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Keynote Speaker
Environmental, Geographical and Geological Sciences
3:00-3:30p.m. Hartline 108—Kuster Auditorium

POSTER PRESENTATIONS LOBBY 4:15 - 5:15
GROUND FLOOR LOBBY
Evaluating G-protein Subunit Gamma-4's Effect on Cell Migration in a Model
System of Kallmann Syndrome Using CRISPR/Cas9
Andrew King
Dr. William F. Schwindinger, Biological and Allied Health Sciences
Waterborne contaminant removal and storage by alluvial river islands of the
Susquehanna River: A case study in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania
Daniel Steinhauser
Dr. Matthew Ricker, Environmental, Geographical and Geological Sciences
Investigating Hydrologic Regime Change: Modeling Stream Hydrodynamics on
West Branch Run
Aaron Stephens
Dr. Benjamin Franek, Environmental, Geographical and Geological Sciences
Investigating the Role of Synapsin I During Human Sperm Capacitation and
Acrosome Reaction
Sarah Bartra
Dr. Jennifer Venditti & Dr. William Coleman, Biological and Allied Health Sciences
Analysis of English Fricative Production in Mexican Spanish-English Speaking 3-,
4-, and 5-Year-Olds
Samantha Kirby
Shelley E. Scarpino, Ph.D., CCC-SLP Audiology and Speech Pathology
Reassessment of Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis)
Distribution in the Susquehanna River Drainage of
Pennsylvania
Jamie Shinskie
Dr. Amber L. Pitt, Biological and Allied Health Sciences
Creation and Characterization of new Nickel based Lanthanide
Tellurates
Dean Kolb
Dr. Matthew Polinski, Chemistry & Biochemistry
Sublethal effects of mite treatments on honey bees: preliminary findings
Beverly Andre
Drs. Cynthia Surcmacz & Dr. John Hranitz , Biological and Allied Health Sciences
"Asteroseismology of red giants from KEPLER data"
Tim Keiper, Mark Yurkovich, Sebastian Kopinetz, Ryan Vincent
Drs. Nada Jevtic & Peter Stine, Physics
SCHEDULE
G38 G40
3:30 Rachel Dendler
3:45 Jessa Wood
3:30 J. Bidlow, A. Kass
3:45 C. Troutman, A. Higgins
4:00 Devin Mulvey 4:00 K. Wetherhold, R. Remarcke
4:15 J. Nicole Place, J. Young 4:15 E. Weiler, D. Sallade
4:30 Wesley Davis
4:45 Dean Kolb
5:00 J. Heid, K. Nicoletto
R. Scicchitano
5:00 Ryan Bott
5:15 Ben Mou
5:30 Kristina Balla
6:00 Kelly Barko
5:30 D. Siegrist, T. Slusser,
J. Vitello, S. Musgrove
6:00 K. Montgomery, C. Myers,
J. Napkora
6:30 C. Funck, PJ Michael, B. Seely
G49 G42
3:30 Shandna Burroughs 3:30 Tyler Behrent
4:00 Rachel Livengood
4:30 Sean Hartzell
5:00 Bradley Ohlinger
3:45 Blake Durante
4:00 Jenna Ruggiero
4:15 Megan Burke
5:30 Rebecca Price

ORAL PRESENTATIONS ROOM G 38
TIMEKEEPER: DR. MINDI MILLER 3:30-5:00
Zwitterionic Polymers and Networks Prepared from Acrylic Acid and
Sulfobetaine Methacrylate
Copolymers of acrylic acid (AA) and sulfobetainemethacrylate (SBMA) in various ratios were prepared. After purifying the copolymers in a mixed solvent precipitation method, they were vacuum dried and then characterized.
The instruments used to characterize the materials were 1H NMR, 13C NMR,
2D NMR and FTIR. In addition to the characterization, materials that would allow for the poly(SBMA-co-AA) to crosslink and form a hydrogel film were investigated
Rachel Dendler
Dr. Mark Tapsak, Chemistry & Biochemistry
The Data ARE: Helping Ecology Students Perform Discipline-Specific
Writing Conventions
We assessed the effectiveness of two implementation strategies for a checklist of conventions of scientific writing that Ecology students are asked to observe in their lab reports. Our data suggest that a revise-and-resubmit policy for checklist errors increases student performance of conventions, even on initial submissions, while reducing demands on the instructor's time both in and out of the classroom.
Jessa Wood
Dr. Marianna Wood, Biological and Allied Health Sciences
The Effects of Hydroxylation on the Stability and Antioxidant Activity of
Fullerenols
Fullerenols are fullerenes, soccer-ball shaped carbon cages, with hydroxyl groups attached to its outer surface. Due to its hydroxylation, fullerenols have many promising medicinal and pharmaceutical applications, one of those being its potential use an effective, artificial antioxidant.
Devin Mulvey
Dr. Kristen Lewis, Chemistry & Biochemistry
DNA methylation of Gng7 and Gng11 in human breast cancer
DNA hypermethylation at the promoter region of a gene is inversely related to the gene expression. The genes of interest, Gng7 and Gng11, encode proteins that are involved in cellular communication. Aberrant changes in the expression of these genes may alter cell to cell communication and result in the formation of cancer.
J. Nicole Place, J. Young
Dr. William Schwindinger, Biological and Allied Health Sciences
ORAL PRESENTATIONS ROOM G49
BIOLOGY GRADUATE THESIS PROPOSALS
TIMEKEEPER: DR. STEVEN RIER 3:30 - 6:00
Ghrelin's impact on sexual and ingestive behaviors of the female Syrian hamster
Shandna Burroughs
Evolution has fashioned the peptide hormone, ghrelin to function as an inhibitor of sexual behavior in favor of food hoarding, excessive feeding, and the desire to seek out a food source. My research shows that ghrelin dose-dependently decreases sexual desire while simultaneously increasing the interest to seek and consume food in female Syrian hamsters.
Dr. Candice Klingerman, Biological and Allied Health Sciences
Using moorings in the Tropical Pacific as artificial islands to assess larval transport
Rachel Livengood
The pattern in which ecological communities form on isolated islands contributes to our understanding of ocean currents and the processes of island settlement. The TAO moorings across the largely island-free Eastern Tropical Pacific act as artificial islands, and provide an opportunity to assess source populations and changes in ocean current patterns over time that are related to El Nino/La Nina cycles.
Drs. Thomas Klinger and Cynthia Venn, Biological and Allied Health
Sciences
Innate flowering color preference and color constancy behavior in solitary and social bees
Bradley Ohlinger
Flower color preference and color constancy behavior are important aspects of foraging behavior in bees. Research into these behaviors can provide insight into the foraging economics of these important pollinators.
Dr. John Hranitz, Biological and Allied Health Sciences
A Comparative Analysis of Exotic and Native Crayfish Prey Suitability for the Imperiled
Eastern Hellbender Salamander (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis).
Hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) are large, aquatic salamanders that have declined in many portions of their range in the eastern United States. In addition to habitat degradation, disease, and illegal collection, negative impacts of exotic species have been implicated in hellbender decline. As Hellbender diet consists primary of crayfish, invasive crayfish species such as the Rusty Crayfish (Orconectes rusticus), a large, aggressive invader which displaces native crayfish might be less suitable prey for native hellbender populations. This proposed thesis work will investigate predator-prey interactions between hellbenders and native and invasive crayfish species.
Sean Hartzell
Dr. Amber L. Pitt and Dr. Steven Rier (Co-advisors), Dr. Thomas S. Klinger and Dr. Clay E.
Corbin Biological and Allied Health Sciences
EphA2 as a therapeutic target for malignant cutaneous melanoma
Malignant cutaneous melanoma is a form of skin cancer that can be life threatening when it metastasizes. Investigation of the epithelial cell kinase (EphA2) receptor and Ras-Raf-Mek1/2-
Erk1/2 signaling pathway can provide insight and help guide further research for targeting therapy because they are highly expressed in malignant melanoma which is believed to promote the pathogenesis of this cancer.
Rebecca Price
Dr. Angela Hess, Biological and Allied Health Sciences

ORAL PRESENTATIONS ROOM G42
TIMEKEEPER: DR. CANDICE KLINGERMAN 3:30 - 4:30
A New Quartz Cell for Conductance Measurements of NaCl (aq) at 298.15K and
0.60 MPa
This research involves construction and testing of a new cell that will be used to measure electrical conductivity. Electrical conductivity along with theory can be used to calculate equilibrium constants, which tell us what chemical species are in aqueous solutions .
Tyler Behrent
Dr. Greg Zimmerman, Chemistry & Biochemistry
Electrical Conductivity of Lanthanum Chloride Solutions to High
Concentrations
This research involves the use of a new conductivity cell to measure aqueous solutions of lanthanum chloride to high concentrations. Electrical conductivity measurements along with theory can be used to calculate equilibrium constants, which tell us what chemical species are in aqueous solutions.
Blake Durante
Dr. Greg Zimmerman, Chemistry & Biochemistry
Improving Postoperative Communication and Family Engagement in the Pediatric Patient
Improving communication in one's every day life is important for interpersonal and inter-professional skills. Communication; in the workplace and between team members, is a skill that should consistently be re-evaluated and improved upon .
Jenna Ruggiero
Dr. Michelle Ficca, Nursing
Effect of PPAR Expression and Modulators on Vitamin D Receptor
Transcriptional Regulation and Clonal Expansion in Human Malignant Melanoma
These studies examined whether the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor
(PPAR) class of nuclear receptors can modulate the known anti-proliferative effects of vitamin D receptor (VDR) in human malignant melanoma. This research has the potential to classify new combination cancer treatments that could result in novel personalized medicine approaches against malignant melanoma.
Megan Burke
Dr. Michael Borland, Chemistry & Biochemistry
ORAL PRESENTATIONS ROOM G38
TIMEKEEPER: DR. BENJAMIN FRANEK 5:00-6:30
Basic Game Engine Design
This was an introductory look into basic game engine design.
Wesley Davis
Dr. Erik Wynters, Mathematics & Digital Sciences
Creation and Characterization of new Nickel based
Lanthanide Tellurates
The creation of new materials allows the creation of new technologies and discoveries. Due to lanthanides not being experimented with often, new materials created from lanthanides could lend to a variety of applications.
Dean Kolb
Dr. Matthew Polinski, Chemistry & Biochemistry
Mathematics & Computer Programming
Ben Mou
Dr. Christopher Lynd, Mathematics and Digital Sciences
Solomonoff Induction
Even for the most well informed among us, there are better and worse ways of using what we know to make sense of what we don't know, that is, there are better and worse forms of inductive reasoning. This talk provides an overview of Ray Solomonoff's mathematical universal theory of induction--a theoretical, but
"demonstrably good", statistical inference procedure.
Ryan Bott
Dr. William Calhoun, Mathematics and Digital Sciences
“Tridentate Rh(I) Complexes for Transfer Hydrogenation: A
Comparative Rate Study”
Kelly Barko
Dr. Phillip Osburn, Chemistry & Biochemistry
“The Effect of Patient Awareness & Healthcare Provider
Education on Rates of In-Hospital Patient Falls
Kristina Balla
Dr. Michelle Ficca, Nursing

ORAL PRESENTATIONS ROOM G 40
TIMEKEEPER: MS. PAMELA COOK 3:30-4:30
Interdisciplinary Approach to Increasing Skin-to-Skin Contact Across
Delivery Methods
Skin to skin immediately after birth has been illustrated to benefit both mom and baby by assisting with infant temperature stabilization and immunologic protection, raising infant blood glucose, improving breastfeeding behaviors, reducing maternal bleeding, and increasing maternal satisfaction and confidence. Whenever possible, newborns should be in direct contact with mothers for the first 1-2 hours following birth.
J. Bidlow, A. Kass
Dr. Michelle Ficca, Nursing
Reducing Back Injuries in Emergency Department Staff during Patient
Transfers
Lower back injuries are one of the most common work-related back injuries in the hospital setting. Our quality improvement study examined different methods of handling and transferring patients from stretcher to bed in the emergency department to reduce back injuries for staff and create a safer, smoother transfer for patients .
C. Troutman, A. Higgins
Dr. Michelle Ficca, Nursing and Dr. Douglas Kupas at Geisinger Medical
Center, Danville
Management of Perioperative Pediatric IV Fluids
This research is relevant to the everyday person as it pertains to the pediatric population but can also be related to the adult population to help them understand their hourly fluid requirements and realize they are being adequately hydrated when going in and out for same day surgeries.
K. Wetherhold, R. Remarcke
Dr. Michelle Ficca, Nursing
Quality Improvement in the Perioperative Setting: The Patients’ Pain
Experience
Perioperative pain management is an important part of the patient experience and using pain scales is difficult because of the perception of a patients’ pain is relative. Uncontrolled pain reflects poorly on a hospital in Press
Ganey reports documenting how well pain is controlled.
E. Weiler, D. Sallade
Dr. Michelle Ficca, Nursing
ORAL PRESENTATION ROOM G 40
TIMEKEEPER: DR. R. LYNN HUMMEL 5:00-7:00
Geisinger Health Plan Policy Training Module: How to Continue a
Previous Team's Project
R. Scicchitano, J. Heid, K. Nicoletto
Dr. R. Lynn Hummel, Instructional Technology
With the task of taking on a project copious in size, it was daunting to tackle the design and developmental elements of a nearly completed module. So how did we pick up from where the previous team left off, and successfully continue forward to create a consistent project? We will discuss aspects of how building onto another team's work can alter the dynamics of design and development.
Diversified Technology
D. Siegrist, T. Slusser, J. Vitello, S. Musgrove
Dr. R. Lynn Hummel, Instructional Technology
Diversified Technology had a need for an updated training program to help their clients better understand and utilize the Visual Utility Billing (VUB) software and processes. Our plan of attack was to create an interactive training module that is simulation based. During training the learner will first see the process then be asked to perform the process themselves while receiving feedback.
Goodwill Industries International Gamification Application
J. Napkora, K. Montgomery, C. Myers
Dr. R. Lynn Hummel, Instructional Technology
We are developing a gamified application to teach financial wellness practices and concepts to users with varying personal income and limited financial knowledge.
Planning and Conducting an Effective Meeting
C. Funck, PJ Michael, B. Seely
Dr. R. Lynn Hummel, Instructional Technology
Conducting an effective and successful meeting is an essential skill for people in corporate and teaching environments .