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Effect of mTOR on Hematopoietic Differentiation of hESC
No full textiv, 37 p.mTOR is an important factor in hematopoietic differentiation. In this study, in order to examine the impact of mTOR on differentiation, human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines were differentiated into hematopoietic lineages with or without an mTOR agonist or an mTOR antagonist, then were analyzed with flow cytometry, gene expressions, and their colony-forming ability. mTOR reporter hESCs were also analyzed for mTOR activity during hematopoietic differentiation. We also tested direct effects of mTOR signaling on CD34+ hemogenic endothelial cells using the H9 hESC line. CD34+ cells from day 4 hematopoietic differentiation were treated with an mTOR agonist and an mTOR antagonist and were examined with gene expression. Our study showed that the mTOR agonist and mTOR antagonist showed some effects on hematopoiesis with variations among cell lines, but further investigation will be required. Additionally, during mTOR activity over time analysis, two populations differing in mTOR activity among those with decreased activity were observed, suggesting two distinct populations
Internship Reflection at Edward Jones
No full text13 p.This paper serves as a reflection on my internship experience as an On-Call Branch Office Administrator and Financial Planning Intern at an Edward Jones office here in Kalamazoo, Michigan, during the 2024 summer. I had the unique opportunity to work within a dynamic financial services firm, gaining insights into both the administrative side as well as the client service side of financial planning. This rewarding internship experience provided me an opportunity to recall previous classes I have taken during my time at Kalamazoo College and apply different lessons and strategies to real world situations. The two classes I found most beneficial to my experience was Money and Banking, and Financial Mark as well as Selling Strategy
Engineering Growth : Software Development with Web3sense.Ai
No full text17 p.This paper details my internship experience with Web3Sense.ai, a startup specializing in cryptocurrency analytics within the Web3 space. Over the summer, I engaged in front-end software development, focusing on creating a website and an interactive user portal to enhance Web3Sense’s digital presence. My work involved implementing authentication systems, designing user interfaces, and developing a marketing package generator using Firebase and database-driven algorithms. Through Agile development methodologies, I gained hands-on experience in modern web frameworks such as Next.js and Tailwind CSS, while also deepening my understanding of client-side and server-side rendering. This internship provided invaluable exposure to industry workflows, real-world problem-solving, and collaboration with senior developers and company executives. Ultimately, this experience solidified my passion for software development in financial technology and gave me a clearer direction for my future career
Pruner to Painbrush
No full text24 p.This summer-long project was composed of two parts: volunteer service and a set of four paintings. The volunteer service was done with the Forest District of DuPage County, in Illinois. The main goal of the volunteer work was to help maintain the health of the forest preserves by removing invasive species, collecting native seeds, properly cutting up brush, and maintaining the trails to be as safe as possible. This built skills that can prove useful for a future in direct conservation work, such as plant identification, knowledge of how to use heavy tools, and an ability to adapt quickly along with the environment. It also provided opportunities for leadership and responsibility that developed a healthier sense of self. The paintings were done to correlate with each main task and work through how it felt to overcome the obstacles in learning them. Overall, the goal of the project was to balance the building of practical skills with a form of self-care, which was successfully met by the end of the three months
Physiological and reproductive divergence of two subspecies of the Atlantic killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus
No full textiv, 16 p.When a species has a broad geographic range, it is subjected to a wide range of environmental conditions. Species who range along the Atlantic Coast of North America deal with conditions across a broad spectrum from the northern to southern ends of the coast. One such species, the Atlantic killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus, has diverged into two subspecies, F. h. macrolepidotus in the northern half of the range and F. h. heteroclitus in the southern half. Research has shown that these two subspecies vary in physiological and reproductive traits related to temperature, seasonality, hypoxia, and salinity differences in their ranges. These differences are congruent with along-gradient and countergradient variation. While having a lower temperature threshold, F. h. macrolepidotus has been observed to have a preference for higher temperatures and faster developmental rates at warm temperatures, suggesting that the subspecies’ thermal biology is influenced by both temperature and seasonality within its range. A similar trend is evident in F. h. heteroclitus’ higher hypoxia tolerance being due to both decreased oxygen solubility in warm waters and F. h. macrolepidotus having a higher metabolic demand. Evidence also exists of a difference in freshwater tolerance between the two subspecies, with F. h. macrolepidotus having a higher tolerance to freshwater, but the underlying ecological explanation for this has yet to be fully understood. Divergence in reproductive strategy, also due to seasonality, and the existence of barriers to wild hybridization both act to maintain the two subpopulations separate. These differences make F. heteroclitus a good potential model for exploring how subspecies adapt to human induced environmental change and how they influence their ecosystems
The Politics of Despair : Revolution in Mourning
No full text158 p.In a spirit of good faith with the reader, I will openly state this now; I approach these questions dialectically, and with attention paid to underlying material circumstances. In this sense, it would not be unfair to characterize my approach as Marxist. However, it should also be stated that this outlook was arrived at through historical study; I simply find it to be the most effective and illuminating strategy. I did not, however, write this essay out of a false nostalgia for post-war labor politics, or as an attempt to rescue a Marxist political project. I hope instead that it expresses, more than anything, an earnest effort at understanding amidst our era of jumbled
narrations and mass confusion, and an awareness of the manner in which our political projects have come to be composed almost purely of dead ends. The subject matter of my SIP; failed revolution and the entrenchment of economic and political elites, is my attempt at understanding a history of how we arrived at our current moment–a history which I believe is much too rarely narrativized. It is, in my mind, a history just as rich with lessons for the present as it is with failure, and historical bewilderment. Given that I am presenting a narrative, I am, of course, aware of the potential for it to be faulty, misleading, or incomplete. I view these, however, to be merely the hazards of historical work; the alternative—an utter void of broader historical purpose (in many ways, the chief affliction of our age), is a disaster of its own
My Body, Your Body, and The Transgender Body : Analyzing Gender Performativity, Queer World Making and Transformative Landscapes
No full textiv, 37 p.Exploring transgender women’s bodies in modern society constitutes a multitude of discourses: of the self, society, and values. Due to currently residing in a cis-sexist heteronormative culture reveals the interwoven fabric of the machine; Systems replicate into culminating arrangements of oppression that aim to dictate and produce stagnant versions of modern life. Transgender women are ridiculed and face much intersectional violence because of the nature of being “othered” in society. By acknowledging the burdens and systems affecting transgender people, this leads to a holistic deconstruction of power, hierarchies, and binaries. Similarly, the explicit function of gender performativity is vital to this discourse in highlighting the social actors and systems involved in maintaining gender. Our current systems inherently uphold compounding oppressions further harming transformative landscapes. The foundations of interlocking oppression expose how hope and radical potential become prominent in queer world-making, thus producing a world in which transgender women and LGBTQIA+ livelihoods are valued; recontextualizing the accepted status quo. This SIP argues the end of scapegoating the intersectional harm trans women face, to call attention to the current realities through personal experience and theory. This Sip also aims to deconstruct the singularity that oppression produces through exploring communal resistance, as well as producing a holistic seed that can incubate the world we are continuously working towards
From the Classroom to the Ballpark
No full text11 p.I had the pleasure of being an Office of the President intern for the United Shoreline Professional Baseball League (USPBL) this past summer. The USPBL organization is an independent baseball league based in Utica, Michigan. Since its founding in May 2015, the USPBL has rapidly grown into a respected organization, now in its ninth season, with four teams and 52 players advancing to the MLB farm system. This organization goes above and beyond in an attempt to fulfill its stated purpose. That statement being, “It is our mission to create a Disney like experience with the cleanest, safest, most friendly family entertainment experience for every guest attending an event at Jimmy John’s Field.” During my time with the USPBL I worked over two hundred and sixty-seven hours across sixteen games. With that much time spent with the organization I was able to gain new knowledge and experience with the sporting world industry which I never had. Being able to spend time with the company’s President and assistant to the president, I was able to watch how an organization should be operated. As an intern, I contributed to various business functions, including marketing, advertising, operations, management, and sales, each enhancing my understanding of the industry and how these areas interconnect. While I was with the USPBL for the majority of the season, I was able to work in their front office and at the ballpark. With spending weekdays in their front office I was able to help with payroll, customer relationship management, scheduling, premium hospitality management, marketing, strategic business development, and capital investment pitches. During the weekends I was able to go to the field and help get game day ready. These tasks on game days included: setting up VIP guest areas, parking operations coordinator, and fan engagement
Mindset Talent Internship
No full text9 p.I worked as a talent development intern at Mindset Talent from early May until Early August. Mindset Talent is a small firm that blends human resources and consulting to better its clients. The basis of the services Mindset Talent provides can be summarized as clients hear of Mindset Talent through previous clients, these new clients come to Mindset Talent and outline what issues they wanted fixed in their organization. Then Mindset Talent composes an individual strategy to help this client’s specific needs, often through gathering opinions of all employees. Once information is gathered activities can be planned as well as formulas are created to help fix said problems, and hopefully when Mindset Talent finishes the client will feel more confident and will have a smoother operation
Pan's Labyrinth and Innocent Voices : Challenging the Sacralized Childhood
No full text54 p.This research paper studies the representation of the growth process of the child and/or adolescent protagonists. Ofelia and Chava, the main characters of El laberinto del fauno (2006) and Voces inocentes (2004) directed by Guillermo del Toro and Luis Mandoki respectively, show that the passage from childhood to adolescence is marked by loss and violence. El laberinto del fauno and Voces inocentes are inspired by specific armed conflicts: the Spanish Civil War and the Civil War in El Salvador, respectively. The films explore how armed conflicts and their harsh reality accelerate the growth of children and adolescents. This process is accompanied by loss, trauma and, often, death. Ofelia, in El laberinto del fauno and Chava, in Voces inocentes are pushed into situations where they must make difficult decisions associated with the adult world. Thus, they face unimaginable horrors and take on roles that defy their age, experience and innocence