CHEMISTRY

High School

The Effects of Mercury Intake Through Mascara Application On Hormone Levels
Jaynie Curzi, American Heritage School Boca/Delray

A project that analyzes the effect of mercury consumption through mascara application on the human body by testing the estradiol hormone levels of mascara consumers, after previous years' research has shown that mercury exists in a high concentration in mascara and can be traced in the bodies of mascara consumers.

The Effectiveness of Repelling Mosquitoes Using a Cream with DEET versus a Cream with Formic Acid
Megan Esposito, American Heritage School Boca/Delray

This presentation is about trying to combat mosquitoes with a more environmentally friendly solution using formic acid compared to the commonly used DEET insect repellent which has negative effects on both the user and the environment.

Molecular Capacitors: The Effect of Altering the Voltage and Electric Field Magnitude on the Capacitance of Test Molecules
Raj Jain, Pine Crest School

This research examines the use of single molecules as the foundation for electronic components. With the use of current silicon-based components in electronic devices, size reduction has reached its furthest possibility, and the cost of these components is continually increasing as time passes. With single molecular electronics, the smallest and most stable structure possible can be the foundation of these devices. This research more specifically focuses on the application of molecular capacitors and the effect on the capacitance of various test molecules when certain variables are altered.

Design and In-Silico Screening of Analogs of Rilpivirine as Novel Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTIs) for Antiretroviral Therapy
Charissa Luk and Jeslyn Wu, ASDRP

Part of the retroviral genus, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) relies on the host’s cellular machinery for replication. The viral genetic material is composed of ribonucleic acid (RNA) which, upon delivery into the host’s cells, is reverse transcribed into deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) by the viral enzyme reverse transcriptase (RT). This is then used for the production of new viral components, thus allowing for further replication and spread of HIV. Because this virus selectively targets CD4+ T cells, the infection inevitably leads to weakening of the host’s immune system, which can then lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). One treatment for HIV is non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), which are allosteric inhibitors of RT that disable the enzyme’s activity and thus viral replication. Previous NNRTIs approved for clinical use by the United States Food and Drug Association (FDA) include etravirine, doravirine, and rilpivirine. However, resistance to these drugs through mutations in RT necessitates the continued development of NNRTIs. Here, the structure of rilpivirine, a relatively recently FDA approved NNRTI, was used to design a library of analogs that were then evaluated in silico via high-throughput virtual screening (HTVS). From this, several structures were identified as potential next-generation NNRTIs with comparable predicted binding affinities to the allosteric binding pocket in RT as rilpivirine.

Development of SARS-CoV-2 Antiviral Therapeutics Using Computer Modeling
Naveena Mutharasan and Daniel Liu, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy

This research focused on designing novel compounds to inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 main protease using dynamic computer imaging and predicting pharmacokinetic properties with various computational programs.

Rapid and Low-Cost Method to Determine the Efficacy of Facemasks in Preventing the Spread of COVID-19
Vinod Ruppa-Kasani, Chattahoochee High School

The purpose of this study is to develop a rapid and low-cost method to determine the efficacy of facemasks to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

A Smart Liquid Embolic Agent for Dynamic Adjustments to Brain Aneurysm Embolization and Healing
Emily Zhou, Tyler Shern, Varun Nimmigadda, Jessica Guo, The Harker School

Cerebral aneurysms are weak areas in the walls of an artery that can rupture and lead to death. Compared to other treatments, liquid embolic agents (LEA) offer advantages such as immediate aneurysm exclusion and lower cost. We focus on developing an injectable, reverse thermo-responsive, intrasaccular porous scaffold for aneurysm occlusion.

Undergraduate

Synthesis of Open-Chained Analogue of Ipomoeassin F
Lauren Andrews, Ball State University

In our presentation, we have a video, an abstract, and a slide show about the work that we have been doing in our group. There are sections for comments. The presentation is on SquareSpace.

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