2024 Abstracts

Authors: Peter Seely, Joseph Henderson, Benjamin Webb. Mentors: Benjamin Webb. Insitution: Brigham Young University. A longstanding result in spectral graph theory is that some of the eigenvalues of a network can be obtained by identifying equitable partitions within the graph's structure. We have discovered that the remaining eigenvalues can be recovered using theoretical constructs which we call Local Equitable Partitions (LEPs). We have developed a procedure to find LEPs in a way that allows us to efficiently compute a graph's spectrum using this theory. Our procedure finds LEPs by identifying patterns in the coarsest equitable partition of a graph. We utilize these LEPs in a novel algorithm for computing the spectrum of a graph. Under certain mild assumptions on the equitable partition, we can find eigenvalues of a graph faster using this method when compared to the standard method. This is potentially useful as many real-world data sets have nontrivial equitable partitions.

Authors: Savanna Greer. Mentors: Zhenyu Jin. Insitution: Utah Tech University. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) play a crucial role in predicting avalanches by enabling the analysis, visualization, and modeling of various spatial data that contribute to understanding avalanche risk. Here's how GIS can assist in predicting avalanches:* Terrain Analysis: GIS allows experts to analyze terrain features such as slope, aspect, elevation, and curvature, which are critical factors in determining avalanche-prone areas. Steep slopes, specific aspects, and changes in elevation are indicative of higher avalanche risk. GIS software can create detailed elevation models and analyze slope angles to identify potential avalanche zones.
* Snowpack Analysis: By integrating data from snow telemetry stations, weather stations, and remote sensing technologies, GIS can help monitor snow depth, density, temperature, and moisture content. These factors are critical in assessing the stability of the snowpack. GIS can create maps showing the distribution of snow depth and snow water equivalent, aiding in the assessment of avalanche risk.
* Historical Data Integration: GIS enables the integration of historical avalanche data and events into mapping systems. Analyzing past avalanche occurrences can help identify patterns, understand triggers, and determine high-risk areas. This data can be used to create predictive models.
* Weather and Climate Data: GIS allows the integration of real-time and historical weather data into avalanche prediction models. Changes in temperature, precipitation, wind speed, and direction greatly impact snow stability and can trigger avalanches. GIS can overlay weather data onto terrain and snowpack information to create comprehensive predictive models.
* Risk Zoning and Modeling: Using the spatial analysis capabilities of GIS, experts can create risk zones and models that categorize areas based on their susceptibility to avalanches. These zones help in urban planning, land-use management, and emergency response planning. GIS can also simulate and model potential avalanche paths, allowing for the visualization of potential avalanche runout zones.
* Decision Support Systems: GIS-based decision support systems provide valuable tools for avalanche forecasters and emergency management personnel. These systems integrate various data sources, allowing for real-time monitoring, risk assessment, and decision-making to mitigate potential avalanche threats.
* Communication and Public Awareness: GIS can be used to create maps and visualizations that communicate avalanche risk to the public, backcountry enthusiasts, and local authorities. This can aid in raising awareness and promoting safety measures in avalanche-prone areas.
By leveraging GIS, avalanche forecasters, researchers, and land management agencies can significantly improve their understanding of avalanche dynamics, develop more accurate predictive models, and take proactive measures to mitigate risks and enhance safety in avalanche-prone areas.

Authors: Daniel Luke Isemonger, Jacob Cecil, Noah Moffat, Nathaniel Horne, Jordan Yorgason. Mentors: Jordan Yorgason. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Anxiety disorders are increasingly prevalent, and can be exacerbated by drug use, which can contribute to further drug seeking behavior. The underlying neural mechanisms of this relationship are not fully understood, but dopamine transmission is thought to play a key role. The goal of this project is to develop innovative tools to elucidate the role of dopamine and drugs of abuse on anxiety-like behavior and its relation to drug seeking in mice. Specifically, dopamine sensors and 2-photon microscopy via implanted endoscopic lenses, will be used to image dopamine dynamics in the NAcc of behaving mice while they are engaging in a virtual environment (VR) mimicking drug exposure and stress conditions. Using the simulation, mice are exposed to fearful stimuli, which will be related to behavioral responses (movement distance, speed, direction) and extracellular release events. By combining these techniques, we will be able to gain a deeper understanding of how dopamine terminal signaling contributes to drug seeking. This research has the potential to shed new light on the neural relationship between drugs of abuse and anxiety. This could help to inform the development of novel drugs and treatments for this disorder.

Authors: Allison Stevens, Gennie Parkman. Mentors: Gennie Parkman. Insitution: Weber State University. The principal genes that are responsible for the conversion of benign nevi, or pigmented lesions, to cancerous melanomas have been discovered and validated. However, we are still identifying the additional genetic alterations that are responsible for the migration and invasion of melanoma cells and ultimately metastasis of these melanomas as that is where treatment needs remain. (Davies, et al., 2002)One gene that has been identified to potentially play a role in the metastasis of melanoma is thymocyte selection associated high mobility group box, or TOX. Based on one study, the levels of TOX gene expression were found to be elevated in melanoma brain metastases versus extracranial metastases (Bierman et al., 2022). These findings have led us to hypothesize that TOX plays a role in the migration and invasion of melanoma into the brain. Preliminary work has been completed to clone our gene of interest, TOX, into an expression vector and transduce mammalian melanoma cells to evaluate their effects on melanoma cell rate growth and migration. These experiments will identify the effect of TOX on the initiation and progression of melanoma cells through in vitro melanoma cell culture and experimentation before potentially progressing to well-validated mouse models of melanoma.

Authors: Lexi Todd, Jessica Jespersen, Isabel Medina Hull, Mary Crawford, Taylor Powell, Ashley Roberts, Melia Fonoimoana Garrett, Kris Urbina, Elizabeth A Cutrer. Mentors: Elizabeth A Cutrer. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Background: American Samoan children face significant mental health challenges, including high levels of depression and anxiety, often escalating to suicidal thoughts and behaviors during adolescence. Addressing this issue, our study collaborated with community leaders in American Samoa to develop and implement five tailored lesson plans aimed at teaching 35 elementary school children resilience strategies for emotional self-regulation. Method: Employing Multimodal Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (MMIPA), we examined students' drawings depicting their emotions of sadness, anger, and fear before and after the intervention. The analysis focused on understanding the impact of the lesson plans on students' emotional regulation strategies. Results: Post-intervention, our findings indicated a notable improvement in students' ability to regulate their emotions, particularly fear. Through the lesson plans, students acquired practical skills and coping mechanisms, allowing them to better manage their emotions. This positive shift in emotional regulation suggests that the intervention played a significant role in enhancing students' resilience, specifically in dealing with fear-related emotions. Conclusion: Our study underscores the effectiveness of a community-based intervention approach in addressing the mental health challenges faced by American Samoan children. By providing targeted resilience-focused lessons, students demonstrated improved emotional self-regulation, particularly in managing fear. These findings highlight the importance of culturally sensitive interventions and community collaboration in promoting mental well-being among vulnerable populations.

Authors: Kylie Hansen. Mentors: Janis Boettinger. Insitution: Utah State University. Cache Valley, Utah, has unique soils due to environmental events such as Pleistocene pluvial Lake Bonneville. This lake extended about 20,000 square miles in Northern Utah, and its depletion left numerous shorelines, the most relevant being the Bonneville and Provo shorelines. These various water levels influence the geological formations in Cache Valley and the different characteristics of soil formation. An important soil-forming factor used to characterize varying soils is the parent material. Parent material is the original sediments the soil formed on and can be various things such as sediments deposited by gravity, streams, lake sediments, or wind. These different materials depend on the location and alter the soil properties. A dominant soil parent material in the Lake Bonneville area is sediment deposited by this lake. This type of parent material is identifiable by coarser-sized sediments, such as cobbles, gravel, and sand. This pattern is evident on terraces in Cache Valley’s lower soil layers, but the near-surface layers have fewer rock fragments and more fine sand, silt, and clay. This distinct difference in particle size leads to the question of what is the parent material source in the surface horizons of soil formed in Lake Bonneville deposits in Cache Valley. There is not much literature on this question and little documentation compares the soil profiles for different Lake Bonneville terrace levels (Bonneville shoreline compared to Provo shoreline). We hypothesize that the different particle sizes of parent material in the surface of soils formed dominantly in Lake Bonneville deposits is eolian sediment transported and deposited by wind. To determine this, we will sample soils across Cache Valley and analyze the fine and very fine sand sediments in plane-polarized and cross-polarized light. This process will identify various minerals within each soil horizon, showing possible differences in the upper and lower horizons. The minerals present in each soil will indicate the parent materials, allowing us to understand what is causing the different textured horizons in these soils and where the sediment originated from.

Authors: Wesley Hendricks. Mentors: Steve Johnson. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Pioglitazone Hydrochloride (PGZ) is a well-accepted treatment of type-II diabetes and has been shown in previous studies to increase lifespan of C. elegans. The agonist has been shown to affect the insulin, IGF-1 signaling pathway (IIS), dietary restriction (DR) and germline signaling pathways. Previous studies have not been able to identify epigenetic marks that are a result of the pathway effects of PGZ (Jia Wenguan et. al). This study seeks to understand how subsequent generations are affected by antiaging compounds and what epigenetic marks are transmitted through the germline of C. elegans from these three pathways. After exposure, through lifespan tracking, we hope to see a change in transgenerational longevity. Using RNAi, we then plan to knockout known genes in each pathway. We hope to see that intestine-germline pathway and maintenance genes that are known to function in each pathway are required for the longevity effect.

Authors: Jordan Gertino, Bryan Wilson. Mentors: Bryan Wilson. Insitution: Salt Lake Community College. This study investigates inscribing a changing base tetrahedron within a unit circle, presenting a unique approach to generate a comprehensive array of all triangles with a specific scale and orientation. The ultimate objective is to establish a surjection between the creation angle and the resulting triangle. With this method all triangles are (theoretically, up to scaling) possible to construct using surjection. By creating a standard family of triangles this research may provide a different framework in geometric manipulation with potential applications in chemistry, biology, and other various fields. One example is that it could be a good model for the molecular structure of tetrahedrons under pressure.

Authors: Tyler R Shaver, Lainey S Smith, Michael T Stevens. Mentors: Michael T Stevens. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Clay phacelia (Phacelia argillacea) was placed on the endangered plant list in 1978; at that time there were less than a dozen specimens alive at a single location on private land. This year, that same location, a steep hillside in Spanish Fork Canyon, had over 300 individuals. For the past four years, at suitable sites on public land nearby, we have been planting clay phacelia seeds and monitoring seedlings to understand the factors that will lead to successful establishment of this plant on public land. Following the planting of 32,400 seeds in 2020 and 13,500 in 2021, germinants that emerged were monitored and counted in the spring, summer, and fall each year between 2021 and 2023. In 2021, ten seedlings emerged, and of those six survived to produce seed. In 2022, 110 seedlings emerged, and of those 3 survived to produce seed. In 2023, 30 seedlings emerged, and of those four have survived as of the last monitoring trip. It is interesting to note that although emergence across the three years varied by as much as 11-fold, the number of plants that survived to reproduce was uniform and consistently low. The majority of seedlings that survived to produce seeds emerged in the late summer and fall. It is likely that monsoonal rains that occur in the late summer and fall make clay phacelia seed production more probable.

Authors: Harlan Stevens, Arwen Oakley. Mentors: Stephen Piccolo. Insitution: Brigham Young University. The number of scientific journal articles published per year now exceeds one million. To help maximize the impact of these articles, researchers must ensure that images in the articles are accessible to people with color-vision deficiencies (CVD). Up to 8% of males and 0.5% of females experience at least one form of color-vision deficiency, thus making it difficult for these individuals to discern patterns in images that use particular color combinations. We sought to shed light on this problem by estimating how often published images use color combinations that are unfriendly to people with a CVD. Examining 6,000 images published in biology-oriented research articles published in the eLife journal between 2012 and 2022, we identified images with potentially problematic color combinations. Using quantitative metrics and manual review, we estimate that 13% of these articles would be difficult for people with moderate-to-severe deuteranopia to interpret. We used a convolutional neural network to automate the ability to label images as being problematic for people with moderate-to-severe deuteranopia. The machine learning model successfully classified images in a testing dataset with an auROC of 91.3%. Based on these results, we created a web application that allows users to upload images and view estimates about whether the images are CVD-friendly. Such efforts are critical to ensuring that papers published in the biology literature are interpretable to diverse audiences.

Authors: Lauren Ford, Joel Woolley, Ryan Powers, Paulina Medellin, Hillary Wadsworth, Jordan Yorgason. Mentors: Jordan Yorgason. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Women prescribed psychostimulants have self-reported changes in drug efficacy that coincide with menstrual cycling. Furthermore, cocaine and amphetamine effects on dopamine (DA) transmission are more potent in female rodents, an effect that has been linked to cycling hormone levels. However, it is unknown if changes to DA transmission vary by specific psychostimulant, and striatal DA transmission has not yet been well characterized across the estrous cycle. The present study considers dopamine release and reuptake kinetics across various stages of the estrous cycle in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a key region for dopamine-mediated learning. The effects of cocaine, methamphetamine, and methylphenidate on female dopamine transmission are examined using slice voltammetry. Our data shows that compared to a male control group, baseline (pre-drug) dopamine release in the NAc was lower in females overall, but not at all estrous stages. Applying increasing concentrations of cocaine or methylphenidate revealed similar patterns of enhanced, then diminished release in all mice. Methamphetamine decreased NAc dopamine release similarly in both males and females, but females in estrus were more affected than males, and those in met/diestrus less. Methamphetamine also slowed dopamine uptake in all mice, and at lower concentrations than cocaine or methylphenidate. We find minimal sex differences between cocaine and methylphenidate effects in the NAc, suggesting that the underlying cause of their observed behavioral sex differences may be specific to other striatal regions. On the other hand, methamphetamine-induced DA release fluctuates distinctly with the estrous cycle and peaks when estrogen levels are at their highest, indicating that estrogen and methamphetamine mechanisms share a target in NAc DA terminals that cocaine and methylphenidate do not. This work refines our understanding of DA transmission in females and indicates potential future directions for understanding female psychostimulant abuse.

Authors: Karli Kallas. Mentors: Jared Colton. Insitution: Utah State University. For this presentation, I will present a care ethics analysis of Web3 and decentralized internet, with a specific focus on privacy concerns and the increase of internet scams due to the lack of regulation and accountability. Ethics of care argues that there is moral importance in promoting the well being of care givers and receivers in a network of social relations, recognizing that all human life is co-dependent. It is important to note that care ethics was not designed to engage with such large networks of relationships, I will be expanding it to apply to the situation, so it gives us one new way of viewing the situation. I will expand on this ethical lens by including points from care ethics such as the empathy in the design of Web3, and responsibility for online communities. My research explores the intricate web of relationships and responsibilities in the decentralized environment, aiming to shed light on the vulnerabilities within internet scams in contrast to the benefits of cryptocurrency. I examine the moral dimensions of these scams, considering the impact on individuals and the broader digital community. The emphasis on care ethics demonstrates the interconnectedness of actors within Web3, as well as the need for a collective commitment to certain forms of innovation.

Authors: Dallin Zollinger, Lauren Brooks. Mentors: Lauren Brooks. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Antibiotics are one of the most important inventions in recent history, saving countless lives. However, their use has also caused antibiotic resistance to increase in frequency among bacterial populations at an astonishing rate. This increase in frequency will influence our treatment of infections worldwide since previous treatments will no longer be effective, causing many deaths that would once have been preventable. Streptogramins are a class of antibiotics used to treat infections which bacteria have evolved resistance to. This study was focused on the vatA gene, which encodes resistance to streptogramins in Staphylococcus aureus. Samples were collected from various areas on the Utah Valley University campus, the DNA was extracted, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) specific to the vatA gene was performed. Gel electrophoresis was then performed to visualize the amplicons generated from the PCR to evaluate the presence or absence of the vatA gene. Through this work, we have identified locations where this gene is found.

Authors: Kylee Fernandez. Mentors: Gennie L Parkman. Insitution: University of Utah. Evaluating the role of LRRC1 in melanoma growth and metastasisThe development of brain metastases is a critical problem in Utah, regardless of the novel therapies created for melanoma. The melanoma mortality rates in Utah are 31% higher than the national average and the melanoma incidences are 80% higher. To lower these incidences, our research is aimed at investigating targets in melanoma that play a crucial role in brain metastasis and can be identified as therapeutic interventions.LRRC1 is a gene known as Leucine Rich Repeat Containing 1. LRRC1 is involved in early-stage adipocytic differentiation. Altered gene and protein expression of LRRC1 is observed in melanoma potentially due to the vital role LRRC1 plays in adipose stem cells that differentiate by adopting the phenotypic, biochemical, and functional properties of more terminally differentiated cells. To evaluate the effect of LRRC1 on melanoma growth and metastasis, we are using an established autochthonous in vitro and in vivo model of melanoma based on the RCAS/TVA avian retroviral system. The results of this study will have tremendous potential to contribute to the understanding of the genetics of this heterogeneous disease.

Authors: Stone Smith, Ben Belt. Mentors: Sally Rocks. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Microplastics are particles less than 5 mm in length. These particles act as a vector for heavy metal and carcinogens, which have negative effects on human health. Often invisible to the naked eye, microplastics are extremely mobile and have been found in the most extreme parts of the planet, from the peak of Mount Everest to depths of the Mariana trench. Because microplastics are readily transported via air and water, microplastics have been found in every location exposed to wind or rain. However, one place that is sheltered from wind and rain are caves. In some subterranean environments, the earth acts as a natural filter of the water that descends into caves. It is suspected that caves will have lower levels of microplastics present in their environments compared to surface environments. However, another mechanism for microplastic introduction is human activity. Humans utilize plastics in relatively all synthetic items. Everything from clothing to packaging to regular household items employs the use of plastics, which can abrade to release microplastics. The goal of this research is to determine if caves with high levels of human visitation have higher concentrations of microplastics than caves with little to no human visitation. Analysis of subterranean water samples will reveal if microplastics are invading cave environments regardless of human activity, and through what mechanisms. A consequence of microplastic pollution in cave environments is the capture of plastic particles within mineral matrices. As mineral rich water evaporates in caves, the minerals left behind form speleothems that could capture plastic particles and thus preserve them (e.g. stalactites, stalagmites, soda straws, etc.). With a better understanding of the presence or absence of microplastics in caves, efforts can be made to minimize plastic accumulation and prevent microplastics from entering the geologic record of the cave.

Authors: Alexa N Gormick, Adam M Zahm, Justin G English. Mentors: Justin G English. Insitution: University of Utah. Recent advancements in gene therapy have pushed towards the prevention and treatment of a diverse spectrum of disorders and diseases that are caused by misregulation of gene expression programs and their transcriptional regulators. However, the profoundness of the field means that much of the mechanisms and effects of regulation are unknown and understudied. Here, we explore the limits of flexible exogenous gene expression and its potential use in optimizing efficacy and specificity in gene therapy interventions while minimizing the possible associated risks. This is made possible by exploiting the Tet-On system of inducible transcriptional regulation, which allows the expression of any target gene to be reversibly, specifically, and differentially controlled. In this system, the tetracycline repressor (TetR) binds the tetracycline operator (TetO), impeding transcription of any downstream gene embedded by the researcher; tetracycline dosing causes TetR to adopt a new conformation that removes it from TetO, inducing gene expression on command (Das et al., 2016). Because of the diverse utility of this system, we are in pursuit of developing novel TetR-TetO orthologous pairs that do not interfere with this wild-type circuit and can be used to regulate gene expression in parallel. As a first step to generating TetR-TetO orthologs, we mapped the usage of TetO by TetR in a massively parallel reporter assay (MPRA) by engineering an extensive library of mutant TetOs and quantified the resulting range of TetR regulation through reporter gene expression. From this screen, we identified candidate TetO mutants to direct the evolution of the wild-type TetR towards complementary states to those TetO mutant sequences. Our preliminary findings indicate that the engineering of distinct synthetic expression cassettes based on the TetR-TetO operon is feasible. These novel tools may ultimately allow us to build a synthetic genetic circuit to model regulatory feedback loops that can help discover malfunctions in cell growth, reproduction, and cycling that can arise from genetic disorders and can lead to disease.1. Das, A. T., Tenenbaum, L., & Berkhout, B. (2016). Tet-On Systems For Doxycycline-inducible Gene Expression. Current Gene Therapy, 16(3), 156–167. https://doi.org/10.2174/1566523216666160524144041

Authors: Grant Hendrickson, Christian Moody, Nellie Bowman, Nick Jeffery, Cairo Ziebarth, Joel Davis, Melissa Reeves, Heather Wilson Ashworth. Mentors: Heather Wilson Ashworth. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Self-competence and effort belief may impact student motivation and success in introductory chemistry courses. Self-competence is the need to feel efficacious and capable3. Effort belief is the concept that working harder at a task produces better results4. Mastery-Based Grading (MBG), a nonconventional grading method, provides multiple opportunities for students to show mastery of the course learning objectives5. This research examines the effect of Mastery-Based Grading (MBG) in an active learning classroom on student's self-competence and effort belief compared to that of a conventional grading (CG) approach in a traditional lecture-based classroom. Hypothesis: MBG leads to increased student self-competence and effort belief compared to CG courses. Self-determination1 and expectancy-value theories2 provide the context for understanding the self-competence and effort belief data. At a private midwestern college, general chemistry students in an active learning, MBG course (53 students) and a lecture course (48 students) with a conventional grading policy were studied using a mixed methods approach. Surveys containing Likert and reflection questions were given during week 3 and 14 of the semester. A coding scheme was developed, and reflection questions were coded to consensus. Coded data had a Pearsons coefficient greater than 0.76. Results: Notably, students with initially low self-competency Likert scores showed significant improvement (p=0.01) in the MBG-active course, but not in the conventional course. No significant improvement was observed in students' effort-belief scores as the scores were high at the beginning and stayed high at the end of the semester. In response to the reflection question, “Do you believe you have the ability to be successful in this course?”, there was a 15.35 percent increase in responses that reflected effort-belief in the MBG active learning course. This theme was absent in CG courses throughout the semester. It is noteworthy that MBG students recognized (14.29% compared to pre-reflections) the specific components of the course structure that helped students succeed. This early explorative data suggests that students in active learning MBG courses may experience an increase in self-competence and perceived effort belief compared to their counterparts in traditional classes. 1Deci, E. L., Vallerand, R.J., Pelletier, L.G. & Ryan, R.M. (1991). Motivation and education: The self-determination perspective. Educational Psychologist, 26, 325-346. 2Eccles (Parsons), J. (1983). Expectancies, values, and academic behavior. in J.T. Spence (Ed.) Achievement and Achievement Motivation. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman. 3Ferrell, Brent and Jack Barbera. (2017). Analysis of students’ self-efficacy, interest, and effort beliefs in chemistry. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 16; 31-337. 4Skinner, E., Saxton, E., Currie, C., & Shusterman, G. (2017). A motivational account of the undergraduate experience in science: brief measures of students’ self-system appraisals, engagement in coursework, and identity as a scientist. International Journal of Science Education, 39(17), 2433-2459. 5Toledo, S., & Dubas, J. M. (2017). A learner-centered grading method focused on reaching proficiency with course learning outcomes. Journal of Chemical Education, 94(8), 1043-1050.

Authors: Sadie Jensen, Nellie Bowman, Nick Jeffery, Heather Wilson Ashworth. Mentors: Heather Ashworth. Insitution: Utah Valley University. The STEM career field has been found to be particularly unwelcoming to women and minorities resulting in attrition of these demographics in STEM degrees and careers.2 To address this problem, the National Science Foundation awarded Utah Valley University a grant to fund undergraduate research opportunities with faculty. This preliminary research project explores the effect of mentored undergraduate research opportunities on student retention and success in the UVU Biology Department. Each year for the last 4 years, 10 students were accepted each year into a research cohort. The following factors are known indicators of student success and retention in the STEM fields: self-efficacy1, effort control4, and teacher immediacy3. These factors were qualitatively measured with reflection questions. Students were surveyed at the end of each academic semester. There are two completed cohorts and data is still being collected on the remaining two cohorts. A coding scheme was developed, and reflection questions were coded to consensus. The Pearson's coefficient was greater than 0.76. The preliminary coding results show themes of positive or very positive effects of the research experience on self-efficacy, effort control, and teacher immediacy. The greatest gains were observed in self-efficacy and teacher immediacy. This preliminary data supports the role of undergraduate research in retaining women and minorities in STEM majors. Sources: Kalender, Z. Y., Marshman, E., Schunn, C. D., Nokes-Malach, T. J., & Singh, C. (2020). Damage caused by women’s lower self-efficacy on physics learning. Physical Review Physics Education Research, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevphyseducres.16.010118 White, J. L., & Massiha, G. H. (2016). The retention of women in Science, Technology, engineering, and Mathematics: A framework for persistence. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE), 5(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v5i1.4515 Micari, M., & Pazos, P. (2012). Connecting to the professor: Impact of the student–faculty relationship in a highly challenging course. College Teaching, 60(2), 41-47. Pintrich, P. R., & De Groot, E. V. (1990). Motivational and self-regulated learning components of classroom academic performance. Journal of educational psychology, 82(1), 33.