Lyman Briggs - Current Students: Graduation

Undergraduate Research Support

Spring 2009 University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF) Announcement

Students need to register for the forum by Friday, February 27, 2009. Registration and detailed information for participants can be found on the undergraduate research website at http://www.urca.msu.edu/uuraf.html. The forum will be held in the MSU Union on Thursday, April 16 from 9 AM - 5 PM. For additional information, contact Dr. Korine Wawrzynski, Director of Undergraduate Research, at steinke7@msu.edu or 355-7635. We look forward to seeing you at UURAF.

Results of the 2008 Undergraduate Research Survey

The survey was administered in April 2008 to students who participated in UR projects during fall 2007 and/or spring 2008. A second round of the survey was administered in mid-July 2008 for students who participated in a summer UR experience at MSU. All participants were students who received undergraduate research support from their colleges through funding provided by the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education and Dean of Undergraduate Studies.
View the results

Submit your undergraduate research to the Journal of Young Investigators.

Spring 2008 UURAF Presenters

Spring 2008 Research Symposium

Fall 2009 Undergraduate Research Winners

Melissa Clark, Senior, LB Zoology major. Melissa will be working with Dr. Michael Nelson from Lyman Briggs College, Fisheries & Wildlife, & Philosophy Departments on a research project entitled Gray Wolf Bone Deformity Content Analysis of Moral Themes, Attributions of Responsibility, Risk, and Solutions.

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In Spring of 2009 an online public discussion was launched by the Isle Royale WolfMoose Project to give the public background on the bone deformities of Isle Royale wolves and to solicit public opinion. The comments posted for this discussion will be analyzed for their ethical arguments, values held by the public, and attributions of responsibility. Additional areas of interest are the ability to hold multiple moral commitments at the same time and the types of rhetoric used to appeal to moral theories. Data will be collected using content analysis. I have already been working with Michael Nelson and Amy Smith in the development and clarification of the code book and achieving a strong intercoder reliability coefficient. This coefficient ensures that we are not coding subjectively. Each of the approximately 150 posts from the discussion must be coded for over 30 different categories. Additionally, I am responsible for coding each post for its basic information (user, comment or reply, date, etc).

I am very excited to be involved in this project because it draws on the topics of both of my majors: LBC Zoology and Agriculture and Natural Resource Communication Systems. This research combines my interest in the science behind conservation and how conservation messages are communicated to the public. Through the development of the codebook and discussions about the intercoder reliability coefficient, my understanding and perception of moral theories and ethical arguments has already been refined and deepened. This understanding will benefit me in graduate school, as I am planning to pursue consecutive degrees in Public Affairs Administration (MS) and Ecology/Environmental Studies (PhD). My excitement about this project has helped me decide that I want to pursue a PhD and that I would be interested in doing similar research in my graduate program. After graduate school I would like to work for a conservation organization. Currently working for the National Park Service is appealing to me because of its joint goals to preserve nature and engage the public.

David Hufnagel, Sophomore, LB Biochemistry & Biotechnology major. David will be working with Dr. Cornelius Barry from the Horticulture Department. His research project is entitled Molecular Mapping of the Easy-Peel Locus of Tomato.

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Tomato serves as a model species for studies investigating the underlying mechanisms that contribute to the development and ripening of fleshy fruits. In fleshy fruits, mechanical failure of the cuticle (peel)results in fruit splitting and cracking leading to substantial crop losses during production and postharvest storage. The cuticle also influences many quality attributes in fleshy fruits including color, sheen, uniformity, and texture contributing to the overall shelf life of the crop by influencing the effectiveness of postharvest treatments, storage and handling practices. Currently, very little is known about the molecular factors that contribute to the synthesis and deposition of fruit cuticles and their inherent properties. The easy peel (ep) mutant of tomato segregates as a monogenic recessive trait that is characterized by reduced adhesion of the cuticle to the underlying epidermal cells resulting in the ability of the cuticle to be easily peeled from the fruit without contamination of the underlying epidermal cells. The molecular basis of the ep mutant phenotype is unknown but is suggestive of either a defect in the epidermal cell surface or a biochemical perturbation in the composition of the cuticle that alters its surface properties.

The objective of this proposal is to position the ep locus on to the tomato genetic map with the long term aim of isolating this locus using a positional cloning strategy. A segregating F2 population, comprised of 120 individuals, generated from an inter-specific cross between Solanum Iycopersicum (eplep) (LA3616) and Solanum pimpinelli/olium (EPIEP) (LA1S89) is currently being assessed for the ep mutant phenotype. When this analysis is complete, the plants displaying the ep mutant phenotype will be genotyped using a set of approximately 90 previously characterized polymorphic PCR-based genetic markers that are evenly spaced across the entire 12 chromosomes of the tomato genome. Genotyping the mutant plants with these genetic markers will allow linkage of the ep locus to a chromosomal interval. Based upon previous experience, working with an initial population of 120 F2 plants, it is anticipated that the ep locus will be positioned within an interval of approximately 10 centi-Morgans. This project would provide the foundation for further genetic mapping of the ep locus with the ultimate aim of isolating the EP gene.

This project has particular relevance to the research program of my faculty mentor, Dr. Barry, who is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Horticulture. Dr. Barry's research focuses on the genetic mechanisms that control fruit ripening and quality and he has extensive experience in the characterization and isolation of genetic loci of tomato with altered fruit quality traits. The project will prepare me for a career in science as it will teach me experimental design, the formation and testing of hypotheses, data analysis, and the presentation and publication of research data. On a practical level I will learn the concepts of genetic mapping and the use of molecular markers, both common techniques used in a variety of scientific diSciplines. Overall this project will provide me with a solid foundation in scientific research and prepare me for graduate school.

Binafza Kapadia, Sophomore, LB Medical Technology major. Binafza will be working with Dr. Daniel P. Dougherty from Lyman Briggs College and the Statistics and Probability Department. The title of her research project is Relating Buffer Chemistry to the Antibacterial Performance of Organic Acids in Brain-Heart Infusion Media.

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My project, under the mentorship of Dr. Dougherty, examines the buffering properties of different organic acids and identifies the role they play in determining the inhibition of pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. These organic acids are increasingly being utilized as substitutes for antibiotics in animal feed and feed raw material. We currently perform in vitro studies that replicate typical end-product conditions of E.coli and S.aureus in Brain-Heart Infusion (BHI) Medium. BHI is a general purpose nutrient medium recommended for the cultivation and isolation of a variety of microorganisms. We are currently supplementing BHI with .1% to 4% (by weight) of ascorbic, lactic, and acetic acids. Acid-base titrations are then carried out and replicated to characterize the batch-to-batch variability, measurement error, and other sources of variability. This data is then entered into a database and statistically analyzed. The result of this analysis shed light on previous studies that concluded at 4% all of these organic acids produced strong bactericidal effects, at 1 % only lactic and acetic acids did, while ascorbic had the weakest effect. We hope that our research will provide an understanding of these pathogenic bacteria not only in animal feed but also in the human body.

I am currently a LB Medical Technology Major and would eventually like to attend medical school.

Eventually, we'd like to add additional aspects of research to our study, those that include attaining additional media such as Triptic Soy Broth for instance. Not only do we want to test the effects of ascorbic, lactic, and acetic acids in other media we would also like to test the effects of other various acids in the BHI media. The more thorough our research is and the faster we conduct it our eventual goal of publishing our work becomes more and more attainable.

Victoria Minton, Senior, LB Human Biology major. Victoria will be working with Dr. James J. Pestka from the from the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition on a project entitled 1) The Production and Purification of Deoxynivalenol (DON); 2) Investigating the Patterns and Mechanisms of Weight Loss in Mice Given a DON Diet.

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My undergraduate research currently takes place in Dr. James J. Pestka's laboratory. I am simultaneously working on two projects concerning the production and effects of the mycotoxin, deoxynivalenol (DON). When agricultural staples such as wheat, barley and corn become infected with the fungi, fusarium graminearum, the production of DON is concurrent. DON is an increasingly common problem worldwide. Also known as vomitoxin, DON serves as an emetic and chronic dietary exposure to DON causes impaired weight gain, anorexia, decreased nutritional efficiency and immune dysregulation in animals.

Proper assessment of the hazards of DON exposure has been hindered because of a lack of pure DON required for toxicological studies. DON concentrations naturally found in contaminated crops are not high enough to use as an experimental resource. Therefore, my first project involves producing high quantities of DON fromfusarium graminearum fungi. The fungi is first inoculated on potato dextrose agar plates, and then made into a suspension using a carboxymethyl-cellulose medium. Once the macro conidia concentration is determined, flasks containing sterile, enriched white rice are inoculated with 106 macroconidia. The flasks incubate in a dark room (28°C) until the rice turns a pinkish red color indicating the production of DON (usually taking 13-18 days). DON is extracted from the rice by soaking the rice in a 60% aqueous methanol solution and filtering and evaporating the methanol. The aqueous solution is then extracted three times with ethyl acetate to isolate the DON.

I have completed the extraction and isolation of DON and my next step will be to purify the DON using water-saturated silica gel chromatography. Once I obtain a concentrated DON extract, I will crystallize it and store it for future preclinical studies. My second project investigates the mechanisms by which deoxynivalenol induces weight loss. For these series of experiments, mice are given diets containing different amounts of fat and DON. Diet-induced obese mice are given food containing DON and their rate of weight loss is recorded. Also, mice that are taken off a DON diet are weighed weekly to study their rate of weight gain. The most recent feed experiment involves a pellet versus powder diet of a control (non-DON) food and a food that contains 10 ppm DON. Because DON is also known to have immunosuppressive effects, mouse blood is collected and analyzed every two weeks.

Understanding the mechanisms of weight loss caused by deoxynivalenol is important because of its effect on animals. Farm livestock that eat crops contaminated with DON lose weight and often fail to thrive, thus ceasing to be a source of economic gain. In addition, knowing how DON induces weight loss could aid in the treatment of obesity.

I have also been a part of a research project led by Dr. Nigel Paneth ofMSU's Department of Epidemiology since June 2008. The project, called Archive for Research on Child Health stores biological specimens of pregnant women during their pregnancy in order to study the effects of prenatal exposure. My duties in this project include going to the MSU Residency Clinic at Sparrow Hospital once a week, informing women about the benefits of participating in Archive for Research on Child Health at their first prenatal doctor visit, answering questions and concerns women may have about the study and research, administering a brief demographic questionnaire and entering the collected data into a web based database.

After completing my undergraduate education, I want to continue a career in research in the field of Public Health. I believe that my research experience involving weight loss and treating obesity will be very relevant to Public Health, as obesity is a very important Public Health issue. Perhaps in the future, DON, or a similar weight-loss inducing mycotoxin will be used to treat obesity in humans.

Summer 2009 Undergraduate Research Winners

Jayme L. Olsen, LBC Microbiology major. Jayme will be working with Professor Douglas B. Luckie, Lyman Briggs College and the Dept. of Physiology, on a project entitled “Multi-plex PCR Assay to Detect for Cycstic Fibrosis Mutations”.

Alexandra G. Collins-Webb, LBC Biology major. Alexandra will be working with Lyman Briggs professor Ryan Sweeder on a project entitled Qualitative Analysis of (General Chemistry) Factors Impacting Performance in Organic Chemistry.

Spring 2009 Undergraduate Research Winners

Thomas Davis, Junior, LB Chemistry/Environmental Science. Thomas will be working with Dr. Daniel Daugherty, Lyman Briggs Mathematics. The title of his research project is Characterizing and Optimizing a Predictive Framework for Wine Production Using a Collaborative Internet Database of Complex Buffers

Anthony Kraus, Sophomore, LB No Preference. Anthony will be working with Dr. James Harrison, CNS Chemistry. The title of his research is Solving the Radial Schrodinger Equation for Vibrational Motion of a Diatomic Molecule.

Kristen Hummel, Sophomore, LB Medical Technology major. Kristen will be working with Dr. Alison Bauer from the Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation Dept. on a project entitled The Role of Hsp70 in Lung Inflammation.

Robert McClowry, Junior, LB Physiology major. Robert will be working with Professor Jim Smith from Lyman Briggs College, Entomology, and Zoology Depts. His research project is entitled Population Structure of Cherry Fruit Fly (Rhagoletis Cingulafa) in Managed, Unmanaged and Natural Habitats.

Undergraduate Research Support

The Lyman Briggs College helps students by providing funding to support undergraduate research activities. Awards provide different levels of funding for students to work on research teams with MSU faculty mentors. All LBC students are encouraged to apply for these awards.

Up to four $1,000 awards are funded each Fall and Spring semesters. Two $3,000 awards are granted for Summer semester. Funds from these awards are generally to be used for student stipends; exceptions should be explained and justified. Awards will be released when the mentor informs the LBC Office of Student Affairs that the student has initiated their project. Student awardees and their mentors are required to file a brief assessment report as a follow-up to their projects.

Each award requires a sponsoring department or faculty mentor to contribute $200 for Fall or Spring semester awards and $300 for Summer semester awards, either from a research grant or from a general funds account. The rest of the award will be provided from LBC funds.

Any student in the Lyman Briggs College can apply. Awards will be selected on the basis of both merit and financial need.

Criteria for Selection
The committee will consider the following characteristics when selecting the recipients of the LBC Undergraduate Research Support Program: quality of the research proposal, relevance to proposed career field or graduate education, financial need, and grade point average. Priority will be given to applicants working with LBC faculty, although others are encouraged to apply. Preference will also be given to undergraduates who have not previously received funding or pay for performing research in an MSU lab. Candidates should briefly address these criteria in their proposals.

Deadlines and Award Timing
Applications for these awards will be accepted until the 10th day of the Fall and Spring semesters, and awards will be made by the fourth week of the semester. For the summer, applications are due April 1 and the award will be made before the start of summer semester.

Time Commitment
While you would not need to enroll for research credit, you would be expected to engage in a research project for approximately 8 to 10 hours per week during the academic year (fall and spring semester) and at least 20 hours per week during the summer.

Required Presentation of Work
Students who receive funds are expected to present their results at a local research forum, such as the University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum held in early April, the LBC SPRING RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM, a similar departmental program, or at a regional or national meeting. This presentation should be within two semesters after receiving support. If you receive support for more than one semester during any academic year, you would be required to give only one presentation for that year if the support is for the same research project.

Application Process
To apply, you must be enrolled as a full-time student in Lyman Briggs College, except during the summer. Students eligible for summer support must have been enrolled as a full-time student during the prior Spring semester and not have graduated. These awards do not require that the faculty mentor(s) be LBC faculty.

Deadlines and Award Timing Applications for these awards will be accepted until the 10th day of the Fall and Spring semesters and awards will be made by the fourth week of the semester. For the summer, applications are due April 1^st and awards will be made before the start of summer semester.

How to Apply for these Awards
Complete the appropriate Undergraduate Research Support Application(s) and print out a copy of the completed form. Obtain the signatures indicated on the form.

Download the APPLICATION (Word format) or (PDF format).

Write a 1-2 page description of your research project and proposed use of the funds. While not required, mention any previous research experience and address financial need (if applicable).
- SAMPLE research statement (PDF Format)
Obtain a letter of support from your research mentor. This letter should also address financial need (if applicable).
Submit the completed application, 1-2 page description and letter of support to:
Lyman Briggs College
Office of Academic Affairs
35 E. Holmes Hall
East Lansing, MI 48825