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Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Talent Expansion Program
The Next STEP
Research Projects Available for Summer 2005

Over twenty research projects are available on the Truman campus for students to select from for summer 2005. The projects and faculty mentors are summarized in the table below in disciplinary and interdisciplinary categories. For detailed descriptions about the projects along with information about the mentor, please click on the project title or mentor name.

Agricultural Science

Title Mentor(s)
Effects of Mulch Type and Color on Tomato Yield Dr. Charlie Apter
Greenhouse Cantaloupe Production Dr. Charlie Apter
Allometric Scaling in Horses Dr. Charlie Apter
Evaluation of low carbohydrate/resistance starch maize genotypes for specialty food applications Dr. Mark Campbell
Use of near-infrared spectra in monitoring the presence of low phytate, high lysine synthetic maize populations Dr. Mark Campbell
Utilization of crop biodiversity to alter structural and functional properties of maize starch Dr. Mark Campbell
Utilization of molecular markers to identify quantitative trait loci conditioning high starch amylose Dr. Mark Campbell

Biology

Title Mentor(s)
Analysis of DNA sequence diversity in inbred lines and open-pollinated landraces of maize Dr. Brent Buckner
Global gene expression patterns during the development of the shoot apical meristem in maize Dr. Brent Buckner, Dr. Diane Janick-Buckner
Quantitative Identification of Missouri Bat via Acoustic Surveys Dr. Scott Burt, Dr. Jason Miller
Home Range Size of the Bobcat (Lynx rufus) in Missouri Dr. Scott Burt
Plant-pollinator interactions in horticulturally important species. Dr. Steve Carroll
Plastron respiration in ticks or how do ticks mange to live under water? Dr. Laura Fielden, Dr. Phil Ryan
Ectoparasite diversity and host specificity Dr. Laura Fielden
Morphological correlates of habitat selection in northeast Missouri katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) Dr. Jon Gering
Microfungal Web Imaging as a Tool for Developing Interest in Microfungi Among Educators and Students Around the World Dr. Jose Herrera
Taxonomic investigation of the genus Penstemon in Missouri Dr. Elisabeth Hooper
Floristics surveys in northern Missouri Dr. Elisabeth Hooper
Preparing a Field Guide to a Local State Parks and/or Conservation areas Dr. Elisabeth Hooper
Image Analytic and graph theoretic analysis of networks formed during angiogenesis Dr. Jason Miller
Modeling cell cycle kinetics in the epidermis Dr. Jason Miller
Aerodynamic Features of Saccate Pollen: Evolutionary Implications for Wind-pollinated Plants Dr. Jeffrey Osborn, Dr. Scott Thatcher
Pollen Development in Ancient Flowering Plants, the Water Lilies Dr. Jeffrey Osborn
Phylogenetic Trees Dr. Pam Ryan, Dr. Anton Weisstein

Chemistry

Title Mentor(s)
Synthesis of Porphyrins and Phthalocyanins Dr. Dawood Afzal
Solid State Layered Materials Dr. Dawood Afzal
The Crystal and 3-Dimensional Molecular Structures of Compounds as Determined by X-Ray Diffraction Dr. Russell Baughman
Developing analytical methods to determine the fate of organic contaminants in soil Dr. Barbara Kramer
Identification and Quantification of Sugars in Complex Biological Matrices Dr. Brian Lamp
Thinking Small: Building Sensor Interfaces by Controlling Chemistry in Small Dimensions Dr. Brian Lamp
Heavy Metal Coordination Chemistry: Spectroscopic Methods to Probe the Electronic Structure of the Heavy Main-Group Metals in complex matrices Dr. James McCormick
Heavy Metal Coordination Chemistry: The Reactivity of Transition Metal Complexes with O3 Dr. James McCormick
Computational Simulations of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Rev-RRE Complex Dr. Maria Nagan
Computational Simulations of Transfer RNAs Dr. Maria Nagan
Simulations of small inhibiting RNAs Dr. Maria Nagan
Twisted Intramolecular Charge Transfer Molecules Dr. Eric Patterson
Excited-State Complexes of Acetylene Dr. Eric Patterson
Neutralization of Chemical Warfare Agents Dr. Eric Patterson
Techniques and Tools to Enhance Blind and Visually Impaired Students’ Participation in High School Level and General Chemistry Laboratory Classes Dr. David Wohlers

Computer Science

Title Mentor(s)
The Cutting Edge: Modeling the Ecology and Efficiency of Mowing Dr. Jon Beck
Quantitative Identification of Missouri Bat via Acoustic Surveys Dr. Scott Burt, Dr. Jason Miller
Image Analytic and graph theoretic analysis of networks formed during angiogenesis Dr. Jason Miller
Modeling cell cycle kinetics in the epidermis Dr. Jason Miller

Interdisciplinary

Title Mentor(s)
History/Philosophy of Science
Quantitative Identification of Missouri Bat via Acoustic Surveys Dr. Scott Burt, Dr. Jason Miller
Plastron respiration in ticks or how do ticks mange to live under water? Dr. Laura Fielden, Dr. Phil Ryan
Image Analytic and graph theoretic analysis of networks formed during angiogenesis Dr. Jason Miller
Modeling cell cycle kinetics in the epidermis Dr. Jason Miller
Aerodynamic Features of Saccate Pollen: Evolutionary Implications for Wind-pollinated Plants Dr. Jeffrey Osborn, Dr. Scott Thatcher
Phylogenetic Trees Dr. Pam Ryan, Dr. Anton Weisstein

Mathematics

Title Mentor(s)
How Mathematics Anxiety Affects Mathematics Performance Dr. Scott Alberts
Quantitative Identification of Missouri Bat via Acoustic Surveys Dr. Scott Burt, Dr. Jason Miller
Combinatorial Methods in Number Theory Dr. Martin Erickson
Plastron respiration in ticks or how do ticks mange to live under water? Dr. Laura Fielden, Dr. Phil Ryan
Substitution Sequences Dr. David Garth
Best fitting Bezier curves and surfaces Dr. Todd Hammond
Image Analytic and graph theoretic analysis of networks formed during angiogenesis Dr. Jason Miller
Modeling cell cycle kinetics in the epidermis Dr. Jason Miller
Aerodynamic Features of Saccate Pollen: Evolutionary Implications for Wind-pollinated Plants Dr. Jeffrey Osborn, Dr. Scott Thatcher
Phylogenetic Trees Dr. Pam Ryan, Dr. Anton Weisstein
Boolean Algebras with Operators Dr. Pam Ryan
Factoring Large Numbers Dr. Tony Vazzana

Physics

Title Mentor(s)
Photoelectric Photometry of Variable Stars Dr. Matthew Beaky
Construction of a Microwave Spectrometer Dr. Matthew Beaky
Construction of an Aurora Detector Dr. Michael Goggin
Measurement of Power Distribution in All Orders as a Function of Incidence Angle for a Series of Diffraction Gratings Dr. Michael Goggin





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