A Chemistry Capstone: Synthesizing Nanotubes

Ammara Azam, Class of 2018, was a major in Chemistry and minor in Biochemistry. After a gap year, she will be attending medical school in the Fall 2019. Here she discusses her capstone research project.

My research project was about synthesizing short organosilica nanotubes templated by micelles with closed ends. As a chemistry major, researching in this field gives me a diverse perspective as a premedical student, and I wanted to use this perspective in the world of medicine. After reading and researching about how nanotubes templated by micelles could be used, I found out they could be used as drug delivery vehicles. Micelles arise form surfactant molecules that possess both hydrophobic (water hating) and hydrophilic ( water loving) properties. When introduced to water or aqueous solution will cluster together to form a core of a hydrophobic headgroups and a surface of hydrophilic headgroups. This micelle is then able to deliver nonpolar compounds in polar regions. So, I decided to conduct my next research project on the topic of drug delivery. I wanted to create possible drug delivery vehicles from my oragnosilica nanotubes, but I needed to shorten them because they were normally too long and clumped together to provide any possibility for drug delivery. To analyze my samples of nanotubes, I mainly used TEM (Transmission electron microscopy) allowing me to see the sample’s morphology.

Ammara in the lab

            The objective of research is to try and use different methods to achieve the results desired, and even when one does not retrieve what was desired from an experiment one should still consider that invaluable information that could help in a different way. With that in mind I started by recreating a synthesis previously conducted where the nanotubes possessed short length, the only difference would be that I was using some different reactants. Through TEM I saw that I was not able to retrieve short tubes, instead I retrieved well-defined tubes, which were a good sign because the tiny change I made did not produce completely altered tubes. Now my main task would be to shorten these tubes. First, I tried to use sonication which involves vibrations created from ultrasound, that may be able to break the tubes and shorten their length. This procedure in TEM showed to produce short tubes, but they were not large in amount and an exact time for sonication without breaking ends would be too difficult/ time consuming to pin point.

The next thing we tried was decrease the amount of the framework precursor (the template for the micelles), this had been done because it was noticed in other projects that decreasing the framework precursor decreased the length of tubes, and this produced some very interesting results. Through TEM I saw some asymmetrical tubes that are very uncommon, pushing my research towards synthesizing short asymmetrical tubes. Now I needed to increase their yield so I tried to increase the amount of swelling agent (it expands the inside of the micelles). However, TEM seemed to indicate that this seemed to increase their diameter not their amount, still this allowed us to see that the diameter could be increased.

            Going over all my experiments, the method of attack was to try something that could possibly lead to short tubes, or what we wanted and trying it out. Then, we would look at the results and see if they could be used some way towards the current project or in other respects. If I continue this project I plan to do just the same, try different things out and see their results. Through this process my goal will still be trying to increase the yield of short tubes with closed ends, whether they are asymmetrical in character or not.

Examining Environmental Factors Related to Autism

Saleh Smadi, Verrazano Class of 2018, earned a degree in Biology and Minor in Arabic.

Saleh presenting at the Undergraduate Research Conference

My name is Saleh Smadi and I started the Verrazano program as a sophomore. When I started my working on my research thesis, I was very excited for the new world of wonders and fascinating experience that I am entering. I worked under the supervision of Dr. Abdeslem Elidrissi; one of the greatest faculty members in the biology department. Throughout his mentorship, I have closely observed his experiences while conducting research. I was fascinated by the broad world of research and was amazed by the amount of knowledge I started acquiring. Now, I had the opportunity to apply the knowledge I was learning from the college classes in all disciplines to my research. I felt that my entire life had change since I started research. My way of thinking and perceiving problems has changed by thinking deeper and trying to think out of the box. Here I started to see how everything is connected in the body the way it functions and the extraordinary system that we humans have. My capstone project was about “Gestational Exposure to DBP in the Etiology of Autism” that focuses mostly on the nervous system and the neurobehavioral alterations that are elicited by an environmental toxin found in plastic.

First, I started to look at the literature behind this research study by reading all articles that have been written on the DBP plasticizer and the way it effects the body as well as studying the nervous system and the brain that is the most outstanding organ in the body. I started to develop a greater understanding on animal behavior by performing behavioral tests on mice. Then I started to carry out further lab work utilizing biochemical techniques. In my opinion it is one of the greatest things that I have ever done. I observed my mentors strong work ethic and wanted to be like him. It amazed me every time I saw him doing work.

My duties mainly included handling the animals, dissecting them, carrying out experiments that requires biochemical techniques such as: immunohistochemistry, western blot, protein estimation and imaging by confocal microscopy and analyses of the work. These were very interesting and well-informed skills that I later mastered.

Honorable Mention for presentation at CSTEP conference

One of the great honors was receiving an honorable mention in the poster presentation of my research at a NY state conference, titled: “Gestational Exposer to DBP in the Etiology of Autism.”. I have also presented this research at the undergraduate conference twice in 2016 and 2017.

Angelica Stringer Gets to the Bottom of Forensic Accounting

Angelica Stringer, Verrazano Class of 2018, completed majors in Accounting and Business Management, with a minor in Finance.

Angelica was inducted into Sigma Beta Delta

Forensic accounting is extremely interesting since there are so many different ways one could go within this one particular type of accounting. As I started researching I found out how similar forensic accounting could be with a financial audit and realized why so many people tend to confuse the two different careers. Once I realized how easy it seemed for people to make this mistake I decided to research more in depth of the differences as well as the similarities between to two in order to clear up the confusion for myself and for others as well. Through my research I learned that there are truly so many distinct differences that clear up this confusion such as the fact that forensic accountants in some cases actually go to court and testify on the witness stand, they could be sent out under cover to observe and take in evidence, and their main focus is to detect fraud and stop it, whereas financial audits are not involved in anything like this at all. 

Angelica making the Dean's List

To me the most interesting part to learn about was the criminal aspect and the risk factors of the job. I learned that there were so many dangerous instances that a forensic accountant could be put through just for simply doing their job. As a person thinking about pursuing this career it was definitely eye opening and made me second guess if that is really something that I would want to put myself through, but if it weren't for this research then I may have never realized how dangerous this particular career could become. In addition, I have gained a lot of knowledge about all of the different options that are available to choose from within the forensic accounting field that are not as dangerous, and it also opened my eyes to what a financial audit does on a daily basis. Before starting this project, I worried I would not be able to find a topic that would interest me that had to do with my major, but once I figured it out everything went smoothly and I am happy with the results. My goal is to hopefully clear up the confusion for anyone reading this paper and for them to understand the true aspects of what goes into these professionals everyday lives while on the job. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to expand my horizons and complete this research through the help of this honors program. Being a part of Verrazano has made my college experience so much better with all of the opportunities given, the helpful advisors, as well as the yummy pizza parties. By completing this capstone I pushed myself to the best of my abilities and overcame many obstacles along the way. 

Connecting through Kinect: Designing and Evaluating a Collaborative Game with and for Autistic Individuals

My name is Rayan Arab, and I pursued a major in psychology and a minor in disability studies throughout my four years at CSI. My interest in psychology began from my drive to become more educated in the field of mind and behavior, and my drive to minor in disability studies started from the glimpse inside of the world of disabilities that I had learned throughout my independent research studies.

        My journey in the field of psychology and disability studies started at the beginning of the Fall 2015 semester. As a college freshmen, I began to come across different independent studies and my research lead to discovering Project REACH. Project REACH at the College of Staten Island is ran by Dr. Kristen Gillespie-Lynch, who has became my mentor in my undergraduate experience. Project REACH involves a various amount of resources and educational tools involving Autism. Project REACH provides mentorship to students who are on the autism spectrum or have other disabilities. Before my capstone research, autism was just one idea of disability to me, however, throughout my involvement in this field I have learned the greatness of this disorder. In specifics, autism has various amount of severity that ranges from very moderate to very severe, and it is typically characterized by difficulty in social situations, impairment in communication, and a restricted pattern of behavior and interests.

Rayan presenting at CSI's Undergraduate Research Conference

            Throughout my honors capstone, my interest heightened from realizing that autism is a rapidly growing disorder that continues to grow for many years now.  It was out curiosity that I became so passionate to understand and communicate with children one on one to recognize strengths and weaknesses that range in autism.Other than mentoring a college student with autism, were I became a tutor, and a friend, I then became a part of a research group involving both the computer science department and psychology department.  As a team, we are progressing towards the better use of technology to assist in communication and emotional stabilization for people on the autism spectrum. This progression led to the development of a serious game “Connecting through Kinect: Designing and Evaluating a Collaborative Game with and for Autistic Individuals.”

                  My involvement in the development of this game involved spending at least nine hours a week in the past three years researching, coding videos of individuals with autism and without testing our game, and working towards creating a more solid foundation to grow on in the years ahead. Throughout my research, I also was able to identify whether a game to support collaborative learning in people on the spectrum is practical. I was able to evaluate and decipher between responses of the mentee I was working with in regards to the effects of the Project REACH program, and the serious game.
My honors capstone helped me find a passion that I plan to continue to pursue after college, I have found a career within the field of disabilities that I will always thank Project REACH, my mentee, Faraz H., and my mentor Dr. Kristen Gillespie-Lynch for. I have experienced more than I ever imagined I would when beginning my journey for an independent research study and I will continue to this path far after college.

Binge TV Watching in the Name of Scholarly Research

Elizabeth DeStefano, Verrazano Class of 2018, majored in Communications with a concentration in Journalism.

 

Liz DeStefano before she binge 
watches in the name of research

My name is Elizabeth DeStefano and graduated with a Communications degree at CSI. I worked on my capstone project with Professor Edward Miller. What is great about the capstone project is that you’re able to choose any topic you want to focus on. Going off of that, I chose to focus on reality television. But how could reality television even be worth an academic discussion? That is the beauty of studying the media; you get to analyze everything you love on an academic level, and GET CREDIT for it. Cool right? You can watch Harry Potter get credit for it. You can watch memes and study them and get credit for it. But as fun and easy as this all sounds, it is important

to understand that it is a lot more work than it seems.

 When picking this project, I was originally going to focus on the effects of reality television on an audience. However, Professor Miller steered me in a much cooler direction, in which I analyze the aesthetics of reality television. I was troubled by the topic at first, not really sure what to do with it, until one day I was watching an episode of The Amazing Race and noticed that alliances are taking over the competitions within reality television. I was intrigued by this, considering the very networks that air these shows are involved in their own competition, in which only six major companies are competing (and sometimes they team up with one another). What formed was my comparison of the structure of the media industry to how reality television portrays alliances within the show. The research involved me watching two seasons each of three different competition-based reality shows.

Settling in for some research!

  

I chose to focus on the first four episodes of each season to also focus on the sub-problem, which was the speed at which alliances formed. I have been watching reality television religiously with my family since I was a child so I felt I had a pretty firm grasp on the concept. Boy, was I wrong.

There are so many aspects to take into account when analyzing the aesthetics of a show: the music, the camera movements, the footage they choose to use, the quotes they select from contestants. While I originally thought my research would be a walk in the park, it turned out to be more daunting than I thought. It also didn’t help that I procrastinated quite a bit (pro tip: DO NOT PROCRASTINATE). I found myself urgently watching episodes whenever I could; during breaks between class, breaks at work, while I was showering or brushing my teeth.

The negative effects of binge watching in the name of research!

My hand would be throbbing as I scribbled notes furiously when I could. Deadlines crept nearer as did my anxiety of not being able to graduate. However, I pushed through, having to spend my spring break in CSI’s library furiously typing up the paper. Now that I look back, this experience was stressful, anxiety-inducing, tiring, frustrating, exciting, interesting, and probably one of the most rewarding experiences of my college career. We always have to cite scholarly research articles when were writing papers for class but this time we are writing the scholarly research articles. It is truly amazing to be able to create something as elaborate and informative from essentially nothing. Aside from the free pizza Cheryl likes to get for us, and the priority registration, this in my opinion is one of the most rewarding parts of Verrazano because we get to be apart of the academic community on an entire different level.