Research Days Posters 2024

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  Boosting Recycling: The Impact of Higher Bottle Deposits on Plastic Waste

  Yoav Reshef

  This research paper investigates the environmental and health impacts of single-use plastic bottles, highlighting a critical global issue of low recycling rates and increasing consumption rates. The paper evaluates consumer choices between reusable, and single use plastic bottles in the US. This paper primarily addresses the efficacy of bottle deposit recycling schemes in increasing recycling rates. The main questions addressed is whether increasing the deposit amount would decrease plastic consumption and increase the effective rate of recycling by these schemes. The end goal of this paper is to provide actionable recommendations to policymakers on effective plastic waste mitigation strategies, proposing increased bottle deposits as a crucial measure to improve recycling efforts.

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  Exploring Relative Value Bias: Learned Outcomes or Choice Repetition?

  Trevor Rosenthal, Joelle Sacks, Madeline Duran, and Michael Kim

  People sometimes choose options yielding relatively better outcomes in past contexts, even when those options have lower absolute values. This study tested whether this effect is due to participants learning relative outcomes or simply repeating previous choices. Participants (n = 151) were randomly assigned to two conditions and completed a two-phase choice task. In the learning phase, participants either actively chose from (choice condition) or passively viewed (sampling condition) pairs of symbols and received reward feedback. In the subsequent transfer phase, participants were shown different combinations of the same symbols and were asked to choose the symbol with the higher value on each trial. Choice patterns in both conditions exhibited a bias towards lower-valued options yielding relatively greater outcomes in the learning phase. However, the effect was slightly stronger in the choice condition. Our findings suggest choice repetition plays a minor role, but cannot fully account for relative value choice biases.

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  Innovative Low-cost PIV System for Fluid Dynamics Analysis

  Maris Ryan and Tony Ni

  This study delves into the low-cost Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) system and its significance in fluid dynamics analysis. PIV, an essential flow visualization and measurement technique across multiple disciplines, often faces accessibility barriers due to its high cost. To address this, an affordable alternative was implemented utilizing microscopic tracer particles and cost-effective components including a lens, laser, water pump, and camera. This adaptation slashes the budget from thousands to mere hundreds of dollars. Leveraging open-source MATLAB software, videos capturing tracer particle movement in fluid, stirred by the water pump, to generate fluid velocity vector fields over time were processed. Additionally, tools such as Artificial Neural Networks for advanced data analysis were employed. These findings demonstrate the efficacy of this budget-friendly PIV system, with implications for fluid dynamics research and education, notably in data-driven model development.

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  ChatGPT or Reddit? Probing People's Trust in Advice for Important Life Decisions

  Joelle Sacks, Elaine Yu, Nadiah Layne, Michael Kim, Trevor Rosenthal, and William M. Hayes

  With the recent release of accessible artificial intelligence (AI) models such as ChatGPT, AI chatbots have become potential sources of advice that people can use to assist in decision making. This study will examine trust in advice given by AI chatbots compared with advice from online message boards (e.g., Reddit) in a sample of Binghamton University students. Participants will answer questions about past life decisions and rate their trust in advice from chatbots and message boards for each decision type. This research hypothesizes that participants will value advice from online message boards over advice given by AI chatbots due to “algorithm aversion,” or a general distrust of artificial intelligence. We also expect the size of this effect to vary depending on the nature of the life decision (e.g., relationships vs. finances). The results will be used to inform future studies of people’s perceptions of AI advice.

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  Lex Capitalocenae: The Dialectics of Law and Accumulation in the Capitalist World-Ecology

  Jeremy Santora

  This project aims to investigate the emergence of international law as inextricably tied to the rise of the capitalist world-ecology across the long sixteenth century. Through a world-historical methodology, my project charts the interpenetration of legal doctrine and legal practice in the making of the modern world. After 1492, a transformation took place within the law of nations (jus gentium) from its determination by canonical law within the parameters of Christendom to its determination by merchant law within the parameters of a world-economy. It is the contention of this paper that this transformation was a transformation in the natural law endemic to the prevailing mode of production—its legal regime.

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  Sensitivity of Fever and Ethanol-Induced Hypothermia to Dexamethasone in Male Sprague-Dawley Rats

  Barbara Santos and Terrence Deak

  Thermoregulation is highly sensitive to pathogens and can also be influenced by drugs of abuse, such as alcohol. This study determined the pharmacological sensitivity of fever and sickness behaviors to dexamethasone, a common anti-inflammatory drug, in male rats that underwent an acute immune challenge using the viral mimetic Poly I:C. Additionally, this study sought to determine the extent to which dexamethasone would also influence ethanol-induced hypothermia. Results indicated that dexamethasone attenuated Poly I:C-induced fever. However, these effects did not significantly differ based on the dose of dexamethasone administered. Sickness behaviors, on the other hand, showed a dose-dependent effect of dexamethasone. In contrast, dexamethasone had no significant effect on ethanol-induced hypothermia. As thermoregulation is regulated primarily by neurons in the preoptic area of the hypothalamus, these findings suggest that natural fever and ethanol-induced hypothermia are differentially sensitive to glucocorticoid treatment and likely controlled by distinct neural mechanisms.

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  Serving the Other: Levinasian Alterity and a Reconceptualization of Volunteer Ethics

  Cade Schafer

  Recent scholarship on the ethics of volunteerism has emphasized a structural critique, highlighting the ways in which geopolitical prejudices and volunteer organizations may replicate the very stigmas and oppressions volunteers seek to alleviate. In such work, any hope for an ethically tenable volunteerism looks bleak. In an attempt to salvage it, this research contends that scholarship on volunteerism has focused too narrowly on an ‘ethics of sameness’ and ignored the capacity of alterity to foster ethical relations. Through a reading of Emmanuel Levinas’ work, this research shows how ethical volunteerism can only be realized when our experience of moral responsibility arises directly from Levinas’ face-to-face encounters. Most other stimuli to moral behavior tacitly reduce the humanity of those they aim to help. Departing somewhat from Levinas, however, this project argues that face-to-face encounters must be more fully contextualized through a recognition of the ways volunteers benefit from the conditions in which host-communities live.

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  Shuttered Perspectives: Censorship of Photography During World War I

  Jesse Schiff

  "Liberties Victorious Conflict" published by The Magazine Circulation Co. can be found in the Special Collections of Binghamton University. It is a series of chronological photographs through the First World War, each with a brief description. However, upon the first read of the book, the pictures seemed to be filled with propaganda for the US and British forces. That realization raised the question about the extent of censorship on photography in the First World War. These findings include informative articles and books describing what measures were placed so the government made sure they knew what photos were being released to the public. A 1926 U.S. report outlines the reasons why the censorships were needed, additionally, this report is a focal point in this research.

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  From Southern Roots to Northern Soil: Unearthing the Ku Klux Klan’s Presence on Long Island in the 1920s

  Jacob Schlatner

  The Ku Klux Klan is notorious for its terror and violence against Blacks in the 19th century and during the Civil Rights Era. Between these periods, a “second generation” Klan emerged and transformed into a social movement in part by leveraging mainstream media and propaganda to push xenophobia and ultra-nationalism throughout the country. While many scholars have written about the Klan of the 1920s, its significant presence on Long Island during that period has not been explored. Using historic newspaper databases and first-hand accounts from Klansmen themselves, this research will explore how the Klan gained a following of over 20,000 members in this region during a time of societal upheaval.

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  The Impact of Diet on Mood

  Alexandra Schumacher, Evangeline Manolas, Hannah Rogalia, and Cassie Huang

  Diet quality, mostly food groups, and quantities influences behaviors and thoughts. This study was conducted to examine the relationship between diet quality and mood which could be used to improve overall well-being. An anonymous online survey was administered through Google Forms and distributed through multiple social media platforms, as well as Survey Swap, YikYak, and simply asking friends and family. The survey included basic demographic questions and questions on daily diets, supplements, and average stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms. Pearsons’s Correlation Analysis was utilized using SPSS version 28.0. Our data proposes an overall healthier diet is associated with a more positive mood and overall well-being. The results from this study can be used as a resource to determine how certain foods can be more beneficial to people compared to others.

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  Does Fiction Make Us More Empathetic? Psychological, Literary, and Philosophical Perspectives

  Cooper Sherman

  Avid readers often praise fiction for helping them understand others’ perspectives, and considerable research suggests an empirical basis for this connection. However, research on fiction’s interpersonal effects generally deals with sub-components of empathy (theory of mind, out-group bias, emotional empathy, etc), yielding disorganized results. It remains unclear what the overarching pattern is, and what fiction we ought to read to better understand others. This project contributes to this field by synthesizing existing research in a podcast format. Through interviews with cognitive scientists, philosophers, and literary scholars, it asks what central patterns can be derived from the empirical data and which forms of fiction most consistently correlate with which aspect(s) of empathy. Additionally, this research discusses the more contentious philosophical question of whether or not these social traits, potentially cultivated through fiction, are ethically useful. Lastly, this project explores how this information should influence the way our society engages with fiction.

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  Computational Study of Manganese Electrocatalysts for CO2 Reduction

  Adam Silvernail

  CO2 is a potent greenhouse gas that actively contributes to climate change. As such, developing methods to remove CO2 from the atmosphere is critical. Here, we investigate the efficacy of several manganese-based electrocatalysts in the reduction of CO2 to CO using computational chemistry. The manganese center served as the binding site for the CO2 molecule, which directly contributes to the activation energy of the CO2 reduction reaction. The three substrates analyzed in this experiment included imidazole, oxazole, and thiazole. All density functional theory calculations were done with the wB97X-D functional.

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  Who Cares?: Exploring Empathy with Sofia Sinta

  Sofia Sinta

  Why do some of us show higher levels of empathy than others? One theory involves childhood experiences: research on the relationship between an individual’s childhood trauma and their adult empathy capacities has generally found that trauma is associated with a decrease in empathy. Recently, however, some studies have suggested that childhood adversities may in fact elevate empathy later in life. Though this ongoing debate is of general interest, the complex findings are usually discussed solely among academic psychologists. A more accessible platform for gathering information on interpersonal relationships and emotions is podcasts. This podcast therefore interviews researchers in the field to sort through the evidence and explore how differences in methodologies might cause discrepancies in the results. The way individuals react and adapt to their trauma is largely influenced by genetics and psychological diagnoses, which then play a role in predicting empathetic abilities.

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  Exploring the Literature: A Systematic Review of Telemental Health Services for Rural K-12 Students

  Fantasia Sneed, Sophia Ryan, Eleanor Duncan, Leyli Nouraei Yeganeh, and Mack Ottens

  The lack of mental health services among K-12 rural students has received insufficient attention in the literature. This study systematically reviews the existing literature based on the guiding research question: “What is the state of the literature on telemental health services in rural K-12 schools in the United States since the pandemic?” We searched 14 independent databases to identify any literature on this topic. The initial search garnered N = 4,265 articles. After removing duplicates, the present systematic review identified N = 1,482 articles for review. The first round of screening included identifying articles based on the following inclusion criteria: articles published in the United States, empirical studies, written in English, involved the K-12 school system, focused on rural areas, mental health, and telehealth services. Initial results indicate this is an emerging area of research with little scholarship published since the COVID-19 pandemic.

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  A Sustainable Future: Revitalizing Wood Fly Ash

  Juliana Speckenbach, Mimmy Mei, Erica Jin, and Natalie Rumrill-Teece

  With the rising use of wood as a source of energy in the United States, the harmful wastes of leftover wood fly ash pose a multitude of negative impacts on the environment. Specifically, the disposal of fly ash in landfills and destruction of trees to supply the resource perpetuates our surrounding environmental and climate issues. Thus, our study aims to combat the harmful effects of wood fly ash to limit the pollution and damage of wood energy. Through our experiment, we attempt to find a solution to utilize wood fly ash in environmentally friendly ways. In particular, our study focuses on composting mixtures of mulch in conjunction with different percentages of fly ash to determine the most effective product for fertilizing soil. As our economy shifts towards sustainable energy sources, our research attempts to reduce the carbon footprint of wood fly ash and strive towards a greener and cleaner Earth.

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  Ensuring Equity: Investigation Of The Impact Of A Guaranteed Annual Income On The Homeless Population Of Binghamton

  Liam Spiro

  The homeless population of Broome County has grown by 50% from 2020 to 2022. While traditional social programs to address homelessness have emphasized shelters, rehabilitation programs, and supportive housing, a growing body of evidence suggests that direct cash transfers to the homeless carry substantial benefits. A study in Vancouver found that cash aid recipients significantly reduced nights spent outdoors and in shelters; advocates also argue that cash is empowering and less paternalistic than in-kind benefits. This project asks how direct cash transfers, in the form of a guaranteed annual income (GAI), would affect Binghamton’s homeless population. Using demographic statistics, pilot program data, a review of public policy scholarship, and interviews conducted with local organizations, this research explores the potential impact of a GAI on the local homeless community. The benefits include reduction in healthcare spending, increased health, better social relations, increased savings, increased housing stability, and ability to meet basic needs.

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  Understanding Maternal Health Information-Seeking Behavior

  Inijesu Taiwo and Sarah Caba

  Mothers wield significant influence in determining their children's health and well-being. Yet research reveals a troubling trend of distrust towards healthcare providers, hindering effective healthcare access and delivery. Thus, this study seeks to identify the sources of health information mothers consult for advice and examines how these can inform the development of interventions aimed at enhancing health education and outcomes. Using standardized question guides, mothers were prompted to identify sources of advice regarding decision-making concerning their children’s health and evaluate their perceived value. A theme recurring across focus groups was weariness for healthcare providers: mothers worried that providers did not have sufficient concern for their worries. Generally, mothers prioritized information from individuals whom they had personal connections over qualified individuals with whom they had no social relationship with. Recognizing the significance of information-seeking behavior within the healthcare field presents an opportunity for intervention.

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  Variation in Gall Size Between the Native and Expanded Range of a Range-expanding Gall Wasp Mediates Interactions and Influences Survivorship

  Sophie Tatar, Aly Milks, and Kirsten Prior

  Neuroterus saltatorius is a gall wasp that has expanded its range poleward in North American western oak ecosystems as a result of anthropogenic change and is outbreaking in its expanded range. This research compared its interactions with parasitoid wasps and its host plant between the native and expanded ranges to uncover how altered interactions contribute to outbreaks. This study investigates relationships between gall size, survivorship, and parasitism. We determined the survivorship and gall size of 2,259 galls in 12 native and expanded range sites, using R Studio to compare mean and variation of gall size and survivorship between regions. Native region trees have more intraspecific variation in size and survivorship with a lower mean survivorship. This suggests that trees in the native range are more resistant and potentially more diverse. Gall size is larger in the expanded range and in parasitized galls, and failed galls are smaller than survived galls.

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  Water Quality Issues and Solutions for the Chesapeake Bay

  Leila Tilem

  Is underfunding and poor financing contributing to your poor water quality? Runoff is when any harmful substance flows into our waterways and pollutes our drinking water. The main causes are chemicals and an excess of nutrients sourced from poor agricultural practices and stormwater runoff. Pennsylvania farms often unintentionally discharge manure and fertilizers into the Susquehanna River, which cascades into the Chesapeake Bay. The Watershed is a drinking water supply for millions of Americans. Though Pennsylvania already has policies in place, its programs are underfunded and understaffed. Additionally, there is a severe lack of green infrastructure to solve stormwater crises, adding to the issue. This research look at how policy change can fix these issues in Pennsylvania, New York, and the greater Chesapeake Bay Watershed. I look forward to speaking with changemakers on the ground to help me better understand which changes are necessary to facilitate a better Bay.

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  Pipeline Forest Grid Census Report 2024

  Melissa Torchio, Madelyn Blake, and Zebulon Bogue

  A forest census completed in the Pipeline Woods is valuable in the context of Binghamton University's Nature Preserve for 3 primary reasons: (1) it creates an inventory of species data to illustrate what encompass our campus forests, (2) it allows us to quantify changing forest dynamics regarding to composition shifts through longitudinal study, (3) we can compare the composition data of our Pipeline Forest Grid to previous census research done in the CIW Forest Grid and work towards an qualitative understanding of why they differ. The survey was completed by identifying trees using their winter traits, using logging tape to measure trunk circumference at breast height (1.35m), and mapping their location within each 10m x10m grid from the North East corner. The three most prevalent tree species in terms of density, basal area, and frequency were sugar maple (Acer saccharum), red maple (Acer rubrum), and white ash (Fraxinus americana).

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  Enhancing Intimate Partner Violence Assessments: Creating Equitable Tools for Spanish-Speaking Communities

  Alberto D. Torres-Aragón, Quinn Hendershot, and Matthew D. Johnson

  Intimate partner violence (IPV) is abuse or aggression within a romantic relationship. To prevent severe consequences, assessment is needed to understand IPV in its entirety prior to putting an intervention into place. English speakers in the United States have numerous instruments available, but there is a much more limited selection for Spanish speakers (Hendershot et al. under review). Herein, this research aims to discuss the best practices and importance for assessment in IPV while highlighting our ongoing efforts in IPV assessment through creating a measure. This initiative is crucial as it broadens the scope of IPV research and intervention strategies, ensuring inclusivity and effectiveness across diverse linguistic groups. Ultimately, the goal is to enhance understanding and support for IPV victims by providing equitable assessment resources, a step toward more comprehensive and culturally sensitive IPV interventions.

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  Diet Quality and Mindset

  Holly Walker, Lizzy Lehon, Hannah Gaumont, Maegan Lewis, and Simon Stratton

  Understanding the relationship between dietary patterns and mental health is vital for contemporary research. This study was conducted to analyze the correlation between individuals' diets and their mindsets. An anonymous online survey was administered through google forms and distributed to individuals by text, email, GroupMe, and YikYak. Many survey questions consisted of demographic questions and questions on nutritional habits and mood, as well as their mindset regarding stress. Our study found there was a relationship between diet and mindset. Nutrition and diet have a significant impact on mental health and mindset and modulation on diet may improve mindset.

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  Impact Of The Western Diet On Mood

  Shania Walters, Aleyna Cakirca, Maya Davis, Kelson McBridge, and Mia Hargest

  Recent evidence points toward the effect of diet quality on mood. The purpose of this study was to contextualize the effects of individual dietary habits and their association with mental health. Specifically, we focused on the connection between Western dietary practices and symptoms of depression and anxiety. An anonymous online survey was administered through social media and in-person outreach. The survey included basic demographic questions and questions focused on dietary habits and typical states of emotion. Pearson’s Correlation Analysis was utilized using SPSS version 28.0. There is a positive correlation between the Western diet and depressive symptoms, such as feelings of worthlessness, restlessness, and hopelessness. The consumption of more whole foods and avoiding the Western diet assists in the support of a well-balanced mental health state.

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  The Link Between Financial Insecurity and Crime: Would a UBI Help?

  Susanna Wang

  In the United States, sky-high incarceration rates disproportionately impact marginalized low-income communities and particularly communities of color. Without a financial security net, people are more exposed to food insecurity, stress, school incompletion and other factors associated with crime. While the current welfare system provides some assistance, its limitations hinder individuals' economic autonomy and fall short of fully addressing the root causes of poverty. In order to understand whether a universal basic income (UBI) would be more effective in reducing crime, this research analyzes the impact of Latin American conditional cash transfer programs, Alaska’s Permanent Fund Dividend, and the Canadian Mincome experiment on crime rates. It is then considered how the demonstrated link between increased anti-poverty spending and decreased crime might apply to a basic income in the US. Evidence suggests that the cost of a UBI might be offset by resulting decreases in policing, incarceration, and other costs.

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  A Spectrally Active Learning Gaussian Process Surrogate Model for Weak Signal Processing: An Application for Real-time Surface Characterizations of Nanomachining

  Xinchen Wang, Mohammad Alshoul, Jia Deng, and Zimo Wang

  Understanding streaming sensor signals is critical for in-process monitoring and quality inspection for various industry applications, which allows immediate anomaly detection and diagnosis for potential quality issues. Due to the unavoidable acquisition step, the obtained information is overwhelmingly submerged in high-level noises, which may adversely impact the accuracy and effectiveness of extracting information from monitored sensor signals under the nanoscale. To solve this issue, an active learning strategy for the streaming signal data with the shapely embedded ensembling Gaussian process surrogate allows for the recognition of weak signals. This proposed approach is tested by experimental music timbre recognition problems followed by real-time surface morphology characterizations under nanomachining processes. The results indicate that this proposed approach can effectively capture the underlying spectral patterns of acoustics signals. The presented framework opens up an avenue to allow real-time characterizations and quality inspection for surface characteristics under the nanoscale.