Student presentations - Elizabeth Lee, Sam Covaia, and Katie Rodeghiero Archive - Grand Challenges Initiative

Curing Alzheimer’s: Use of microbubbles and ultrasound to increase blood brain barrier permeability for drug delivery Elizabeth Lee, Sam Covaia, and Katie Rodeghiero

May 11, 2021 by Grand Challenges Initiative | Student presentations

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that is estimated to affect over 6 million Americans. The disease is marked by the presence of plaques and tangles in the brain. While some trials have hoped to combat these plaques using antibodies, the semipermeable blood brain barrier (BBB) blocks their passage. In order to get antibodies across

Polylactic Acid (PLA) Replacement to Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Water Bottles Veronica Warner, Haley Robertson, Gurleen Buttar

May 11, 2021 by Grand Challenges Initiative | Student presentations

There are many environmental consequences such as pollution and climate change exacerbated by Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), also known as plastic. PET water bottles, specifically, are a significant source of pollution on the planet. Our Grand Challenge Initiative aims to lessen the environmental consequences caused by plastic bottles by finding an alternative. Polylactic acid (PLA), a

Improving Group Findings in the GCI Programs Jordan Odekirk, Kai Itokazu, Luke Driscoll, Cece Abrahamsson

May 11, 2021 by Grand Challenges Initiative | Student presentations

Our goal is to create an efficient system for students to find groups in the Grand Challenges Initiative (GCI) program in the STEM department at Chapman University. GCI suffers from an enrollment problem. The problem arises in the transition from the First Year Focus Course (FFC) of GCI to the Grand Challenges Initiative seminars (SCI)

Solar Desalination Using a Fresnel Lens Alison McKenery, Kaylee Chan, and Thomas Moore

May 11, 2021 by Grand Challenges Initiative | Student presentations

Lack of access to clean drinking water is an immediate issue that needs to be addressed. Our goal was to build a cost-effective and efficient solar desalination model that can bring clean drinking water to families in need. For our solution, we devised a blueprint of our portable solar desalination model, estimated an idealistic water

Improving Nurse Education with VR Samantha Bae, Keoni Lanoza, Mitch Melby, Blake Khaleghi, Kenneth Cho

May 11, 2021 by Grand Challenges Initiative | Student presentations

The challenge that our team sought to resolve is the fact that nurses and other medical practitioners often have to face heavy fees and hurdles in order to gain hands-on experience and education in the classroom through standardized patients. These paid actors can be expensive and limited, and as a result, we decided to develop

Mellow Fellows – An Interactive Pet Caretaking App Mark Griffin, Laila Hardisty, Parsa Hassani, Sadie Jones, and Alex Vallone

May 11, 2021 by Grand Challenges Initiative | Student presentations

Our project, Mellow Fellows, began with the goal of tackling the challenge of mental health issues. We concentrated specifically on Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) because of the prevalence and severity of the illness in society today. By creating a relaxing, fun, and simple pet care video game, we hoped to use the positive effects of

Pocket Portfolio: Personalizing Education in the Modern Age Andrew Wells, Annika Hettmann, Davis Mieliwocki, Mark Reiland, Max Pugh, Sarah Abdo, Tyler Woo

May 11, 2021 by Grand Challenges Initiative | Student presentations

Our project combats the outdated interface of my.chapman, which is difficult to navigate and visually unappealing, by redefining the student learning experience that it cultivates. We have made an app that is more user-friendly and aims to make the learning experience unique and more helpful to them based on how they digest information. This takes

Detecting DeepFakes by Comparing Facial Action Units Eli Annoni, Scott Fitzpatrick, Lisa Pham, Cole Matsueda, Owen Walsh

May 11, 2021 by Grand Challenges Initiative | Student presentations

A DeepFake is a digitally altered face intended to mimic another person. This technology is advancing rapidly, with the amount of DeepFakes increasing by 84% in 2019. Traditional detection methods that observe artifact and pixel inconsistencies fail to keep up. To combat this issue, our team developed a DeepFake detection software that: analyzes facial data

Addressing the Decline in Pollinator Populations Owen Tapia, Olivia Morrow, Caitlyn Fu, Max Burrous

May 11, 2021 by Grand Challenges Initiative | Student presentations

Our grand challenge addresses the decline in Apis mellifera populations and proposes a solution for preserving this species of pollinator by providing them with a more nutritious diet. As a team, we have conducted research to identify four plants that show potential for providing bees with novel health benefits. The four plants we chose to

Improving Mental Health with Safebubble VR Nathan Cuadros, Biola Fatusin, Madeleine Gradney, Stephanie Munday, Raymand Yan

May 11, 2021 by Grand Challenges Initiative | Student presentations

Our Grand Challenge attempts to tackle the topic of mental health with the use of virtual reality, or VR. There has been a lot of stigma surrounding mental health that resulted in people neglecting their mental wellness due to a lack of information and accessible treatment programs. We have researched aspects of cognitive behavioral therapy