Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
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Crafting a Film From Script to Screen
No full textThis internship at Abioye Filmworks focuses on the development and direction of a short film, allowing me to gain hands-on experience in filmmaking, leadership, and project management. As the lead director, I oversee assembling a production team, writing the script, selecting filming locations, and managing the creative and technical aspects of the project. My goal is to complete a high-quality short film by the summer of 2025 and submit it to a student film festival.
Through this experience, I develop skills in team coordination, storytelling, cinematography, and problem-solving, while also exploring research methodologies to enhance my film\u27s narrative, technical execution, and audience engagement. This project benefits Abioye Filmworks by reinforcing its commitment to nurturing emerging talent and fostering innovative storytelling. A successful film festival entry could elevate the company\u27s reputation and provide a showcase for its mentorship initiatives. By blending creativity with strategic planning, this internship prepares me for future opportunities in the film industry while contributing to the company\u27s artistic and educational mission
Mechanical Engineering with Callan Consulting Engineers
No full textCallan Consulting Engineers is a cornpany that works on designing and improving mechanical and structural systems for different industries. During this internship, the focus was on learning and applying mechanical engineering principles, such as creating 3D models, testing designs, and learning how heat distribution works. Projects included surveying outdated boiler rooms, and thinking of ways to improve them. As well as making a 3D model of the boiler room to test the new equipment. In their line of work, it is often required that sketches of the buildings they are working on be made. This is where I come in, I help accelerate the process of installing heating Systems by helping with the sketches. This in turn helps the engineers plan more efficiently and make better decisions about where to place new equipment
Enabling Improved Hand Function in Disabled Individuals via Intention Estimation and Suppression of Disrupted Central Drive
Get PDFHelping Students Understand the Complexity of Ecological and Environmental Issues Through Use and Creation of Environmental Impact Statements
Get PDFWhen discussing environmental issues, threats to ecosystems, and potential solutions, students tend toward a simplified view of these issues and how to fix them. To enrich their understanding of the complexities of these problems and the potential for real-life solutions, we developed a unit in which students create Environmental Impact Statements. This framework encourages students to consider the diverse perspectives of stakeholders in a specific ecosystem and to propose feasible and effective solutions
Effects of Sunscreen Chemicals on Freshwater Algae
No full textRoughly 14,000 tons of sunscreen enter the waterways across the entire globe every year. Sunscreens are released via human contact, runoff from sand, and spray-on sunscreens. Although sunscreen is effective against UV radiation, the active ingredients harm aquatic ecosystems and damage coral reefs. Sunscreens have been found in the cenotes in the Yucatan Peninsula, underground water systems that serve as safe drinking water and are home to marine life. The presence of these chemicals poses a risk to human health if consumed and is a hazard to the wildlife living in the freshwater ecosystem. In this study, we investigate three sunscreen chemicals found in the cenotes: ensulizole (PBSA), sulisobenzone (BP-4), and zinc oxide. Zinc oxide has been shown to be a safer alternative to PBSA and BP-4 in coral reefs but the impact on freshwater systems is less well understood. In this study, we investigate the impact of sunscreen chemicals on a freshwater green algae, Chlorella vulgaris. C. vulgaris was grown with different concentrations of each sunscreen, then algal growth was measured using spectrophotometry. It was found that PBSA and BP-4 did not significantly impact C. vulgaris growth, but increased zinc oxide concentrations significantly decreased algal growth
Isolation and Analysis of Blood- and Oral-Derived Neutrophils
No full textNeutrophils are a type of white blood cell and a major component of the innate immune system. To study their function, they can be isolated from several parts of the body including blood and the oral cavity. Previous work suggests that blood-derived neutrophils function similar to oral neutrophils, with no major differences in quality. Our lab currently isolates neutrophils from blood, however we are working on adopting a new technique to isolate neutrophils from the oral cavity, as it may be a more efficient approach. The procedure for this technique involves an oral rinse, filtration and centrifugation followed up by phenotype analyses, which include comparison of the nuclear morphology, surface markers expression, and effector functions. Analytical tools such as flow cytometry, NDP.view, and Qpath can be used to assess these characteristics. If the blood and oral neutrophils feature similar characteristics this method may be adopted in the lab
Analysis of Cell Cycle Distribution in Cells Treated with Cancer Therapy Using Fluorescent Microscopy
No full textThe effectiveness of cancer therapies usually depend on how well they can disrupt the cell cycles of dividing cancer cells. In this study, we used Fluorescent Ubiquitination-based Cell Cycle Indicator (FUCCI) to track the cell cycle progression in multiple cancer cell lines treated with various drugs. FUCCI essentially color codes the cells, showcasing which stage of the cell cycle they’re in by marking G1 phase with red fluorescence, S/G2/M phases in green, and the G1/S transition being yellow since it has both. Using ZEISS microscopy software for fluorescence microscopy, we analyzed both treated and untreated cancer cell lines to see how different treatments result in a different distribution of cells among the stages of the cell cycle.
Our study focused on comparing the percentage of cells in each stage between untreated and treated cell lines. This allows us to determine which drugs may cause cell cycle arrest or change cell cycle progression in other ways. For example, differences in the number of cells arrested in the G1 phase can indicate successful treatment.
Overall, our findings will give us insight into the effectiveness of cancer therapies by assessing their ability to halt cell cycle progression in cancer cells
Radiomics: The Application of Machine Learning Algorithms in Pancreatitis Detection
No full textPediatric pancreatitis, along with other radiologically identifiable diseases, requires an early, accurate diagnosis for effective treatment. Machine Learning algorithms have become very effective in the radiology field, since radiologists focus on identifying patterns in radiology scans. However, because of the scarcity and large variance in data on pediatric pancreatitis, models to predict patient outcomes are both few and low accuracy.
This study aims to utilize a deep learning-based approach using convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for automated detection of pediatric pancreatitis with radiomics features extracted from Computed Tomography (CT) scans. By compiling datasets from all different ages, we are able to use deep learning and create a model with higher accuracy.
The model’s performance was evaluated using standard metrics such as accuracy, precision, recall, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC). Preliminary results show that our model can achieve high accuracy, demonstrating its ability to assist radiologists in diagnosing pediatric pancreatitis
To Investigate the Role of IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-3 on Hematopoietic Stem Cell and Leukemia Cell Proliferation
No full textHematopoiesis is the process by which all blood and immune cell types are continually produced. Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs) are a rare population of cells found in the bone marrow and are responsible for generating all blood cell types. HSCs are the basis of bone marrow transplantation – the cure for many diseases like blood cancers involving the replacement of an individual’s immune system with transplanted donor HSCs. As HSCs are rare, more methods for HSC proliferation ex vivo are needed for replenishing blood cells for transplantation purposes. Laboratory research has shown that Insulin Growth Factor Binding Protein-2 (IGFBP-2) and Insulin Growth Factor Binding Protein-3 (IGFBP-3), are highly expressed by different bone marrow cell types, however it’s unclear their role in healthy HSCs or in malignant leukemia cells growth. Here we investigate the impact of IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-3 in proliferation of HSCs isolated from the bone marrow of mice and analyzed using flow cytometry assay. We also test their effect on proliferation of malignant MOLM13 Leukemia Cells, a type of Acute Myeloid Leukemia that arise from mutated HSCs. Our preliminary results suggest IGFBP-2 promotes the growth of leukemia cells, while IGFBP-3 seems to promote the proliferation of healthy HSCs
Understanding the Perception of Weight Training on Cognitive Health in Aging Male Adults
No full textDementia is a common issue among aging people. While general physical activity is known to support cognitive health, perceptions regarding the benefits of strength training specifically remain undiscovered. Understanding these perceptions is essential due to the Health Belief Model (HBM). The HBM states that the likelihood that people take action to prevent a health issue is directly correlated to their perception of susceptibility to that health issue. This study investigates the perceptions of strength training’s cognitive benefits among men 50+. Participants completed a questionnaire which included demographic questions, strength training habits, and individual perception of the effects of strength training on cognitive health. The questionnaire was distributed to 42 participants ages 50+ via social media between January 25th to March 8th. The majority of the survey included participants aged 50- 69, with only 4.8% being 70+. While no participants reported a negative effect, only 21.4% of participants believed that weight training had a positive effect on cognitive health. Findings from this study show the thoughts of older men in regard to strength training and its role in dementia. These perceptions can help promote strategies that increase awareness to strength training as a way to prevent cognitive health issues