2008 Summer Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievements Forum
Determining the function of SNC1 in Arabidopsis plants
Student: Joseph Adiasor
Faculty Mentor: Walter Gassmann, Plant Pathology
The role of generation status and acculturation in the academic achievement of Latina/o college students
Student: David Aguayo
Faculty Mentor: Keith Herman, Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology
The ramosa1 gene plays a role in shoot-borne root patterning in Zea mays L.
Student: Moises Aguayo
Faculty Mentor: Georgia Davis, Plant Sciences
Chemical sourcing of prehistoric ceramics from Mesoamerica
Student: Bridget A. Alex
Faculty Mentor: Michael D. Glascock, Research Reactor
IPTV: Streaming television over the Internet
Student: Miguel Amador
Faculty Mentor: Wenjun Zeng, Computer Science
Nanoporous biocarbon as a storage system for methane
Student: Lin Bai
Faculty Mentor: Peter Pfeifer, Physics and Astronomy
Identification of H19 polymorphism for an assessment of biallelic expression
Student: Benjamin Beaton
Faculty Mentor: Kevin Wells, Animal Science
Peptide profiling: Correlating estrogen receptor conformation with biological response
Student: Joseph Beeman
Faculty Mentor: Susan Nagel, OB/GYN and Women's Health
Penetrating the NAT: Why and how?
Student: Ricky Biggers
Faculty Mentor: Wenjun Zeng, Computer Science
Experimental mechanics study of a dam Tainter gate
Student: Zachary Bihr
Faculty Mentor: V.S. Gopalaratnam, Civil Engineering
Percieved confidence when working with children affected by disruptive behavior disorders
Student: Renee Blair
Faculty Mentor: Kristin Hawley, Psychological Sciences
Differences in parents', siblings', and observers' ratings of family interaction tasks
Student: Amber Bolton
Faculty Mentor: Nicole Campione-Barr, Psychological Sciences
Nanoporous biocarbons as a storage system for natural gas as fuel for vehicles
Student: Samuel Bowman
Faculty Mentor: Peter Pfeifer, Physics
SNP discovery and linkage mapping in Nicotiana
Student: Jason Brown
Faculty Mentor: Timothy Holtsford, Biological Sciences
Turnover of neotropical migrant birds in eleven year old clear cuts during July
Student: Alicia Burke
Faculty Mentor: Paul Porneluzi, Math and Science
Lysophoshatidic acid regulation of cell surface-associated proteases
Student: Kimberly Chaffin
Faculty Mentor: M. Sharon Stack, Pathology & Anatomical Sciences
Wood thrush abundance and habitat preference among three forest management regions in the Ozark Forest
Student: Vanessa Chen
Faculty Mentor: Paul Porneluzi, Math and Science
Distributed video encoding: Development and implementation of methods to distribute computationally difficult work
Student: Matthew Chittum
Faculty Mentor: Wenjung Zeng, Computer Science
The effects of leaf litter type on the growth and development of gray treefrog tadpoles
Student: Kara Cohagen
Faculty Mentor: Ray Semlitsch, Biological Sciences
Peer-to-peer networking: A security analysis
Student: Andres Concepcion
Faculty Mentor: Wenjun Zeng, Computer Science
Age and gender differences in the use of emotion words between adolescent friends
Student: Talisha Cottrell
Faculty Mentor: Amanda J. Rose, Psychological Sciences
Elucidation of the functional role of oligopeptide transporters in bacterial virulence
Student: Robert Coy
Faculty Mentor: Gary Stacey, Life Sciences Center
NSF – REU program in home networking technologies
Student: Grae Cullen
Faculty Mentor: Wenjun Zeng, Computer Science
Role of cardiac troponin I phosphorylation in cardiac function: From molecule to mouse
Student: Andrew Darkow
Faculty Mentor: Kerry McDonald, Medical Pharmacology and Physiology
Exploring the functional decapping ability of the Dogfish Shark Nudt16 Homolog
Student: Brittny Davis
Faculty Mentor: Brenda Peculis, Biochemistry
Efficacy of turmeric (Curcuma longa) to ameliorate the adverse effects of ochratoxin A in broiler chicks
Student: Schontonia Davis
Faculty Mentor: David R. Ledoux, Animal Sciences
Determining whether mate-searching males use directional information from female signals in Umbonia crassicornis
Student: Jasmine Dillard
Faculty Mentor: Reginald Cocroft, Biological Sciences
Investigating the relationship between repeated DNA and gene silencing in the model organism Neurospora crassa
Student: Isaac Dripps
Faculty Mentor: Thomas Hammond, Biological Sciences
Unexpected exosites on the surface of matrix metalloproteinase-12 that fine-tune specificity for elastin and collagen V
Student: Vinh Duong
Faculty Mentor: Mark Palmier, Biochemistry
Transcription factors leading the pathway to survival
Student: Rebecca Duran
Faculty Mentor: Sandra Thibivilliers and Gary Stacey, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
Sonic the Hedgehog, oxysterols, and their role in prostate cancer
Student: John Ebone
Faculty Mentor: Dennis Lubahn, Biochemistry
Biotope mapping to compare and contrast Columbia, Missouri neighborhoods
Student: Jason Edwards
Faculty Mentor: Charles Nilon, Fisheries & Wildlife
Rodents gone wild in the southeastern section of Missouri in the Peck Ranch Conservation Area
Student: Sarah Ernst
Faculty Mentor: Paul Porneluzi, Math and Science
Determining the structural dynamics of MMP-3/TIMP complex from NMR relaxation
Student: Nicholas Gieselman
Faculty Mentor: Steven Van Doren, Biochemistry
The influence of thigmotaxis on the formation of spatial memory in Drosophila
Student: Andrea Gioia
Faculty Mentor: Troy Zars, Biological Sciences
Acadian Flycatcher nest placement; a strategy of survival
Student: Sarah Goy
Faculty Mentor: Paul Porneluzi, Math and Science
Determining whether mate-searching males use directional information from female signals in Umbonia crassicornis
Student: Ashley Groves
Faculty Mentor: Reginald Cocroft, Biological Sciences
Temperature-dependent preferences for advertisement-call frequency in females of Hyla versicolor
Student: Brice Grunert
Faculty Mentor: Sarah Humfeld, Biological Sciences
An assessment on resveratrol and its cellular protective properties
Student: Dongdong Han
Faculty Mentor: Grace Sun, Biochemistry
Distributed video encoding: Development and implementation of methods to distribute computationally difficult work
Student: Clayton Harper
Faculty Mentor: Wenjun Zeng, Computer Science
Cohesion in parent-adolescent relationships within different family structures and birth orders
Student: Jennifer Ho
Faculty Mentor: Nicole Campione-Barr, Psychological Sciences
A phenotypic comparison of heterosis and inbreeding depression across different ploidy levels of maize
Student: Shae Honesty
Faculty Mentor: James Birchler, Biological Sciences
An analysis of sensitive material (silicon-germanium-oxide) using in uncooled microbolometer
Student: Benjamin Hotrabhavananda
Faculty Mentor: Mahmoud Almasri, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Linking hormone replacement therapy to Lymphedema in breast cancer survivors
Student: Danielle Huff
Faculty Mentor: Jane Armer, School of Nursing
HIV versus the Terminator: Drug resistance of HIV reverse transcriptase with mutations at the connection subdomain
Student: Jacob Jackson
Faculty Mentor: Stefan Sarafianos, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
Masticatory loading and soft-tissue plasticity in the mammalian circumorbital region
Student: Eldin Jasarevic
Faculty Mentor: Matthew Ravosa, Pathology and Anatomical Sciences
P2Y2 nucleotide receptors mediate inflammatory responses in mouse salivary gland cells
Student: Aeji Jeon
Faculty Mentor: Gary A. Weisman, Biochemistry
Black Family Life: An African American parenting magazine
Student: Lauren Johnson
Faculty Mentor: Sara Gable, Human Development & Family Studies
A hybrid MRI-based hippocampus segmentation algorithm
Student: Kevin Karsch
Faculty Mentor: Ye Duan, Computer Science
Investigation of a Novel Gallium-68 Generator
Student: James Kelsey
Faculty Mentor: Cathy Cutler, Research Reactor
High phosphorus rapidly increase squash root magnesium, sodium and calcium concentration
Student: Ji Hyun Kim
Faculty Mentor: D. G. Blevins, Plant Sciences
Using a candidate gene approach to identify the restorer-of-fertility Rf4 gene for maize CMS-C
Student: Soo Kim
Faculty Mentor: Kathleen Newton, Biological Sciences
Determination of AtSCD1 mRNA and protein levels in the temperature sensitive mutant scd1-1
Student: David Korasick
Faculty Mentor: Antje Heese, BIochemistry
Amyloid Beta peptide's effects on NMDA receptors in PC-12 cells
Student: Sarah Krehbiel
Faculty Mentor: James Lee, Biological Engineering
Analysis of the mtDNA insertion site on chromosome 9L in maize inbreds using fluorescence in situ hybridization
Student: Karl Kremling
Faculty Mentor: Kathleen J. Newton, Biological Sciences
Differences in habitat use of gray treefrogs (Hyla versicolor) in experimental forest plots
Student: Daniel Leach
Faculty Mentor: Raymond Semlitsch, Biological Sciences
Mechanical evaluation of polylactic acid (PLA) with nominal Hydroxyapatite filler for use in biomedical implants
Student: Richard Lebens
Faculty Mentor: Hao Li, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Identifying the interaction between AtSRFR1 with AtTPL and AtTLR3 in planta
Student: Woonjung Lee
Faculty Mentor: Walter Gassmann, Plant Science
Role of C-reactive protein in a murine model of vein graft disease
Student: Alexander Lohman
Faculty Mentor: William P. Fay, Internal Medicine
Effects of clumped resources on den use by male raccoons at Baskett Wildlife Area
Student: James Loveall
Faculty Mentor: Matthew Gompper, Fisheries & Wildlife
Spinach, a cyclops, and the search for a cure for prostate cancer
Student: Kathryn Lucido
Faculty Mentor: Dennis Lubhan, Biochemistry and Child Health
Juvenile salamander dispersal and use of terrestrial microhabitat cues
Student: Kristen Malone
Faculty Mentor: Raymond D. Semlitsch, Biological Sciences
Variation in mushroom frequency on course-woody debris in areas of different forest management techniques
Student: Joseph Manthey
Faculty Mentor: Paul Porneluzi, Math and Science
Gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy heart disease requires treating both heart and skeletal muscle
Student: Nicholas Marschalk
Faculty Mentor: Dongsheng Duan, Molecular Microbiology & Immunology
Functional analysis of various conserved domains of NPH3 involved in phototropism in Arabidopsis thaliana
Student: Sally Martin
Faculty Mentor: Mannie Liscum, Biological Sciences
Effect of heat stress on sow fertility and health
Student: Whitney Martin
Faculty Mentor: Matthew Lucy, Animal Science
Characterization of a recombinant inbred line population for quantitative trait locus mapping
Student: Dustin Mayfield
Faculty Mentor: Karen Cone, Biological Sciences
Characterization of muscle in OI Model mice
Student: Amanda McCambridge
Faculty Mentor: Charlotte L. Phillips, Biochemistry
Autoaggregation and adhesion by nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae strains with mutations in the autotransporter Lav
Student: Robert McMillan
Faculty Mentor: Miriam Golomg, Biological Sciences
Effects of culture conditions on cytosine methylation and MeCP2 binding in preimplantation mouse embryos
Student: Emily Medlin
Faculty Mentor: Rocio Rivera, Animal Sciences
Fragment based screens of the α–D–phosphohexomutases as an initial step for inhibitor design
Student: Jennifer Mink
Faculty Mentor: Lesa Beamer, Biochemistry
Host proteins used in HIV assembly and budding
Student: Stephanie Morriss
Faculty Mentor: Marc Johnson, Molecular Microbiology & Immunology
The effects of Bisphenol A on the Zebrafish embryo
Student: Andy Mossine
Faculty Mentor: Anand Chandrasekhar, Biological Sciences
IPTV: Streaming television over the Internet
Student: Kevin Nadeau
Faculty Mentor: Wenjun Zeng, Computer Science
IPTV: Streaming television over the Internet
Student: Phillip Napieralski
Faculty Mentor: Wenjun Zeng, Computer Science
An evaluation of long term changes in clear-cuts and plantations in Mid-Missouri
Student: Thomas Nelke
Faculty Mentor: Rose-Marie Muzika, Forestry
Peptide profiling: Correlating estrogen receptor conformation with biological response
Student: Bridget Niebruegge
Faculty Mentor: Susan Nagel, OB/GYN and Women's Health
Effects of even-aged timber harvest on herbaceous vegetation richness in southern Missouri forests
Student: Elizabeth O'Hara
Faculty Mentor: Paul Porneluzi, Math and Science
Microhabitat selection by cave salamander (Eurycea lucifuga) as it relates to relative humidity and temperature
Student: Nick Oakley
Faculty Mentor: Paul Porneluzi, Math and Science
Variation in soil communities across a heterogeneous habitat
Student: Megan Pallo
Faculty Mentor: Candace Galen, Biological Sciences
Micropost sensor array for cell traction forces studies
Student: JaeWan Park
Faculty Mentor: Mahmoud Almasri, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Efficacy of turmeric (Curcuma longa) to ameliorate the adverse effects of T-2 toxin in broiler chicks
Student: Jeongsik Park
Faculty Mentor: David R. Ledoux, Animal Science
Antioxidants to combat Alzheimer's disease
Student: Laura Phillips
Faculty Mentor: Grace Sun, Biochemistry
Properties of soil samples from below prehistoric Lake Agassiz
Student: Mark Pierce
Faculty Mentor: John J. Bowders, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Making alternative fuel vehicles work: Storage through absorption on Missouri corn cob
Student: Jeff Pobst
Faculty Mentor: Peter Pfeifer, Physics
Improving the hybrid adeno-associated viral vectors with the exonic splicing enhancer
Student: Elizabeth Pocklington
Faculty Mentor: Dongsheng Duan, Molecular Microbiology & Immunology
X band Class-E amplifier design
Student: Bryan Pratte
Faculty Mentor: Robert Oconnell, Electrical Engineering
A new approach toward PTP-1B inhibition
Student: Nathan Price
Faculty Mentor: Kent S. Gates, Chemistry
Map-based cloning and characterization of meiotic drive resistance
Student: David Rehard
Faculty Mentor: Patrick Shiu, Biological Sciences
How to get DNA through a nanopore and across a bilayer; a deeper look into DNA translocation
Student: Devin Ridgley
Faculty Mentor: Li-Qun Gu, Biological Engineering
Axonal regeneration following spinal cord hemi-transection in larval lamprey
Student: Josh Santoli
Faculty Mentor: Andy McClellan, Biological Sciences
Development of a multi-gap pseudospark
Student: Brett Scott
Faculty Mentor: Scott Kovaleski, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Microhabitat selection by cave salamander (Eurycea lucifuga) as it relates to relative humidity and temperature
Student: Ben Shannon
Faculty Mentor: Paul Porneluzi, Math and Science
What is a plant gall and how do insects make them?
Student: Gilok Shin
Faculty Mentor: Heidi Appel and Dr. Jack Schultz, Plant Science
Labeling and purification studies on cancer targeting DOTA-TATE labeled with radiolanthanides
Student: Nebiat Sisay
Faculty Mentor: Cathy S. Cutler, Chemistry
Penetrating the NAT: Why and how?
Student: Jordan Smarr
Faculty Mentor: Wenjun Zeng, Computer Science
Seeing through different lenses: How the higher education community views diversity
Student: Brittany Smotherson
Faculty Mentor: Jeni Hart, Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis
Roach infestation optimization
Student: Christopher Spain
Faculty Mentor: James Keller, Electrical & Computer Engineering
The relationship between childhood obesity and food insecurity: Variations and trends in core literature analyses
Student: Melissa Spain
Faculty Mentor: Mary Grigsby, Rural Sociology
Effects of even-aged timber harvest on herbaceous vegetation richness in southern Missouri forests
Student: Hayley Stafford
Faculty Mentor: Paul Porneluzi, Central Methodist University
IPTV: Streaming television over the Internet
Student: Steven Steffen
Faculty Mentor: Wenjun Zeng, Computer Science
HuR overexpression in MB231 breast cancer cells
Student: Connie Strouse
Faculty Mentor: Ulus Atasoy, Surgery
Creation of mutant corticosteroid binding globulin: One step closer to a diagnostic device
Student: Abigail Sullivan
Faculty Mentor: William Folk, Biochemistry
The impacts of floral fragrances and ant contamination on pollinator behavioral responses
Student: Sadie Todd
Faculty Mentor: Candace Galen, Biological Sciences
Effects of polyploidy on female call preference in gray treefrogs, Hyla chrysoscelis
Student: Mitch Tucker
Faculty Mentor: Sarah Humfeld and Dr. H. Carl Gerhardt, Biological Sciences
Understanding T regulatory cell development in the thymus using both in vivo and in vitro models
Student: Robin Uchiyama
Faculty Mentor: Habib Zaghouani, Molecular Microbiology & Immunology
Role of Gbx2 expression in cranial nerve V development
Student: Sam Urkov
Faculty Mentor: Samuel T. Waters, Biological Sciences
ROS from menadione induces astrocytic damage: protective effects of apocynin
Student: Xiaowen Wang
Faculty Mentor: Grace Y. Sun, Biochemistry
Is it significant: A search for motifs and their possible significance
Student: Samantha Warren
Faculty Mentor: Donald Burke, Molecular Microbiology & Immunology
Effects of even-aged timber harvest on herbaceous vegetation richness in southern Missouri forests
Student: Brian Weiss
Faculty Mentor: Paul Porneluzi, Math and Science
Development of an optical biosensor utilizing cleavable peptides on electrospun nanofibers
Student: Jacqueline Wendel
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Sheila Grant, Biological Engineering
Development of tools for in situ hybridization in human embryonic stem cells
Student: Amber Wiggins
Faculty Mentor: R. Michael Roberts, Animal Science, Biochemistry, Veterinary Pathology
A human relevent rat model of breast cancer
Student: Dana Willbrand
Faculty Mentor: Rachel Ruhlen, Surgery
Does a nonlinear mating preference predict nonlinear benefits to offspring?: Avoiding bad mates to obtain good genes
Student: Amanda Williams
Faculty Mentor: Allison Welch and Dr. Carl Gerhardt, Biological Sciences
Characterization of gene and protein marker expression by human dental pulp stem cells
Student: Lauquyta Wilmore
Faculty Mentor: Mark D. Kirk, Biological Sciences
Variation in mushroom frequency on course-woody debris in areas of different forest management techniques
Student: Mathew Wilson
Faculty Mentor: Paul Porneluzi, Math and Science
Microbial fuel cell analysis
Student: Ryan Womack
Faculty Mentor: Zhiqiang Hu, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Clearance of endosymbionts in the tick vector Rhipicephalus sanguineus
Student: Andrew Woolery
Faculty Mentor: Roger W. Stich, Veterinary Pathobiology
Species variation and relative abundance of moths in glades versus forests at Peck Ranch
Student: Michael Wormington
Faculty Mentor: Paul Porneluzi, Math and Science
Wading in the gene pool: Female preference for long mating calls in gray tree frogs (Hyla versicolor)
Student: Si Yol Yi
Faculty Mentor: Allison Welch and Dr. H. Carl Gerhardt, Biological Sciences
Influence of miRNA on brace root patterning in Zea mays L
Student: Marie Young
Faculty Mentor: Georgia Davis, Plant Sciences
Reactivity of Germanium (100)-2x1 with diethyl ether
Student: Jimmy Zahra
Faculty Mentor: Michael Greenlief, Chemistry
Turnover of neotropical migrant birds in eleven year old clear cuts during July
Student: Theodore Zenzal
Faculty Mentor: Paul Porneluzi, Math and Science
Synthesis and characterization of amorphous astrominerals
Student: Bryson Zullig
Faculty Mentor: Alan Whittington, Geological Sciences