2006 Summer Undergraduate Research and Achievements Forum abstracts
Using isoelectronic reasoning to examine the constancy of bond dissociation enthalpy ratios
Student: Ashley Abele
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Carol Deakyne, Chemistry
Pulmonary Vascular Remodeling in Transgenic Ren 2 Rats
Student: Angela Ackerman
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Vincent DeMarco, Child Health
Neural network analysis of embeddable sensors used in nondestructive evaluation application
Student: Ahmed Ali
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Gregory Triplett, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Potential role for programmed cell death in the formation of an in vitro neural stem cell niche
Student: Corinne Alinea
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Mark Kirk, Biological Sciences
Phylogenetic analysis of the YDJ1 family of molecular chaperones
Student: April Allen
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ingulf U. Gruen, Food and Hospitality Systems Program
Determination of consistency of a descriptive sensory panel
Student: April Allen
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ingulf U. Gruen, Food and Hospitality Systems Program
Characterizing the arabidopsis frd3 mutant through an activation tagging screen
Student: Sarene Alsharif
Faculty Mentor: Elizabeth Rogers, Biochemistry/Nutritional Sciences
Early Performance of 'Redhaven' Peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch]
Student: Hyun Chul Bae
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Michele R. Warmund, Horticulture
Cognitive and emotional processing of positive, persuasive messages in TV ads
Student: Rachel Bailey
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Paul Bolls, Journalism
By-product formation in respect of operating conditions on conversion of glycerol to propylene glycol
Student: Mona-Lisa Banks
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Galen Suppes, Chemical Engineering
Prompt Gamma Neutron Activation Analysis of Alternative Sensor Materials for Planetary Exploration
Student: Alejandro D. Barilari Serres
Faculty Mentor: Dr. William H. Miller, Nuclear Engineering and MURR
Gravimetric analysis of methane adsorption in activated carbon
Student: Sarah Barker
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Peter Pfeifer, Physics
Effects of shade and predation on survival and growth of larval gray treefrogs (Hyla veriscolor)
Student: Allison Barlows
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Raymond Semlitsch, Biological Sciences
Changes in ion channel expression levels following axonal injury in the crustacean stomatogastric ganglion
Student: Kenton Barnett
Faculty Mentor: Dr. David Schulz, Biology
Spectroscopic investigations of dendritic polymers with phenol blue
Student: Deletria Battle
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Sheryl Tucker, Chemistry
Combination therapy of brain natriuretic peptide and sildenafil attenuates pulmonary hypertension in rats
Student: Haley Becker
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Vincent DeMarco, Child Health
Anti-Canine Syndecan-4 as a Tool to Identify and Analyze Dystrophic Dog Satellite Cells
Student: Lucas Beffa
Faculty Mentor: Dawn Cornelison, Biological Sciences
Functional analysis of nematode secreted CLE peptides.
Student: David Bland
Faculty Mentor: Melissa Mitchum, Plant Sciences
The interactions between selenium and methyl mercury in rat tissues
Student: Nicole Bodkin
Faculty Mentor: J. David Robertson, chemistry
The influence of family and friends on an inmate’s pathway to prison
Student: Adam Boessen
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Joan Hermsen & Dr. Wayne Brekhus, Sociology
Investigating a possible treatment of Duchene Muscular Dystrophy with a novel calpain inhibitor
Student: Sarah Bradley
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Martin K. Childers, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Perfectionism, pessimism, optimism, and coping styles among college students
Student: Brittani Brown
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Michael Mobley, Education, School, & Counseling Psychology
Computational evaluation of LEU conversion for production of Tc99m.
Student: Eric Brueckner
Faculty Mentor: Dr. William Miller, Nuclear Engineering
Reaction of Rhenium(V) with a mixed donor, phosphine thioether
Student: Brooke Burroughs
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Silvia Jurisson, Radiochemistry
Exploring tradition, innovation, and visual language through a multi-media approach
Student: Emily Cadwell
Faculty Mentor: Josephine Stealey, Fine Arts, Fibers
Development of easy-use cortisol detector: DTNB, blue squaric dye, and choline oxidase sensitivity to acetylcholinesterase
Student: Claire Campbell
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Mark Milanick, Medical Pharmocology & Physiology
Searching for the RPS6 resistance gene in Arabidopsis
Student: Sarah Cantrell
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Walter Gassmann, Plant Sciences
Medical Imaging Lasers: Fluorescence molecular tomography
Student: Brian Carmignani
Faculty Mentor: Ping Yu, Physics and Astronomy
Molecular rotors and temperature dependency
Student: Marti Chance
Faculty Mentor: Mark Haidekker, Biological Engineering
Extinction of fear in the amygdala: justification and development of a neuron model
Student: Stacy Cheng
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Satish Nair, Electrical Engineering
Adventures in Arabidopsis: Two projects investigating iron homeostasis in plants
Student: Charles Cooper
Faculty Mentor: Elizabeth Rogers, Biochemistry
The effects of particle size distribution on density of activated carbon
Student: Sean Crockett
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Galen Suppes, Chemical Engineering
Analysis of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibition by multiple RNA aptamers
Student: Robin Cutler
Faculty Mentor: Donald H. Burke, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
Localization of fw2.2 mRNA expression in soybean root
Student: Amanda Davis
Faculty Mentor: Gary Stacey, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
Genetic consequences of artificial selection on amino acid synthesis genes: cysteine synthase and chorismate mutase
Student: Tatum Davis
Faculty Mentor: Michael D. McMullen, Agronomy
Student: Tatum Davis
Faculty Mentor: Michael D. McMullen, Plant Sciences
Associations between 44 gene-associated markers and meat tenderness in Limousin steers
Student: Jared Decker
Faculty Mentor: Jerry Taylor, Animal Science
Analysis of maize mitochondrial genome structures in vivo.
Student: Anne Doyle
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kathleen Newton, Biological Sciences
The role of TGF-β in the development of thyrocyte hyperplasia in NOD.H2h4 mice
Student: Alicia Duren
Faculty Mentor: Helen Mullen, Immunology
Male phonotactic responses in gray treefrogs (Hyla versicolor)
Student: Patricia Enmore
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Sarah Humfeld, Biological Sciences
Buchwald-Hartwig Coupling of (+)-S-Methyl-S-Phenyl Sulfoximine to 2-Bromo-Cinnamyl Carbonyls and Their Subsequent Intra
Student: Vinson Espejo
Faculty Mentor: Michael Harmata, Chemistry
Genetic relatedness of artificially aggregating raccoons (Procyon lotor)
Student: Kaitlyn Faries
Faculty Mentor: Lori Eggert, Biological Sciences
Gravimetric analysis of methane adsorption in activated carbon
Student: Carol Faulhaber
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Peter Pfeifer, Physics
Flux growth of LixM2O4 spinel for use in testing the Quantum Critical Point (QCP)
Student: Ian Faust
Faculty Mentor: Keary Schoen, Research Reactor
Carbon briquettes for low-pressure storage of natural gas in alternative-fuel vehicles
Student: John Flavin
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Peter Pfeifer, Physics
Using Phosphinimines for a Tc-99 Environmental Contamination Sensor
Student: Miriam Galenas
Faculty Mentor: Silvia Jurisson, Chemistry
Synthesis and characterization of nickel polycyclic aromatic carbon compounds.
Student: Arsen Galustyan
Faculty Mentor: Paul R. Sharp, 125 Chemistry
Revisiting the Soybean Seed Filling Proteome
Student: Katherine Graham
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jay J. Thelen, Plant Sciences
The Impact of Methyl Mercury on the Distribution of Selenium in Various Tissues
Student: Kimberly Griswold
Faculty Mentor: J. David Robertson, Chemistry
Fine-structure QTL mapping of suppressor of plant blotching1 in maize.
Student: Edward Grow
Faculty Mentor: Karen Cone, Biological Sciences
Fine-Structure QTL Mapping of Suppressor of Plant Blotching1 in maize
Student: Edward Grow
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Karen Cone, Biological Sciences
Dead or Alive: What effect does the prey condition have
Student: Manuel Gullatt, Jr.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Tom Coudron, BCIRL-Department of Entomology
Kisspeptin, GPR54, and GnRH neurons: Interactions in the male mouse
Student: Sarah Hackman
Faculty Mentor: Dr. M. Cathleen Kovarik, Veterinary Biomedical Sciences
Monte Carlo modeling of the formation of branched tube structures from cellular aggregates
Student: Josh Hammel
Faculty Mentor: Gabor Forgacs, Physics and Astronomy
ATP-Affinity Chromatography to Enrich Protein Kinases and Associated Proteins Expressed in Developing Oilseed Rape
Student: Stefan Harris
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jay J. Thelen, Biochemistry
Weill on stage: the musical evolution of a theatrical visionary
Student: Corinne Hayes
Faculty Mentor: Jo Ella Todd, Music
Gender differences in refugia selection by gray treefrogs (Hyla versicolor)
Student: Michelle Hellman
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Gerhardt, Biological Sciences
Prospective nursing study of breast cancer lymphedema: Exploring possible relationships with tamoxifen therapy
Student: Mary Henggeler
Faculty Mentor: Jane Armer, Sinclair School of Nursing
Which retroviral gag proteins utilize crm1 nuclear export system throughout their lifecycle?
Student: Laura Hughes
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Marc Johnson, MMI
Effects of blocking agents on molecular imaging of bcl-2 expression in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Student: Charles Hunter
Faculty Mentor: Michael Lewis, Veterinary Medicine and Surgery
Identification of genes regulating branchiomotor neuron development and migration
Student: Stephanie Irwin
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Anand Chandrasekhar, Biological Sciences
Localized adherence and microcolony formation by nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae
Student: Ninochka Jean-Pierre
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Miriam Golomb, Biological Sciences
Designing a test to determine physical changes in explanted hernia meshes
Student: Phillip Kelchen
Faculty Mentor: Sheila Grant, Biological Engineering
Comparative effectiven
Student: Rula Khreis
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Abraham Eisenstark, Biology
Modeling the lateral amygdala during fear acquisition
Student: Frank Ko
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Satish S. Nair, Electrical Engineering
Organization and repair of the trigeminal system in the lamprey using fluorescent double labeling
Student: Ka Yu Ko
Faculty Mentor: Andrew McClellan, Biological Science
Is aflatoxin accumulation a response to increased reactive oxygen species?
Student: Yu-Gyeong Ko
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Georgia Davis, Department of Plant Sciences
Use of RNAi silencing to explore gene function during soybean nodulation.
Student: Britney Koepf
Faculty Mentor: Gary Stacey, epartment of Plant Microbiology and Pathology
An Unspoken Allegiance: Formation of white racial identity in the 21st century
Student: Ashlee Kolieboi
Faculty Mentor: David Brunsma, Sociology
Phylogenetic analysis of the YDJ1 family of molecular chaperones
Student: Cory Lewis
Faculty Mentor: Jan Miernyk, Biochemistry
Isolation and characterization of the N family of resistance genes
Student: Nancy Li
Faculty Mentor: James Schoelz, Plant Pathology
Organization of locomotor command systems in the lamprey brain
Student: Lucia Luan
Faculty Mentor: Andrew D. McClellan, Biological Sciences
Yeast 2-Hybrid Screening for Proteins that Recognize ACS6 C-terminus which is Essential for ACS6 Stability Regul
Student: Abraham Lueth
Faculty Mentor: Zhang, Shuqun, Biochemistry
A functional analysis of mayoral political primary debates
Student: Sheila Maltos
Faculty Mentor: William Benoit, Communication
Of mice and…more mice: The search for an effective treatment for muscular dystrophy using gene therapy.
Student: Nathaniel Marschalk
Faculty Mentor: Dongsheng Duan, Molecular Biology and Immunology
Development of hardiness III: Objective and subjective stress
Student: Jordan McCall
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Alan Strathman, Psychological Sciences
Embryonic stem cells cross-correct for defects found in a mutant mouse model for the neurodegenerative disorder known as Batten Disease
Student: Megan McFerson
Faculty Mentor: Mark Kirk, Biological Sciences
Transgenic strategy to improve drought tolerance in plants using a Rab gene from Sporobolus stapfianus
Student: Sylvia Megyerdi
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Melvin Oliver, Agronomy
Raising awareness of sprawl in Columbia, Missouri through graphic design
Student: Craig Meyer
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Richard Wilson, Art
The Heritability of Feeding Propensity in Hyla versicolor
Student: Steffanie Monroe
Faculty Mentor: Allison Welch, PhD., Biology
Identifying the role of caveolin-1 and caveolin-2 in cancer cell proliferation and cancer drug resistance
Student: Hillary Myears
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Grzegorz Sowa, Medical Pharmacology and Physiology
Targeting the BB2 receptor on human prostate cancer cells using Indium-111 labeled radiopharmaceutical
Student: Farah Naz
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Timothy Hoffman, Internal Medicine
From Africa to your backyard: Evolutionary expansion of axons to maintain rapid nerve conduction in mammals
Student: Rachel Norton
Faculty Mentor: Michael Garcia, Biological Sciences
The Atoms for Peace Project
Student: Benjamin Ortega
Faculty Mentor: Susan Lever, Chemistry
Generating a neutralizing antibody against IL13R α
Student: Austin Ostermeier
Faculty Mentor: Habib Zaghouani, Molecular Microbiology
Expression of GHR1A, SOCS3, INHBA, and MYC mRNA in liver of periparturient dairy cows
Student: Joe Owens, III
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Matt Lucy, Animal Science
Expression profiling of squalene monooxygenase genes of sterol biosynthesis path
Student: Hee Sung Park
Faculty Mentor: Henry T. Nguyen, Agronomy
Synthesis and characterization of Bombesin derivatives with potential applications as nuclear medicine imaging/therapeutic agents
Student: Adam Prasanphanich
Faculty Mentor: Charles J. Smith, Radiology
Modeling sodium pump degradation and removal: sorting out your dirty laundry.
Student: Sareh Rajaee
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Mark Milanick, Medical Pharmacology and Physiology
Making chemotherapy stronger: Targeting proteins involved in drug resistance
Student: Jean Randall
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Stephen Alexander, Biological Sciences
Neonatal exposure to xenobiotic estrogen alters the adult immune response and exacerbates endometriosis in mice
Student: Jacob Redel
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Susan C. Nagel, Obstetrics/Gynecology, and Women's Health
To bind or not to bind: Characterization of binding interactions between X29 and U8snoRNA
Student: Kristen Reynolds
Faculty Mentor: Brenda Peculis, Biochemistry
Engineering review and calibration of devices to measure coolant flow through irradiation positions at MURR
Student: Ivan J. Rivera-Hernandez
Faculty Mentor: Dr. William Miller, Nuclear Engineering at MURR
Optimization of oocyte cryoprotectant loading rate
Student: Sarah Rodda
Faculty Mentor: Dr. John Critser, Veterinary Pathobiology
An optical model for non-invasive measurements of human blood glucose level
Student: Euclides Rodriguez
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Gregory Triplett, Electrical and Computer Engineering
From Tissue Liquidity to Vascular Printing
Student: Diego Saenz
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Gabor Forgacs, Physics and Astronomy
Use of South African native plants to alleviate heat stress-induced subfertility
Student: Melanie Santiago
Faculty Mentor: Dr. William Lamberson, Animal Science
Effects of high-fat diet withdrawal on behavior and striatal opioid gene expression
Student: Ali Sawani
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Matthew Will, Psychological Sciences
Role of the interdomain rotation of PMM/PGM from P. aeruginosa in catalysis
Student: Andrew Schramm
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Lesa Beamer, Biochemistry
Understanding a cryoprotective agent; the ternary phase diagram of proplyene glycol, sodium chloride and water
Student: Claire Schulkey
Faculty Mentor: John Critser, Veterinary Pathobiology
Detecting fluorescence in molecular rotors due to shear stress in a flow chamber
Student: Arun Sebastian
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Mark A. Haidekker, Biological Engineering
Inactivation of PTP1B by endogenous and dietary aldehydes
Student: Ang Sherpa
Faculty Mentor: Kent S. Gates, Chemistry
The Emotional Disturbance identification and Special Education placement of African American students
Student: Enjoli Sims
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Juanita Simmons, Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Reducution of Rhenium(V)-oxo schiff base complexesith triphenyl phosphine ligands
Student: Nebiat Sisay
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Silvia Jurisson, Chemistry
Nematode secreted proteins originating from esophageal gland cells are injected through the stylet
Student: Dante Smith
Faculty Mentor: Melissa G. Mitchum, Division of Plant Sciences
DNA methylation effects on expression of a chromatin-regulated gene in maize
Student: Patrick Smith
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Karen Cone, Biological Sciences
DNA methylation effecst on expression of a chromatin-regulatedgene in maize
Student: Patrick Smith
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Karen Cone, Biological Sciences
Inhibition of beta amyloid fibril formation to prevent development of Alzheimer’s disease
Student: Ryan Smith
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Renee JiJi, Chemistry
Purification and characterization of recombinant pyruvate dehydrogenase kinases from pea and soybean plants
Student: Colin Smith-Hammond
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Douglas Randall, Biochemistry
Reconstituting the Cvt pathway: An approach to unraveling autophagy
Student: Katherine Speichinger
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Per Strømhaug, Biological Sciences
Removing Pink Pigmented Faculative Methylotrophs (PPFMs) from Arabadopsis Thaliana Seeds
Student: Christopher Spencer
Faculty Mentor: Steve Witzig and Joe Polacco, Biochemistry
Effect of mutations on Ste13p protein trafficking in yeast
Student: Briana Sprick
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Steven Nothwehr, Biological Sciences
Smokin' Mommas: Does social support work?
Student: Catherine Stricklin
Faculty Mentor: Linda Bullock, Sinclair School of Nursing
Domain specific interactions of S-RNase binding protein with stylar 120 kDA glycoprotein in Nicotiana
Student: Kirby Swatek
Faculty Mentor: Bruce McClure, Biochemistry
Mechano-chemical synthesis and analysis of zinc and pyrogallol [4] arene complex under solvent-free and ambient conditions
Student: Harry Tabi
Faculty Mentor: Dr Jerry L. Atwood, Chemistry
The automation of microarray data analysis to ameliorate biochemical pathways
Student: Erik Taylor
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Dong Xu, Computer Science
Construction of shRNA vectors against BTB-Kelch substrate adaptor proteins
Student: Connie R. Taylor, II
Faculty Mentor: Mark Hannink, Biochemistry
The relationship between race and delinquency and the factors that influence disproportionate minority contact in Missouri
Student: Neil Thawani
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Anne Dannerbeck, Social Work
Characterization of a P2Y2 nucleotide receptor antibody by Western blot analysis
Student: Mary Timson
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Gary Weisman, Biochemistry
Modification of an iodinated peptide with µ-opioid receptor affinity to reduce lipophilicity
Student: Galina Toneva
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Susan Lever, Chemistry
Muscle loading effects on bone parameters in the oim mouse model
Student: Kristin Twenter
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Charlotte Phillips, Biochemistry
Industrial process design and cost analysis for the production of a specific activated carbon
Student: Todd Vassalli
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Peter Pfeifer, Physics
Study of impurities and color effects on gemstones
Student: Jennis Vicente
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Mark A. Prelas, Nuclear Engineering
Study of impurities and color effects on gemstones
Student: Jennis Vicente
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Mark A. Prelas, Nuclear Engineering
Relations between matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity, type I collagen accumulation, and glomerular sclerosis in the oim mouse
Student: Andrew Walker
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Charlotte Phillips, Biochemistry
Performance evaluation of a dual Micro-SPECT detector system
Student: Andrew Walters
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Timothy Hoffman, Internal Medicine
The affects of genistein on the Bradyrhizobium japonic
Student: Stefanie Ward
Faculty Mentor: Gary Stacey, Plant Microbiology and Pathology
Creation of a gene selection method using a Ste13-Cps1 construct in S. cerevisiae
Student: Kristina Werner
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Steven Notwehr, Biological Sciences
Comparison of tumor imaging using antibody pretargeting and conventional methods
Student: Imani Williams
Faculty Mentor: Michael Lewis, Veterinary Medicine and Surgery
Dimensions of the college-choice decision
Student: Nicole Wilson
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Lori Franz, Management
Making Soy-based Oligomers and Polymers and Its Applications
Student: Mustafa Yousif
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Galen Suppes, Chemical Engineering
Bioinformatics analyses of 10 allergen proteins in peanuts
Student: Sarah Yu
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Dong Xu, Computer Science
Molecular mechanisms by which citrus flavonoids regulate cholesterol transport processes in the liver
Student: Katherine Zalasky
Faculty Mentor: Lené Holland, Medical Pharmacology and Physiology
Molecular mechanisms by which citrus flavonoids regulate cholesterol transport processes in the liver
Student: Katherine Zalasky
Faculty Mentor: Lené Holland, Medical Pharmacology and Physiology