This poster documents a REU research project investigating the stratigraphic emplacement of ore minerals in a mining district in Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Kombucha is a popular drink which has been consumed for centuries. Its chemical properties and usefulness have only recently been investigated by scientists. In our research, we aim to add valuable data to the kombucha fermentation reaction, and find novel uses for the various products of the fermentation.

Gliomas are highly malignant intracranial tumors that result in a low survival rate due to an invasive phenotype and its diffuse nature. As a result, tumorigenic stem-like glioma cells are poorly targeted by conventional therapies. MAPK kinase 3 (MKK3) has been found to be a key upstream activator of the p38 MAPK protein and is upregulated in invasive glioma cells. Recent evidence suggests that interfering with MKK3 signaling through the inhibition of p38 can inhibit tumor cell invasion in vitro (Demuth et al. 2007). We are interested in examining the role of p38 in glioma through the ability of these cells to form tumor-like colonies in soft agar with modifications in Lgl1 gene expression

Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (DRIFTS) is a form of infrared spectroscopy specific to analyzing powder solids. The DRIFTS apparatus contains a controlled environment in vacuum or atmospheric pressure conditions. Heterogeneous interactions of gas-solid samples in the DRIFTS cell allow for in situ measurements under a variety of environmental conditions to characterize functional groups and structural evolution during the process of a chemical reaction. Experiments studied the effect of acetone adsorption on Titanium dioxide (TiO2) surface for oxidation reactions on the surface.

Southern Cascadia marks the change between the northern San Andreas Fault System, and the subduction of the Juan-de-Fuca and Gorda tectonic plates beneath North America. This area is a region of complex deformation, high rates of erosion, and vertical uplift. A low relief, heavily dissected, relict surface that is visible as gently sloping ridges preserved along the coast of Southern Cascadia is known as the “Klamath Peneplain”, named by J.S. Diller in 1902. Because it represents a time period of extensive fluvial erosion and deposition, its age and origin are crucial in understanding paleogeographic development of what is now Southern Cascadia and was qualitatively described in this study.

A sensitive flow injection (FI) system for determining dissolved iron concentrations involved a complex manifold: peristaltic pump, two electronically actuated 6-port, 2-postion injection valves, UV-Vis spectrophotometer and a desktop computer controlled by a software program for data acquisition. The FI method allows for direct preconcentration of iron in samples at trace metal nanomolar concentrations using the catalytic colorimetric indicator N, N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine dihydrochloride. Toyopearl AF-Chelate-650M chelating resin is used to remove the need for sample treatments before preconcentrating and eliminate interferences from iron binding to organic ligands in the sample matrix

Various epiphytes such as lichens, mosses, leafy liverworts, and ferns are known to inhabit the crowns and boles of old-growth conifers and hardwoods. This study looks at the diversity and distribution of epiphytes on a single old-growth Sitka spruce tree. Data were analyzed to test for significant relationships between species richness, abundance, height distribution, and substrate type.

Ultrasonography is a versatile and noninvasive method that can be used to examine the internal anatomy, gonadal maturation, and the reproductive status of various freshwater and marine fishes. The goal of our study is to examine the feasibility of using ultrasound images to sex and determine oocyte maturation for Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Cutthroat Trout (O. clarkii) at the Humboldt State University Fish Hatchery. The objectives were to: (1) determine the most applicable control setting, (2) differentiate between a male and female, and (3) monitor oocyte maturation using ultrasound images. We were able to successfully identify the sex and determine gonadal maturation of fish.

The Helena fire occured August 30th– November 15th as a consequence of a power line contacting a tree limb on Bureau of Land Management public lands and spread to Trinity Alps Wilderness and Weaverville in Trinity County, California. This study examines before and after effects of this devastating fire using the Burn Index (BI) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) using Landsat 8 images and ENVI and ArcGIS software. Burn severity acreage was calculated within fire State Responsibility Areas (SAR) and the results summarized using high, moderate and very high burn categories. The BI showed a 61% area effected by wildfire resulting in a 53% NDVI decrease within Helena fire SAR.

PG 1126-041 is a closeby luminous active galactic nuclei (AGN) with a low redshift that displays complex and variable UV and X-ray absorption, which identifies winds expelled from the black hole environment. The data in this paper, collected by the Hubble Space Telescope, was normalized by polynomial fits applied using our own developed Python code. We analyzed the absorption by several ions (OVI, PV, NV, SiIV, CIV and the Lyman series) at 4 different epochs. Our goal is to study a potential correlation between the X-ray and UV absorption to understand their driving mechanism. Discoveries in this project will be compared to AGN much farther than the relatively close PG 1126-041.