Summer Showcase 2024

This summer, I transcribed a motion picture archive based in Hawai’i under the research mentorship of Professor Kirisitina Sailiata as part of a larger multi-institutional research project on Indigenous independent and activist media. Specifically, I focused on a television show, First Friday: The Unauthorized News. The community access channel show aired from 1986 to 2022. A groundbreaking monthly radical and revolutionary political talk show program with a long legacy, First Friday unapologetically centered Kanaka Maoli sovereignty politics and was hosted and co-hosted by Kanaka Maoli leaders in the sovereignty movement like Haunani-Kay and her sister Mililani Trask.

I explored how parents help their children self-regulate while maintaining emotional boundaries from a Family Systems perspective. I primarily collected data on parents' responses to child dysregulation and surveyed their levels of self-differentiation, a concept from Family Systems Theory that describes an individual's capacity to balance emotional closeness with emotional independence when interacting with other members of the family unit, particularly during interpersonal conflict. I hypothesized that parents who are poorly differentiated experience higher stress when assisting their child with emotional regulation, and data analysis for the project will continue through the Fall 2024 semester.

Project funded by: Mann-Hill Fellowship for Student-Faculty Research

Chemotherapy drugs in the anthracycline group adversely affects heart cells in adolescent and young adult cancer survivors, focusing on the potential protective role of L-carnitine. Using stem cell-derived heart cells from two healthy individuals, we analyzed how different doses of L-carnitine and doxorubicin affect gene expression. We found that L-carnitine might help prevent heart damage by influencing specific pathways, although individual responses varied. These findings could lead to strategies for protecting the hearts of cancer survivors, especially since L-carnitine is an accessible supplement that might reduce long-term heart risks.

Project funded by: NCI, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX

At TurnSignL I worked to facilitate the growth and development of the TurnsignL platform; a platform designed to be a safety tool for road users particularly minority groups who are at higher risk of being subjected to violence and lack of professionalism during interactions with public officers. TurnSignl operates as a real time road protection service that provides drivers and vehicle users access to an attorney trained to de-escalate conflicts with public officers all at the click of a button.

Project funded by: MacNest Summer Internship Program

This summer, the Bratt Lab Group sought to investigate relationships between the historically racist practice of redlining and water quality in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Under the guidance of Prof. Anika Bratt (Macalester College, Environmental Studies Dept.), we sampled 28 water bodies in the Twin Cities for various water quality variables. These elements include but are not limited to, temperature, toxic algae, heavy metals, phosphorus, chlorophyll, and flashiness. Through a combination of chemical testing and data analysis, we were able to take these samples and begin a conversation regarding the impacts of urban environmental injustice on local water quality.

Project funded by: Mellon Mississippi River Grant

During my time at Kigo a subsidiary of Augeo Affinity Marketing, I optimized backend systems using Rust and Diesel to enhance database interactions and APIs. I developed a partner dashboard for John Deere using TypeScript, incorporating real-time data visualizations powered by APIs, and integrated a chatbot to improve user interaction. I also engineered a scheduled task system to auto-replenish tokens for users when they reached a set threshold, utilizing CRUD operations to manage and track the settings. These projects improved system efficiency and enhanced user experience significantly.

Project funded by: Augeo Affinity Marketing, Minneapolis, MN

This summer I worked doing research in the Cao lab at Macalester. In the lab I worked synthesizing novel organic molecules. These molecules could be useful for a variety of applications including in next generation electronic devices and as pigments in dyes. My work consisted of setting up and running reactions, characterizing molecules, and testing the physical properties of those molecules. I worked specifically in synthesizing larger aromatic diimides using Suzuki coupling and Diel-Alder methodologies.

Project funded by: ACS DOC SURF

As a part of MSIG 2024, I interned at Via Separations, a Boston based ClimateTech start-up. Via is tackling the largest source of the US' industrial emissions and 10-15% of global energy use: industrial separations. Separations are required for the manufacturing of everything we need from paper, food, fuels, to chemicals and more. But today, separations are an expensive and inefficient process that rely on fossil-fueled evaporators. Via's technology electrifies this ubiquitous thermal process by using membranes. Unlike many other climate technologies, Via's has no "green premium," meaning Via's technology is both better for the planet and adds value for the customer.

Project funded by: Macalester Summer Internship Grant (MSIG)

In an effort to limit the spread and impact of the Emerald Ash Borer, Saint Paul has spent the past several years removing ash trees and replanting other species along streets. Our research is meant to better understand the impacts of removing large canopy trees from the streets. My research specifically compares the value of individual houses with the temperature and solar radiation under nearby street trees, exploring a potential relationship between wealth and ecosystem resilience.

Project funded by: Louis Daniel Frenzel, Jr. Summer Research Fund

One of the most effective yet commonly used chemotherapy agents against cancer is doxorubicin (DOX), a type of anthracycline. However, this agent is known to have toxic effects on the cardiovascular system and is linked to multiple cardiovascular diseases. According to Belger et al. (2023), cancer survivors who had received DOX treatment had developed congestive heart failure. Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) is a member of the transforming growth factor- superfamily and researchers have discussed using GDF-15 as a potential biomarker for DOX-induced exposure. To understand cardiotoxicity, basic research is ultimately needed to establish whether GDF-15 could be protective or not against DOX-induced toxicity.

Project funded by: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN

The U.S. Congress tasked the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) in 2018 to conduct a disposition study to determine whether the three locks and dams on the Upper Mississippi River should be deauthorized and disposed. Disposal could eventually include lock and dam removal. These studies often examine different potential future scenarios for public infrastructure and weigh the costs and benefits of each using the Corps’ criteria including community interests and environmental outcomes. The project asked three main questions: How is the Army Corps engaging diverse publics in considering what “value” locks and dams provide in the upper basin? Which modes of engagement open up or close down imaginings of a future river? How might alternative forms of public participation aid the policy process by engaging more inclusive forms of deliberation?

Project funded by: Mellon Mississippi River Grant

Vulvodynia is characterized by chronic vulvar pain. Our lab developed a model based on previous data linking vulvodynia risk to allergies and environmental exposures. Repeat exposure to the preservative methylisothiazolinone (MI), induces localized tissue inflammation and long-term sensitivity in the labial region. We found fibroblasts and mast cells undergo cell death in response to MI treatment, potentially attracting macrophages. We hypothesize that MI exposure leads to an imbalance between macrophage states contributing to prolonged low-grade inflammation that could lead to the development of chronic pain. We measure macrophage presence and polarization in the labial tissues and blood using flow cytometry.

Project funded by: Beltmann Flex Grant

Substantial uncertainty surrounds how terrestrial ecosystems may respond to more frequent or severe extreme weather events (pulse disturbances), as well as persistent climatic changes (press disturbances). Climate models suggest that the Caribbean may experience more frequent and/or heavier rainfalls under future climate, and it remains unclear how changing precipitation regimes will interact with a warmer environment to impact terrestrial carbon cycling. To address this gap, we manipulated rainfall and measured soil greenhouse gas flux responses in the lab and field in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico. In the field pilot of this study, we found that soil greenhouse gas flux rates varied not only based on an experimental “rainfall” event, but also on underlying ecosystem heterogeneity in soil moisture. We incubated soils under different temperature treatments (25C/35C) and water holding capacity treatments (90%/50%/20%), and then simulated a large rainfall event.

Project funded by: Macalester College Research Funds/U.S. Forest Service - International Institute of Tropical Forestry - TRACE, Luquillo, Puerto Rico

I interned at AddVenture (previously, ASOLAPRO) Leadership, a small startup aiming to developing resilient, ethical, and compassionate leaders through values-based outdoor education. As a small startup, AddVenture specializes in expert-facilitated experiential education courses for young professionals through custom hiking and camping skills training in the remote wilderness of East Africa. During my time at AddVenture, I took on a wide range of responsibilities, including conducting market research, interviewing prospective clients, designing websites, and participating in meetings with partners and potential investors.

Project funded by: Macalester Summer Internship Grant (MSIG)

I worked for a lab at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Hospital this past summer. Many studies which examine bipolar disorder use self-reports and reflection questions which do not provide real-time information on fluctuations in mood. We examined the use of GPS in tracking day-to-day associations between social participation and mood in veterans with bipolar disorder. We defined social participation as time spent at locations associated with social engagement with family and friends, routines (e.g shopping), and occupation (work or school). When we ran our analyses we did not find any associations.

Project funded by: Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center

This summer I worked as a research assistant for Franklin Alongi in Dr. Nadine Rühr’s Plant Ecophysiology lab at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology- Campus Alpin in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. We completed a drought study on silver fir seedlings and determined the percentage of their DNA that had undergone methylation at different points of the drought treatment. I collected data on water potential, NDVI, and NPQI, and used a LI-COR 6800 to gather data on the photosynthetic characteristics of the seedlings, such as carbon dioxide assimilation and stomatal conductance. There was a significant difference in the percentage of the tree genome that was methylated between the drought and the control at the mid drought point. I hope that the project helps to reframe trees as dynamic and responsive organisms rather than static and unchanging.

Project funded by: German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) RISE Program, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Campus Alpin, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

I assisted in a study that analyzed the effectiveness of cover crops as a nitrogen source to reduce over-application of compost in high tunnels, which are greenhouse-like structures used to extend the growing season. Excessive use of animal manure-based compost can lead to phosphorus buildup and high soil salinity, negatively impacting crop nutrient uptake and causing potential phosphorus runoff when the high tunnel cover is replaced every 4-5 years. Cover-cropping in high tunnels can help reduce the impact of compost over-application. In our research project, we used a springtime legume cover crop, Spring Field Pea, which fixes nitrogen in the soil without risking chemical runoff. To measure the effect of the pea, we compared soil samples of various treatments to baseline samples along the growing timeline of a melon species in the high tunnel. Results showed that pea-only plots had lower nitrate levels compared to compost-only treatments, but when peas were combined with compost, the nitrate and potentially mineralizable nitrogen (PMN) levels were similar to those of compost-only plots. PMN levels were not significantly different among treatments, despite the theory that they should be higher in plots with both compost and peas. Our findings suggest that integrating cover crops with compost could optimize nitrogen and PMN availability while reducing compost over-application in high-tunnels.

Project funded by: Beltmann Flex Grant

To implement conservation practices, there needs to be direct engagement between farmers and conservation professionals. Implementing conservation practices in agriculture is crucial to assure water and soil resources for future use, protect crop productivity, and maintain the ecological balance of the region's waterways. In Iowa where this project is based, it is difficult to find information online about conservation initiatives and professionals around the state. Our project seeks to help farmers and landowners easily find and connect with local conservation professionals. Find My Watershed Coordinator is an online map that showcases watershed projects, and the conservation professionals who manage those projects, in the state of Iowa. The purpose of the digital map is to serve as a resource for farmers to locate their local conservation professionals. Conservation practices are more likely to be successfully implemented if there is direct communication between farmers and a professional.

Project funded by: USDA Grant, National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA)/Iowa State University, Ames, IA

CLUES has formed a foundation and support for and by the Latino community. Fortunately, I secured an internship within the Family Services department, specifically the Community Resource Navigator program. Throughout my time with CLUES, I primarily worked with LatinX-identifying families to connect them with resources for housing and mental health stability, while also researching other organizations and resources that could be of use to our community.

Project funded by: Macalester Summer Internship Grant (MSIG)

This summer, the "Power for Admixture Mapping" project explores the statistical power to identify genetic associations in populations with mixed ancestry, explaining how effectively we can detect these associations. Through a combination of literature review and simulation studies, we examine factors that influence the success of admixture mapping. Using various genetic tools, we simulate data and test for associations to enhance our understanding of genetic regions linked to traits and diseases. This research aims to improve the accuracy and reliability of future genetic studies.

Project funded by: Keck Foundation Summer Research Fund