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The Arab Spring references the string of loosely-connected uprisings that occurred in much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. In many countries, such as Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, and Libya, hundreds of thousands of civilians participated to object to their respective governments and demand a fairer democracy. While many expressed their discontent by participating in physical protests, others turned to art and literature as an act of defiance and rebellion. From award-winning documentaries such as *The Square* to the short, handmade clips produced by Syrian video collection Abounaddara to novels that explore themes of trauma and autocratic governments, works that express such revolutionary ideology can fulfil a broad spectrum of purposes. Some serve to inform global audiences about the events of the revolution, while others bring light to and attempt to heal the trauma that protestors may experience. This phenomenon is not a new one; recent pieces of literature written during the Arab Spring echo the sentiments of novels published during previous revolutions as well. Yet, contemporary works in this genre may be more complex due to the rise of social media and increased access to film and literature production tools. It is vital to discuss  these works, their distinct exigence, and the benefits that they have on a local and global scale, to understand the key roles that art can play in a revolution today. 
Through analyzing various works that arose during and in the aftermath of the Syrian and Egyptian revolutions, I will categorize documentary films and novels based on their purposes, proposing three broad categories that revolutionary art may fall into. Throughout the paper, I draw on key secondary literature in history, sociology, literary studies, and film critique, as well as newspaper editorials and social media sites to support my argument. My analysis demonstrates the complexities of revolutionary art as well as its prevalence in the modern day. Thus, the reader is able to see how it can reflect the sentiments of a society as a revolution progresses and falters- or how it can dictate the disposition and become the epicenter of such revolutions altogether. 


Comparative literature, literary theory, modern Middle East politics, critical migration studies, prison/abolition studies

Emancipatory Politics during the Arab Spring in Connection with Literature and the Arts

Tejas is working on understanding galaxy formation and evolution; this can span into either how the first stars and galaxies formed and how they've evolved since then, or how galaxy formation differs via planetary nebulae and the classification of galaxies thereafter.

Astrophysics Theory, Astrophysics Experiment, Particle Physics Theory

Still under construction by Tejas but likely having to do with galaxy formation/planetary nebulae

Cancer is a unique but complex group of diseases that affect millions of people every year. While some cancers are more common but easily treatable, others are less common but far more detrimental. Breast cancer affects over two million women worldwide every year. The five year survival rate for localized breast cancer is around 99%, which decreases with advance stages. However, pancreatic cancer affects a little less than half a million people worldwide, but it accounts for 7% of cancer deaths and has a five year survival rate of only 11%. Despite tissue differences these cancers still have a large gap between the number of people affected by them and their mortality rates, but the contributing factors are still not understood completely. Two factors that are known to affect various cancers are gender and race, which may play a role in the differences between breast and pancreatic cancer. Here we review the impact of gender and race on the prevalance and prognosis of breast and pancreatic cancer to understand how these factors play a cancer specific role in the overall lives of patients.

biology, cancer, genetics, physiology, endocrinology

How Gender and Race Affect the Prognosis of Breast and Pancreatic Cancer Patients

Furthering the mission in developing nuclear fusion reactors, the selection of structural materials requires great attention.  And in order to create safe, cost-efficient, and reliable fusion power plants, studying material damage on the reactor is crucial. Moreover, ensuring reactor stability amidst fusion reactions heavily depends on component materials, properties of which must allow the reactor to withstand the extreme conditions. Experimenting with various materials for reactor components, this study measures displacement per atom (DPA), attempting to minimize radiation risks to the components inside the reactor. Using OpenMC, an open-source Monte Carlo tool to conduct simulations, the physics models allow us to calculate and better understand radiation limits and lifetime of the nuclear reactor. The neutronics calculations with OpenMC reveal materials’ relative strength under fusion reactions, using DPA values to rank potential choices, alongside their benefits and implications. This will help improve reactor designs and ensure human safety, furthering the critical fight against climate change through developing a clean, efficient, and safe source of energy.

Physics, Robotics, Nuclear Physics Fission/Fusion Energy, Clean Energy, Environmental Science, Nuclear Security, Global Security Questions in Artificial Intelligence/Policy, Nuclear Weapons, Fintech / Finance

ASSESSING NEUTRON DAMAGE IN FUSION REACTORS: A STUDY OF DISPLACEMENTS PER ATOM

This literature review paper seeks to examine neurotransmitters and brain regions linked with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness that impacts roughly 1 in 24 million people, or 1 in 300 (.32%) people worldwide, and impairs how people think, behave, and feel. Oftentimes, individuals with schizophrenia struggle to distinguish their own thoughts from reality - an experience known as psychosis. Hallucinations and delusions are the two most common psychotic symptoms associated with the disease. Hallucinations are forms of altered perception without a specific stimulus (for instance, hearing voices that do not exist, or seeing stimuli that aren’t present). The way these forms of perception emerge is through immense amounts of dopamine production circulating through specific areas in the brain (like the frontal lobe and the ventral tegmental area). Delusions, meanwhile, are or false beliefs that lack basis in reality or facts. Understanding how certain pathways and chemicals in the brain are associated with psychosis in schizophrenia, can help shed light on how individuals are impacted by this disease and potential avenues for treatment.

Clinical Psychology (Mental Health), Developmental Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Social Psychology, Education (K-12), Neuroscience

A Shift In Reality: Schizophrenia and Visual Processing

The increasingly prevalent metabolic disorders of our society have more impacts than meet the eye. In this study, I endeavor to prove a causal link not only between these metabolic disorders (which primarily include diabetes type 1 and 2) and polycystic ovarian syndrome, also known as PCOS, itself a highly prevalent reproductive disorder and one of the leading causes of infertility in the US. The scientific community is still relatively divided over the causes and risk factors for PCOS, as well as the strength of correlation/causation between PCOS and metabolic disorders; however, numerous studies conclude that insulin resistance, among other factors including genetic predispositions, is a risk factor for both PCOS and metabolic disorders. Due to the effects of insulin resistance on hormonal functionality, as well as the epidemic of the metabolic syndrome taking place in the U.S. and other countries, it is essential to further investigate and evaluate the relationship between PCOS and metabolic disorders--a relationship that goes both ways in terms of risk factors--as well as encourage the exploration of new and innovative solutions for both metabolic disorders and reproductive disorders. 

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

What is the relationship between metabolic syndromes and PCOS?

Ben will be writing a research paper in his interest areas of philosophy and history.  He hopes to be able to share it with family and friends and show it to colleges in his applications.  The paper will focus on the modern political trend away from reasonable political disagreement and toward close-mindedness, vilification of opponents, and the unwillingness of partisans to reason and discuss ideas with each other.  He will draw on a range of historical, philosophical, and psychological sources, plus his own personal insights and experiences, to explain both (1) the source of this problem the model of modern news media to human nature itself, and (2) the possible solutions, from rethinking how we get our news to drawing on the historical stories of how humans have overcome similar problems before.  We anticipate his paper will be 10 to 15 pages, and we will do our best to get it published after he's finished it.

Law; Political Philosophy; Ancient Philosophy

Ben's Project

Metal Organic Frameworks are porous substances that can be used to capture and store different gases. As Climate Change is posing a greater threat to the environment, it is imperative that efficient CO2-Capturing MOFs should be created and deployed. Machine Learning can be used to predict the efficiency of CO2-Capturing MOFs while considering multiple variables. In this report, properties that make CO2-Capturing MOFs efficient will be found through the utilization of Machine Learning techniques. This will allow scientists to be able to save resources and create CO2 Capturing MOFs with high efficiencies.

Case reports in medicine, computational protein design, cryo-EM image analysis, computational genomics, telemedicine, AI in medicine, biochemistry, web development, data journalism

Predicting the Efficiency of CO2 capture of Metal Organic Frameworks through Analysis of Structural and Electronic Properties and Utilization of Machine Learning

The availability and widespread distribution of healthcare in third-world and developing countries is scarce, and the threat of unreliable medical care is only exacerbated by issues of poverty and financial instability. Even within developed countries, the rights of healthcare are often infringed upon by the burdens of inadequate scheduling and unaffordable costs for the average citizen. Without proper screening and regular medical visits, early detection and treatment of heart disease, one of the prime methods of diminishing the risks the condition carries, the numbers of people who succumb to heart diseases are at a much higher rate than what they could be with modern technology. Recognizing the potential in providing this care for everyone, this project was created with the aim of predicting heart disease using the same indicators identified by healthcare professionals. In this way, those with a family history of heart disease, those with preexisting conditions, those who do not have proper access to medical care, and those who simply yearn to assess their health will still have the ability to do so, a short assessment that has the potential of saving their life. Ankita is working on a machine learning project with applications in the medical field, specifically heart disease detection, the top killer across the world. She is using heart health data to predict if a patient has glaucoma. She will work through a traditional machine learning pipeline consisting of collecting and cleaning the data, training and tuning a model, and testing it to measure its performance. In the end, she will create a web application that will allow users to input their data and return a positive or negative CVD diagnosis in real time.

computer science (Python, C++, Java), data science and machine learning (Scikit-Learn, numpy, Keras, Pandas, TensorFlow)

Prediction4Protection: Machine Learning Application in Early Heart Disease Prediction

My project uses an array of pressure sensors to create a depth map of organs to understand the position of tumors and to catch tumors in very early stages potentially catching any false positives and starting early treatment to potentially save the patient's life

Robotics, automation / autonomous systems, signal processing, computer vision, digital systems, computer architecture

Tumor Localization using Haptic Pressure Data

Scientists haven't built an advanced reactor in about four decades. Given the demands for sustainable energy, a focus to invest in nuclear energy and its advancements must be given. However, changes in technology should occur along with an increase of awareness in schools and communities. For this project, students will be immersed in a 5-week program to learn about the technology behind a nuclear reactor for the first two weeks, and how additive manufacturing reshapes the field, for the last two weeks. Students should receive a small companion guide with images, facts, and math-related problems. They will meet once or twice a week for discussion, lecture, and hands-on classes. The content will follow the order chronologically; Features of a Nuclear Reactor, Physics and Chemistry Behind it, Safety Concerns, 3D Printing Case Study, and Recycling Uranium . Each topic should include a math-related problem, and one hands-on project. By the end of the program, students should be able to explain the process of energy generation, depict the safety measures and form their opinion, solve specific math-related problems in the area of nuclear energy, and describe examples of how 3D printing can be used as a tool for innovation. Outside programs may include a visit to Angra Nuclear Reactor, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Mechanical Engineering, Statics, Dynamics, 3D Printing, Materials Science

Can the students, by the end of the program, form and defend their opinion on investments in nuclear energy and its safety.

Sofia has decided on making a zine on the experiences of front line workers during the pandemic. Specifically, she will use empirical interviews, illustrations, and data visualizations throughout her zine, in order to express her points to readers. This format will be specifically accessible to students Sofia’s age, who are the target group for disseminating this project. Sections will include contents, historical background and research, mini profiles based on her interviews with 5 front line workers, and steps to take action. Her hope is that this zine will allow young people to understand this issue further and take action using a deeply engaging and accessible medium. 

Psychology; Journalism; Sociology; Cultural Analysis

Sunset: Pandemic's Emotional Impact on Essential Workers

The brain is incredible and complex and the source of much scientific research around the world. In this pod, you’ll focus on how our brains allow us to take unassuming sound waves and enable us to enjoy music, learn a new language, or recognize danger. Through this fascinating process, students will learn about the research process, the brain regions, how the brain regions cooperate to interpret sensory information, and how those individual actions culminate into the actions we take every day but may take for granted.

Neuroscience, Biology, Engineering, Genetics, Data Science

Publish an article: Kickstart your career as a scholar learning the neuroscience of how your brain interprets sound

The endocrine system is key in maintaining the homeostasis of the body, and involves various feedback loops within endocrine organs. Additionally, endocrine disorders affect a significant portion of the global population and are a common reason to seek medical treatment. Among endocrine disorders, Cushing's disease is an interesting example and results in disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. In true (endogenous) Cushing's syndrome, these symptoms are due to the presence of a tumor secreting one of the hormones in the HPA axis. However, very similar findings are seen in immunosuppressed persons due to the introduction of exogenous steroids as treatment which disrupt the HPA axis in a similar manner. This blog series will provide an overview of the endocrine system, particularly the HPA axis, introduce Cushing's disease and relevant epidemiology, molecular mechanisms, and treatments, as well as draw parallels to the treatment-induced hypercortisol state seen in immunosuppressed patients. 

Corneal immunology, neuroimmune crosstalk, pain processing, biochemistry, cellular signaling

Pathophysiology of Cushing's Disease

In this project, Siri is examining copy number alterations of different cytokines in male and female glioblastoma patients. She is also studying if mRNA expression levels of those genes are different in those patients. Furthermore, Siri plans to look into whether those differences indicate distinct immune infiltration profiles in patients. Patient survival data will also be studied. Siri is expected to write a research paper based on those data. 

Genetics, development, cancer, drug development, cancer genomics

Differential expression of cytokines in male and female glioblastoma patients

Tauopathies make up a significant portion of neurodegenerative diseases, affecting tens of millions of people. Tauopathies are defined by abnormal tau protein aggregation.  Current approaches to tauopathy inhibition and therapeutic development require an in-depth understanding of post-translational modifications and propagation of pathological tau. Research thus far has produced a variety of inhibiting and mitigating compounds to alleviate tau aggregation. These compounds employ distinct mechanisms, including: kinase-, enzyme-, and secretion-inhibition, direct aggregation inhibition, and upregulation of cellular degradation systems. Overall, the current progress and ongoing research in the development of tauopathy therapeutics has potential, while also highlighting some crucial unknowns in the field that warrant further investigation.

Biology of Aging; Sex Differences; X Chromosome; Alzheimer's Disease; Sleep in Learning and Memory

A Brief Overview of Pathological Tau and Inhibitors and Modifiers of Tau Aggregation for Treatment of Tauopathies

Sudithi is working on a project understanding the effect of curcumin on zebrafish. Curcumin has been found to have anti-cancer properties, and zebrafish are an excellent model since they have a large percentage of genomic overlaps with the human genome. Her project will utilize different amounts of acetone to extract curcumin and study the effect on zebrafish tail morphology. A study has published that curcumin can lead to a hook phenotype in zebrafish tails, so she would predict that increased amounts of curcumin would lead to increased frequency of tail hook events. Her protocol is well detailed and outlined to set up zebrafish breeding and study this effect in 24-48 hour post fertilization embryos. To showcase her work, she will make a poster to present at a science fair in February. 

biology, development, organic chemistry

Understanding the effects of curcumin on zebrafish morphology

It's long been known that underwater volcanic activity leads to tsunamis that can cause major loss of life and millions of dollars of damage. The exact mechanism that causes the tsunamis is unknown due to a lack of data. Some scientists believe that the force from the volcanic eruption pushes the ocean water up, causing a tsunami. Other scientists believe that changes in atmospheric pressure cause meteotsunamis to form. This paper explores the physics behind these events.

Underwater volcanic eruptions lead to meteotsunamis forming due to a change in air pressure. This change in air pressure can occur due to pyroclastic flows from volcanoes to react with water. This reaction creates steam near the ocean floor. Steam is less dense than water and it will start to float towards the top. This creates an area of high pressure below the surface of the ocean, while the air above the ocean is at a low pressure. The difference in pressure causes the water to rise out of the water to equalize the pressure. This process occurs for several minutes and increases the height of the meteotsunami, causing more damage to the land.  
	
By figuring out the mechanics behind meteotsunamis forming from underwater volcanic activity, scientists will be able to predict the magnitude of these events. This will give people time to react to these events and will save millions of lives. 

It is still unknown whether underwater volcanic activity causes tsunamis or meteotsunamis, but there is more evidence pointing towards meteotsunamis forming due to atmospheric pressure changes.

Physics, mathematics, chemistry, visual arts, design, biomechanics

Do meteotsunamis form from underwater volcanic eruptions?

Taya plans to create a website / blog to post nuclear science experiments that she will conduct over the course of next few months. We had the following project ideas: 

1. Detecting alpha radiation using a condenser microphone 
2. Hybrid pixel detector - Radiation detection and imaging device all in a small solid state cloud chamber USB
3. Nuclear doppler broadening (BUT it requires polonium, boron powder, HPGe detector. We can use these to observe creation of carbon-13 nucleus). 
4. Gamma-ray spectroscopy. UT Arlington has a small Nuclear Engineering department. Head of the department is Rasool Kenarangui. You can try the local “American Nuclear Society” (ANS) chapter at UTA or UTD and see if they have access to a radiation measurement lab. 
5. Build an at-home fusion reactor ? 


https://tayalmartinez.wixsite.com/at-home-nuclear

Nuclear Science Experiments and Outreach 

Abstract:
Every year 1.7 million people in the US are diagnosed with sepsis, a bacterial infection that leads to death in roughly 250,000 patients¹. Sepsis is a leading cause of death in the US, and the most common death cause in hospitals1. Sepsis is hard to diagnose because its symptoms, such as shortness of breath, fever, high heart rate, discolored skin, and dizziness, are very similar to other diseases2-3. In this project we use AI technology to create a computer program that, given patient’s lactate levels4-5, Interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels6-8, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels9-11, and symptoms, can identify whether the patient has sepsis or not. The main goal is to create a computer program that takes symptoms inputted by a doctor and outputs the next steps and tests to be done in order to determine whether the patient indeed has sepsis. The program will assist doctors by minimizing the number of tests as well as the time to finalize the diagnosis. In the future this program should be able to help diagnose other diseases as well.

Introduction:
Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a bacterial infection. If not recognized early, it could lead to septic shock, which is multiple organ failures, which finally leads to death. 1.7 million people in the US are diagnosed with sepsis, where 75,000 of the cases are children12. Sepsis is hard to diagnose in the beginning since symptoms are similar to many other diseases13. Symptoms include; shortness of breath, fever, high heart rate, discolored skin, and dizziness14-15. A survey of more than 1000 hospitals stated that 86% of intensive care specialists misattributed the symptoms and 45% missed a diagnosis of sepsis16. Diagnosis isn’t easy and require multiple tests to fully diagnose a patient. Biomarkers, specifically lactate, CRP, and IL-6, were recently proposed to evaluate sepsis patients’ prognosis. Our program will use these biomarkers to provide an easy and quick diagnosis for sepsis.

General Biology, Bacteriology, Human Gut Microbiome, Environmental Microbiology, Metabolomics/Lipidomics

How can an AI program process lactate levels, C-reactive protein levels, and Interleukin-6 levels to figure out whether the patient needs further tests or already has sepsis?

Why did Serbian radios in Croatia influence the subsequent rise in nationalism? Why have Serbian radios in Croatia influenced the subsequent rise in nationalism? Serbian radio is more likely to incite ethnic hatred among Croats, resulting in graffitti, vandalism and more votes for extremist parties. This paper argues that Croats were more likely to express nationalist sentiment when listening to Serbian radios because Croats and Serbs hold very different views and recall historical events contrastingly. Serb related tension and hostility is well-ingrained and any challenge to that bias evokes a particular fury in Croats. They vehemently disagree when they hear these 'incorrect' viewpoints on Serbian radio because their memory boomerang gets activated. This paper will discuss a variety of concepts and historical moments to reach its conclusion. This paper contextualises the Croatian War of Independence. The war occurred from 1991-1995 between an independence-wanting Croatia and a Serbia that wanted them to remain in Yugoslavia. This paper also uses concepts from political psychology like political polarisation—defined as the divergence of political attitudes away from the centre and towards political extremes—to explain how individuals are more likely to interact with people and sources that have similar views as them. Croatian and Serbian radios—the main way that people get their news because it is the cheapest option and is most accessible—have different media biases. Journalists and news producers within the mass media have biases in the selection of many events and stories that are reported and how they are covered. This paper draws on research from disciplines such as history, political science, and psychology. It also analyses sources such as news articles, academic research papers, encyclopaedia articles, radio shows, and videos.

Ethics and Public Policy; Political Theory; American Politics; Law

Why did Serbian radios in Croatia influence the subsequent rise in nationalism?

The focus of this project is to study how traumatic memories that are formed in childhood affect a person’s memory retention later in life. Through this project, Samika will compile the effects of childhood trauma on adulthood memory and how a specific part of memory or the structure of the brain is affected through trauma.

To conduct the research, Samika is planning on going over relevant research articles. For example, The impact and long-term effects of childhood trauma by Heather Dye, The enduring effects of abuse and related adverse experiences in childhood by Robert F. Anda (and others), and The Biological Effects of Childhood Trauma by Michael D. De Bellis & Abigail Zisk.

physics, systems neuroscience, microscopy, neural correlates of behavior

Childhood trauma and the effect on memories

Congenital heart defects are the leading cause of defect-associated infant mortality. They severely affect the structure and function of the heart, and complications can be lifelong. While it is known that the development of congenital heart defects is largely genetic, an epigenetic component is more prevalent in recent studies. Studies have shown that maternal exposure to environmental insults can influence congenital heart defect outcomes in infants, however, there is limited standardized data on these potential risk factors or triggers from the environment. Through thorough investigation of research papers and informative articles, this review reveals that maternal exposure to tobacco smoke, air pollution, and water contamination have the most direct links to the development of congenital heart defects. Each risk factor has a correlation with a specific type of congenital heart defect, all of which are expounded upon.  

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