The winners of the ninth annual Undergraduate Research Conference have been announced. The Missouri University of Science and Technology conference featured oral and poster exhibitions that represented almost every major. Winners received a cash prize of $750, with the second and third place finishers receiving $500 and $250 respectively.

On Wednesday, April 3, 84 S&T undergraduates presented their current research projects to the public. For a list of all the students who participated and their research abstracts, see http://ugs.mst.edu/undergraduate/ugrc/.
The following students won oral presentation awards.
Engineering oral session:
First place – Samuel Ruesing, a senior in chemical engineering from Pontoon Beach, Ill., for research titled “Analysis of the Second Virial Coefficient of Glycosylated Proteins by Light Scattering.” The research advisor is Dr. Daniel Forciniti, a professor of chemical and biochemical engineering at S&T.
Second place – Derek Schloemann, a senior in chemical engineering from Webster Groves, Mo., for research titled “Attachment of Peptides to Amino-Polystyrene Microspheres.” The research advisor is Dr. Daniel Forciniti, a professor of chemical and biochemical engineering at S&T.
Third place – Trevor Wilson, a junior in computer science from Lee’s Summit, Mo., and Erik O’Riley, a junior in mechanical engineering from Blue Springs, Mo., for research titled “Visual Computer Representation for Seven Axis Manipulator.” The research advisor is Dr. Frank Liou, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and director of the manufacturing engineering program at S&T.
Sciences oral session:
First place – Clayton Buback, a senior in biological sciences from St. Charles, Mo., and Patrick McCarver, a senior in chemical engineering from Farmington, Mo., for research titled “Assembly of Polymeric Nanoparticles in Fibers versus Clusters: Experiment and Simulation.” The research advisor is Dr. Chariklia Sotiriou-Leventis, a professor of chemistry at S&T.
Second place – Katie Payne, a senior in biological sciences from Steelville, Mo., for research titled “‘Insulin Neck’: Is this the Earliest Sign of Insulin Resistance?” The research advisor is Dr. William Van Stoecker, an assistant adjunct professor of computer science and local dermatologist.
Third place – Alex Korff, a senior in environmental engineering from Fulton, Mo., for research titled “Analyzing Critical Drinking Water Parameters in Rural India.” The research advisor is Dr. Daniel Oerther, John A. and Susan Mathes Professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering at S&T.
Arts and humanities oral session:

First place – Nelson Shreve, a senior in physics from Waynesville, Mo., for research titled “Mark Twain and Faïza Guène: the Coalescence of Style with Cause.” The research advisor is Dr. Audra Merfeld-Langston, an assistant professor of arts, languages and philosophy at S&T.

Second place – Georginna Quiros, a senior in history from Rolla, Mo., for research titled “A Brief Historiography of Joseph McCarthy and McCarthyism.” The research advisor is Dr. Petra Dewitt, an assistant teaching professor of history and political science at S&T.

Third place – Matthew Eakins, a senior in English from Evergreen Park, Ill., for research titled “The Role of Women in Literature: From King Arthur to Margaret Atwood.” The research advisor is Dr. Olivia Burgess, assistant teaching professor of English and technical communication at S&T.

The following students won poster presentation awards.

Sciences poster session:

First place – Colin Ryan, a senior in ceramic engineering from Sherman, Ill., for research titled “Conversion of Rare Earth Doped Borate Glass to Rare Earth Phosphate Solid Solution Compounds.” The research advisor is Dr. Richard Brow, Curator’s Professor of materials science and engineering at S&T.

Second place –Kathryn Czeschin, a junior in chemistry from Washington, Mo., for research titled “Kinetics of GSK3 Phosphorylation of Tau Protein.” The research advisor is Dr. Daniel Forciniti, a professor of chemical and biochemical engineering at S&T.

Third place – Hannah Frye, a junior in chemistry from Lee’s Summit, Mo., for research titled “Modifying Muscarinic Signaling through Mutation of the Neurotransmitter Receptor M2’s G-Protein.” The research advisor is Dr. Robert Aronstam, department chair and professor of biological sciences at S&T.

Arts and humanities poster session:

First place – Laura Welsh, a senior in history from Lee’s Summit, Mo., for research titled “The Promotion of Las Vegas by Local Newspaper Editors (1905-1950).” The research advisor is Dr. Larry Gragg, Curators’ Professor of history and political science and interim vice provost of undergraduate studies at S&T.

Second place – Mary Frey, a senior in business and management systems from Kansas City, Mo., for research titled “From Frontier Town to America’s Playground: 50 years of Promotion by the Las Vegas Nevada Chamber of Commerce.” The research advisor is Dr. Larry Gragg, Curators’ Professor of history and political science and interim vice provost of undergraduate studies at S&T.

Research proposals poster session:

First place – Anamaria Gaitan, a senior in biological sciences from Fenton Mo., for research titled “E.coli Administration of GLP1 in the Presence of Glucose.” The research advisor is Dr. David Westenberg, an associate professor of biological sciences at S&T.

Second place – Levi Malott, a senior in computer sciences from Pilot Grove, Mo., and Pasha Palangpour, a senior in computer science from Columbia, Mo., for research titled “Investigating Internet Usage Behavior Modeling: A Multifractal Approach.” The research advisor is Dr. Sriram Chellappan, an assistant professor of computer science at S&T.

Third place – Tiffany Edwards, a senior in biological sciences from Mountain Grove, Mo., for research titled “Early Detection of Cancer Cells Using an Angiogenic Receptor in E. Coli.” The research advisors are Dr. David Westenberg, an associate professor of biological sciences, and Dr. Katie Shannon, an associate teaching professor of biological sciences at S&T.

Engineering poster session:

First place – Zhe Yuan, a senior in petroleum engineering from Nanyang, China, for research titled “Parameter Study of Polymer-Flooding-Enhance-Oil-Recovery with the use of CMG.” The research advisor is Dr. Mingzhen Wei, an assistant professor of geological sciences and engineering at S&T.

Second place – Julia Kuebrich, a senior in environmental engineering from Alton, Ill., for research titled “Methamphetamine Contamination in Household Materials and the Effects of Skin Oil.” The research advisor is Dr. Glenn Morrison, an associate professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering at S&T.

Third place – Yun Bai, a senior in mechanical eningeering from Rolla, Mo., for research titled “A Study of Metal Properties Repaired by Laser Deposition.” The research advisor is Dr. Frank Liou, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and director of the manufacturing engineering program at S&T.

Social sciences poster session:

First place – Emily Gardner, a senior in psychology from Rolla, Mo., for research titled “Family Interactions and Mood.” The research advisor is Dr. Don Sharpsteen, an associate professor of psychological sciences at S&T.

Second place – Samantha Kempker, a senior in psychology from Jefferson City, Mo., for research titled “Evaluating the Acceptability of GAMMA Among Greek-affiliated Students.” The research advisor is Dr. Amber Henslee, an assistant professor of psychological sciences at S&T.

Third place – Jacob Goldsmith, a senior in psychology from Rolla, Mo., for research titled “The Effectiveness of an Online Plagiarism Intervention Module.” The research advisor is Dr. Amber Henslee, an assistant professor of psychological sciences at S&T.

2013-14 OURE Fellows recipients:

Brittney Abel, a junior in psychological science from Republic, Mo.; Daykin Schnell, a junior in mining engineering from Lincoln, Neb.; Rachel Stancil, a junior in psychological science from Rolla, Mo.; and Jordan Verslues, a junior in mining engineering from Rocheport, Mo., for research titled “Optimal Number of Factors for Choice Experiments in Mining Community Consultation/Surveying.” The research advisors are Dr. Brandi Klein, an assistant professor of psychological science at S&T, and Dr. Kwame Awuah-Offei, an assistant professor of mining and nuclear engineering at S&T.

Dylan Courtney, a senior in chemical engineering from Monett, Mo., for research titled “Rate Determination of 1,3-Propanediol Production From Glycerol Utilizing Halanaerobium Hydrogenoformans.” The research advisors are Dr. Melanie Mormile, a professor of biological sciences at S&T, and Dr. Oliver Sitton, an associate professor of chemical and biochemical engineering at S&T.

Matthew Glascock, junior in aerospace engineering from West Plains, Mo., for research titled “Plasmonic Force Propulsion for Small Satellites.” The research advisors are Dr. Josh Rovey, an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at S&T, and Dr. Xiaodong Yang, an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at S&T.

For more information about the undergraduate research program at S&T, visit http://ugs.mst.edu/undergraduate/ or contact Melissa Hutton, program coordinator, at 573-341-7585.