Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP)

George Mason scientists explore adhesives to advance preservation of historical texts

Colleen Rich — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 18:49:44 +0000

George Mason scientists explore adhesives to advance preservation of historical texts Colleen Rich Thu, 07/11/2024 - 14:49

What does science have to do with the conservation of historical texts? Everything.

Doctoral student Rocío Prisby. Photo provided

Rocío Prisby, a biosciences doctoral student at ��AV, led the first comprehensive analysis of proteins found within wheat starch-based and flour-based pastes used in historic texts.

This study produced a working database for historians to cross-reference for their own samples that will ultimately result in greater understanding of the evolution of adhesives, while also providing a starting point to determine the best conservation practices for bookbinding and paper conservation.

Each sample tells a story—someone in the 1500s mixing flour, water, and milk in a large bowl to create a paste that binds paper; another in the 1600s hoping to improve their glue’s viscosity with a dash of egg. But each story is different, and the uncertainty in these mixtures reinforces the need for a central database to aid in historical research.

“We still don’t know when in human history people stopped mixing flour and water and shifted to starches,” said Prisby, who also has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from George Mason. “So, you can’t make any assumptions for what a book’s glue makeup might be.”

Prisby worked alongside George Mason researchers Alessandra Luchini and Lance Liotta of the Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, as well as Caroline Solazzo from the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute. Their study, published in the Journal of Proteome Research, involved extracting wheat proteins from three small leather cover samples obtained from the National Library of Medicine.

Photo by Getty Images

Their methodology sought to establish a protocol capable of identifying wheat proteins, along with collagen and other proteins commonly found in leather and adhesives. The results were then compared to a database containing collagen proteins from various sources like cattle, sheep, goats, and chicken eggs, as well as wheat proteins from common wheat.

Analysis of historical samples indicates a shift away from using whole wheat for glue production towards the use of starch-based glues. This transition has led to a noticeable decrease in protein content, as the starch extraction process significantly reduces the protein levels in the final product.

Consequently, samples containing starch-based glue exhibit considerably lower protein concentrations compared to those containing traditional wheat-based glue. Environmental conditions and extraction techniques also influence protein composition. Prisby said understanding the chemical changes in wheat-based adhesives is crucial for conservation and restoration practices, particularly in comprehending the degradation of samples over time.

The study’s researchers suggest that further investigation into wheat pastes and other plant-based adhesives should consider a diverse array of factors, including preparation methods, additives, aging processes, and the extensive variety and composition of the raw materials used.

A native of Argentina, Prisby (formerly Cornero) began her chemistry studies at a local university before moving to the United States. She continued her studies at Northern Virginia Community College and was in the first ADVANCE cohort to transfer to George Mason.

Prisby began researching proteins as an undergraduate in the College of Science’s Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP). In that early research, she studied the proteins in honey to monitor the health of the local environment while also seeking to identify a biomarker that might detect and diagnose diseases in honey bees.

It was through that project that Prisby met Luchini and became interested in her lab’s work in proteomics.

“Dr. Luchini is a great mentor. She dedicates so much time to her students,” said Prisby. “It doesn’t matter what knowledge or experience level you’re at, she meets you where you are.”

When Prisby graduated from George Mason with her undergraduate degree in chemistry, it was Luchini who encouraged her to pursue a PhD in Biosciences.

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Ghimire awarded NSF CAREER Award for quantum science research on synthesis and study of magnetic topological materials

John Hollis — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 16:56:47 +0000

Ghimire awarded NSF CAREER Award for quantum science research on synthesis and study of magnetic topological materials John Hollis Wed, 02/02/2022 - 11:56

Nirmal Jeevi Ghimire awarded NSF Career Award for quantum science research on synthesis and study of magnetic topological materials. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

��AV’s Nirmal Jeevi Ghimire has been awarded a National Science Foundation CAREER Award for his research into the design of materials for magnetic and electronic topological properties that can pave the way to thinner, faster and more energy-efficient devices.

Ghimire, an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy within Mason’s College of Science, will receive a total of more $560,000 in grant money from the NSF for his work in synthesizing and studying topological materials where an underlying crystal structure of the material allows the interplay between the material’s magnetism and electronic structure to influence one or the other, thus allowing emergence of novel properties, such as quantum anomalous Hall effect, which can play a crucial role in designing the building block of future technologies such as quantum computing.

Ghimire likened this next potential technological step from the current Silicon Age to the leap from the Stone Age to the Bronze and then Iron Ages.

“The Stone Age didn’t end because of lack of stones—it ended because people found better materials when they found bronze and then iron,” he said, recounting the famous quote. “We need new materials to go past the silicon-based technology that has hit a limit in terms of making thinner, faster and more energy-efficient devices.”

By designing and changing the crystal structure of the material, Ghimire seeks to change the magnetism and influence the electronic topological properties.

“This research examines this issue of the fundamental science, how can we influence the electronic properties by changing the magnetic properties or vice versa and find a system that can potentially be used in these future spintronic devices,” Ghimire explained.

Most modern-day computers and microelectronics make use of the semiconductor silicon, which exploits the electron’s charge to store, transmit, and process information. Although silicon has been instrumental in technological advancements over the past several decades, use of the electron’s intrinsic spin, in addition to its charge, holds promise for thinner, faster and more energy-efficient devices. Discovering material that better serves as a platform for the process has long been the challenge.

Using crystal materials he and his team will grow in a lab, Ghimire hope to then change the structure of that material, altering its magnetism and its influence on electronic topological properties.

Their work could lead to critical advances that could shape future technology and quantum information science and pave the way for quantum computing.

Among the goals of the project, which is expected to begin in August, is to bring materials synthesis and characterization to students and the broader community in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area through the recruitment of both undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented groups, curriculum development in quantum materials, and workshop organization on materials synthesis and characterization for undergraduate and graduate students.

The novel materials synthesized in his lab will not only be important to Ghimire’s research activities, but crucial for the Physics and Astronomy Department’s condensed matter program as a whole and the university’s vision in the development of research activities in quantum materials, said department chair Paul T. So. Materials synthesis is one program that can quickly develop collaborations and enhance both theoretical and other experimental research efforts.

Ghimire and his team will collaborate with scientists both within and outside of Mason.

“Students and postdocs trained during this work will get the direct benefit, and Mason will have impact, in preparing the next generation in the synthesis of quantum materials,” So said. “Sharing of the materials synthesized will help grow Mason’s collaboration to national and international institutions and research centers. This is particularly important for a young institution like ours.”

The project also seeks to engage high school students—who may not see science career paths represented in their communities—in research through existing K-12 programs as Mason’s Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program and STEM Accelerator Program.

“We want to do good fundamental science, and it feels really good to be recognized for this important work,” Ghimire said.

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Governor's School @ Innovation Park student Comfort Ohajunwa leads exceptional STEM research

Colleen Rich — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 13:11:44 +0000

Governor's School @ Innovation Park student Comfort Ohajunwa leads exceptional STEM research Colleen Rich Wed, 07/07/2021 - 09:11

High school student Comfort Ohajunwa met her ASSIP mentor Padmanabhan Seshaiyer in person for the first time in early July on the Science and Technology Campus. Photo by Shelby Burgess/Strategic Communications

High school student Comfort Ohajunwa is making extraordinary strides in mathematical and computing research, thanks in part to her strong connection to ��AV’s STEM programs.

Ohajunwa, a rising senior at The Governor’s School @ Innovation Park on Mason’s Science and Technology Campus, first gained exposure to research through membership in Mason’s Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP) in the summer of 2020.

“What attracted me to the program was seeing that I could actually work on real research with some people who are in fields that I’m interested in,” Ohajunwa said.

Padmanabhan Seshaiyer, Ohajunwa’s mentor and a professor of mathematical sciences at Mason, selected her from the list of applicants for ASSIP and continues supporting her innovative research efforts.

Ohajunwa’s continued connection to Mason has helped her accomplish some remarkable things despite having never met Seshaiyer in person until July 2021, as much of her time at The Governor’s School has been virtual because of the pandemic.

Over the past year, Ohajunwa has been doing mathematical modeling research concerning the impact of behavioral patterns on the spread of COVID-19.

Seshaiyer, who encourages research that makes an impact, said, “[Ohajunwa] didn’t just express that she wanted to do mathematics and computing. She said, ‘I want to solve a real-world challenge.’ ” And what better problem than COVID-19.”

“We’ve looked at how we can, for instance, add the effects of lockdown or social distancing or even if we have two groups of people with different behaviors—one behaving group who’s complying with the rules, and another group that’s not complying or not social distancing—and seeing how those interactions between those groups and how those behaviors also affect the spread of COVID-19,” Ohajunwa said.

Ohajunwa is the lead author of a research paper on this topic published in the Computational and Mathematical Biophysics journal, with another research paper already accepted and two others in progress.

According to Ohajunwa, one of the papers involves collaborative work with researchers in Colombia who are applying Ohajunwa’s model to research COVID-19 dynamics in Bogota.

Seshaiyer said that other research involves studying the links between COVID-related lockdown time and domestic violence, which will be presented at the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics’ July meeting.

Ohajunwa has already presented her work at two international mathematics conferences: the NimBioS Undergraduate Research Conference and the Symposium on Biomathematics Ecology Education and Research.

“When I first started doing ASSIP, I wasn’t really expecting to end up publishing a paper … but it allowed me to connect with Dr. Seshaiyer and also present at conferences, work on papers, and continue expanding and growing the project,” Ohajunwa said.

This summer, Ohajunwa is one of only 52 U.S. students participating in the 38th annual Research Science Institute, held in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“She’s going to be such a great role model for women of color,” Seshaiyer said. “I think she’s going to be one of those champions that’s definitely going to make such a big difference in science and engineering.”

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Using virtual reality to support addiction recovery

Colleen Rich — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 09:05:59 +0000

Using virtual reality to support addiction recovery Colleen Rich Mon, 10/19/2020 - 05:05

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Can virtual reality help people with substance abuse issues avoid a relapse? A team of ��AV researchers thinks it just might.

Image courtesy of Brightline Interactive

The multidisciplinary team, which includes faculty members Holly Matto, Padmanabhan Seshaiyer, Stephanie Carmack, and Nathalia Peixoto, and graduate student Matthew Scherbel, is working with Brightline Interactive to examine the effects of recovery cues, using virtual reality simulations, on neurophysiological regulation to prevent drug relapse.

The work is supported by a Small Business Technology Transfer grant from the National Institutes of Health. Brightline Interactive is a team of creative technologists that designs and builds virtual reality experiences, specializing in rapid development of custom end-to-end hardware/software solutions. These solutions use immersive virtual reality/augmented reality/extended reality technologies and techniques, such as motion, object, optical and facial tracking, artificial intelligence/machine learning, and sensor-integration, to allow for simulated utilization of physical objects in virtual reality environments for simulation and training purposes.

Matto is a social worker who worked with individuals in recovery from substance use before she became a university professor. She has used that practice experience to guide her research with diverse clinical populations.

“It’s my favorite population to work with,” said Matto, who is an associate professor in the Department of Social Work in the College of Health and Human Services.

Matto found that the first weeks in recovery are a tricky time for individuals in recovery, with a critical need for support to maintain their sobriety goals, especially when it comes to dealing with triggers, those sensory reminders of their substance use within their environment that might cause a relapse.

“It takes more than a strong commitment to be sober,” Matto says. “You may not be able to think your way through [when triggered].”

She said research shows that intensity of craving experience can still be quite high even after two months of abstinence. This led Matto to think about the importance of real-time interventions to support recovery when these individuals leave treatment.

“We are interested in understanding how we can disrupt the drug trigger-craving-relapse chain by using customized recovery cue substitutions—positive stimuli associated with recovery—to regulate the brain and body’s reaction to the people, places, objects and other daily stimuli that increase relapse risk for people in recovery,” she said.

The intervention the team is working on with Brightline involves virtual reality and having the person wearing the VR goggles interact with triggering objects while being able to assess their physiological response.

The team did some preliminary work this summer with students in Mason’s Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program. One of their interns, Noah Egan, a 2020 Brentsville District High School graduate, taught himself how to use the game engine Unity in order to create what is very similar to a 3D video game in which a person would interact with an addiction trigger or cue.

“We have some new ideas that haven’t been used in social work before, which is the point of adding engineering to a community problem,” said Peixoto, an associate professor in the Volgenau School of Engineering who mentored Egan. “[This intervention] is a little bit more than game design and a little bit more than computer science, because we want to measure physiological variables.”

The Brightline-Mason team plans to build on this initial work and create an in-session interactive VR task that tracks the participant's gaze in order to understand where they are fixating attention on each recovery cue. From this data, the team can assess what imagery is particularly attractive to each participant and identify which cues cause a particular physiological reaction.

The results may lead to the development of a nonpharmacological mobile recovery support system to help individuals manage cravings and avoid relapse.

“I am really excited about this project, not only because it addresses such a critical issue, as we have seen increases in substance use during pandemic, but also because it represents an extraordinary collaboration among technology industry professionals, university faculty, community clinical care, and individuals in recovery,” said Rebekah Hersch, interim associate vice president for research and innovation at Mason. “As with nearly all complex problems, it takes a multidisciplinary team to tackle the problem and make a real difference in the lives of so many people.”

ASSIP’s student researchers continue to contribute despite the pandemic

Colleen Rich — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 09:00:52 +0000

ASSIP’s student researchers continue to contribute despite the pandemic Colleen Rich Fri, 08/07/2020 - 05:00

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George Mason scientists explore adhesives to advance preservation of historical texts

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