Undergraduate Research @ SFSC

Students Samantha Cruz, Kalel Garcia-Herreros, Joan Go, Kylie Labra, Jesus Ruiz-Cantellano (BSC-1420C-1, Summer 2024); mentors Drs. James Hawker, Mintoo Patel, Daniel Sanches, Joe Velenovsky

Carylanne Joubert Maier, SFSC English/Humanities Instructor

Eilyn Estrada Garcia, SFSC Art Student; mentor Karla Respress

Abstract

SAMLA 96 conference presentation, Nov. 15-17, 2024, Jacksonville, FL

Student Eilyn Estrada; Mentor Professor Karla Respress

Abstract: In the creation of my studio art series, From Home to Hope: A Visual Opportunity of Freedom from Cuba to America, I started by studying the content of the artworks of Cuban American artist, Luis Cruz Azaceta. I began to identify the shared experiences of Cuban immigrants and became interested in finding an artistic methodology that would allow me to communicate my personal experience of immigrating from Cuba to the United States. The medium of collage afforded me the opportunity to use maps and imagery sourced from the Internet as well as my personal photographs. In creating with both shared and personal imagery, the materials themselves became an analogy for the work, combining experiences that are shared among Cuban immigrants and those that are mine alone. The creation of my series is ongoing, but I have been able to express not only how my experiences as a child in Cuba affects who I am and the decisions that I make today, but also how they relate to the shared experiences of other Cuban Americans.

Student Eilyn Estrada; Mentor Professor Karla Respress
Poster presentation

Students Joan Go, Samantha Cruz, Kalel Garcia-Herreros, Kylie Labra & Jesus Ruiz-Cantellano; Mentors Dr. Mintoo Patel, Dr. James Hawker, Dr. Daniel Sanches, Dr. Joseph Velenovsky IV

Abstract: DNA barcoding is a modern technique for the identification of a species by analyzing a specific segment of DNA, or its barcode, which is unique to every organism. Our project dove into the basics of DNA barcoding by classifying two unknown arthropods — one spider and one ant — from the Lake Wales Ridge, a part of the North American Coastal Plain biodiversity hotspot. Our goal was to identify the genus and species of these two arthropods to gain a fundamental understanding of the procedure’s methodology. The specimens’ DNA was extracted, and approximately 700 base sequences were amplified through a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the invertebrate/ant cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) forward and reverse primers. DNA fragments were separated and viewed through gel electrophoresis using a 2% agarose solution. Lastly, the sequences were sent to the DNA sequencing company Genewiz and were viewed on DNA Subway, a bioinformatics program. From there, sequences were trimmed, aligned, and compared with other pre-recorded sequences on the platform. The ant was identified as the Pseudomyrmex gracilis, and the spider as the Gasteracantha cancriformis. Our study provided practical experience in DNA barcoding, crucial for documenting Earth’s diminishing biodiversity and for the potential discovery of new species