KU News Release

KU graduate students to present projects at research summit March 12 in Topeka

LAWRENCE — State lawmakers and the public will learn about new cancer treatments, alternative fuels, water conservation, autism and many other topics during the sixth annual Graduate Student Research Summit, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, March 12, in the Docking State Office Building, 915 SW Harrison St., Topeka.

The presenters include 13 graduate students from the University of Kansas; eight are from the Lawrence campus and five are from the medical center. Kansas State University and Wichita State University each will have 10 students at the free event. In conjunction with the summit, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has declared this week “Graduate Research Week.”

For students, presenting their projects in Topeka raises awareness of the outstanding graduate-level research being done at the state’s largest universities. It also underscores the economic impact of that research on Kansas and the collaborations that exist among the universities.

Lawrence campus participants were chosen at KU’s annual Graduate Student Research Competition held Feb. 23. That event involved a record 114 students, either making oral presentations or displaying research posters. The summit involves posters only, which will be on display throughout the event. Each student will describe his or her work and respond to questions.

KansasBIO, the state’s trade association and advocate for the biosciences industry, will recognize exceptional research at the summit by presenting $500 awards to two students from each of the three universities.

Topics being presented by KU students are:

— What can be learned about autism from Fragile X Syndrome, the most common cause of inherited mental impairment, by Audra Sterling, Lawrence doctoral student in psychology.
— Development of more effective drug therapies and less invasive treatments to target sites of advanced-stage breast cancer, by Shuang Cai, Tianjin, China, doctoral student in pharmaceutical chemistry.
— Evaluating the effectiveness of the state’s renewable energy incentives to promote wind energy, by James Stoutenborough, Lawrence doctoral student in political science.
— Trying to find the underlying causes of migraine headaches, specifically those classified as menstrual migraines, to find better ways to target drug therapies, by Nicholas Stucky, Spokane, Wash., doctoral student in pharmacology at KU Medical Center.
— Measuring the combined effect of a high-fat diet and estrogen loss on insulin resistance, by Brittany Gorres, Raytown, Mo., doctoral student in molecular and integrated physiology at KU Medical Center.
— Evaluating sedimentation in Kansas reservoirs with reference to the Kansas Analytical Method for Natural Channel Design, by John Shelley, Mesa, Ariz., doctoral student in civil, environmental and architectural engineering.
— Uncovering the cause of hearing loss, by Brian R. Earl, Mission doctoral student in audiology at KU Medical Center.
— Ways workplace issues can impact adverse patient outcomes, by Carol Ann Kemper, Prairie Village doctoral student in nursing at KU Medical Center.
— Research to develop processes to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released in the chemical process of making two commonly used chemicals, propylene and ethylene, by Madhav Ghanta, doctoral student in chemical and petroleum engineering from Hyderabad, India.
— Studying how cancerous brain tumors metastasize with the goal of developing pharmaceuticals that can be used to treat a deadly disease, by Natalie Ciaccio, doctoral student in pharmaceutical chemistry from Champaign, Ill.
— Measuring emissions from heavy-duty engines fueled by biodiesel blends, by Jing Guo, doctoral student in environmental engineering from Jiazou, China.
— Monitoring patterns of how children acquire bilingual language skills, by Leah Kapa, doctoral student in child language from Cedartown, Ga.
— Finding the mechanism of liver injury in cholestatic liver disease in order to develop drugs to target its treatment, by Katryn Allen, doctoral student in toxicology at KU Medical Center from Kansas City, Kan.

Students are listed below by hometown, major, parents’ names and previous schools attended.

DOUGLAS COUNTY
From Lawrence 66046
Audra Marie Sterling, doctoral student in psychology; master’s degree in psychology from KU, summer 2007; bachelor’s degree University of Notre Dame.

James W. Stoutenborough, doctoral student in political science, master’s degree in political science from KU, spring 2005; bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University.

JOHNSON COUNTY
From Mission 66202
Brian R. Earl, doctoral student in audiology; master’s degree from the University of Arizona; bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University.

From Prairie Village 66208
Carol Ann Kemper, doctoral student in nursing; bachelor’s degree from the University of Cincinnati.

WYANDOTTE COUNTY
From Kansas City 66103
Katryn M. Allen, doctoral student in toxicology; bachelor’s degree in chemistry and biology from Bethany College in Lindsborg.

ARIZONA
From Mesa 85204
John Edwin Shelley, doctoral student in civil engineering, son of Mark and Wendy Shelley; bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University; Mesa High School.

GEORGIA
From Cedartown 30125
Leah Lynn Kapa, doctoral student in child language; bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia in Athens.

ILLINOIS
From Champaign 61822
Natalie A. Ciaccio, doctoral student in pharmaceutical chemistry, daughter of Nick and Nancy Ciaccio; master’s degree in pharmaceutical chemistry from KU, spring 2008; bachelor’s degree from Purdue University.

MISSOURI
From Raytown 64138
Brittany K. Gorres, doctoral student molecular and integrative physiology; bachelor’s degree in nutritional sciences at South Dakota State University.

WASHINGTON
From Spokane 99208
Nicholas Ling Stucky, doctoral student in pharmacology; master’s degree in bioengineering from the University of Washington; bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Yale University.

CHINA
From Jiaozuo
Jing Guo, doctoral student in environmental engineering; master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Jilin University in Changchun, China.

From Tianjin
Shuang Cai, doctoral student in pharmaceutical chemistry; master’s degree from the University of Toledo; bachelor’s degree from Nankai University in Tianjin.

INDIA
From Hyderabad
Madhav Ghanta, doctoral student in chemical and petroleum engineering; master’s degree in chemical engineering from KU, fall 2008; bachelor’s degree from Osmania University in Hyderabad.

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The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence campus.