Competitions

Lightning Talk Competition

As a part of the National Postdoc Appreciation Week on September 27, 2024, Postdoctoral Affairs organized a lightning talk compeition where postdocs presented their research in four minutes and in a manner that can be understood by those outside of their disicplines. Eleven postdocs competed for prizes and shared their research in engaging manner and adhering to the strict time limit. We celebrated our postdocs with prizes, food and some Postdoctoral Affairs swag.

Here is a list of the 2024 Lightning Talk Competition participants and winners:

Saran Lotfollahzadeh, Nephrology

TNF-alpha Is a Potential Contributor to Central Venous Stenosis In Chronic Kidney Disease Rats

Abstract Introduction: In the United States, 50-80% of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients use a central venous catheter (CVC) for hemodialysis. Protracted exposure of CVCs against fragile venous walls results in central venous stenosis (CVS), which has devastating complications. Despite its higher prevalence of up to 40% in CKD patients, little is known about its pathogenesis and the means to target it.

Hypothesis: We posit that a venous guide-wire injury will induce specific perturbation of genetic pathways in the CKD milieu.

Methods: A group of twenty-two 8-12-week-old Sprague Dawley rats on 0.75 % Adenine diet (CKD rats) for two weeks and N=18 normal chaw (control ) were subjected to guide wire injury on their right internal jugular veins. Animals were harvested on days 0, 5, and 14 after the injury. GeoMax Whole transcriptome analysis was performed after validation studies.

Results: Compared to non-CKD rats, injured veins of CKD rats showed higher thrombus, deposition of extracellular matrix, and perivascular fibrosis, all consistent with CVS. Spatial transcriptomics analysis revealed significant (P < 0.05) and at least more than 50% upregulation of genes of matrix modifying enzymes (MMP 10 and 19), collagen, Notch (Notch3, Jag1), Wnt (Fad4, Axin1, Wnt11b), and Hedgehog (Gli1, Kif7, Ihh) pathways. OF these changes, a consistent 1.6 to 2-fold upregulation was noted in the Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family members (Tnfrsf1b, Traf3, ifnb1, Tradd) in endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells. This finding was validated using IHC, which demonstrated TNF-alpha upregulation in the endothelial cells of the injured veins of CKD rats (P= 0.002, P <0.0001 at days 5 and 14) compared to controls. Mechanistic probing revealed that endothelial cells exposed to the serum from CKD patients affected survival and migration (P <0.05), both of which were reversed by anti-TNF neutralizing antibodies (P =0.05).

Conclusion: Leveraging a rodent model of CVS, this study demonstrates higher perivascular fibrosis and thrombus formation in CKD rats. This is the first study examining the spatiotemporal genetic perturbation in the injured vein of CKD rats showing the multitude of pathways perturbed by the injury in the CKD milieu, some of which can be therapeutically targeted.

Indrajit Kalita, Computing & Data Sciences

Enhancing Regional Rainfall Forecasting in Ghana Using Deep Learning: A Data-Driven Approach

Forecasting rainfall is a critical process that predicts the amount of precipitation in a specific region in advance. Unlike other weather variables such as temperature or humidity, rainfall forecasting poses unique challenges due to its unpredictable nature, ranging from no precipitation to sudden downpours. Its formation is influenced by various weather factors, including temperature, wind, and humidity. While traditional numerical weather prediction (NWP) models have been used to simulate these processes, they often struggle to accurately predict rainfall, especially at the regional level where localized weather patterns can vary significantly. This research aims to enhance regional rainfall forecasting by examining the complex relationships between rainfall and other weather variables. Recognizing the significance of precise forecasting in mitigating economic losses and preparing for climate-related disasters, particularly in developing countries like Ghana, we are designing deep learning (DL) models based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs). CNNs are adept at capturing spatial relationships in weather data, as conditions in neighboring areas can significantly impact the rainfall at a specific location. Early findings from our study suggest that this approach yields promising results, especially when compared to traditional NWP models, indicating that DL could provide a more reliable method for regional rainfall prediction.

Hoi Lam Li (Second Prize), Opthamology

New Treatment Idea for the Silent Thief of Sight, Glaucoma

Glaucoma, also known as the “silent thief of sight,” has been affecting humanity for over 2,000 years. Despite extensive research, a definitive cure remains elusive. Current treatments only slow the progression of vision loss by lowering eye pressure through the regulation of fluid production and drainage in the front part of the eye. Unfortunately, this drainage system is significantly impaired in glaucomatous eyes. While most research focuses on the trabecular meshwork at the entry of the drainage system, less attention has been given to its distal portion. We aimed to explore how this often-overlooked area affects drainage. Specifically, we studied Thrombospondin-1, a protein known to increase eye pressure. Introducing this protein into pig eyes halved the drainage rate and was associated with a previously unreported reduction in the size of venous vessels in the distal portion of the drainage system, with vessel sizes also reduced by about half. These findings offer new insights into glaucoma’s pathology and suggest innovative treatment directions. Our research highlights the potential of targeting the distal drainage system to develop more effective strategies for managing and potentially reversing this debilitating disease.

Swapneel Mehta, Questrom School of Business

Limiting False Claims in Digital Marketplaces with Truth Warrants

The lack of guardrails against misleading claims on digital platforms presents significant challenges to the integrity of information marketplaces. Current content moderation strategies have proven insufficient in addressing the incentives that underlie the spread of false information. This lightning talk proposes a novel market-based mechanism to combat misleading information by leveraging “truth warrants,” which incentivize honest claims production, and provide consumers with both, the tools to challenge them, and to seek recourse when cheated. Through a series of online experiments in an e-commerce setting, we demonstrate that introducing truth warrants  reduces the prevalence of misleading advertisements, enhances social welfare, and promotes accountability among information producers. Our findings suggest that this approach is scalable across various digital platforms, offering a robust framework for improving trust and transparency in online environments. This talk contributes to the broader discourse on market design and social computing, presenting a practical intervention with implications for commercial misinformation.

Naiha Ahmad, Biochemistry & Cell Biology

Development of a cell culture system for contemporary HCoV-OC43 isolates

HCoV-OC43 is a seasonal coronavirus and one of the leading causes of the common cold worldwide. While it primarily causes upper respiratory tract infections, in infants and immunocompromised individuals, it can spread to the lungs, leading to severe outcomes. Unfortunately, there are currently no vaccines or antiviral treatments available for OC43. Research into this virus has largely been hindered by the lack of a cell culture system that supports the study of currently circulating viral isolates. Most virological studies of OC43 use a highly cell culture-adapted strain isolated from a patient with the common cold in the early 1960’s, limiting the relevance of laboratory findings to current viral strains. Our primary objective is to develop a human-derived cell culture system capable of supporting the growth and analysis of contemporary OC43 strains. We will then apply our expertise in coronavirus reverse genetics to generate recombinant OC43, enabling the investigation of individual viral proteins involved in replication and pathogenesis. These systems will not only advance basic research into OC43 but also facilitate the preclinical testing of potential vaccine candidates against the virus.

Nora Sherman, Astronomy (First Prize)

How Stellar Death Can Help Us Read the Music of the Universe

Have you ever wondered, “If everything in space joined a band, what would a supernova play?” Science may have the answer to that question now, and it might just be “da bass” – or, more accurately, DEBASS. The Dark Energy Bedrock All-Sky Supernovae program (DEBASS) aims to learn one of cosmology’s most elusive rhythms and decipher the current rate of expansion of the universe using the explosive deaths of stars. Doing so can help us better understand the make-up of the universe, the rules that govern its behavior, and how this great cosmological concert might end. So together, let’s explore some questions of cosmology, supernovae, how DEBASS can use them to read the music of the universe.

Sarah Vogel, Psychological & Brain Sciences

Timing-specific longitudinal links between the infant gut microbiome and negative affect in toddlerhood

The role of the early life gut microbiome in children’s psychopathology risk has gained increasing interest in recent years. Most research on this topic has focused on the first three to four years of life because this is a critical period for developing connections between the gut microbiome and the brain. Prior research has identified associations between variability in the composition and diversity of the gut microbiome in infancy and markers of temperamental risk for psychopathology, including negative affect. However, the specific microbes affected and the directionality of these associates have differed between studies, likely due to differences in the developmental period of focus and assessment approaches. In the current preregistered study, we examined connections between the gut microbiome, assessed at two time points in infancy (2 weeks and 18 months of age), and negative affect at 30 months in a longitudinal study of infants and their caregivers. We found that infants with higher gut microbiome diversity and Veillonella abundance at 2 weeks, and higher Ruthenibacterium abundance at 18 months, showed more observed negative affect during a study visit at 30 months. These results suggest timing-specific associations between the gut microbiome and negative affect even within this early critical period.

Shambhavi Tannir, Chemistry (Third Prize)

Chemistry and the role of New Materials in the Sustainable Energy Industry

As the global demand for energy continues to increase, there is a need to make our technologies more sustainable, efficient and mitigate their climate impacts. One way is to develop renewable energy methods such as solar cells, or photovoltaics (PV), which utilize sunlight to generate electricity. A critical advantage of solar cells, compared to fossil fuels and coal, is that they emit significantly lower amounts of air pollutants and greenhouse gases per watt of electricity generated. Solar cells are being used more widely in daily life such as in powering homes, in transportation, and in charging batteries. Here, I will highlight some of their latest developments. Currently, commercial PV technology is silicon-based which have high efficiencies but are expensive to manufacture, brittle due to their crystalline nature, and prone to weather damage. On the other hand, organic molecule-based PVs are rapidly gaining interest, with recent discoveries having similarly high efficiencies. Importantly, they don’t require harsh manufacturing conditions, are easier to maintain and can be installed on different supporting surfaces such as plastics. Additionally, organic molecules can be tailored to have specific functions, such as their transparency and color, making them viable for a variety of applications.

David Allemeier, Mechanical Engineering

Jumping Strings: Nonlinear Dynamics at the Nanoscale

The world around us is fundamentally nonlinear. This enables a range of exotic phenomena, such as chaos, stochastic resonance, and multistability, which can be observed across many seemingly unrelated fields. My work explores the fundamental nonlinear behavior of vibrating strings at the nanoscale, with applications in neuromorphic (a.k.a. brain-like) and quantum computing and precision sensing. Under certain conditions, the strings are able to vibrate at two different amplitudes. Increasing the effective temperature by adding noise to the system allows the string to spontaneously jump from one amplitude to another, like a guitar that suddenly gets very loud or quiet. In my talk, I will discuss how this behavior can mimic quantum uncertainty and explore the connections of this phenomenon with fields such as neuroscience, climate change and wildlife biology.