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University Honors Program awards research grants to 28 undergraduates
LAWRENCE — Twenty-eight undergraduates at the University of Kansas are working on research projects this summer funded with grants of about $1,200 from the University Honors Program.
Their research ranges from studies on sleep deprivation in America, cosmic rays and biodiversity, revolutionary hip-hop and black rhetoric, data analysis gathered from South Pole ice sheets, acoustics in spaces used for worship, drug discovery and synthesis, and the effects of text messaging on the ability to operate a vehicle safely.
For their outstanding proposals, four of the students, all seniors from Kansas, received J. Michael Young Awards, which provide $1,500 for research. Young was director of the University Honors Program from 1991 to 1995. The students are Kristina Clement, Lawrence; Andrew Hodgson, Manhattan; Amanda Shriwise, Overland Park; and Kareem Tawfik, Lenexa.
“The Undergraduate Research Award competition is a testimony to KU’s longstanding commitment to provide undergraduates with a first-rate education. The one-on-one collaboration between these students and their mentors embodies learning in its purest form,” said Mark Nesbitt-Daly, associate director of the honors program and co-chair of the University Honors Council Research Committee.
The awards program, now in its 50th year, supports original research by undergraduates from the Lawrence campus and are provided by special funds made available by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Office of the Vice Provost for Research and the Office of the Provost.
The University Honors Program provides enriched educational opportunities to KU’s most academically talented, motivated and promising students through honors courses, programs and tutorials. Stanley Lombardo, professor of classics, directs the program.
Members of the University Honors Council selected the students using criteria such as the quality of the proposal, the student’s academic record and ability to complete the proposed research project, the project’s potential contribution to knowledge and the educational value of the research to the student.
Students who received awards are listed below by hometown, major or majors, level in school, parents’ names, high schools (when available), research project title and faculty adviser.
BOURBON COUNTY
From Fort Scott 66701
Erin Lewis, junior in mechanical engineering, daughter of David Lewis; Fort Scott High School; “The Kinematic Effects of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament During Deep Knee Flexion for a Porcine Knee”; Lorin Maletsky, associate professor of mechanical engineering.
DOUGLAS COUNTY
From Baldwin City 66006 and Ottawa
Lynne Marie Lammers, sophomore in physics, daughter of Jana Jorn of Baldwin City, and Carl Lammers of Ottawa; Baldwin City High School; “Antarctic Sensitivity Map”; Dave Besson, professor of physics and astronomy.
From Lawrence 66044
Michael Ambroselli, senior in physics; “To evaluate/analyze data generated by the current equipment deployed in January 2007 for the AURA (Askaryan Underice Radio Array) project at the South Pole”; John Ralston, professor of physics and astronomy.
Alex Krejci, senior in geology and physics, son of Jerry and Kelly Krejci; Olathe Northwest High School; “Cosmic Rays and Biodiversity”; Adrian Melott, professor of physics and astronomy.
From Lawrence 66047
Kristina A. Clement, senior in French with a minor in history of art, daughter of Richard and Susanne Clement; Lawrence High School; “Ennio Flaiano’s Il Tunnel”; Jan Kozma, professor of French and Italian.
ELLIS COUNTY
From Hays 67601
Ashley M. Depenbusch, senior in women’s studies with a minor in sociology; Hays High School; “Experiments in Resistance Anti-Globalization Struggles in Mexico: Comparative Study of Tepoztlan and Cuernavaca”; Joey Sprague, professor of sociology.
ELLSWORTH COUNTY
From Holyrood 67450
Megan F. Homolka, senior in human biology and pre-nursing, daughter of James and Katherine Homolka; Claflin High School; “ROMP-Facilitated Production of Anthralic Acid Derived Sultam Libraries”; Paul Hanson, professor of chemistry.
FORD COUNTY
From Dodge City 67801
John T. Nguyen, senior in pre-pharmacy, son of Thang Tran and Thong Nguyen; Dodge City Senior High School; “Strategies Toward the Synthesis of Key 1,3-Anti Diol Subunits”; Paul Hanson, professor of chemistry.
FRANKLIN COUNTY
From Ottawa 66067 and Baldwin City
Lynne Marie Lammers. See DOUGLAS COUNTY
GRAHAM COUNTY
From Hill City 67642
Zachary Fischer, senior in classical antiquity, son of Vera Fischer; Hill City High School;
“Elitism in the Late Roman Republic: The Symbolism behind the Privatization of Information”; Anthony Corbeill, professor of classics.
JOHNSON COUNTY
From Fairway 66205
Victoria Sue Donnelly, senior in psychology; Shawnee Mission West High School; “Sleep-Deprived America: A Pioneering Inquiry”; Steve Ilardi, associate professor of clinical psychology. Donnelly and her husband, Michael Donnelly, have two children, Wyatt and Sidney.
From Leawood 66206
Katie Wiley, junior in chemistry, daughter of Paula Wiley; Shawnee Mission East High School; “The Synthesis of Lysine Tyrosyl Quinone Model Compounds”; Minae Mure, assistant professor of chemistry.
From Leawood 66209
Daniel Hogan, senior in mathematics and physics, son of Patrick and Jane Hogan; Blue Valley North High School, Overland Park; “Search for Axions and Higgs Bosons with the CLEO Detector”; Dave Besson, professor of physics and astronomy.
From Lenexa 66215
Kareem Ossama Tawfik, senior in French and human biology, son of Ossama and Sahar Tawfik; Shawnee Mission West High School; “Expression of PECAM-1 in the course of T cell activiation and proliferation”; Stephen Benedict, associate professor of molecular biosciences.
From Olathe 66062
Erik Thomas Nelson, senior in cognitive psychology, son of Thomas and Lynell Nelson; Olathe South High School; “The Effect of Text-Messaging on the Ability To Safely Operate an Automobile”; Paul Atchley, associate professor of psychology.
From Overland Park 66212
Amanda Shriwise, senior in biochemistry, dance and French; daughter of Rodney and Susan Shriwise; Shawnee Mission South High School; “Defining the Role of Cu2+ in Copper Amine Oxidase”; Minae Mure, assistant professor of chemistry.
From Prairie Village 66208
Dan Belz, junior in chemistry, son of David and Maureen Belz; Shawnee Mission East High School; “The expression of lysyl oxidase-like enzymes in Drosophila melanogaster S2 cells”; Minae Mure, assistant professor of chemistry.
MARION COUNTY
From Hillsboro 67063
Emily Ratzlaff, junior in aerospace engineering, daughter of Don and Gayla Ratzlaff; Hillsboro High School; “Finding Heavy Electrons in the Large Hadron Collider”; Michael Murray, assistant professor of physics and astronomy.
RILEY COUNTY
From Manhattan 66503
Rawni Ann Anderson, senior in psychology, daughter of Mary Jo Anderson; Manhattan High School; “The mediational role of anti-fat stereotypes on the relationship between body mass index and self-esteem”; Ric Steele, associate professor of applied behavioral science.
Andrew D. Hodgson, junior in political science, son of Cherie Hodgson; Manhattan High School; “A Study of the Impact of Resource Flow from China to North Korea on the Six Party Nuclear Negotiations”; John Kennedy, assistant professor of political science.
SALINE COUNTY
From Salina 67401
Ezra Luke Huscher III, junior in physics, son of Kevin and Peggy Huscher; Salina High School South; “ANITA (ANtarctic Impulsive Transient Antennae)”; Dave Besson, professor of physics and astronomy.
SEDGWICK COUNTY
From Wichita 67205
Jonathan V. Nguyen, senior in biochemistry and chemistry, son of Tam and Thuy Nguyen; Maize High School; “Identifying Novel Genes Involved in Transport from the Golgi”; Edina Harsay, assistant professor of molecular biology.
WYANDOTTE COUNTY
From Kansas City 66109
Hannah Marie Nusz, sophomore in African and African-American studies, daughter of Christy and Ricky Nusz; Piper High School; “Evaluation of Case Study AIDS Clinic and AIDS Awareness Strategies in Uganda”; Alice Lieberman, professor of social welfare.
MISSOURI
From St. Charles 63303
Emily Grace Moisan, senior in architecture with minors in French and Italian, daughter of Jeffrey and Kathleen Moisan; Duchesne High School; “Acoustics in Worship Spaces”; Bob Coffeen, lecturer in architecture and urban planning.
From St. Louis 63129
Andrew V. Schaeperkoetter, senior in aerospace engineering, son of Vernon and Kat Schaeperkoetter; Saint Louis University High School; “Detecting Muons Using a Zero Degree Calorimeter”; Michael Murray, assistant professor of physics and astronomy.
SOUTH DAKOTA
From Sioux Falls 57105
John M. McFarland III, senior in African and African-American studies and political science, son of John and Abigail McFarland; Lincoln High School; “Dead Prez: Revolutionary Hip-Hop and Revolutionary Black Rhetoric Through History”; Dorthy Pennington, associate professor of African and African-American studies.
TEXAS
From Spring 77379
Robert Nolan Knapp, junior in English, son of John Knapp; Escola Americana Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; “Yeats, Politics, and Spiritus Mundi”; Kathryn Conrad, associate professor of English.
INDIA
From Gujarat
Shyam Bhaskerbhai Mehta, sophomore in biology and pre-pharmacy; son of Bhasker and Pallavi Meta; “To Determine the Residues involved in DOC sensing”; Bill Picking, associate professor of molecular biosciences.
RUSSIA
From Petrozavodsk
Sarra-Valentina Klimberg, sophomore in chemistry, daughter of Sergei Vasylievich Klimberg, “Utilizing Click Chemistry for Oligomeric Capture-Release Protocols”; Paul Hanson, professor of chemistry.
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