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  Identification of a SARS-CoV2 viral protein that triggers neurodegeneration and accelerates Aβ42 mediated neurodegeneration

  Aditi Singh, Anuradha Chimata Venkatakrishnan

  The SARS-CoV2 virus is responsible for the recent COVID-19 Pandemic that caused a range of symptoms including an acute respiratory tract infection up to fatal severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) that is fatal. The virus is highly contagious, rapidly mutating, and has resulted in massive morbidity and mortality around the globe including within the United States and worldwide. While COVID-19’s acute symptoms are known, the long-term sequelae and impacts like Post COVID-19 Syndrome (PCS) are lesser known and remain understudied. To date, it is understood that SARS-CoV2 results in an increased inflammatory response, cognitive dysfunction like brain fog, several long-term cardiovascular and autoimmune changes. Therefore, we hypothesized that SARS-CoV2 may impact conditions with pre-existing neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration, and cognitive dysfunction like Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). To study these impacts, we used the Drosophila melanogaster, or fruit fly model, to understand how specific SARS-CoV2 proteins affect neurodegenerative pathology. Our model first misexpressed specific SARS-CoV3 CoV2 proteins in wildtype flies via Gal4-UAS system. Interestingly, misexpression of SARS-CoV2 NSP3, nonstructural protein 3 (NSP3), generated a rough eye phenotype with necrotic spots indicating cell death. These findings suggested that COVID-19 alone may promote cell death. We also confirmed these results in the mammalian neuronal cell known as Neuro-2a cells. Transient expression of SARS-CoV2 NSP3 significantly reduced the metabolic activity of these cells and enhanced cell death (p < 0.05). We were interested in observing how COVID-19 may potentiate cell death in a neurodegenerative background that has high pre-existing levels of neuroinflammation and cell death. Therefore, we misexpressed SARS-CoV2 NSP3 in an AD transgenic fly using the Gal4-UAS system (GMR>Aβ42). Here, we observed a worsening of the rough eye phenotype and increased cell death. Changes in cell morphology and increases in cell death may be indicative of COVID-19-mediated changes to AD pathophysiology. These findings suggested that a cell death mechanism may be involved in COVID-19 mediated worsening in AD pathology. Here, we present our studies in assessing various cell death mechanisms including autophagy, apoptosis, and necrosis, and their potential involvement in SARS-CoV2’s impacts on AD pathology.

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  Identification Of miRNA in Growth And Survival

  Prajakta Deshpande, Esther Labya; other author: Amit Singh

  Cell size is essential in a cell's cellular processes and function. Hence cell size andgrowth need to be appropriately maintained. Gene regulation plays a vital role inregulating gene expression of different cellular processes like apoptosis, cell growth,etc. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), small single-stranded RNAs, regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally by binding to the 3’ untranslated region (UTR) of their target messengerRNAs (mRNAs), degrade their target mRNA, and hence silence their gene expression.In a forward genetic screen, our lab has identified a micro-RNA that inhibits apoptosisin the Drosophila eye model. Previous study shows that in the hippo (hpo) mutantsexhibit overgrowth, whereas gain-of-function of hippo triggers cell death in thedeveloping eye. Our preliminary data suggest that the gain-of-function of miR-277 in theGMR>hpo background rescues Hpo-mediated cell death. In addition, the gain-of-function of miRNA-277 restores the impaired axonal targeting observed in GMR>hpoeye disc. Hence, our working model suggests that miRNA regulates cell growth bymodulating the hippo pathway.

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  Identification of Novel Genes Responsible for a Rapidly Evolving Fruit Fly Trait by Gain and Loss of Gene Function Experiments

  Devon Seibert, Gavin Christy, Rachel Stanojev

  Two long-standing goals in biology are to understand how genes are used during an organism’s development to make morphological traits, and how genes change to facilitate the origins, modifications, and losses of these traits. Two powerful approaches to identify the critical genes are through gain and loss of function experiments. The former experiments look at the effects when the expression of genes is induced in new cellular places, at new times in life, and/or at elevated levels of expression. The latter experiments cause the absence of expression for genes from their normal places, times, and/or levels of expression. While many methods have been devised to accomplish such experiments, these methods are generally too cumbersome to apply to tens, hundreds, or even thousands of genes. In recent years, scientists have found ways to use RNA-interference and CRISPER/Cas9 gene editing to cause both gain and loss of function mutations for specific genes. These methods are being combined with resources for the fruit fly species Drosophila (D.) melanogaster to target a steadily increasing number of this species’ genes. Our research project applied these approaches and genetic tools to cause gain and loss of function for genes suspected to play a role in the development and evolution of the male-specific pigmentation of the D. melanogaster abdomen. The greater than 30 genes whose altered function distorts this pigmentation feature will be the focus of future studies to reveal the mechanisms of gene function and their evolution.

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  Identifying the effects of anaerobicity and propionate on Listeria monocytogenes metabolism and central nervous system infection

  Rebecca Rudd

  Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative foodborne pathogen that can enter the bloodstream and invade the central nervous system to cause meningitis. As an intracellular pathogen, L. monocytogenes replicates inside the host cell cytosol and avoids extracellular immune defenses as it disseminates throughout the body. L. monocytogenes can also reach and cross the blood brain barrier, resulting in severe or fatal symptoms in immunocompromised and elderly patients. The overarching goal of my research project is to better understand how different environmental factors, anaerobicity and propionate, in the intestinal lumen alter the ability of L. monocytogenes to cause infections. In the first aim of my thesis research, I investigated how anaerobicity and propionate affected L. monocytogenes central metabolism by measuring acetoin production, which is a proxy for pyruvate metabolism, and culture pH, which is a proxy for lactic acid production. I also compared these measurements between different strains to identify the potential genetic regulations underlying L. monocytogenes responses to anaerobicity and propionate. In the second aim, I examined the effect of anaerobicity and propionate on L. monocytogenes infection and intracellular growth in a model host cell line for neuronal cells, the Neuro-2A cells. Additionally, I investigated the intracellular growth differences between different strains to identify strain-dependent variations. Through this project, further findings were discovered about how anaerobicity and propionate exposure influence L. monocytogenes metabolism and infections, allowing for better understanding of how this pathogen might behave during and after intestinal transit.

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  Immune Signaling by HCT-8 Cells in Response to Intracellular Pathogens

  Aysha Choudhury

  Viral infections have the potential to completely overwhelm the body if appropriate measures by the immune system are not taken. Under the mentorship of Dr. Sun and Dr. Rajput, my research focused on the influence of propionate (a metabolic byproduct of gut microbiota with putative health effects) on intestinal epithelium cells infected with coronavirus (OC 43). By studying the cytopathic effects of HCT-8 cells exposed to different concentrations of propionate, we were able to gain a better understanding of how the metabolism of our gut microbiota can modulate our immune functions, something that can potentially lead to the development of new treatment options for coronaviruses, including COVID-19.

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  Increasing 6th Grade Magnet Student Yield

  Amber Reeves

  There is currently no designated policy, procedure or staff in place to facilitate the objective of increasing student yield. As a result, magnet applications and acceptance of invitations to attend Owl Middle School is approached without a strategy which makes planning difficult and negates the ability to determine effective methods. Filling these public-school magnet seats is a priority as student enrollment equates to staff funding from the state and school doors being open (NCES, 2020). Identifying policy to increase 6th grade magnet students is determined by setting achievable goals. Setting achievable goals for increasing magnet students begins by identifying specific, measurable, achievable, time bound and realistic objectives. Elementary schools with similar demographic populations will be targeted with recruitment efforts through speaking engagements at the schools, parent information nights, and printed material in English and Spanish distributed to prospective families and students. The purpose of this study is to understand the effectiveness of this targeted marketing and to develop a process of continuous improvement thus potentially increasing 6th grade magnet student yield. Two semi-structured virtual interviews consisting of five questions were conducted for 10 families regarding their decision of school choice and the impact marketing had. Findings included a need to incorporate digital marketing along with honoring the power of student decision making in this school choice process.

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  Inflation Trends in a Rising Interest Rate Environment: An Analysis of Growth Rate Trends For the Education and Communications Component of CPI

  Nora Jackson

  In 2022, the U.S. Federal Reserve initiated a tight monetary policy with unprecedented increases in the Federal Funds Rate. In this study, I examine the monthly growth rates sequentially for the Education and Communications component of CPI to determine if the rise in Fed Funds Rate has caused a downward trend in its inflation growth rate. I also compare a similar analysis for overall CPI. Lastly, I look to see if the growth rate trends for CPI and its Education and Communications component have similar trend direction. I use year over year by month growth rates and rolling 3 month growth rates annualized to determine the trend direction for CPI and the Education and Communications component.

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  Inflation Trends in a Rising Interest Rate Environment: An Analysis of Growth Rate Trends for the Food Component of CPI in 2022

  John Deeley

  In 2022, due to rapidly rising inflation, the U.S. Federal Reserve initiated an aggressive policy of monetary tightening primarily through increases in the Federal Funds Rate. In this study I focus on the food component of CPI and look to see if the significant rise in the Federal Funds Rate has had a dampening effect on the growth in food inflation. I also compare inflation growth rate trends in the food component of CPI to the inflation growth rate trends in overall CPI to see if the growth rates follow a similar trend pattern.I used year over year by month growth rates in inflation and rolling 3 month growth rates in inflation annualized to determine the trend direction for both the food component and overall CPI.

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  Inflation Trends in a Rising Interest Rate Environment: An Analysis of Growth Rate Trends for the Shelter Component of CPI, 2022

  Julia Reinker

  In 2022, The US Federal Reserve, prompted by rising and high levels of inflation, began an aggressive policy of monetary tightening through increases in the federal funds rate. In this study, I looked at the monthly growth rate trend in the shelter component of CPI to see if the rise in the federal funds rate has resulted in a downward trend in its growth rate. I also carry out a similar analysis for overall CPI and then determine if the inflation growth rate trends in CPI and the shelter component of CPI move together. I use year over year by month inflation growth rates and rolling three month growth rates annualized to identify the direction of the growth rate trends.

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  Inflation Trends in a Rising Interest Rate Environment: An Analysis of Growth Rate Trends For the Transportation Component of CPI

  Patrick Burns

  Rising levels of inflation has caused the Federal Reserve to substantially increase the Federal Funds rate in 2022 - in this study I analyze the monthly growth rate pattern for the transportation component of CPI to see if the increases in the Federal Funds rate have brought about a decline in its growth rate trend - I also carry out a similar analysis for CPI. Finally, I compare the growth rate trends for CPI and its transportation component to see if the trend pattern is similar. I use year-over-year by month growth rates and rolling 3 month growth rates annualized to carry out my trend analysis.

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  Inflation Trends in a Rising Interest Rate Environment: An Analysis of Growth Rate Trends in the Medical Care Component of CPI, 2022

  Sydnee Haymore

  In 2022, the U.S. Federal Reserve, in order to curb growing inflation in the U.S., responded by making rapid and significant increases in the Federal Funds Rate. In this study, I look at the Medical Care component of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to determine if the rise in the Federal Funds Rate has brought about a downward trend in its growth rate. I also make a similar comparison for overall CPI and then see if the Medical component and overall CPI growth rates are trending together.I use year over year by month inflation growth rates and rolling three-month growth rates annualized to determine trend direction of both the Medical Care component and CPI.

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  Inflation Trends in a Rising Interest Rate Environment: An Analysis of Inflation Growth Rate Trends in the Goods Component of CPI, 2022

  Thomas Roebker, Andrew Weltman

  In 2022, because of rising and high inflation, the U.S. Federal Reserve aggressively raised the Federal Funds rate with the aim of reversing the upward trend in inflation. In this study, we evaluate the inflation growth rate trends for the durable and non-durable goods sectors of the economy to see if they have had a reversal in trend direction. We carry out 3 empirical analyses: (1) We compare year over year by month inflation growth rates in the durable and non-durable goods sector to see if a trend reversal has occurred. (2) We calculate rolling 3-month growth rates annualized to see if the goods sector growth rates are also declining. (3) Using Step (1) and (2) above, we calculate CPI Inflation growth rates and then compare them to the goods sector growth rates to determine if they trend together.

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  Inflation Trends in a Rising Interest Rate Environment: An Analysis of Inflation Growth Rate Trends in the Services Component of CPI, 2022

  Michael Dahill

  In 2022, the U.S. Federal Reserve initiated a number of meaningful increases in the Federal Funds Rate in order to reverse the upward trend in inflation. In this study I analyze the inflation growth rate trend in the services sector of the economy to determine if the rise in the Federal Funds Rate had a material impact on its trend direction. I carry out 3 empirical tests: 1) I compare a year over year by month inflation growth rates in the service component to see if a downward trend has occurred. 2) I calculate rolling 3 month inflation growth rates annualized to see if the growth rates are declining. 3) I calculate the same inflation growth rate metrics for CPI to see if the inflation growth rates for the services component and CPI trend together.

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  Inmates Likelihood of Engagement with Mental Health Resources

  Madyson McKinney, Samantha Dwyer

  In recent years, mental health has been a prevalent topic in society. One group greatly affected by mental health issues are prisoners, with the Bureau of Justice Statistics (2016) reporting that over half of all state prison inmates had a past or current history of mental health issues. Nonetheless, only a small percentage receive mental health services while in prison. One must wonder what may affect an inmate's likelihood of engagement with such services. To help determine this, we chose to look at the 2004 Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities (SISCF). It was conducted for the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and uses personal interviews conducted from October 2003 through May 2004 with inmates in both state and federal prisons. We focused on seven main dependent variables in relation to our independent variable of inmate participation in a self-help group. Specifically, we strongly focus on whether possession of an unauthorized substance impacts an inmate's likelihood of engagement with a mental help group.

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  Insights into an emerging insect habitat: Ant communities on green roofs in 3 Ohio cities

  Grace Jackson

  Many cities are experiencing a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect largely as a result of decreased vegetation. Green roofs have been used to help combat this issue, and many claim that they also provide habitat for urban wildlife. There is a significant knowledge gap in our understanding of the interactions between urban wildlife and this artificial habitat. The insect family Formicidae (ants) are a great study organism for this system because they are ubiquitous across urban areas and their ecology is easily studied with simple methods. In the summer months of 2022, soil samples, temperature data, and ants were collected from nine study sites spanning across three cities in Southwestern Ohio (Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus). I predicted that the green roofs would be hotter and drier than their immediate ground level habitats. Ant activity was predicted to be negatively correlated with increasing height and positively correlated with increased plant species richness and soil depth. I also hypothesized that when presented with an equal opportunity to forage for salt or sugar, ants foraging on green roofs would have a more pronounced preference for sodium over sugar due to the deicing practices of roads and sidewalks and increased sucrose availability on the roofs. This proposed work could help inform land managers about the type of habitat that green roofs provide, and provide novel insight into how they affect arthropod communities.

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  In-situ Optical Surface Feature and Temperature Sensing System for Selective Laser Melting (SLM) Technology

  Yujie Yang

  We describe techniques and present results for in-situ monitoring of surface features and temperature that can operate in challenging environments near laser-material interaction locations. The techniques are considered for incorporation into laser material processing systems such as for laser welding or additive manufacturing of metallic parts with powder bed selective laser melting (SLM). Surface characterization is performed using a fiber-based line-scan confocal optical system, where a laser beam is transmitted and received by a fiber whose tip is affixed to a piezoelectric actuator that changes the lateral position of the fiber tip at a rates up to several kilohertz. Characteristics of the power of the received laser light depend on surface properties and can be used to classify surface roughness, for instance with the help of machine learning (neural networks), or to identify anomalies or defects at the surface. The temperature sensing approach uses a similar line-scanning optical system, but in a passive configuration, where the received light is thermal radiation emitted from the surface under test. The line scanning of the receiver fiber tip allows for generation of temperature profiles, for instance in the vicinity of the melt pool in SLM systems.During the SLM process, there are some critical parameters that must be monitored to ensure the quality and integrity of the final part. In-situ surface monitoring and temperature sensing are particularly important. In-situ surface monitoring can detect defects or irregularities as they occur, allowing for immediate corrective action and it can also help to ensure that the part is being built correctly, by verifying that the dimensions and features of the part are within acceptable tolerances. By monitoring the temperature in real-time, operators can adjust the laser power, scan speed, or other process parameters to maintain the optimal temperature range for the specific material being used.

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  Inspirational Women in STEM Stories

  Leah Frost, Alexander Hoffman, Meredith Wall

  There is a significant lack of women within the STEM field, which is a major diversity problem within our society. Many barriers and biases make it difficult for women to thrive within this community, which is why we would like to present stories of historical and inspirational women who broke the mold and made history. This presentation will cover inspirational women, all with different backgrounds, disciplines, and contributions to STEM. We hope that these stories inspire you to promote and embrace diversity within the STEM field.

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  Instance Segmentation for Medical Image Analysis

  Kim Anh Phung

  In this work, we will explore the instance segmentation for medical image analysis. In particular, we will collect a new dataset of polyp instances for this task. Then, we evaluate and report the performance of different state-of-the-art methods. Finally, we will provide insights about applying the computer vision methods into practical problem.

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  Instance Segmentation to Identify Mouse Brain Cell Types

  Aditya Shrivastava

  I.ObjectivesFor the study of brain function and behavior, the mouse brain serves as a valuable model system. Methods to accurately analyze the complex signals produced by the mouse brain are becoming increasingly important due to developments in neuroimaging and optogenetics. Techniques that can take the information contained in mouse brain signals and turn it into useful biological insights are especially needed. In brain analysis, instance segmentation is commonly used for measuring and visualizing the brain's anatomical structures, for analyzing brain changes, for delineating pathological regions, and for surgical planning and image-guided interventions. In the last few decades, various segmentation techniques of different accuracy and degree of complexity have been developed and reported in the literature.II.MethodsThis interdisciplinary project explores the image segmentation with fluorescence microscopy images of mouse brain tissue. In particular, we will develop a model to segment dendrites, cell body, and axon from images of mouse brain tissue. The segmented results will be extremely helpful to detect synaptic proteins that are important for neuronal communication. We will focus on the excitatory synaptic proteins VGLUT1 and VGLUT2 which are specifically expressed circuits in the brain. To this end, we will use an image dataset of mouse brain tissue provided by Dr. Aaron Sathyanesan. Then, we will annotate the dendrites, cell body, and axonal regions by using our in-house annotation tool provided by Dr. Tam Nguyen. Next, we will train an image segmentation model on the newly annotated dataset. For the evaluation, we will use the performance metrics such as accuracy and IoU.

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  Integration of motorized kinematic stages in an optical Lithography experiment

  Russel Pienias

  Lithography is the technique used to create micro and nanostructures for a variety of applications, in which a laser creates precise patterns in a photosensitive material called a photoresist. In a modern system, both high-resolution piezoelectric stages, as well as large travel stepper motor stages, are needed. LabView is a programming system that allows its users to communicate with instruments that allow the user to control and read different instruments. In this case, LabVIEW is being used to control motion in a 3-dimensional plane, and the ability to have precise motorized movement will do two things for the optical Lithography system: a) it allows the users to align the laser coming into the system which is normally done manually, and b)also it allows users to switch samples in and out of the system with ease as the stages move the samples in and out of the system. In summary, we integrate motion control stages into a lithography system to assist in sample mounting and dismounting while maintaining positional accuracy, and we validate the lithography system using a dose parameter (laser power) characterization.

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  Intelligent Adaptive Control System for Combating Ventilator Induced Lung Injury

  Jason Cahill

  Mechanical ventilation, as a resource for critical care, is a balancing act. Everyday physicians, nurses, and respiratory therapists rely on this life saving intervention to support patients who are too weak or ill to breathe on their own. Unfortunately, structural and physiological damage can easily occur as a result of aggressive or long-term ventilator use. Because of the cardiopulmonary system’s tremendous complexity as well as the innate variability in parameters due to disease, individuality, and time, most critical care ventilators require continual adjustment to avoid these side effects, essentially making the physician the controller. This project proposes a radical step forward in design, a three-part control method that will bring the patient into the loop in an unprecedented way. First, a dynamic inversion controller based on a 148-state model of the cardiopulmonary system. Second, a neural network-based adaptive controller capable of reducing real time deviations between the base controller and the patient. Finally, a gradient based concurrent learning algorithm that optimizes the parameters of the base cardiopulmonary model in real-time, thereby further reducing error associated with long term variations. The complete controller will regulate the patient’s respiration in real time utilizing vital information from existing bedside monitors.

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  Intelligent Algorithms for the Optimization of Rare-Earth Metal Cation Forcefield Parameters

  Aaron Winget

  Molecular simulations can be used to gain a better understanding of the exact mechanisms of many physical and chemical reactions. As such, it is important that these simulations be based on models that are as accurate as possible. Unfortunately, the rare earth series of elements are difficult to model due to many of their forcefield parameters being unknown or otherwise inaccurate. This work explores finding these parameters utilizing intelligent Bayesian optimization. Rather than a linear “guess-and-check” search pattern, Bayesian optimization utilizes parallel search patterns to search many potential points simultaneously. As such, search time is drastically reduced, and the parallel nature of the optimization allows for parameters of different elements to be discovered concurrently.

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  Interconnections of Research to Education and Creating

  Veronica Bernacki, Sydney Summers, Hannah Bright

  This panel discussion among senior preservice art educators explores the relationship of the interconnected roles of artists, educators, and researchers. Using qualitative methodology, each panelist engaged in a self-directed, IRB approved study in the Dayton area using survey, autoethnography, or interviews. Exploring art, education, community, and personal discovery through the act of conducting arts-based research, panelists will share findings and experiences as new researchers in the field, offer a comparative analysis of their studies, and discuss the implications of the research process on their future roles as art educators.

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  Intercultural Communication Semester Projects

  Jayilin Barksdale, Piper Adkins, Ashley Walker, Grace Kennedy, Melissa Weidner, Christian Valenzano, Connor Fritzsche, Caroline Sullivan, Sarah Harper, Christian Gordon, Madlyn Hansen, Julia Strittmatter, Charles Corrigan, Clare Loesch, Ella Sweitzer, Ella Doyle, Margaret Ruhlmann, Quinn Gilroy, Jessica Morris, Lauren Riley, Kaleb Geevarghese, Kaitlin Hall, Jenna Borrelli, Emma Bueti, Bill Farmer, Kevin Dolehide, Clayton Lovin, Caroline Duarte, Casey Tirado, Ruth Eckhart, Katherine Brothers, Ethan Schum, Dorian Mays, Erika Christie, Logan Brown

  Intercultural communication can be expressed and studied in myriad ways. The students of CMM 316.01 investigated various forms of cultural expression by comparing and contrasting the ways a particular form is used by multiple cultural groups. Specifically, each group researched and presented about the ways food, music, festivals, rituals, dance, clothing, and other artifacts communicate cultural identity in at least two different cultures.

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  Interfaces between Stretchable and Rigid Electronics

  Zachary Kranz

  Recently, there has been significant interest in the field of stretchable and flexible electronics. While soft electronic substrates and conductors provide new options in the design of flexible electronic systems for power and data traces, there are not many viable flexible analogs for active components, such as diodes, transistors, and Integrated Circuits (ICs). Therefore, it is important to allow soft electronics to connect to more traditional rigid electronics. These connections that interface between soft and rigid electronics are key to enable reliable and durable soft electronic systems. There are two major requirements that must be satisfied by the connections that interface between rigid and soft electronic substrates. First, the interface must reliably conduct power and signals from the soft substrate to the rigid packaging or circuit board, particularly while the soft materials are under strain. Second, is that the interface must mechanically connect the soft substrates and conductors to the rigid materials and traces while undergoing reasonable amounts of strain. Flexible hybrid systems built on commercially available flexible polyimide substrates such as Kapton provide a great solution for flexible electronics, yet bridging the gap to soft, stretchable materials remains a challenge. This poster describes one method for providing both mechanical and electrical connection between rigid and soft electronics.