Stander Symposium Projects

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  Drosophila Eye Model to Study the Role of Mnat9 in Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Dementia

  Emily Snider, Prajakta Deshpande, Anuradha Chimata Venkatakrishnan; other authors: Madhuri Kango-Singh, Amit Singh

  Alzheimer's Disease (AD), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, is manifested as extracellular accumulation of amyloid-beta-42 (Aβ42) plaques and intracellular accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) due to hyperphosphorylation of tau that results in destabilization of microtubules. Targeted misexpression of human Aβ42 (GMR>Aβ42) in retinal neurons of developing Drosophila eye results in Aβ42 plaque(s) formation, extensive neurodegeneration and mimics AD like neuropathology. However, the underlying mechanism(s) for Aβ42-mediated neurodegeneration have not been fully understood. In a forward genetic screen, we identified microtubule associated N-acetyltransferase 9 (Mnat9) as one of the genetic modifiers of GMR>Aβ42 neurodegenerative phenotype. Mnat9 is known to stabilize microtubules by inhibiting c-Jun-N- terminal kinase (JNK) signaling. The neurodegenerative phenotype of GMR>Aβ42 is rescued by gain-of-function of Mnat9 whereas loss-of-function of Mnat9 exhibits converse phenotype of enhanced neurodegeneration. Human Mnat9 also suppresses Aβ42-mediated neurodegeneration suggesting the functional conservation. Surprisingly, Mnat9 neuroprotective function is independent of its acetylation activity. We found that Mnat9 downregulates JNK signaling pathway, which is involved in rescuing neurodegenerative phenotypes seen in GMR>Aβ42 background. Here we propose a new neuroprotective function of Mnat9 in downregulating JNK signaling pathway to ameliorate Aβ42-mediated neurodegeneration.

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  Drosophila Glioblastoma Model to Study Signaling Pathways

  Jibriel Saqibuddin; additional authors: Arushi Rai, B.N. Rohith, Amit Singh, Madhuri Kango-Singh

  AbstractObjective: Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive and malignant brain tumor that has limited treatment options. The amplification of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-VIII (EGFR-VIII) and activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (P13K) pathway are common genetic alterations observed in GBM patients. Our objective is to model GBM in Drosophila melanogaster and study the signaling pathways that promote GBM growth and inhibit cell death. Specifically, we aim to investigate the roles of MAPK, Hippo, and WNT signaling pathways in regulating GBM growth, and Cactus expression which regulates the JNK pathway.Method: Our project involves genetic crosses that produce larvae with GBM, followed by brain dissections and immunohistochemistry to study changes in signaling pathways that promote GBM growth. Specifically, we are studying the early time points to understand the roles of signaling pathways like MAPK, Hippo, and WNT in promoting GBM growth and/or inhibiting cell death. By comparing our GBM models to experimental controls, we aim to generate initial data for designing further genetic experiments to identify specific signaling interactions that affect cell death and proliferation. We will be using two fly lines, Line 1: UAS P13K92E;+;RepoGFP/TM3B;Sb, and Line 2: W*UASEGFR * *λtop/TM6C for our studies. A genetic cross between these lines is expected to generate larvae that show glioma overgrowth due to coactivation of PI3K and EGFR in the glia.Significance: The proposed research has significant implications for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying GBM growth. Using Drosophila as a model system allows for efficient genetic manipulation and provides a cost-effective way to study complex biological processes. Additionally, the results of this study will contribute to our understanding of GBM and have the potential to inform the development of more effective treatments for this devastating disease.

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  Duplicate Image Detection using Machine Learning

  Karthi Balasundaram

  In today's digital age, the amount of data being generated and shared on a daily basis is growing at an unprecedented rate. With this growth comes the challenge of managing this vast amount of data effectively. That being said, there are approximately fifteen billion images shared on social media per day. The same image may exist in multiple locations in different formats, sizes, and with slight variations, making it difficult for end-users to filter and detect duplicate images. This duplication can lead to unnecessary storage costs, reduced data quality, and decreased productivity as users waste time searching for the right image.Detecting duplicate images is a crucial task in various fields and there is a growing need to automate this process. The primary objective of this project is to create a system that can identify duplicate images by comparing two images, even if they have slight differences in color, size, or format. To achieve the goal, we developed a system that detects and flags duplicates. The system utilizes various techniques such as visual similarity, image hashing, computer vision and Machine Learning techniques. The system is integrated into a web application that enables users to upload images and detects duplicates. The system also highlights the differences between the images. Overall, the development of a duplicate image detection web application can offer significant benefits to organizations with extensive image collections. By automating the process of identifying duplicate images, it can save time, reduce costs, and enhance the overall data quality.

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  Dying and Rising in Wonder: Epistemic Vulnerability and Closure in Pope Francis and His Critics

  Colin McGuigan

  In October 2019, traditionalist Catholics vandalized several indigenous folk statues that had been used ceremonially to commence the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region in Rome. The vandalism marked the symbolic zenith of opposition to the Amazon synod and Pope Francis’s vision of a synodal church; a church that listens. This essay argues the opposition had roots in a colonialist theological paradigm. It compares the words and deeds of anti-synod bishops, journalists, and activists to the theological project of sixteenth-century missionary to Peru, José de Acosta. According to Duke cultural anthropology and romance studies professor Walter Mignolo and Yale theologian Willie James Jennings, Acosta articulated a Eurocentric view of indigenous knowledge and practices as valueless, superstitious, and sinful. Acosta theologically joined Christian mission to colonialism’s forcible reordering of native lives, land, and culture according to Old World ideals. Drawing from Jennings’s decolonial theological reading of Acosta and Scottish-American philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre’s work on epistemic crises and traditions of inquiry, this essay argues Acosta’s imposition on native worlds arose from a defensive eschewal of epistemic vulnerability facing the New World’s radical challenge to Old World understandings. This essay describes Acosta’s refusal as a refusal of wonder, and it argues that the synod critics in 2019, fearful of change, repeated that refusal precisely. Colonialism’s Eurocentric, defensive epistemic closure has stymied the Catholic intellectual tradition’s capacity for wonder and change. This essay proposes Pope Francis’s openness to wonder as a source to move the Catholic intellectual tradition beyond Acosta’s epistemic sclerosis. Francis’s wonder, the essay argues, finds deep roots in his intellectual and spiritual formation as a Jesuit seminarian and priest. The distinctive sources of Francis’s wonder give his thinking a determinate, yet always expectant character; ever ready to die to old understandings and rise again to more intimate encounter with reality.

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  Dynamic Analysis Framework for Classifying Malicious Web Pages

  Allen Varghese

  The increasing use of web-based applications has led to agrowing need for robust and secure systems that can ensure the privacy and security of sensitive information. Unfortunately, the functions and APIs used by these applications are often complex and prone to exploitation, making it difficult to detect and prevent malicious activity. To address these challenges, we propose a deep learning-based approach that detects malicious behaviors at run time.The proposed approach leverages APIs and function call at runtime to detect malicious behaviors. More specifically, we trained a deep learning model on the data extracted from 1 million web apps. The use of deep learning to monitor these functions is a novel approach that has the potential to provide real-time protection against malicious activities.Implementing the proposed solution involves writing a JavaScript script that modifies the monitored functions. The script assigns each function to a new custom function that logs its usage and calls the original function. The custom functions use the apply method to preserve the context of the original function. The information collected from logging the functions is then used to train the machine learning model. The expected outcome of this thesis is to deliver a functional implementation of the proposed framework that can effectively detect malicious activities, while also generating useful usage insights for JavaScript APIs.

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  Eating Disorders in Schools: Risk Factors, Performance and Teacher Influence

  Ava Franke

  Disordered eating and the impacts of these behaviors are experienced in every environment for adolescents. School environments and teachers are two factors in how students experience disordered eating, body-based mistreatment, and support. Strong student-teacher relationships are associated with better adolescent mental health and academic performance. This project looks at how teachers prevent weight based victimization, identify unhealthy eating behaviors, and make their classroom feel safe and inclusive to students.

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  ECE 420 Internet of Things Final Project

  Alejandro Ruiz, Abdulkareem A A A F M Alfaraj, Andrew Boerger, Luke Hobbs, Ignacio Abrams-Santiago, Peter Baggio, Maximillian Toscani

  This project is about internet of things, which is mainly about programming a circuit and presenting it of how it will work. Mainly, the presentation will include the codes that have been used and how it is functioning with my project.

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  ECO 435: Cooperative Games

  Richious Carton, Matthew Griffin, Hannah Hudepohl, Vincent Catanese, Donnell Keyes, Daniel Yousif, Noah Burneka, Madeline McEldowney, Jacob Lann, Kristen Knight, Sawyer Rothermel, John Lally, Kiernan Zawaski, Cameron Beachler, John Deeley, Austin Baker, Kyle Hauptner, Mary Cabaluna, Chloe Klawon, Erik Mattias Eliasson, Brandon Cheng

  The underlying theme--from class--is that humans have thrived (thus far) because we have learned to cooperate to complete. In the most important 'public game' of all-preventing the worst trajectories of climate change--it is incumbent upon us to cooperate. In these workshops, students--previously 'unaligned'--will work together to stave off disaster (inundation of island due to rising sea levels, increasing desertification, a pandemic). The key is that the games are cooperative, requiring the group to collaborate, and they are not zero sum (with winners and losers). Instead the games are 'positive sum' or 'negative sum': either everybody wins or everybody loses.

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  Effect of Arch Height on Dynamic Balance and Neuromuscular Control in Young Adults

  Kaela Offstein

  The foot, functioning as a lever to support our body weight during movement, can present with structural differences like a smaller arch height resulting in pes planus or flat feet, or a higher arch height which is called pes cavus. Commonly, arch height develops with age, as infants are born with flat feet and, as they grow, their arches develop until the ages of 10-13 years. Dysfunction in the foot from abnormal arches has been shown to impact foot function and ankle stabilization, which can influence sports performance and injury risk. Dynamic balance is an important aspect of many different types of sports, and can be an indicator of good performance. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of different arch heights on dynamic balance and muscle activation, so that informed interventions can be implemented to improve performance. This study looked at 15 healthy young adults between the ages 23-25 years. We evaluated arch height index (AHI) by scanning the volume of their foot in a single leg stance of their dominant leg. Participants then performed three trials of the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) to evaluate dynamic balance. A motion capture system was used to obtain reach distance, center of pressure sway on a force plate and muscle activation of muscles of the thigh and shank. This study aims to conclude how dynamic balance is impacted by arch height looking at correlations between arch height and each of the variables. Our results will demonstrate how different muscles might activate across different arch heights. Practitioners might then implement exercises to target specific muscles that are under or over utilized.

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  Effect of Race and Eyewitness Testimonies on Attorney Plea Bargaining Recommendations

  John McCabe, Emily Cowen

  Previous research has analyzed the effect that race has on plea bargaining decisions. Studies have shown discrepancies in plea recommendations between white and black defenders. There is a gap in the literature regarding the overlap of race, plea recommendations, and attorney experience. The current study analyzes differences between prosecutors and defense attorneys when recommending plea bargains involving cross race and same race eyewitness testimonies using data collected by Kathy Pezdek. The variables evaluated are race, plea recommendations, and attorney factors such as years of experience and type of attorney.

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  Effects of Atmospheric Turbulence on OAM Beams and Potential Applications in Free-Space Optical Communication

  Hao Lun Wu

  Free-space optical (FSO) communication, which makes use of a modulated laser beam to achieve data transmission, has gained lots of interest for a long time due to its ability to have secure transmission and potential high data rates. Interest has increased in using beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) for FSO communication, due to their (theoretically) infinite amount of orthogonal modes and potential high resistance to atmospheric turbulence. In this experimental study, Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beams are used as OAM beams and different orders are generated using a spatial light modulator (SLM). A wave optics simulation method is used to generate phase screens containing simulated atmospheric turbulence, which in turn are used on two SLMs to generate atmospheric turbulence in our experimental setup. In this study, different orders of OAM beams are propagated through atmospheric turbulence, ranging in strength from weak to strong. The distorted beam is recorded using a CCD camera and the images are processed to determine their spot size, divergence, intensity and on-axis scintillation. The effect of the strength of atmospheric turbulence on different orders of LG beam is analyzed using these beam parameters.

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  Effects of Both Anthropogenic and Environmental Stressors on the Life History Traits of Daphnia

  Emily Berkshire, Lauren Myers

  Climate change due to anthropogenic activity is forcing organisms to adapt to shifting environments at a rate faster than they may have ever before. An important factor to this rapid response to environmental change is phenotypic plasticity. Apart from holding a crucial trophic role in the freshwater ecosystems they inhabit, Daphnia magna species exhibit this adaptive phenotypic plasticity in response to environmental variation. In this investigation we aim to replicate a real-world, multi-stress environment for Daphnia magna individuals through exposure to increased temperatures and Stickleback fish predator cues. To examine Daphnia magna phenotypic response to these stressors, individuals were placed into four different treatment groups from birth to death: normal temperature + no predator cues (control), normal temperature + predator cues, increased temperature + no predator cues, and increased temperature + predator cues. Daphnia size was measured at 7 days old and total lifespan reproductive output was collected as well. At the conclusion of this experiment, data on plasticity among Daphnia magna life history and morphology in response to environmental stressors will be available. The goal is to provide insight on how this species is able to adapt and survive in a stressful environment, with one of the stressors being anthropogenic.

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  Effects of Chronic Pharmacological Modulation of SERCA in Learning and Memory Processes in Mice

  Ben Klocke, Carter Moore

  Calcium ions (Ca2+) in the brain play a vital role in prominent neurobiological functions, including neural communication, growth, long-term potentiation, and cell death. As a result, the regulation of Ca2+ levels in neurons is carefully managed, and Ca2+ dysregulation has been linked to various neuropsychiatric disorders including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Schizophrenia. Herein, we sought to investigate how chronic pharmacological activation of an integral endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-handling effector may affect learning and memory in the Morris Water Maze test in C57BL/6J mice of both sexes. In the context of the current honors thesis, we have gained insights into the relationship between intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis and learning and memory processes. Our efforts are currently targeted towards extending our findings in additional animal models of learning and memory.

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  Effects of Paternal Heat Exposure and Parental Care on the Development of Offspring in Gasterosteus aculeatus

  Emma Borgert

  Humans are profoundly altering the abundance and distribution of organisms via climate change. In particular, warming temperatures are affecting marine and freshwater ecosystems by increasing physiological stress, limiting growth, and decreasing dissolved oxygen. With all this change occurring, an understanding of how organisms are going to cope is crucial. Transgenerational plasticity – when parental experiences alter offspring traits - can allow organisms to rapidly adapt to environmental change. Previous literature has focused on the role of maternal experiences on offspring traits, but paternal experiences are just as important. Fathers can influence their offspring in multiple ways, including changes via both sperm and paternal care behaviors. Three-spined sticklebacks, Gasterosteus aculeatus, are a small fish found in freshwater and marine ecosystems with paternal-only care. Many populations are facing the threats of drought and wildfire, making it important to understand how they will adapt to climate change. To understand how paternal heat exposure alters offspring development, I exposed parents to cool (~17°C) or warm (~20°C) water temperature and then manipulated whether fathers provided paternal care or offspring were artificially aerated; this generated offspring that received cues of heat exposure from gametes alone versus from gametes and paternal care. I found that males exposed to warmer temperatures were less colorful but provided the same amount of care overall to their offspring. Offspring of cool-temperature males were shorter than offspring of warm-temperature parents, but only when males provided paternal care. Offspring survival was not affected by parental heat exposure but was lower when offspring themselves were exposed to warm temperatures. Overall, these results suggest that heat exposure alters both paternal and offspring traits, and that the effects on offspring depend on the mechanism of paternal effects (care versus sperm).

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  Effects of propionate on macrophage migration with and without infection

  Cian Callahan

  Macrophages are leukocytes that play an important role in the antibacterial responses by our body’s immune system. The activities and functions of macrophages are influenced by a variety of substances, such as short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) found in the gut. Currently, we know that SCFAs, such as propionate, induce directional recruitment of leukocytes. For intracellular bacterial pathogens, the movement of infected macrophages can contribute to the systemic dissemination of the pathogens. However, little is known whether SCFAs like propionate can modulate the movement of infected macrophages. To fill this knowledge gap, Listeria monocytogenes, a human pathogen capable of causing infections with high mortality rates, is used as the model intracellular pathogen. It is not clear how propionate modulates activities of macrophages infected with Listeria monocytogenes. The first objective of my honors thesis is to develop a transwell protocol to assess macrophage migration, including the identification of optimal staining procedures, macrophage numbers, and transwell pore sizes. The second objective of my honors thesis is to investigate how propionate changes the migration of infected macrophages. Findings from this study can help us better understand regulatory signals for macrophage functions and reveal potential immunotherapeutic treatments against intracellular infections.

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  Effects of the Invasive Shrub Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) on soil properties

  Coleman Cryderman, Alexander Owens, Jacquelyn Amaya

  Lonicera maackii (Amur honeysuckle) is one invasive species of shrub that grows rampantly in many temperate forests across the United States. The Environmental Research Area, located on the University of Dayton campus, is one such location where the amur honeysuckle thrives. These plants are known to decrease biodiversity and cause harm to the ecosystems they inhabit by outcompeting native plant species, due to their ability to receive more sunlight and secrete an allelochemical from their leaves. Lack of biodiversity is not only bad for forest ecosystems but also can lead to soil degradation. The introduction of invasive species in general can have an impact on soil ecosystem. As such, soil quality may be different across areas of forest where there is a high density of the invasive amur honeysuckle as opposed to areas where there is not. Our research will assess soil quality in areas of forest with different densities of amur honeysuckle at the University of Dayton ERA. We hypothesize that at high densities the amur honeysuckle will decrease soil quality and increase the pH of the soil where it is found. In order to test this hypothesis, five sites were selected based on their varying densities of amur honeysuckle, which spanned from high to low density. Three soil samples were taken at each of these sites using a soil corer and placed into separate bags. Each site was measured to be an area of 4 meters and the exact density of each site was determined. We analyzed soil pH, moisture, bulk density, percent roots, and conductivity. We expect to see a trend of significant changes in the pH and quality of the soil as the density of amur honeysuckle increases across sites.

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  Efficient Smart Street Light

  Akhil Sai Gudala

  A significant quantity of electricity is wasted by the traditional street light system which is a potential electricity consumer. The amount of electricity consumed remains constant and unaffected by the volume of traffic. This project is to save electrical energy by detecting the vehicle movement and by increasing the intensity of the streetlights ahead of it and simultaneously decreasing the intensity of the lights. A smart street light system using photoresistor and Arduino can be designed to optimize energy consumption by adjusting the brightness of the streetlights according to the ambient lighting conditions. The system consists of a photoresistor that detects the ambient lighting conditions and an Arduino board that controls the intensity of the streetlights. The system works by measuring the resistance of the photoresistor, which changes according to the amount of ambient light. The Arduino board receives this data and adjusts the brightness of the streetlights accordingly. For example, during the day when there is ample sunlight, the streetlights can be dimmed or turned off, saving energy. At night or during cloudy days, the streetlights can be adjusted accordingly.

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  Embedding Electronics into Composites Using Technical Embroidery

  Sydney Ramsey

  Embedding electronics within composites can lead to multifunctional and light weight components. This project discusses technical embroidery using ZSK machinery to incorporate electronics in composite materials, such as an RFID antenna. It outlines previous research and projects, steps to stitch and embed an antenna, results, and proposes next steps.

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  Emotions within Art

  Courtney Ayres-McClinton

  As an artist, I am someone who works off of my emotions. If I am upset, my sadness is put into the artwork. If I am angry, my strokes become harder. If I am happy, there is a sense of balance. I work off of the way I am feeling because it puts a piece of who I am at the time into my work. My art becomes a timeline of my emotions and

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  Empirical Research Presentations in Economics

  Daniel Montgomery, Jhonson Francis, Nathaniel Espelin, Gabrielle Rullo, Robert Filshie, Dale Hirschfield, John Dorn, Dane Kalman, Dennis Hogan, Michael Neel, Andrew Kozak, Anna Luepke, Ryan Flannery, Michael Denning, Catherine Hegg, Anna Unger, Justin Rose, Margaret Ruhlmann, David Bolan, John Milling, Griffin Laake, George Fanelli, Brendan Miller, Marcus Dunlap, William Avery, Luke Brower, Ryan Maloney, George DeBates, Nicholas Smrt, Brandon Cheng

  Four years of coursework culminate in a written and oral presentation of an empirical research project during the senior capstone course. Students apply economic theory and econometric techniques to analyze data in order to answer an original research question.

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  Empowering or Oppressive? The Impact of Religious Gender Roles on Worldview

  Jamie Burenga, Hannah Schultz, Brianna Comstock, Samantha Thomas

  This project is a literature review focusing on women's roles in religious groups and how traditional gender roles impact how the world views women and how women view themselves. We found that gender roles in religious groups, modesty culture, religious leadership, and stereotypes often negatively impact women’s body image, mental health, and the gender power balance. Additionally, religious teachings of female submission have been linked to domestic violence ideology.

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  Establishing Drosophila Intestinal Tumor Models to Study Signaling interactions that regulate tumor growth

  Ayesha Sheikh, Michael Gruhot, Anthony Latronica, Sydney Anderson, Arushi Rai; other authors: Amit Singh, Madhuri Kango-Singh

  In 2023, the American Cancer Society estimated 106,970 new cases of colon cancer and about 50000 new cases of rectal cancer in the USA. Colorectal Cancer (CRC) is the second most lethal cancer. Studies in patients revealed the genetic lesions associated with CRC. These include activation of oncogenic Ras, loss of function of APC, and dominant negative p53 mutations. Genetic mutations in these three genes- RAS, APC and p53 have a high incidence rate in human CRC. We have developed a Drosophila melanogaster CRC model by integrating all three mutations in a single fly line. To understand the expression of each mutated gene on tumorigenesis, ‘one-’, ‘two-’, and ‘three-hit’ models were also made. Using these models we plan to establish how combinations of genetic alterations promote intestinal tumor growth. We will investigate the interactions between the molecular pathways involved by assessing the effects on the expression of pathway-specific target genes in the tumors and characterizing tumor progression in our CRC models.To generate CRC tumors in the Drosophila intestine, we misexpressed the genes under study using Esc-GAL4, which will drive the expression of tumor-promoting genes specifically in intestinal stem cells. We quantified the survival rates of mutant and control flies to determine the impact of these genetic alterations on survival. Second, by dissecting the gut of third-instar larvae we assessed the phenotypes of intestinal tumors. We have preliminary data from our immunohistochemistry studies that will be compared between all CRC models. Here, we present our progress on the development and assessment of CRC models using the power of Drosophila.

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  Evaluating Premenstrual Hedonic Eating Patterns in College-Aged Females

  Nicole Palmieri

  Women in college are more susceptible to weight gain, due to a myriad of factors. Specifically women in college, who experience a menstrual cycle, encounter hedonic eating patterns, or an urge for hyperpalatable foods. Hormones associated with the menstrual cycle, in the digestive system, and neurohormones are known to influence food-seeking behaviors. Both homeostatic mechanisms and the endocannabinoid system have a role in hunger and satiety. There is a known correlation between the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle with hedonic eating patterns. However, there is a lack of nutrition education interventions that seek to strategize ways to mitigate these cravings. Mindfulness is a known strategy to help cope with hedonic eating behaviors, but the association and application to a woman’s menstrual cycle is not well researched. This study seeks to affirm the correlation between women in the luteal phase of their menstrual cycle with higher frequency and intensity of food cravings, as well as the presence, or lack thereof, with mindful eating skills. This is a part of a larger study to be completed next year, which will take this study’s protocol and results to make necessary adjustments. This will then be followed with an educational intervention of mindfulness to help mitigate hedonic eating behavior, with the same structured post-survey to assess improvements in mindfulness surrounding the eating experience throughout one’s menstrual cycle.

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  Evaluation of Potential Risk Factors for Osgood-Schlatter’s Disease

  Gabriel Janus

  Osgood Schlatter’s Disease (OSD) is a condition of inflammation of the patellar tendon and tibial tuberosity that can lead to pain and discomfort. It is most common in adolescents aged 8-15 years who are physically active or participate in sports. Adolescents participating in sports and going through puberty struggle to handle the load put on their lower body. The few studies that have determined OSD risk factors have performed retrospective studies that consist of subjects who have already been diagnosed with OSD. Some of the commonly accepted risk factors are overuse, performing movements such as jumping or cutting, and an improper balance of strength and flexibility of the hamstring and quadriceps muscles. The quadriceps and hamstring muscles work in tandem to flex and extend the knee, which places stress on the patellar tendon. This study aims to evaluate the stress that certain soccer related movements place on the patellar tendon of children between ages 7 and 12 years old and if flexibility and muscle strength impacts that stress. Investigating how patellar tendon load is affected by certain soccer related movements and the flexibility and strength of the quadriceps and hamstrings will help to determine risk factors. Determining certain risk factors will inform pre-adolescents and adolescents of specific physical activity related precautions.

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  Everything but the Kitchen Sink / Junk Drawer / Divergence / Connected Divergence

  Timmy Reilly, Lauren Borek, Allison Amos, Kendal Weber, Megan Weeda, Claire Murphy

  Fine Art students Senior Thesis Presentation.