I would like to give a special, heartfelt thank you to the following for making this research possible. The first thank you goes to the University of Northern Colorado and the Frontiers of Science Institute for giving me the opportunity to conduct research at the university. To Lori Ball, for all of the timeless hours she spent coordinating the FSI program. A huge thanks goes to Dr. Susan Keenan, for allowing me to work in her lab as if I were an undergraduate student. I would also like to give tremendous thanks of appreciation to Jacqueline Johnson, for mentoring me in this research and helping me whenever I needed it. Abby Davidson is another individual I would like to thank for her work advising me in the FSI program. Another thank you goes to the Adolph Coors Foundation for their sponsorship—without their sponsorship FSI would not be a plausible endeavor for me. And to the Kit Carson Alumni Association for supporting me in my FSI endeavors.