UMTC Undergraduate Research Presentations and Papers (UROP)
Persistent link for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11299/45101
This collection contains posters, scholarly papers, and other presentations prepared by undergraduate researchers, including presentations made at the Undergraduate Research Symposium, the McNair Scholars Symposium, and the National Conference on Undergraduate Research. Additional undergraduate work can be found in the Homecoming Student Scholar and Public Engagement Showcase
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Item Expert Systems, LLMs, and Machine Learning in Intrusion Detection: Impact on Cybersecurity(2025-05-31) Wardere, AdnaItem Observation of Variable Stars and Astronomical Phenomena Using Autocorrelation to Calculate the Periodicity of Chi Cygni(2025-05-29) Acharjee, SwastikaAutocorrelation is a commonly used method in time-series analysis that can be used to study the periodicity of irregularly sampled variable star data. The star of interest was Chi Cygni, which is a Mira Variable. Autocorrelation is applied to analyze the data found in the visual wavelength band. A tolerance variable is introduced to deal with irregularly sampled data sets. A period of 407 JD is obtained using a tolerance of 1 JD with an error of 0.258% and a period of 411 JD is obtained using a tolerance of 150 JD with an error of 0.723%.Item Ground-to-flight Extrapolation Under Uncertainty for High-speed Vehicles(2025-05) Das, Madhurima; del Val , AnabelThe challenges of reproducing high-speed flow and thermal loads simultaneously make it difficult to replicate hypersonic flight conditions in a ground test facility [1]. This complexity poses a significant challenge when designing the thermal protection system of atmospheric entry vehicles. Therefore, the Local Heat Transfer Simulation (LHTS) framework can be used to match the flight test’s stagnation point heat flux during the entry. The ground test and the flight test both have distinct features; therefore, this study evaluates the uncertainties in the LHTS-based simulations and associated disparities between ground and flight conditions. By varying the Arrhenius pre-exponential constant in flight and ground tests to introduce uncertainty, the simulations were executed to verify if the LHTS framework is reliable in the presence of potential model error. The results indicate that ground and flight conditions both yield similar nominal heat fluxes at the wall. However, the uncertainty range for the flight and ground conditions differs, exhibiting significantly larger variability for the flight condition.Item Evaluating the effect of the dopamine receptor D2 on signaling of the neurotensin receptor 1(2025-05-27) Li, Luyu; Person, Kelsey; Slosky, LaurenMeth is one of the most commonly misused drugs in the world with no FDA-approved therapeutics. NTSR1 is commonly co-expressed with the dopamine receptor 2 (D2) in dopamine-rich brain regions and has been shown to attenuate the behavioral effects of psychostimulants (e.g., meth and cocaine). Understanding the relationship between NTSR1 and D2 could help find promising treatments for MUD. This research will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between these two receptors. By using Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer assay, we find that dopamine-induced D2 activation enhances G protein activation by NTSR1 but has no effect on β-arrestin recruitment to the NTSR1.Item Characterization of Lung Surfactant Behavior on Curved Interfaces using Microtensiometer Combined with Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy(2025-05-27) Yoon, SoyoonLung surfactants are a mixture containing proteins and phospholipids that play a critical role in reducing the surface tension of the liquid-air interface within the alveoli, which eases respiratory function. While clinical surfactants like Survanta and Curosurf are often employed to treat neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS), the underlying mechanism behind acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and the impact of alveolar curvature on surfactant function remains underexplored. The Langmuir trough is commonly employed to investigate lung surfactant morphology—often in conjunction with confocal microscopy—and to measure surface pressure–area isotherms. However, the influence of alveolar curvature on surfactant behavior remains underexplored. Recent study (Sachan and Zasadzinksim PNAS, 2018) suggests that curvature introduces a circle-to-strip phase transition of liquid condensed (LC) domains . Therefore, we aim to further investigate how surfactant monolayers behave under curvature variations, temperature, and compositional changes. A controlled-pressure microtensiometer, integrated with a confocal fluorescence microscope, was employed to analyze adsorption dynamics and also image the interface on alveolar-sized microbubbles (~ 60 um) simultaneously. We observed unreported liquid-liquid coexistence in the absence of cholesterol and further examined the relationship between the stripe width and the bubble radius. The line tension is extracted from analyzing the Brownian motion of small domains and the relaxation of distorted liquid domains. By refining our understanding of surfactant behavior in curved environments, this study will enhance the knowledge of the stability and effectiveness of therapeutic surfactants, improving treatment outcomes for patients with respiratory disorders.Item Imaging Lipid Droplets in Cells Under Stress Using Raman Spectroscopy(2025-04-15) Tran-Dinh, Phuong-Uyen; Diaz, Steven; Frontiera, ReneeLipid droplets (LDs) are dynamic organelles involved in lipid metabolism and cellular stress responses. Emerging evidence suggests that LDs may play a significant role in DNA damage repair, particularly under stress induced by fasting and chemotherapy. These conditions, which induce stress and lead to metabolic changes, may cause the LDs to break down, releasing their contents and triggering events that could facilitate the DNA repair process. This study utilizes Raman spectroscopy, a non-invasive, label-free imaging technique, to investigate the composition and spatial distribution of LDs in lipid-loaded cells undergoing DNA damage repair. Using a Continuous Wave (CW) Raman system with a 100x objective throughout, we tracked LDs at different positions in the cell sample through raster-scanned Raman imaging. Raman spectra of lipid-loaded cells also showed the lipid peaks at approximately 2800cm-1, which is characteristic of LDs, with a preceding shoulder peak, while optical images of the cells were captured to reveal detailed cellular structure. The results indicate that Raman imaging effectively visualizes lipid droplets in cells, though spectral resolution can be improved by refining step size and expanding spectral analysis to the fingerprint region, 1200-1700 cm⁻¹, to better capture molecular composition and changes in stressed cells. A key outcome of this research is the successful generation of Raman images, demonstrating the technique’s potential for studying lipid metabolism in cellular stress responses and the research progress. Future work will focus on optimizing scanning parameters and spectral regions to enhance the detection of lipid-protein interactions during DNA repair. This research contributes to understanding how lipid metabolism influences cellular survival mechanisms, with potential implications for improving cancer treatment strategies.Item Improving Controller Accuracy: Increasing Localization Accuracy Using Sensor Fusion(2025-05-14) Chastek, William; Poyrazoglu, Goktug; Cao, Yukang; Isler, VolkanAccurate mobile robot localization enables safe and efficient navigation. In this report, the impact of using multiple sensors for localization was studied. Two sensors configurations were tested: IMU and IMU + LiDAR. This was deployed on both a simulated Turtlebot3 and a physical F1TENTH robotic platform, and was tasked to navigate to a goal position using a logMPPI controller. For both the simulation and real-world cases, the effects of using multiple sensors on the controller accuracy were studied. Accuracy was measured by calculating the Euclidean distance between the readings given from the robot versus the ground truth. This was accomplished by tracking the robot model in Gazebo, and using a PhaseSpace system for the physical robot. Using these metrics it was found that in an idealistic environment where sensor noise is minimal, sensor fusion is not the optimal option. However, in real-world scenarios, it was demonstrated that a particle filter fusing IMU and LiDAR readings reduced average localization error by at least 11%. This means real-world robotic platforms should aim to use multiple sensors for localization, to increase accuracy.Item Y-Haplogroup Investigation for 4 Ancient Caribbean IndividualsHolden, Abigail; Nieves-Colón, MariaThis poster describes the process and outcome of an investigation into the Y-chromosome lineages of ancient Caribbean individuals. Y chromosome haplogroup identification is important for the reconstruction of Caribbean patrilineal ancestries given the effects of European colonization on the region. Male biased admixture during colonization has obstructed reconstruction of indigenous Y haplogroup identities in the region, so ancient DNA is a valuable tool to answer these questions. Background information, my contribution to Dr. Maria Nieves-Colón's broader Caribbean Genomics project, and visualization of the results thus far are included in this poster. This work has been completed as part of an undergraduate research opportunity through the UROP program.Item Sentiment Analysis of Local News Coverage of Immigration By Border and Non-Border Newspapers(2025-04-01) Wooldridge, Reid; Myers, C. DanielMany Americans inform their political opinions through media coverage, and local news outlets remain a significant source of such coverage. This paper seeks to investigate the way this coverage differs across local outlets, using immigration as a sample issue due to its varying levels of impact in different areas of the United States. The investigation involved gathering a sample of immigration-related newspaper articles from outlets in southern border states and non-southern border states, then evaluating the directional sentiment of each text through quantitative analysis of the lexicon, using positivity and negativity coding dictionaries. The investigation seeks to determine whether the proximity of a news outlet to the United States-Mexico border has a significant effect on the sentiment of the outlet’s immigration-related articles, and draws conclusions on the potential implications of such sentiment variation, including its potential impact on the political issue opinions of readers.Item Investigating GABAergic Projections of the Ventral Pallidum’s Hedonic Hotspot Using a Dual-Virus Approach(2025-04-15) Muruganandan, Preethi; Newell, Bailey; Sood, Ankit; Lortie, Margot; Richard, JocelynThe ventral pallidum (VP) is a brain region implicated in reward-related behaviors, motivation, and addiction. The posterior half of the VP is coined as the “hedonic hotspot”, a subregion that amplifies liking reactions in response to palatable stimuli. The feature does not remain true for the anterior half of the VP, indicating a divergence in functionality. The extent of the VP’s heterogeneity with respect to circuit-level connections is yet to be explored fully. This project aimed to distinguish the difference in downstream projection targets between the anterior and posterior VP that give rise to the hedonic hotspot. A fluorescent tracer virus was injected into either the anterior or posterior VP in rats to specifically target GABAergic neurons. Post-mortem brain tissue processing and imaging was performed for visualization of projections. Quantification data showed that the posterior VP projects more robustly to the lateral habenula and lateral hypothalamus than the anterior VP. This finding suggests that certain hedonic hotspot neurons may wire together to these 2 regions. This synaptic connection could be a potential target for pharmacological modulation in cases of substance use disorders. Further elucidation of VP inputs and outputs will allow us to better understand the mechanisms that underlie reward pursuit, addiction and relapse.Item Application of Active Knit Actuators to Climate Adaptive Building Shells(2025-05-01) Perez, Wincy Gerard; Liu, Xin-Ting; Srivastava, Malini; Holschuh, BradClimate-adaptive building shells (CABS) utilize smart materials in order to respond to the changing, outside environment and reduce the loads used to cool/heat the building. In this research, nitinol, or shape memory alloy, is explored as a potential material for the CABS concept as it possesses the unique quality to remember its “austenite” form through heating. Various sizes of nitinol samples were developed in order to observe the tensions produced by the ambient heating as well as qualitative changes. Noted behaviors were then translated into a parametric model that resembles the basic shape and behaviors of a nitinol knit assembly.Item User-Directed Autonomous Image Acquisition for 3D Object Reconstruction Using Eye-in-Hand Camera on Quadruoped Robot(2025-04-30) Roche, RyanThis research presents a system to automate the process of capturing images of an object for use in image-based 3D reconstruction by use of a quadruped robot equipped with an eye-in-hand camera. While image-based reconstruction techniques have substantially lowered the barrier to entry for high-quality 3D asset creation, the process of capturing the images necessary for a quality reconstruction either requires a great amount of time or an expensive multi-camera array. The presented system requires only a single 2D bounding box on a camera image to indicate the target object. The workflow begins with object segmentation prompted by the provided bounding box and calculated by Meta’s SAM2 segmentation model. The system uses the produced segmentation mask to calculate a segmented point cloud of the object. This data, combined with information from the robot’s occupancy grid is used to generate a ring of camera poses surrounding the object from which images are taken. Evaluation compared the output of the system with images manually taken with an iPhone 16 Pro. While the system’s output were able to reconstruct the object, the quality was substantially lower than that of the manually taken photos.Item Using Deep Learning and Image Processing to Characterize the Phenotypic Response of Lifespan-Extending Drugs in C. elegans(2025) Arumugam Balamurugan, Kishanth KoushikItem Constraints on Primordial Black Hole Dark Matter from the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background(2025-04-20) Baydar, GokdenizThis work investigates the contribution of primordial black hole (PBH) binaries to the stochastic gravitational-wave background (SGWB) using data from the LIGO--Virgo--KAGRA (LVK) collaboration. A Bayesian inference framework is employed to model the PBH population with a log-normal mass distribution, incorporating early binary formation and suppression effects from environmental interactions such as tidal disruptions and clustering. Observational limits from the LVK O1-O3 runs are used to constrain the PBH dark matter fraction. The results place stringent upper bounds on PBH abundances in the 0.05-10 M⊙ mass range and demonstrate that suppression effects significantly reduce the allowed parameter space. These refined constraints are essential for assessing the role of PBHs as dark matter candidates and emphasize the importance of future observations with instruments such as LIGO O4, LISA, and DECIGO.Item Increasing Access to Government Programs Through Visual Aids(2025-04-29) Scott, NickItem Phase Dispersion Minimization Techniques for Variable Stars(2025) Lundgren, RileyPhase Dispersion Minimization (PDM) is a technique for detecting periodicity in irregularly sampled data sets, or data sets with sparse samples, when a Fourier transform may fail. PDM techniques are applied to visual wavelength luminosity data for the MIRA variable star Chi Cygni, and the period of Chi Cygni is calculated to be within a Julian day of existing estimates. We simulate irregularly samples sparse data sets by randomly selecting data points and using PDM techniques to calculate the period of Chi Cygni. With as little as 1.5 % of the total data, the period of Chi Cygni is calculated within a Julian day.Item A Multi-Agent Assistant for Medical Diagnosis: Blood-Test Case Study(2025-04-28) Sargsyan, JamesThis project explores the use of Multi-Agent Systems and Federated Learning to automate the diagnosis of blood test results, with a focus on complete blood count analyses. A modular system of autonomous agents was designed to preprocess data, extract features, train federated models, and provide decision support. The model achieved high diagnostic accuracy on both small and large public datasets, demonstrating the potential for privacy-preserving, decentralized medical diagnosis. The project highlights opportunities for future development and real-world integration within healthcare systems.Item Effects of Baclofen on Cue-Induced Reinstatement of Sucrose-Seeking(2025-04-22) Rao, IndiraItem Expanding Head for a Soft-Burrowing Robot(2025-04) Dinh, HungThe main objectives of this research are to design, build, and test a linkage-based morphing head for a tiny underground burrowing robot, inspired by the burrowing action of earthworm. The suggested design employs a four-bar linkage system in conjunction with a central slider to accomplish a two-step penetration-expansion process, taking inspiration from naturally occurring burrowing organisms. Assembling and ensuring successfully the possibility of its motion are the main goals in this Research. Besides, reducing soil resistance, improving energy efficiency, and facilitating efficient navigation through cohesive soil will be also a goal aimed at in the future. SolidWorks were used to create a comprehensive CAD model, which was then used to fabricate the prototype through 3D printing and hand machining methods. Load frames will be used in mechanical testing to measure penetration and expansion forces in representative media in the near future. Testing involved three key steps: (1) measuring the force required to open the robot head, (2) pushing the robot into gelatin with the head fully open, and (3) inserting the robot with the head fully closed, then expanding it. The outcome of the testing is expected to show superior results in terms of force reduction and energy efficiency compared to penetrating with the head fully expanded. These findings also suggest that the second-generation morphing head design offers significant performance improvements over its predecessor.