Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Program

2009-2010 Associates

2009-2010 Associates at their Symposium. Back row, from left: Nicole Motl, Kelli Levek, Meghan Jones, Anne Garces, Ryan Wessling, Julia Whitney, Ronnie Kister, Andrew Heffron, Joe Phillips. Middle row, from left: Laurie Estilette, Elise Valdes, Emily Settlemoir, Breanna Closen, Vanessa Stock, Brittney Barr, Lorilee Sebesta. Front row, from left: Jean Crompton, Brent Beer, Sam Schwarm, Christian Strasen, Kelsey Borrowman, Delia Feerer.

Members of the 2009-10 URCA Associates Program, their projects and mentors included:

Brittney Barr, History
Project: Cosmopolitanism and Istanbul, Turkey
Mentor: Lucian Stone

Brent Beer, Computer Science
Project: Human Robot Interaction with Large Formations of Robots
Mentor: Jerry Weinberg

Kelsey Borrowman, Philosophy & History
Project: Written Riot: Aesthetics as a Response to Tyranny
Mentors: Thomas Jordan (History) and Bryan Lueck (Philosophy)

Breanna Closen, Nursing
Project: Student Beliefs Related to Complementary Alternative Medicine and Holistic Health
Mentor: Kathy Ketchum

Jean Crompton, Special Education and Communication Disorders
Project: College Students' Perceptions of Stuttering
Mentor: James Panico

Laurie Estilette, Sociology
Project: Gender Identity and Abuse in Intimate Relationships Among Gay and Bisexual Men
Mentors: Denise Cobb and Lisa Welch

Delia Feerer, Computer Science
Project: Remote Firewalling: An Innovative Solution to Protecting Subscribers' Networks from Botnets' Distributed Denial of Service Attacks
Mentor: Hiroshi Fujinoki

Anne Garces, Biological Sciences
Project: Expression patterns of the GRAVITY PERSISTENT SIGNAL 5 (GPS5) protein in Arabidopsis thaliana
Mentor: Darron Luesse

Andrew Heffron, Mechanical Engineering
Project: Design, Fabrication, and Calibration of a Swirl Generator
Mentor: X. Terry Yan

Meghan Jones, Biological Sciences
Project: Morphological Integration of Mandibles in Various Mustelids: Lutra canadensis canadensis, Mustela frenata, Mustela vison, Taxidea taxus.
Mentor: Luci Kohn

Ronnie Kister, Nursing
Project: Men in Nursing: The Perceptions of Gender Barriers in Nursing Education
Mentor: Ann Popkess

Kelli Levek,  Chemistry & Pharmacy
Project: Thermal and Chemical Stabilities of the Calcium Binding Domain (CaBD) of NADPH Oxidase 5 (NOX5)
Mentors: Chin-Chuan Wei (Chemistry) and William Kolling (Pharmacy)

Nicole Motl, Biochemistry
Project: Characterization of the Calcium Binding Domain of NADPH Oxidase 5
Mentor: Chin-Chaun Wei

Joseph Phillips, Mechanical Engineering
Project: Low RPM Speed Control Strategies for Two-Stroke Gasoline Engines
Mentor: X. Terry Yan

Sam Schwarm, Pharmacy
Project: Small Molecule Analogues of Schizozygane Indoline Alkaloid as Potential Antimicrobial Agents
Mentor: Marcelo Nieto

Lorilee Sebesta, Nursing
Project: Maternal-Newborn Nurses' Attitudes, Knowledge and Practice Regarding Postpartum Depression: Testing and Educational Program
Mentor: Laura Bernaix

Emily Settlemoir, Biological Sciences
Project: The Effects of Site-Directed Mutagenesis on Schizophyllum commune Mating-type Loci and the Resulting Receptor Activities and Phenotypes.
Mentor: Thomas Fowler

Vanessa Stock, Art: Metalsmithing
Project: Patination on Metal with Aesthetic Surface Texture
Mentor: Paulette Myers

Christian Strasen, English & History
Project: The Labyrinth of the Historical Imaginary: A Study of History in Friedrich Nietzsche, Jorge-Luis Borges and Roberto Bolano
Mentors: Jeff Skoblow (English) and Eric Ruckh (History)

Elise Gabriela Valdes, Anthropology
Project: A bioarchaeological analysis of human remains from the Aronin burial site
Mentor: Jennifer Rehg

Ryan Wessling, Biological Sciences
Project: The exercise dose effects of acute bouts of aerobic exercise on insulin sensitivity.
Mentor: Erik Kirk

Julia Whitney, Art: Ceramics
Project: Ceramic China painting on wood fired surfaces
Mentors: Paul Dresang and Matt Wilt