Proceedings of 2009

Harlem Children Society Workshop & Lecture Series #2

July 14^th 2009

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On Tuesday, July 14^th 2009, the second seminar in the Harlem Children Society (HCS) Summer Internship Weekly Series was held in Caspary Auditorium of Rockefeller University. Prof. D. Jeanne Ross opened the day’s proceedings with a thorough discussion of the HCS Code of Ethics. She reviewed the document that had been distributed to all students as it was projected on the screen.

Immediately following Prof. Ross’ remarks, HCS staffer, Alejandro Naranjo, introduced the first student speaker of the day, Princess Kara Parker-Smith, HCS Class of 2005, and a junior at Carnegie Mellon University. The student presented her research on “Robotics 2008: Gender-Based Enthusiasm During Robot Construction,” which she had done in last summer, and is again continuing this summer, though with a different thrust.

Under the mentorship of Peter Kelly and Russ Holstein, Princess had conducted her research at Junior High School 318 with a population of mixed gender sixth graders. Based on a class in which the students would construct a robot, Princess focused on the basic question of whether and/or how gender affects sixth graders’ enthusiasm and general attitude toward robotics. Her methodology involved the students’ first taking a survey assessing general interest, leader/follower temperament, sharing capacity, study habits, etc., with all questions posed in random order to maintain integrity. Princess then merged the two sexes into various groups to diversify results. Ultimately, the student determined that the boys who had initially been less than enthusiastic about the project, later took charge to complete the robot construction, while the girls who had initially been enthusiastic through the planning phase, lost interest in the actual completion of the “Taskbot.”

This summer, Princess is continuing similar work, but will be gearing her research toward robotics and web design. She will develop a survey for the same age group of sixth graders (10-11 years of age), and the students will be asked to develop websites. Princess concluded by displaying an image of the Taskbot that the students had worked on during the previous summer and a brief question and answer period.

At this moment, Dr. Sat Bhattacharya took the podium and spoke about Princess’s work at Carnegie Mellon University. He briefly interviewed Princess, now in her 6^th year with HCS. Dr. Sat engaged Princess in sharing her thoughts and experiences related to pursuing her degrees in biomedical engineering and material science engineering, university life in general, and her professors at Carnegie Mellon. Dr. Sat then introduced the first guest speaker of the day, Prof. Susan Fahrenholtz, saying she had been one of the first women scientists in a research laboratory as well as a Cornell graduate.

Prof. Fahrenholtz was warmly welcomed by the students, and began her speech by asking several HCS college students in the audience to stand and say a few words about their higher education experiences. Vicki Javier, a senior at Dartmouth, first advised students, “…Be proactive. Build a close relationship with your professor since classes are bigger…” Vicki also advised HCS students not to work harder, but to work smarter. Finally, she offered her email address to those HCS students who might wish to contact her for further discussion about university.

Prof. Fahrenholtz then turned to the subject of scholarships, and asked Monique Honeyghan, the recipient of the 2009 Kappa Epsilon Zeta Scholarship, to tell the HCS students how she had gone about pursuing it. Monique advised, “…Get to know your guidance counselor and get as many opportunities as possible.”  She underscored that it is important to ask questions and be persistent, for this is how one sets oneself apart from the rest of one’s class.

In response to Monique’s comments, Prof. Fahrenholtz added, “And if, for some reason, your guidance counselor is not making it happen, go see another guidance counselor!” She then called upon Steven Fulakeza, now a sophomore at Lehman College, who shared his thoughts about his freshman year.

The professor then called upon Dalibell Ferreira, an HCS student now at Haverford College. Dalibell’s advice to students was to consider getting a tutor and to work with a study group, as both are very helpful resources. Vicki Javier again stood and added she had realized that the relationship she had had with her HCS mentor had helped her build relationships with her college professors. She advised HCS students to cement good relationships with their own mentors in preparation for university.

Prof. Fahrenholtz then turned to the topic of networking, and encouraged students not to limit their thinking with respect to who might be potentially helpful. She then turned to Princess Parker Smith to share her thoughts and advice on attending university.  “…Stay focused – don’t get sidetracked by college life. Remember what you’re there for…” The professor underscored this statement, advising students not to become distracted from their studies.

The next portion of Prof. Fahrenholtz's talk was devoted to selecting colleges and universities. She advised students to go to the best school that they could; however, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the most expensive school is the best option. The professor then touched on the advantage of attending state-supported schools. While saying it was absolutely necessary to get a bachelor’s degree, Prof. Fahrenholtz warned about getting into excessive debt with college loans. She also provided concrete alternatives to the financial conundrum, saying that, contrary to popular belief, there are many grants and scholarships available to students, especially those of minority backgrounds.

Prof. Farhenholtz turned to discussing a number of associated points, first advising students to study in groups or take a class to properly prepare for the SAT/ACT. She then provided a few pointers on taking standardized tests.

Next, she advised students to get the proper teacher recommendation, and how to facilitate the process. In applying for college, she advised that students should never leave certain things to chance, such as critical paperwork reaching its destination. In the case of college applications and supporting paperwork, students should follow up with the receiving party to ensure it arrived, and maintain a file of hard copies as backup. Not only should students back up their application documents, she advised, but also any important reports that they draft. Further to reports, Prof. Fahrenholtz advised students to work with mentors on such document, and include acknowledgements in the first draft.

More items on Prof. Fahrenholtz laundry list included: the value of work-study programs, available scholarships to be considered, and source lists of colleges that support at the 100% level. She highlighted the American Chemical Society’s scholarship geared to chemistry-oriented students.

Further, Prof. Farhenholtz emphasized the importance of maintaining a good GPA, and in connection, advised that although dropping classes shouldn’t be the student’s first choice, it should be a consideration rather than jeopardizing one’s GPA. Prof. Farhenholtz concluded her speech by saying how impressed she was with the HCS students this year and wishing them a successful summer and coming school year.

Abayomi-Mariam Are`, HCS Class of 2008 and a student at Frederick Douglass Academy, then presented her research entitled “Ataxia Telangiectasia,” which she had done under the mentorship of Dr. Thomas Brennan at Bronx Community College in summer 2008. She first provided some background on the disease, saying ataxia Telangiectasia (aka A-T, organs disease/Louis-bar syndrome) occurs most often in children or infants, and is characterized by a depressed immune system. 

The student then went into a description of the causes of the disease, and displayed the p53 protein structure and A-T mutated gene. A-T is an autonomic recessive disease resulting from the rare inherited chromosome 11q22-q23. Mutations prevent DNA repair, thus characterizing A-T as a cancer. The disease can also be caused by birth trauma, congenital disorder, infection, degenerative disorder, tumor, exposure to a toxic substance, or head injury. Both parents must carry the defective gene, and a child must inherit one defective gene copy from each parent to develop symptoms. If one gene is inherited, cancer may occur but if two genes are inherited, there is strong chance of death.

Abayomi then discussed diagnosis, which is made through screening and gene analysis. The disease is characterized by a high incidence of respiratory infection, slurred speech and drooling, and tiny red lesions on the face and eyes and decreasing loss of muscle control, especially in infants aged 1-3.  As for the incidence of the disease, one in every 40,000 to one in every 100,000 people is afflicted with A-T.

Further to her discussion of specific symptoms, the student added A-T can be manifested in a number of ways, including: slurred speech, poor coordination, lack of stability, red spider veins on the cheeks, poor muscle control, irregular growth, above-average intelligence, difficulty swallowing, cancer, weakening immune system, and death. 

Abayomi then stated that there is no treatment for A-T. Current therapies include injections of gamma globulin, extracts of human blood containing antibodies, to strengthen the weakened immune system, and vitamin administration to help strengthen muscles. Because the disease is so rare, with only 500 reported cases in the US, research has not been seriously dedicated to eradicating the disease. The student concluded by expressing her hope that in the future scientists will develop a cure, and then answered students’ questions about her talk.

Dr. Sat returned to the podium and introduced the next student presentation of the day, “Testing New Miniaturized Air Pollution Monitors.” Sithi Momtaz, HCS Class of 2007, and a student at High School for Medical Science had done this research under the mentorship of Dr. Steven N. Chillrud at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in summer 2008. Dr. Chillrud, during the HCS 2008 lecture series, had presented his work on the entire project, “TEACH: Toxic Exposure Assessment,” a Columbia Harvard partnership involving ongoing observation of air content and quality in highly populated areas. Sithi’s task in connection with TEACH had been to test new air quality monitors with GPS.

Sithi went into the problems associated with the old monitors previously used for testing. Noisy, heavy, and bulky, they looked like bombs, and had capability of taking only a single integrated sample limited to 24 - 48 hours. Thus, it had been necessary to set up and collect home indoor and outdoor samples to make sense of a personal sample. Additionally, the old monitors had been field-labor intensive and feasible only for small targeted studies with motivated cohorts. 

Sithi then discussed the advantages of the new monitors. In contrast to the older ones, they were smaller, quieter, and easier to handle, with sampling capability of up to 48 hours. Eventually, they would be able to take samples every few minutes. Also, the new monitors could collect 3 sets of personal samples, including location (GPS and home beacon) and activity (accelerometer) data.

Sithi explained the components of the new miniaturized air pollution monitor as a diagram was shown in her PowerPoint presentation. The mechanism included a mass flow meter, Blue-Tooth, 6 port valve assembly for two filter holders, battery, and a pump. She mentioned that GPS would be installed in the next model of the monitor.

The student described her task as testing how well the home beacons had worked for identification when the sampler was at home (so the valves could switch to the home filters). Two different types of home beacons, radio-antenna and Blue-Tooth, had been tested. She had also tested GPS capabilities of a certain chip set that would be put into the monitor in the future.

Sithi had tested the monitor in many New York school and popular locations to see where the GPS units worked best. The student had also studied the unit’s software, identified what wasn’t working properly, and suggested ways it could be made easier to use. The student then stated that the purpose of GPS was to track the location of schoolchildren carrying the monitors during the testing in order to determine exactly where the air samples would be taken.

Sithi turned to discussing the software used in the project. “Sampler UI” had been used to set up experiments for the air sampler and receive data that had been collected by the sampler’s tick, which had sent and received signals from the sampler. She added that changes had been made to this software to make it easier to understand and use.

In the testing, Sithi continued, Google maps had been used in connection with the project; however, is was found that Google was somewhat inaccurate in terms of exact distance, so the ACR map was used in its place. The ACR map, far superior to Google Earth, had showed exact locations of where the tracks were made, allowing one to determine the accuracy of GPS tracks in various geographic settings (wooded, urban canyons, open). The student then illustrated the usage of ACR in slide images and concluded her talk with a question and answer period.

Wayne Chen, HCS Class of 2007, and a student at Syracuse University, next gave his talk entitled, “The Design and Application of An Electrical Field in the Construction of Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) in the study of Dynamic Tactile Interfaces.” Wayne had done his research under the mentorship of Dr. Ilona Kretzschmar and Agatha Cadette in the City College New York Laboratory for Nanoparticle Modification and Assembly in summer 2008.

As an introduction, Wayne discussed the study of dynamic tactile interfaces which enable the visually impaired to access visual information. Wayne narrowed this down further, stating his purpose had been to design and create a device and method that could apply an electrical field to a PDMS compound during the curing stage. PDMS, a silicon-based organic polymer that possesses unusual flow properties, can be manipulated from a viscous state to that of elastic solid (rubber). This substance is found in contact lenses, shampoos, medical devices, caulking, lubricant oils, heat resistant tiles, and various other commercial products

The student discussed the materials he used in the experiment, which had included compound base, compound curing agent, micropipette, electronic balance, aluminum foil, microscope, desiccators container setup, vacuum pump, nitrogen spray, 18awg aluminum wire, oven, Teflon block and plate. Wayne went into the specifics of SYLGARD 184, the silicon elastomer base and curing agent he had used.

Wayne’s procedure had first involved creating a mixture of base and curing agent, blending it for five minutes, then pouring approximately 1 gram into a Teflon mask holding block (cleaning the block with nitrogen first). He had then placed the mixture in a desiccators container setup under vacuum to remove air bubbles for 30 minutes. After the first five minutes, he had removed it from the vacuum to prevent bubble buildup, then returned it to the vacuum for 25 minutes, and subsequently placed it in a 70°C oven overnight.

The student spoke about the purpose of the electrical field setup as a deterrent to the scattering and clustering of PDMS particles in groups, which lead to random inconsistencies in material and formation. Wayne also addressed the purpose in setting up an electrical field, saying that adding an electrical charge to the PDMS compound during the curing stage would form polar ends and force the particles to align in a uniform pattern. Wayne also went into his initial design ideas using sheets of aluminum foil as electrical plates between which an electrical field would be generated, the potential problems of which could include shortages (no guarantee of a safe distance between electrical plates. 

Wayne’s data results from PDMS ratios and a series of five tests were performed as follows: (1) PDMS created under supervision; (2) PDMS created without supervision; (3) employing unsecured electrical plates; (4) employing secured and airtight electrical plate; (5) and mentor testing with top plate. In the first two tests, clean materials had been yielded, but with low transparency. The third test had been unsuccessful due to embedded foil in the middle of the cured PDMS compound. The fourth test had been successful because it yielded smooth and transparent surfaces, and PDMS could be easily removed. In the case of test five, however, inconsistencies had been yielded due to bubble formed formation throughout the PDMS, though this test had created a thinner film unlike the previous experiments.

The student then went into his observations, saying that tests 1 and 2 had yielded basically clear but not very transparent material due to a milling pattern footprint from the Teflon block that was mirrored onto the PDMS. In test 3 the aluminum foil had become embedded in the middle of the cured PDMS compound, making it impossible to either remove or effectively use as electrical plates. Test 4 had been by far the most successful, with the area exposed to aluminum foil very transparent and rough edges of the PDMS that could be trimmed. In test 5, the air pockets seemed to have formed due to bubbles that were not fully cleared out in the vacuum. 

Thus, after taking an even closer look at test 4 under a microscope, Wayne had concluded it to be the most successful and most effective. He mentioned that future studies would involve repeating test 4 as a method to generate consistent PDMS films for other experiments and applications. In connection, Wayne also would like to decrease the distance between electrical plates without shorts, create thinner films, apply an electrical charge and examine particle patterns under a microscope. Wayne ended his talk saying he would like to use this method and setup to create and explore other new options in Cadette’s (his mentor’s) Study of Dynamic Tactile Interfaces.

Next on the program was Sheri Huang, HCS Class of 2007, and a student at Manhattan Hunter High School. Under the mentorship of Dr. Kishore, Dr. Pochiraju, and Hao Men at The Stevens Institute of Technology, she had worked on research in summer 2008 entitled “Solar Power Harvesting for Autonomous Vehicles.” Sheri first defined an autonomous vehicle as a driverless computer-controlled robotic automobile. She defined solar panels as energy sources used to power the vehicle via photovoltaic effect, and composed of photons, i.e., particles of energy recharged by sunlight.

The student expressed the problem that an autonomous vehicle can only run a limited amount of time with the use of batteries (30 minutes), thus there had been a need to design an alternative power source. The advantage of solar panels is that they can furnish energy for much greater length of time, and are non-polluting renewable sources of energy. The student went into how she had worked to evaluate a dozen various panels in terms of estimated cost, weight, power density (peak amp draw), and life (watt hours). 

Using internet sources, Microsoft Excel, and a calculator, Sheri’s procedure had involved measuring the dimensions of the autonomous vehicle, researching potential solar panels, setting requirements, creating a chart, performing optimization and comparing data. Of the 12 potential solar panels, Sheri explained why and how she had arrived at her choice, the UNI-PAC30. For future work, Sheri said she would like to purchase the panel and test it, as well as continue to do more research on solar panel capability.

Next on the program was a joint presentation by Darren Alphonse, HCS Class of 2008, and a student at Murry Bergtraum High School for Business Careers, and Mirza Shabbir, HCS Class of 2008, and a student at Bronx Academy of Health Careers. The two young men had done their work in summer 2008 entitled “Bringing Imagination to Life,” under the mentorship of Dr. Yuying Gosser in the Computer Science Department at City College New York.

Darren and Mirza had focused on working with two computer programs that allow the realization of graphic images in multi-dimensional formats. They demonstrated their work with the programs as they spoke about them, the first of which being Povray, a program allowing the generation of 3-D images in what is essentially an endless void of space. Requiring the use of a camera and a light source, the user creates a plane and background in desired color(s). The second program, Proscript, allows the user to generate two-dimensional images. Essentially a virtual open canvas, one must program the lines and shapes on it. The user uses commands and coordinates to create figures, designs, multiply pictures, etc.

The next student presentation of the day, “Mass Spectrometry and its Application in Forensic Science,” was given by Mabayoje Mojolaoluwa, HCS Class of 2008, and a student at Bronx Health Science High School, who had done his research under the mentorship of Dr. John Molina in Forensic Science at Bronx Community College in summer 2008. He began by providing an insight into forensic science, any application of science in legal applications, whether criminal or civil. Forensic science involves the development of principles and techniques necessary in the identification, comparison, and analytical applications of physical or trace evidence. As well, it involves a broad field of specializations including forensic odontology, anthropology, psychiatry, etc. 

The student presented a fictional case, which required mass spectrometry in the analysis of found evidence by measuring its chemical compound. The mass spectrometer, Mojo explained, is used in forensic science to analyze evidence by measuring its chemical components and their ratio(s) of relative abundance. A forensic scientist can then compare the results to a control sample to establish a case fact or clue. He then described how the mass spectrometer works by applying electrical and magnetic fields in converting molecules of a substance into ions.

The ion source, responsible for converting the introduced substance into ions, achieves this by exposing the substance to a high beam of electrons from the filament. Solid substances are usually introduced directly in the source while volatile ones are introduced via a reservoir inlet. The conversion to ions must always take place in a vacuum to preserve their reactivity. Once the conversion has taken place, the ions are introduced to an external magnetic field where refraction occurs. This refraction causes a change in direction (deflection) of the ions and is dependent on the mass of each component. The radius of deflection is inversely proportional to the mass of the ion; therefore, heavier materials are deflected less than lighter ones into the detector. The detector, a computer monitor that states the amount of individual components in the analyzed substance, displays results usually conveyed via histograms. The values of relative abundance of the components are usually the mass to charge ratio of the ions.

The final two processes utilized are gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (GCMS) is a relatively new innovation designed to improve the results of the mass spectrometer. The gas chromatograph is attached to the mass spectrometer as a separation technique. Prior to analysis and ion conversions in the mass spectrometer, the gas chromatograph separates the chemical compounds and elements in the substance based on chemical properties. The derivatives can then be converted to ions for their accurate measurements and display. The introduction of substances in this case is done through the chromatograph and the derivative is sent through a vacuum in the connection of both devices. Mojo then stated that GCMS is believed to have more efficient results in analyzing evidence in forensic science.

The student then went back to his fictional case, and described the methodology in researching it He walked the audience through the careful gathering of trace evidence at the scene so as not to compromise it for analysis, the collection of cause of death report from the coroner’s office, and the follow up for evidence at the victim’s apartment. Mojo even furnished a conclusion based on the evidence and findings. Finally, he made the point that mass spectrometry has proven to be a very useful tool in forensic science involving various investigations and legal cases to establish the facts in a crime and to link suspects by analyzing physical or trace evidence found at the scene.

Next on the program agenda was a presentation entitled, “Advanced Conformational Analysis: Molecular Mechanics vs. ab initio.” Rodney Agnant, HCS class of 2007 and a senior at Brooklyn Technical High School, under the mentorship of Dr. Steven M. Graham at St. John’s University, presented his summer 2008 research on cADPR (cyclic Adenosine Diphosphate Ribose), an organic molecule that contains both rings and chains that are able to move and important in regulating many cellular processes, including calcium signaling.

In outlining his purpose and hypothesis, Rodney first mentioned that there are over 100 known analogs of cADPR, and that he was interested in determining how conformation determines function, investigating the effect of charges on conformation and energies, and testing 2’dA and F3”ddA molecules. In analyzing north, south and overlapping conformations, he used the classic model, molecular mechanics, and ab initio, quantum mechanics, as well as the structure analysis program, HyperChem 8.0.4.

Rodney’s procedure had involved editing two molecules from the database, calculating energies using Ab Initio 3.21G*, applying Amber 99 Molecular Mechanics, and building twenty conformations (for each molecule). Next, the process had involved extracting the ribose ring (f_CCC/O) and H-H angles (f_HCCH), and finally plotting energies as function of the phase angle of the conformation(s).

Rodney displayed several graphs of his results and concluded that ab initio charges had improved results and created a series of more stable conformations. He had found that the F3”ddA may prefer gamma minus except for a few North conformations. Further to his discussion, Rodney qualified his research saying that the information is only theoretical since its all via computer, and that the initial conformation may affect the function. In the future, he would like to test more complicated molecules, especially in connection with Ryanodine receptors. Rodney would like to look into the potential applications, particularly the medicinal uses for cADPR and its role in regulating heartbeat, and correspondingly explore the medicinal uses.

Just before the program broke for lunch recess, Dr. Sat again approached the podium and discussed a petition to the New York State government to allocate funding to Harlem Children Society that was being circulated among students, their families, mentors, and communities. The HCS President explained the purpose of the petition, and urged students to collect as many signatures as possible, with the intention that they would be presented to the NY Governor’s office. 

When the group reconvened, Melina Roopram, HCS Class of 2007, and a student at Grover Cleveland High School, presented her prior summer research entitled “Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Library,” which she had done under the mentorship of Ms. Joan Seidman and Ms. Isabel Sulimanoff.  The student’s presentation was essentially an exposition and discussion of available resources and services at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Library and Cyber Library Café and a journey into research.

Melina’s stated purpose was to demonstrate basic techniques needed to find information on specific databases. She also conducted a search on website and health fraud using Medline Plus Guide to Healthy Web Surfing to look at specific web sites that have inaccurate and false information. The student looked at a number of sites including: PubMed, Scopus, Web of science, Emabase and Refworks.

The student’s procedure was to first consider the (internet) source and determine who is responsible for the content. She focused on quality and asked such questions as: Does the site have an editorial board? Was the information reviewed before it was posted? Melina advised students to be “cyberskeptics.” It’s important to assess if a given site makes health claims that seem too good to be true and to look for evidence that a site relies on medical research rather than opinion.

Melina then discussed the notion of timeliness and currency, and the importance of asking if the information on the web page is up-to-date. She advised students to beware of biased information. They should think about the purpose of the web page and who supports and who pays for it (public funds, donations, or commercial advertising?). Finally, whether the site protects one’s privacy should be a major consideration. One should identify whether there is a privacy policy and whether the site discloses what information is collected from the user. Melina gave several examples of sites she had investigated following these criteria.

The student concluded saying that she had learned how to search databases, and how to find journal articles that were requested using PubMed. She had also learned to take the result from the databases and put them into Refworks in order to create a bibliography. Melina commented that she had identified several websites that seemed like health and web frauds, but when she had used Medlineplus Guide to Healthy Web Surfing, only 3 websites were actual frauds and contained false health information. In the future, Melina would like to conduct more advanced searches using the databases she learned, and research what age ranges or ethnicities online con artists are targeting to sell their products.

HCS staff member, Rishesh KC approached the podium and introduced Brandon Burton, the HCS nutrition group mentor, who then provided an update on the “2009 Nutrition and Healthy Living Project.” Brandon invited some of the HCS students involved in the research to the podium to share socio-cultural data on their neighborhoods and communities as part of the first phase of the project.

Kalym Blanchette, HCS Class of 2008, and a student at Eagle Academy for Young Men, first spoke about the demographics and median income in his community, Co-Op City, in the Bronx. Carla Perez, HCS Class of 2009, and a student at Bronx Health Sciences High School, followed with a discussion of her community, Washington Heights. As well as speaking about the demographics of the area, Carla had researched the history of her Manhattan community, and briefly shared information about Fort Washington and the American Revolution.

Shanelle Hudson, HCS Class of 2009, and a freshman at City College this fall, next spoke about her community, Richmond County, in the northern part of Staten Island. She shared some interesting demographic information and statistics about home and minority business ownership. Mouramani Kaba, also HCS Class of 2009, and a student at Science Skills Center High School, concluded by speaking about his community, Crown Heights, Brooklyn. After he concluded, Brandon Burton returned to the podium and briefly recapped the purpose of the socio-economic exploration in connection with the Nutrition and Healthy Living project.

The next student presenter, Farhan Rehman, was introduced by Rishesh KC. Farhan, HCS Class of 2006, and a student at Frederick Douglass Academy, presented his research, “BioCybernetics Initiative,” which he had performed in summer 2008 under the mentorship of Dr. Arthur Ritter at Stevens Institute of Technology. Farhan’s mission in the project had been to design and construct an autonomous device at the Nano-scale that could be effective in medical diagnosis and treatment. 

The student first defined Nanotechnology as “the science and technology of building electronic circuits and devices from single atoms and molecules at a scale smaller then 100 nanometers.” Farhan supplemented this discussion with a diagram representing the Nano-scale. He then discussed his project proposal, which had involved creating a camera pill on the mini scale that was mobile through the human gastrointestinal tract (GI tract) and its data collection capabilities. The focus of the project had depended on the establishment of three main subsystems: propulsion, energy, and the exoskeleton. 

In connection with the propulsion subsystem issue, Farhan went into how it would be necessary to design a system to control the path and speed of the pill in the G.I. tract. This would involve researching the feasibility of reverse drive and integrating the motor with a wireless transmitter to allow for real-time user control.

With respect to the energy subsystem, the student stated that the pill would demand a consistent power supply for data collection and processing. The feasibility of the use of piezoelectric fibers to provide power to the mini scale camera pill would be analyzed. Farhan explained that contraction of the human gastrointestinal tract would yield strain on the piezoelectric fibers producing energy, and this would need to be taken into consideration.

On the exoskeleton subsystem, Farhan commented that he was researching possible materials and a biodegrading enclosure for the device. He had worked on designing several enclosures for the device and an onboard optic system.

Farhan concluded by discussing the potential benefits of the camera pill. Doctors could potentially better diagnose Celiac Disease, benign and malignant tumors in the small intestine, and vascular disorders.  The camera pill would also potentially facilitate study of human physiology and provide a much more attractive alternative to colonoscopy. Farhan then concluded his talk with a brief question and answer period.

Lisa Ho, HCS Class of 2008, and a student at Brooklyn Technical High School gave the next student presentation, an examination of sleep deprivation entitled “Are You Getting Sleepy?”. Lisa had done her research under the mentorship of Mrs. Baranowski at Brooklyn Technical High School. 

Two years earlier, Lisa had begun her research on sleep deprivation. She went into some of the ill effects of sleep deprivation. She spoke about how it adversely affects memory formation, learning and attentiveness. Lisa’s question was formulated: How does sleep deprivation affect a student’s attentiveness in and outside of school? Her thoughts were that if this were indeed so, that it would affect students’ overall learning and performance in school.

The student’s research methodology involved a cross-sectional study in which population and distribution factors were considered. She had developed a survey that posed questions in reference to exercise habits, various scenarios (i.e., likelihood of student to doze off during various activities) and family history.

Lisa displayed her survey results in two graphs, and concluded that her hypothesis had been off the mark since students who had reported more hours of sleep, had also claimed they were likely to doze off more readily than those students who did not get as much sleep. In other words, the students surveyed who had slept fewer hours had not shown apparent signs of a lesser degree of attentiveness. The student attributed this to possible interference with the natural Circadian rhythms and the body’s adjustment to prolonged periods of sleep deprivation.

Judith Nnah, HCS Class of 2008, and a student at Bronx Health Science High School, next presented her research entitled, “2F51- High-Resolution Structure of Recombinant Trichomonas Vaginalis Thioredoxin,” which she had done in summer 2008 under the mentorship of Dr. Yuying Gosser at City College New York. She began by first defining Trichomonas Vaginalis, aka, TRICH as a sexually transmitted disease. Caused by an anaerobic parasite, it lives only in the acidic region of the vagina, and is spread through intercourse. The disease can usually be cured with the prescription drugs, either metronidazole or tinidazole, given by mouth in a single dose. 

In her abstract, she further explained that the resolution of the structure of Thioredoxin from TRICH is determined at 1.9 A.  A five stranded β-sheet structure that has two a-helices on each side, whose active site has a Trp-Cys-Gly-Pro-Cys motif 34-38, at the N-terminus of the a2 helix. The residues of the cysteine that is in this motif forms a redox-active disulfide cysteine that is necessary for Thioredoxin.  Its high resolution makes it possible to model a number of amino-acid side chains. The sample is normally in the oxidized state and X-ray results are used in a partial photo reduction of the labile redox centre. She added that there are also three amino-acid differences that are significant and identified on the protein surface close to the active site Cys35.

Judith displayed the structure of the protein compound TvTrx linked to Human Thioredoxin, an oxido-reductase enzyme that catalyzes a wide variety of redox reactions in the cell. Redox reactions are a type of chemical reaction in which one of the reactants is oxidized and one of the reactants is reduced. 

Her procedure had been to find the sequence of the gene, clone it, and promote protein growth, and had first involved identifying the Trx gene in an expressed sequence. The Taq database for T.Vaginalis had been cloned and inserted into the expression vector to create the plasmid, then put into the E.Coli strain for protein production. Next, single colonies of Bl21 containing PBP1 were grown in Luna-Bertani Medium, and the expression of the recombinant protein was induced with 1 mM isopropyl thio-[beta]-D-galactoside. Then the recombinant protein was purified using Ni2+-NTA agarose (Qiagen) on a BioCad FPLC system. Judith continued, saying that the protein concentration had been determined using a molar extinction protein and concentrated to 4 mg  ml-1 in 100  mM sodium phosphate pH 7.0 and stored at 277  K. The purity of the sample had then been assessed by SDS-PAGE and matrix-assisted laser desorption time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Judith then spoke about her research methods in connection with doing her experiment. She had first consulted the PDB and gone on primary citations to obtain a research paper. The student had then done a blast on the protein, which had yielded its FASTA sequence, and had been copied. Next, after having checked the NCBI home page and the blast, she obtained the sequence and repeated the blast against a non-redundant protein. She had then blasted the sequence and obtained the alignments. Following, Judith had used a Ramachandran plot for analysis. Judith explained that the Ramachandran plot showed the geography of the protein, i.e., where the helices and the beta sheets were located in the protein. In addition, it displayed the psi and phi backbone conformational angles for each residue in the protein.

The following joint presentation entitled “Sleep Tight” was given by Roslyn Joinvil, HCS Class of 2006, and a student at City College, and Kedarry Ransome, HCS Class of 2009, and a student at Bronx Engineering and Technology Academy. The students did their research under the mentorship of Drs. Mary-Lee Wong and Tania Rivera, and co-mentor, Shirley Gomez in the Department of Internal Medicine, Allergy & Immunology at Beth Israel Medical Center. 

The students focused on the preponderance of Cimex lectularius, i.e. bedbugs. The insect is part of the Cimicidae family which includes bat bugs, and swallow bugs. The 91 species in this family are wingless; obligate hematophagous ectoparasites that feed on bats, birds, and mammals. Attracted to a human's high body temperature and carbon dioxide production, they generally avoid light, hide during the day, and feed at night. Hiding places are usually within 1 to 2 meters of suitable hosts. They are frequently found in mattress seams, box spring crevices, headboard backsides, spaces under baseboards or loose wallpaper, and behind hanging pictures. Bedbugs feed during the day if hungry and the light is dim.

Roslyn and Kedarry then turned to the current outbreak, first claiming that bedbug infestations are rapidly increasing worldwide, particularly in developed countries. This can be attributed to a number of factors including increased international travel and immigration, increased temperatures, allowance of used furniture and bedding without proper inspection, changes in pest control practices and increased insecticide resistance.

The students then turned to the life cycle of the insect. First, they described the adult as oval shaped, flat, and approximately 5 mm long, and resembling unfed ticks or small cockroaches. The insects are easily visible, even to the untrained eye and appear reddish brown (chestnut) in color. The immature insect is smaller and light yellow with a pyramid-shaped head featuring prominent eyes and slender antennae.  After a blood meal, the bugs may increase in length by 30% to 50% and in weight by 150% to 200%.

In connection, the students discussed human reactions to bedbugs in terms of cutaneous manifestations and systemic reactions. The timing of cutaneous reactions to bedbugs may change with multiple exposures, and appears to reflect host immunological responses to salivary proteins. The students then discussed the three salivary proteins that have been identified (play a role in host immunological responses): a nitric oxide–liberating heme protein [nitrophorin], 17-kDa anticoagulant [Factor X], and 40-kDa apyrase-like nucleotidebinding enzyme. 

Further to cutaneous manifestations, the most common type is a 2-5 millimeter pruritic maculopapular erythematous lesion at the bedbug-feeding site. This can usually be treated and resolved within a week’s time. The complex cutaneous reaction is a pruritic wheal (local urticaria) around a central punctum, papular urticaria, and diffuses urticaria at the bite site.

In terms of systemic reaction, the following have been reported clinically: asthma, generalized urticaria (hives), spontaneous wheals anywhere on the body, small blood vessels leakage and swelling of tissues, as well as anaphylaxis. 

The role of bedbugs as a vector for disease transmission remains unclear. While transmission of more than 40 human diseases has been attributed to bedbugs, there is little evidence that such transmission has ever occurred.

The students then discussed how to eradicate the insect infestation, which first involves proper identification and education of those involved. A thorough inspection of infested and adjacent areas and implementation of chemical and nonchemical control measures are in order, with a follow-up to evaluate the success of eradication. Roslyn and Kedarry concluded their discussion with a list of “do’s and don’ts” in connection with eradicating bedbugs.

The final talk of the day entitled “Growth of Yeast Biofilms, ” was another joint presentation by Shantae Fyffe and Raykia Koroma, both HCS Class of 2007, and students at the High School for Medical Science, under the mentorship of Prof. Peter Lipke at Brooklyn College. They introduced their summer 2008 work by discussing ALS5, which is a form of a mutation of Baker's yeast (aka Saccharomyces Cereveisiae), and both a gene and a protein. The students then discussed Candida albicans, an invasive fungus that causes yeast infection, attacking suppressed immune systems. Biofilm is an aggregate of unicellular micro-organisms formingmulti-cellular structures that adhere to surfaces.

The purpose of the students’ experiment had been to see if the expression of the ALS5 would yield a different or better type of biofilm and whether ALS5 is important for the growth of biofilms. The process had involved first labeling four flasks containing XPA, CSM-URA, and CSM, respectively, complete (media substances) with 12% galactose, 22% glucose, 30.3% galactose and 40.3% glucose in each flask. The samples were then sterilized in an autoclave and put in Petri dishes to cool down. Next, the Petri dishes had been sealed with Parafilm and refrigerated. Suppressor media and a shaker incubator had been employed to keep the samples at 175 rpm for 48 hours at 25° C. A Spectrophotometer had been used to measure the optical density, and then the Petri dishes were inoculated with 10 µl of suspension fluid, placed in a 30° C incubator, and allowed to grow.

As for observations, the students had noted that the YPA suspension had had the odor of beer, indicating fermentation had taken place. The students had also observed that the experiment required strict sterilization. To test the concreteness of the project, the students had repeated the process to make sure that the results they got were correct, and could be replicated based on the notes they had taken during the initial research.

Shantae and Raykia concluded that when they had repeated the experiment they were indeed able to replicate the project and achieve the same results. They had also found that ALS5 does affect the way yeast grows. On the CSM plates the yeast strains had grown to a lesser degree and had taken a longer period of time to do so. In conclusion, Shantae and Raykia had deduced that when yeast is placed under CSM conditions, it would not grow as fast as yeast placed under other conditions.

Thus ended the third seminar of the HCS 2009 summer program, and the meeting was adjourned.

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