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Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Talent Expansion Program
The Next STEP
Research Projects Available for Summer 2007

Over twenty research projects are available on the Truman campus for students to select from for summer 2007. 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)
Dominance hierarchies and/or learning and/or maintenance behavior in horse herds Dr. Charlie Apter
Control of cucumber beetle in field-grown parthenocarpic cucumbers, pumpkins, and/or cantaloupe Dr. Charlie Apter
Effects of Mulch Type and Color on Tomato Yield Dr. Charlie Apter
Predicting Body Mass in a Continuum of Equine (Equus caballus) Body Sizes Dr. Charlie Apter, Dr. Dean DeCock
Greenhouse Cantaloupe Production Dr. Charlie Apter
Taxonomic Survey of Truman State University Landscape Plants Dr. Charlie Apter
Utilization of molecular markers to identify quantitative trait loci conditioning high starch amylose Dr. Mark Campbell
Evaluation of low carbohydrate/resistance starch maize genotypes for specialty food applications Dr. Mark Campbell
Utilization of crop biodiversity to alter structural and functional properties of maize starch Dr. Mark Campbell
Characterization of dark septate endophytes within Bouteloua gracilis Dr. Jose Herrera
Efficacy of Subjective Visual Udder Scores in Beef Cows for the Prediction of Lactation Potential and Weaning Weight of Their Calves. Dr. Glenn Wehner
Lactation Potential and Performance of Grazing Beef Cow-Calf Pairs Supplemented with a Live Yeast Culture (Procreatine-7, PrinceAgri) Dr. Glenn Wehner

Biology

Title Mentor(s)
Synthesis of Porphyrins and Phthalocyanins Dr. Dawood Afzal
Quantitative Identification of Missouri Bat via Acoustic Surveys Dr. Scott Burt
Utilization of molecular markers to identify quantitative trait loci conditioning high starch amylose Dr. Mark Campbell
Evaluation of low carbohydrate/resistance starch maize genotypes for specialty food applications Dr. Mark Campbell
Utilization of crop biodiversity to alter structural and functional properties of maize starch Dr. Mark Campbell
Plant-pollinator interactions in the garden. Dr. Steve Carroll
Community Dynamics of Disease Vectors Dr. Stephanie Fore, Dr. Laura Fielden
Development of foraging skills in Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) Dr.  Peter Goldman
Assessment of Boron compounds on the growth rates of common microfungi. Dr. Jose Herrera
Microfungal Web Imaging as a Tool for Developing Interest in Microfungi Among Educators and Students Around the World Dr. Jose Herrera
Characterization of dark septate endophytes within Bouteloua gracilis Dr. Jose Herrera
Fecal contamination of local bodies of water Dr. Michael Lockhart
The role of actin cytoskeleton in gravity sensing Dr.  John Ma
Image Analytic and graph theoretic analysis of networks formed during angiogenesis Dr. Jason Miller
Historical Examples in Science Education Dr. Peter Ramberg
Independent Research in History of Science Dr. Peter Ramberg
The Effect of Methamphetamine Withdrawal on Indices of Serotonergic Neurotransmission Dr. John Rutter
Establishing C. elegans as a genetic model for neural tube defects Dr. Tim Walston
Efficacy of Subjective Visual Udder Scores in Beef Cows for the Prediction of Lactation Potential and Weaning Weight of Their Calves. Dr. Glenn Wehner
Lactation Potential and Performance of Grazing Beef Cow-Calf Pairs Supplemented with a Live Yeast Culture (Procreatine-7, PrinceAgri) Dr. Glenn Wehner

Chemistry

Title Mentor(s)
Organometallic chemistry of transition metals Dr. Dawood Afzal
Synthesis of Porphyrins and Phthalocyanins Dr. Dawood Afzal
Nano Synthesis and Nano Technology Dr. Dawood Afzal
The Crystal and 3-Dimensional Molecular Structures of Compounds as Determined by X-Ray Diffraction Dr. Russell Baughman
Utilization of molecular markers to identify quantitative trait loci conditioning high starch amylose Dr. Mark Campbell
Evaluation of low carbohydrate/resistance starch maize genotypes for specialty food applications Dr. Mark Campbell
Utilization of crop biodiversity to alter structural and functional properties of maize starch Dr. Mark Campbell
Developing analytical methods to determine the fate of organic contaminants in soil Dr. Barbara Kramer
Soil Phytoremediation Dr. Barbara Kramer
Chemical Analysis of Surface Water Dr. Barbara Kramer
Lead Distribution and Speciation in Plants Dr. Barbara Kramer, Dr. James McCormick
Thinking Small: Building Sensor Interfaces by Controlling Chemistry in Small Dimensions Dr. Brian Lamp
The Reactivity of Transition Metal Complexes with Ozone Dr. James McCormick
Effect of Ligand Topology on the Structure of Lead Coordination Complexes Dr. James McCormick
Computational Studies of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Protein-RNA Complexes Dr. Maria Nagan
Simulations of Small Inhibiting RNAs Dr. Maria Nagan
Synthesis of Oxygen Carriers Dr. John O'Brien
Chemistry of Organophosphorus Compounds Dr. Eric Patterson
Molecular Dynamics of Organic Reactive Intermediates Dr. Eric Patterson
Independent Research in History of Science Dr. Peter Ramberg
Historical Examples in Science Education Dr. Peter Ramberg
The Effect of Methamphetamine Withdrawal on Indices of Serotonergic Neurotransmission Dr. John Rutter
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: Models and Simulation of Mowing Dr. Jon Beck
Quantitative Identification of Missouri Bat via Acoustic Surveys Dr. Scott Burt
The Mathematics of Image Registration Dr. Todd Hammond
Phase-Independent Registration Dr. Todd Hammond
Real-Time Imaging Algorithms Dr. Todd Hammond
Microfungal Web Imaging as a Tool for Developing Interest in Microfungi Among Educators and Students Around the World Dr. Jose Herrera
Testing of the limits of application of the Fourier analysis to the laser beam propagation in optical systems. Dr. Liubov Kreminska
A Graphical API for Input and Output in Ada Dr. Bob Matthews
Empirical Evaluation of Solutions to the Critical Section Problem Dr. Bob Matthews
Image Analytic and graph theoretic analysis of networks formed during angiogenesis Dr. Jason Miller

Interdisciplinary

Title Mentor(s)
Synthesis of Porphyrins and Phthalocyanins Dr. Dawood Afzal
Nano Synthesis and Nano Technology Dr. Dawood Afzal
How Mathematics Anxiety Affects Mathematics Performance Dr. Scott Alberts
Quantitative Identification of Missouri Bat via Acoustic Surveys Dr. Scott Burt
Testing of the limits of application of the Fourier analysis to the laser beam propagation in optical systems. Dr. Liubov Kreminska
Image Analytic and graph theoretic analysis of networks formed during angiogenesis Dr. Jason Miller
Historical Examples in Science Education Dr. Peter Ramberg
Independent Research in History of Science Dr. Peter Ramberg

Mathematics

Title Mentor(s)
How Mathematics Anxiety Affects Mathematics Performance Dr. Scott Alberts
Predicting Body Mass in a Continuum of Equine (Equus caballus) Body Sizes Dr. Charlie Apter, Dr. Dean DeCock
Quantitative Identification of Missouri Bat via Acoustic Surveys Dr. Scott Burt
Integer Sequences Dr. David Garth
The Mathematics of Image Registration Dr. Todd Hammond
Phase-Independent Registration Dr. Todd Hammond
Real-Time Imaging Algorithms Dr. Todd Hammond
Poisson Regression Analysis Dr. Hyun-Joo Kim
Simulation study of model selection criteria in model selection and validation performance. Dr. Hyun-Joo Kim
Quantitiative Shape Description Dr. Jason Miller, Dr. Scott Thatcher
Image Analytic and graph theoretic analysis of networks formed during angiogenesis Dr. Jason Miller
Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Pollen Grain Surface Structure Dr. Scott Thatcher

Physics

Title Mentor(s)
Nano Synthesis and Nano Technology Dr. Dawood Afzal
Photometry of Variable Stars Dr. Matthew Beaky
Waveguide Photonic Crystals Dr. Matthew Beaky
Variable Star Spectroscopy Dr. Matthew Beaky
Testing of the limits of application of the Fourier analysis to the laser beam propagation in optical systems. Dr. Liubov Kreminska
Independent Research in History of Science Dr. Peter Ramberg
Historical Examples in Science Education Dr. Peter Ramberg





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