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METROPOLITANA (UMET) IS PROUD TO HOST THE

XVII UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM SHOWCASING MINORITY STUDENTS’ MENTORED RESEARCH Leadership at UMET/MIE Project: Federico Matheu, Ph. D. UMET Chancellor Juan F. Arratia, Ph. D. NSF/UMET MIE Project Director and Principal Investigator

SEPTEMBER 15-16, 2006 NORMANDIE HOTEL SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………..

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NSF/UMET/MIE Mission, Executive Summary and Goals……………………….

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Conference at a Glance…………………………………………………………….

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Nanotechnology Workshops Agenda………………………………………………

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Message from the Chancellor: Dr. Federico Matheu………………………………

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Message from the Director and Principal Investigator: Dr. Juan F. Arratia………..

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UMET Profile and Prologue……………………………………………………….

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Keynote Speakers’ Biographical Sketches………………………………………….

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Workshop Speakers…………………………………………………………………

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Schedule of Events………………………………………………………………….. 15 Exhibitors’ List……………………………………………………………………… 27 Abstracts: Biological Sciences…………………………………………………………. Chemistry…………………………………………………………………… Computer Sciences………………………………………………………….. Environmental Sciences…………………………………………………….. Applied Mathematics……………………………………………………….. Atmospheric Sciences………………………………………………………. Psychology…………………………………………………………………. Engineering…………………………………………………………………. Science Education…………………………………………………………..

28 49 57 61 66 68 69 70 75

Acknowledgments…………………………………………………………………... 76 Index of Presenters………………………………………………………………….. 78

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NSF/UMET/MIE National Science Foundation (NSF) Universidad Metropolitana (UMET) Model Institutions for Excellence (MIE) in Science, Engineering and Mathematics MISSION NSF/UMET/MIE is dedicated to transforming Universidad Metropolitana into a nationally recognized undergraduate research institution, a model in science, mathematics, pre-engineering and technology. Mentoring undergraduates by research faculty is the cornerstone of the MIE Project. We believe that creative research is one of the best ways to prepare students to become persistent and successful in graduate school and professional careers. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY NSF/UMET/MIE is entering its eleventh year of an eleven-year cooperative agreement between the National Science Foundation and UMET. The primary goal of the cooperative agreement is to increase the number of BS degrees granted to underrepresented students in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SMET) at Universidad Metropolitana. The MIE Project at UMET offers a wide range of academic opportunities to science students from the Department of Science and Technology. Scholarships for underrepresented and low-income students are a major incentive for first-generation university students who enter the fields of science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. To increase the number of BS degrees and transfers to graduate school, we have put in place an undergraduate research program where the research mentor is the central component of the knowledge transfer and creative thinking activities taking place at UMET. Cooperative and collaborative learning strategies, presentations at scientific conferences, scientific writing and coauthorship, technology literacy, and preparation for graduate school are activities that are transforming the philosophy of the institution. GOALS The main goal of the NSF/UMET/MIE Undergraduate Research Symposium is to: encourage undergraduate research with faculty members; develop students’ written and oral communication skills; provide a forum in Puerto Rico for faculty and students to foster interest in graduate education, particularly at the Ph. D. level; and to set national research standards for undergraduate research presentations.

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Ana G. Mendez University System Model Institutions for Excellence

XVII Undergraduate Research Symposium CONFERENCE AT A GLANCE FRIDAY, September 15, 2006 NORMANDIE HOTEL 11:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Registration
Symposium and Workshop Registration
Exhibitor Registration

12:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Workshops (Gold Room)
Nanosciences and Nanotechnology
Computational Chemistry
Cancer and Diagnostic by Imaging Exhibitors (Foyer) Coffee Break (Gold Room) Poster Session I Set-Up (Silver West I, II & III) Opening Ceremony and Dinner (Gold Room) Poster Session I (Silver West I, II & III)

12:00 – 6:00 p.m. 3:00 – 3:15 p.m. 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. 7:30 – 9:00 p.m.

(Foyer) (Foyer)

SATURDAY, September 16, 2006 7:30 – 8:30 a.m. 9:00 – 5:00 p.m. 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. 10:15 – 10:30 a.m. 10:30 – 11:30 p.m. 11:30 – 12:30 p.m. 12:30 – 1:00 p.m. 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. 2:30 – 5:00 p.m. 3:30 – 3:45 p.m. 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

Continental Breakfast / Registration / Poster Session II Set Up Exhibitors (Foyer) Poster Session II (Silver West I, II & III) Coffee Break (Gold Room) Graduate School Orientation (Gold Room) Undergraduate Research Internships (Gold Room) Success and Survival in Academia (Gold Room) Lunch (Gold Room) GRE Workshop (Gold Room) Research Oral Presentations (Gold Room, Silver East I & II) Coffee Break (Gold Room) Award and Closing Ceremony and Dinner (Gold Room)

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SISTEMA UNIVERSITARIO ANA G. MÉNDEZ Model Institutions for Excellence XVII Undegraduate Research Symposium NANOTECHNOLOGY WORKSHOPS AGENDA Friday, September 15, 2006 Chairman:

Juan F. Arratia, Ph.D.

12:00 – 12:20 p.m.

“Computational Approaches to Chemical Hydrogen Storage” David Dixon, Ph.D. The University of Alabama

12:20 – 12:40 p.m.

“Digital Magnetofluids: Nanotechnology to Make Medical Testing more Accessible” Antonio García, Ph.D. Arizona State University

12:40 – 1:00 p.m.

“A New Interdisciplinary Research and Education Paradigm” Srinivas Sridhar, Ph.D. Northeastern University

1:00 – 1:20 p.m.

“Nanotechnology Inspired by Nature” Paul Dressendorfer, Ph.D. Sandia National Laboratory

1:20 – 1:40 p.m.

“Polyaziline Nanowire Fabricated by an Economic and Environmentally Safe Approach” Héctor Carrión-González, Ph.D., Candidate Penn State University

1:40 – 2:00 p.m.

“An Approach to Building a Nanotechnology Manufacturing Workforce” Amy Bruner, Ph.D. Penn State University

2:00 – 2:40 p.m.

“Physics and Applications of Nanoscale Magnetic Materials” Roger D. Kirby, Ph.D. University of Nebraska

2:40 – 3:00 p.m.

“Research Opportunities in Nanotechnology for Undergraduates at National Facilities and Centers” Charles Bouldin, Ph.D. National Science Foundation

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3:00 – 3:20 p.m.

“Believe it or Square Root of Not” Charles Clark, Ph.D. National Institute of Standards and Technology

3:20 – 3:40 p.m.

“Synthesis and Mesoscale Self-Assembly of Metallo-Lipids in Water” Juan C. Noverón, Ph.D. University of Texas, El Paso Texas

3:40 – 4:00 p.m.

“Metal Uptake, Reduction, and Nanoparticle Formation by Plants” Jorge Gardea-Torresdey, Ph.D. University of Texas, El Paso

4:20 – 4:40 p.m.

“Nanoconvergence: The Unification of Sciences and Technologies” William Bainbridge, Ph.D. National Science Foundation

4:40 – 5:00 p.m.

Future Trends in Nanotechnology (Panel) • Amy Brunner, Ph.D. • Héctor Carrión-González, Ph.D. Candidate • Charles Bouldin, Ph.D. • Antonio García, PhD. • Paul Dressendorfer, Ph.D. • Charles Clark. Ph.D. • Roger D. Kirby, Ph.D. • David Dixon. Ph.D. • Srinivas Sridhar, Ph.D. • Juan C. Noverón, Ph.D. • Jorge Gardea-Torresdey, Ph.D. • William Brainbridge, Ph.D.

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METROPOLITANA (UMET) As an Educational Institution UMET is home to approximately 12,000 undergraduate and graduate students who are mainly underrepresented low-income minority students from the Metropolitan San Juan area in Puerto Rico. It is part of Sistema Universitario Ana G. Méndez (SUAGM) with two other sister institutions, Colegio Universitario del Este (CUE) and Turabo University. UMET has been a teaching institution since its foundation in 1948. Today, however, its philosophy has been changing to address the students’ study needs and the requirements of society. Our President, Mr. José F. Méndez, has set the agenda for becoming the best undergraduate research institution in Puerto Rico by the year 2005. As an Undergraduate Research Institution In 1995, UMET was selected by the National Science Foundation as a Model Institution for Excellence (MIE) school. At that time, a five-year Cooperative Agreement for more than $11 million was signed between UMET and the NSF. A second Cooperative Agreement was signed on October 1, 2000 for an additional three years and for $7.5 million. The third phase of the MIE grant for $2.5 million for three additional years was awarded on October 1, 2003. The main objective of the relationship with NSF is to transform UMET into a model for Hispanic Serving Institutions in the nation. Our major goal has been to increase the number of BS degrees granted by UMET, to transfer a significant number of science students to graduate school, and to enroll them in Ph. D. programs to fulfill the goals and aspirations of a greater participation of minorities in the science, mathematics, and engineering fields. After 11 years of funding, UMET has been transformed through the MIE activities by producing an effective pipeline from pre-college to undergraduate, from undergraduate to graduate school for hundreds of underrepresented minorities from Puerto Rico. UMET has been transformed by the MIE Project into a national undergraduate research institution where faculty research mentors are helping science students create knowledge and disseminate creative thinking among the members of the university community. Our undergraduate research program, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, is paving the way for research-oriented activities for the benefit of our students and the nation as a whole. PROLOGUE The multiple goals of the XVII Undergraduate Research Symposium are widespread. When this meeting was opened to the undergraduate research community of Puerto Rico and that of US mainland institutions in the Fall of 2000, it followed our initial vision of a training ground for young scientists and a melting pot for minorities. We consider that this Symposium will consolidate these objectives and will be a vehicle to advance the overall goals of the MIE Project at Universidad Metropolitana. Students who participate in the XVII Undergraduate Research Symposium of the Department of Science and Technology, sponsored and organized by the Model Institutions for Excellence (MIE), demonstrate their capacity of becoming professionals who will pave the roads to Science, Engineering, and Mathematics in this century. They are guided by their desire to integrate themselves into the scientific and technological world of the future, and they are inspired by a desire to make a contribution to the well being of humanity. We are proud to present the research work of more than one hundred and fifty students from institutions in Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and the US mainland in the areas of Biological Science, Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Applied Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, Computer Science, Astronomy, Science Education and Psychology. The research presentations of fifty-five students from Universidad Metropolitana give us much satisfaction because they are the result of a scientific tradition started more than ten years ago, and which is part of the institutional history and its consolidation for the benefit of the Puerto Rican society. All students presenting in this symposium deserve the honors and the prizes that they will be awarded for participating and sharing the product of their effort and dedication with the university research community. Our institution recognizes the seriousness and the responsibility involved in participating in an event of this magnitude, and is aware that these merits will motivate students to continue working to make their dreams of a better world come true. The MIE Project is proud to document the research abstracts and the activities for graduate school and undergraduate research orientation for the new generation of scientists who are participating in our XVII Undergraduate Research Symposium at Universidad Metropolitana in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

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KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

William Bainbridge, Ph.D. William Sims Bainbridge earned his doctorate from Harvard University with a dissertation on the space program, published as The Spaceflight Revolution. He is the author of 12 books, 4 textbook-software packages, and about 200 shorter publications in the social science of technology, information science, and culture. Goals in Space was a questionnaire study of motivations for space exploration, and Dimensions of Science Fiction explored popular conceptions of the future in space. In 2006 he published God from the Machine, applying artificial intelligence techniques to understand religious cognition, and he has just completed The Secular Abyss about the tensions between religions, cognitive science, and emerging technologies. Among recent projects are the editing of The Encyclopedia of Human Computer Interaction (2004) and co-editing Nanotechnology: Societal Implications - Improving Benefits for Humanity (2006) and Managing Nano-Bio-Info-Cogno Innovations: Converging Technologies in Society (2006). He represented the social sciences on five advanced technology initiatives: High Performance Computing and Communications, Knowledge and Distributed Intelligence, Digital Libraries, Information Technology Research, and Nanotechnology.He represented computer and information science on the Nanotechnology and Human and Social Dynamics initiatives.

Luciano Castillo, Ph.D. Luciano Castillo earned a Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering from New York State University at Buffalo, in 1997. Prior to that, he had obtained a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering also from New York State University at Buffalo in 1990. From 1998-1999 he was a Research Associate at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at New York State University at Buffalo. Since 2000 he is associated with the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aeronautical and Mechanics, at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. Dr. Castillo is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASMC), the American Physical Society (APS), the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) among others. He has received awards from the National Society of Black Engineers 1996, the Patricia Robert Fellowship 1992-1995, the Underrepresented Minority Scholarship 1990-1991, the White Westinghouse Award 1990, and the Fisher Price Award 1989. He has given lectures and seminars in the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, Chalmer University of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden, the Office of Naval Research, Virginia, USA, the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York. His most recent publications are: “Boundary Layers with Pressure Gradient; Similarity of the Velocity Deficit Region,” and The Zero Pressure Gradient Turbulent Boundary Layer,” among others.

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Renetta Tull, Ph. D. Rennetta Tull works in the Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP), a program of the National Science Foundation. She works with the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB), and the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP) to create and manage centralized academic and professional development for graduate students. She also serves on the adjunct faculty of the Hearing and Speech Sciences Department at the University of Maryland, College Park. She Renetta grew up with her three brothers in Plainfield, NJ, earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Howard University, an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Northwestern University, and a Ph.D. in Speech Science from Northwestern. At Northwestern she was a TA Fellow of the Searle Center for Teaching Excellence, taught in the National High School Institute, and interned at the Rutgers University Center for Computer Aids for Industrial Productivity (CAIP). Following her tenure at Northwestern, Tull was an Anna Julia Cooper Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UWMadison) and later served as an Assistant Professor of Communicative Disorders. She was an Honorary Fellow and Research Associate of the Waisman Center, Director of UW-Madison’s Speech Technology Laboratory, and a Research Affiliate of the Department of Industrial Engineering’s Trace Research and Development Center. Dr. Tull’s general research analyzes speech patterns of pathological voice and identifies phonetic characteristics of pathological speech that are altered by automatic speech recognition systems. Renetta Tull has also had corporate and entrepreneurship experience in addition to her background in academe. She interned at the Multimedia Division of Kodak Research Labs and the Military and was a Certified Systems Analyst for the Data Systems Operations of General Electric Aerospace. Most recently, she was the Vice President of Operations for DVIP Multimedia Incorporated, an emerging technology company where she assisted in securing early stage seed and angel funds. Dr. Tull spends most of her time as an advocate, coach, and mentor for current and prospective graduate students. She is an Educational Testing Service certified Campus Educator for the GRE, and is regularly invited to conferences across the U.S. and Puerto Rico to discuss the graduate school application process, GRE test-taking strategies, mentoring, and motivations for success. Some of her articles, presentations, and speeches include “The PROMISE of a Better Graduate School Community,” An Inclusive Approach to Stimulating Underrepresented Ph.D. STEM Student Retention and Progression,” “Graduate school 101: An Introduction to Preparing COMPETITIVE Applications,” “In Pursuit of the Professoriate,” and “Visualize Your Future with a Ph.D.” Her most fulfilling moments occur when the students at UMBC, UMB, and UMCP (all three PROMISE campuses) set goals and reach them by overcoming difficulties and moments of doubt, and subsequently gain confidence, affirm their worth, and step into their potential to succeed and excel. She is committed to helping students complete their doctorates and move into their desired careers.

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WORKSHOP SPEAKERS

Charles Bouldin, Ph.D. Dr. Charles Bouldin works in the Division of Materials Research at the National Science Foundation as Program Director for Instrumentation for Materials Science. He is also the Technical Coordinator for the Major Research Instrumentation Program within DMR. He has worked at NSF for 2 years, and was previously at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for 20 years. His background is in solid state physics, with a specialization in using synchrotron radiation to study materials. He has been the author of over 75 technical publications. He has been the sponsor for several graduate students, recruited two National Research Council postdoctoral fellows while at NIST, and helped supervise four postdoctoral researchers at other institutions. He was a visiting scientist at the Naval Research Lab for two years (1992-94) and recipient of a Senior Research Fellow award from the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute in 1998. In addition to working with synchrotron radiation, he has worked on converting legacy scientific computation codes to parallel computing platforms. Dr. Bouldin came to NIST as an NRC postdoctoral fellow and then joined the staff in the Semiconductor Electronics Division. Before joining NIST, Dr. Bouldin was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Washington. Amy Bruner, Ph.D. Dr. Amy Brunner is a Project Engineer and Outreach Associate for the Center for Nanotechnology Education and Utilization at The Pennsylvania State University. She actively works with students and educators to increase the understanding of emerging technologies and develops educational materials for secondary and post secondary education. She has been an invited keynote speaker at the G.E.T.T. (Girls Exploring Tomorrow’s Technology) Event in 2006 at Immaculata University and has attended International Conferences including the Third International Symposium on Nanomanufacturing in Limassol, Cyprus where she was a Best Paper Award recipient in 2005. Ms Brunner earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Physics from Shippensburg University and a Master’s degree in Engineering Science from the Pennsylvania State University. Héctor Carrión-González, Ph.D. Candidate Hector Carrion-Gonzalez is a doctoral student in Industrial Engineering under the direction of Dr. Stephen Fonash from the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics at The Pennsylvania State University. His research interest is in the optimization of manufacturing processes. After receiving his baccalaureate in industrial engineering from the University of Puerto Rico (1992), he was involved in the introduction for new products from the pharmaceutical sector at Merck in Puerto Rico. He pursued a master degree in industrial engineering with a concentration in manufacturing systems at The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (1996). In the spring of 1996, he joined Motorola as an engineer responsible for processing improvements in the manufacturing of engine controllers. Years later, he was involved in the implementation of data integration projects that facilitated the execution of the production planning processes for semiconductor devices. He is a member of the Alpha Pi Mu Honor Society for industrial engineers. Currently the focus of his research is the characterization of nanotechnology processes in the Nanofabrication facilities at Innovation Park. Charles Clark, Ph.D. Dr. Charles Clark is Chief of the Electron and Optical Physics Division, Physics Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in Gaithersburg, MD. He serves as acting Program Manager for Atomic and Molecular Physics, U.S. Office of Naval Research, and is active as an Adjunct Professor in the Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland at College Park. His previous service to APS includes: Chair, Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics (DAMOP); member, Fellowship Committee, Physics Policy Committee, and Davisson-Germer Prize Committee; and DAMOP representative to the APS March Meeting Program Committee. He was a leading advocate in persuading DAMOP to join the other APS Units that formally participate in the APS March Meeting, and was the author of the original proposal to establish the APS Award for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Research in Atomic, Molecular or Optical Physics.

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David Dixon, Ph.D. Dr. David A. Dixon received a B. S. with honors in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology in 1971, and a Ph. D. in Physical Chemistry from Harvard University in 1976 under the supervision of Professors D. R. Herschbach and W. N. Lipscomb. He was a Teaching Fellow at Harvard University from 1971-1975, Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota from 1977-1983 and Professor of Chemistry and Robert Ramsay Chair at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, from 2004 to the present. He has received numerous awards and has been selected to serve and chair many important committees dealing with fluorine chemistry, computational chemistry and supercomputers. Dr. Nixon has also been involved in a number of governmentsponsored workshops for the production of various documents related to high performance computing. At present his main research interest is the application of the techniques of numerical simulation to chemical problems with a focus on fluorine chemistry. He has published over 400 papers on a wide range of topics and is considered a world leader in the application of numerical simulations methods as implemented in high performance computers to problems in materials and chemical process design. Paul V. Dressendorfer, Ph.D. Dr. Paul V. Dressendorfer received the B.S. degree in Physics from the California Institute of Technology in 1972, and the M.S., M.Phil., and Ph.D. degrees in Solid State Physics from Yale University in 1973, 1974, and 1978, respectively. He is currently the manager of the Biomolecular Interfaces and Systems Department at Sandia National Laboratories. This group focuses on the science of integration of biomolecular processes, biological principles, biomimetic materials, and biomolecular function into nano- and micro-scale systems. Other major focus areas include microbiology and membrane research, imaging technologies, and functional organic films. His earlier research activities and publications have covered a wide range of areas including semiconductor device physics, basic radiation damage mechanisms, characterization of radiation effects, hardened technology development, hardness assurance, optoelectronic devices, multichip modules, advanced electronic and microsystem packaging, thermal management, frequency devices, sensors and transducers, and microsystem electronics. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON NUCLEAR SCIENCE, a Fellow of the IEEE, and a recipient of the IEEE Third Millennium Award. Antonio García, Ph.D. Dr. Antonio (Tony) A. García is Associate Director of the Hispanic Research Center and Professor of Bioengineering in the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering at Arizona State University where he has focused on designing and characterizing surfaces and colloids for diagnostic devices and biomolecule separation. He obtained a doctorate in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and a baccalaureate in Chemical Engineering from Rutgers University, New Brunswick. His industrial experience includes a position as Project Engineer in the Synthetic Fuels Division of Exxon Research and Engineering and as a Research and Development Engineer at Eastman Kodak Life Sciences Laboratories. His work has been published in a wide variety of chemistry, engineering, and biology journals including J. of Physical Chemistry, I&EC Research, and J. of Microbiological Methods,. He co-authored the textbook Bioseparation Process Science (Blackwell Science). Dr. García is also actively involved in education and human resource projects aimed at improving math, science, and engineering education as well as meeting the demand for a technological workforce as the nation's demographics changes. He was Associate Editor of the Journal of Research in Science Teaching 2003-2005 and co-project director of National Science Foundation programs to enhance opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students in science, math and engineering. His educational efforts in collaboration with faculty in the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Engineering were featured on the cover of Journal of Chemical Education (September 2000 issue). Recently, his work with colleagues in engineering and sciences on combining surface chemistry and fractal texturing in order to move water drops using light was featured in Science News (August 2004). As a member of the international industry/university research consortium known as the Interdisciplinary Network of Emerging Science and Technology (INEST), he has been working to develop nanoscale, “smart” materials that can control biological fluid motion for detection and deliver of genes. Roger D. Kirby, Ph.D. Dr. Roger Kirby is a member of the American Physical Society, the American Association of Physics Teachers, and Sigma Xi. He is author of 80 publications in journals and book chapters, and his recent interests have been in experimental studies of thin film magnetism. He is currently Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is also Director for Education/Outreach for the University of Nebraska NSF-MRSEC. He regularly serves as referee for leading journals and for granting agencies. He is active in programs to improve science instruction at all levels (K-16), both through funded grants and through other formal programs for students and teachers.

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Juan C. Noverón, Ph.D. Juan C. Noveron is assistant professor at the Department of Chemistry at the University of Texas at El Paso. He earned a Ph.D from the University of California in Santa Cruz in 2001. His outstanding performance has been recognized with the following: American Chemical Society Petroleum/Research Fund Award, the Lizanell & Coldwell Foundation Award; the University of Texas at El Paso Graduate Assembly member, the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory Research Fellow Award, the University of Texas at El Paso SEED Award, the American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow, the National Science Foundation Joint Advance Award, the University of Texas at El Paso University Research URI Award, the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society Fellow, the National Institute of Health Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, the Department of Education GAANN Research Fellow, and the University of California at Santa Cruz Distinguished Service Award. He has been member of MARC/MBRS NIH – Undergraduate Fellowship; GAANN Pre-doctoral Fellowship; Distinguished Service Award, University of California Santa Cruz; NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship; AGEP Postdoctoral Institute Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science; American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund Award. His publications include. among others,: Structure and Magnetic Properties of a Hydroxo-Bridged Copper(II) Distorted Cubane Stabilized via Supramolecular Hydrogen Bonding with an Ionic Hexafluoroacetylacetonate; Self-Assembly of Flexible Supramolecular Metallacyclic Ensembles: Structure and Sorption Properties of their Nanoporous Crystalline Frameworks. “Sri” Sridhar, Ph.D. Srinivas Sridhar earned a Ph.D in Physics from California Institute of Technology, in 1983. Prior to that he had obtained an MS degree in Physics from Ohio State University in 1976, an MSc. in Physics from American College, India in 1974, and a BS from Presidency College, India in 1972. From September 2000 to the present he has been Vice Provost and Director of the Electronic Materials Research Institute, Northeastern University. Additionally, he has occupied the following academic positions: College of Arts & Sciences Distinguished Professor, Northeastern University, Professor of Physics, Northeastern University, Associate Professor of Physics (Tenured), Northeastern University, Assistant Professor of Physics, Northeastern University; Adj. Asst. Prof. / Asst. Res. Physicist, Physics Dept., UCLA, Research Fellow, California Institute of Technology. He has been honored with the following awards: the Northeastern University Aspiration Award in 2004; the Award for Advancing Northeastern University’s Research Mission in 2003; the Distinguished Professorship, Northeastern University from 1998-present; the Kodak Graduate Award, Ohio State University in 1976; the Jagadish National Science Scholar, India, in 1969; and the National Merit Scholar, India, from 1968-1972. He has been visiting professor in several research centers in India, USA and France. His ongoing research projects include: “Acquisition of an Ultra-High Resolution SEM for Nanoscience and Biotechnology,” funded by NSF-MRI, Electronic Materials Institute and Nanomedicine Consortium” funded by Northeastern University, and “Quantum Chaos and Electromagnetic Chaos,” funded by NSF. He has published 115 papers in peer-reviewed journals. For a full list see http://sagar.physics.neu.edu/):

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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2006

NORMANDIE HOTEL

12:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Registration

(Foyer)

12:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Workshops Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Computational Chemistry Cancer and Diagnostic by Imaging

12:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Exhibitors

3:00 – 3:15

Coffee Break

3:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Poster Session I Set-Up

6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

Welcome, Opening Ceremony and Dinner

(Gold Room)

(Foyer) (Gold Room) (Silver West I, II & III) (Gold Room)

Keynote Speaker: Dr. William Bainbridge National Science Foundation 7:30 – 9:00 p.m.

POSTER SESSION I BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, CHEMISTRY, COMPUTER SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES, APPLIED PHYSICS, APPLIED MATHEMATICS, ENGINEERING

(Silver West I, II & III)

Chairman: Dr. Karen González Science Dean, School of Science and Technology, Universidad Metropolitana BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES Jessenia Alcocer, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(1)

Mechanisms of Vascular Leakage in Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) Karem Caraballo, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(2)

Study of the Posible Effects of Jil-1 Protein Over Telomere Gene Expression Mayda E. González, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(3)

Effect of Gaba on the Expression of Adenylyl Cyclases on Reproductive Neurons Valerie Nieves, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Cell Cycle Progression Analysis of Galactosemic Lens Epithelial Cells in Culture Using Dapi and Fluorescente Microscopy

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(4)

Clarymar Ortiz, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(5)

Evaluating Affinity of Heotaxin Variants with Potent Anti-Inflammatory Protein Vcci Daniela Piñero, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(6)

Observership of the Oral Health Care in the Under-Served Populations José A. Vega, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(7)

Osmoregulatory Role of Thyroid Hormones in the Killifish María Terrón, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(8)

DNA Repair Pathways that Determine Sensitivity of Ovarian Cancer Cell to Cisplatin and MustardSteroid Conjugates Lemuel Melecio, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(9)

Cell Cycle Progression Analysis of Galactosemic Lens Epithelial Cells in Culture Using Flow Cytometry and Propidium Iodide Staining Mónica Umpierre, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(10)

Hydrogels for Directing Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Behavior Maruiz Marrero, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(11)

Toward Investigating the Dimerization of HIV-1 Genomic RNA by ESI-FTMS Indhira De la Rosa, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(12)

Barrier to Autointegration Factor (BAF): Purification, Crystallization and Multiple Solvent Crystal Structure Verónica López, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(13)

Searching for Dopamine in Zebrafish Eye and Measuring its Visual Sensitivity Francheska Vega, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(14)

Angiotensin Type-1 and Type-2 Receptor’s Expression During the Development of Rat’s Heart CHEMISTRY Sharon Camacho, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(15)

Targeted Gene Methylation as a Probe for Gene Looping Shayara Díaz, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(16)

Investigation of Glycopeptide Resistance to Proteolysis Fernando L. Figueroa, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Intercalation of Copper(II) Complexes into Zirconium Phosphate Layers for Artificial Photosynthesis Applications

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(17)

Carla Mejías, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(18)

Click-Tide Nucleic Acids: Applications of Clic Chemistry to the Synthesis of Novel DNA-Binding Compounds Dalvin Méndez, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(19)

Metal-Organic Frameworks as Stationary Phase in High Performance Liquid Chromatography Columns for Organic Analytes Separations Paul Nieves, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(20)

Small-Molecule Catalyzed Oxidative Protein Folding: The Quest for an In vivo Chemotherapeutic Gerardo Santana, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(21)

Electrochemical Sensors for Organic Explosives: Towards Vapor-Phase Detection Amir M. Rodríguez, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(22)

Intramolecular Proton Transfer in 7-Methyl-Guanine: An AB initio Study Roberto Crespo, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(23)

Theoretical Study of Microscopic Solvation of SO2 in Nitric Acid: (SO2)m (HNO3)n, m, n = 1, 2 COMPUTER SCIENCES Julián Ortiz, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(24)

Classifying Captions Based on the Model Organism for Slif Hazel Ozuna, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(25)

How to Develop Java Technology Applications for Small and Mobile Devices Ramón Román, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(26)

Mll Phosphorylation in Mcf-7 and Mcf-10ª Cells Raúl García, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(27)

Ad Hoc Networking and its Security Applications Emmanuel Morales, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(28)

A Ground Truth Database for Arabic Document Image Understanding Yilda E. Sánchez, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(29)

Development of Radar Control Programs for the Casa Student Test Bed Stefani Radar Jonathan Otero, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Measuring Pulsar Intensities

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Samuel Castro, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Ron Rehacer, Alderson-Broaddus College, West Virginia.

(31)

Spatializing Contextual Information in a 3D GIS Environment ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES Carmen M. Berríos, Sheila Torres, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(32)

An Analysis of Sediments Collected from Emerson Point and Puerto Rico, Using Three Methodologies Angel A. García, Daniel Carrión, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(33)

Understanding the Effects of Urbanization on Stream Geomorphology Jonathan A. López, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(34)

Associations between Fish Assemblages and Microhabitat Structure Along an Urban Gradient in the Enoree River, South Carolina Johana Rodríguez, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(35)

Relationships between Suspended Fecal Bacteria and Land Cover in Streams in the Enoree and Saluda River Basins, South Carolina Irevis Nieves, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(36)

A Pilot Study of Airborne Biological Diversity in Washington, D.C. Madelyn Vázquez, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(37)

Detailed Analysis of the Atmospheric Gas and Aerosol Composition Changes Caused by Abrupt Weather Changes at a Sub-Urban Site Lysandra Rosario, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(38)

Study of Rheological Behavior of Olivine, Pyroxene and their Mixture at High Pressure APPLIED MATHEMATICS José F. González, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(39)

Computational Study of the Charge Distribution and Bond Strengths of Beta-Difunctional Complexes ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES Juanita Escalera, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Relationship between the Chemistry and Microphysics of Atmospheric Aerosols at a Mid-Atlantic Suburban Site

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PSYCHOLOGY Ivelisse Rivera, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(41)

Exploring Relationships: Parents’ Beliefs About Children’s Emotions and Emotional Availability ENGINEERING Melyane Ortiz, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(42)

Checkout and Launch of the Micro Satellite Technology Experiment Samelys Rodríguez, Mario Alemán, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(43)

Verification of a Low Diffraction Baffle for a Miniature Nrl Arch Sylvia González, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico

(44)

Uniform Length Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes by Thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition Process Darienne M. Ciuró, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico

(45)

A General Study of the Space Place Museum Community Partners’ Electronic and Financial Capabilities SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2006

NORMANDIE HOTEL

7:30 – 8:30 a.m.

Registration

(Foyer)

7:30 – 8:30 a.m.

Continental Breakfast

7:30 – 8:30 a.m.

Poster Session II Set-Up

(Silver West I, II & III)

9:00 – 10:30 a.m.

POSTER SESSION II Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Computer Science, Environmental Science, Applied Mathematics, Engineering and Science Education

(Silver West I, II & III)

(Gold Room)

Chairman: Dr. Wilfredo Colón Science Dean, School of Science and Technology, Universidad del Este BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES Daisey Arriaga, J. Padilla, J. Barreto, Universidad del Este, Carolina, Puerto Rico.

(1)

Long-Term Effects of an Anabolic Steroid on Gaba Immunoreactivity in Addiction Brain Centers After AAS Treatment Afiya Fredericks, Jodi Hodge, Marra Austria, University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas.

(2)

Using ADCP Data to Determine Red Hind (Epinephelus guttatus) Fish Spawning at Hind Bank Charnise Goodings, University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas. Low Genetic Variability in Zanthoxylum thomasianum

19

(3)

Perrace Hughes, Central State University, Wilberforce, OH.

(4)

Steam Control as a Potential Weed Management Strategy Daniel Jaramillo, MIT/Bowdoin College, Malden, Massachusetts.

(5)

Syntactic Complexity and Lexical Frequency Interact Talmage Miller, Central State University, Wilberforce, OH.

(6)

Ribotyping Pah-Degrading Pseudomonads and Cosmid Library Screening for Dioxygenases Lakeydra Preston, Jarvis Christian College, Hawkins, Texas.

(7)

The Influence of NPCI Protein on SR-B1 Activity Jaycey Reed, Central State University, Wilberforce, OH.

(8)

Quick Method to Screen for Antimicrobial Properties of Plants Indigenous to Southwest Ohio Juan L. Vázquez, Universidad del Este, Carolina, Puerto Rico.

(9)

Selection of Neutralizing Antibody Escape Resistants In vivo Stephanie Arroyo, M.E. Santiago, Universidad del Este, Carolina, Puerto Rico.

(10)

Standarization of GABA-Like Immunoreactivity in Three Brain Nuclei Associated with Fear, Anxiety and Extinction of Fear: Infralimbic Cortex, Basolateral Amygdala Vimary Bermúdez, University of Puerto Rico-Cayey Campus, Cayey, Puerto Rico.

(11)

The Role of Rnase III in RNA Metabolism Carolyn Cabrera, University of Puerto Rico-Humacao Campus, Humacao, Puerto Rico.

(12)

Determining the Presence of Hummingbird Flower Mites in Heliconia caribaea in a Humid Tropical Forest in Puerto Rico Jessica A. Colón, University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez Campus, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.

(13)

Intracellular Trafficking of Copolymer/DNA Complexes Liliana Colón, University of Puerto Rico-Cayey Campus, Cayey, Puerto Rico.

(14)

Isolation and Analysis of Transcription Factors TBX1 and TBX5 Xiomaris M. Cotto, University of Puerto Rico-Cayey Campus, Cayey, Puerto Rico.

(15)

Fluorescent Protein Fusions, an Advanced Imaging Tool for Cell Biology Keila Flores, Lourdes F. Hernández, University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez Campus, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. Anoxyphototroph Purple Non-Sulfur Bacteria Isolated from Microbial Mats at the Cabo Rojo Salterns in Puerto Rico

20

(16)

Lalisse Guillen, University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez Campus, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.

(17)

Flux Analysis and Metabolomics of Rat Hepatocyte Gluconeogenesis Myrna L. Huertas, University of Puerto Rico-Cayey Campus, Cayey, Puerto Rico.

(18)

Developmental Requirements for the Proprotein Convertase Amon Rubén Medina, Universidad del Este, Carolina, Puerto Rico.

(19)

ELR-1, Cellular Receptor for the Lentivirus, Equine Infectious Anemia Virus (EIAV) Associated with TNF-Receptor Associated Factors 2&3 (Trafs 2&3) Jessian L. Muñoz, University of Puerto Rico-Cayey Campus, Cayey, Puerto Rico.

(20)

GNRH Inhibits Activin-Induced Transcription Complexes on the OFSH? Promoter Anamaría Noriega, Sara Rivera, Luz M. Báez, Chamary Fernández, Denny Fuentes, University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(21)

Diet Composition of Feral Goats Introduced in Mona Island, Puerto Rico María Ocasio, Francheska Ruíz, Raúl Pérez, University of Puerto Rico-Humacao Campus, Humacao, Puerto Rico.

(22)

Time Budgets in Prolonged-Captivity Plain Pigeons (Paloma Sabanera, Patasgioenas inornata wetmorei) Jeffrey Parrilla, Universidad del Este, Carolina, Puerto Rico.

(23)

Behavioral and Cellular Modulation of AAS in Reproductive-Related Behaviors and Rewards in Adult Mice Gianni Rodríguez, University of Puerto Rico-Cayey Campus, Cayey, Puerto Rico.

(24)

Detection of P16 in the FERUM of HNSCC Patients Lorelis Rosado, Universidad del Este, Carolina, Puerto Rico.

(25)

Immunocytochemistry Study of Developmental Neurogenesis Using the Sea Urchin Lytechinus variegatus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) Carines Torres, University of Puerto Rico-Cayey Campus, Cayey, Puerto Rico.

(26)

A Functional MRI (FMRI) Study of Adolescent Neurodevelopment Victoria A. Henry, University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.

(27)

Influence of Cassava Starch on Bacteria Growth Ruth M. Franco, Universidad del Este, Carolina, Puerto Rico. Microbial Communities on Carnivore and Herbivore Dung: Isolation of Bacteria and Fungi

21

(28)

CHEMISTRY Aleisha Baker, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, North Carolina.

(29)

Systemic Search for the Ideal Scintillator Francisco Merced, Angel Ayala, Xiaogen Huang, University of Puerto Rico-Humacao Campus, Humacao, Puerto Rico.

(30)

Enantioselective Reduction of Oxime Ethers with Spiroborate Esters Derived from Chiral 1, 2Aminoalcohols Cindy M. Figueroa, University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(31)

Age Dating for Esquel Meteorite Using Trace Elements Analysis and Mass Spectrometry Techniques Adrián Del Moral, University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez Campus, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.

(32)

Sustaining H202 Concentrations and Synergistic Binary Effects in Fenton-Like Oxidation COMPUTER SCIENCES JaVonica Penn, Central State University, Wilberforce, OH.

(33)

Precision Weed Control: Algorithm to Distinguish Weeds from Crop Plants ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES Chanel Craighead, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, North Carolina.

(34)

Global Positioning Systems Measuring Water Vapor for Weather and Climate Research Jacob Fairbanks, Central State University, Wilberforce, OH.

(35)

Organic Compound Phytoremediation at a Superfund Site Andrés Lorán, Turabo University, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.

(36)

Transient Analysis of a Thermal System with Period Heat Loads APPLIED MATHEMATICS Ashley Shrae, Jarvis Christian College, Hawkins, Texas.

(37)

Holistic Ice Sheet Modeling: A First Order Approach and Study Everard Bellot, University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas.

(38)

When Does Sigma Preserve Addition? ENGINEERING Allen Harrison, Jarvis Christian College, Hawkins, Texas. Incorporating Visual and Interactive Ways of Understanding Automotive Stamping Production and Scheduling

22

(39)

Melissa Overton, Central State University, Wilberforce, OH.

(40)

Use of E-Beam Technology to Produce Bactericidal Silver-Fabric Composites Nelton Roldán, Turabo University, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.

(41)

Resonant Ultrasonic Spectroscopy of KTa1-xNbx03; (x = 0.12) Vanesa S. Maldonado, Adrian del Moral, University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez Campus, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.

(42)

Coal Combustion Byproducts as Low-Cost, Active Camping Amendments for Sequestration of Heavy Metals in Sediments Mariann Vázquez, Ingrid Padilla, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Puerto RicoMayagüez Campus, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.

(43)

Effect of Surface Vegetation on the Fate, Transport and Detection of Explosives-Related Compounds Edgardo Irizarry, Turabo University, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.

(44)

Optical Beam Interruption Detector Circuit Francisco Wharton, Turabo University, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.

(45)

Update, Document and Present MPLM Dent and Ding Recording/Tracking Procedure José A. Faura, Oscar E. Venegas, and P. Cáceres, University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez Campus, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.

(46)

Snake-Like Locomotion Using Smart Materials SCIENCE EDUCATION Sacheiry Camerón and Keyla N. Lugo, Universidad del Este, Carolina, Puerto Rico.

(47)

Importance of Science Education at the Elementary Level and the Development of Critical Thinking in Costa Rica 10:15 – 10:30 a.m.

Coffee Break

(Gold Room)

10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Graduate School Orientation

(Gold Room)

11:30 – 12:30 p.m.

Undergraduate Research Internships and

(Gold Room)

12:30 - 1:00 p.m.

Success and Survival in Academia

(Gold Room)

Ms. Tiffanny Adams, Institute for Broadening Participation Dr. William Bainbridge, National Science Foundation Dr. Bernard Batson, Institute for Broadening Participation Dr. Amy Bruner, Penn State University Dr. Holly Burnside, Drexel/PENN IGERT Dr. Chris Cash, Institute for Broadening Participation Dr. Luciano Castillo, New York State University Dr. David A. Dixon, University of Alabama Dr. Antonio García, Arizona State University Dr. Melissa Green, Harry Jenkins Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Program Dr. Roger D. Kirby, University of Nebraska Mr. Robert Knee, Institute for Broadening Participation Mr. Thompson Le Blanc, Vanderbilt/Fisk Dr. Michele Lezama, National GEM Consortium Dr. David Mark, SUNY Buffalo

23

Dr. Juan C. Noverón, University of Texas-El Paso Dr. Chris O’Brien, Ford Foundation Fellowships Ms. Glorimar Pagán, SUNY Buffalo IGERT Dr. Anthony Rene, NIH Fellowhips Dr. Srinivas Sridhar, Northeastern University Dr. Lee Terri, Institute for Broadening Participation Dr. John Trueswell, University of Pennsylvania Dr. Tim Turner, National Science Foundation Dr. John Vetelino, University of Maine

1:00 – 2:30 p.m.

LUNCH Keynote Speaker: Dr. Luciano Castillo Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

(Gold Room)

2:30 – 4:30 p.m.

GRE Workshop

(Gold Room)

2:30 – 5:00 p.m.

RESEARCH ORAL PRESENTATIONS SESSION I

(SILVER WEST I)

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES Chairman: Ms. Lucy Hamilton University of California-Los Angeles 2:30 – 2:45 p.m.

Maira A. Castañeda, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Optimization of Agrobacterium tumefaciens Mediated Transformation for Tomato Using GFP and GUS as the Reporter System

2:45 – 3:00 p.m.

Angel Y. Ortiz, University of Puerto Rico-Cayey Campus, Cayey, Puerto Rico. SPTLC2 and Glucose Metabolism

3:00 – 3:15 p.m.

Karla Hernández, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Purification and Characterization of Ovarian Theca-Interstitial Cells from Wild-Type and Estrogen Receptor-α Null Mice by Density Gradiant Centrifugation

3:15 – 3:30 p.m.

Freddyson J. Martínez, Inter-American University-San Germán Campus, San Germán, Puerto Rico. The Effect of the Tentacle Tissue of Eupolymia crassicornis (Spaguettoi Worm) in the Heart Rate of Biomphalaria glabrata

3:30 – 3:45 p.m.

Makyba Charles, Kevon Rennie, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, Florida. To Determine the Correlation Between the Effect of Lead on the Degeneration of Tissue, Neurodegeneration and on Cognition

3:45 – 4:00 p.m.

José Reyes, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Automated Recognition of Dendritic Spine In vivo Two-Photon Laser Scanning Microscopy Datasets

4:00 – 4:15 p.m.

Ricardo L. Arribas, University of Puerto Rico-Cayey Campus, Cayey, Puerto Rico. Physical Responses of Physalis Leaves to H. sublexa Eggs

4:15 – 4:30 p.m.

Rosalyn González, University of Puerto Rico-Cayey Campus, Cayey, Puerto Rico. Effects of the Relocation of SµTR Sequences on Targeting Somatic Hypermutation and Class Switch Recombination

4:30 – 4:45 p.m.

María E. Ocasio, University of Puerto Rico-Humacao Campus, Humacao, Puerto Rico. Learning Behavior of Tautogolabrus adspersus in Response to the Defense Mechanisms of Flabellina verrucosa

4:45 – 5:00 p.m.

Ashley González, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Image Acquisition for Heterogeneous Protein Location Pattern Analysis

24

2:30 – 5:00 p.m.

RESEARCH ORAL PRESENTATIONS SESSION II

(SILVER WEST II)

Biological Sciences and Chemistry Chairman: Mr. Tomás Yan Melo Fisk-Vanderbilt University BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES 2:30 – 2:45 p.m.

Francisco J. Sánchez, Roger H. Valle, University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez Campus, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. Understanding Life on Earth: Molecular Comparison of Cyanobacteria Present in the Green Layer of Two Tropical Hypersaline Microbial Mats at the Cabo Rojo Salterns of Puerto Rico

2:45 – 3:00 p.m.

Triana Merced, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Intrinsic Ca2+ Variations in Hippocampal Astrocytes

3:00 – 3:15 p.m.

Emmanuel D. Williams, Jarvis Christian College, Hawkins, Texas. Is the Production of Halocin by Haloferax mediterranei Linked to Nutrient Source?

3:15 – 3:30 p.m.

Brendalis Dávila, University of Puerto Rico-Cayey Campus, Cayey, Puerto Rico. Nerve Terminal Protein Target in Lambert Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome (Lems) CHEMISTRY

3:30 – 3:45 p.m.

Timothy H. Rivera, Jorge A. Candelaria, Universidad del Turabo, Caguas, Puerto Rico. Fernando L. Figueroa, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Direct Intercalation and Characterization of Metal Complexes into Zirconium Phosphate Layered Materials

3:45 – 4:00 p.m.

Fernando Serrano, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Conformational Analysis of 3 Separate Qualitative Biologically Active Enantiomers of A-Hydroxy Phosphonates

4:00 – 4:15 p.m.

Latoria Wiggins and Steven Vilayvong, North Carolina A&T State University. A Search for Cerium Doped Lanthanum Oxide Scintillators

4:15 – 4:30 p.m.

Leonardo Rosario, University of Puerto Rico-Cayey Campus, Cayey, Puerto Rico. Synthesis and Characterization of a New Benzopyrene Bisimide for Multifunctional Applications

4:30 – 4:45 p.m.

Michael Sáez, Inter-American University-San Germán Campus, San Germán, Puerto Rico. Synthesis of Copper (I) Carbonyl Tris-Pyrazolyl Borate Complexes and their Derivates

4:45 – 5:00 p.m.

Kristina Soto, Tatiana Luna, Edwin De La Cruz, University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez, Campus, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. Spectroscopic Characterization of Bacterial Species Using Normal Raman and Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopies

25

2:30 – 5:00 p.m.

RESEARCH ORAL PRESENTATIONS SESSION III

(SILVER WEST III)

Chemistry, Mathematics, Environmental Sciences, Psychology and Engineering Chairman: Dr. Martin Engman Universidad Metropolitana CHEMISTRY 2:30 – 2:45 p.m.

Yadira M. Soto, Oliva M. Primera, Leonardo C. Pacheco, Orlando Ruíz and William Ortiz, University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez Campus, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. Detection of Chemical Warfare Agents Simulants (CWAS) and Toxic Industrial Compounds (TICs) Using Raman, FT-IR Spectroscopy and Fiber Optic Coupled Grazing Angle Probe-FT1R MATHEMATICS

2:45 – 3:00 p.m.

Ricardo Cordero, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. OCD Therapeutic Dynamics: Markovian-Based Simulations

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES 3:00 – 3:15 p.m.

Angela Edwards, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina. Africa Array Geophysics Field Course

3:15 – 3:30 p.m.

Jeselyn Calderón, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Effects of Temperature and Soil Moisture on Ant Nesting Behaviour PSYCHOLOGY

3:30 – 3:45 p.m.

Tomás Plaza, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Examining Health as a Mediator of the Relationship between Demographic Characteristics and Cognition

3:45 – 4:00 p.m.

José Cardona, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Radar Data Fusion for Autonomous Navigation

4:00 – 4:15 p.m.

Sylvia B. Rodríguez, University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez Campus, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. Development of a Multi-Scale Parking Methodology for Evaluating Fate and Transport Processes of Explosive-Related Chemicals in Soil Physical Models

3:30 – 3:45 p.m.

Coffee Break

(Gold Room)

6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

AWARD, CLOSING CEREMONY AND DINNER

(Gold Room)

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Renetta Tull University of Maryland-Baltimore County

26

XVII UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM EXHIBITORS LIST

Arizona State University

Temple, Arizona

Georgia Tech/Emory University

Atlanta, Georgia

Institute for Broadening Participation

St. Damariscotta, ME

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program

Washington, DC

The National GEM Consortium

Notre Dame, Indiana

Universidad Central del Caribe

Bayamón, Puerto Rico

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

University of South Florida

Tampa Bay, Florida

Washington University in St. Louis

St. Louis, Missouri

Waters Corporation

Caguas, Puerto Rico

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ABSTRACTS BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

MECHANISMS OF VASCULAR LEAKAGE IN DENGUE HEMORRHAGIC FEVER (DHF) Jessenia Alcócer, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Research Mentor: Xia Jin, MD/PhD, University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry. The Dengue Virus (DV) is a mosquito transmitted agent that causes classic dengue fever (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). The virus is transmitted to people through the bite of Aedes egiptii and Aedes albopictus (mosquitoes). The mosquito becomes the carrier of the virus after biting a Dengue-infected individual. After about a week, it can transmit the virus to a healthy person. There are four virus serotypes, Den-1, Den-2, Den-3, and Den-4. Infection with one serotype does not provide cross-immunity. Several dengue vaccines are being developed, but none can be used to prevent this virus. The overall aim of this project is to asses disruption of EC barrier by supernatants from DV-infected human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Experiments are underway that are aimed to develop an in vitro model of vascular leakage using the standard Transwell insert system. EC barrier disruption will be evaluated using an indicator protein to measure changes in permeability that will be reported. STUDY OF THE POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF JIL-1 PROTEIN OVER TELOMERE GENE EXPRESSION Karem Caraballo, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Research Mentors: Prof. Fernando Azorín, Elena Casacuberta Ph.D, Instituto de Biología Molecular de Barcelona, CSIC, España. Telomeres are essential structures for life. Drosophila telomeres are different from other organisms, since Drosophila telomeres do not have telomerase. Drosophila telomeres are divided in two domains: telomeric and subtelomeric. The retrotransposon HeTA and TART are found at the telomeric region and they play an essential telomeric role in Drosophila. The Jil-1 protein is found at the telomeric domains. Jil-1 regulates the phosphorilation of the histone H3 during interphase. The kinase Jil-1 is essential for viability and its loss of function leads to a global disruption of chromosome structure. This research studied whether Jil-1 modulates the gene expression in Drosophila telomeres. This hypothesis was studied by crossing wild type flies that contain a reporter gene in the telomeric or subtelomeric domains, with different mutants of Jil-1. The putative effect of Jil-1 on the white gene expression was monitored by looking at the changing color of the eye fly. It was demonstrated that when crosses are done, Jil-1 affects the gene expression. A different effect was also seen depending on which telomeric domain the reporter gene is located. Moreover, preliminary results have shown that Jil-1 affects the expression of the Gag gene of the HeT-A retrotransposon. OPTIMIZATION OF AGROBACTERIUM TUMEFACIENS MEDIATED TRANSFORMATION FOR TOMATO USING GFP AND GUS AS THE REPORTER SYSTEM Maira A. Castañeda, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Research Mentor: Seema Dhir, Fort Valley State University, Fort Valley, Georgia. A genetic transformation system for the cherry tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) was optimized using a Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) and β – glucuronidase (GUS) gene as the reporter system. An Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain C58-MP90 carrying plasmid pTCS5 with kanamycin and GUS genes and strain GV3101 carrying pAD127 with hygromycin and GFP genes were used for Agro-infection. Parameters optimized were different explants, different cultivars and different Optical Density (O.D.) levels for Agro-infection. The transformation efficiency was calculated based on the GUS/GFP spot counts after 48 hours of co-cultivation. GFP gene was expressed as green fluorescent spots and GUS as blue spots. Comparing the different explants cotyledon, leaf and stem from two different cultivars (sun gold and little girl) the GUS gene expression range from 75100% whereas the GFP expression was 0-17%. The Optical Density (OD) of 0.6 gave the highest (80%) and 0.2 O.D. gave the lowest (42%) spots in both the genotypes tested. The results suggest that although both GFP and GUS can be used as visual, reporter gene markers for genetic transformation of the cherry tomato, the transformation efficiency is much higher with the A. tumefaciens strain C58-MP90 carrying GUS as a visual marker.

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EFFECT OF GABA ON THE EXPRESSION OF ADENYLYL CYCLASES ON REPRODUCTIVE NEURONS Mayda E. González, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Research Mentors: Cecilia Martín, Gonzalo Martínez de la Escalera, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Campus UNAM-Juriquilla, Querétaro, México. The reproductive neuroendocrine axis is governed by a pulsatile secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which is produced by a small number of neurons from the hypothalamus. The central nervous system regulates reproductive function through the use of different neurotransmitters, including gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). In order to study this neuroendocrine system, an immortalized GnRH neuronal line called GT1 cells was used. The study of GT1 cells has shown that GABA produces a biphasic effect, that consists of an initial increase of GnRH secretion, that is preceded by an increase in the concentration of intracellular calcium. Shortly thereafter, however, the levels of GnRH decline rapidly to reach a sustained nadir that is paralleled by the levels of intracellular cAMP. In the present study, the possible mechanisms involved in the late phase were analyzed. It was hypothesized that GABA modifies the expression of adenylyl cyclases. To test this hypothesis, GT1 cells were exposed to the short and long term action of GABA and the changes in the adenylyl cyclases isoforms expression was evaluated using the Real Time PCR method. IMAGE ACQUISITION FOR HETEROGENEOUS PROTEIN LOCATION PATTERN ANALYSIS Ashley González, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Shann-Ching Chen, Elvira García-Osuna Research Mentor: Dr. Robert F. Murphy, Director Center for Bioimage Informatics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA. The subcellular location of proteins is critical to the understanding of cell function. Comprehensive analysis is needed as part of systems biology efforts to understand the behavior of all expressed proteins. This location can be determined by the interpretation of fluorescent microscope images, and automated systems to this have been described. However, these have used primarily single cell images and do not take neighboring cell information into account. This is valuable information that will increase the accuracy of these systems (Chen and Murphy, 2006). Therefore, the goal of the study was to improve classification accuracy by obtaining multiple cell images with two location patterns. The cells that were used were NIH3T3 cells, which have been GFP-tagged. Two protein patterns were chosen and tagged, one of them with a membrane dye (Vybrant CM-Dil). The cells of both patterns were then grown together. The membrane dye was used as ground truth in the computational analysis. An appropriate concentration of the dye was found. After two days of growth, Hoechst33342 (DNA dye) was added to the cells at an appropriate concentration. The cells were then imaged using an automated fluorescent microscope. It was determined that the dye does not transfer between different cells. Therefore, it can be concluded that the dye is a good marker for determining the ground truth. Thus, multiple cell images with heterogeneous protein location patterns may be expected to improve discrimination between similar patterns. OBSERVERSHIP OF THE ORAL HEALTH CARE IN THE UNDER-SERVED POPULATIONS Daniela Piñero, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Research Mentor: Sangeeta Gajendra, DDS, MPH, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York. Under-served and minority disadvantaged populations have not been able to have the opportunity to benefit from a healthy oral condition. This study consisted of working with Dental Outreach Programs, and observing procedures that were performed in community dental clinics to improve the oral health of socio-economically disadvantaged patients, including adults and children. The objective of this Outreach Program was to improve the oral health of the underserved population. Comprehensive dental care was provided by a team of general and pediatric dentists and residents. This study will describe the different preventive and other dental procedures performed on a daily basis in the Outreach Program, to reduce the burden of dental disease in the community. Results evaluating the number of preventive measures and other dental procedures performed will be reported.

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PURIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF OVARIAN THECA-INTERSTITIAL CELLS FROM WILD-TYPE AND ESTROGEN RECEPTOR-α NULL MICE BY DENSITY GRADIANT CENTRIFUGATION Karla Hernández, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Research Mentor: Karina Rodríguez, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. In the ovary, thecal-interstitial cells (TIC) function to synthesize androgens that are then converted to estradiol by the granulosa cells (GC). TIC expresses significant amounts of estrogen receptor-α (ERα) in mammals and ERα-null mice exhibit TIC dysfunction in the form of elevated androgen synthesis. This phenotype resembles the polycystic ovarian syndrome, a leading cause of infertility in women. It was hypothesized that ERα modulates steroidogenesis in TIC and therefore the study sought to purify TIC from the ovaries of wild-type (WT) and ERα-null mice to allow for more targeted comparative studies of the two genotypes. Mice were treated for 36 h with gonadotropins to stimulate TIC proliferation. Ovaries were collected, minced and the different cell types dispersed by enzymatic treatment. The preparations were then layered onto a 27% Percoll solution and centrifuged at 30,000 x g for 20 min to generate a continuous gradient. Cells aggregated in four distinct bands (labeled 1-4) with densities of 1.019 to 1.050 g/ml as compared to standards of known density. Total RNA was isolated from each band for gene expression analyses. TIC were identified in band 3 (~1.030 g/ml) based on their significant expression of Cyp17a1, an enzyme that is obligatory to androgen synthesis. In contrast, GC were identified in band 2 (~1.020 g/ml) based on their expression of Cyp19a1, an enzyme required for estradiol synthesis. This method for enriching TIC will provide a better comparison of the TIC phenotypes in WT and ERα-null ovaries, with the aim of further understanding the role of ERα in TIC function. THE EFFECT OF THE TENTACLE TISSUE OF EUPOLYMIA CRASSICORNIS (SPAGUETTOI WORM) IN THE HEART RATE OF BIOMPHALARIA GLABRATA Freddyson J. Martínez, Inter-American University-San Germán Campus, San Germán, Puerto Rico. Research Mentor: Jaime R. Galarza Laboy, University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez Campus, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. Numerous investigations indicated how much sessile species in the oceans have chemical mechanisms defense for possible predators. With the presence of a substance that apparently produces a bad taste and odor in his tissue that produces a pharmacological activity in the predator, that way this organism avoids to be consumed. In this study the heart rate of late embryos (before hatching) of the mollusk Biomphalaria glabrata was counted. It was determined that there is a variation in the heart frequency between different specimens of the mollusk and the experimental manipulation produces a low diminution in the heart rate. Previous experiments of the aqueous extracts of the polychaete tentacles of the Eupolymnia crassicornis, produced a significant diminution in the heart of the gastropod. To compare the activity of the extract of E. crassicornis with pharmacological substances, that have known action in the heart of B. glabrata, it was exposed to epinephrine and the heart rate was counted after the exposure. The epinephrine raised the heart rate in the snail. USING ADCP DATA TO DETERMINE RED HIND (EPINEPHELUS GUTTATUS) FISH SPAWNING AT HIND BANK Afiya Fredericks, Jodi Hodge, Marra Austrie, University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, VI. Research Mentor: Nasseer Idrisi, Ph. D, Division of Science and Mathematics, University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, VI. The purpose of this project is to determine if the spawning period of fish at Hind Bank is at neap or spring tide. The study will test the hypothesis that around the full moon Red Hind (Epinephelus guttatus) Fish spawn when currents bring eggs northeast on Hind Bank, followed by westerly currents that spread the eggs/larvae onto the bank. The Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) was used to measure the currents’ speed, direction, backscatter data (signal strength) and temperature at varying depths at the bank. The retrieved data was taken near full moon from December 2005 – February 2006 and was preprocessed in Nortek Storm Software, reformatted, and interpreted in MATLAB.

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CELL CYCLE PROGRESSION ANALYSIS OF GALACTOSEMIC LENS EPITHELIAL CELLS IN CULTURE USING DAPI AND FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY Valerie Nieves, Lemuel Melecio, Sharon Fonseca, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Research Mentors: Dr. Karen González, Dean, School of Science and Technology, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. José Rodríguez-Medina, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico. To better understand the mechanism for human health consequences of exposure to high concentrations of sugars, as in diabetes, changes in the cell cycle progression were studied. It has been previously shown that one of the most significant changes in diabetic and galactosemic LECs are changes in the rate of mitosis when compared to controls as demonstrated using several techniques. When LECs are exposed to high galactose (40 mM) in the culture medium for 4 days an increase in the rate of mitosis is observed as evidenced by an increase in the number of mitotic figures and in H3 incorporation experiments. By 7 days, the rate of mitosis decreases dramatically when compared to control using the techniques listed above. The PI analyzed the cell cycle progression of bovine LECs using flow cytometry and acridine orange and determined that galactosemic LECs exhibited a high mitotic rate at 7 days of exposure to 40 mM galactose because of the amount and conformation of the DNA of these cells. This finding contradicts the results obtained by counting mitotic figures and H3-incorporation experiments. In eukaryotes, the cell cycle is divided in several phases called interphase and mitosis. During interphase the cells prepare for mitosis by duplicating its DNA and accumulating the necessary cellular components to ensure that the products of mitosis, two identical daughter cells, have the correct genetic identity. The correct time course of the eukaryotic cell cycle consists of an M phase (mitosis, cell division), a G1 phase (first gap), the S-phase (DNA synthesis), a G2 phase (the second gap) and back to M. The progression through the cell cycle is a highly regulated event, which is ultimately governed by a group of enzymes called cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) (17). The purpose of this study is to analyze the cell cycle progression of galactosemic LECs using DAPI staining and fluorescence microscopy. The cells will be synchronized after one and six days exposure to 40 mM galactose using nocodazole, a compound that will synchronize the cells in the G2/M transition. Then cells will be analyzed 0, 4, 8 and 12 hours after release from the nocodazole treatment. This analysis will be done comparing normal and galactosemic LECs. EVALUATING AFFINITY OF HEOTAXIN VARIANTS WITH POTENT ANTI-INFLAMMATORY PROTEIN VCCI Clarymar Ortiz, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Research Mentor: Patricia J. LiWang, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University-College Station, Texas. The immune system is made up of a network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to protect the body. A large family of small signaling proteins called Chemokines bind to G-proteins receptors (GPCRs) to mediate the migration of immune cells to sites of infection and inflammation. Large DNA viruses like poxviruses and herpesviruses evade the immune system by secreting chemokine-binding proteins; this mechanism inhibits the chemokine pathway by binding to the host chemokine, competing with its receptor. Previous studies have shown the high affinity binding interaction of CC chemokine, hMIP-1β with viral CC chemokine inhibitor protein (vCCI) in vitro and that this interaction confers potent anti-inflammatory properties in vivo. NMR spectroscopy has been used to determine the vCCI: hMIP-1β structure and interaction. Mutations in F11, R16, R22, K44 residues have affected significantly the affinity of vCCI with certain CC chemokines such as MCP-1. It is also known that CC chemokine hEotaxin and hMIP-1β have a very similar structure but is not understood how hEotaxin interacts with vCCI. Eotaxin is a critical component of the allergic and asthma response. Understanding how vCCI binds and inhibits hEotaxin would be very valuable in the production of vCCI as an anti-inflammatory agent or in the design of other chemokine binding therapeutics. The objective of this study is to mutate specific complementary residues in hEotaxin that are known to be key factors in the interaction of hMIP-1β to vCCI. These variants will also be tested for affinity to vCCI. Eotaxin protein was successfully purified and DNA sequencing confirmed mutation in residue R16. Ongoing analysis will address the hypothesis that complementary residues in hEotaxin are also critical for interaction with vCCI.

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OSMOREGULATORY ROLE OF THYROID HORMONES IN THE KILLIFISH José A. Vega, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Research Mentor: Dr. Aurea Orozco, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus, Juriquilla. Querétaro, México. Euryhaline killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus, normally experience rapid osmoregulatory challenges, which are coped by the fine interplay of the neuroendocrine network. Although the participation of thyroid hormones (TH) in this hydroosmotic homeostasis is not clear, a current hypothesis suggests that they play a critical role in maintaining the high energetic demand caused by osmoregulation. In support of this hypothesis, it was found that hepatic deiodinase type 2 (D2) activity increases 2X fold after 100% seawater (SW)-adapted killifish are challenged with 50% SW. TH-specific genomic effects are mediated by triiodothyronine (T3), a hormone that is mainly derived from the extrathyroidal deiodination of thyroxine (T4). D2 catalyses this organ-specific iodine removal, thus the fact that D2 is up-regulated during a hypoosmotic challenge, suggests that bioactive TH is required to contend with this demand. In this work, the participation of TH in osmotic adaptation was characterized by transferring already osmotically challenged killifish (50%) to either 100% SW or 100% FW for 12 hrs. An increment in hepatic D2 activity was observed after both osmotic challenges, suggesting that TH is involved in more general mechanisms that maintain osmotic homeostasis. One possibility is that the T3 increased availability secondary to the rise in D2 that could regulate TH-dependent genes that have a mayor role during osmoregulation. In order to support this idea, the expression of genes such as growth hormone (GH) and Na+/K+ATPaseα in killifish liver and gill were characterized, having this last tissue direct contact with environmental salinity. DNA REPAIR PATHWAYS THAT DETERMINE SENSITIVITY OF OVARIAN CANCER CELL TO CISPLATIN AND MUSTARD-STEROID CONJUGATES María Terrón, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Research Mentors: Robert Croy Pei-Size, John Essigmann, Biological Engineering Division and Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Many ovarian tumors express steroid receptors. A recently developed approach to the treatment of estrogen receptor (ER) positive malignancies has involved the synthesis of agents in which DNA damaging warheads, specifically nitrogen mustards, are tethered to ligands for the ER. Compounds containing the ER ligand 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-methyl-5-hydroxy-indole (2PI) or 2(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-methyl-indole (which has low affinity for the ER) linked to a nitrogen mustard warhead have been tested for their ability to kill ovarian cancer cells in culture. Surprisingly, several ovarian tumor cell lines were most sensitive to the compound with the lowest affinity for the ER. One objective of the experiments is to uncover the reason(s) for the difference in sensitivity to the compounds. One hypothesis is that the two compounds produce different amounts of DNA damage. Radiolabled derivatives were used to directly measure the concentration of DNA adducts in cells treated with either compound. A second objective of the studies was to test whether the mechanism of toxicity of the new compounds differs from that of cisplatin, a drug currently used in the treatment of ovarian cancers. The sensitivity of two human ovarian adenocarcinoma cell lines to both cisplatin and the 2PI-mustard compounds was determined. The cytotoxic effects on a cell line that is known to be resistant to cisplatin (OVCAR3) was compared with one that is sensitive (Caov3). If OVCAR3 cells were sensitive to the new compound, several DNA repair pathways would be examined to determine whether 2PI-DNA adducts activate or inhibit different pathways from cisplatin adducts. INFLUENCE OF CASSAVA STARCH ON BACTERIA GROWTH Victoria A. Henry, University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. Research Mentor: Thomas W. Zimmerman, Agricultural Experiment Station, Kingshill, Virgin Islands. Cassava is a native annual crop grown in many tropical and subtropical regions that forms starch storing tuberous roots. Cassava starch is used for both human food and industrial purposes including the starch found in paper. It can also be used as a thickening agent. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the use of cassava starch as a thickening agent in supporting gelled bacteria media. Cassava starch was added at the levels of 0, 20, 40 g/L to Luria Bertani (LB) medium solidified with 4 g/L Gelrite. Both Escherichia coli strain DH5 and Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA 105 were the sources of bacteria streaked on the treatment media plates. E. coli produced large colonies within 48 hours while A. tumefaciens required 72 hrs to differentiate. Bacteria media containing cassava starch resulted in E. coli and A. tumefaciens growing as well as or better then LB medium with agar.

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LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF AN ANABOLIC STEROID ON GABA IMMUNOREACTIVITY IN ADDICTION BRAIN CENTERS AFTER AAS TREATMENT Daisey Arriaga, J Parrilla, J Barreto, Universidad del Este, Carolina, Puerto Rico. Research Mentors: V Rundle-González, Department of Biology-Río Piedras Campus; JC Jorge, Department of Anatomy-Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) have been misused by athletes and a growing number of adolescents and females. In this study, the basic neural mechanisms of long term effects of AAS on γ-aminobutyric acid immunoreactivity (GABA-ir) in discrete brain regions of male C57Bl/6 mice were investigated. In the first experiment, the AAS, 17α-methyltestosterone (17α-meT; 7.5 mg/kg) or saline was administered for a two-week period through an osmotic pump. In the second experiment, animals were exposed to AAS for two weeks, but ethanol consumption was assessed during the second week of AAS exposure. Animals were sacrificed and brain sections were obtained through the levels of the nucleus accumbens (NAc), and the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Brain sections were stained for GABA by immunohistochemistry methods. Males treated with AAS for two weeks showed an increase in the % of GABA-IR in the NAc and a decrease in the VTA ***p