The range of topics was as expansive as the talent as students presented how 3D models could help detect ovarian cancer, how technology can help predict the stock market and the effects of income inequality in Stockton at Pacific's 21st annual 本科 研究 and Creativity Conference.

更多的 than 30 Pacific students shared oral and poster presentations of re搜索 they had conducted this year, 适应虚拟环境中的实验.

"Pacific's 本科 研究 and Creativity Conference provides students the opportunity to pursue their own unique re搜索 interests, which helps them explore career directions and have the kind of hands-on experiences that enhance their resumes,莉迪亚·福克斯说, 本科生研究主任. "I am particularly proud of the work students have done this year remotely to overcome the challenges of conducting their re搜索 outside of their traditional lab settings."

今年虚拟演讲的亮点包括:

Using 3D Co-Culture Models to Study Ovarian Cancer Metastasis and Pathophysiology
詹妮弗·莫雷诺，23岁，生物工程专业
Faculty mentor: Maria Gencoglu, assistant professor of bioengineering

尽管近几十年来治疗取得了进步, 癌症仍然是世界范围内死亡的主要原因. 卵巢癌是第二常见的妇科恶性肿瘤, but takes the greatest number of lives compared to any other cancer infiltrating the reproductive system. 

"Most patients are diagnosed at late stages due to the rapid metastasis of ovarian cancer tumors and the lack of understanding regarding the complete pathophysiology of ovarian cancer,莫雷诺说. “目前的医疗护理主要集中在化疗上, which take an aggressive toll on patients and have a low rate of cure with 70% of patients experiencing a relapse."

Three-dimensional co-culture models have become more prevalent over two-dimensional conditions where cells are grown on rigid materials such as polystyrene and glass. Cells grown in two-dimensional conditions do not fully reflect the essential physiology of real tissues as shown with three-dimensional co-culture models.
 
"These models can provide insight into biological responses of tumors, 包括耐药性, 细胞间的相互作用, 和转移,莫雷诺说. "Using a 3D co-culture model enables us to study the mechanism through which ovarian cancer metastasizes, as well as potentially helping to identify certain biomarkers associated with ovarian cancer."
 
更多的no hopes her re搜索 will help facilitate early detection of ovarian cancer, as well as increase treatment possibilities for patients who may not have favorable reactions to current treatments. 

Machine Learning in Finance: Using Neural Networks to Predict Stock Returns
阿瑟·琼斯，21岁，工商管理专业
导师:Vusal Eminli，金融学副教授

Stock return predictability is one of the most important concerns for investors. Throughout the years there have been many attempts to predict stock returns using machine learning, which has used historical time series data on share prices to make these predictions. 

"Those attempts created networks which only work on one firm's data, 并可广泛应用,琼斯解释道。. “这项研究使用了神经网络, 以人脑和神经系统为模型的计算机系统, 根据金融和经济数据预测股票收益." 

Machine learning in finance is a supervised learning approach that uses multiple factors to explain stock returns as input values and future stock returns as output values. Jones' method tried to predict whether a given stock would beat the S&标普500指数未来一段时间的股价走势. 在研究过程中，他的方法达到了64的预测精度.5%. 

“这真的很令人兴奋, a method which makes consistently accurate predictions helps to identify additional factors that determine a firm’s value beyond what is generally accepted in the literature,琼斯说.

Jones hopes that his results indicate that his study shows promise as a skillful machine learning method and could be used to enhance the prediction accuracy of stock returns in the future.

斯托克顿收入不平等的教育意义
杰西卡·阿尔瓦，21岁，应用数学和经济学专业
导师:Sharmila King，主席兼经济学教授

Income inequality is a growing issue in the United States as studies have shown that many educational factors are related to future income and contribute to this income inequality gap.

根据教育平等指数, the first national comparative measure of the achievement gap at the school, 市和州两级, Stockton ranked 85th nationally for achievement gaps in education among the 100 largest cities in the nation by census population.

“尽管这里离湾区只有一个多小时的路程, 斯托克顿的高中毕业率低得多, lower college graduate rate and higher poverty rate than the nation as a whole,阿尔瓦说. “没有制定有效的教育措施, Stockton risks falling further behind."
 
斯托克顿居民, 77%的人高中毕业, 18% are college graduates and 15% have an income below the poverty level, 根据美国人口普查局的数据. 相比, 旧金山湾区87%的居民高中毕业, 43% are college graduates and 10% have an income below the poverty level.

“没有制定有效的教育措施, 斯托克顿在这些方面有进一步落后的风险,阿尔瓦说.

Alva is working to identify the educational subject areas most adversely affected by income inequality and suggest where educational resources should be utilized to most effectively combat income inequality through its effects on education in Stockton.