KU News Release

April 9, 2008
Contact: Mark Nesbitt-Daly, University Honors Program, (785) 864-4225.

KU announces 22 Undergraduate Research Award winners

LAWRENCE — Twenty-two University of Kansas students have received Undergraduate Research Awards for spring 2008.

The awards support original, independent research by undergraduates enrolled on the Lawrence campus. The University Honors Program administers the awards with funds from the offices of the provost and the vice provost for research and graduate studies and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Selection criteria included 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 receiving awards are listed below by hometown, level in school, major, parents’ names (when available), previous school attended, research project titles and faculty advisers.

DOUGLAS COUNTY
From Lawrence 66044
Alexander J. Krejci, senior in geology and physics, son of Jerry and Kelly Krejci; Olathe Northwest High School; “Mechanisms by which Cosmic Rays Affect Biodiversity”; Adrian Melott, professor of physics and astronomy.

April Elizabeth Matthews, senior in art; Salina Central High School; “Lawrence Stories: series of paintings based on the fiction writings of Becca Evanhoe”; Judith McCrea, professor of art.

From Lawrence 66047
Caitlin Elizabeth Shanks, senior in American studies and English preparing to study law, daughter of Craig and Pamela Shanks; Lawrence High School; “The Picture Book Princess as a Modern Role Model”; Cheryl Lester, associate professor of American studies and English.

JOHNSON COUNTY
From De Soto 66018
Jacob Reed Longaker, junior in political science, son of Rodney and Donna Longaker; De Soto High School; “Programa Bolsa Familia: Conditional Cash Transfers, Education, and the Family in Brazil”; Gary Reich, associate professor of political science.

From Leawood 66209
Susan Queen Alig, senior in history preparing to study law, daughter of David and Sandra Alig; Shawnee Mission East High School; “Judge Russell Clark and Segregation Issues in Kansas City Public Schools”; Leslie Tuttle, assistant professor of history.

From Lenexa 66215
Bradley Joseph Klee, senior in engineering physics, son of Kevin and Sheila Klee; Olathe East High School; “Optimization of Statistical Analysis Programs for Cosmological Studies”; Hume Feldman, associate professor of physics and astronomy.

From Mission Hills 66208
Andrew Lake Wooten, senior in aerospace engineering and engineering physics, son of Kent and Nanette Wooten; Shawnee Mission East High School; “Determination of the Sufficiency of Translocation for dsDNA Unwinding by the E.coli Rep Helicase”; Christopher Fischer, assistant professor of physics and astronomy.

From Overland Park 66214
Shanxi Jennifer Upsdell, senior in English and journalism and mass communications (news and information), daughter of David and Mel Upsdell; “Queens of Hearts (and Communications): How Elizabeth I and Princess Diana Interacted with Mass Media”; Marjorie Swann, associate professor of English.

From Prairie Village 66207
Brandon Harry Hidaka, senior in biochemistry preparing to study medicine, son of Paul and Roxanne Hidaka; Shawnee Mission East High School; “Antidepressive Effects of Sprint Interval Training versus Moderate Continuous Training”; Stephen Ilardi, associate professor of clinical psychology.

From Prairie Village 66208
Danielle Amanda Coffyn, senior in English, French and history; daughter of Mary Jane Coffyn; Shawnee Mission East High School; “The French Feminist Movement and the Place of Gender in Algerian Colonialism”; Leslie Tuttle, assistant professor of history.

From Prairie Village 66208 and Alexandria, Va.
Louis Brahim Anajjar, senior in art, son of Ann Martin of Prairie Village and Abderrahmanne Anajjar of Alexandria, Va.; Shawnee Mission North High School; “ ‘Shanghai’: working title of film project”; Kevin Willmott, associate professor of theatre and film.

From Shawnee 66216
Scott J. Pinkelman, senior in history and Latin American studies, son of Anthony and Mary Pinkelman; Shawnee Mission Northwest High School; “U.S. Commercial Bank Lending to PEMEX during Mexico’s ‘Oil Boom’ ”; Anton Rosenthal, associate professor of history.

LEAVENWORTH COUNTY
From Lansing 66043
Gwyndolyn N. Jones, senior in chemistry and French, daughter of Robert and Janet Jones; Lansing High School; “Amide Based Para-xylyl Macrocycles as Hosts for Anions”; Kristin Bowman-James, University Distinguished Professor of Chemistry.

NEMAHA COUNTY
From Goff 66428
Ella Medora Fund-Reznicek, sophomore in linguistics, daughter of Mary Fund and Edward Reznicek; Wetmore High School; “Neurological Responses to Key Changes in Chord Progressions: An EEG Study”; Robert Fiorentino, assistant professor of linguistics.

RILEY COUNTY
From Manhattan 66502
Allison Elizabeth Green, senior in history and political science, daughter of Dickie and Barbara Green; Manhattan High School; “Image and Identity: Racism and Popular Cinema in Interwar France”; Anton Rosenthal, associate professor of history.

SHAWNEE COUNTY
From Topeka 66604
Adam R. Burnett, senior in theatre and film, son of Vicki Fulmer and Robert Eugene Burnett; Topeka High School; “Nightmares: An Artful Demonstration of the Sublime”; Henry Bial, assistant professor of theatre and film.

From Topeka 66610
Robert J. Gordy, senior in French and history preparing to study medicine, son of Brent Gordy and Jan Kennedy; Millard South High School, Omaha, Neb.; “Conspicuous Comsumption and the Masculine Ideal in Regency England”; Leslie Tuttle, assistant professor of history.

From Topeka 66614
Stephen Sai Folmsbee, junior in biochemistry and biology, son of Nobuko and Mark Folmsbee; Topeka High School; “Colon Cancer Cell Division and the SUMO Pathway”; Yoshiaki Azuma, assistant professor of molecular biosciences.

ARKANSAS
From Fayetteville 72703
Rebecca Ann Moore, senior in French and history, daughter of Philip and Carole Moore; Fayetteville Senior High School; “Education in Colonial Indochina”; Anton Rosenthal, associate professor of history.

MISSOURI
From St. Louis 63129
Andrew V. Schaeperkoetter, senior in aerospace engineering, son of Vernon and Kathleen Schaeperkoetter; Saint Louis University High School; “Creating Models to Predict Short-term Drag Effects on Satellites”; Craig McLaughlin, assistant professor of aerospace engineering.

VIRGINIA
From Alexandria
Louis Brahim Anajjar. See JOHNSON COUNTY

KENYA
From Nairobi
Hetal Girishkumar Pravinbhai Shah, junior in biochemistry preparing to study pharmacy; “Production of Baylis-Hillman Derived Sultam Library Via a One-Pot Protocol”; Paul Hanson, professor of chemistry.

MACEDONIA
From Skopje
Sandra Ristovska, junior in theatre and film, daughter of Trajce and Snezana Ristovska; Nova International School/Orce Nikolav Gymnasia; “ ‘Kaleidoscope’: working title for a documentary film”; Catherine Preston, associate professor of theatre and film.

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