Thirty-six West Virginia University students will take their research projects to Charleston as part of the annual Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol Thursday (March 12).
Twelve colleges and universities will be represented at Undergraduate Research Day, which runs from 8:45 a.m. to noon in the Capitol Rotunda. In all, 81 students will participate.
Undergraduate Research Day allows students to present their discoveries in poster format and talk to legislators about their findings. The projects are original research, and the posters have been designed for a general audience.
Students mentored by faculty from the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources , the Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences and the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences will present their posters in the areas of animal science, plant science, biology, psychology, computer science and information technology, forensic science, physics, chemistry, biochemistry, sociology/social work, engineering, history, African studies, political science, English, environmental studies and geology.
In addition to WVU , other schools represented are Alderson-Broaddus College, Bluefield State College, Concord University, Fairmont State University, Glenville State College, Marshall University, Shepherd University, the University of Charleston, WVU Institute of Technology, West Virginia Wesleyan College and Wheeling Jesuit University.
Research of the kind conducted by these students is the basis of our economic future, and this event offers a great opportunity for members of the state Legislature to interact with students who will be the innovators of the future,said Keith Garbutt, Eberly Family Professor and dean of the Honors College at WVU .It also highlights the importance WVU places on the one-on-one academic activities that take place between students and faculty.
Garbutt, co-chair of the events organizing committee, said legislators have shown a lot of interest in the students and their projects in previous years.
The students really appreciate the interest shown by members of the state Legislature.Garbutt said.Visits with the students have increased each year, and we feel this is a clear indication of the interest legislators have in higher education in West Virginia.
The following is a list of WVU participants along with their disciplines, research poster titles and advisers:
Cassie Cunningham, EngineeringDevelopment of a Novel Method for Producing Graphene Nano Layers(Charter Stinespring, adviser)
Kelley Lilly, BiologyModeling Pellet Quality, Broiler Performance, and Bird Sex(Joe Moritz, adviser)
Adam M. Sadowski, ChemistryBiomimetic Promotion and Inhibition of Crystal Growth(R. Lloyd Carroll, adviser)
Joseph Lynch, BiologySeasonal Changes in Bacterial Community Structure in Forest Floodplains of the Southeastern U.S.(Jeffrey D. Wells, adviser)
T. Jordan Berry, EngineeringComparative Study of the Facility for Outdoor Rotor Testing(James Smith, adviser)
Colleen Pettrey, HistoryDisplaced Persons Camps and the Revival of European Jewry after World War II(Robert Blobaum, adviser)
Mandy Hatfield and Faizan Kalwar, BiologyThe Effect of Periodic Odorant Stimuli on Behavioral Responses in the Moth, Manduca sexta(Kevin Daly, adviser)
Shalini Moningi, ChemistryReactivity of Group 14 Cobaloxime Compounds(Alan Stolzenberg, adviser)
Edith Johnson, BiologyEffect of Arginine Supplementation on Embryonic Survival in Sheep(E. Keith Inskeep, adviser)
Tristan McQuain, EngineeringThe Production of Activated Carbon from Anthracite Coal in a Fluidized Bed Reactor(John Zondlo, adviser)
Amanda Berardi, EnglishProfessional Writing in the Legal Sector: An Ethnographic Study of the Persuasive Writing(Scott Wible, adviser)
Christopher Reynolds, BiologyPeriodic Input Enhances Olfactory Learning in the Moth Manduca sexta(Kevin Daly, adviser)
Sawan Prabhu, BiologyChasing What You Can (Not) See: Robotic Tests of Tiger Beetle Visual Pursuit Strategies(Jim Belanger, adviser)
Danielle Castillo, BiologyEffects of Omega-3 fatty Acid-Enriched Fish on Markers of Cardiovascular Disease in Post-Menopausal Woman(Cindy Fitch, adviser)
Corey Snyder, Ondrej Karas and Darius Reynolds, EngineeringSelf-Powered Flexible Lighting Module(Darran Cairns, adviser)
Nathan Pearson and Ann Finley, BiochemistryDevelopment of Assays for Prolyl Hydroxylase and Lysly Oxidase Activities in Mouse Lung(Ken Blemings, adviser)
Dominic Ludovici, PhysicsInvestigating Techniques for RFI Removal from Radio Pulsar Data(Maura McLaughlin, adviser)
Paul Braswell, EngineeringPolymer Blending by Extensional Flow Mixing(Rakesh Gupta, adviser)
Mark Dodson, EngineeringInvestigation into the Use of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Powered by Coal Syngas as Alternative Power Sources(Xingbo Liu and Mingyang Gong, advisers)
Joseph Widmeyer, EngineeringCharacterization of Glucose Homeostasis in Rats by Means of a Dimensionless Number(David Klinke, adviser)
Jennifer Knipe, EngineeringA Principal Component Analysis of the Differentiation of Dendritic Cells(David Klinke, adviser)
Ryan Pekar, Justin West and Zachary Merceruio, EngineeringControl of Granular Fludized Beds in Variable Gravity with the Coulomb Force(John Kuhlman, adviser)
Jacqueline Gebet, EngineeringFabrication and Evaluation of Organic Solar Cells(James E. Smith, adviser)
Mikal Davidson, EngineeringFault-Tolerant Flight: Data Analysis for Control Law Design(Drad Seanor, adviser)
Cari Leland, GeographyDendrochronological Applications for Climate Reconstruction Using Eastern Redcedar(Amy Hessl, adviser)
David McGrain, EngineeringCirculation Control Applied to Water Turbines(James Smith, adviser)
Amber Smith, BiochemistryDetermination of Safety Associated with Consuming Krill Protein Concentrate(Janet Tou, adviser)
Joseph Daniels, EngineeringCirculation Control in Rotorcraft and Vertical Axis Wind Turbines(James Smith, adviser)
Russell Buberniak, EngineeringEcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge(Scott Wayne, adviser)
Brendan Hildum, GeologyInvestigation of Huporheic Flow in Dillan Creek Using Ion Selective Electrodes(Dorothy Vesper, adviser)