2009 Poster Abstracts
Abstracts of the poster sessions are listed below. These will be available for view from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. in the atrium (middle school) and the upstairs gallery (upper school). The presenters will be available during the following times: 8-8:50 a.m., 10-11:30 a.m. and 12:30-1 p.m.
Sidhart Krishnamurthi, The Harker School, Class of 2015
Faculty Mentor: Benjamin Morgensen
Tidal Energy
The three areas in the world where tidal power can be generated are on a coastline, a river estuary or a bay. There are also only certain places that have big and strong enough tides for tidal power to be generated. This project tried to create tidal energy by using a model of a coastline and a river estuary. The river estuary model worked. For the coastline tidal turbine, the model turbine did not move properly, even when water was poured on it. It worked for a few seconds, and then it stopped and got stuck. The river estuary model worked, because the turbine didn’t get stuck in the “land,” or in this model’s case, the plastic on the side. So when water was poured onto it, it moved and produced electricity. The electricity also lasted for a long time using the estuary model. The electricity was measured in mV per second. Even though the light sometimes does not turn on while spinning, the reading on the voltmeter is enough proof that it is producing electricity. The only disadvantage Tidal Power has is that it dams up rivers, so it stops salmon and other fish from immigrating. But overall, tidal power is a great renewable resource, and should be used wherever possible.
Allison Kiang, The Harker School, Class of 2015
Faculty Mentor: Daniel Sommer
Hydrogen Fuel Cells
With global warming on the rise, people must begin to heavily consider renewable energy sources. One very reliable source is hydrogen fuel cells. To see how collecting hydrogen works, this research simulated electrolysis, the process which is used to remove hydrogen from water. From the results produced, it was evident that a large amount of hydrogen can be produced from a small amount of water. Developments for fuel cell projects are currently happening, and even the U.S. government has begun to support these renewable resources. There are many pros and cons, however, and many companies such as Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies are working hard to solve the flaws in fuel cells. This presentation will feature how fuel cells work, the pros and the cons, where developments are being made, and future fuel cell projects.
Vamsi Gadiraju, The Harker School, Class of 2015
Faculty Mentor: Daniel Sommer
Photovoltaic Cells
With an increasing population comes a higher demand for energy. Fossil fuels, which account for about 85 percent of the energy in the U.S., have dire consequences. They emit carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide which will cause a speed up global warming. The best solutions to this predicament are renewable sources of energy. Photovoltaic cells (PV cells) directly convert sunlight, a renewable energy source, into electricity. This project shows the potential of PV cells and how we are using PV cells, and will also discuss how the PV cells work.
Paulomi Bhattacharya, The Harker School, Class of 2013
Faculty Mentor: Lorna Claerbout
The Effect of Ventilation and Biotite Content on Radioactive Emissions from Granite
Granite is a natural stone that has a high consumer appeal. Recently, a few contradictory reports have discussed the possibility of commonly installed granites emitting radon, a radioactive gas that results in birth defects and other health hazards. Using a mathematical scale model for a normal home, this project tests various types of granite under different amounts of ventilation. The main goal is to statistically quantify the effect of factors such as biotite content and ventilation on the radioactivity of granite. Biotite is a dark mineral in the mica family that has radioactive elements. By comparing granite samples with varying amounts of biotite, this experiment proved that under low ventilation, high biotite granites emitted more radiation (p>0.001) than low biotite granites. However, under high ventilation, the radiation count of high biotite granites decreased significantly (p>0.001). Ventilation had no significant effect on low biotite granites, in fact, high biotite granites under high ventilation radiated the same amount as low biotite granites under low ventilation. These results show that granites with low biotite are safer to use in a home. If granites with high biotite levels are installed, homeowners should provide sufficient ventilation in order to balance out radiation levels. The data obtained in this experiment has a statistical significance of 99.99 percent, explaining the accuracy and importance of these findings.
Ashvin Swaminathan, The Harker School, Class of 2013
Faculty Mentor: Ms. Lorna Claerbout
Effect of Heat Shock Duration, Plasmid DNA Concentration, and Presence of Aloe Vera Gel on Bacterial Transformation Efficiency
One of the applications of genetic transformation is in the field of medicine. Certain diseases caused by defective genes can be treated by gene therapy, where the patient’s defective genes are genetically transformed with healthy copies. The success of gene therapy depends on bacterial transformation efficiency, which is a measure of the amount of cells in the bacterial culture that are able to take up DNA molecules. This project tested the effect of three variables on bacterial transformation efficiency: heat shock duration, plasmid DNA concentration, and the presence of Aloe Vera gel. The research procedure included testing the transformation efficiency with a constant plasmid DNA concentration of 10 μL over varying heat shock times of 25 s, 50 s, and 100 s. The transformation efficiency was also tested for a constant heat shock time of 50 s with varying plasmid DNA concentrations of 10 μL, 20 μL, and 30 μL. These tests were conducted in the presence and absence of Aloe Vera gel to see its effect on the transformation efficiency. An increase in heat shock duration raised the bacterial transformation efficiency, and an increase in plasmid DNA concentration decreased the efficiency. The presence of the Aloe Vera gel had no effect on the transformation efficiency.
Michael Cheng, Ravi Tadinada, Tyler Yeats, The Harker School, Class of 2013
Faculty Mentor: Lorna Claerbout
Absorbing the Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Cars and Factories
One of the major greenhouse gases causing global warming is carbon dioxide (CO2). As the number of factories increase and more cars drive on the roads, even with have lower emissions, we are adding significantly to our planet’s CO2 levels. To decrease our CO2 output, we either have to have factories and cars release less CO2, or capture it. This project tested if using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is a viable solution to absorb the CO2 from these sources. If it is to work, the sodium hydroxide must quickly absorb sufficient quantities of CO2 to considerably lower the emissions. This was tested with a beaker filled with NaOH and CO2 sensor and a noticeable drop in the CO2 level was found after just three minutes. Feeding the exhaust of a car or a factory through a chamber filled with NaOH might provide significant enough drop in CO2 levels to make this method a feasible solution to lower the atmosphere’s CO2 levels.
Varun Gudapati, The Harker School, Class of 2013
Faculty Mentor: Lorna Claerbout
How Temperature affects Photovoltaic Cell Efficiency
The Earth’s environment is being damaged by rising carbon dioxide levels from the burning of fossil fuels. In addition, dependence on foreign oil is causing tensions throughout the world. Renewable energy sources are not “consumed” because they do not run out unlike fossil fuels. Solar energy does not produce greenhouse gases. Solar energy is the most commonly used renewable energy source, but sometimes, desired efficiencies are difficult to reach. One of the most pivotal factors that affects efficiency is temperature which can be unreliable and varying. The purpose of this experiment is to explore how temperatures affects the efficiency of photovoltaic cells. It was predicted that the higher the temperature was, the lower the efficiency would be. A setup was created where the air and panel temperature could be manipulated. The voltage was measured using a multimeter with different temperatures to watch for any patterns. After conducting the experiments in different conditions, the hypothesis that higher temperatures lower the efficiency was proved correct. Certain temperatures affected the voltage more than others. Therefore new efficiencies can be reached by lowering the temperature of the panel. People can position solar panels depending on temperature differences to ensure the panel is the most productive it can be. They can also add heating/cooling systems to the panels to give the same effect.
Connie Cheng and Tiphaine Delepine, The Harker School, Class of 2013
Faculty Mentor: Scott Kley Contini
The Effect of Different pH Levels on the Survival Rate of E. coli
Currently, chemical-based household cleaners pose health risks to children, pets and other people exposed to them. Exposure to pregnant women can also cause birth defects. This research is trying to find a "common and/or organic" substitute for these dangerous chemical cleaners. To do this, an experiment was conducted to test different materials and their success of killing bacteria. The project tested the effect of different "common/organic" substances of varying pH levels on the survival rate of bacteria – in this case, E. coli. So far, the results have shown not much of a trend or pattern according to pH levels, but has shown some substances that are remarkably effective in preventing bacterial (E. coli) growth. The researchers hope to send results to household cleaner companies, especially those trying already to make organic cleaners. These companies may decide to use these results to create safer household cleaners. This would greatly minimize the risk that chemical-based cleaners currently pose to children, mothers, pets, etc.
Jacqueline Wang, The Harker School, Class of 2013
Mentors: Sarah Thaler, Sarah Perry
Faculty Mentor: Lorna Claerbout
A Method to Decipher Blood Type through DNA Analysis
Each year 1 in 5000 blood transfusions result in immune reactions to donated blood and in some cases become fatal. Traditionally, blood type matching between donor and recipient has relied on serology, the study of blood serum including antigens which are carbohydrates and proteins on the surface of red blood cells. The procedure involves drawing a patient’s blood and analyzing the red blood cells for the presence of ABO antigens. Because ABO antigens can also be detected in tissue (mainly epithelial), blood type matching is also important in organ transplants. However, serological blood tests may not detect all possible blood groups and leaves patients vulnerable to possible alloimmunization. Molecular blood typing can be expanded to decipher the Rhesus (Rh) blood group that includes approximately 200 varying antigens. The goal of this study is to compare the ABO blood typing of traditional blood tests (serological) with molecular blood typing to see if any differences occur. This experiment proposes a non-intrusive method for examining the ABO blood typing system by extracting human cheek cells (epithelial) and performing DNA analysis of a specific gene to pinpoint major blood group alleles A, B, AB and O. The project will perform PCR extraction by treating the samples with primers, placing them in a thermal cycler to multiply them, running them through a gel electrophoresis to measure fragment length, and setting the gel under a UV light to examine base pairs.
Michaela Kastelman, The Harker School, Class of 2013
Faculty Mentor: Lorna Claerbout
Let’s not Jump To Conclusions; The Effect of Leg Positioning on the Height of a Jump
For dancers, the technique of leaping is very important, as it helps the dancer give a more pleasurable performance. The leap will appeal more to an audience in a performance if the dancer’s leap is high. In order to reach a great height, a dancer has to have a firm preparation before the leap. This preparation is called a plie; a plie is when the knees bend. Dancers sometimes bend too much or too little, which leads to an ineffective jump. The point of this project is to see if there is a specific knee angle that helps a person jump to their greatest height. Ten subjects jump at three different angles three times. A video camera will record each subject’s nine jumps in three different angles for a record of their highest jump. For their jump, a mark will be made on the wall where the subjects’ knees should be for that certain angle. They will bend their knees to that angle and jump three times; each time, they will make a mark on the wall.
Ram S. Menon and Benjamin Yang, The Harker School, Class of 2013
Faculty Mentor: Scott K. Contini
Diatoms and How They Change Global Warming Levels
As we burn fossil fuels tons of carbon dioxide are emitted into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide, a dominant component of global warming, is abundant in the oceans and readily dissolves into carbonic acid. Since diatoms, a form of eukaryotic algae, are photosynthetic and absorb carbon dioxide, we utilized them to reduce acid levels in freshwater. The results of these tests would tell us if there is a chance of using natural solutions, such as diatoms, as opposed to man-made machines, to reduce global warming levels. The experiment focused on adding different levels of carbon dioxide to freshwater, seeing how they changed pH levels, and using this data to find the optimal conditions for diatom growth. Tap water, along with a solution containing essentials for diatoms, was combined with varying levels of carbon dioxide to discover the ideal environment. By comparing our results to current oceanic pH levels, we can see if diatom use would be the most efficient method of reducing global warming levels.
Nikhil Baradwaj, The Harker School, Class of 2013
Faculty Mentor: Scott Kley Contini
The Effect of Music on Blood Pressure
Extreme blood pressure has been a problem that has affected many individuals of different ages and races throughout the world. One that is too low or too high can characterize extreme blood pressure. Many of these patients take blood pressure medication that will in turn either increase or decrease one’s blood pressure to make it near the average (120 SYS/80 DIA). While medication can be effective, it can also be expensive and a burden to take every day. The purpose of this experiment is to see if music can manipulate one’s blood pressure effectively. This means that if a subject has a high blood pressure, a specific selection of music would be able to lower it. The hypothesis states that music can change a patient’s blood pressure while being inexpensive and an enjoyable task. The effect of music on blood pressure was tested on four different age groups and both genders. While measuring the blood pressure before and after each of the six songs, a trend became evident in the data. Some genres were able to sooth one’s blood pressure greatly, while others spiked their blood pressure. Classical and soft rock music seemed to soothe the patient’s blood pressure while rap and heavy metal were able to increase the BP dramatically. The two that were sporadic were psychadelic rock and jazz music. These two were drastically different among the different age groups. Even sometimes the blood pressure remained the same, as some subjects’ blood pressure was not affected by music. In conclusion, blood pressure is a factor that is easily affected by music and this change can be either positive, negative or none.
Suchita Nety, The Harker School, Class of 2013
Mentor: Sarah Thaler
A Study of Decreased Antibiotic Sensitivity in Successive Generations of E. coli and M. luteus
Cases of bacterial resistance to antibiotics are becoming more prevalent as antibiotic misuse continues. When an individual is given antibiotics and if they stop taking the treatment before the date set by the doctor, antibacterial resistance develops quickly. Since antibiotics are prescribed to be taken for about one week, if a person stops taking the medicine a few days into treatment, the bacteria will be at an intermediate stage of sensitivity. If those intermediate-stage bacteria are sub-cultured, the younger generations will acquire more resistance to the medicine until they are fully resistant. The purpose of this project was to find out how many generations would pass before the bacteria became completely resistant to the medication. The Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method was used and the bacteria that were at the edge of the zone of inhibition were sub-cultured, which represented intermediate-stage sensitive bacteria that would be found in a person’s body. Preliminary data showed a consistent decrease in the zone of inhibition for all the plates. Ultimately, intermediate-stage sensitive bacteria that are repeatedly exposed to antibiotics will become resistant over a short period of time.
Jennifer Dai, The Harker School, Class of 2014
Faculty Mentor: Rajasree Swaminathan
Enzyme-Catalyzed Reactions
Body cells are constantly making poisonous chemicals. They do not die because enzymes, such as catalase, are found in cells. Enzymes are proteins that speed up and help reactions that would otherwise happen too slowly. Enzymes promote the conversion of hydrogen peroxide, a toxic chemical, into harmless substances. Many factors affect catalase activity such as temperature, enzyme concentration, etc. This experiment studied the effect of changes in pH values on catalase reactions. Because enzymes are proteins, they are fairly delicate and are easily denatured. This led to the hypothesis that a neutral pH of 7 would be the ideal pH value. The reaction was measured with the chemical breakdown of hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. This reaction can be shown as: 2H2O2 → 2H2O + O2. A ruler (mm) was used to measure the height of the bubbles produced from the breakdown. This represents thoroughness of catalase activity. A stopwatch (sec) was used to measure the rate of enzyme activity. This represents the speed of reaction. After collecting the data, results concluded that the optimum pH value for catalase was pH 11. Knowing an optimal pH value could help create efficient medications to help digest hydrogen peroxide thoroughly and quickly.
Zina Jawadi, The Harker School, Class of 2014
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ilona Davies
The Effects of Age and Gender on Hearing Frequency Range
We spend thirty percent of our waking hours listening, which requires hearing. This study is about hearing, specifically the relationship between sound frequencies, commonly known as pitch, age, and gender. Software was used to record various sound frequencies in the voice range of 187 to 3,000 Hz, all at the same volume, and were used to test 38 people of ages five years and older, seated five feet away from the sound. The data was compiled and bar graphs were produced by age and by gender. Results show that low frequencies are missed the most; for example, the lowest frequency, 187 Hz, was missed fifty percent of the time. Furthermore, children tend to hear less than young adults; although this could be due to distractions and lack of focus. Noticeably, hearing degrades in older people, confirming other studies. There is no significant difference in hearing due to gender.
Daniel Pak and Allen Cheng, The Harker School, Class of 2014
Faculty Mentor: Rajasree Swaminathan
The Effects of Temperature of the Efficiency of Fuel Cells
The purpose of this experiment is to improve the amount of energy that is produced by fuel cells. The temperature of the fuel cell may cause a significant change in efficiency. The main question is whether the higher or lower temperature affects how well the fuel cell functions, either supportively or detrimentally. Before the main experiment could begin, a control experiment was performed in order to find the time period in which the fuel cell’s charge was stable. Using this time period (which was between 50 and 250 seconds) we were able to obtain more accurate results from the main experiment. Then the fuel cell was cooled down using ice at 10°C and slowly bringing up the temperature to 60°C using a blow dryer. The voltage was recorded at intervals of 2°C. As the temperature went up, we recorded higher voltages, indicating that the efficiency increases as the temperature increase. However, between every two changes in temperature, there would be a decrease in efficiency and then a sudden rise. The recharging of the fuel cell probably caused this effect. Based on this data, it was determined that fuel cells should be used between 38° and 58° for best efficiency.
Katherine Paseman, The Harker School, Class of 2014
Faculty Mentor: Rajasree Swaminathan
Study of Different Insulating Materials
The purpose of this experiment was to see what material would contain the most heat. With the economic depression we are experiencing, one way to save money on heating is to use a more effective insulator. Heat energy from a heater is very expensive, so it would be much more cost effective to use materials to stay warm rather than gas heaters. To observe the effects different materials had on containing heat, a glass bottle was filled with boiling water from a hot water heater to ensure that all the temperatures were the same. The bottle was wrapped in different materials and a probe used to see which contained the most heat. The insulator, Reflectix ®, proved to contain the most heat. The reflective coating keeps heat inside the bottle and cold outside. However, if the goal is to not dress in insulation, fleece would be the best material to keep warm.
Vikram Sundar, The Harker School, Class of 2014
Faculty Mentor: Rajasree Swaminathan
The Effect of Capacitors Upon Solar Charging Lithium-ion Batteries
Modern electric cars use lithium-ion batteries to store energy; in the future, this may be applied to solar electric cars. Lithium-ion batteries have high energy density, but they require a steady current and voltage to charge. However, solar panels produce variable amounts of current. This experiment hypothesizes that adding capacitors solves this problem. These capacitors would store charge when the current is below the lithium-ion charging requirement and then discharge to the lithium-ion batteries. In the experiment, one solar panel was connected directly to the batteries. Another panel was connected to battery and capacitor in parallel via a system of computer-controlled relays. The computers connected the solar panel to the capacitor if current was less than 20 mA; otherwise, the solar panel would be connected to the battery. On overcast or rainy days, capacitors helped produce a percent increase of over 500 percent. Sunny days tended to result in lower percent increases, from 13 percent to 21 percent. It was concluded that the new system of charging will have a great impact on rainy or overcast days, where sunlight is minimal. On sunny days, the capacitors make little improvement.
Brandon Yang, The Harker School, Class of 2014
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ilona Davies
Factors that affect the Magnetic Strength of an Electromagnet
Electromagnets have many uses in both the everyday world and nuclear physics. Cell phones and television screens are everyday applications of electromagnets. In physics/chemistry, people use electromagnets to accelerate protons in particle accelerators to learn about quarks and the interior of atoms. This experiment tries to figure out the factors that affect magnetic field intensity, specifically the number of coils of wire wrapped around the ferromagnetic core and the voltage impressed across the wire. The hypothesis is that as the number of coils of wire increased, so would the electromagnetic force. Also, as the voltage impressed on the wire increased, so would the force. The experiment began by building an electromagnet and testing different number of coils of wire (10, 20, 30, 40 and 50) and measuring the magnetic force from each. Next, the voltage impressed across the wire was altered and the magnetic force calculated. The electromagnetic force increased by regular intervals as the number of coils of wire was increased. The voltage, however, increased at first and then flattened out at around 1.7 Gauss.
Andrew Zhu, The Harker School, Class of 2014
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ilona Davies
The Effect of a Parachute’s Surface Area on its Terminal Velocity
Everywhere around the U.S., people use parachutes as forms of entertainment or exercise. Soldiers even use them in the army. All these people use parachutes to slow themselves down enough to land at a safe speed from a very high altitude. It is vital for a parachute to reach a slow terminal velocity; otherwise it would keep accelerating before the user landed, which could cause injury or even death. This project will determine how parachutes with different surface areas will affect how quickly they reach terminal velocity. The hypothesis is that the parachute with a larger surface area will reach terminal velocity sooner, and will also have a slower terminal velocity. The experiment dropped three parachutes with varying surface areas from a height of 1.96 meters. A parachute was made with a surface area of 645.14 square inches, 1,451.61 and 55,306.341 square inches. The parachute with the larger surface area’s had a dramatically different terminal velocity. It took the larger parachute roughly 2.166 seconds to hit the ground while the smaller parachute took 1.23 seconds. This collected data proves the hypothesis correct; the larger parachute took longer to fall.
Ankur Ahuja and Brandon Araki, The Harker School, Class of 2010
Research conducted at: Harker Labs
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kate Schafer
The Response of S. purpuratus plutei to Predatorial Stimuli
The experiment involves collecting sea urchin gametes, fertilizing them, storing them while they develop, introducing the plutei to predatorial stimuli, and then sampling them for their responses. The inspiration for the research was derived from a Nature article by Dawn Vaughan, where she reports her discovery that sea urchin plutei clone when introduced to fish mucus. She hypothesized that the smaller size of a pluteus once it clones increases its chances of escaping a hungry fish. The aim of this experiment was to determine whether other predatorial stimuli, such as squid mucus, jellyfish mucus, and crab liquids will cause sea urchin plutei to clone. The implications of the research, though to our knowledge of little practical application, will be significant because Dr. Vaughan’s findings are the first known instance of cloning being used as a defensive mechanism in echinoderms, and we hope to prove that this is not a singular instance but rather one example of a widespread phenomenon among echinoderm larvae.
Emily Carr, The Harker School, Class of 2009
Research conducted at: Harker Labs
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kate Schafer
The Effects of Differing Levels of Environmental Estrogens on the Development of S. purpuratus
The effect of increased levels of environmental estrogens on the development of sea urchins was studied. To do this, four separate tanks of sea urchins was established, allowing time for environmental acclimation. Three separate concentrations of estrogens were added to the three experimental tanks, and one tank was not treated. After one week, spawning was induced and gametes were collected. Gametes were combined and embryos were then studied to determine if estrogen solution led to de-masculinization or feminization of the embryos.
JiaJun Chia, The Harker School, Class of 2009
Research conducted at: University of California, Berkeley
Mentor: The Fletcher Lab
Arp2/3 binding to straight and/or bent actin filaments
The Arp2/3 protein's binding functions were studied to understand how it binds differently from the sides of bent and straight actin filaments, how it creates new actin filaments from the side of the old ones, and how it speeds up the branching reaction altogether. At the end, the radii of the actin filaments was determined by matching circles to the curvature of the filaments with a computer software, regarding any filament with an attached circle of radius more than 3um to be bent. Also noted was where the branches tended to attach to the filaments; outside the radius of the attached circle, inside the radius of the attached circle or upwards. There were no significant differences between the branching at the straight filaments and at the bend filaments, but the branches tended to grow outside of the attached circle.
Peter Gao, The Harker School, Class of 2011
Research conducted at: Harker Labs
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kate Schafer
The Antimicrobial Properties of Five Chrysanthemum Species
Many species of bacteria have evolved into antibiotics-resistant strains over the last century, since antibiotics in the form of penicillin were first introduced. Chrysanthemum flowers may provide a method to inhibit microbial growth in lieu of more commonly used antibiotics against antibiotic-resistant strains. Two species of Chrysanthemum flowers (Chrysanthemum indicum and morifolium) were tested using the Kirby-Bauer method against two species of bacteria, E. coli and B. subtilis, with an Ampicillin control group. Filter paper disks were soaked in the teas of both flowers in addition to pre-soaked antibiotic filter paper and the minimum inhibitory concentration of the discs was noted.
Lauren Guerra, The Harker School, Class of 2010
Research conducted at: Harker Labs
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Nicole VanderSal
Differences in Alpha and Betawave Activity in the Left and Right Hemispheres When Completing Logic Versus Creative Tasks
This project challenges the common belief that only the left hemisphere of the cerebral cortex is responsible for logic neural activity and that the right hemisphere solely is responsible for creative neural activity. By giving participants both logic and creative tasks to complete, the research measured their neural activity in both hemispheres in the frontal and parietal lobes using an EEG.
Avanika Krishnaswamy, The Harker School, Class of 2009
Research conducted at : Harker Labs
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kate Schafer
Phylogenetic and Geographical Influence on Pathogen Sharing in Canids
Recent work has shown that phylogeny and geography influence pathogen sharing in wild primates and humans. Previously collected data from the canidae family in the carnivore taxonomy group were used to extend this result. The data that were obtained and analyzed were from wolf-like canids, South American canids, and fox-like canids. In the process of analysis, the most common pathogen and the least common pathogen for each host species were identified. This analyzed data determined if a pathogen is shared due to evolutionary relatedness or geographical proximity or both.
Isaac Madan and Haran Sivakumar, The Harker School, Class of 2010
Research conducted at: Stanford University
Mentor: Dr. Ashvin Sangoram
The Impact of the Planar Cell Polarity Pathway Function on the Structure of the Cerebellum
Within the cerebellum, cells and Perkinje neurons appear to uniformly stack and line up in sheets. The cause of this precise structuring remains unexplained. The Planar Cell Polarity (PCP) pathway has been known to cause cells to line up in the same direction laterally; this research explores the effect the PCP gene pathway has on the structure of the cerebellum. To do this, lentiviral plasmids with different colors of fluorescence were developed to ensure that these differing colors could be used as indicators of certain cells. After verifying the fluorescence of these plasmids, Dr. Sangoram developed shRNA PCP gene knockdown constructs and used these plasmids to develop lentivirus. Mice were then injected with these lentiviral vectors and were then dissected after 14 days. Dr. Sangoram then harvested and fixed their brains at postnatal day 19. Next, the brains were sectioned and mounted onto slides. Using a Leica confocal microscope, these sections were imaged to look for any cell morphology. The imaging process is currently underway so it is yet to be determined whether the pathway has an effect on cell morphology in the cerebellum.
Ramya Rangan and Kathryn Siegel, The Harker School, Class of 2012
Research conducted at: Harker Labs
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kate Schafer
Optimizing the Reduction of CO2 through the Study of NPP Rates in Plants
In a 2007 IPCC report, scientists revealed data that strongly supports the hypothesis that not only does warming exist, it is caused by carbon dioxide emissions from humans and is greatly hurting the environment, even causing species extinction. Conveniently, all producers, and thus all plants, inherently help humans in our battle against carbon emissions. Through an analysis of the Net Primary Productivity rates, or the net carbon-dioxide intake rates, of various plants, an optimal way to take in CO2 from the atmosphere can be calculated, given a certain budget. The project therefore included two major components: finding these NPP rates for two major groups of plants, mosses and perennials, and then using linear programming to maximize reductions in carbon-emissions. To calculate the productivity rates of plants, ten different perennials and mosses were chosen, and the dry mass readings were obtained after constant periods of time for two months. This then approximated the carbon-intake rate, which was used along with the average cost of each plant in the linear programming model. Using the results, we are able to optimize the amount of carbon dioxide taken in from the atmosphere for any given budget or specific plant preferences.
Zaynah Sadiq, The Harker School, Class of 2010
Research conducted at: Harker Labs
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kate Schafer
Impact of Varying Concentrations of Lavender Oil with Antibacterial Cream Neomycin Sulphate on Gram Positive, S.Epidermidis and Gram Negative E.Coli
Lavender oil is used for many medicinal and therapeutic properties; its qualities can potentially be enhanced with the addition of Neomycin Sulfate. In order to test this, filter disks were soaked in different concentrations of lavender oil with Neomycin Sulfate to see whether the mixture could effectively increase bacterial resistance. Also the effects of gram positive and negative bacterium were investigated noting whether there was a visible difference between the two. The areas of bacterial inhibition were measured portraying the effects of adding a .1, 1 and 5 percent concentration of lavender oil. Results showcase new remedial uses for lavender oil as an antibacterial medium.
Jerry Sun, The Harker School, Class of 2011
Research conducted at: Harker Labs
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kate Schafer
Cinnamomum verum Bark Essential Oil’s Effect on the Movement of Harvester Ants
Ants, particularly fire ants, currently infest a myriad of locations, posing a severe health threat in various areas around the world. To combat this growing nuisance, consumers have turned to poisons that often harm the environment as well as the insects. Thus, in this study, the effectiveness of the essential oil extracted from Cinnamomum verum in repelling harvester ants was tested as a potential alternative to artificial insecticides. Varying results were found when the oil was not used in 100 percent concentration, while it was typically extremely potent when pure.
Gabrielle Yee, The Harker School, Class of 2009; Connie Ho, Leland High School, Class of 2009
Research conducted at: Jacobs School of Engineering, University of California, San Diego
Mentors: Dr. Carlos Vera and Adelle Nicely
Hereditary Spherocytosis with Spectrin Deficiency
The erythrocyte membrane is one of the most versatile and amazing membrane structures in terms of flexibility and function. In addition to mediating transport into and out of cells, it also provides erythrocytes with resilience and deformability. Defects of proteins in the erythrocyte membrane, however, have caused genetic disorders such as hereditary spherocytosis, hereditary elliptocytosis and poikilocytosis. This project focuses on the causes and effects of hereditary spherocytosis as a result of spectrin deficiency; it includes the mutation and expression of the gene that encodes for all seven types of spectrin in human erythrocytes, how to diagnose the disease, how the disease is treated, and how its prevalence affects society today.
Baladitya Yellapragada, The Harker School, Class of 2009
Research conducted at : Harker Labs
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kate Schafer
Pilot Study: CPR Training in Virtual Worlds
A virtual patient was created in the 3-D virtual reality world of Second Life, in which the user of the simulation is challenged to treat a patient who has been affected by nerve toxin poisoning. To test the simulation, seven high school participants were used. To test the simulation’s ability to train users to effectively treat the poisoned victim, one of the response variables used was the self-efficacy of being able to respond to a medical emergency. Out of a score of 5, the self-efficacy of the participants subsequently increased from 1.5 to 2.9. Overall, this study provides evidence for the ability of online simulations to teach individuals to efficiently respond to a medical situation.
Alik Kurbanov, Lev Levin, Slavic-Anglo-American School “Marina,” Moscow, Russia, Gr. 10
Mentor: Marina Lyubimova, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
Robotic Artificial Intelligence Development
Robots will be very useful in our future everyday lives, just as computers and telephones are today. The goal of this study was to create an autonomous robot that would be able to talk and to execute simple commands. The robot is be fully independent. A human talks to the robot, and the robot, with the help of special software, converts the speech into text. The speech analyzer determines whether it is a command to execute or just a normal phrase to begin conversation. In the second case, the robot will switch to dialogue mode.
The robot consists of several physical parts: the moving parts are programmed with the help of Microsoft Robotics Studio and RoboRealm software; the manipulator is programmed by Robo ML language. The main system is programmed using Python program language. The project is not only theoretical, but requires much “hands-on” and engineering.
George Tomov, Slavic-Anglo-American School “Marina,”Moscow, Russia, Gr. 9
Bumpy Roads. How Ruts Are Formed
Wavy patterns of bumps/ripples on roads are unsafe for cars and drivers. All attempts to fix these “washboard” roads fail. Much money is spent by road managers on paving these roads with a mixture of gravel, sand and stones, but one month later new ripples already appear.
After noticing that the bumps were evenly spaced and that he distance between them was about 30 cm and was constant for all surface types, a project was designed to understand the “washboarding” effect of the roads; how corrugated roads appear; how they can be repaired and what could be done to prevent future ripples. It was hypothesized that the width and depth of pits on the roads depend upon the weight and speed of the car, as well as the type of materials used for covering the surface of these roads. Tests were performed on the real road using a radio controlled car. To investigate the cause of ripples the velocity was changed, as well as the weight of the car, and the type of surface covering the road. It was discovered that the distance between appearing bumps and their height was the same for all types of surfaces and the speed of the car had little effect.
Polina Arustamova, Lee Ku Khon, Slavic-Anglo-American School “Marina,” Moscow, Russia, Gr. 10
Mentor: Vera Mikhailova
Live and Dead Water
The objective was to investigate physical, chemical and biological properties of alkaline and acid water samples. It was hypothesized that acidic (“dead”) water would be a better solvent than alkaline (“live”) or neutral water and that acidic water would promote the growth of onion seedlings. To determine chemical and biological properties, the dissolving time of pills was compared as well as the germination rate of seedlings. It was discovered that acidic water is a better solvent and promotes germination of onion seedlings.
Anu Ramachandran, The Harker School Class of 2009
Research conducted at: University of California, San Francisco
Mentors: Anne Slavotinek, M.D., Ph.D., and Nelson Lopez, M.D.
Identification and Sequencing of Potentially Causative Genes for DH and MOTA Syndrome
Research was conducted to identify the causative genes for two conditions, a birth defect, diaphragmatic hernia (DH), and an autosomal recessive syndrome called Manitoba oculotrichoanal (MOTA). Research focused on two methods: identifying candidate genes from a chromosome deletion in the DH patient and performing homozygosity mapping on two sibs with MOTA. For the DH patient, a region of chromosome 15 was analyzed. As this was deleted for this patient, a candidate gene, LOXL1, was chosen due to this gene's role in collagen formation. LOXL1 was sequenced on his remaining allele, and in-situ hybridization studies were performed to see if LOXL1 was expressed in the murine diaphragm. For the sibs with MOTA, results of 250K arrays were analyzed for stretches of homozygosity that could contain causative genes, and a list of candidates was prioritized. In-situ hybridization showed that LOXL1 was expressed largely in the diaphragm during mouse development. So far, sequencing of LOXL1 has identified one single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in exon 1, but no explicit mutation. A list of candidate genes expressed during eye development for which both siblings had inherited the same SNP alleles was generated.