January 31, 2003 Feature
Story
Utah
State Students Show Their Research Stuff on Utah's Capitol Hill
Research is synonymous with a university education; it heightens
the value of a degree and encourages new ways of thinking. Beyond
this, research is often the binding signature of an education
for Utah State University students who conduct their own research
projects.
"Research is both a cornerstone of university learning
and a vehicle of progress," said Brent C. Miller, vice
president for research at Utah State.
Research is just one way in which Utah State has fulfilled its
land-grant legacy of applied knowledge. The rewards of research
provide lasting benefits to Utah State students, Cache Valley,
the state of Utah and beyond, concluded Miller.
Joyce Kinkead, vice provost for undergraduate studies and research
at Utah State, strongly promotes research opportunities for
students. Kinkead believes that working on research projects
helps students develop skills in problem solving, communication,
teamwork and technology. These essential developments will benefit
research students in their future careers and lives, she said.
The third annual "Posters on the Hill: A Celebration of
Undergraduate Research," gave undergraduate students who
attend Utah State and the University of Utah the opportunity
to discuss the importance of research in education. Representatives
from all of Utah State's seven colleges presented their unique
research projects to state legislators this year.
A research project conducted by  two
Utah State students, Aaron Bunker and Dan Chivers, created a
tracking system that allows moving vehicles to receive satellite
T.V. The research integrates many existing systems such as Global
Positioning Systems, gyro and accelerometer systems, and satellite
broadcasting systems. This research project is hoped to increase
the interconnection of information systems found throughout
the world, explained Bunker.
Another Utah State student in public health, John Wennergren,
was able to conduct a research project that examined the disease
tuberculosis and attempted to find a cure, or at least a better
antibiotic to treat it. Wennergren learned that there are strains
of tuberculosis that are multi-drug resistant. His research
concluded that the cell wall is what gives tuberculosis its
incredible resistance to our modern day antibiotics.
 Undergraduate
research is not limited to the scientific field. All seven colleges
at Utah State have students currently involved with research
projects. Marchet Clark, a senior majoring in English education
at Utah State, has been participating in an introspective study
of how historical research is shaped. Clark is studying photographs,
buildings, papers and other original documents from the Logan
knitting mills of the early 20th century to more clearly define
the link between the historical record and a researcher’s
own ideology. This nontraditional approach to historical research
is a powerful method of understanding ourselves and exploring
the questions of where we came from, Clark said.
Utah State and the University of Utah have good reason to want
to show off their students and their research; they are paving
the way for future research. By promoting and advancing research,
our nation's universities are providing expertise and innovation
to almost every facet of the economy, said Miller.
"We are proud to shine the spotlight on these students
who were nominated and selected to participate in our third
Posters on the Hill event," said Kinkead.
The following is a list of the Utah State research students
who participated in the Posters on the Hill event, along with
the title of their projects.
- Lara Anderson—Biconformal Supergravitiy
- David C. Adams and Brent Bedke—SSP
Typing of Class I and Class II HLA Alleles form Amplified
DNA of Subjects with Autism
- Aaron Bunker and Dan Chivers—Automatic
Tracking System for Digital Satellite Television
- Stephanie Chambers—Cardia RGS Protein
Structural Determinants and Function
- Marchet Clark—Unraveling the Past:
The Knitting Mills in Logan, Utah Circa 1904
- Nephi Cole—GIS and Remote Sensing
to Advance Soil Mapping
- Timothy Davis—Results of Oxygen Levels
in Welding Sanitary Stainless Steel Tubing
- Kelly Douglas—Triangulation Supports
Positive Effects of Wraperound Services for Utah Youth with
Serious Emotional Disturbances
- Brandt Esplin—Activating Plant Reporter
Genes as a Natural Defense Mechanism
- Kelli Fife—Appropriate Behavior in
Inappropriate Settings: Altering Orphaned Horse Behavior with
Positive Reinforcement
- Angela Hatch and Christina DiRaimo—Cultural
Identity in Huanchaco, Peru: Documenting Change and Transition
- N. Daren Haws—Clarifications on the
Type A Behavior Pattern: A Theoretical Perspective
- Angela Issacs—Examining the Chelungpu
Fault: Implications for Understanding Fault Structure, Displacement,
and Ground Motion
- Natalie Jorgensen—Relationship Between
Near Surface Geologic Conditions and Fault Scarp Dimensions:
Implication for Seismic Hazards Analysis
- Summer Kartchner—Recreation in the
Montane Streams of the Puerto Rican Rainforest
- Justin Mellott—Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria
- Christine Merrill and Marriner Merrill—Design
and Construction of a Flow-Through Thermoacoustic Cooler
- Julia Nielsen—Quality and Distribution
of Soil Organic Carbon in Rangeland and Forest Soils: Implications
for Global Change
- Tiffany Sherwin—A Profile of Consumer
Bankruptcy Petitioners
- Al Burns and Camille Swasey—Fungicidal
Activity of Ice-Nucleation and Artificial Snow Bacterium
- Sarah Wegener—With a Joint View to
the Entertainment and Information of Mankind
- John Wennergren—Synthesis of Trehalose
Based Anti-Tuberculosis Agents: An Application of Rational
Drug Design
- Jill Williams—The Efficient-Market
Hypothesis
Writer:
Debra Crowther, (435) 797-1350
Contact: Maren Cartwright, (435) 797-1355
utah
state today/archives/January
2003/archives
prior to Sept 2002/
Brought
to you by Utah State University Public Relations and Marketing
|