I study the evolution of galaxies using cosmological hydrodynamic simulations. These galaxy simulations allow us to explore theoretical explanations for the mechanisms that govern galaxy growth and evolution. I use specialized python packages to investigate the gas and stars that make up these galaxies. My research focuses on understanding the circumgalactic medium (CGM), the halo of gas that surrounds a galaxy. Oxygen is an important element to study within the CGM of Milky Way-mass galaxies. The abundance of different oxygen ions in the CGM can reflect the impact of processes that drive galactic evolution such as: supermassive black hole (SMBH) activity, star formation history, and galaxy growth. By understanding how oxygen plays a role in our simulations, we can better understand the histories driving observations of galaxies in the universe. An initial result of my current work involves the total oxygen mass abundance in the CGM of two different galaxy simulations. Each of my galaxies have significantly different amounts of oxygen in their CGM — by over an order of magnitude. Additionally, the galaxy with less total oxygen mass sees an increase in abundance at larger radii. To determine the evolutionary process that is driving the discrepancy in oxygen mass between these two galaxies, I will investigate the activity of their SMBHs, measure the amounts of different oxygen ions in their CGM, and determine where these galaxies fall on the mass-metallicity relation.

In 2020 marijuana use among college students was at an all-time high with 44% reporting using in the past year. Research demonstrates individuals with ADHD are at risk for increased marijuana use later in life. Additionally, some studies demonstrate self-reported symptoms of ADHD among undiagnosed college students prospectively relate to increased marijuana use, which was mediated by changes in perceptions of typical peer marijuana use (i.e., descriptive norms). However, this is complicated by frequent marijuana use being linked to issues with attention, impulsivity, and memory; all captured by self-reported ADHD measures. This study will evaluate bidirectional relations between ADHD-related symptoms, marijuana descriptive norms, and marijuana use among college students. Data collection is in progress and will be completed in March 2022 as part of a larger study. Students completed assessments at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. A cross-lagged panel model will be conducted in R using the lavaan package to evaluate the bidirectional associations over a 1-year period, as well as test whether marijuana norms at 6 months mediate the longitudinal associations between ADHD-related symptoms and marijuana use from baseline to 12 months.  We hypothesize those reporting more ADHD-related symptoms will use marijuana more frequently 6 months later. Additionally, those who use marijuana more frequently will report more ADHD-related symptoms after 6 months. We also hypothesize that those experiencing more ADHD-related symptoms at baseline will have increased marijuana norms at 6 months and subsequent greater marijuana use at 12 months. This study attempts to disentangle the bidirectional associations between ADHD-related symptoms, marijuana norms, and marijuana use over a one-year period. Conclusions and future directions for research will be presented. Additionally, this study may have implications for norms-based interventions to better address memory, impulsivity, and other ADHD-related symptoms in association with marijuana use and perceptions.

As Internet of Things (IoT) devices--networked computing technologies embedded directly in objects that interact with or sense the environment in some way--are increasingly incorporated into the built environment, the amount of data collected on users simultaneously increases. From this arises a quantitative concern of managing data points and the security of devices, as well as a societal concern of ensuring privacy. Thus, it is imperative to address not only the benefits of IoT devices, but also the tangible and potential harms, including privacy harms. From this baseline, I have researched the following question: How does the data collected by connected devices--both aggregate and personally-identifiable--affect the appropriate flow of information and reshape conceptions of privacy? In studying this question, I have centered my methodology on analyzing the privacy risks of devices in both public and private spaces by conducting a literature review of privacy theory and policy. In doing so, preliminary results have yielded that, while privacy policies may be targeted to one generic user, privacy harm does not affect populations congruently. My research has visualized how subjective and objective privacy harms in the built environment have varying effects on individuals, as people's conceptions of privacy are not congruent to start with and are reshaped differentially by connected devices. To curb these vulnerabilities and differing effects, scholars have proposed a social contract theory of privacy. Instead of placing the burden of privacy on a single actor, privacy may instead be seen as a social contract, in which individuals and groups obtain the agency to determine how their information is communicated. In this way, the differential vulnerabilities of populations can be preemptively accounted for, reducing the risk of privacy harm in a proactive manner.

This project explores gender and identity during the Siege of Leningrad (September 8 1941 - January 27 1944) as articulated by child diarists Elena Mukhina and Iura Riabinkin. Iura is a disabled young man, who struggles to reestablish a sense of masculinity and purpose after being rejected from the army; he slowly loses his physical strength, a pillar of his male identity, due to extreme starvation and grapples with feelings of worthlessness. Lena is a young woman who grounds her femininity, and thus her self-worth, in her work as a hospital orderly; once she is required to return to school, she attempts to commit herself to the genderless “Soviet student” ideal but finds difficulty in relinquishing her feminine identity. During the German encirclement of the city during WWII, Leningraders suffered tremendously, fighting to survive without ample food, electricity, or water, all while isolated from the rest of the USSR. This deeply traumatic experience redefined Leningrad’s cultural landscape, specifically raising questions about Soviet gender culture. In their diaries, these two 16-year-old students demonstrate the changing norms through their perceptions of traditional gender roles, self-worth, and their own masculinity and femininity. This project focuses on the diarists’ use of gendered language and how it changes over the course of the war, offering historical context to suggest explanations for these changes. In the academic discourse surrounding the Siege, scholars have approached the event as a psychological phenomenon or a primarily female experience, but rarely as a child’s experience. Iura’s diary is the only published and translated diary by a male child, even then only available in excerpts, while Lena is one of very few female child diarists published in full. Through this project, I aim to illuminate this neglected aspect of Siege study and illustrate the nuanced gender discussion explored by these extraordinary children.

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that is the most common cause of dementia. One hallmark of AD pathology is hyperphosphorylation of Tau protein. Tau is a neuronal-specific protein that stabilizes microtubules. Hyperphosphorylation of Tau leads to loss of its normal function and promotes aggregation into neurotoxic fibrillary tangles. While Tau aggregation is well-documented, the exact role of Tau loss-of-function in AD pathogenesis remains uncharacterized. The goal of our project is to determine the mechanism by which Tau loss-of-function contributes to AD pathogenesis. We hypothesize that Tau loss-of-function contributes to AD pathogenesis by activating the cellular stress response in neurons, characterized by DNA damage, stress granule formation, and immune activation. To test this hypothesis, we produced mixed cultures of neurons and astrocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells. We generated three cell lines: one in which Tau expression was knocked out (Tau KO), another in which Tau expression was knocked down (shTau), and control lines. To determine whether genes implicated in the cellular stress response are upregulated in Tau KO neurons, we used RNAseq and real-time polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCR). Then, we used immunocytochemistry to detect protein markers of cellular stress in neural progenitor cells and neurons from all three lines. Preliminary results indicate upregulation of genes and proteins associated with neuroinflammation and stress granule formation. Regarding neuroinflammation, Tau-depleted neurons exhibit increased secretion of chemoattractant cytokines, and tau-depleted astrocytes demonstrate increased glial fibrillary acidic protein expression suggestive of pro-inflammatory cytokine induction. In terms of cellular stress, Tau-depleted neurons show increased levels of proteins involved in stress granule formation and cytoplasmic double-stranded RNA known to induce stress granules. By elucidating the role of Tau loss-of-function in AD pathogenesis, this research could inform therapeutic targets for AD.