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In the age of the COIVD-19 pandemic, a newfound importance has been placed on washing your hands . People use their hands to interact with the environment and their bodies. This leads to circumstances in which people can easily transfer bacteria from common surfaces to their eyes, mouths, noses and become sick. If people knew what kinds of bacteria are present on common surfaces, they would become more mindful of washing their hands more regularly. We cultured bacteria from various common surfaces and identified the bacteria found on them.

DSU Summer Research Symposium 2021

What’s That on Your Hand?: A Bacterial Scavenger Hunt to Identify Microbes on Common Surfaces

Welcome to Delaware State University’s Annual Summer Research Symposium, and thank you for attending! Our symposium represents the culmination of students’ summer experiences in research at Delaware State University. This event showcases the work of college students working on faculty-led research projects, as well as middle and high school students experiencing research for the first time working in research groups. Whatever the case, this summer has been a unique experience for the students, and we hope a transformative one. Even for students who are not planning a career in scientific research, their summer experience has given them skills they will draw on for years to come. 
 Please join us on the mainstage and in Gather for the live event, and visit the recorded poster presentations any time.
 The student participants and organizers of the various summer programs at DSU would like to thank all of the research mentors who guided our summer program participants. There were many DSU faculty, graduate students, and other research and program staff who gave their time and energy to help our students have a fun and educational summer experience. Without their generosity and patience these summer programs would not be possible.
 For the research participants, we hope that you will maintain contact with your research mentors and colleagues. Science is a relatively small community made up of disciplinary “neighborhoods”. If you continue to work in a discipline, the other folks in that discipline will be like your neighbors that you run into regularly. Staying in contact with them will help you keep up with the news of the neighborhood, and open doors to educational and career opportunities. Whether you continue in science or take a different career path, for this summer you have been part of the world of research, and you will benefit from that perspective for the rest of your life.

Please register for the DSU Summer Research Symposium 2021 to be able to access the content.  
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Welcome to Delaware State University’s Annual Summer Research Symposium, and thank you for attending!

poster

Blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) are a very important crop because of their unique health benefits. The major hurdle for growing blueberries is the pH in the soil, as they need acidic soil. Hence improving the pH level tolerance in the blueberries provides a viable option for the growers to cultivate in a wide range of soil types and allow them to grow in several regions of the world. With this, our objective of the study was to screen the blueberry germplasm variation for high pH levels and identifying the tolerant lines. We used an in-vitro plant twig assay to screen the population using phosphate buffer solutions containing several pH gradients ranging from 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5, and 7.0. In the assay, we used 6 different varieties of blueberries for testing the variation for pH level. Among six varieties, we screened, identified one highly resistant, 4 moderately resistant genotypes, and one sensitive genotype to the high pH. The resistance lines maintained a stay green nature at the high pH level, but the sensitive lines turned to brownish and chlorophyll degradation was observed. Developing new cultivars for high pH tolerance requires the effective identification of tolerant blueberry genotypes; therefore, the current approach was aimed at evaluating blueberry genetic resources under laboratory conditions by establishing an invitro plant twig assay. This assay provided an easy and time-consuming method to identify the blueberry genotypes tolerant to high pH and a better genetic source for developing the pH tolerant varieties.

Screening of Blueberry Varieties for pH Variation

Changes in the Morphology and Nutrient Content of the Marsh Grass Collected from Different Saline Conditions Nishtha Kumar 1 , Mayavan Subramani 2 , Ph.D., Venugopal (Kal) Kalavacharla 2 , Ph.D. 1 Orange County School of the Arts, Santa Ana, CA, 2 Delaware State University, Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dover, DE Marsh grass (Sporobolus alterniflorus) is essential to marshland formation as it holds sediment in place and provides habitat for a variety of aquatic species. However, removing them from marshlands would cause negative trophic cascades. Additionally, they can also thrive in salinity conditions ranging from high to low. Runoff from farms and other sources of fertilizer pollution is polluting water bodies and causing soil and water concentrations of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus to increase. How do salinity and nutrients affect the morphology and nutrient content of marsh grass? To answer this question, we collected saltmarsh grass (Sporobolus alterniflorus). from higher,

Changes in the Morphology and Nutrient Content of the Marsh Grass Collected from Different Saline Conditions

Comparative Analysis of Chromatin Immunoprecipitation in Common Bean and Salt Marsh Grass Vishal Thamaraikannan1, Vasudevan Ayyappan2, Ph.D. and Venu (Kal) Kalavacharla2, Ph.D. 1John P. Stevens High School, Edison, NJ. 2Delaware State University, Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dover, DE Chromatin immunoprecipitation is a technique used to examine interactions occurring within the cell between DNA and its binding proteins. Chromatin is a condensed form of DNA found inside the nucleus of eukaryotic cells. In order to access chromatin, it must be extracted using chromatin isolation. We conducted an experiment with two plants, common bean and salt marsh grass, to compare the reactions of the plants when their chromatin was isolated and how the two genomes differ when studied using gel electrophoresis. Beforehand, samples of each plant were stored in -20OC to slow cell metabolism and keep the cells alive until used. The leaves were ground using liquid nitrogen and mixed with 2mL of nuclear isolation buffer to begin isolation. 1.7mL of 2M glycine was added to halt the cross-linking reaction. After filtration, the tubes were centrifuged at 4000rpm at 4oC for 10 minutes. The resulting DNA pellets were dissolved in a cold nuclear isolation buffer and transferred to 1.5mL tubes with 300µL of 15% Percoll solution and centrifuged again at the same settings. 600µL of nuclear lysis buffer was added and sonication was used to lyse the nuclear envelope. 20µL of the samples collected before sonification and 20µL of the samples after were inserted into a small gel casting for electrophoresis. After centrifuging twice, the marsh grass pellet was larger than the common bean pellet, meaning more DNA sank down because of its greater density in the marsh grass sample. The marsh grass DNA fragments were also more visible than the common bean fragments in the electrophoresis scan. Since the DNA of marsh grass was denser and more visible in electrophoresis than the DNA of the common bean, it is proven that the DNA of the salt marsh grass is larger. Keywords: Chromatin Immunoprecipitation, Chromatin, Eukaryotic Cells, Gel Electrophoresis, Centrifuge, Sonication, Density Acknowledgements: We acknowledge USDA NIFA Capacity Building Grant Awards# 2016-06642 and 2016-06476 for funding my internship and the project as part of the student experiential learning goal and the Project Director, Dr. Gulnihal Ozbay for providing this internship opportunity.

Comparative Analysis of Chromatin Immunoprecipitation in Common Bean and Salt Marsh Grass

Aragonite Saturation as an Indicator for Oyster Habitat Health in Delaware Inland Bays Amin Boukari1, Memory Nakazwe2, and Gulnihal Ozbay2, Ph.D. 1Cesar Rodney High School, Dover, DE 2Delaware State University, Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dover, DE Oyster farming in Delaware is a crucial industry and it makes about $300,000 to $500,000 in sales every year. Oysters use calcium carbonate ions in the form of aragonite and calcite to build their shells. Ocean acidification can lead to a decrease in carbonate ions making building these shells difficult. When the aragonite saturation state falls below 3, calcifying organisms become stressed, and when it drops below 1, their shells begin to dissolve. Therefore, measuring the aragonite saturation state yields crucial insight into the suitability of habitats to support oyster growth. This project aimed to calculate the aragonite saturation state from seven sites in Delaware Inland Bays to determine their feasib

Aragonite Saturation as an Indicator for Oyster Habitat Health in Delaware Inland Bays

Investigating Oyster Health Status by Studying Oyster Condition Index and Natural Oyster Sets in Rehoboth Bay, Delaware Sara Berzinji1, Aaron Bland2, Memory Nakazwe2, Mohana Gadde2, and Gulnihal Ozbay2, Ph.D. 1Ransom Everglades High School, Miami, FL 2Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Delaware State University, Dover, DE Over the past few decades, oyster (Crassostrea virginica) populations have been in decline. One of the many bodies of water affected by this is the Rehoboth Bay. This research focuses on assessing the health of oysters placed in seven different sites along the Bay. Assessing which locations are thriving will help in creating more successful artificial reefs and therefore lead to healthier aquatic ecosystems. While there is a large issue with oyster populations, this research focused on those in the Rehoboth Bay. Bags with oysters were deployed at each of the seven sites in the early summer of 2020 and were collected 5-6 weeks later. This process was repeated two more times, in late summer and then in the fall of 2020. Spats were counted and the condition index was calculated by measuring the height, width, and depth of the oysters along with the weight of their shells and tissue dry and wet. Calculating the condition index and counting the number of spats help determine if the oysters were healthy. The condition index remained generally constant throughout the 3 testing periods and the recruitment rates at each site were also constant with the exception of the BBR site which had a higher average number of spat along with the S Cove site. These results can be used to create healthy and successful oyster reefs in the Rehoboth Bay and better the health of the ecosystem. Keywords: oyster restoration, oyster recruitment, condition index, Rehoboth Bay, Crassostrea virginica Acknowledgments: We acknowledge USDA NIFA Capacity Building Grant Award# 2016-06642 for funding my internship and the project as part of the student experiential learning goal and the Project Director, Dr. Gulnihal Ozbay for providing this internship opportunity.

Eastern Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) Health Assessment in the Rehoboth Bay

Detection of Toxoplasma gondii in Meat Goats at Hickory Hill Farm Odell Ozbay1 , Mariline Hilaire2 , Kwame Matthews, Ph.D.2 1 Smyrna High School, Smyrna DE 19938 2Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Delaware State University, Dover, DE 19901 Toxoplasma gondii is a parasitic protozoan found in animals and is the cause of the infection known toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis is highly transmissible and affects a variety of animals from birds to cattle, sheep, goats and even humans. This disease causes symptoms such as blindness, abortion, mumification, pneumonia, severe body pain, headache, and damage to the nervous system. It is important to detect T. gondii early on so it can be treated or controlled to reduce farm production losses. The goal of this project was to test for Toxoplasma gondii in goats found on Delaware State University’s Hickory Hill farm. To identify T. gondii, whole blood samples were collected individual from 15 goats and the white blood cells separated from red blood cells, isolated and stored at –80 oC. Secondly, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was extracted from the white blood cells of each goat to conduct polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Thirdly, PCR was conducted using a surface antigen one (SAG-1) gene specific forward and reverse primer to amplify the T. gondii gene. Lastly, gel electrophoresis was conducted to separate the gene of interest by size and allow for visualization under UV light. Data indicated that none of the 15 goats tested were positive for T. gondii as the SAG-1 gene was not present. Under the conditions of this study, it can be concluded that PCR was an accurate method for the detection of T. gondii parasites and none of the goats tested were positive for the parasite. Keywords: Toxoplasma gondii, goat, abortion, white blood cell, PCR, SAG-1 gene Acknowledgements: We acknowledge CIBER Center for funding my internship and the Project Director, Dr. Venu Kalavacharla for providing this internship opportunity. Additionally, we acknowledge the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture, Research and Education Partnership Grant for funding the supplies used for this project.

Detection of Toxoplasma gondii in meat goats at Hickory Hill Farm

We report the thermoelectric properties of 2-dimensional (2D) materials. 2D materials are materials that have width and length but they are single or a few layers thick. Their thermoelectric properties are determined by their efficacy in converting heat into electricity. In this report, we studied the thermoelectric properties of graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides, hexagonal boron nitride, phospherene, stanene, and germanene. Different atomic structures of each material were observed and ranked based on compatibility with thermoelectricity. Thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity are also observed separately in each material and compared. High thermal conductivity in materials reduces thermoelectric conductivity of materials. High electrical conductivity improves thermoelectric conductivity. Some materials demonstrate extremities of both forms of conductivity, and others contain a disproportionate amount of either form of conductivity. An ideal material for thermoelectricity contains low ther

Thermoelectric Properties of 2 Dimensional Materials

Gestational age (GA), period of time between conception and birth, is directly related with fetal maturity at birth. There is a developmental sequence of organ systems and functions in utero. Therefore, children born at different GAs generally possess varying health status at birth and later in life. Both pre-term (GA < 37 weeks) and post-term (GA ≥ 42 weeks) births have been reported to be associated with elevated prevalence of adverse health outcomes affecting organ systems and functional domains. Many studies investigated prevalence of specific diseases over gestational terms. No published studies examined how different GA terms are associated with any kind of diseases. In this study, we have investigated the prevalence of diseases (ICD 9 code-based individual- and group-health conditions) during the first 5 years of life over GA categories. We have used electronic health records to retrospectively follow the first five years of life of 2772 children who made clinic visits to Nemours Children Health Systems. A total of 2007 unique diseases occurred during the first five years of 2772 children. More commonly occurred (>100) disease conditions were selected for formal examination. We have identified diseases with varying prevalence over GA categories. Findings of the study could be informative for streamlining the resources of public health surveillance and prevention services targeting those who most need it.

Association of gestational age (GA) and early childhood diseases

Clean water is essential to life on earth. An average person uses 80-100 gallons of water each day. However, much of the earth is covered by salty and even polluted water. Water remediation becomes important in preparing fresh and potable water. It ensures access to clean water and avoids contamination of rivers and seas. Water filtration is an important step in the water remediation process. In this middle school science project, under the supervision of Dr. Kimberly Milligan, students build a water filter using common household items. Different filter materials are tested for the filtering quality.

DIY Water Filter

Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) provides protein, complex carbohydrates, and other valuable nutrients for more than 300 million people in the tropics and around the world. Common bean is particularly known for its ability to provide fiber, with some studies showing that it aids in the lowering of blood sugar. It is also used as a model species for more complex plant species, as it is easy to grow and make genetic crosses for studying gene linkage. In this project, the goal was to identify if there was a significant difference in the quality and quantity of DNA isolated from fresh versus frozen leaf tissue. Fresh, young, trifoliate leaves were directly collected from newly grown common bean plants for DNA isolation using CTAB (Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) buffer to help break down leaf tissue. The same procedure was used with common bean leaf tissue that had been stored in the -80 degrees deep freezer for more than five years. Differences in color, texture, and ease of grinding the leaf tissues were some physiological comparisons identified between fresh and frozen tissue. Both isolated DNA were run on a gel electrophoresis to visualize results. Of two fresh and frozen samples each, the results indicate that the frozen samples were more concentrated by visualization as well as quantification with a Nanodrop. Ultimately, the frozen tissue provided higher concentrations of DNA. Keywords: Common bean, DNA, CTAB, Gel Electrophoresis, Nanodrop Acknowledgements: We acknowledge USDA NIFA Capacity Building Grant Awards# 2016-06642 and 2016-06476 for funding my internship and the project as part of the student experiential learning goal and the Project Director, Dr. Gulnihal Ozbay for providing this internship opportunity.

What’s That on Your Hand?: A Bacterial Scavenger Hunt to Identify Microbes on Common Surfaces

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Screening of Blueberry Varieties for pH Variation

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