2010 - Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity

diverse isolates on media that contained various
types of concentrations of antibiotics.
Antibiotics used for this portion of the
experiment included ampicillin, carbenicillin,
chloramphenicol, hygromycin, kanamycin,
spectinomycin, streptomycin and their respective
controls to test for resistance. After replica
plating, we recorded the data by taking pictures
of all of the plates to see if the strains of
Bradyrhizobia were sensitive or resistant to the
antibiotics. In the analysis, antibiotic resistance,
in evolutionary terms, can be considered as a
shared derived characteristic of closely related
strains. Analyzing the antibiotic resistance traits
in the context of the phylogenetic relationships
of the strains, their sampling location as the
microhabitat in which they were isolated is
crucial for possibly revealing a correlation
between evolutionary related strains and
antibiotic resistance.
Along “The Way”
Caroline Mays, Creative Writing
Mentors: Michael Jayme, Andrew Winer
Department of Creative Writing
The three stories of ―Along ‗The Way‘‖ center
around martial arts and dojo culture; there is
very little literature that takes place in this
setting, which is part of the reason why the
author decided to write about it. Although
martial arts is the common thread of these
stories, they actually focus on ennui and
violence, loss and dedication, and love as a
feeling vs. love as a choice. These ideas are
explored through relationships and internal
struggle; also explored is the trust, respect, and
physicality present in the martial arts. As a
possible solution to their problems, the author
suggests that they find a purpose, be sensible,
and, of course, train in karate.
Electrochemical Changes in Soil Caused by
Tungsten Adsorption
William McLaren, Environmental Science
Myles Davis, Environmental Sciences
Mentor: Christopher Amrhein
Department of Environmental Sciences
Millions of pounds of lead used in hunting and
fishing sports end up in the environment each
year and can threaten or kill wildlife. Numerous
studies have documented the adverse effects to
wildlife from ingested lead shot, specifically
waterfowl and scavenger species (i.e. coyotes,
hawks, reptiles) even endangered species such as
the California Condor. As an alternative to lead,
tungsten (W) has been proposed as an
―environmentally friendly‖ metal alternative for
hunting. However, recent concerns about the
fate and transport of tungsten in the soil
environment have been raised. We have
previously shown W-pellets incubated in moist
soil can rapidly oxidize to produce greater than
2000 mg kg -1 of plant available tungstate.
Tungstate, depending on the soil type, either
strongly adsorbs to soil minerals or becomes
highly mobile. This study has evaluated the
electrical and chemical properties of two soils
(Grangeville and Holland) and two soil minerals
(goethite and gibbsite), with and without
tungstate adsorbed. The point of zero charge
(PZC) or the pH at which the soil or mineral has
no net charge, was measured using two different
methods. Our research has shown a lowering of
the PZC due to W-adsorption, which indicates
that tungstate chemisorbs to the clay minerals
thus changing the net particle charge. Changes
in PZC may have notable environmental
implications, including changes in phosphate
and molybdate availability to plants, especially
in soils contaminated with W-pellets.
Fourth Annual UCR Symposium for Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity
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