saturday, 11 march, 2017 louisiana tech university ruston...
TRANSCRIPT
Saturday, 11 March, 2017
Louisiana Tech University
Ruston, Louisiana
Organization Committee
Pedro Derosa
Rebecca Giorno
Christopher Campbell
Special Acknowledgement to:
Ms. Lindsey Keith-Vincent
Director Science & Technology Education Center and
Office of Professional Education Outreach
For her assistant and unconditional support during the
organization of this meeting
1
The 91th Annual Meeting of the Louisiana Academy of Sciences Louisiana Tech University
MEETING-AT-A-GLANCE
7:45-9:30 AM Registration Student Center
7:45-9:30 AM Poster Setup* GTMH: Competition 201/Regular 229
8:00-9:45 AM Continental Breakfast Student Center
8:15 AM Introduction/Welcome from Dr. Stan Napper, VP for Research and Development
8:30 AM Morning Keynote Address, Page 2
Introduced by Ms. Lindsey Keith-Vincent, Director Science & Technology
Education Center and Office of Professional Education Outreach
9:45-10:05 AM Two-Minute Poster Competition highlights** Page 3-4 GTMH:
Botany, Environmental Sciences, and Zoology 217
Molecular and Biomedical Biology and Microbiology 219
Computer Science, Math & Statistics, and Materials Science & Engineering 123
Agriculture, Forestry, and Wildlife/Sciences and Humanities 215
10:05-10:15 AM Break
10:05-11:45 AM Poster viewing with authors (competition) GTMH: 201
10:15-11:45 AM Oral Presentations I Page 4-6 GTMH:
Botany, Environmental Sciences, and Zoology 217
Molecular and Biomedical Biology and Microbiology 219
Computer Science, Math & Statistics, and Materials Science & Engineering 123
Chemistry, Physics, and Earth Science 129
Sciences and Humanities/Higher Education 215
11:45-11:55 AM Break
11:55 AM-12:40 PM Oral Presentations II Page 6-7 GTMH:
Material Sciences & Engineering (Starts at 11:45) 123
Physics 129
Agriculture, Forestry, and Wildlife/Zoology 217
11:55 AM-12:40 PM Poster viewing with authors (no competition) Page 7-10 GTMH: 229
12:40-2:40 PM Lunch Student Center
12:45 PM Business Meeting
1:15 PM LAS 91 Centennial Keynote Address Page 11
2:30-4:00 PM Oral Presentations III Page 12-14 GTMH:
Environmental Science/Zoology 217
Molecular and Biomedical Biology and Microbiology 219
Material Sciences & Engineering (Starts at 2:20) 123
Computer Science/Math & Statistics 205
Chemistry/Earth Science 133
Physics 129
Social Sciences 215
4:05-4:45 PM Award and closing ceremony** GTMH 105-Auditorium
* All posters need to be taken down by 4:00pm.
**Cash award is forfeited if winner is not present at the award ceremony
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8:30 AM: Morning Keynote Address
Student Center
The New K-12 Science standards
Dr. Brenda Nixon
Co-Director Gordon A. Cain Center for Scientific, Technological,
Engineering and Mathematical Literacy
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Dr. Nixon was appointed by the Louisiana Board of Regents EPSCoR to the Louisiana Science Standards
Steering and Workshop Committees and by the LSU System President as University appointee for science
standards. She will present how national and state mandates have impacted science education over the
past decade, the vision for the new science standards, various methods in which the standards have been
developed, and why the new standards have the power to transform not only science education but STEM
education as well. Participants will engage in small group discussions as they review the expectations and
discuss ways in which higher education can become a powerful advocate for rigorous science education.
3
9:45 AM – 10:05 AM Poster Competition
(Competitor name listed in bold)
Two-Minutes Poster competition talks in rooms indicated
Authors must be at their poster after the 2 min talk for judging
Botany, Environmental Sciences, and Zoology
2 min presentation GTMH 217/Poster Display GTMH 201
P01 Seth Van Dexter and Raj Boopathy (Nicholls)
“The relationship between diet, population genetic structure, and the microbiome in the Formosan
subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus”
P02 Michael Fulbright, David Penning, and Cory Hillard (ULL, Missouri State University)
“Going out on a limb: scaling of terrestrial and arboreal defensive strikes by ratsnakes”
P03 Sarah Soorya and Jane Carlson (Nicholls)
“Anthocyanin production in Protea repens influenced by genetic background in various light
treatments”
P04 Martha Tsaliki, Harry Meyer, and Peter Degma (McSU, Comenius University, Slovakia)
“Two new species of Echiniscus (Phylum tardigrada) from Maui, Hawaii”
Molecular and Biomedical Biology and Microbiology
2 min presentation GTMH 219/Poster Display GTMH 201
P05 Adebanjo Adedoja and Srinivas Garlapati (ULM)
“Identifying protein-protein interactions between initiation factors in Giardia lamblia using yeast- two
hybrid assay”
P06 Marcus Kety, Demi Sandel, Natalee Dinkins, Jacob Cambre, and Jamie Newman (LATech)
“The role of NOTCH3 in determining mesenchymal stem cell fate”
P07 Justin Philobos, Rachel Eddy, India Pursell, and Jamie Newman (LATech)
“The use of biocompatible hydrogels to direct stem cell differentiation”
P08 Emiley Bryant, Anne Marie Hancock, Mitchell Broadway, Allison Wiedemeier, Chris Gissendanner, and
Ann Findley (ULM)
“Comparative analysis of Rhodococcus erythropolis CA Cluster Phages (Angry Orchard, Bobby
Dazzler, Dinger, Harlequin, Jester, Partridge, and Yogi) and a CB cluster phage (Weasels2)”
P09 Sarah Soorya and Rajkumar Nathaniel (Nicholls)
“Purification and characterization of bacteriophage protein(s) isolated from V. parahaemolyticus in
oysters”
Computer Science, Math & Statistics, and Material Sciences & Engineering
2 min presentation GTMH 123/Poster Display GTMH 201
P10 Md Monirul Islam, Jovana Gojanovic, and Sandra Zivanovic (LATech, University of Belgrade)
“Operating temperature influence on P3HT:ICBA solar cells performance”
P11 Kenneth West, Yenumula Reddy, and Jaruwan Mesit (GSU)
“Document selection using MapReduce framework”
P12 Jeffery Gardner Jr and Yenumula Reddy (GSU)
“Techniques for secure data transfer”
4
P13 Julie Gaudin, Abitha Heimbuck, and Mary Caldorera-Moore (LATech)
“Effect of Chitosan molecular weight on hydrogel properties”
P14 Deidre Henderson, Naidu Seetala, Alexander Ulrich, and Chester Wilson (GSU, LATech)
“Magnetic properties of aqueous plasma synthesized FeCu micro-particles”
P15 Breyonna Morgan, Brian Trewyn, and Malcolm Davidson (GSU, Colorado School of Mines)
“Synthesis and characterization of multifunctional, compartmentalized magnetic mesoporous silica
nanomaterials (magnet-MSN) with temperature sensitive polymer and heterogeneous catalysis”
P16 Ashirah Simpson, Cyerra Prevo, and Naidu Seetala (GSU)
“Comparison between vickers and knoop micro-hardness of ultra-high temperature ceramics”
P17 Alexa Robinson, Ramu Ramachandran, and Pedro Derosa (GSU, LATech)
“Computational studies on oxidation of iron-chromium alloys”
Agriculture, Forestry, and Wildlife/Science and Humanities
2 min presentation GTMH 215/Poster Display GTMH 201
P18 Tyler Porter and Kim Marie Tolson (ULM)
“Seasonal abundance and habitat selection of chiropterans at Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge in
Southeast Arkansas”
P19 Jessica Horne, Jamie Newman, Mary Caldorera-Moore, and Nick Bustamante (LATech)
“Illustration for New Frontiers in Biomedical Research”
P20 Kaitlin Maloy, Jamie Newman, Mary Caldorera-Moore, and Nick Bustamante (LATech)
“Digital Painting at Louisiana Tech University”
10:15 AM – 11:45 AM: Oral Presentation I
(Includes oral competition, competitor name listed in bold)
Botany, Environmental Sciences, and Zoology
Room 217
10:15 Jack Anjier (LSU)
“Flooding and nutrient loading on Louisiana wetland plant species”
10:30 Sarah R. Bergeron, John Doucet, Christopher Bonvillain, Ramaraj Boopathy, and Rajkumar Nathaniel (Nicholls)
“The microbial ecology of the alimentary canal of the red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii”
10:45 Ariana Rupp (ULL)
“Baby got back: Why Plethodontid courtship glands are important”
11:00 Jesse Elliott and Carol A Corbat (LSUA)
“Responses to light stimuli by the mediterranean gecko, Hemidactylus turcicus”
11:15 Ashleigh Lambiotte and Gary LaFleur (Nicholls)
“Salinity tolerance in hatchlings of the apple snail Pomacea maculata in the Barataria-Terrebonne
National estuary”
11:30 Montana Oubre and Raj Boopathy (Nicholls)
“Use of plant growth promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) as biofertilizer for the enhanced growth of
Hibiscus moscheutos L., a native marsh plant”
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Molecular and Biomedical Biology and Microbiology
Room 219
10:15 David Bird and Raj Boopathy (Nicholls)
“Presence of antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes in Bayou Lafourhce”
10:30 Joseph Straub, Erik Beadle, and Jamie Newman (LATech)
“The role of MED31 in the regulation of mesenchymal stem cell state”
10:45 Anna Whitehead, Nehal Patel, Mary Caldorera-Moore, and Jamie Newman (LATech)
“Characterization of stem cell-biomaterial interactions on tailorable poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels
designed for tissue engineering applications”
11:00 Cody McLeland and Rebbeca Giorno (LATech)
“CotH controls assembly of alanine racemase (Alr) assembly to Bacillus anthracis spores”
11:15 Dhananjay Naik and Rebbeca Giorno (LATech)
“Identification of morphogenetic proteins in alanine racemase (Alr) assembly in Bacillus anthracis spore”
11:30 Henry Johnson II, and Rebecca Giorno (LATech)
“Which morphogenetic spore protein(s) control the assembly of IunH to Bacillus anthracis Spores?”
Computer Science, Math & Statistics, and Material Sciences & Engineering
Room 123
10:15 Abitha Heimbuck Jonathan Alexander, and Mary Caldorera-Moore (LATech, LSUHSC-S)
“In vitro evaluation of Chitosan-Genipin hydrogels”
10:30 Raj Vinnakota and Dentcho Genov (LATech)
“Thermo-optical modelling of laser matter interactions in selective laser melting processes”
10:45 Khawlah Kharashi (LATech)
“NOx Sensors Utilizing Alternative Composite Electrolytes”
11: 00 Desmond Hill and Yenumula B Reddy (GSU)
“Deep learning image analysis using caffe”
11: 15 Cyerra Prevo, and Naidu Seetala (GSU)
“Effect of hydrogenation on ZrB2+20vol%SiC nano-powder composites”
11: 30 Luke Villermin, Patel Nehal, Arden Moore, and Mary Caldorera-Moore (LATech)
“Development of high surface area patterned hydrogel microfibers”
Chemistry, Physics, and Earth Sciences
Room 129
10:15 Frank Yrle, Balaji Ramachandran, Daniel Drennan, Adam Kemberling, and Gary LaFleur, Jr. (Nicholls)
“Comparison of maximum likelihood and object-based image classification techniques using small
unmanned aerial system imagery at Trinity Island, Louisiana”
10:30 Sumegha Godara and Daniela Mainardi (LATech)
“Elucidation of initial predictor performance in 55-atom transition metal clusters for Ficher-Tropsch
synthesis”
10:45 Mona H Alsaleh and Dentcho Genov (LATech)
“Diamagnetic response for parallel slabs metamaterials at THz frequencies”
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11:00 Ignatius Bonck and Jean Fotie (SELU)
“Pd(OAc)2 catalyzed deconstruction of tetrahydrofuran by acyl halides”
10:15 Brett Duke and Jean Fotie (SELU)
“Pt(0) silicat catalyzed hydrosilylation of alkene”
11:30 Brennan Michel and Jean Fotie (SELU)
“Investigation of the ion-ion interaction between a long chain alkyl imidazolium ionic liquid and a
charged cellulosic surface of a paper handsheet”
Science and Humanities/Higher Education
Room 215
10:15 Holly Dicharry and John P. Doucet (Nicholls)
“Medical forensics of a 1940s sugar mill infirmary in southeast Louisiana”
10:30 Jamie Newman, Mary Caldorera-Moore, and Nicholas Bustamante (LATech)
“Digital painting and medical illustration”
10:45 Ray Giguette and Robert Alexander (Nicholls)
“What makes software understandable?”
11:00 Gary LaFleur (Nicholls)
“Preserving lifeways of the Barataria-Terrebonne National estuary by collecting forage techniques
with Nicholls students”
11:15 John P. Doucet (Nicholls)
“A Night or Two in Neander—A Second Reading of Science Poetry”
11:30 Esperanza Zenon (River Parishes CC)
“Louisiana STEM GCP & EQP”
11:55 – 12:40 Oral Presentation II
(Includes Student Competition, Competitor in Bold)
Materials Science and Engineering
Room 123
11:45 Tyler Sonsalla and Sandra Zivanovic (LATech)
“Effects of HCl etching on ITO coated glass substrates for amorphous silicon solar cell applications”
12:00 Md Ashique Ahmed and Sanjay Tewari (LATech)
“Performance of carbon based electrodes after acetone and nitric acid pretreatment in capacitive
deionization”
12:15 Cody Baxter (LATech)
“Catalytic ethanolysis of lignin over zeolites of various porosity and acidity”
12:30 Jwala Parajuli and Daniela Mainardi (LATech)
“Minima hopping/molecular dynamics study of solidification of Ti-Al alloys for 3D metal printing”
Physics
Room 129
11:55 Andrew Stroud, Pedro Derosa, Rajiv Berry, Gary Leuty, and Chris Muratore (LATech, GSU, AFRL, Univ Dayton)
“Characterization of peptide/surface interactions for MoS2, graphene, and silica”
7
12:10 Yuriy Malozovsky,; Abdoulaye Goita, Ifeanyi Nwigboji, Olumide Kayode, Walter Lynn, Bethuel
Khamala, Joshua Ziegler, Daniel Polin, Lashounda Franklin, Chinedu Ekuma, and Diola Bagayoko
(SUBR, UT El Paso, Carlton College, Case Western Reserve University, New York University, Naval Research Lab)
“DFT predictions of electronic, transport, and bulk properties of cubic antifluorite A2B compounds (A=Li, Na,
B=O,S,Se)”
Agriculture, Forestry, and Wildlife/Zoology
Room 217
11:55 Tara Preuett and Carol Corbat (LSUA)
“Comparison of trapping techniques for southern flying squirrels (Glaucomys volans) in a Bottomland
Hardwood forest in central Louisiana”
12:10 Laurence Hardy (LSU-S)
“Ecological observations of the trapdoor spider, Myrmekaphilia comstocki (Araneae, Mygalomorpha,
Euctenizidae, Apomastinae) in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas”
12:25 Harry Meyer and Juliana Hinton (McSU)
“New water bear records from New England, with the description of a new species”
Poster Presentations
Poster Display in Room 229
Environmental Science
P21 Madalyn Beyer and Angie Corbin (Nicholls)
“Isolation of a Bacteriophage, MMAST116 with lytic activity against pathogenic strains of Vibrio
parahaemolyticus”
P22 Weijin Dong (McSU)
“Assessment of mercury in buildings across the campus of McNeese State University”
Zoology
P23 Dakota Johnson, Caleb Ardizzone, Jill Hightower, and William Dees (McSU, Calcasieu Parish Mosquito Control)
“A longitudinal seasonal survey of mosquitoes in a residential park”
P24 Nathan Schwartz and John Carr (ULM)
“Growth and survival of head-started alligator snapping turtles (Macrochelys temminckii) in
Northeastern Louisiana”
P25 Michael Hopper, Harry Meyer, Juliana Hinton, and Kathy Jackson (McSU)
“Molecular data on Louisiana Milnesium lagniappe”
P26 Susan Bowers and Ty Norris (LSU-A)
“Using thermography to investigate heat loss during feeding in the Chilean flamingo”
Molecular and Biomedical Biology
P27 Morgan LeMaire and Kevin Murphy (McSU)
“Examining the DNA-binding specificity of fungal-specific zinc cluster transcription factors”
8
P28 Matthew Busby, Joseph Straub, and Mike Osmun (LATech)
“The role of Med31 in Mesenchymal Stem Cells”
P29 Andrew Mudd and Kathy Jackson (McSU)
“Inhibition of MMP-2 and MMP-9 by native plant species”
P30 Kevin Murphy, Owen Sullivan, Oliver James, Shaheryar Khan, Lenise Soileau, Morgan Lemaire, Alison
Smegal, and Caroline Self (McSU)
“Examining the DNA-binding specificity of fungal-specific zinc cluster transcription factors”
P31 Clifton Johnston (LSU-A)
“A primer for barcoding at LSUA”
P32 Harlee Possoit, Lindsay Porter, Zeljko Radulovic, and Albert Mulenga (NwSU, TAMU)
“Bioinformatic and RNAi analysis of putatively infection-responsive genes in Amblyomma
americanum”
P33 Samantha Smith and Lindsay Porter (NwSU)
“Analysis of sequence conservation of latroinsectotoxins in Latrodectus geometricus”
P34 Jessica Scoggin and Teresa Murray (LATech)
“Top-down machined enhancement for wholemount brain imaging”
P35 Andrew Mudd, Mark Merchant, and Amber Hale (McSU)
“Autophagy pathway conservation in the American alligator”
P36 Yassara Shaikh, Mark Merchant, and Amber Hale (McSU)
“Structure and expression analysis of crocodilian NF-κB”
P37 Nischal Acharya, Andrew Mudd, and Amber Hale (McSU)
“Histovariability of Alligator mississippiensis skin”
P38 Maigen Pruitt, Andrew Mudd, and Amber Hale (McSU)
“Seasonal starvation and autophagy activation in alligators”
P39 Zilong Li, Thomas Bishop, and Ran Sun (LATech)
“Interactive chromatin modeling”
P40 Ran Sun, Zilong Li, and Thomas Bishop (LATech)
“All atom molecular dynamics simulations of nucleosome positioning”
P41 Hung Tat Leung, Joseph Cropprue, and Sokunna Yun (GSU)
“Study of neural cell adhesion molecule precursor protein (NCAMP) in different model organisms”
P42 Paul Kim, Roxanne Greenaway, Onajite Ohwe, and Aschel St. Ville (GSU)
“Does high sugar diet-induced obesity in Drosophila involves a trip to the ER?”
P43 Anditia Wykes, Jayleon McMurray, and Waneene Dorsey (GSU)
“Ras signaling potentiates mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) diversity in TIB-73 mouse
hepatocytes exposed to pentachlorophenol”
P44 Mohammd Soorya and Sambida Pradhan (Nicholls, Georgetown University)
“Identifying Csy-3 protein in Vibrio parahemolyticus isolates”
Microbiology
P45 Layni Trosclair and Jameel AL-Dujaili (LSU-E)
“Reduction of hand bacteria: comparative study between sumac oil liquid soap, antibacterial soft hand
soap, and antibacterial hand gel”
9
P46 Jake Ardoin and Jameel AL-Dujaili (LSU-E)
“Study antimicrobial activity of kumquat (Citrus japonica) peel extract”
P47 Claire Jones (LATech)
“The implications of a reactive oxygen sensitive green fluorescent protein to measure Candida
albicans production of antifungals”
P48 Siddhartha Dhakal and Srinivas Garlapati (ULM)
“Role of initiation factor 4A in Giardia lamblia”
Computer Science
P49 Srinivas Kundarapu and Mohammad Salam (SUBR)
“Enhancement of SUBR alert system”
P50 Alickson Alexander and Amila De Silva (GSU)
“Languages with multiple inheritance”
P51 Jarett Triplett, Vanna Sok, and Lachavius Grimes (GSU)
“Regional-based memory management programming languages concepts”
P52 Mende Carole Mireille, Oluwafemi Ekanoye, and Foluso Ayeni (SUBR)
“Trends in electronic medical record; a case study of Germany”
P53 Regina Ekoa Mbella Mungwe (SUBR)
“Legal and privacy issues with cloud computing in small and medium sized enterprises”
Materials Science and Engineering
P54 Timothy Ismael, Benjamin Beach, and Pedro Derosa (LATech, GSU)
“Effect of molecule –tip distance on the conductivity of thiophene-functionalized cobalt-
bisdicarbollide cages”
Chemistry
P55 Evan Akeroyd, Shreeja Bhatt, Shreya Bhatt, and Jean Fotie (SELU)
“Palladium acetate catalyzed hydrosilylation of alkynes”
P56 Casey L. Schibler, Karleigh H. Vizinat,Trista E. Kramer, Daniel Barnes and Jean Fotie (SELU)
“Screening of a library of small molecules as potential selective inhibitors of Plasmodium HGPRT”
P57 Thomas Junk, Kaitlynn Walker, Nathaniel Silar, and Frank Fronczek (ULL, LSU)
“Synthesis of organotellurium precursors for supramolecular frameworks”
P58 Kylene Pickett, Albena Ivanisevic, and Yuri Lvov (LATech, North Carolina State)
“Nanoconfined synthesis of galliumoxy-hydroxide within halloysite clay nanotubes”
P59 Madeline Ordone, Brittany Warren and Sven Eklund (LATech)
“Preparation of in-situ regolith-Based geopolymers for martian structures”
P60 Shreyashi Ganguly, Rayvin Gaudet, Harley Godwin, Shannon Jones, and Patricia Reed (NSU)
“Synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles and their assembly into thin films”
P61 Tyler Bessette, Steven Arnold, and Sven Eklund (LATech)
“Corrosion reduction of launch pad concrete with electrokinetic nanoparticle treatment”
10
P62 Christos Douvris (McSU) and Austin Harris (McSU)
“Examination of Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, V, Zn in sediments collected around
the downtown Houston, Texas area using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy”
P63 Ramesh Bistra, Siva Murru, Mallory Crawford, and Anne Hancock (ULM)
“Synthesis of non-natural chiral oxazolyl amino acids”
P64 Shermiane Shorter and Frank Ohene (GSU)
“Optimization of bare fused-silica capillary with linear polyacrylamide to separate vitreous humor
proteins by capillary electrophoresis”
P65 Jasmine Dorsey (GSU), Jefferson Ayika, and Connie Walton (GSU)
“Synthesis of biodegradable polyesters”
Physics
P66 Dipendra Banjara, Diola Baayoko, Lashounda Franklin, Yuriy Malozovsky, and Augustine Mbolle (SUBR)
“First-principle studies of electronic, transport and bulk properties of pyrite FeS2”
P67 David Norwood, Cliff Fontenot, Rhett Allain, Nisha Lama, Mahitha Koduri, and Addison Wallace (SELU)
“Stress-strain measurements of semi-aquatic snake lenses”
P68 Ethan Sullivan, Taylor Tarlton, and Pedro Derosa (LATech, GSU)
“Calculation of the local electric field at the CNT-CNT junction in a nanocomposite”
Agriculture, Forestry, and Wildlife
P69 Rachel Kendrick and Carol A. Corbat (LSU-A)
“An examination of capture rates and nest occupancy patterns in Eastern Woodrats”
Higher Education
P70 William Dees, Christopher Struchtemeyer, Caroline Hennigan, Caleb Ardizzone, and Janet Woolman
(McNeese, Innovation Stratagies, Lansing CC)
“From microbes to mosquitoes: A one-year review of student engagement in biology”
Social Sciences
P71 Sawyer Joseph and Kim Ernst (Loyola)
“When too much becomes deadly: A study on the health effects of sugar intake on youth in America”
P72 Anna Hasty and Evan Zucker (Loyola)
“Social anxiety and characteristics of romantic relationships”
P73 Elyse Harrison and Kate Yurgil (Loyola)
“The relationship between instructor job satisfaction and student outcomes”
P74 Luke Williams and Sageda Mason (SUBR)
“Community re-entry: the burdens and costs post incarceration”
P75 Aisha Yapp and Kate Yurgil (Loyola)
“Post traumatic growth and altruism”
11
1:15 PM: Centennial Keynote Address
Student Center
People: The Front and Back Stories in Louisiana’s Changing Coastal Landscape
Dr. Don Davis
Louisiana Sea Grant Scholar
Past Faculty Member of Nicholls State University and Louisiana State University
Donald (Don) Davis has been involved in coastal-related research for nearly fifty years. While working
on his Ph.D. in LSU’s Department of Geography and Anthropology, his professional career was
influenced by: Dr. Fred Kniffen, Dr. Jesse Walker, Dr. William Haag, Dr. William McIntire, and others.
Each of these individuals focused their individual research on some cultural or physical element in the
landscape. From this exposure, Dr. Davis came to appreciate the importance of humankind on
Louisiana’s coastal wetlands. His research interest has focused on the wide array of renewable and non-
renewable resources that are a vital part of the industrialization of the marsh/swamp landscape complex.
In this regard, he has published on the evolution of the wetland’s canals to the history of the coastal
plain’s oil and gas activities. In all of his work, he has emphasized the importance of humankind in
landscape evolution and change. His current interest focuses on the many faces of Louisiana’s wetlands
and the highly diverse groups of ethnic minorities that made up the population. From shrimp drying
platforms made up of Chinese to small isolated communities of Filipinos and Yugoslavians, to the
temporary encampments of market hunters and trappers, the marsh was alive with people. Yet, the
wetlands have often been described as a “no man’s land,” when in actuality they have been a settlement
site for Euro-Americans and Pacific-rim immigrants for more than 200 years and continue to be important
in the assessment of reducing storm damage. Currently, Don is involved in projects related to restoring
Louisiana’s wetlands and understanding the wide array of human impacts on this environment. In
addressing this challenge, he published in 2010 the book Washed Away? The Invisible People of
Louisiana’s Wetlands. Further, Dr. Carl Brasseaux and Dr. Davis have successfully negotiated a contract,
with the support of the Louisiana Sea Grant College Program, for a new book series, The Third Coast,
dedicated to the northern Gulf of Mexico. The first book in the series will be a Brasseaux and Davis
manuscript entitled Ain’t There No More. Three other manuscripts are in the queue.
12
2:30 – 4:00 Oral Presentation III
Environmental Science and Zoology
Room 217
2:30 Richard Grabert and Ramaraj Boopathy (Nicholls)
“Antibiotics present in sewage treatment plant on nitrogen cycle”
2:45 Juliana Hinton, Mary Klumpp, Michael Hopper, Alijandra Mendez, Elizabeth Fox, Muneeza Qureshi, and
Victoria McDaniel (McSU)
“Three new species of water bear (Phylum Tardigrada) from Maui, Hawaii”
3:00 Michael Fulbright (ULL)
“Is there enough swamp for all of us? Habitat selection of cottonmouth snakes”
3:15 Christopher Beachy, Hyla Beachy, and Wyatt Beachy (McSU)
“The effect of temperature, sex and maturation status on metamorphosis in the Western Tiger
Salamander, Ambystoma mavortium”
3:30 Melanie Partin (SELU)
“Traffic noise-potentially the bane of anuran existance- causes of physiological stress in Hyla
chrysoscelis (Anura: Hylidae)”
3:45 James Erdmann (ULL)
“The influence of predatory toad behavior on isopod movement”
Molecular Biology and Microbiology
Room 219 2:30 Grace Williams (LATech)
“Development of an UV-Vis spectroscopy technique for detecting protein-centered radicals”
2:45 Francois Decuir and Bryant Hollins (LATech)
“Development of hardware and software for a novel mouse sleep deprivation method”
3:00 Alyssa Ross, Rachante Colebrook, and Angela Corbin (Nicholls)
“Isolation of bacteriophage with lytic activity against staphylococcus aureus from the anterior nares of
colonized individualized”
3:15 Caleb Ardizzone, Carolina Gomez, William Dees, and Ann Jerse (McSU, Uniformed Services University)
“Evaluating the effects of human transferrin and human factor H co-supplementation on Neisseria
gonorrhoeae infection in the murine genital tract”
3:30 Anusha Elumalai and Rebecca Giorno (LATech)
“Effect of heat activation on spore germination of Bacillus anthracis cotH mutant spores”
Materials Science and Engineering
Room 123
2:20 Yusuf Darrat (LATech)
“Formation of metal clusters in halloysite clay nanotubes”
2:35 Kelsey Phelan and Bryant Hollins (LATech)
“Using polymer bulk diffusion as a mechanism for advancing tissue engineering applications”
2:50 Cheick Bamba (SUBR)
“Accurate electronic transport properties of wurtzite beryllium oxide”
13
3:05 Nabamita Pal and Erica Murray (LATech)
“A comparative study on dense Au and Au-Pt sensing electrodes for impedancemetric NOx sensors”
3:20 Rachel Hegab, Christopher Kevil, and Mary Caldorera-Moore (LATech, LSU-S)
“Environmentally responsive hydrogels for oral delivery of vasodilator drugs”
3:35 Shoutian Sun, Ramu Ramachandran and Collin Wick (LATech)
“Development of new interatomic potentials for metals and binary alloys for large scale simulations of
solid-liquid interactions”
3:50 Kayla Farrar, Hannah Green, and Bryant Hollins (LATech)
“Optimizing the fabrication of paper based microfluidics with 3D printing and PDMS stamps”
Computer Science/Mathematics and Statistics
Room 205
2:30 Venkat Meruva and Mohammad Salam (SUBR)
“Characterization of cyber-attacks and its countermeasure”
2:45 Alickson T Alexander, Sammu Handi Amila Ramesh Kumara R De Silva, and Prasanthi Sreekumari (GSU)
“An efficient mobile application for reopening small businesses after a disaster”
3:00 Mohammad Salam (SUBR)
“Analysis of attacks on cyber physical systems”
3:15 Songming Hou and Sui Zhang (LATech)
“An accurate direct imaging method”
3:30 Bassidy Dembele and Abdul Aziz Yakubu (GSU)
“Controlling imported malaria cases in the united”
3:45 Robert Doucette (McSU)
“A discrete approach to a classic problem from calculus”
Chemistry/Earth Sciences
Room 133
2:30 Francis Manning and Sanjay Tewari (LATech)
“Delineating corrosion zones for metal pipes using U.S. natural resources conservation service soil data”
2:45 Haocheng Yin and Prabhu Arumugam (LATech)
“Microfabrication and characterization of concentric nanodes for brain chemical sensing”
3:00 Miranda Lee and Radhey Srivastava (ULL)
“Ruthenium (II) pyrazole complexes as potential anticancer compounds”
3:15 William Johnson, Sven Eklund, and Waneene Dorsey (LATech, GSU)
“Chronological observation of molecular mechanisms and oxygen consumption in TIB73 hepatocytes”
Physics
Room 129
2:30 Raj K Vinnakota and D. Genov (LATech)
“Active control of charge density waves at degenerate semiconductor interfaces”
2:45 Yufan Chen, Devaki Bhatta Pathak, R. Beminiwattha, and Neven Simicevic (LATech)
“Properties of shielding of pion detection system from high energy electrons”
14
3:00 Devaki Pathak, Yufan Chen, Rakitha Beminiwattha and Neven Simicevic (LATech)
“Effects on shielding on pions detection in the jefferson lab moller experiment’s pion detector”
3:15 Richard Inakpenu. Cheick Bamba, Ifeanyi H. Nwigboji, Lashounda Franklin, Yuriy Malozovsky, Guang-
Lin Zhao, and Diola Bagayoko (SUBR, UT El Paso)
“Ab-initio computations of electronic, transport, and structural properties of zinc blende beryllium
selenide (ZB-BeSe)”
3:30 Taylor Tarlton, Ethan Sullivan, and Pedro Derosa (LATech, GSU)
“Positive impact of agglomeration in nanocomposite conductivity”
3:45 Dileon Saint-Jean, Barrett Routon, Pedro Derosa, Lee Sawyer, and Niel Crews (LATech, GSU)
“Simulation of a scintillating fiber hodoscope for MIP trajectory reconstruction”
Social Sciences
Room 215
2:30 Riad Yehya (SUBR)
“Challenges facing HBCU institutions of higher education”
2:45 Irene Mbarika, Oluwafemi Ekanoye, Sena Okuboyejo, Foluso Ayeni, Temitope Olokunde, Carole Donald,
Thelma Princess, Nina Vekima, and Gina Jones (LSU, SUBR, Covenant Univ)
“Growth in EMR implementation: A case study of the United States”
3:00 Irene Mbarika, Oluwafemi Ekanoye, Sena Okuboyejo, Foluso Ayeni, Temitope Olokunde, Carole
Donald, Thelma Princess, Nina Vekima, and Gina Jones (LSU, SUBR, Covenant Univ)
“The diffusion of EMR in healthcare environment: A case study of Japan”
3:15 Rachel Dufour (Loyola)
“Experimentally generated interpersonal closeness among heterosexual undergraduates”
3:30 Simone Rochelle (SUBR)
“HIV/AIDS awareness on HBCU campus”
15
Proceedings of the Louisiana Academy of Sciences A Peer-Review Journal
Since 1929
CALL FOR PAPERS
For the 2018 Volume
Deadline: October 1st, 2017
The Academy invites presenters at the 91st annual meeting to submit reports
of their completed research to its official journal.
The Proceedings of the Louisiana Academy of Sciences publishes research papers and critical reviews from all
Divisions of the Academy, covering all fields of biological sciences, physical sciences, applied sciences, and social
sciences, as well the associated disciplines science education and sciences and humanities. We are particularly
interested in research pertaining to Louisiana and the southern United States.
Research Reports or Critical Reviews are generally limited to 7,500 words, accompanied by an abstract not to
exceed 250 words. Short Communications or Notes are generally less than 2,000 words, accompanied by an
abstract not to exceed 100 words.
Also welcomed are papers describing unique facilities, academic or agency programs, or collections either located in
Louisiana or of special interest to Louisiana scientists. Such descriptive papers may be suggested to the Editor
before preparing and submitting.
Instructions for Authors may be read at our website, www.laacademy.org/publications.html .
Send manuscripts to:
Dr. John Doucet, Editor
Proceedings of the Louisiana Academy of Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences
P.O. Box 2020
Nicholls State University
Thibodaux, LA 70310
Contact us at [email protected] .
Mark your calendars:
The 92st Annual Meeting of the Louisiana Academy of Science
Saturday, 10 March, 2018
Louisiana State University Alexandria
16
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The Louisiana Academy of Sciences Building Communities, Advancing Science Since 1927
www.laacademy.org
GOALS OF THE ACADEMY
To unite the scientists of Louisiana for the purpose of encouraging research and education in all branches of science.
To encourage and conduct scientific discussions; to publish and disseminate scientific material; to conduct all enterprises deemed to promote
the causes of science; to foster the applications of science to the problems of humanity.
To encourage and assist teachers in Louisiana's elementary and secondary schools with the caliber of instruction necessary to generate and
maintain an interest in all areas of science.
To be an active voice representing science in both higher education and K-12 in Louisiana.
MEMBERSHIP
Membership in the Academy is open to those individuals, organizations, and institutions that are engaged actively in the advancement of science
or which provide material assistance to advance the purposes of the Academy. A one-year membership is included for all regular and student
registrants for the Academy’s Annual Meeting. If you do not attend the Annual Meeting, you may join the Academy or renew your membership
by sending the membership form at our website and a check for membership dues payable to LAS to the Membership Secretary. Annual dues
are $30.00 for regular members and $10.00 for students. For institutional memberships, please contact the Membership Secretary.
CURRENT ADMINISTRATION
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
President: John Doucet, Nicholls State University
Past President: Gerard Blanchard, Southeastern Louisiana University
President-Elect: Pedro Derosa, Grambling State University
Long Range Planning Chair: William H. Dees. McNeese State University
Treasurer & Membership Secretary: Gerard Blanchard, Southeastern Louisiana University
Secretary: Christof F. Stumpf, Louisiana State University at Alexandria
Senior Editor of the Proceedings: John Doucet, Nicholls State University
Web Site/Communication Coordinator: vacant
Annual Meeting Student Competitions Coordinator: Kathy Jackson, McNeese State University
Bulletin Editor: Riad Yehya, Southern University (Baton Rouge)
DIVISIONS COUNCIL
AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND WILDLIFE DIVISION
Division Director: Kamran Abdollahi, Southern University (Baton Rouge)
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES DIVISION
Division Director: Jameel Al-Dujaili, Louisiana State University at Eunice
Botany Section Chair: Alex Lasseigne, Nicholls State University
Environmental Sciences Section Chair: Ramaraj Boopathy, Nicholls State University
Microbiology Section Chair: Jameel Al-Dujaili, Louisiana State University at Eunice
Molecular & Biomedical Biology Section Chair: Ann Findley, UL-Monroe
Zoology Section Chair: Gary LaFleur, Nicholls State University
PHYSICAL SCIENCES DIVISION
Division Director: Diola Bagayoko, Southern University (Baton Rouge)
Chemistry Section Chair: August Gallo, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Computer Science Section Chair: Yenumula Reddy, Grambling State University
Earth Sciences Section Chair: Anne Case Hanks, University of Louisiana at Monroe
Materials Science & Engineering Section Chair: Naidu Seetala, Grambling State University
Math & Statistics Section Chair: Bassidy Dembele, Grambling State University
Physics Section Chair: Pedro Derosa, Louisiana Tech University/Grambling State University
SCIENCE EDUCATION DIVISION
Division Director: Susan Sullivan, Louisiana State University at Alexandria
Higher Education Section Chair: Christie Landry, Nicholls State University
K-12 Education Section Chair: Chris Campbell, Louisiana Tech University
SOCIAL SCIENCES DIVISION
Division Director: Alma Thornton, Southern University (Baton Rouge)
SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES DIVISION
Division Director: John Doucet, Nicholls State University
All oral and poster presentations will be at the building Registration, Breakfast and Lunch will be at the
GTMH
Student center