long time.
Soul Ties
Don Graham Jr.
Undergraduate Student, Visual Arts
Mentor: Tony Campbell
March 8, 2023 at 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Fine Arts Gallery
My project is a screen print of semi-abstract portraits detailing women that I personally know. The print is one continuous line that interconnects all of the women together. I want to emphasize the women that take part in my life in a way that is different from the standard in art. Typically women are only showcased in the nude but I wanted to just focus on their faces.
Step By Step
Trinity Jackson
Undergraduate Student, Visual Arts
Mentor: Kathy Rodriguez
March 8, 2023 at 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Fine Arts Gallery
No Abstract Provided
Studying Art Through Anthropology and Expression
Kendrik James
Undergraduate Student, Visual Arts
Mentor: Kathy Rodriguez
March 8, 2023 at 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Fine Arts Gallery
The title of this piece is ‘“Men Are Human Too”. The objects used include acrylic paint, oil paint, stretched canvas, and a black wooden floater frame. I used Burnt Sienna oil paint and walnut oil to make a loose underpainting. Next I used a technique learned from painting, called “massing”, to put in my general ideas of color using acrylic paint. While massing, I made big shapes of color in areas like the cheeks and forehead. After these blocks of color, I worked in smaller shapes of color making up other features such as eyebrows. To explore my use of color, I used my cooler colors to create my shadows instead of black. I expressed myself through the piece by building depth with light, motioned brush strokes. “Men Are Human Too” is exploring my research into both fine art through painting, and anthropology through expression of my Black male experience. I started my research by asking “what parts of my identity can cause intersectional struggles?” These intersectional struggles include the expectations of my gender and the added pressures of my race. In other words, my Black Male experience, and a part of this experience is toxic masculinity. I used what I learned in painting to research this topic and communicate it. I used color to communicate unspoken feelings such as the warmth of loved ones through the hands on the shoulders and the looming expectations of being “manly” through the cool colors of the Black male figure of the piece.
No Title Provided
Camryn Jeansonne
Undergraduate Student, Visual Arts
Mentor: Kathy Rodriguez
March 8, 2023 at 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Fine Arts Gallery
No Abstract Provided
El Mar
Rowan Lambert
Undergraduate Student, Visual Arts
Mentor: N/A
March 8, 2023 at 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Fine Arts Gallery
I created this piece to comment on the human flaw of willful ignorance in relation to our relationship with the environment. People ignore litter on the ground, and when going to natural environments like the beach, people are apt to take a photo of the ocean, despite the fact that they are standing near garbage. The title is inspired by The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. In the book, the old man reflects on the difference between “la mar” and “el mar” when referring to the ocean, noting that those who use “la mar” respect the ocean. The striated background represents the beach becoming a digitized image through the camera phone. The Campell’s soup can is in reference to art itself; it is one of the most recognizable artworks in history, made by Andy Warhol (1962). At the end of the day, the Campbell’s soup can itself is a piece of mundane garbage, but their images, as created by Warhol, are strewn throughout art textbooks and the art world - places of high prestige. I see literal garbage on the seashore in a similar way - littering the “beauty” of nature with insignificant objects and carelessness. The Campell’s soup can is me acknowledging my own contribution to pollution. I was aware that in order to clean my brushes, I had to use soap and vegetable oil under a running faucet. This dumps toxic metals such as mercury and lead into pipelines that inevitably lead to the ocean.
Bloom
Darren Lewis
Undergraduate Student, Visual Arts
Mentor: Ariya Martin
March 8, 2023 at 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Fine Arts Gallery
No Abstract Provided
No Title Provided
Rose McBurney
Undergraduate Student, Visual Arts
Mentor: Jeff Rinehart
March 8, 2023 at 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Fine Arts Gallery
My most recent body of work is a series of paintings responding to the overturn of Roe v. Wade through metaphor. These still images create a space between myself and my experience, letting me comprehend the moment more objectively- watching myself as a voyeur. I frequently return to the impulse to explore myself on video with objects heavy with symbolism, intrigued by the moment I decide on which frame to pause on and stop time. The still becomes a container, objectifying the intimacy of my ideas. This zooming in and out allows me to produce a work greater than its parts, simultaneously considering the personal and the collective.
富士の平和 (peace of fuji)
Aaron Mince
Undergraduate Student, Visual Arts
Mentor: N/A
March 8, 2023 at 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Fine Arts Gallery
The peace of Fuji is a copper etching on a 9inx6in copper plate depicting a fictional area of Japan. The piece is made by doing multiple rounds of dunking the copper into acid to create said image to print. The copper plate is inked and after have some of the ink removed for the printing. Then a 11inx8in paper is dampened and put on top of the copper plate. Once done, it is sent through the printing press to make said piece. Peace of Fuji is my version of Utopia, where you can find yourself in peace, away from any city and the loudness that comes with it.
Breath
Caitlin Moore
Undergraduate Student, Visual Arts
Mentor: Kathy Rodriguez
March 8, 2023 at 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Fine Arts Gallery
No Abstract Provided
Harvest Moon
Katharine Morrissey
Undergraduate Student, Visual Arts
Mentor: Anthony Campbell
March 8, 2023 at 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Fine Arts Gallery
I am a mixed media artist with an emphasis on assemblism and 3-D collage making. My creative process with this piece included a variety of techniques such as sculpture, sewing, painting, and papermaking. My purpose in appreciating several mediums is to generate work that is immersive, detailed, and multi-faceted. The materials used for this project are acrylic paint, thread, mesh, recycled paper, spray paint, wire, chalk pastel, varnish, branches, and twigs. By using found wood for the frame, the subject matter is presented to the viewer as if looking through a portal. I have an interest in displaying scenes that are visually rendered to represent feelings of nostalgia in the viewer. Adding several elements of texture and fragmentation depicts the way our memories alter over time, taking the many details and fusing them into one cohesive recollection.
Purple Geometry
Elijah Olsen
Undergraduate Student, Visual Arts
Mentor: N/A
March 8, 2023 at 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Fine Arts Gallery
I have always been fascinated with the relationship between shapes and colors. Most of my work includes organic and geometric shapes in a wide range of all vibrant colors throughout the color wheel. However, this piece is smaller scale of how I usually think as an artist. There are no harsh black lines or an obvious focal point. There are three notable distinctions in this piece: circles, rectangles, and color. Geometric shapes are known to create structure and order, but in a randomized space without any clear structure, do they feel any different? How about if they were colors promoting relaxation and calmness? Blues and purple are the typical color to relax a viewer's eye. Rectangles are structured and efficient, but circles are connected like a community. The varying overlay of circles and rectangles are chaotic, but they were placed intentionally. The geometric shapes are chaotic in a monochromatic scheme to force the viewer to choose between emotions and structure.
Season 4 Escape Plan
Andre Pellebon
Undergraduate Student, Visual Arts
Mentor: Kathy Rodriguez
March 8, 2023 at 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Fine Arts Gallery
Season 4 Escape Plan was the configuration of ideals and happenings throughout Andre's highschool years that detailed the Black experience, Student Mental incarceration, and the Need of a Dream. The 3 figured cardboard Monolith focuses on Tucker T. Chase, one of Andre's caricatures. We journey through ideas of protest, discrimination, false news, incarceration, a glass system and the rock that broke the glass. When asked, curiosity on the tongue of why the particular title, Andre stated, "As a child of Katrina, my debut to NOCCA was bound to be episodic. Each year was just another Season, but this time I decided the show MUST go on."
Life: A Perspective
Sebaika Raza
Undergraduate Student, Visual Arts
Mentor: Kathy Rodriguez
March 8, 2023 at 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Fine Arts Gallery
In this mix media artwork, ‘Life: A Perspective,’ I aimed to capture a sense of coherence. I wanted to create an artwork that looked like a single composition despite there being a clear divide with two different mediums, acrylic and charcoal on either side. I also wanted it to display diverse interpretations for the viewer just as life has diverse meanings and perspectives. This composition was created from the inspiration I had from the photograph that I clicked of a potted plant sitting on the table with the sun shining on it. Furthermore, the right side of the composition is made with various types of charcoals like vine charcoal, compressed charcoal, willow charcoal and charcoal pencils. On the other hand, the left side of the composition is made from heavy body and medium-bodied acrylic paints plus some acrylic paint markers for the fine details. With charcoal being on the right side I wanted to emphasize the value of the plant being darker on one side than the other one as it didn’t receive much light. Additionally, I learned how distinct the mediums are from each other in terms of the ways of handling them, the application on the substrate as well as the problem-solving aspects. The reason I chose to make this artwork was because it is the manifestation of the style, and subject along with the mediums I prefer to work with and to try something that isn’t that common.
New Water Music
Dan Rule
Faculty, Visual Arts
Mentor: N/A
March 8, 2023 at 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Fine Arts Gallery
No Abstract Provided
Flower Brick
Katie Silvia
Undergraduate Student, Visual Arts
Mentor: Jennifer Jones
March 8, 2023 at 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Fine Arts Gallery
Through careful measurement and deliberately timed and executed additions and removals of both clay and underglazes, this vessel, intended for floral composition, seeks to resemble a brick pulled from a historic structure. The use of a tertiary green and grated marks lends to a weather and worn aesthetic. The feather introduces a natural softness to the piece, paying homage to the original use of these vessels as quill holders and ink wells.
The Gift
Samaria Stevenson
Undergraduate Student, Visual Arts
Mentor: Kathy Rodriguez
March 8, 2023 at 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Fine Arts Gallery
The Gift is an oil painting on a canvas, using a stretcher I built in class for a previous project. The painting is based on the art historical subject of vanitas which was a still life that reflects ideas about morality. All the objects in traditional vanitas paintings are symbolic of related themes: skulls, extinguished candles, hourglasses, and worldly riches represent the fleetingness of life and its pleasures. To update the theme, I depicted a wallet, synthetic flowers, a used perfume glass, a golden leaf, and a jar of oil. Mostly trying to focus on the theme of wealth. Before actually painting on the canvas I was irritable about messing with power tools and messing with building the canvas. I didn’t know what I wanted to include in the still life. Nevertheless, after being shown techniques by the professor I felt like I had a better grasp of what I would be doing. That was until my paintbrush touched the canvas and I was lost. I wanted to show my subject matter in a Baroque style, making it dramatic. After painting the piece and going through its ugly stages I had a struggle within myself to try to like what I was doing and if I liked the choices I made. Since I finished with it I am more secure in the way I went with it. I’m most proud of the color choice I used as well as just being able to make something that I’m proud of.
Paralyzed by Perfection
Andreel Ward
Undergraduate Student, Visual Arts
Mentor: Kathy Rodriguez
March 8, 2023 at 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Fine Arts Gallery
Paralyzed by Perfection is a 24"x36" oil on canvas painting. This painting uses multiple colors as well as a central figure that shows how I personally felt like as I was dealing with perfectionism. I used darker colors as the background and made the central figure a lighter color in order to create contrast. I strived for this painting to show emotion as well as create dialogue centered around the topic of perfectionism.
Throwing Shade
Grace Wright
Undergraduate Student, Visual Arts
Mentor: Kathy Rodriguez
March 8, 2023 at 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Fine Arts Gallery
A mid century woman looks off into the distance while she is tied to the phone on the wall. She is the talebearer. Gossip is not a dirty word. Women have used “gossip” as a means of communication since the beginning of time. It is how we keep ourselves connected to one another, and informed of the goings-on around us. Everyone gossips.
Spill the Tea
Grace Wright
Undergraduate Student, Visual Arts
Mentor: Kathy Rodriguez
March 8, 2023 at 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Fine Arts Gallery
Rococo woman sipping the tea with big eyes as she listens to what seems to be a juicy gossip. She is the listener.
snail on book
Tatiana Yen
Undergraduate Student, Visual Arts
Mentor: Jeff Rinehart
March 8, 2023 at 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Fine Arts Gallery
I love to see contrast. This can be between colors or just manmade things, and nature. Apart from this, work that can tell a story, or just imply that something is happening, calls my attention. Sometimes I add this in my drawings.
School of the Arts: Theatre
A Beginner’s Guide to Drag
Max Corcoran
Undergraduate Student, Performing Arts, Dramatic
Mentor: Kalo Gow
March 8, 2023 at 2:30-2:45 PM
LIB 407
My presentation is the study of gender as it pertains to performance and theatre. My presentation will go over the different facets of how gender contributes to a performance. It will begin with a brief overview of masculinity in theatre and transition into the art of gender as performance, more commonly known as drag. The overall findings of this research will be presented in the form of a live performance of an original drag number.