WTAMU Names Undergraduate Research Award Recipients

May 25, 2011

WTAMU Names Undergraduate Research Award Recipients

CANYON, Texas—Undergraduate Research Awards for summer research projects have been presented to 18 students at West Texas A&M University. Projects will be conducted under faculty mentors in subjects ranging from wildlife biology to art history.

Research proposals for the undergraduate awards were reviewed by the Killgore research committee. The committee looked at numerous proposals and chose the 18 winners based on the potential for valuable information gleaned from the research as well as the valuable research experience provided for each student. The maximum amount allowed per award is $3,500 which includes a stipend to cover student wages.

The 18 research proposals selected for the Undergraduate Research Awards include:

• Elizabeth Capt, a senior biology major from Lubbock—Gender Specific Introgressive Hybridization of Mule and White Tailed Deer. Faculty mentor is Dr. Rocky Ward, assistant professor of biology;

• John Cox, a senior mechanical engineering major from Amarillo—Examination of Density Effects on Antimicrobial Nanostructured Metal. Faculty mentor is Dr. Emily Hunt, associate professor of mechanical engineering;

• Emily Crohare, a senior sports and exercise sciences major from Snelling, Calif.—The Effect of Quercetin Supplementation on the Level of Inflammatory Markers and Overall Quality of Life. Faculty mentor is Dr. Matthew Kuennen, assistant professor of sports and exercise sciences;

• Sara Davis, a senior studio art major from Claude—The Surveyor and the Surveyed: A Research Identity. Faculty mentor is Chad Holliday, assistant professor of art;

• Matt Dolezal, a senior mechanical engineering major from Amarillo—Coating Effects on High Explosive Morphology, Density and Performance. Faculty mentor is Dr. Matt Jackson, assistant professor of engineering;

• Mark Dubina, a senior biology major from Canyon—The Effectiveness of Consumer Model Toothbrush Sanitizers. Faculty mentor is Dr. Carolyn Bouma, assistant professor of biology;

• Ashley Fisher, a sophomore art major from Amarillo—Popular Art Histories in the American
West, 1880-1920. Faculty mentor is Dr. Amy Von Lintel, assistant professor of art history;

• Christian Gulde, a senior biochemistry major from Amarillo—Development of a Fiber Optic Sensor for Selectively Detecting Ethanol in Organic Media. Faculty mentor is Dr. Shiquan Tao, the Ross W. Wilson Chair in Chemistry and assistant professor of chemistry;

• Taehee Jung, a junior mechanical engineering major from Canyon—Development of Moment Distribution Factor for a long-Span Bridge. Faculty mentor is Dr. Byungik Chang, director of Alternative Energy Institure and assistant professor of civil engineering;

• Andrew Kirschbaum, a senior mechanical engineering major from Canyon—Thermoelectric Cooling of Parked Vehicles with Solar Energy. Faculty mentor is Dr. Kenneth Leitch, assistant professor of civil engineering;  

• Steffen Kurhan, a junior computer science major from Amarillo—Development of iPad-like Technology for Off-Clinic Therapies in Communication Disorders. Faculty mentor is Paul Haiduk, instructor of computer science;

• Escal R. LeMaster Jr., a senior history major from Amarillo—Religion, Morality and Temperance on the Texas High Plains. Faculty mentor is Dr. Stephen Bogener, assistant professor of history;

• Alexandra Muniz, a senior biotechnology major from Amarillo—Tumor Site-specific Leakage Rates of Liposomes Composed of Dipalymitoylphosphadityl Choline. Faculty mentor is Dr. David Khan, assistant professor of biochemistry;

• Julia Savala, a senior wildlife biology  major from Amarillo—Does Mechanical Treatment of Salt Cedar Influence Native Vegetation. Faculty mentor is Dr. Richard Kazmaier, associate professor of biology;

• Stevi Sharp, a senior communication disorders major from Amarillo—The Use of iPad-like Technology for Off-Clinic Therapies in Communication Disorders. Faculty mentor is Dr. Leslie Dalton, visiting professor of communication disorders;

• Nathan Tarrant, a senior computer information systems major from Amarillo—The Understanding and Modeling of Recognizable Patterns. Faculty mentor is Dr. Jeffry Babb, assistant professor of computer information systems;

• Samantha Williams, a junior management major from Danvers, Ill.—Recruitment in the Panhandle of Texas. Faculty mentor is Dr. Meagan Brock, assistant professor of management; and

• Marci Womack, a senior mathematics major from Sulphur Springs—Retention and Performance of Students in Engineering Learning Communities. Faculty mentor is Dr. Pam Lockwood-Cooke, associate professor of mathematics.

—WTAMU—