2023 SE&T Symposium

B01.  Attempts at Using Genetic Engineering to Produce A House Mouse Pheromone in E. coli

Cameron L. Formsma

Faculty Advisors: Dr. Jonathan Lecureux, Dr. Ken Luzynski

House mice (Mus musculus) excrete a pheromonal protein in their urine called major urinary protein (MUP). The MUP20 proteoform is particularly important in a male’s ability to attract females, signal social status, and promote reproductive success. The ability of researchers to manipulate the presence of MUP20 in house mouse urine will greatly improve our understanding of chemical communication, cognition, and economic applications of pheromones in pest control. Recombinant technology is inserting a gene in the genome of easily maintained microbes and harvesting the protein produced through microbial gene expression. This research describes a method of inserting MUP20 into a plasmid using bioinformatic resources. The recombinant plasmid was then used to transform competent E. coli bacteria. A number of factors were measured to determine optimal transformation and growth conditions of transformed E. coli, as well as production of MUP20. Further studies will focus on the behavior of mice exposed to recombinant MUP20 as well as the volatile pheromones transported by the protein.

B02.  Effects of watering treatments on growth and development of important crop species

Tori Ott^*, Sarah Veale

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Brian Maricle

Environmental conditions, particularly water stress, impact crop growth and development, and therefore influence crop productivity and yield. The purpose of our research was to examine how five important crop species were affected by flood, drought, and well-watered conditions. Corn, wheat, barley, mustard, and clover were exposed to flood, drought, and well-watered treatments in greenhouse conditions. Plant morphology, photosynthetic ability, leaf chlorophyll content, biomass, and root anatomy were measured and were affected by drought and flooding treatments in all species. Plants responded differently to watering treatments based on species. Growth, in terms of biomass and plant height, was affected by drought and flooding, with flooding having a greater impact. Both flooding and drought reduced biomass by more than half. Flowering was reduced by drought or flooding to different degrees across species, which would reduce grain production in crop plants. Leaf chlorophyll content was reduced most notably by flooding, reducing photosynthetic ability. Root aerenchyma was increased by flooding, which supplies oxygen internally to support respiration in submerged tissues. Flooding had a greater effect on the overall growth and development of plants than did drought. Taken together, these impacts of water stress can profoundly affect the growth of crop species and reduce agricultural productivity. The negative impacts of water stress should be mitigated for ideal crop growth and agricultural output.

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B03.  The effect of flooding duration on aerenchyma formation in winter wheat roots

Joshua Brandel

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Brian Maricle

Crops often undergo flooding stress, thus reducing the amount of oxygen available for respiration within roots. Flooding-tolerant plants have the ability to produce aerenchyma, which occurs as large intercellular air spaces in root cortex to allow for aeration of submerged tissues. It was hypothesized that winter wheat under flooding conditions would grow a greater amount of aerenchyma than wheat under drained conditions. To investigate plant responses, winter wheat was grown in flooding and drained conditions, with roots harvested at 0, 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 days of treatment. When assessed microscopically, root sections of flooded plants had more aerenchyma than roots in drained conditions. Aerenchyma development increased over time, appearing around 3 days of flooding and reaching a maximum between 7 and 14 days of treatment. Air spaces in aerenchyma function to ventilate root systems, allowing the plants to tolerate hypoxic soil conditions typical of flooding. Flooded conditions were correlated with an increased amount of aerenchyma in winter wheat. Future work repeating these methods with other crop species could be beneficial. This work would allow for informed agricultural decisions to be made, regarding the selection of crops best fit for environmental conditions.

B04.  The effect of temperature on growth and chlorophyll in warm-season and cool-season crops

Julieann Campbell

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Brian Maricle

With the increase in temperatures caused by global climate change, there is interest in how crop production will be affected. A variety of measurements of plant growth were made on corn, sorghum, wheat, and alfalfa growing in cooler and warmer temperatures. The warm-season crops corn and sorghum have C4 photosynthesis and are adapted to warm temperatures. They were hypothesized to grow better in warmer temperatures. The cool-season crops alfalfa and wheat have C3 photosynthesis and are adapted to cooler temperatures. They were hypothesized to grow better in cooler temperatures. All species were grown for five weeks in growth chambers set to 22°C and 28°C. Maximum height and leaf chlorophyll were measured weekly and root and shoot biomass were measured at the conclusion of the treatments. Measures of growth were the most sensitive differences between temperatures, with height and biomass in the warm-season crops corn and sorghum responding positively to increased temperatures. Cool-season crops had only minor increase (alfalfa) or no increase (wheat) in height and biomass in 28°C compared to 22°C. Leaf chlorophyll content in corn and sorghum decreased as plants developed, with lower chlorophyll content in 28°C than at 22°C. Leaf chlorophyll content in cool-season crops was somewhat opposite of this pattern. Alfalfa and wheat had increased or constant chlorophyll as plants developed, plus higher or similar chlorophyll content at 28°C compared to 22°C. It is important that we understand how various crops respond to increased temperatures and how they might grow in a changing climate.

B05.  The effects of drought and intraspecific competition on the development and growth of corn

Tori Ott, Sarah Veale^*

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Brian Maricle

Corn is an important agricultural plant in the state of Michigan. Production of corn is influenced by environmental factors such as drought and crowding of plants. In this experiment, the effects of intraspecific competition and drought were measured to evaluate the growth and development of corn. Height, chlorophyll content, anthesis, flowering, and biomass were measured in pots with varying densities of corn. Densities of five, four, three, two, and one corn plant(s) were sown in control or drought treatments in greenhouse conditions. Drought and crowding conditions both reduced growth of plants, with each causing a decrease in biomass by 25-50 percent. Similarly, flowering and anthesis were both reduced by drought and crowding, with drought having a particularly strong effect. In droughted plants, most plants did not reach anthesis. Drought and crowding conditions caused a decrease in anthesis, height, biomass, and flowering. Crowding causes plants to compete for resources such as water, nutrients, and sunlight. Drought limits a plant’s intake of water, which also manifests in reductions of photosynthesis, growth, and development. Drought and crowding conditions should be considered when grown for agricultural purposes, especially with corn being such a vital crop.

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B06.  If you build it, will it grow? Establishment of a New Aquaponics System

Colton Bragg*, Jasmine Palmer, Courtney Thomas 

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Holly Little

With growing concerns about food insecurity in the United States, soilless growing systems offer a compact alternative to traditional agriculture that can be operated in both urban and rural settings. Aquaponic growing systems utilize fish to produce waste, which is used as a nutrient source for crop production to promote plant growth. In addition, the harvesting of fish raised in aquaponic systems can provide a source of animal-based protein to further support food security. In this project, we have designed and built a new aquaponic growing system for expanding our research of soilless plant cultivation. The new system, Aq2, was constructed in the summer of 2022 with a combination of both new and repurposed materials. Trials comparing Aq2’s productivity with our hydroponic (H1) and other aquaponic (Aq1) systems show stunted plant growth and lower fresh weight yields in Aq2. These observations have prompted a troubleshooting process to increase Aq2’s capacity for plant growth that has included investigations for possible nutrient deficiencies. An increase in electroconductivity (ec) measurements over time for Aq2 indicates that overall nutrient levels have risen; however, leaf tissue sample analysis suggests possible deficiencies in phosphorus and potassium. Conclusive elucidation of these deficiencies is ongoing. Future troubleshooting will include more assessment of nutrient levels and nutrient circulation in addition to evaluation of root health and nutrient uptake, microbiome analysis, and input fish food nutrient analysis.

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B07.  Evaluation of Soilless Cultivation Methods for Sustainable Food Production

Madeline Bach, Colton Bragg, Jasmine Palmer^*, Courtney Thomas 

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Holly Little

Worldwide human population growth combined with decreasing availability of arable land and fresh water poses an increasing threat to food security. Increased use of alternative methods of crop production can help reduce reliance on conventional farming for meeting dietary needs.  Aquaponic and hydroponic systems offer alternative forms of agriculture that require less water than conventional practices and do not require soil. To better understand factors affecting crop production in soilless systems, research in the SVSU greenhouse involves conducting series of trials with a variety of crop species to compare plant growth and yield parameters between aquaponic and hydroponic systems. The primary goal is to gain insight for optimizing sustainable crop production. Systems studied in these trials utilize a NFT (nutrient-film technique) hydroponics system (H1) in which follows a nutrient dosing schedule of commercial nutrient stock solutions circulated from a reservoir. In contrast, nutrients for plants grown in the aquaponics system (Aq) are derived from fish waste products and activity of beneficial bacteria with all organisms maintained in a flood and drain system. Trials comparing growth and harvest data of Red Russian Kale (Brassica napus pabularia), Summer Crisp Lettuce (Lactuca sativa), and Pesto Basil (Ocicmum basilicum) in aquaponic and hydroponic systems will be presented. These trials show similar productivity in both systems indicating comparable nutrient uptake between the systems evaluated. Additional trials will focus on evaluating factors to further increase productivity of these sustainable plant cultivation practices.

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B08.  Sexual Dimorphism in the Gene Expression of the Urinary Pheromone, α2u-globulin Protein, in Rattus norvegicus

Sierra Yell, Alexis Mutschler, Carson Moen

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Ken Luzynski

In many species of animals individuals will release chemicals often in the form of pheromones from various parts of their body in order to communicate with fellow members of their species or outside the species. Being able to identify and quantify these pheromones allows scientists to understand certain behaviors of animals in their social environment. In particular, rats will use chemical signaling to form a social hierarchy among the males that will determine territory and reproductive success. A protein named α2u-globulin that is synthesized in the male rat liver will bind farnesol and 6-methyl-1-heptanol and aid in their transport out of the body via urine. These chemicals and α2u-globulin protein are putative pheromones that aid in the chemical communication among rats. Studies have shown that α2u-globulin is expressed primarily in male rodents, creating gene expression differences between the two sexes. Our aim was to confirm the expression differences between male and female rats using qPCR. We extracted RNA from male and female liver tissue of Rattus norvegicus (Long-Evans lab strain of the Norway rat).The expression of the α2u-globulin gene and the MAPK6 gene was measured using qPCR. Male rats showed higher expression of the α2u-globulin gene. Surprisingly, some female rats had considerable expression, and the function of α2u-globulin in females requires further investigation. These findings  tell us that we should continue to explore the different expression levels of genes between the two sexes of rats, in order to explore the sexually dimorphic expression of compounds important for chemical communication.

B09.  Phylogenetic Comparison of the Cofilin Peptide (CFL) Between Three Parasitoid Wasp Species

Carson Moen, Alexis Mutschler, Sierra Yell

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Ken Luzynski

Leptopilina heterotoma species of parasitoid wasps lay their eggs in fruit fly (Drosophila) larvae in order to start the first stages of their lifecycle. However, Drosophila larvae have innate immune systems that can abort the development of parasitoid eggs. An evolving cocktail of proteins in the venom of parasitoid wasps, injected concurrently with the egg, circumvents the immune response of the Drosophila larvae. Interestingly, parasitoid wasp venom also decreases the growth of tumors in larvae. In this study, we provide a novel gene annotation of a protein observed in parasitoid wasp venom. The L. heterotoma cofilin (CFL) protein inhibits actin formation and promotes the disassembly of aged actin in the cell. Actin plays many functions in cells including structure, contractility of muscle tissues, and maintaining cell motility. Disassembly of actin aids in the process of apoptosis. In order to identify functionality and active sites of CFL proteins, we compare conserved domains across several species to better understand its evolution within insects, and why it may be an important component in venom. We find a number of protein domains that are conserved across species, hinting at their function and importance as a venom gene. Further studies need to identify expression differences between females (the stinging sex) and males (the non-stinging sex) to help support the functionality of this protein in venom. Ideally, treatment of tumors in Drosophila will hint at whether the CFL protein has cancer-suppressing abilities.

B10.  Strain Differences in the Gene Expression of Pheromonal Exocrine Secretion Protein (ESP1) in the Lacrimal Gland and Tears of Mice (Mus musculus)

Zachary A. Archbold, Alexia K. Mularz, Lauren E. Stewart, Hannah Ylitalo  

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Ken Luzynski

Chemical signaling is a process that conveys cellular messages that are key to moderating animal communication. Pheromones are commonly associated with signaling as they can affect mating behaviors, territoriality, and other physiological functions of conspecifics. A notable pheromone in mice is the exocrine secretion protein (ESP1). The ESP1 peptide is produced from the extraorbital lacrimal gland in males. Other mice come into contact with the protein/pheromone from tears released by another mouse. In response to contatct with ESP1, female mice display specific mating behaviors (e.g. lordosis), which may improve mating success of males that have high ESP1 expression. It is unclear if different strains of mice show differential expression of this pheromone. In this study, we compare the gene expression of ESP1 in Balb/c (albino) and C57/B6 (black) strains of male mice. We isolated RNA from lacrimal gland tissue. Reverse transcription and qPCR were used to produce cDNA and quantify the level of gene expression between the samples. Initial results suggest that the C57/B6 strain had a higher gene expression than the Balb/c strain, indicating higher ESP1 gene expression in C57/B6. Further studies need to be performed to see if expression quantities truly result in higher reproductive success in males.

B11.  A Phylogenetic Comparison of the Heat Shock Protein A5 (HSPA5) between Venomous Parasitoid Wasps and the Non-Venomous Fruit Fly (Drosophila melanogaster)

Zachary A. Archbold, Alexia K. Mularz, Lauren E. Stewart, Hannah Ylitalo

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Ken Luzynski

Leptopilina heterotoma is a species of parasitoid wasps that lay their eggs in a Drosophila larvae host in order to start the first stages of their lifecycle. However, Drosophila larvae have innate immune systems that can abort the development of parasitoid eggs. An evolving cocktail of proteins in the venom of parasitoid wasps, injected concurrently with the egg, circumvents the immune response of the Drosophila larvae. Interestingly, parasitoid wasp venom also decreases the growth of tumors in larvae. In this study, we provide a novel gene annotation of heat shock protein A5 (HSPA5) observed in parasitoid wasp venom. The HSPA5 gene encodes binding immunoglobulin protein (BiP), a heat shock protein with functions in folding, elimination, and translocation of proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum. In order to identify functionality and active sites of BiP, we compare conserved domains across several species to better understand its evolution within insects. We find a number of protein domains that are conserved across species, hinting at their function and importance as a venom gene. Further studies need to identify expression differences between females (the stinging sex) and males (the non-stinging sex) to help support the functionality of this protein in venom. Ideally, treatment of tumors in Drosophila will hint at whether BiP has cancer-suppressing abilities.

B12.  Strain Differences in the Gene Expression of Pheromonal Major Urinary Protein (MUP20) in the Liver and Urine of Laboratory Mice (Mus musculus)

Stacy A. Cannon, Lilly-Rose K. Frehling, Emily E. Lezotte, Tayler R. Varner  

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Ken Luzynski

For many rodent species, olfaction is an important and necessary resource for collecting information from their environments and other organisms. Mice are capable of interpreting scent pheromones, molecules produced by animals for communication, in the urine of other mice to identify territories, relatives, and potential mates. A protein that is associated with chemical signaling and communication in mice is major urinary protein 20 or MUP20, which is shown to be highly expressed in the liver and excreted in the urine of male mice. Although a number of studies have shown lab strains differ in gene expression for a variety of traits, it is unclear if they vary for pheromonal production. For this experiment we took samples from two different strains of lab mice, C57/B6 and BALB, and measured the expression of the MUP20 gene in liver tissue using qPCR. We found that the C57/B6 strain had overall higher expression of the MUP20 gene when compared to BALB. This is important because this shows a genetic factor for the expression of this protein which is important for chemical communication in mice. Further studies are needed to determine why an expression bias exists between lab strains, and how this may relate to the social structures of these mice.

B13.  A Phylogenetic Comparison of the Cofilin Protein between Venomous Parasitoid Wasps and the Non-Venomous Fruit Fly (Drosophila melanogaster)

Stacy A. Cannon, Lilly-Rose K. Frehling, Emily E. Lezotte, Tayler R. Varner

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Ken Luzynski

Leptopilina boulardi species of parasitoid wasps lay their eggs in fruit fly (Drosophila) larvae host in order to start the first stages of their lifecycle. However, Drosophila larvae have innate immune systems that can abort the development of parasitoid eggs. An evolving cocktail of proteins in the venom of parasitoid wasps, injected concurrently with the egg, circumvents the immune response of the Drosophila larvae. Interestingly, parasitoid wasp venom also decreases the growth of tumors in larvae. In this study, we provide a novel annotation of the cofilin protein (CFL) observed in parasitoid wasp venom. The CFL protein functions in actin regulation through enhancing the turnover rate of actin and interacting with the monomers G-actin and the filaments of F-actin. Actin plays a role in muscular contraction and locomotion, thus CFL can affect intra- and extracellular movement. In order to identify functionality and active sites of the CFL proteins, we compare conserved domains with another parasitoid wasp species, and a non-venomous Drosophila species as an outgroup, in order to better understand its evolution within insects. We find a number of protein domains that are conserved across species, hinting at their function and importance as a venom gene. Further studies need to identify expression differences between females (the stinging sex) and males (the non-stinging sex) to help support the functionality of this protein in venom. Ideally, treatment of tumors in Drosophila will hint at whether the CFL protein has cancer-suppressing abilities.

C01.  Functionalized cellulose filtration of DEHP found in intravenous medication administration sets

Elizabeth Bennett

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Michael V. Coote

DEHP (diethylhexyl phthalate) is a plasticizer in the phthalate ester class of compounds which have been linked to a host of deleterious physical affects through endocrine disruption.  While regulation has been implemented in many areas (e.g. children’s toys), DEHP is still abundant in many consumer products and found in intravenous administration sets used for medication delivery.  The project seeks to develop ordinary cellulose functionalized to mimic DEHP functional groups and thus provide selective interactions with DEHP leached into solution and acting as an inexpensive adjunct method to reduce/ remove DEHP until its complete removal from IV administration sets is legislated or it is removed voluntarily by manufacturers.

C02.  Synthesis, characterization, and electrochemical analysis of synthetic biomolecule models containing ruthenium with hydroxamate and/or nitrosyl ligands

Alice Erman, Alexis Glumm*, Emily Jaremba*

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Adam Warhausen

Biological molecules such as the heme unit and their interactions to nitric oxide (NO) have been highly studied, yet there is still much to research on molecules that are capable of generating NO in biological systems. Hydroxamic acids are known to be NO donors and are often utilized in the pharmaceutical industry. This research focuses on synthesizing a d8-metal based model of the heme unit and determining its interaction with NO-donating compounds, such as hydroxamic acid. The use of electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical techniques will be used to understand the redox behavior of the interactions between these compounds. It is hypothesized that the formed synthetic heme-hydroxamate model compound will be redox active. Cyclic voltammetry will provide insight with respect to redox behavior, which could lead to a better understanding of its nitric oxide-donating abilities. If it is found that these compounds bind iron, a d8-metal, and are being used in pharmaceuticals, it is important to determine if they will also react with iron containing proteins and/or donate NO in a redox environment. This research may provide insight on potential unknown side effects to pharmaceutical drugs containing NO-donors.

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C03.  Quantitative Analysis of Biochar Removal Efficiency of Selective Antibiotics in Aqueous Solution

Warren Jacobs, Peyton Long

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Adam Warhausen

With the rise in use of conventional antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial infections, the prevalence of antibiotic pollution in streams and waterways has become an issue of great importance.  If left untreated, antibiotic pollution in water systems may help to accelerate the rate at which virulent bacteria develop natural resistance to antibiotics.  In this project, the efficacy of biochar, an organic compound produced from the pyrolysis of plant matter, in the removal of the water-soluble antibiotics tetracycline, sulfamethazine, amoxicillin trihydrate and tylosin tartrate, as well as 4-nitroanaline, a common antibiotic precursor commonly used for the treatment of infectious bacterial diseases was determined.  Furthermore, this project describes a pathway to produce commercial softwood and lab-synthesized phragmites-based biochar which has been magnetized with iron, comparing this functionalized biochar to unmagnetized types of both biochars.  In general, it was observed that commercial biochar samples were more effective at removing the target compounds from solution, with sulfamethazine showing the greatest difference in removal efficacy between the commercial and lab synthesized.  This difference is believed to be due to both difference in particle size in the types of biochar, as well charring conditions producing different functional groups on the types of biochar  When comparing magnetized and unmagnetized biochar, it appeared that the different types of biochar did exhibit differences in their capacity to remove antibiotics, though no consistent overall trend was observed between different types of antibiotics. Moving forward, further work will be performed in order to studying biochar’s binding affinity for select antibiotics.

C04.  Effects of Rainfall Events on Microbial Contamination at South Linwood Public Beach

Carson Moen, Ashlyn Smith, Cassidy Clearly, Natasha Dagrella, Tami L. Sivy

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Tami Sivy

Over the past several years our lab at Saginaw Valley State University has tested public beaches in Bay County, MI for fecal contamination. A trend has been seen relating a high level of contamination after a rainfall event. This poster will encompass a beach’s level of contamination in response to rainfall events in the summers of 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022. South Linwood Beach is connected to a series of drains that collect runoff from farmers’ fields and border several dense housing areas. Two separate methods were used to quantify the levels of fecal indicator bacteria, specifically Escherichia coli, which is associated with the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms. The first was the historical standard Colilert, a culture-based method that requires overnight incubation, resulting in slow-turnaround for beach closing determinations. The second test, digital drop PCR (ddPCR), was used to measure E. coli DNA within a few hours of sampling. ddPCR methods can also be used to determine the sources of contamination, known as microbial source tracking (MST) by exploiting genetic differences in Bacteroides and other enteric microbes originating from humans, ruminants, avians, etc., each of which were detected at the South Linwood Beach and its nearby inlets. Based on comparison of rainfall and E.coli levels, there was indeed a trend of high levels of fecal contamination following precipation events, with the sources of this microbial contamination appearing to be a majority of gull and bovine markers. More beach sites should be studied in relation to contamination due to rainfall events.

C05.  SARS-CoV-2 Variant Distribution and Relationship to Wastewater Virus RNA Concentrations

Ashlyn Smith, Carson Moen, Jannifer Tyrrell, Tami L. Sivy

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Tami Sivy

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, different genetic lineages of the virus have been emerging around the world, changing the response of health officials to incorporate treatments and vaccines specific to differences in severity and transmissibility of the various forms of the disease. Analyzing the different effects of the variants on communities can be beneficial when determining health and safety guidelines, as well as understanding the differences in transmittance. Saginaw Valley State University began measuring the SARS-CoV-2 virus from wastewater samples using digital drop Polymerase Chain Reaction (ddPCR) early in the pandemic to predict future positive cases in monitored communities and facilities. Once variants were detected through genomic sequencing and then target primers/probes were developed for each, ddPCR analysis in sewage samples was also implemented in the lab. The assays to measure SARS-CoV-2 RNA and that of specific variants can collectively give insight into the transmittance patterns of the different variants tested. If a specific variant is deemed to be in high concentration during a time where concentrations of total viral RNA were also high, this could indicate that a particular variant has a higher rate of transmittance, and if data shows that overall RNA concentrations were low while a different variant is determined to be high, this could indicate that the variant has lower transmissibility. Bay City and Saginaw Township Wastewater Treatment Plants, two sentinel sites from the testing encompassing most of Michigan, are highlighted here to compare the overall RNA concentration of the virus to the onset and longevity of each variant. Linking these data sets together can give useful information on the relative severity of variants including Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron.

C06.  Mannose-Based Synthesis of Sialic Acid Analogs for Respiratory Treatments

Devin Neumann

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Chaytor

The influenza virus is a significant public health problem in the United States, as it is responsible for thousands of deaths each year and many more hospitalizations. The disease pathway of influenza involves carbohydrate interactions that are the target of current anti-influenza therapies. Drugs such as Relenza and Tamiflu are structural analogs of host cell sialic acid and act as competitive inhibitors of the enzyme neuraminidase on the surface of the influenza virus. These compounds prevent viral progeny from leaving an infected cell and spreading to other cells. Due to the rise of drug-resistant influenza strains, the synthesis of new sialic acid analogs is becoming increasingly important. However, the synthesis of these compounds is both challenging and expensive. This project explores a mannose-based synthesis of alternative sialic acid mimics based on the knowledge that N-acetylated mannose is a biosynthetic precursor to sialic acid. The goal of this synthesis is the addition of alcohols and amines with varying alkyl chain lengths to the mannose molecule at the anomeric carbon. Our efforts towards the synthesis of functionalized mannose derivatives will be presented.

C07.  Effect of Aspartame on E. coli Growth and DNA Damage

Joseph Metiva, Cooper Zale

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Tami Sivy

Aspartame is a compound found in various sugar-free food and drink products. It is composed primarily of two amino acids, L-phenylalanine, and L-aspartic acid, which are digested into methanol, aspartic acid, and phenylalanine. The methanol is then oxidized to formaldehyde, a known human carcinogen. Although the FDA claims that aspartame is generally safe, many studies have linked long-term aspartame consumption to serious health problems including degradation of normal gut bacteria. It is hypothesized that the formaldehyde produced, in the breakdown of methanol, may induce non-specific DNA damage in Escherichia coli. In order to examine the effects of aspartame on model E. coli cells, the cells were first be cultured on Luria-Bertani (LB) agar plates. The bacteria grown on these plates were then separated in increasing concentrations of Aspartame solution. Following the exposure to aspartame, the E. coli were plated again, where their initial growth was observed on LB agar. To analyze possible DNA damage, the E. coli cell were lysed and their DNA extracted, which was run through quantitative polymerase chain reaction and gel electrophoresis.

C08.  Determination of efficient methods of extracting bromelain from pineapples

Peyton Long, Owen Wallace

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Tami Sivy

The purpose of this procedure is to determine the most efficient way of extracting bromelain from pineapples. Bromelain is a peptidase, which cleaves the peptide backbone of proteins via hydrolysis and is known to be antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, and more. Commonly found in fruits, such as pineapples, bromelain has been used within traditional medicine around the world and has the potential to help increase the effectiveness of antibiotics against drug resistant pathogens and fight against cancer cells. After blending and filtration of the pineapple extract with cheese cloth, three types of samples will be used for testing, a crude extract, reverse micelle purification, and an affinity column purification. All samples were stored within a freezer in between lab sessions. The samples will then be tested for activity with a casein substrate and monitored at 366 nm using a UV-vis spectrophotometer. Results from the three samples will then be compared to a standard curve of pure bromelain reacting with the substrate. With the use of literature, we can assume that the crude extract will have the highest activity due to its mixture of having an increased amount of protease complexes that increases efficiency of bromelain. Overall, this experiment will determine how efficient each of these methods are in extracting the bromelain proteins while also keeping their activity.

C09.  The Effects of Estrogen on LDH Levels by the Analysis of Cow Liver Cells

Lauren Mackley, Mackenzie Veatch

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Tami Sivy

The purpose of this experiment is to determine if estrogen has an effect on an organism's  energy levels by looking at the analysis of LDH levels present in cells that have been subjected to various concentrations of estrogen. Through the use of cow liver cells, LDH levels can be tested via an enzyme assay with the aid of specific NADH standards, LDH buffers, substrate mixes…etc. After obtaining a fresh cow liver, the liver was homogenized with water and centrifuged in order to extract the necessary cells. The cells were then introduced to various levels of estrogen and left to incubate at room temperature for 45 minutes, then placed in the freezer for a five day period. The cells were then assayed using an LDH enzyme assay technique to find the amount of activity the enzyme produced through looking at absorbance levels of the samples. For this experiment, it can be hypothesized that as the liver cells are introduced to increased concentrations of estrogen, the amount of LDH activity present in the cells will decrease and this lack of enzyme activity would represent a decrease in energy of the organism.

C10.  The Effect of Preparations on the Antimicrobial Properties of Garlic

Erica Behnfeldt, Megan Schwartz

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Tami Sivy

Allicin is a prevalent molecule in garlic that has been shown to exhibit antimicrobial properties. When cooking, there are many ways to implement garlic. For example, it is often recommended to smash garlic to release its aromatic components, like allicin. It is thought that if enough garlic is consumed in the diet of a person it may aid in potentially inhibiting bacterial infections. This experiment will test the amount of allicin and the antimicrobial properties in various preparations of garlic. The various preparations will include whole garlic, smashed garlic, commercially prepared garlic, and garlic peels. Absorbance spectrophotometry will be used to determine the allicin concentration of each preparation of garlic using a standard curve. A Kirby-Bauer test with E. coli will be used to determine antimicrobial properties as compared to ampicillin. The expected effect is that the garlic that undergoes damage, therefore potentially releasing more allicin, would inhibit bacterial growth at a greater rate than the garlic that is more whole. The initial inhibition would first confirm that garlic has antimicrobial properties, and the comparison between preparations will demonstrate that the preparation of the garlic directly affects its antimicrobial properties. This would demonstrate how garlic can more effectively be implemented in diets to act as a preventative measure to bacterial infections.

C11.  The effects of a ligand (citrate) on hemoglobin’s oxygen affinity

Cory Bosma, Jake Fath

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Tami Sivy

Hemoglobin is the main molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen to the tissues. It does this by changing confirmation from R-state to T-state and visa versa. Citrate is commonly used as an anticoagulant in blood that is stored in hospitals waiting to be used in patients. Citrate is speculated to be a ligand which increases hemoglobin’s affinity for oxygen. In which case, hemoglobin would deliver oxygen to tissues at a lower rate. Hemoglobin will be investigated using spectrophotometric analysis to compare hemoglobin’s affinity for oxygen in the presence of citrate and without citrate. A Hill plot will be constructed to provide evidence, via Hill constants, that hemoglobin has a higher affinity to oxygen in the presence of citrate.

CS01.  Analysis of Team Composition in Agent-Based Network Attack Model

Jacques Bou Abdo, Tristan Calay^*, Basheer Qolomany

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Aos Mulahuwaish

This project intends to analyze the effects of scout and worker compositions in a network control scenario and identify optimal compositions for a given scenario. A network of agents is created in the simulation software NetLogo, including router, attacker, and defender agents. Router agents simulate real-world routing protocols to build the network map. Teams of attacker and defender agents are assigned as scouts or workers, of which scouts gather information on the current network status, and workers can act on the information to change the network. The ratio of scouts vs workers is analyzed across various network configurations to determine the most effective defender teams.

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CS02.  Anti-Spoofing for Single-Antenna Devices using​  Rotational Channel State Information

Tyler Moody, Manish Raj Osti, Mason Strawn

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Avishek Mukherjee

Wireless security is critical in modern Wi-Fi systems.​Subject to replay attacks, sniffing, jamming etc.​ Spoofing refers to impersonating a user’s device using their IP address.​We design RCSI-AS an anti-spoofing algorithm to detect spoofed network packets at the Access Point(AP)​. Uses physical layer characteristics including the Channel State information to determine authenticity. Channel State Information is a representation of the multi-path components of a wireless system.​ CSI acts as fingerprint for different locations.​For the same location, CSI does not change much within a short interval.

CS03.  Balancing Privacy and Insight: Split Learning in Modern Healthcare Systems

Manish Raj Osti^*, Aashray Medashi Thakuri, Basheer Qolomany

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Aos Mulahuwaish

Healthcare data analysis is vital for improved patient outcomes, but privacy concerns hinder its widespread adoption. This paper investigates split learning, a distributed approach that enables privacy-preserving machine learning in healthcare. We explore its applications in medical image analysis, electronic health records, and wearable device data. Our findings indicate that split learning effectively protects patient privacy while maintaining high model performance, compared to traditional methods and other privacy-preserving techniques. Split learning also addresses data transmission, storage, and computation challenges, making it a promising solution for secure, efficient medical data processing in resource-constrained environments.

* denotes presenter

CS04.  The development of a custom scheduling support system for the Department of Computer Science & Information Systems

CIS 424 students

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Scott James

Each academic year, department chairs are asked to examine the current academic year's schedule and plan for the upcoming academic year.  The current process involves using Excel spreadsheets, which while electronic, is still inefficient and cumbersome for departments with numerous faculty members and courses.  This CIS senior capstone project examines a web based interface that will allow department chairs to compare schedules to each other and software assistance in flagging changes to the schedule, adding and deleting courses and managing multiple other aspects of the scheduling process.  The software is being written in such a way that it could be expanded beyond the CSIS Department to the entire SE&T college or university at large.

CS05.  The development of an integrated software system to manage the Commission on Aging's Foster Grandparents program

CS 471 students

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Scott James

The Saginaw County Commission on Aging's Foster Grandparents program is responsible for pairing up retired adult volunteers with elementary age children who need both educational and emotional support across a variety of school districts.  The current system to track and maintain all of the information on the volunteers, their activities, the students and the school districts are currently a series of unconnected spreadsheets and word processing documents.  This project has been responsible for moving the current system to a state of the art Windows desktop solution using database technology to maintain the data.  Additionally all pieces of the system will be integrated in a one-stop shop approach to allowing the management and reporting needs of the organization.

EE01.  Eye diagram and failure of interconnect in microstrip transmission line

Flora Mia Szklenar

Faculty Advisor: Dr. M. Ashraf Khan

The bottleneck of a transmission line is the contact which can be prone to failure for thermal cycling. The contact can be in the form of solder contact as in Quilt packaging. In this study the failure of the interconnect or contact is explored in terms of signal integrity. The failures are introduced in terms of 10%, 50% and 90% cracks in the signal lines of a transmission lines. S-parameters variation is first investigated for a frequency range and the variation of return and insertion losses. In the next step, eye diagram is generated for a crack-free and cracked lines which is used to determine any discontinuity or failure. The results indicate how the cracks impacts eye opening for discontinuities and how it can assist in detecting the discontinuity.

EE02.  Exploring an application of Hall effect sensor for tactile and non-tactile use

Abdullah M. Almohsin

Faculty Advisor: Dr. M. Ashraf Khan

Electronic circuitry for tactile application is widely used now a days. A hybrid application, both tactile and non-tactile, can offer a new option. The Hall effect sensor can potentially be used for tactile and non-tactile purpose. Under the influence of a directional magnetic field and electric fields, the electrons or holes are accumulated on one side of a semiconductor based on its type and opposite charge on the other side. Based on the charges, a voltage is developed. The developed voltage is dependent of the fields applied. Simulations have been performed for the spatial distribution of magnetic fields for Hall sensors. The results revealed the limit of magnetic fields that can affect the sensor’s developed voltage for both vertical and horizontal orientation of the sensors. They showed how far—in x, y and z directions— the magnet can be positioned for reliable switching considering multiple sensors.

ME01.  Performance Enhancement of Two-Stage EHD Gas Pump in a Rectangular Channel

Matteo Capotosti^*, Zack Dollman, Noah Drummond

Faculty Advisor: Dr. A K M Monayem H. Mazumder

This study is an experimental investigation of fluid flow driven by a two-stage EHD (electrohydrodynamic) gas pump. This fluid flow is created by inducing an electric body force around a rectangular channel, which causes the gas in the channel to move. The flow will be stimulated by pump with 8 emitting electrodes in two-stage charged at a combination of three different operating voltages (20 kV, 24 kV, and 28 kV) for possible performance improvement. To achieve the maximum enhancement, the emitting electrodes of the EHD gas pump are flush mounted on the channel walls so that the fluid flow produced directly disturbs the boundary layer thickness and improves the gas pumping. This is leading to a higher velocity near the channel walls and resulting in an inverted parabolic velocity profile at the center of the channel. Fluid velocities are measured at three cross-sections along the channel length and then integrated to obtain the volume flow rate. This investigation includes a literature review for EHD techniques, experimental setup design by construction and assembly, data collection and analysis of the experimental findings. In that way, hands-on experience will be gained. The two-stage EHD gas pump, which can be produced and sustained air flows with a maximum volume flow rate will be considered more efficient when it is operated with uneven applied voltages.

* denotes presenter

SD-EE01.  Robotic Prosthetic Forearm

Jacob Murawski, Sara Neves, Bradley Rowloff, Austin Welter

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Rajani Muraleedharan

The robotic prosthetic forearm project includes designing and building a prosthetic forearm that can aid a child in need. Electrical engineering students led this project. This prosthetic forearm has limited to no errors that will assist in everyday tasks. This project includes muscle sensor control to move the hand. This is done by using EMG technology which can detect muscle contractions. These contractions are programmed into signaling the hand to close using a microcontroller. The forearm is light weight, weighing in at a total of 225 grams. Additional 3D printing was done internally to ensure there were no time setbacks. This project will assist people who do not have the resources to purchase a medical grade prosthetic and give us a multi-disciplinary engineering experience that will prepare us for post-graduation. Safety and ethics were prioritized by using the proper materials and conducting extensive tests to ensure the forearm could be used by a human. The outcome of the project was a robotic prosthetic forearm that uses EMG sensors and motors to increase user’s independence.

SD-EE02.  Movement Mirroring Robotic Arm Software

Wesley Beck, Purna B. Thapa, Gavin Zimmer

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Rajani Muraleedharan

The goal of this project is to use software to identify movement from a camera to translate to robotic motion. The first step is to get an understanding of how OpenCV and Python can integrate to know how the information from the video feed is processed. Once this is complete, information being processed in OpenCV is then translated into values that can be manipulated in Python then read by a robot and using coordinates. This is done to get reliable and precise movements from the video to the robot. This project used OpenCV, PyCharm, DOBOT Studio v1.9.4, and Mediapipe. PyCharm helps create and decode the different modules of the code used to process the video feed. OpenCV processes the video feed and allows for overlays on top of the video, such as lines or dots. Mediapipe is an open-source framework that was created by Google and has more than 30,000 images of hands manually uploaded to ensure accuracy in detecting the 21 hand-landmarks that are used to track hands. This is what allows the software to accurately track the position of a user’s hand in the video feed. The robot being used is the DOBOT Magician and DOBOT Studio is used to feed coordinates to the robot to tell it where to move.

SD-EE03.  Manufacturing Quality Vision System

Mateo Acosta, Drew Germain, Joshua Madden, and Samuel Schofield

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Rajani Muraleedharan

Due to the increase of quality and safety concerns in today’s manufacturing industry, measures are to be set in place by various companies. To solve this problem, automation plays a key role in manufacturing processes to ensure safety and quality in product development. In this analysis, a manufacturing quality vision system was designed, implemented, and verified by automating an overall powerpack assembly process meeting Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) safety and quality requirements. In detail, a circuit card assembly (CCA) was aligned with a motor by using a manufacturing (Cognex) camera and controller. As a result, the operator would not have to align the CCA to the motor manually but rather rely on the manufacturing quality vision system to automate the alignment procedure with the use of the manufacturing camera and controller software. Additionally, a research project was completed to better understand the functionality of the manufacturing quality vision system on a smaller scale along with increasing knowledge in various electrical engineering topics such as programming, image processing, and communications. With the combination of both software and hardware integration, the manufacturing quality vision system met quality and safety standards requested by the OEM.

SD-EE04.  Engaging and Educating Youth in Sustainable Urban Agriculture

Ayman J. Al Abdrbalnabi,  Keith A. Brandon, Deon R. Gray, Shane A. Gross, Timothy A. Townley

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Rajani Muraleedharan

A smart aquaponics system using Internet of Things (IoT) will be designed in order to help promote sustainable urban agriculture to high school students in the Agriscience program at the Coleman Regional Agriscience Center. The Aquaponics system will be built using Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) design and modern sensor-controlled system and cloud computing technologies. The data gathered by an array of sensors will provide real-time information that will be used to control an automatic fish feeder, grow-lights, and a pH-balancing system. A user-alert system will also be developed to alert users of any critical sensor failure or system imbalance. Additionally, the historic cloud data can be further explored to understand aquatic and plant growth. Upon completion, the smart aquaponics system will be donated to the Coleman Regional Agriscience Center, where it will be incorporated in the Agriscience program’s curriculum and will serve as a shining example of how technology can supplant agriculture.

SD-ME01.  Duro-Last Roofing Mobile Safety Stand

Joseph Breen, Michael Kern, Nicolas Krzyzaniak, Jonathan Mahmoudi, Jordan Tower

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Brooks Byam

The Duro-Last Roofing Mobile Safety Stand (MSS) is a rolling stand to be used in concert with the Starter Kit Toolbox. The MSS will provide a safe way to transport the toolbox while it's on an elevated platform. The MSS creates a more efficient and safe working environment through ergonomics and ease of use on the jobsite.

SD-ME02.  Duro-Last Roofing Subcontractor Starter Kit

TaylorAnn Alarie, Matthew Angst, Katelyn Engelhardt, Lucas Kraenzlein, Burt Mann

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Thomas Mahank

Duro-Last Roofing (DLR) is based out of Saginaw Michigan and was founded in 1978, by John R. Burt. DLR is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of custom-fabricated roofing systems. Duro-Last is a single ply PVC roofing membrane that is available as a custom fabricated system or in standard roll sizes, as well as custom cut roll lengths. Their great products and services set them apart from their competition. The Duro-Last Starter Kit Toolbox is being designed to improve subcontractors’ readiness to perform their jobs as well as to increase subcontractor retention rates. Subcontractors who purchase the toolbox will be more likely to continue business with DLR due to the investment with the company. This project is taking an existing idea of a toolbox and specializing in it to meet the conditions that would be required to house all the tooling needed as well. Currently, DLR sells tooling that would be needed to install the roofs, but there is no distinct toolbox available that contains every tool needed to install a roof. The toolbox must be able to withstand the conditions of being on a roof full time, meet any applicable safety standards, and provide comfort amenities to the workers using the starter kit toolbox.

SD-ME03.  Spicer Group Collapsible Straight Edge Leveling System

Kyle Klingenberg, Jake Landrey, Andrew Rombach, Dylan Vincke, Matthew Warner

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Brooks Byam

Spicer Group (SG) is a civil engineering-based company that specializes in architecture, construction services, and survey located in Saginaw, Michigan. Currently, the SG`s construction services department needs improvement for their road gradient measurement system, SG needs a collapsible straight edge leveling system for better handling and efficient transportation of the equipment in their vehicles. As of right now, to measure the grade of roads, SG uses a 10-foot section of flat stock aluminum with a level duct-taped to one end. The redesign will need to be 10 ft long, capable of collapsing to fit into a 6ft truck bed while upholding straight-edge integrity, corrosion resistant, development budget of $500, meets OSHA OTM Section VII Part V Ergonomic Evaluation, meets MDOT Standard specifications for construction Section 501 Part H, meets OSHA standard 1926.954(b)(2)(i)(C) standard for sharp edges, equal to or less than weight of current design , and withstand temperatures of 300 °F.

SD-ME04.  TEAMTECH Safety Next Gen Walking Aid

Jonathan Besaw, Sam Deardorff, Elliot Geisert, Alex Grifka, Bryce Stevens

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Brooks Byam

The Next Gen Walking Aid is being designed because of the positive impact that it will have on those with injuries to their knees and lower leg region. The goal is to help individuals that are either in a post-surgery phase and are re-learning to walk, or who need general walking assistance. The system will greatly reduce the amount of vertical load on the leg, making walking possible with little to no pain.

SD-ME05.  Glastender Thermal Loss Calculator

Tasawar Drupak, Shariful Alam Robin, Rawly Scarmeas

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Brooks Byam

The purpose of this project is formulating and validating a refrigeration load design calculation tool for long-draw beer systems. In current practice, the basic system design uses equivalent feet of glycol line length to select the line chiller model (which determines refrigeration capacity of the system). As the current practice stands, changes in ambient conditions, glycol flow rates, and specific configurations of flow lines are not fully considered, thus grouping most application scenarios under one blanket when determining system size and capability. While proven to have adequate performance over the years, the factor of safety built into these numbers for specific design inputs is still unknown. This is adding cost due to over-design and the risk of under-sizing the glycol chiller. The calculation tool will reduce costs for the final customer by accurately predicting their specific refrigeration needs and providing them with the correct equipment the first time around. As such, the objective of the project is to perform a theoretical analysis of glycol trunk lines and glycol-cooled beer towers to predict heat gain across model families in various ambient conditions and to design test methods and equipment required to confirm and augment the theoretical analysis empirically. The analysis findings will then be transferred into the calculation tool based on theoretical model​.

SD-ME06.  Magliner Bulk Delivery Truck Redesign

Amy Babon, Andrew Lehman, Braydon Walker

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Brooks Byam

The bulk delivery truck had underwent a redesign to address strength issues in the corners. The redesigned product succeeded in strengthening the corners, but it is now expensive to manufacture. Our goal is to redesign the product again to maintain strength and lower the cost of manufacturing.

SD-ME07.  TrachSnake Industries Adjustable Intubation Bougie

Edward Barnett, Rachael Boensch, Lucas Spencer

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Brooks Byam

This presentation is to display an adjustable intubation bougie for the client TrachSnake Industries. The tool itself was put into development to solve an issue brought forth by the two clients, who are both practicing doctors, in an effort to marry the advantages of both current industry standards and create an intubation stylet that could be used in any situation, and be more efficient than the tools currently in use in the medical industry.

Computer Science & Information Systems

Presentations are 30 minutes each in Pioneer 242.

Electrical Engineering Senior Design II

Presentations are 30 minutes each in Pioneer 240.

Electrical Engineering Senior Design I

Presentations are 30 minutes each in Pioneer 240.

Mechanical Engineering Senior Design I

Presentations are 30 minutes each in Pioneer 245.

Mechanical Engineering Senior Design II

Presentations are 30 minutes each in Pioneer 247.