Volume 4, May 2025
“River Water x Late Afternoon” by Gabriella Wagner, AACC Visual Arts student. Gouache and watercolor, 2025.
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Effects of Urban Design on Heat Island Formation at Anne Arundel Community College
Urban heat islands arise when the surrounding temperature of an urban area is warmer than adjacent rural areas. As a growing percentage of the population is exposed to heat islands from urban development expanding, more people are exposed to a range of health and environmental problems. Heat island effects are typically studied in urban settings,… Read more…
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An Overview of the Forest Community at Anne Arundel Community College: Influence of Slope Aspect, Slope Position, and Edge Effects
The forest community at Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) provides a unique opportunity to study the natural and anthropogenic factors influencing forest composition. This study explores the effects of slope aspect and slope position on tree density, basal area, and species diversity. Surveys conducted in the summer of 2024 cataloged 249 trees and 24 different… Read more…
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Gut Reaction: Survival of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG Through the Digestive Gauntlet
The United States probiotics industry is a growing multi-billion-dollar industry. With promises of improving overall digestive health, more research is needed to assess survivability of probiotic strains in reaching target colonization sites. Understanding the survivability of probiotics throughout the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is crucial for optimizing their therapeutic efficacy. This study focuses on the survival… Read more…
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The Developmentof a SlpA Subunit Vaccination as an Approach to Prevent Clostridioides difficile Infections in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is the leading cause of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and a major threat to individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Currently, treatment options for C. difficile (CD) are available post-exposure after the infection has occurred. Infection control measures, such as handwashing and sterilization using alcohol and other disinfectants, are the only option… Read more…
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Methods Used for Large-Scale in vitro Cultivation of Calopogon tuberosus Orchids from Seed to Corm
The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) entered into agreement with the Environmental Center at Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) for in-house propagation technicians (“we/us”) to grow Calopogon tuberosus orchid seed into 1,000 usable dormant corms for SERC’s Classroom Cultivation: Exploring Plant Ecology program. The cultivation was a 10-month process, involving distinct periods of active manipulation… Read more…
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Effectiveness of Pleurotus ostreatus Mycelium at Filtering Nitrogen and Phosphorus from Solutions
Nutrient-dense runoff and eutrophication are causing widespread harm to the Chesapeake Bay’s ecosystem. A solution is needed, or the problem will continue to worsen, putting more species in danger. Mycofiltration has been highlighted as an effective method for filtering heavy metals in contaminated drinking water. This study sought to design a mycofiltration system and determine… Read more…
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Approaching Community Problems Through Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Affordable Housing in Anne Arundel County
Entrepreneurship and Architecture are two academic disciplines focused on solving problems. Entrepreneurship, specifically, utilizes idea generation, creative thinking, and opportunity recognition to evaluate ideas. In the Anne Arundel Community College, fall 2024 semester students in two classes within these disciplines collaborated to develop ‘architectural’ ideas that can contribute to ‘solving’ (or at least contributing to… Read more…
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Nutrient and Salt Uptake by Spartina Species in an Aquaponics System
Freshwater aquaponics is an agricultural method that utilizes aquatic animal byproducts to provide nutrients to plants, typically utilizing vegetable plants that clean the water as they absorb nutrients. Atlantic horseshoe crabs (HSCs) in the Environmental Center’s aquaculture facility, saltwater organisms, produce significant waste and toxic nitrate increases that require frequent water exchange. To alleviate this… Read more…
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Potent, Prolific,and Problematic: Nitazenes and Their Implications for U.S. Drug Policy and Global Public Health
This research paper investigates the distinct challenges posed by nitazenes, a potent and newly emerging class of synthetic opioids, in the context of the ongoing opioid crisis. Nitazenes, initially synthesized as analgesics in the mid-20th century but never approved for medical use, have resurfaced in illicit drug markets, presenting overdose risks exceeding fentanyl by up… Read more…
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Catfishing: The Intersection of Online Deception and Reciprocity
This paper presents research conducted over the course of two semesters at Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) by a networksecurity researcher interested in the anthropological aspects of people’s online interactions, particularly catfishing. The study explored the dynamics of catfishing, focusing on the reciprocity of non-tangible and physical items exchanged between catfish and their victims. Contrary… Read more…
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Analyzing the Effectiveness of Invasive Plant Removal Efforts in Corcoran Woods Environmental Study Area
Invasive plants in Maryland’s Corcoran Woods Environmental Study Area have been outcompeting native vegetation for many years. This mature hardwood forest provides refuge for many species, but plants like Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stiltgrass) and Rubus phoenicolasius (wineberry) are threatening native populations. In 2015, nine sets of test plots in three different sampling areas were established… Read more…
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AACC Scuttle Bot Robotics Project: A Technical Report
Autonomous robots are revolutionizing tasks in both commercial and educational settings. In this project, we constructed a low-cost, modular mobile robot platform based on the open-source SCUTTLE design. The primary goals were to gain hands-on experience in robotics while developing a platform suitable for learning concepts in electronics, programming, and automation. Future development plans include… Read more…