Tag: Poster Presentation

Raquel Jackson¹
Faculty Mentor: Moses Karakouzian, Ph.D.^1
1Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction

ABSTRACT
This paper explores recent developments in microbial remediation, specifically oil-degrading bacteria, and its potential use in ocean oil spills. Marine oil spills are a growing issue worldwide, due to its hazardous impact on both public and environmental welfare. Conventional oil spill management practices are inefficient, since significant amounts of oil remain in the water post-treatment. A possibly efficient and environmentally friendly solution is bioremediation, also known as microbial remediation. Bioremediation is a form of microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR), which is a biotechnological process that utilizes microorganisms to break down organic compounds, such as oil. By use of oil degrading bacteria, bioremediation applications may prove to be a feasible method in oil spill management. In this review, a systematic approach was used to find literature that could be analyzed to find which bacterial strains and supplementations would improve bioremediation as a method for mitigating ocean oil spills. It was concluded that certain bacterial strains are effective at degrading oil, given that certain metabolic and nutrient conditions are provided. Bacterial strains capable of decontaminating marine oil spills include Mycobacterium vanbaalenii, and Alcanivorax borkumensis, and Cycloclasticus, along with several others. Algae and dispersants used in conjunction with marine bacteria enhanced oil-degradation rates. However, more studies are needed to further investigate more potential bacterial strains capable of oil-degradation, and if other supplementations oil spill recovery in oil spills.

This research was funded by UNLV’s Title III Part F Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) program, which is housed within UNLV’s Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach and funded under grant (P382B160008) from the U.S. Department of Education.

Susan Florian¹
Faculty Mentor: Magdalena Martinez, Ph.D.^2
1College of Liberal Arts, Department of Political Science
²Greenspun College of Urban Affairs, School of Public Policy and Leadership

ABSTRACT
Teachers that are working in Nevada are experiencing problems with insufficient materials. The overall purpose of this study is to provide information about their struggles with materials in the Clark County School District. What are teachers’ experiences with shortages of resources, and how does it impact their teaching strategies? Teachers’ experiences are important to note. Their experiences matter in finding the problems they face is essential to aid them with suitable materials. Finding solutions to their needs will improve their teaching strategies and personal spending, but children will also get the proper materials they deserve. The selection was composed of three different teachers from three different schools within the Clark County School District. This study generates a qualitative understanding of teachers’ experiences. Most teachers explained the different levels of frustration with the administration and the lack of resources they experienced. Analysis shows that this increases stress levels, personal spending, and teacher attrition. These methods and responses should help the administration improve the school system and express their employee’s concerns to decision-makers to receive the proper and necessary resources. Certain limitations to this study are important to note, but the overall evidence proves that these problems negatively impact teachers’ experiences.

This research was funded by UNLV’s TRIO McNair Scholars Institute, which is housed within UNLV’s Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach and funded under the TRIO Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program by a grant (P217A170069) from the U.S. Department of Education. 

Angelica McGee¹
Faculty Mentor: Lynn Comella, Ph.D.^1
1College of Liberal Arts, Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies

ABSTRACT
Superhero media is a 27 billion dollar industry. Superhero media has played a significant role in contemporary pop culture and society. So, where does feminist thought – or the lack of feminist thought – belong in the conversation of comics? My research aims to pinpoint and define sexist tropes within comic book media, how they can be detrimental to the representation of women, and what viewers and creators alike can do to diminish this unsatisfactory treatment. My research uses textual analysis to examine the representations of female comic book characters across various mediums. The pathway to improvement is within the promise that audiences and comic book media creators continue to educate themselves on the inherent sexist themes of female comic book media characters; new media is created that shields itself from the typical misogynistic tropes that these characters have been subject to in the past, and comic book worlds fans do the work that it takes to show that these changes are not only appreciated but that they are in high enough demand to make them the new normal. The sexist injustices in comic book media need first to be acknowledged and then removed. Female comic book characters are free to be just as heroic and empowering or as daunting and frightening as their male counterparts.

Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio¹
Faculty Mentor: Terance D. Miethe, Ph.D.^2
1Greenspun College of Urban Affairs, School of Public Policy and Leadership
²Greenspun College of Urban Affairs, Department of Criminal Justice

ABSTRACT
Is the nexus between illicit wildlife trafficking (IWT) and terrorism real or purported? A review of 21st-century literature suggests that researchers are divided. Zoonotic diseases such as the COVID-19 pandemic occur via the transmission of viruses from animals to humans. They are increasingly pervasive not just as a public health issue, but as a security concern as well. While trillions of dollars have gone toward counterterrorism since the 9/11 attack, relatively little is spent policing the various illicit economies that finance terrorist groups. According to the Congressional Research Service, IWT ranks in the upper tier of the world’s most lucrative illicit economies, behind only drug trafficking, human trafficking, and the illegal weapons trade. One perspective argues that the nexus is real since many of the same groups dealing in commodities like weapons or drugs also deal in wildlife. Poachers are becoming increasingly sophisticated, often using the same tactics and complex distribution networks used by organized crime and militant groups. Several militant groups have long engaged in IWT, including the Taliban in Afghanistan, the FARC in Colombia, and the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia to name a few. The counter-perspective argues that IWT accounts for only a small portion of terrorist financing; overstating this nexus can result in the over-militarization of law enforcement against wildlife trafficking, and thus more violence. Previous research has examined the topic primarily through a regional lens. This study therefore examines the sources, convergences, and divergent elements of IWT and other forms of organized crime worldwide.

Silvio Ernesto Mirabal Torres¹
Faculty Mentor: Jennifer Byrnes, Ph.D.^1
1College of Liberal Arts, Department of Anthropology

ABSTRACT
Tuberculosis (TB) (Mycobacterium tuberculosisis) is primarily a respiratory infection, but it can spread through the blood to other parts of the body as the disease progresses. Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) occurs when the TB pathogen reaches the meninges, most commonly the leptomeninges, causing inflammation and hemorrhaging. In the bioarchaeological record, TB has not been easily diagnosed because many bony manifestations caused by the disease (e.g. visceral rib lesions) can also be the result of other pathologies. Recent research by Spekker and colleagues (2020) has shown that abnormal blood vessel impressions (ABVIs) and periosteal appositions (PAs) on the endocranial bone surfaces could be diagnostic of TBM. To test the viability of using ABVIs/PAs in the differential diagnosis process of tuberculosis in bioarchaeology, this study utilized previously recorded data from the Erie County Poorhouse (ECPH) cemetery. It was hypothesized that: 1. there would be a correlation between these endocranial lesions and visceral rib lesions; 2. Males and females would display endocranial lesion differences; and 3. Older (>35 years) versus younger (<35 years) adults would display endocranial lesion differences. Statistical analyses failed to identify a correlation between these bone lesions (p = 0.491). Additionally, there was no difference in the distribution of the endocranial reactions between males versus females, nor between age categories. Further studies that include other postcranial pathologies related to TB are needed before we discard the use of ABVIs and PAs as supporting evidence to diagnose tuberculosis in the ECPH cemetery or other bioarchaeological collections.

This research was funded by UNLV’s TRIO McNair Scholars Institute, which is housed within UNLV’s Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach and funded under the TRIO Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program by a grant (P217A170069) from the U.S. Department of Education.