Author: Young Investigators Review

The Young Investigators Review is Stony Brook University's undergraduate-oriented, all-inclusive science journal. Founded in 2008, our mission is to provide the student community with a way to learn more about the research currently being done on-campus by their faculty and fellow peers. We feature articles that span all fields, from Physics to Neuroscience, as well as original student research reports straight from the campus laboratories. Our journal offers aspiring talented future researchers and physicians a way to hone their science writing skills and spread word of their experiences to inspire incoming students to think about devoting their futures to the various fields of science.
Figure 1. In light of recent climate change predictions, increasing biodiversity in bee populations may be crucial to coffee sustainability in Latin America.
2017-18

Using Biointelligence to Combat the Effects of Climate Change on Coffee Agriculture

By Meenu Johnkutty ’21 For a number of years, many scientific models predicted a decline in bee populations due to the increase in the use of bee-killing pesticides in industrial agriculture. As global temperatures continue to rise, it is expected that biodiversity among bees will also continue to decrease, jeopardizing the pollination of many crops. As pollinators are essential to the pollination of the coffea … Continue reading Using Biointelligence to Combat the Effects of Climate Change on Coffee Agriculture

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Figure 1. Listening to happy music improved subjects’ scores in creative thinking.
2017-18

The Effect of Happy Music on Creative Thinking

By Meenu Johnkutty ’21 Innovative solutions are needed to solve the world’s most pressing problems and therefore; creativity is essential to the advancement of society. A recent study conducted by the Netherlands’ Radboud University, in collaboration with the University of Technology in Australia, shed light on how listening to happy music affects the formation of resourceful thoughts. The 155 participants that took part in the … Continue reading The Effect of Happy Music on Creative Thinking

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Figure 1. Researchers from Brown University developed a 3-D printable biomaterial that can form reversible crosslinks.
2017-18

Controlled Degradation of 3-D Printed Biomaterials

By Meghan Bialt-DeCelie ’19 The explosion of 3-D printing technologies allows custom and precise structures to be made quickly and inexpensively. Researchers led by Thomas Valentin from Brown University utilize stereolithographic 3-D printing to create biocompatible structures that could degrade in response to chemical cues. The technique of stereolithography involves shooting photons at unpolymerized materials causing them to form crosslinks with themselves to build a … Continue reading Controlled Degradation of 3-D Printed Biomaterials

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Figure 1. Radiative sky cooling panels increases the electric efficiency of cooling systems by passively emitting heat into outer space.
2017-18

Electric-less Cooling

By Meghan Bialt-DeCelie ’19 Cooling systems are one of the largest and most inefficient consumers of electricity. The goal of cooling systems is to reduce the condenser temperature to below the ambient temperature. Evaporative cooling systems can achieve this, but they require a great amount of water loss to do so. A new cooling alternative may be within reach as described in a study led … Continue reading Electric-less Cooling

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Figure 1. Scientists from UCLA controlled expression of genes Drp1 and Atg1 in fruit flies to promote breakdown and removal of damaged mitochondria.
2017-18, Biology, Genetics

Controlling Mitochondria to Stop the Clocks

By Meghan Bialt-DeCelie ’19 The respiratory function of the mitochondrion, the energy producing organelle found in the cell, can decline over time. This is because of how the mitochondrion enlarge and assume a more elongated shape. Typically, that mitochondrion will eventually break down and get removed processes called mitochondrial fission and mitophagy respectively. Accumulation of the ineffective mitochondria and inability to remove them are major … Continue reading Controlling Mitochondria to Stop the Clocks

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Figure 1. Cardiac imaging techniques, such as echocardiograms and cardiac MRI, allow us to view the structure of the heart in order to diagnose and monitor heart disease.
2017-18, Biology

New Model Predicts How Genetics Affects Heart Structure

By Gene Yang ’19 Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect in the world. This broad group of genetic conditions affect the heart’s structure and function in different ways, with symptoms ranging from harmless to fatal. However, very little is known about how a human’s genetic makeup affects cardiovascular development. A recent study, which constructed a model that predicts correlations between genetics and … Continue reading New Model Predicts How Genetics Affects Heart Structure

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Figure 1. The benthic zone, which includes the sea floor, sediment, and surrounding waters, is the lowest ecological level in a body of water.
2017-18, Ecology

Warming Waters Unexpectedly Alters Growth of Antarctica’s Sea Life

By Gene Yang ’19 In shallow Antarctic waters, a nine-month long study was the first of its kind to artificially warm conditions in the sea floor to predicted climate change levels, and in doing so, the researchers saw an increase in the growth rates of select species. Scientists placed artificial “settlement panels” on the sea floor of shallow Antarctic waters. The composition of these panels … Continue reading Warming Waters Unexpectedly Alters Growth of Antarctica’s Sea Life

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Figure 1. Ghost crabs are Crustaceans of the subfamily Ocypodinae, found in intertidal zones in America’s Pacific Coast and elsewhere around the world.
2017-18, Ecology

Crustacean Body Size Changes with Climate

By Gene Yang ’19 Crustaceans play an important role in coastal ecosystems, an area of research that can provide new insight into climate change. A recent study found a correlation between body sizes of intertidal crustaceans, latitude, and sea-surface temperature. A collaboration of researchers from six universities sampled the body sizes of four keystone crustacean species from 44 sandy beaches in California and Chile: high-shore … Continue reading Crustacean Body Size Changes with Climate

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Figure 1. Despite being known for entertainment, Disney has also gained an edge in technological research via 3D printing and modeling. Shown here is one of the compliant mechanisms created in a study from Disney’s research division.
2016-17, Engineering

New Disney Study Suggests More Effective 3D Printing Designs

By Caleb Sooknanan ’20 Compliant mechanisms are mechanisms that can transfer forces or displacements to other points along their bodies. 3D printing can be used to quickly and effectively design compliant mechanisms for commercial use, but more work is needed to understand how such devices can be printed. Doctor Bernhard Thomaszewski and researchers from Disney Research Zurich in Switzerland devised a computational tool that would … Continue reading New Disney Study Suggests More Effective 3D Printing Designs

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Figure 1. Lutein is a naturally occurring pigment found within foods such as kiwifruits. A study from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign suggests that an intake of lutein can reduce cognitive decline in adults.
2016-17, Health, Neuroscience

The Effects of Carotenoids on Cognitive Ability

By Caleb Sooknanan ’20 Lutein — a carotenoid or pigment from green foods such as spinach and kiwifruit — can be quantified in central nervous system tissue, making it a useful way of evaluating diet’s effect on the brain. However, scientists are still determining whether higher lutein amounts yield cognitive ability improvements. Doctor Naiman A. Khan and researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign … Continue reading The Effects of Carotenoids on Cognitive Ability

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Figure 1. Scientists strive to create wearable smart devices that can detect physiological phenomena in real time. According to a study from UC Berkeley, new ear devices can be 3D printed and used to indicate patients’ true body temperatures.
2016-17, Engineering, Health

3D-Printed Ear Devices Detect Core Body Temperature

By Caleb Sooknanan ’20 Healthcare sensors are frequently used to detect skin temperature, but more research is needed to design a device that can pinpoint core body temperature levels and help doctors predict the likelihood of fever, fatigue, and other physiological phenomena. Professor Ali Javey and researchers at the University of California, Berkeley designed a printable smart device that — when placed on a patient’s … Continue reading 3D-Printed Ear Devices Detect Core Body Temperature

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Figure 1. Enzyme that plays a role in memory loss can be inhibited to treat Alzheimer’s disease
2016-17, Biology, Psychology

Disrupting Enzyme To Tackle Alzheimer’s Disease

By Rideeta Raquib ’19 From histone modifications to DNA alterations, epigenetic processes play a major role in various physiological systems. Histones are proteins in eukaryotic cells that package DNA strands into nucleosomes. Gene regulation processes include histone acetylation, whereby an acetyl group is transferred from one molecule to another. This eventually removes the positive charge on the histones, giving nucleosomes a relaxed structure and allowing … Continue reading Disrupting Enzyme To Tackle Alzheimer’s Disease

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