PULLMAN, Wash. Using speeches and posters to demonstrate their work, 36 students participated in the first Washington State University Undergraduate Research Symposium held Nov. 9-10, 2007, on the Pullman campus. Thirteen students got top honors and a total of $3,200 for their research, scholarship and creative activity on eight projects.
“The variety and caliber of the work of these undergraduates was amazing and reinforces that WSU is attracting and educating some great young minds and that faculty are doing some outstanding mentoring,” said David Bahr, WSU’s director of undergraduate research. “We originally planned to award four prizes, but when we saw how many excellent presentations there were, we simply had to double that.”
The task for the undergraduates was to make an oral presentation or use a poster to evidence their project, activity and results. The presentations were evaluated by judges from faculty, staff, and administrative ranks. The term “undergraduate research” covers not just work performed in laboratories but also scholarship and creative endeavors.
“The range of topics covered at the symposium was very impressive,” said Bahr. “They ranged from the environmental impact of foods prepared at WSU to the use of DNA in identifying fish species, and from a waterline project in Kenya to surface mechanics, and from pollution of the regional watershed to an animal model of post-partum depression. This is all the more impressive to me because these topics were being carried out by students in such a wide range of fields of study.”
“The success of this first Symposium indicates that there is great interest in both being a student researcher and also by faculty in mentoring them. I’m confident that this event is the start of a great new tradition at WSU,” said Bahr.
Awards:
Oral presentations Crimson category ($500):
– John Leraas, a physics and Honors senior from Olympia. He presented, “Vacuum Ultraviolet Excimer Laser Light Interactions with Poly(vinylidene fluoride).” His faculty advisor is J. Tom Dickinson, physics.
– Meagan Turner, a biology senior and Honors College student from Lacey, who researched “Exploring Patterns of Diversification in Beslerieae (Gesneriaceae) using Three
Oral presentations Grey category ($300):
– Leah G. Jordan, genetics and Honors junior, Spokane, “Development of Universal Primers for Use in Fish Species Identification,” with advisor Gary Thorgaard, Biological Sciences.
– Kasey Vargo, biology and Honors senior, Great Falls, Mont., “The Effects of Post-Translational Modifications on Core Lysine Residues in Histone H2A and H2B and Their Influence on Gene Expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae,” with advisor John Wyrick, molecular biosciences.
Poster presentations Crimson category:
– “Engineers Without Borders at WSU,” including mechanical engineering seniors Aaron Taylor, Alex McDonald and James Huffaker, from Fort Worth, Texas, Woodinville, and Bothell respectively; Zakaria Mohamed and Samantha York, civil engineering seniors, from Des Moines and Duvall; and Carrie Schramm, environmental engineering senior, Selah. Their project is “Kayafungo Women’s Water Project,” with advisor J. Dan Dolan, civil engineering.
– Darin McDougall, political science senior, Colville, “Ceramic Analysis at Cerro Pomo Pueblo: Pottery Production in a Border Community,” advisor Andrew Duff, anthropology.
Poster presentations Grey category:
– Marylynne L. Kostick, psychology senior, Chehalis, “Toward an Animal Model of Post-Partum Depression,” with advisor R.M. Craft, psychology.
– Margaret “Tori” Pickle, psychology junior, Seattle, “The Psychometric Properties of the Interpersonal Support Evaluation Lise (ISEL), with advisor Craig Parks, psychology.
