Browse Exhibits (109 total)

This study examined the comparision of percieved emotional support from peer and familial figures among first-generation (N=15) and continuing-generation (N=41) college students. This study also examined the relationships between emotion regulation skills, self-efficacy, and academic achievement with overall preceived emotional support. First-generation college students reported significantly less emotional support from peer figures compared to continuing-generation college students. However, there was not a significant difference in emotional support from familial figures. In addition, there was a strong, postive correlation with overall perceived emotional support and emotion regulation skills for first-generation and continuing-generation college students. 

Faculty Mentor: Anjolii Diaz

Psychological Science 

Undergraduate

Due to a significant reduction in travel caused by the COVID-19 outbreak airports in the United States have seen a substantial decrease in profits and a drastic change in the way customers approach air travel. This project determines the root cause of the symptoms the Indianapolis International Airport is experiencing and implements a system that will improve the airport’s pre-arrival experience. This project used the Waterfall Method to Implement the System Development Lifecycle in order to analyze the current process of the pre-airport experience at the Indianapolis International Airport. A Root Cause Diagram of all symptoms the airport was experiencing was used to find the root cause of these symptoms. The results found that the public’s newfound concern about personal health is causing an underutilization of parking services at the airport. A Supplemental Industry Analysis, Feasibility Analysis, As-Is System Processing Model were developed to find areas of improvement for the pre-airport experience. Success criteria and system requirements were set to ensure solutions fit the Indianapolis International Airport’s standards. The results of the project found that a customer experience overhaul including a call guide for phone operators, a new phone line specifically for customer's questions, search engine optimization, and new signs throughout parking structures will make parking at the Indianapolis International Airport more appealing to customers rather than parking at a competitor as leisure travel begins to increase. 

Faculty Mentor: Fred Kitchens

Computer Information Systems

Undergraduate

Resin glycosides are the active ingredient in most morning glory-based medicines. They possess numerous biological applications such as laxative, purgative, antibacterial, and antifungal properties. Ipomoeassin F is a novel glycoresin that was isolated from Ipomoea squamosa, and it has a unique structure and anticancer activities with IC50 values in the low nanomolar range for most cancer cell lines. Ipomoeassin F’s mechanism is underexplored due to the structural complexity, large time requirements, and high costs. In order to deepen our understanding of how ipomoeassin F works, decrease cost, labor, and time, we are synthesizing a novel simplified open-chain analogue 1 of ipomoeassin F from readily available D-glucose and L-arabinose. This structure was designed based on previous structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies. Analogue 1 is synthesized by utilizing glycosylation followed by esterification and deprotection reactions to couple the glucosyl donor, (synthesized from D- glucose over 7 linear steps) and the arabinose acceptor (synthesized from L-arabinose over 7 linear steps). Both the glucosyl donor and the arabinose acceptor have been fully synthesized in excellent yields, and the synthesis of analogue 1 is still ongoing. Once synthesis of the target analogue 1 is completed, it is intended to be assayed for biological potentials which could then fuel the design and synthesis of future analogues. This can then be advanced into the field of drug discovery.

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Wei Q. Shi

Department of Chemistry

Undergraduate/Graduate

Honors College

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the entry point for most proteins residing and functioning in the eukaryotic endomembrane system. The primary mechanism by which proteins enter the ER is via the translocon complex. Dysfunction in this complex can block access into the ER, which is detrimental to cellular health. The translocon is highly conserved and has been intensely studied in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Analysis of translocon function in protein trafficking, localization, and interactions in yeast has been facilitated by the use of epitope tags. We have found that a tag on the translocon pore subunit previously suggested not to impair translocon function subtly affects translocation of proteins into the ER in yeast cells. Intriguingly, this tag also suppresses a phenotype associated with defective protein quality control pathways, consistent with a functional link between translocation and quality control. Ongoing work includes characterizing the effects of placing different epitope tags on different translocon subunits, with the goal of identifying tags that affect translocon function the least.

Faculty Mentor: Eric VJ Rubenstein

Department of Biology

Graduate

The Veil of Darkness (VOD) hypothesis presents an opportunity to test for racial profiling in traffic stops without requiring external estimates. It is a hypothesis that police are
less likely to identify a driver's race before stopping them after dark than during daylight. This study's data comes from the Chicago Police Department’s Investigatory Stops between January 1, 2016, and February 28, 2017. This study seeks to expand on the VOD hypothesis by examining investigatory traffic stops while also considering the vehicle's make and model. The use of a natural experiment based on daylight impacting the likelihood of officers conducting a traffic stop because they can see the race of the driver (according to VOD), and examining investigatory stops will allow the researchers to consider the intent of the officer in the context of racial profiling.

Faculty mentors: Dr. Anthony Vito, Loren Dent

Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology  and Department of Journalism 

Graduate