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Our next winter deadline is December 15, 2023 11:59pm PT. Apply today to lock in your spot!

10-session deep dive into a research topic of your choice

6-week research project with an expert and peers who share your passion

A career discovery experience with 3 expert mentors in your chosen fields

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I plan to create a survey to collect data from a population of my peers. This survey will measure Meyers-Briggs personality type along with data from the completion of two attention focused tasks after. I will then use this data to run correlations between the four different factors of personality type as well as their severity. I aim to zone in on how the differences in personality may cause one type to be more or less efficient at either type of task. For example if a person who is introverted rather than extroverted might display a greater level of focus on the attention task. This information can then be used to uncover more findings on the topic of emotion-cognition.

Anything involving the mind, brain, and behavior

How do emotions and personality type affect performance on an attention task?

With the rise of research studying the unconscious mind, it is imperative to apply computational models to this complex system. Both the conscious and unconscious mind are at play in decision making, while the unconscious mind remains less clearly understood. This study plans to use open-sourced data to explore the effects of unconscious decision-making through a regression model. We hypothesize that, given time to unconsciously process information, individuals will be largely more effective at decision-making. This paper will be important in adding to the literature and studies behind both conscious and unconscious thought.

Parenting, MRI analysis, fNIRS, substance use, mental health, emotion, statistics

The effects of unconscious thought on effective decision-making.

Giant reed (*Arundo donax*) is an invasive perennial grass that spreads through California riparian habitats. It disperses through vegetative propagation and has replaced native plant communities, including at sites along San Ramon Creek in Contra Costa County. Current *Arundo* removal methods include cutting stalks and subsequently spraying with a glyphosate herbicide. I investigated the extent to which presence and removal of *Arundo* impacted native plant species richness in the San Ramon Creek region, as well as the extent of *Arundo* regrowth following removal. I found that species diversity increases significantly following removal, indicating that non-*Arundo* species can flourish once the invasive reed is cleared. However, *Arundo* stalks rapidly regrow into healthy plants if not regularly sprayed. Several recorded non-*Arundo* species, such as *Vinca* and *Hedera*, were non-native to San Ramon Creek as well. Regulation of cleared areas, including deliberate replanting of native species, may be required to prevent other invasive species from taking over the creek ecosystem using the increase in available resources following *Arundo* removal. Further research could investigate alternate removal methods in areas where dedicated long-term cutting and spraying efforts are not feasible, as well as the change in species diversity in areas where native species were replanted after *Arundo* clearing.

Biogeochemistry, geology, environmental science, microbiology, marine biology, ecology, plant ecology, ecosystems ecology

How does the presence and removal of invasive Arundo donax impact the coverage of native creeping wild rye and valley sedge in Walnut Creek?

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia. However, the presence of AD in the brain does not necessarily mean that someone will develop dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT), which is characterized by amnestic memory impairment. Sometimes, patients with AD develop progressive language impairment, which is known as primary progressive aphasia (PPA). One relatively newer area of research is “SuperAgers,” who are individuals ≥80 years of age who have memory performance of those in their 50s and 60s, even if AD is present in their brains.

How can AD in the brain manifest as such distinct clinical presentations, including DAT, PPA, and SuperAging? The exact mechanisms are unknown; however, prior research has uncovered potential contributory factors as they relate to neuroanatomical (e.g., atrophy of language regions), pathological (e.g., neurofibrillary tangles in the left hemisphere), and lifestyle differences (e.g., socialization). This project will briefly synthesize the literature as it relates to AD, associated clinical presentations, and contributory factors. 

Neuropsychology, aging, dementia, neurodegeneration, neuroanatomy, transgenic animal models, histopathology, applying to graduate school

Factors Associated with Atypical Presentations of Alzheimer’s Disease

Nikhil will be conducting a literature review to explore the relationship between nursing staff, financial outcomes, and patient safety metrics. The COVID-19 pandemic has put tremendous stress on hospitals, both financially and from a staffing perspective. One consequence of the pandemic has been increased attention on the function of nursing staff in the hospital setting. Some centers have decided to reduce nursing staffs. Nikhil will analyze how these reduced staffing numbers impact hospital financial bottom lines and patient safety. 

Increasing Value in Healthcare, Health Innovation, Public Speaking, Medicine, Health Disparities, Molecular Biology

Exploring the relationship between nursing staff, financial outcomes, and patient safety in academic in-patient medical centers

For this research I have decided to investigate reproductive and sexual health within education. Throughout my preliminary research I have narrowed down my findings and research gap into one question–‘How can schools within the metro Vancouver area improve reproductive and sexual health education for adolescent girls within my mandatory curriculum? This is because upon investigating more into this topic a common theme I would see in the data would be the term “adolescent”, and generalized both genders and didn’t specify into girls. I think that this is an important topic to discuss due to the fact that education about reproductive and sexual health in high-schools are minimal. Girls in high-school go through different processes both mentally and physically as they grow, but generalizing their health as “adolescents” in statistics is not accurate and too general. For this research I plan to conduct surveys and interviews to gather all of the necessary data. The surveys will be digitally distributed among girls in high-schools across the metro-Vancouver area. The questions will be multiple choice questions and will include personal questions about what they know about this topic. For example a question could look like “Are you being taught the fundamentals of sexual and reproductive health within your school?”, for which the responses could range from a scale 1-10 or yes, no and maybe. This data will then be processed and coded to be numerically translated to answer our research questions. For the interview part of this research my goal is to contact the high-schools as well as relevant medical professionals in the metro Vancouver area. For the high-schools I will contact principals, organizations/groups as well as any sexual health representatives in the schools and ask a series of questions regarding their stance as a school surrounding this topic and how it can possibly improve. The medical professionals can be pediatricians and OBGYNs who work within the metro Vancouver area. These experts will be asked what schools should be doing to educate adolescent girls in high-school, and provide some useful methods or ways to better implement this within schools.

Biology, Spanish Cultural Studies, Global Health, Health Policy, Public Health, Sociology, Reproductive Rights, History

How can schools within the metro vancouver area improve reprocutive and sexual health education  for adolesent girls within the mandatory curriculum?

This research paper explores autistic spectrum disorder and neurotypical behaviors. The paper discusses symptoms of autism and different levels of this condition before going on to report this in terms of stress for people with autistic spectrum disorder. After having laid out how stress presents itself in people with ASD, there is research and studies discussing stress in neurotypical people. These two types of stress are compared in terms of the emotional and physical symptoms. Lastly, the article discusses a survey specifically designed for the paper and its results, coming to conclusions about stress for autistic people during the pandemic ultimately being worsened.

psychology, neuroscience

Comparing Stress in Neurotypical People and People with ASD in Terms of the Pandemic

Depression is a mental illness with the highest prevalence worldwide, and a large percentage of individuals will have depression symptoms at some point in their lives. This paper will examine genetic and environmental contributors to depression and consider how this information can be used to develop more effective treatments. In particular, genetic contributions will be informed by genome-wide association studies that identify gene variants likely to be involved in depression, as well as several pathways by which depression can modulate brain morphology. The paper will also consider the interplay between genetics and environmental stimuli like trauma or social stress, and discuss how genetic variation may contribute to the propensity of an individual to develop depression. Finally, the paper will consider how antidepressant medications can be prescribed on the basis of genetic/environmental information in order to yield an individualized and more effective treatment strategy.

Biology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Bioethics

What are the genetic and environmental contributors to depression, and how can these influence treatment options?

Ayaan is a talented, aspiring poet with tremendous potential. Over the course of his mentorship, Ayaan will read widely in the English literary tradition, using the study of accomplished poetry and poetics as a basis for his own creative pursuits. Ayaan's original poems will be gathered together in a manuscript of his own design.

Literature and Literary Theory, Philosophy, Creative Writing, Race and Ethnicity, Cultural Studies

The Craft of Poetry

In this paper, I will study Latin America as a region to understand its capacity to become a global leader. The research will analyze the current economic, political, and cultural data to explore the current positions of Latin America. As we head into a globalized world, it is now evermore pressing to understand the role of developing economics in Latin American on the world stage. In the past, Latin America has been characterized by its political and economical oppression, but that is not the same case today. The socialist political backdrop that was once prevalent across numerous countries, is undergoing a rapid shift towards globalization. Noteworthy shifts in political power dynamics and an upsurge in human rights advocacy are triggering profound political and cultural changes, paving the path for future economic prosperity. This juncture marks Latin America’s redemption and resurgence, posting the region as a pivotal global participant. It is important to understand these economies in order to know if foreign investments into Latin America will do well under the new political changes and global integration. I will use reliable, peer reviewed sources in order to analyze my hypothesis that Latin America will become a global leader. Using the methodology of a Literature review, I will reference and use ten or more scholarly research resources to provide a well rounded and informed analysis of this region's potential.

Mathematics, Social Sciences, Public Policy, Human Rights, International Relations

Unleasing Latin America's potential to be a global leader.

Machine Learning, Data Science, Aerospace Engineering

Whether by simply choosing to take that morning walk or finally investing in the gym membership you've been debating, you've most likely made an effort to "get active" at some point in your life. While the average person understands that increasing their physical activity by any means is “good for their body,” this notion fails to highlight the specific benefits that occur when an individual enhances their personal fitness habits.

The development of these habits and an understanding of their biological benefits provides everlasting advantages for one’s well-being. These habits thrive when created as early as possible, so early intervention for children and adolescents is crucial.

By creating a storybook that combined anatomically accurate illustrations with engaging sports-related movements, my mentor and I strived to provide an accessible and developmentally appropriate educational tool to encourage youth participation in physical activity. Forming healthy habits at a young age will prepare the upcoming generations for the ultimate responsibility of their lifetime: the future.

psychology (developmental, gender and sexuality, applied psychology), cognitive science, LGBTQ, activism, education and schools, mental health

How does increased physical activity, as well as a biologically accurate understanding of one's anatomy, affect the mental and physical wellbeing of children and adolescents?

A literature review drawing on behavioral economics and neuroscience (neuroeconomics) research. Saesha will submit in more detail. 

Behavioral Economics, Marketing, Decision Sciences, Behavioral Sciences, Judgment and Decision Making, Environmental Sustainability, Sustainable Consumption, Consumer Behavior, Prosocial Behavior

Investigate the impact of auditory and visual elements in marketing materials on consumer perceptions, with a focus on revealing the neural mechanisms involved, utilizing insights from neuro imaging studies.

Explore in more depth one of the settings discussed and write a short story in that place and time period using literary devices we have discussed over the course of the sessions. You may also rewrite a short story we have discussed or add an alternate ending or section. (4-6 pages double-spaced)

English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French Literature, Language, and Culture; Literary Analysis; Reading; Cultural Studies

Creative Writing Project Inspired by World Literatures

A presentation for the upcoming symposium, based on Skye's interest in the English language, and how it affects its speakers. This presentation will discuss the nuanced history of grammar, and how it intersects with both race and class privilege.

History, Art history, Architecture, Photography, Environmental Studies, Critical Studies in Race and Ethnicity

Grammer is [REDACTED] and Here's Why

In recent years, the applications of machine learning have been expanding throughout a variety of fields to help humans perform different tasks with greater precision. Specifically, in football, it gradually became incorporated through systems such as goal line technology, which detects whether or not the ball has crossed into the goal, and Video Assistant Refereeing, which intends to help the main referee with making tough decisions on penalty calls, offsides, and more during matches. Without such technologies, the game would be highly prone to human errors and may prove to be either unfair when bad calls are made, or inefficient and slow when refs take extended periods of time to make a decision. By researching different possible machine learning models that can process datasets of videos and/or numbers from football matches, we can find new ways to track the ball and players in moving images more accurately and efficiently. This could potentially assist in making offside calls (when an attacking player is behind the penultimate defender) by tracking the live positions of the players in question, as well as detecting when a goal is scored by tracking the live position of the ball in relation to the goal frames. Using machine learning alongside the human referees would prevent more controversial calls to be made during important matches that have negatively impacted many teams in the past. I plan on beginning my research through existing image datasets and video footage from previous football matches which I can analyze using neural networks to process the images and detect where important objects are. YOLO is a commonly used live object detection algorithm that is a good place to start experimenting, but by diving deeper into different algorithms, we can compare and contrast all the possibilities and perhaps find one that is the most efficient and accurate.

machine learning, artificial intelligence, microcontrollers, engineering, electric vehicles, electric energy systems

How can machine learning networks be improved for object tracking in football to help referees make calls more efficiently during matches?

How do large language models depict individuals based on membership in different protected groups (race, gender identities, etc.)? This project will apply a newly proposed framework called "Marked Personas" to examine the associations that large language models form. In addition to  applying the framework to different scenarios and examining the results, the project will explore a new direction of investigating whether large language models can understand the harmful content of their associations.

AI ethics; data ethics; critical data studies; critical algorithm studies; algorithmic fairness; decision theory; philosophy of probability; formal philosophy; social implications of technology; STS (science, technology and society); data journalism

Marked Personas in Large Language Models

Natural disasters have seen an uptick in recent years, most recently major earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Real-time data is crucial to first responders, a key part of which is monitoring building damage. This research aims to reduce model complexity of current existing research to achieve faster detection of damaged buildings. Data is sourced from the xView Challenge containing satellite images, with the intention of detecting all buildings in various states of damage. Model complexity is a key concern due to the standard approach of semantic segmentation labeling each pixel; this research proposed to simplify outputs into bounding boxes along with classes. This becomes especially relevant on satellite images, which tend to have extremely high resolution. Major contributions included loading and preprocessing data, transforming dataset-provided polygons into bounding boxes, and architecture design, in addition to training and testing pipelines. Resultant model accuracy achieved 62.6%.  In conclusion, the bounding box plus semantic segmentation approach has potential to become accurate and effective if improvements are made. Future work should focus on improving this model, such as having variable output length (including polygonal shapes and polygon count) and utilizing pre-existing models like YOLO and SSD.

Data Science, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Computer Vision, Reinforcement learning

Optimizing Disaster Impact Detection Pipelines

This paper reviews Retinal Progenitor Cell (RPC) development and fate, development of Retinal Ganglion Cells (RGCs) and different parts of RGCs (axon, dendrite, and synapses), and the interactions between RGCs and other cells in the different neural circuits of the brain. In the field of RPC development, the Ciliary Marginal Zone of the retina is an RPC niche, and RPC differentiation is driven probabilistically rather than deterministically. The intrinsic and extrinsic factors that control this probability include notch signaling pathways, Fibroblast Growth Factors (FGF), Hedgehog morphogens, Igf signaling, transcription factors, and microRNA. They affect mechanisms such as the proliferation of RPCs, and more. In the field of RGC development, many features of dendrite development and remodeling have been discovered, including transcription factors controlling dendrite guidance and how action potentials are unnecessary for proper development. The growth of the axon initial segment stems from the cisternal organelle and light input during development, and the myelin sheath is a very plastic region during development that changes in length and features depending on location and other factors. RGCs form synapses with amacrine and bipolar cells in the IPL. These synapses, and gap junctions, develop and affect the receptive fields of RGCs. RGCs also interact with glial cells, amacrine cells, and bipolar cells, which play regulatory roles for RGCs. The regions of the brain that RGCs project to and affect include the circadian system, defense response system, and memory circuits. RGCs play a large role in the proper function of each of these systems.

Neuroscience, Genetics, Biology, Probability, Statistics

Retinal Ganglion Cell Development and Its Effects on Neural Systems

With the growing opportunities of being openly a part of the LGBTQ+ community worldwide and social media being an available tool to spread and educate about the community, teenagers globally have expressed themselves in various ways. Many younger kids can find a label to put on their gender, sexuality, or both with enhanced education in multiple settings. Whether online or at schools that have recently begun hosting clubs or classes to educate on LGBTQ+ history, open education helps us all normalize the importance of inclusivity and acceptance. However, some teens are not as lucky and experience discrimination no matter whether they go. Various countries worldwide have different standards and expectations of their young adults limiting access to certain expressions or education. My study aims to compare and bring awareness to the stark contrast between other communities and their effect on the Queer youth of the world. Through interviewing students in the United States and Poland, expressing personal stories, and capturing the youth in photography I hope to achieve my goal.

Gender and sexuality studies, feminist studies, memoir writing, gender and politics, consent, political identities, debate and discourse, political science more broadly

How do the opportunities afforded to LGBTQ+ teens in their schools affect their mental health and opportunities for their futures?

My project will be about DNA and mutations in the brain. I think I’ll be researching how mutations tend to occur in the cell process, the effects of it in DNA, and how mutations can alter different functions in the brain. I’ll also be researching various genetic brain disorders that people can have due to a mutation.
How do mutations occur?
What’s the process of a mutation affecting a body?
What brain disorders happen because of mutations?
What is being done to help with these brain disorders/diseases?

Genetics

How do mutations affect the brain?

Did you know that Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) are highly comorbid? Among those who meet the criteria for BPD, approximately 50% also meet the diagnostic criteria for an AUD (Trull, 2018). In a clinical sample of individuals with a current diagnosis of AUD, approximately 12 to 17% also met the diagnostic criteria for BPD (Helle, 2019). This manuscript provides a review of the literature on BPD and AUD comorbidity. First, we examine shared risk factors including genetics, environmental factors, substance abuse, preexisting mental illness, brain regions, demographic variables, and poor life satisfaction. Second, we reviewed symptomatology, observing shared symptoms such as self-destructive, impulsive, and harm-seeking behaviors. Lastly, we scoped treatment options for individuals with BPD and AUD which primarily consisted of various psychotherapies (e.g., dialectical behavior therapies, mentality-based therapy, schema-focused therapy, STEPPS, transference-focused therapies, cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational enhancement therapy, marital/family therapy, brief interventions, and mutual help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous or SMART recovery) and pharmacotherapies (e.g., antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, disulfiram, naltrexone, and acamprosate).   

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