UK Undergraduates Present Posters at the Capitol
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 24, 2012) — Fifteen undergraduate researchers from the University of Kentucky have been selected to present at the 2012 Posters-at-the-Capitol event Jan. 26 at the state Capitol in Frankfort, Ky. This event will host more than 200 student representatives from across the state displaying the results of their research and scholarly or creative work.
"I am incredibly proud of our students," Diane Snow, director of the UK Office of Undergraduate Research, said. "This is a tremendous honor, as this is a very competitive program. It's also a critical time for our students to be interacting with Kentucky legislators; it's a fantastic opportunity for those who are making important decisions about expenditures in Kentucky to see what's going on at UK, especially research at the undergraduate level."
Posters-at-the-Capitol is a collaborative program where students from each of Kentucky's eight public universities and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System present the results of research they have conducted as part of their college experience before the state legislature.
"Now in its 11th year, Posters-at-the-Capitol is a welcome opportunity to recognize undergraduate research as an essential part of the educational experience, one that benefits students, faculty, and ultimately, the Commonwealth," said President Capiluto. "Our students work side-by-side with world-class researchers and experts in their field, thereby enhancing, through practical application, what they learn in the classroom. Through undergraduate research, students experience personally the intellectual passion, which is the foundation of scholarship at the University of Kentucky."
The University of Kentucky undergraduate researchers who will participate in Posters-at-the-Capitol this year include:
- Lindsey Austin: “Coming to Public Judgment: An Analysis of Young Voters in Election 2010 in Kentucky.” Mentor: Buck Ryan.
- Azita Bahrami: "Can Sensory Neurons Produce Their Own Anti-Inhibitory Factor To Promote Regeneration?" Mentor: Diane Snow.
- Brandi Collins: "Viable Alternative Bedding Materials for Compost Bedded Pack Barns." Mentor: Jeffery Bewley.
- Tarrah Dunaway: "Helping Beginning Farmers in Kentucky Transition into Agriculture." Mentor: Ani Katchova.
- Alyssa Fountain: "Insight into the Potential Anti-Parkinsonian Effects of a Synthetic, Amidated Eleven Amino Acid Peptide." Mentor: Luke Bradley.
- Cody Hollan: "The Role of Media Coverage on Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings." Mentor: Justin Wedeking.
- Anastasia Kruse: "Biocompatibility Analysis and Cancer Therapy Applications of PEG-Iron Oxide Core-Shell Nanoparticles." Mentors: Zach Hilt, Kim Anderson, Robert Wydra.
- Michael Lee: "Adapting to "Green" Workspaces in an Open-Floorplan Building." Mentors: Melody Carswell, Rich Milich.
- Rachel Malof: "Perceived Barriers to Communication with Health Providers and Influences on Health Outcomes in Appalachian Communities." Mentors: Gia Mudd Martin, Debra Moser.
- Katelyn McNamara: "Diffuse Traumatic Brain Injury Exacerbates Inflammatory Pain." Mentor: Jonathan Lifshitz.
- Viktoria Melnyk: "Mortality, Baseline Inflammatory Status and Cardiovascular Function in Adult Mechanically Ventilated, ICU Patients." Mentors: Melanie Hardin-Pierce, Susan Frazier.
- Zaheen Rabbani: "Catabolic Response of C2C12 Myotubes Following Doxorubicin Exposure." Mentors: Michael B. Reid, Jennifer Moylan.
- Sarah Seger: "In Vitro Dual Treatment of Cancer Cells with Hsp90 Inhibitors and Hyperthermia." Mentors: Zach Hilt, Kim Anderson.
- Aman Shah: "P-bodies are Elevated with Age-, but Not Disuse-associated Skeletal Muscle Atrophy." Mentors: Esther E. Dupont-Versteegden, Jena White, Amy Ferry.
- David Spencer. "Enhanced Biofunctionalization of Gold Nanoparticles Using the ISOFURE Method." Mentors: J. Zach Hilt, Travis Sexton, Louis B. Hersh.
MEDIA CONTACT: Jenny Wells, (859) 257-5343; Jenny.Wells@uky.edu