Summer Research Round Up 2015 | ACU / Undergraduate Research

ACU Undergraduate Researchers were busy this summer working on a variety of projects. Over 50 students from more than 15 departments have participated in research this summer. Seventeen students participated in research through the McNair Scholars program. Other students and faculty were supported by Pursuit Research Grants and Office of Undergraduate Research Summer Stipend Grants.

Here are some of the things we know about (let us know what we are missing):

McNair Scholars: The McNair Scholars Program had a successful Summer Research Internship! 17 students with 12 different majors did research with 15 mentors. They will be presenting their work at national McNair conferences in the coming months.

Biology: In Dr. Jennifer Huddleston’s lab, Jeffrey Wooliscroft worked on determining levels of antibiotic resistance in bacteria isolated from cave samples. Jamie Thompson, Isabel Laiseca-Ruiz and Kristen Brehm worked with Dr. Rebecca Hunter in trying to determine if local queen and monarch butterflies were infected with two common bacterial parasites that are known to adversely affect butterflies in a number of ways. Kyle Stainsby, Savannah Vincent, Wipawee Songsang, and Dr. Qiang Xu studied the house-keeping genes in the Horn Fly.

Chemistry and Biochemistry: Eight students and 3 faculty members participated in on-going research projects in biochemistry and organometallic synthesis. Projects included studying modified yeast, Synthesis and X-ray Crystal Structure of Asymmetrical Diosmium Sawhorse Complexes, and Synthesis and Structural Characterization of New Trinuclear and Hexanuclear Osmium Carbonyl Cluster Complexes.

Engineering and Physics: This summer the Nuclear Physics Research Group worked with 8 ACU students. Four students worked on FNAL E906/SeaQuest at Fermilab with Dr. Donald Isenhower, Dr. Michael Daugherity, and Shon Watson. Four other students worked on PHENIX and sPHENIX with Dr. Rusty Towel at Brookhaven National Lab.

Dr. Darby Hewitt worked with Ryan Wilson, Sydney Shelstead, and Candace Brooks. Candace worked on computer-controlling a 1960s-era monochromator, and Ryan and Sydney investigated fluorescence properties of Thallium-doped CsI under 405nm laser excitation. Megan Cromis worked with Dr. Tim Kennedy on a project that looked at the Ability of the BioSand Filter to remove Organic and Inorganic contaminants from water. Students worked with Dr. Matthew Steele on developing and constructing an operational lab scale anaerobic sequencing batch reactor.

Teacher Education: Hannah Lowry, Cathy Ford and Dr. Andrew Huddleston worked to understand how first year teachers make decisions about the reading assessment and instructional practices they use in their classrooms.

Theatre: Will McInerney and Dr. Adam Hester workshopped an original musical “After Zoey” in New York City. Will helped created and performed a new character “The Boyfriends” in this work written by Dr. Hester.